Chapter 5 Chapter 5 (Minor Repair) Lady Yang
If the emperor was looking for her, he should have discovered by now that she was not a maid in Ziquan Palace at all.
If he insists on finding her, then the huge imperial city will not be enough for her to hide.
Once this thought came into her mind, Qingzan was completely unable to get rid of it.
When she was on duty, she was afraid someone would come and call her over. When she was off duty, she was also afraid someone was waiting in the room, so she would hesitate before opening the door. She was so suspicious all day long, but fortunately, the whole day passed peacefully. She was just scaring herself.
Qingzan decided not to think about it anymore.
...If he was really determined to find her, at least the worst outcome wouldn't be death.
Late at night, all sounds were still. Suoying rolled up her quilt and rubbed against Qingzan's side. Their beds were next to each other on the big kang. Suoying twisted a few times, and a ball of warmth quietly came to Qingzan's side.
Suo Ying's soft voice was only heard by the two of them: "Sister Qingzan, can't you sleep? Are you worried that Aunt Jinyu will give you another hard time... Actually, I heard it yesterday. It was Aunt Jinyu who ordered everyone not to open the door for you. You two are both from the Marquis' Mansion, but have you ever had any conflicts?"
Qingzan had been prepared to stay awake until dawn, but she didn't expect that she didn't move at all and Suoying still found out that she was still awake.
She didn't intend to tell Suoying about the Queen's criticism of her. She just said, "I have no grudge against her. You should just think that we have different personalities."
This was true. She had never had any conflict with the Queen or Jin Yu.
Suo Ying said with certainty, "It must be her fault."
Qing Zan asked in the same whisper, "What about you? Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I keep hearing wild cats meowing at night these few days. It's so noisy that I can't sleep." Suoying continued to push until their quilts were stuck together.
Qingzan could vaguely hear one or two cat meows, but they were quite weak. It was probably because Suoying had amazing hearing, so she felt more tormented than ordinary people at such times.
"Don't be afraid. If it doesn't work, I'll find you two balls of cotton tomorrow to plug the hole at night."
"Hmm, it seems she's gone now... Sister Qingzan," Suo Ying turned to look at the other two people in the lower room. She heard only the sound of their even breathing in the darkness, and they must have fallen asleep. She whispered to Qingzan, "Sister, do you know Lady Yang?"
Qing Zan: "What happened to Lady Yang?"
Suo Ying said dazedly, "It seems to be a new master. Today, I accidentally heard the Queen say that her fellow palace maids said that she really disliked Concubine Yang and wanted to give her a hard time..."
As he spoke, his speech became more and more slurred, and he actually fell asleep, with his head resting on Qingzan's shoulder.
Qingzan looked at Suoying's face, which was blurred in the night and was very close to her. After thinking carefully, she realized that she had been going to the front too much recently.
Perhaps the palace servants who pushed their own work onto her became more and more outrageous.
But she is now unable to take care of herself and doesn't know how to help others.
As I was thinking, I finally fell into a deep sleep in a daze.
Fortunately, the Queen did not add fuel to the fire and cause trouble for her in the past two days. Perhaps, as Suoying said, the Queen was focusing all her attention on Concubine Yang, who stood out among the newcomers.
The people in the main hall had a hard time. They had been trembling with fear all night last night. Today was April 25th, the day for paying respects every three days. They got up early in the morning to prepare. The Empress Dowager had specifically instructed that there should be enough tea for today. They had to get up before the hour of Yin, and when they got up, the light was still dim and listless.
Huying Pavilion.
Last night, Concubine Yang served the emperor in the emperor's bed. It had been twenty days since the new concubine entered the palace, but she was the first and only one to receive the favor.
The Emperor had to attend court early on odd days, and Concubine Yang didn't dare sleep too deeply. When she heard some movement beside her, she got up from her bed and dressed. She took the Emperor's court robes from the clothesline, shyly not looking at the Emperor: "I will help Your Majesty get dressed."
The emperor summoned someone in and said, "Let the servants handle these matters. Yang Qing, have a good rest."
Concubine Yang couldn't help, so she simply went to put on her makeup in front of the mirror, but she peeked at the emperor through the mirror and said, "I have to go pay my respects to the Empress later, so I can't sleep."
The emperor's expression remained unchanged, and he said indifferently, "Yang Qing knows the rules."
Concubine Yang knew that even if she acted coquettishly and was lazy and did not go to pay her respects today, the emperor might agree. However, this had a completely different meaning from what the emperor had said on his own initiative.
Therefore, she did not seem very happy to receive the praise. She just blinked her eyes and continued to hint: "I don't want to understand the rules, but I will never embarrass Your Majesty."
The emperor simply smiled. Concubine Yang suddenly put down her comb, turned back and looked straight at him. Since euphemisms weren't enough, she resorted to directness: "Your Majesty...what kind of women do you like?"
The emperor's crown and belt were straightened, and he was about to leave, but he paused when he heard the words.
Outside the house, the sky was still a confusing bluish-white color, and it was hard to tell whether it was a sunny or rainy day.
Finally, he simply said, "Yang Qing is doing very well now."
He immediately set out to attend court.
Lady Yang's cherry-red lips pursed slightly. Wasn't this equivalent to telling her that she couldn't become the person he liked?
She respectfully escorted the person out of the door and then set off for Fengzao Palace.
It goes without saying that I will become the target of public criticism today.
But isn't that what the favor in the palace is like? The more you take advantage of the emperor's grace, the more jealous you will be. But if you don't stand at the forefront of the storm, you can only be like the poor sand and stone at the bottom of the waves, being worn away by the waves, and your end will not be any better.
Having made preparations in advance, Lady Yang simply wore a crabapple pink dress as she usually did. The lively and cheerful color set off her lotus face, which was full and lovely, like a newly born lotus that had not yet fully opened its buds.
Arriving at Fengzao Palace, the palace servants were bustling about in an orderly manner, some setting out refreshments, others welcoming guests and singing ceremonial greetings. Each of them had their own tasks at hand. Concubine Yang looked at the bustling and overlapping figures before her, and suddenly paused. She spoke to her maid, Xiaotao, with a wistful look on her face: "Actually, it's not bad to be like them. Ignorant and muddleheaded, their lives will just pass by."
Xiao Tao listened intently to her master's words, but even so, she couldn't grasp the meaning behind Yang Meiren's words. She didn't even know who Yang Meiren was referring to when she said "they." Was she talking about the palace maids? But how could a master envy a servant?
Lady Yang glanced at Xiao Tao's naive expression and said, "You won't understand even if I tell you. Forget it, I just..."
She was just a little discouraged.
On the way here, she was thinking about what the emperor had just said. She should have been happy about the favor, but she always felt that he was not sincere in everything.
Just like last night, His Majesty treated her gently but perfunctorily.
They shared the same bed in the romantic tent, but she could feel his absent-mindedness. She dared not make a sound even when she felt pain. In the end, tears welled up in her eyes, which he wiped away with his thumb, but the emperor did not say a word to her.
Is this what an emperor's heart is? Doomed to be illusory and uncertain, yet forced to devote her entire life to striving and fighting, trapped in an endless vortex? Or does she have to strive to reach a position like Ming Zhaoyi or Zhen Jieyu to truly capture the emperor's attention?
Lady Yang knew that she couldn't think about it any more. If she delayed any further, she would miss the time to pay her respects. With so many eyes staring at her today, she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
She walked to the main hall and sat down. Since she was the highest-ranking among the newcomers and Concubine Wu was the lowest-ranking among the old concubines, their seats were next to each other. When Concubine Wu turned around, she was dazzled by the bright and tender pink dress and her eyes hurt.
It just so happened that the Empress had gifted each of her sisters a cup of rose Pu'er tea. Aromatic tea should always be sipped slowly and savored. Concubine Wu, unsure of what to make of it, glanced at the Empress, who sat at the head of the table, then at Concubine Yang. "Oh, my sister, why are you so beautiful today?"
Concubine Yang changed her melancholy expression when she was talking to her maidservant, and said innocently, "Sister, I am so beautiful, but the bird fairy dare not take credit for it. I am blessed by the grace of heaven, just like plants receive the care of spring rain and dew. Who would be so dejected and dirty?"
Wu Pin was unable to tell from her innocent expression whether she was mocking her in a subtle way.
Every concubine from the former Eastern Palace knew that she was the least favored. Her childhood was a cold and lonely one, and the coldness of the Eastern Palace always made her feel ashamed. But Yang Meiren had just arrived, so how could she know so clearly? Besides, she had previously held the lowest rank, naturally inferior to others. But now, the new concubines were still below her in rank, so what was she afraid of?
Besides, the Empress had specially served tea this time, clearly wanting everyone to sit a little longer so that Concubine Yang could be given more open and covert knives...
Wu Concubine thought for a moment, then managed a superficial smile: "Tian En naturally treats everyone the same, one family today, another tomorrow. My sister is young, and as an elder sister, I have good intentions. I hope she won't rush to show off, get carried away, and lose her sense of proportion."
Concubine Yang turned to face her in feigned disbelief. "What are you talking about, sister? How can Heaven's grace be the same for everyone? The Empress is still sitting here. How can we even compare to her? Besides, even if I wanted to show off, I'd never be as stunning as the Empress. At most, I'd be a little better than you, sister."
Now Concubine Wu was certain that Lady Yang was far from being as simple as she seemed. She had originally thought that she was a soft persimmon that could be easily squeezed, but in fact, she was a thorn in the flesh who was difficult to deal with!
Concubine Wu was shaking with anger. She came from a poor family and was just a concubine who kept the bed warm in the Eastern Palace. How could she compare with these girls from aristocratic families who were so cunning!
A few feet away, on the main throne in the main hall, the empress saw that half of Wu's face was flushed red. She let Yang Meiren talk nonsense, even using her as a scapegoat, and for a long time she couldn't utter a word of rebuttal. She couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Useless fool."
As for Concubine Yang, she initially thought that Concubine Wu must be a person with a golden mouth and silver teeth who would bite off a piece of other people's flesh with one mouth. Who would have thought that she would give up so easily.
She didn't mean to bully anyone. According to her personality, she should have stopped here. But now all the beauties in the palace were sitting in one room, and she needed someone to sacrifice her knife to let others know that she was not someone to be messed with.
So Lady Yang took two sips of the rose tea. When her lips touched, the reddish-brown tea soup with a sweet aroma floated up in the air, just like a layer of honey poured over the cherries.
Originally, she was not very pretty, more like a youthful and pretty girl next door, but now that she opened her mouth, her innocence and cuteness seemed to have a dazzling aura that attracted everyone's attention.
"Sister Wupin." Concubine Yang called out with a smile, then quickly covered her lips with her hand. "Did I call you right? Quexian is new to the palace, and if I hadn't done my homework beforehand, I wouldn't have even heard of someone like you in the palace!"
Wupin always liked to act timid and innocent, but now her tricks were completely ruined: "What do you mean?"
What does it mean to call her such a person? Is it implying that her behavior is inappropriate, or is it mocking her as a nobody in the palace?
Concubine Wu was furious and embarrassed, her composure completely shattered. However, Concubine Yang seemed to have no intention of backing down and continued to harass her. "Quexian is a bit tongue-tied, please don't be angry with me, sister. I thought you really appreciated my outfit today, so I wanted to say a few words to you. After all, His Majesty was also very pleased with it yesterday. If I have offended you in any way, please bear with me. I'm sure that Quexian hasn't learned the rules as well as you have."
If she wasn't in front of everyone, Concubine Wu would have wanted to cover her ears with her hands. No, why cover her ears? She should have poured all the tea in front of her on this bitch's face, making her look like a drowned turtle. Just wait and see how she would turn over and make a scene!
"Okay! We are sisters, we should get along with each other. How can you behave like this?" The queen couldn't help but stop.
After all, Concubine Wu is on his side, and if she loses face, it is the same as his loss.
Their dislike for Concubine Yang deepened. The concubines who had been watching the situation from the sidelines immediately stopped their private discussions and sniggering upon hearing the Queen's annoyed and impatient tone.
At this time, only the concubine who was sitting opposite Concubine Wu in another row in the hall suddenly spoke.
"Lady Yang." She has a quiet temperament, and an introverted and reserved scholarly air. She is neither hot nor cold when calling people.
This person is Concubine Xue, the former concubine who was promoted from the Eastern Palace when Your Majesty ascended the throne last year, just like Concubine Wu.
Because she was just the daughter of a teacher, both of them were concubines in the Eastern Palace, and now they are both imperial concubines.
But Lady Yang was much more polite to her, and called back with a puzzled look, "Sister Xuepin?"
Concubine Xue smiled gently and said, "Although you have won the emperor's favor and have recently been favored, it is inevitable that your heart and eyes are filled with His Majesty, but you cannot casually discuss the emperor, especially in front of the Empress. The Empress has shown mercy by not punishing you."
In this palace, sometimes speaking is not just for the sake of speaking, but more likely due to one's position.
But it was hard to tell what Concubine Xue said. Was she trying to stop the Queen's remarks and give her a grand and appropriate reason for leniency? Or was she siding with Concubine Yang and preventing someone from making a fuss about her remarks?
Or maybe, she just wants to be a good person and mediate?
Regardless, the Queen's reputation was elevated, and she felt a little relieved. Concubine Yang also had a step to go down the slope, and smiled sweetly at her: "I know, sister is right!"
"I apologize to the Queen."
Concubine Yang's eyebrows curved, her smile genuine. After this incident, everyone would see that although she was a newcomer to the imperial palace, she was a real tough nut to crack. Add to that her family background and the emperor's favor, and no small fish or shrimp would come up to her to cause trouble.
Perhaps the concubines with more profound thoughts would even laugh at her youthful impatience and impatience, and thus be less vigilant and hostile towards her.
Her goal has been achieved.
There were no more disturbances at the morning meeting. Only Nanny Lian, who was beside the Empress Dowager, came and said that she wanted to teach the newcomers how to organize the Dragon Boat Festival banquet. Those who volunteered could go to Ziquan Palace to find the Empress Dowager and recommend themselves.
After the show, Concubine Yang wanted to find Concubine Xue to thank her and make friends with her.
She was not a person who did not know what was good for her. If it weren't for Concubine Xue, she would have found another way to end the situation. She had no intention of provoking the Queen. No concubine of low rank would be so foolish as to go against the Queen.
But Concubine Yang looked around and did not see Concubine Xue in the crowd until she walked out of Fengzao Palace.
She called out to the palace servant outside Fengzao Palace who was about to go somewhere unknown: "Hey!"
The palace maid turned around and saluted. Although she lowered her eyebrows and looked down, her face was still as radiant as frost and snow.
Concubine Yang blushed, her eyes filled with amazement. As she approached, her voice softened: "Let me ask you, have you seen Concubine Xue?"
Qingzan was about to take someone to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and replied, "I didn't see it."
Lady Yang waved her hand in disappointment and let the person go.
*
On the other side, the emperor also finished his court session and returned to Taiji Hall. It was not the turn of the imperial eunuch Xu Delu to accompany him to the court today. He took care of all the trivial matters in Taiji Hall and waited at the door of the hall with his feet raised and head tilted.
Seeing the man's attentiveness and enthusiasm, Xiao Fang knew that he had completed his mission and done it well.
"Have you got the things?"
Xu Delu replied with a forced smile, "The roster of the current palace maids in each inner court is already on your desk, sorted by year of entry. And the news you asked me to spread was probably nearly there yesterday, but you've added fuel to the fire today. I'm sure everyone in the palace knows it by now. Everyone in Ziquan Palace has appeared before the Emperor and received a reward. But I still don't understand why you're doing this."
Seeing that the emperor did not want to say more, Xu Delu looked at the pile of names that was as high as a finger and asked, "Your Majesty, what are you looking for? How about a few of us help you look through it?"
By now he had finally realized that whether it was the Purple Spring Palace or the list of palace ladies in the inner courtyard, the emperor clearly wanted to investigate someone, but he just didn't dare to ask directly.
"No rush." Xiao Fang turned the animal bone ring on his hand and smiled silently.
Looking for a needle in a haystack is ultimately a bad idea. Since she wants to hide, why not play this childish trick with her?
As for the news of rewarding the whole hall in Ziquan Hall, he had leaked it on purpose.
The person he was looking for was so smart and cunning that he must have understood why he was making such a big fuss.
She must have known that his real purpose was to catch a liar who lied about his home address. She must have been so restless by now that she couldn't even eat or drink.
I hope she can hide it better and longer.
After all, the entire palace belongs to the emperor.
Taking something from a bag is as easy as pie.
*
At the same time, Concubine Yang left Fengzao Palace, but still did not give up. She walked towards Concubine Xue's Qun Yu Palace, even taking a big detour to return to the palace, but she did not see anyone along the way.
I couldn't help but murmur with Xiao Tao: "How can Concubine Xue run so fast?"
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Current characters
The elderly are: Queen, Concubine Wu, Concubine Zhen, Concubine Xue
Newcomer: Yang Meiren
The dog and the goose will meet soon.
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