There are no secrets in the palace. Within two days, the joke about Lady Nian's mistake spread far and wide. Consort Yu was in a good mood arranging flowers.
Seeing this, the palace maid beside her chimed in, "Your Highness, Consort Nian has finally learned to be more demure. These past few days, she hasn't even stepped out of her room, let alone gone to fawn over Consort Qi."
Consort Yu snipped at the flower branches with scissors: "Noble Nian is arrogant and thinks that just because she has a good family background and looks good, she can look down on me. But now I see that she is still His Majesty's servant."
“Your Majesty, there is a difference. You are the mistress, but in the Emperor’s eyes, she is just a servant.” The palace maid said boldly, and seeing that Consort Yu did not blame her, she knew that she had spoken to the Empress’s heart.
The rumors circulating throughout the palace today are partly the result of the master's instigation; otherwise, who would care about a mere noblewoman?
After learning about this, Yi Hua ordered Yu Ling to take several bolts of fine snow-white satin, along with some rouge and face powder, and send them to Lady Nian. Yin Zhen had unintentionally offended Lady Nian; it wasn't that she had done anything wrong. Yi Hua couldn't bring herself to gossip behind her back, so she could only offer some comfort and express her stance, which would quell the rumors to some extent.
Ms. Nian was very grateful to Yu Ling, and after thanking her profusely, she wanted to take scissors and cut up all the fabric.
She had never been so humiliated in her life. Before she could even establish her authority, it had been completely crushed. Thinking about the series of setbacks she had suffered recently, Nian Si couldn't help but cover her face and burst into tears.
Xiaodie wanted to offer some advice but ultimately gave up, letting her master have a good cry.
Thinking back to her first encounter with Yinzhen, Nian Si felt increasingly pained. He could be gentle with women, so why couldn't that woman be her?
******
"Consort Yu?" Yi Hua was somewhat surprised. Geng had been well-behaved for so many years, and now that she had risen to a high position, she was being trampled on by Nian. It was understandable that she felt resentful.
Granny Chen sighed, "Consort Yu is a woman who gets things done quietly. If she hadn't taken action this time, I wouldn't have realized that she had already laid out such a wide network of relationships."
Yi Hua nodded, her heart tightening. She couldn't think about things from the perspective of the Prince's mansion. Everyone had changed since she entered the Forbidden City.
Now that Consort Yu has made her mark, what about Noble Lady Wu, and all the other concubines she can't even recognize yet? Yi Hua realized that she had been too relaxed lately, focusing only on Consort De and completely forgetting that this was Yinzhen's harem, not Kangxi's.
"Your Majesty, someone from the Imperial Household Department requests an audience," Yu Xue relayed at the door.
"Let him in."
As soon as Zhang, the head steward of the Imperial Household Department, entered the room, he bowed and scraped: "This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. Now that the weather is getting warmer, this is a piece of ice silk that the Imperial Household Department has treasured for many years. What's even more rare is the dark embroidery. It looks plain inside, but when the sunlight shines on it, it shimmers and sparkles, and it's very beautiful."
Yi Hua reached out and touched it; it had a warm coolness, and the fabric was exceptionally silky, a type she had never seen before.
This cannot be attributed to her ignorance; after all, over the years, not only had she never worn it, but she had also never seen any other concubine in the palace wear it, which shows how well the Imperial Household Department kept it hidden.
Yi Hua heard a saying that the most exquisite items in the common people dared not be sent to the palace, because they could not be obtained every year. Once they gained the favor of a noble person, if they could not be presented as tribute on time, the consequences would not be good.
"You're too kind, Steward Zhang." Yi Hua accepted the gift; she needed to reassure the people from the Imperial Household Department.
Chief Steward Zhang was much relieved: "This servant has another matter he is unsure about, and he would like to ask Your Majesty for a decision. Today, the Imperial Household Department received a shipment of shad from Hengjiang via express courier. His Majesty has already distributed them to the court, and there are still ten left in the harem. What do you think we should do with them?"
Each Hengjiang shad weighs several kilograms, is fresh and plump. Yihua has eaten it several times, and the lingering fragrance is unforgettable.
She thought about it and realized that the only people in the harem who could be considered important were the Empress Dowager, Consort Qi, Consort Yu, and Consort Mao, as well as a few children. As for those below the rank of Noble Lady, they were not qualified to enjoy these privileges.
Consort Mao had long since lost the emperor's favor. Apart from her allowance, she couldn't even get a year-end bonus, let alone these extra subsidies.
“Two for the Empress Dowager, two for myself, one for Consort Qi, and one each for the princes and princesses. That’s just right.” Yi Hua gestured.
Steward Zhang swallowed hard. He subconsciously wanted to ask, "Are those two concubines gone?"
Then it dawned on him: Consort Mao was obviously the Empress's way of putting Consort Yu in a bad light. He understood. It was all thanks to him asking.
"This servant understands, I'll go deliver it right away." Steward Zhang didn't delay after receiving the order and delivered it with some knocking and banging.
Consort Yu's face darkened when she saw that she wasn't being treated the same as Consort Mao by the Empress. This was the first time she had received the same treatment from the Empress. Indeed, one should not overstep one's bounds.
Consort Yu smiled bitterly, sighed deeply, and after a long while instructed, "Keep a low profile for now, and make those who spread rumors stop."
******
Yi Hua's mind was now focused on these fish. She had the ones belonging to Hong Hui and Xiao Lang sent over, since boys need to socialize too. The ones belonging to Liu Liu were kept in Yi Kun Palace.
She had three fish, and she needed to think about how to cook them: "One can be grilled, one can be salted, and the other can be steamed fish head soup. Let's make one fish in three ways."
Yu Xue replied, "This servant will tell the kitchen right away. Your Highness's eyes light up whenever she talks about food."
"You little brat, you dare tease me like that! I'll punish you by not letting you eat a single bite of fish." Yi Hua had a good relationship with the people around her, especially Yu Xue and the others, who were younger than her and whom she treated like younger sisters.
"Where's Liu Liu?" Yi Hua noticed that she hadn't seen Liu Liu for the past few days and wondered what the child was busy with.
"The Second Princess went to see the First Princess," Yu Ling replied. "The Second Princess said that the First Princess will soon be getting married and moving out, and she will miss her."
Yi Hua nodded. The eldest princess had always protected Liu Liu since they were little, and the two sisters really had a good relationship.
After the mourning period ended, apart from elevating the titles of his brothers, Yinzhen did not bestow any honors upon his sons. Instead, he issued a separate imperial edict for a marriage between the eldest princess and the eldest grandson of the Zhu family, ordering them to marry by the end of the year, which indeed was only a few months away.
Yi Hua didn't disturb the two sisters' time together. Taking advantage of this rare moment of relaxation, she went to Liu Liu's favorite swing set and sat down.
Yu Xue, who also loved to play, reached out and gently pushed Yi Hua from behind. Yi Hua used her heels for leverage and swung high into the air in no time.
The gentle breeze felt like a mother's hands, softly patting my face. The slight feeling of weightlessness made my heart race. No wonder Liu Liu is like a child who grows up on a swing; it's really comfortable.
Yi Hua was so engrossed in playing that she didn't hear the slight scraping sound of the chains.
"Crack!" This swing was installed when Yikun Palace was renovated. It was supposed to be extremely sturdy, but no one expected that the chain would break and Yihua would fall freely from mid-air.
Yu Xue and the others were a beat too slow, and they rushed to lie down on the ground to act as human cushions for Yi Hua.
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