Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Dragon Boat Festival
"His Majesty."
Perhaps because she heard that someone was going to be rewarded, Lady Yang propped herself up and sat up a little, and called out through the curtain.
The emperor didn't finish his words. Instead, he parted the tent and walked to the bedside, saying, "I'm here."
During this time, he said to Qingzan, "You go out first."
Lady Yang said anxiously, "Wait!"
Seeing that the emperor did not say anything else, Qingzan waited quietly outside the Bisha kitchen.
The inner chamber of Huying Pavilion is like a portrait of the owner's home. The vase contains green and lively branches, and the dressing table is filled with various light-smelling cosmetics and ointments.
Concubine Yang exchanged a few words with the emperor, then tentatively called out outside, "Qing Zan?"
Qingzan knew that this meant she was being asked to come in.
Lady Yang, with a bandage around her neck and her hairpins removed, sat leaning against the headboard with her hair loose, her face much paler than usual. Seeing Qingzan come in, she smiled brightly, "Xiaotao told me your name is Qingzan."
Her tone softened a bit: "Thank you so much today."
Qingzan didn't dare to take credit for it, and only said: "Anyone who met the master at that time would not ignore him."
This is true. When the master is attacked, which servant dares to stand by and watch?
But Lady Yang seemed to be still trying to ask for a reward on Qingzan's behalf. She looked at the emperor and asked, "What reward does Your Majesty intend to give her?"
The emperor, who had been sitting by the bed, chuckled with an ambiguous tone. He tucked in the quilt for her and stood up. "Mind yourself."
Obviously not going to talk to her about this.
Lady Yang couldn't tell whether he was more intimidating or cared more about her.
"Of course I can't take care of myself!" She hugged the quilt and said with a little girl's heart: "At most, at most... I won't feed the cat anymore."
The emperor seemed unmoved: "Take good care of yourself, I will come to see you another day."
Yang Meiren expressed hope: "Someday, which day?"
Under normal circumstances, Xiao Fang might not have such patience.
But thinking about what the imperial physician said just now...
His expression, as gloomy as water, couldn't help but relax. Although he didn't answer, he didn't leave directly either. He asked, "Will you let Zhaoyi help you with the banquet?"
"No, no." Concubine Yang knew that His Majesty wanted her to have a good rest, but she didn't want to miss this opportunity. "The Concubine Zhaoyi has already assigned people to me. I can do it!"
"Yes." The emperor did not force it. He looked at the palace maid who lowered her head and frowned, trying to reduce her presence: "Are you not leaving yet?"
Qingzan immediately followed the man out obediently.
Concubine Yang showed half of her face, like the tip of a lotus flower, from behind the quilt and said playfully, "I won't get up to see your majesty off."
In the next few days, the supplements bestowed by Taiji Hall and Guanju Main Hall flowed into Huying Pavilion like water.
As Concubine Zhen was drawing her eyebrows in the mirror, she was distracted and almost made a mistake. Because Concubine Ming had not allowed her to see Yang that day, she now felt that Yang and Concubine Ming were on the same boat, so naturally she had no good feelings towards them.
"It was just a scratch from a cat. She can be considered blessed by her injury."
"The left end seems to be higher." The maid pointed upwards and said, "How can that be? Your Majesty comes to our Fangxin Palace every day these days, and Concubine Yang only gives her gifts. How can she compare with the master?"
Concubine Zhen had applied her makeup so carefully precisely for the occasion of tonight's reception. She raised her lips charmingly, "Hmph, compared to me? Of course she's not worthy enough."
However, she also knew that it was probably because the emperor was called to Huying Pavilion before sleeping with her that day, and now he wanted to compensate her, so he stayed in Fangxin Palace for the past few days.
Sometimes she would wonder if the emperor would only feel pity and guilt towards the women in the harem, but not love.
Even though in everyone's eyes, she had received the most favor from the emperor.
*
Since that day, the emperor's "reward" has not come down.
The Queen never visited Concubine Yang, but simply exempted her from paying her respects.
I heard that an imperial decree was issued to capture and kill the wild cats in the palace, but the emperor had already given the order to drive them away, and the palace servants did their job quickly and efficiently, so they didn't catch many.
When Xu Delu heard the report, he sighed secretly. Miss Qingzan told His Majesty that these cats were guarding their food in a strange way. If they were killed, there would be no evidence. How could His Majesty allow it?
It seemed that the emperor hadn't thought about Qingzan for some time.
If Xu Delu hadn't seen a stack of records on the desk, he would have thought that the emperor had forgotten about this person.
That was the life story of this woman that the emperor asked the secret guards to investigate.
But this thin stack of loose pages simply sat unattended on the emperor's desk. The emperor was accustomed to keeping his belongings neatly arranged, looking like new. Xu Delu couldn't tell whether His Majesty had looked through it, or if it was just like the list of palace maids, which had been sent back in one piece.
About half a month later, on the fifth day of May, the Dragon Boat Festival arrived as scheduled.
The continuous rain makes spring go away, and when the sun comes out, the heat is already unstoppable.
After being scorched for several days in a row, the stone roads seemed to be sizzling with heat, and people walked without touching the ground, as if they were rushing to celebrate a festival.
Around noon, a grand banquet was held in the outer court, and the emperor rewarded the court officials with glutinous rice dumplings, gold, silver, and silk for making summer clothes.
The ministers also watched singing, dancing, and popular Western magic performances in Penglai Palace.
In the evening, it was time for a small banquet in the harem. This time, Concubine Yang was very creative and set up the banquet on Shenlai Island on Taiye Lake, surrounded by waves and a cool breeze.
The main area for banquets on the island was a winding corridor with a pavilion in the center, called the Shenlai Pavilion. Everywhere you went, there were eaves, so the ladies were not exposed to the sun.
As the banquet in the outer court was about to end, a young eunuch in the imperial court looked inside from outside the Penglai Palace. Because of the golden pillars and jade walls, he could not see the emperor's crown on the high seat in the hall.
When the emperor came out, he saw people craning their necks to look at him, "What's going on?"
The young eunuch said, "Jieyi Zhen has sent someone to invite you to the banquet."
*
The concubines in the harem had already been welcomed by the palace maids to board the ship and arrive on the island.
The Queen Mother said that she had been feeling unwell these past two days due to the harsh summer weather and could not come in person, so she sent her trusted confidant, Nanny Lian, to serve them more food. The Emperor had already attended a banquet in the outer court at noon today and would not come in the evening. Now that the two great gods would not be coming, although everyone was inevitably disappointed, they felt more at ease.
There were no tall buildings on the island, only pavilions and corridors, all of which were open to the wind. Concubine Wu looked around and said, "I heard that after the noon banquet, Concubine Yang sent someone to bring back the magic troupe. How come I don't see them on the island? I want to see something new."
Ever since Concubine Wu and Lady Yang had a quarrel during the official greetings, the two had been at odds. Lady Yang had been recovering from her injuries for a few days, so Concubine Wu had no one to blame. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Concubine Wu was eyeing today's banquet.
However, one is an old woman whose name is not even on the list in His Majesty's eyes, while the other is a newcomer who has shown her talent as soon as she entered the palace and may become a strong rival in the future. Of course, they would rather share the same hatred with Concubine Wu.
Someone chimed in, "Perhaps they'll wait until the banquet starts before going to the island to prepare. It's a shame for us, the hosts, to wait for them."
Seeing everyone's dissatisfaction with Concubine Yang, Concubine Zhao immediately said, "It's a good festival, we can't wait for this and that. Let's start the banquet quickly, Queen, what do you say?"
Jin Yu refilled the Queen's glass of wine, which she had taken two sips too much, and took the opportunity to whisper, "This Concubine Zhao..."
The Empress had already been displeased, but because her attention was focused on the seldom-seen Consort Ming, she held back from snapping immediately. When would it be someone else's turn to teach her how to do things?
Reminded by Jin Yu, he glanced at Zhao who had stood up: "Everyone hasn't arrived yet, why are you in such a hurry?"
Of course, the Queen didn't really want to wait, but if the banquet started without waiting for someone to arrive, then being late wouldn't be a big deal. The longer the delay, the more it would show the latecomer's lack of etiquette, and the more it would arouse the resentment of those who were waiting impatiently.
Zhao Cairen's smile froze on her face instantly, and she sat back in silence: "Yes..."
In fact, the room was full of beauties, except for Concubine Zhen.
Seeing this, Zheng Xiuyi wanted to smooth things over for her cousin. She looked at Ming Zhaoyi, who was sitting next to her, and changed the subject: "Why didn't Zhaoyi bring the eldest prince with her today?"
Ming Zhaoyi never liked rouge and red makeup, and today she only wore a flat red gold hairpin in her hair. Her eyebrows were long and reaching her temples, her eyes were deep and her nose was high, and she looked noble and heroic. "There are wet nurses and palace maids in Guanju Palace to take care of him. I am relieved."
Seeing that Zheng Xiuyi only smiled and didn't seem to intend to continue Zhaoyi's words, Concubine Yang interrupted, "By the way, I've also prepared some milk cakes and mushroom milk soup for the baby. I think the child will like these, right?"
She said to Ming Zhaoyi in a half-coquettish tone, "Can't the people at our banquet make Her Majesty feel at ease? Her Majesty is being stingy by hiding her treasures and not wanting everyone to see them. The eldest prince is so adorable and blessed, so we might as well share in his good fortune!"
Wu Concubine said indifferently, "Concubine Yang and Zhaoyi are both in the same palace. If you really want to show your love to her, there's no time for you to stop doing so. Are you still afraid that Zhaoyi will reject you?"
However, Ming Zhaoyi and Yang Meiren ignored her.
Wu Concubine realized only after she had finished speaking that her words were more like slander against Zhaoyi. She glanced at Ming Zhaoyi's cold and arrogant expression, covered her mouth with her fingertips, and said timidly, "I've spoken out of turn."
Unlike Concubine Zhao, Concubine Wu did not have a powerful cousin to back her up, so she had to cover up the embarrassment by herself.
He glanced around with busy eyes and pretended to exclaim, "Why hasn't the water lilies on Taiye Lake been cleared away this year? I clearly saw palace servants cleaning them a few days ago."
Water hyacinth is actually water hyacinth, but people don't usually call it by this awkward name. Concubine Wu, fearing that others would think she was shallow and crude, finally learned an elegant and unconventional name for it and refused to let it go.
The young eunuch who usually resided on Shenlai Island, responsible for cleaning and maintenance, was also present at the banquet today. Cleaning the Taiye Pond was a job his fellow townsman had done. Fearing his masters might misunderstand him as someone who wasn't doing their job diligently, he boldly stepped forward and kowtowed, saying, "Masters, please allow me to report."
Of course, the Queen didn't care about these things, so she said casually, "Speak."
"Water hyacinths grow quickly. Normally, during the season, we servants would clear them every two days. But a few days ago, His Majesty issued an order stating that we didn't need to clear them all this year, so we left the remaining ones."
Wu Concubine smiled awkwardly and said, "Why do you suddenly want to keep it again? Didn't we always remove it in previous years..."
The young eunuch knelt in a different direction and said to Concubine Wu, "My Lord, you may not know that this water hyacinth is a beneficial herb. It can actually purify the lake water and prevent the fish in the pond from getting sick."
Zhao Cairen always felt that she had seen this thing somewhere, but she couldn't remember where.
After waiting for so long, complaints began to arise among the palace concubines.
Seeing that the Queen was waiting for Concubine Zhen to arrive before officially starting the banquet, Concubine Xue took advantage of Concubine Ming's inattention and whispered to the palace attendant beside her, "Send someone to urge Sister Zhen."
Tai Chi Hall.
Concubine Zhen is always very beautiful. Today she put on exquisite pearl makeup, so she didn't pay attention to the time.
"Your Majesty, you must help me. If I go alone, I will solidify my bad reputation of making my sisters wait for me alone, and I will be considered a spoiled child. But if Your Majesty agrees to go with me, then I will be the one who has done the most good by inviting Your Majesty to the banquet. Not only will I not make any mistakes, but I will actually gain merit!"
"You have made a good calculation." The emperor said lightly, without moving his brows, and continued to read the memorial.
Concubine Zhen was determined not to let him watch in peace any longer. She stood beside him, grabbed the man's arm and shook it: "Your Majesty, are you going or not?"
Xiao Fang pulled his hand out of her arms without hesitation: "My dear, is this your attitude of begging for help?"
Although Concubine Zhen loved to act coquettishly in front of him, she actually knew best that the current emperor was a man of unwavering character. If he refused, it would mean he really refused, and she couldn't help but feel discouraged.
She tactfully restrained her clinging and stepped back, "Then I'll go by myself. Humph, I just wanted Your Majesty to go relax and unwind, but someone doesn't appreciate it!"
Xiao Fang couldn't help but laugh.
But at this moment, he put down the memorial in his hand and stood up suddenly.
When Concubine Zhen saw this, she was completely confused. While she was stunned, she saw the man walking out in a hurry.
Concubine Zhen hurriedly followed him out, only to find that the emperor's ceremonial guards had already been prepared outside when she had been in for a while.
It turned out that the emperor had already been persuaded by her soft-heartedness, and he felt a surge of joy and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty is teasing me again!"
*
When the emperor and Concubine Zhen arrived on the island, a banquet had just begun.
The empress hadn't expected Concubine Zhen to delay so much. If it hadn't dragged on any longer, it would have been almost dark. So, wisely, she followed the crowd's wishes, not letting the concubines' resentment of sitting around starving in the hot summer spread to herself.
But when a belated small boat approached from the Taiye Lake, the empress and the concubines immediately saw that it was not Concubine Zhen alone aboard. There was actually another person standing proudly at the boat's bow, slowly sailing against the wind, riding the waves.
"Look, isn't that your Majesty?"
"Didn't you say His Majesty wouldn't come? I haven't even gotten dressed properly yet!"
Everyone was overjoyed.
And just a moment ago, at another shore of Taiye Lake, there was a narrow boat about half a meter wide waiting by the lake.
After Qingzan got on the boat, the boat set sail again with only her on board. It drifted slowly and steadily towards another island that was deeper and smaller than Shenlai Island.
There are three islands on Taiye Lake, namely Shenlai, Xianju and Yingzhou. Shenlai is close to the inner court, Xianju is close to the outer court, and Yingzhou is the easternmost.
Qingzan sat down steadily on the boat and called the boatman, "Eunuch."
The man seemed to know what she was going to ask and turned around and said, "His Majesty only said that the young lady should go and claim the reward. As for what the reward was, we dare not ask."
Perhaps because this small boat had set out lightly, it was moving faster. Somehow, it managed to catch up with the Emperor and Concubine Zhen on the lake, running parallel for a while before going their separate ways. Qingzan was the first to spot the two, but fearing they might see her too, she deliberately turned around, facing away from them.
Xiao Fang saw something and slowly raised the corners of his lips.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com