The palace maid walked ahead, her steps quick. Thinking of the promise she had been made to herself, a surge of joy welled up within her. She couldn't wait for it to be fulfilled so she could soar to great heights and become a head female official.
Chengcheng followed her into Chuxiu Palace, where the concubines who had entered the palace but had not yet served the emperor lived. As soon as they stepped inside, the gloomy atmosphere of the entire palace seemed to solidify into moisture in the air, making it difficult to breathe.
"My lord, the thief is inside!" a palace maid whispered, leading the man into a room. The room was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. Chengcheng picked up a tinderbox, blew on it, and then stepped inside. After lighting the candles inside, he carefully searched the entire room.
"No trace of the thief was found. Where is your master now?"
"My mistress is resting with another concubine. Thank you so much, Commander, for making the trip. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to get a good night's sleep tonight." As she spoke, she poured Chengcheng a cup of tea. "I can't thank you enough. Please have a cup of tea, Commander."
Chengcheng glanced at the cup of tea in her hand. The tea had already started to turn brown, as if it had been brewed during the day and was not fresh at all.
"No, it was something I was already responsible for."
After saying that, he turned to leave, but as soon as he turned around, his figure swayed, and then he turned to look at the palace maid in disbelief.
A palace maid rushed forward with great concern to support him, "Commander, what's wrong!"
Chengcheng closed his eyes, and the palace maid quickly put him on the ground and then went out to call someone to carry him to the bed.
Chengcheng closed his eyes, and soon after, he felt them lift someone up and place them next to him.
he:"......"
"Go and call for help. I'll stay here and keep watch, just in case something unexpected happens." The speaker had a hoarse voice, which sounded rather deep, suggesting that he was quite old.
“Alright, I’ll go get someone.” The palace maid said and left immediately.
However, she had only been gone for a short time when she was knocked unconscious and dragged back halfway.
Inside Yikun Palace, Lu Yinghong woke up in the middle of the night. Lu Mama, hearing the noise, also woke up and poured her a glass of water.
"Is it done?"
"Xiao Dezi hasn't come back yet, but he can handle something this simple." Although Granny Lu said this, she was still worried. It was already past midnight; Xiao Dezi should come back and give her an answer, whether it worked or not.
After listening to Granny Lu's words, Lu Yinghong lay down again, but her heart was still unsettled. Ever since she became an Imperial Noble Consort, she felt dissatisfied with everything she did.
Was the position of Imperial Concubine cursed? Otherwise, how could Gao Ping have ended up like that?
Unsettled, she lay in bed, thinking that she should find a high-ranking monk to come to the palace and preach to her the next day.
However, the next morning, she was told upon waking that Xiao Dezi had failed the previous night. Not only had he failed, but he had also been caught lying in bed with a palace maid. The Emperor had also learned of this and ordered the two to be beaten to death as a warning to others.
"how so!"
"Perhaps the dosage of medicine yesterday was insufficient. After waking up, that concubine took advantage of Xiao Dezi's inattention and ran out, all the way to Qiankun Palace to complain to the Emperor..."
However, Granny Lu's words couldn't explain why Xiao Dezi was lying in bed with that palace maid and being discovered. Even if things were exposed, they should have run away quickly, why did they obediently stay where they were, giving others a handle to use against them?
“The Emperor hates the practice of eunuchs and maids in the harem having affairs, so he didn’t hold back. And the Emperor said…” Granny Lu paused for a moment, and Lu Yinghong immediately looked up at her, demanding sharply, “What did the Emperor say!”
"His Majesty said that the Empress has been focusing all her energy on making soup for him lately and has no energy to manage the harem. He asked you to hand over the Phoenix Seal and let Consort Shu take over the power of the harem in the future."
"What! How could he do this to me!" Lu Yinghong's eyes were bloodshot, her face filled with resentment.
"Your Majesty, now is not the time to be angry. We must make our stance clear to the Emperor!"
How could Lu Yinghong accept such a situation? When the eunuch came to collect the imperial seal at noon, she even lashed out at him.
"Your Highness, you have no idea how the Imperial Noble Consort acted during the handover. She looked like a ferocious beast, ready to tear this servant apart!"
Consort Shu smiled faintly, raised her hand, and a maid beside her grabbed a handful of gold coins and gave them to the other woman.
"Your Highness won't have time to tend to the flowers and plants anymore," the palace maid said with a smile as she took the phoenix seal into the hall and put it away.
Consort Shu propped her head up and said, "Although the Phoenix Seal is in my hands, it is still only a proxy."
This harem has been without a master for a long time.
"Empress Dowager, you still made a mistake despite your best efforts. She wanted to target Commander Cheng, but now all the guards in the palace are his men. It's not that easy," the maid said solicitously.
Consort Shu smiled and said, "The Emperor gave people a chance, and if they couldn't seize it, they would be useless. But Chengcheng was able to secure the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards within two months, which shows that he is quite capable. Lu Yinghong only thought of punishing him for having an affair with a concubine, which is a gross underestimation of him."
"If it were Your Highness..." The palace maid only got halfway through her sentence before Consort Shu gave her a cold glance, and she immediately shut her mouth, no longer speaking.
Consort Shu picked up the golden scissors on the table and began trimming a pot of yellowing asparagus fern.
"Is Princess Xiaoyao about to give birth? Go and pick out a string of red coral beads from my storeroom and have someone deliver it to the princess to bless her with a smooth delivery."
The palace maid was taken aback, not understanding why her mistress would suddenly bring up the Princess Consort. When did her mistress and the Princess Consort become so close?
However, she did as she was told and handed over the bracelet.
Song Yaozhu was indeed almost full term; her belly was swollen high, looking like a giant watermelon. But because she was well taken care of and was tall with long arms and legs, her belly didn't look scary.
When Granny Qin arrived with the palace ladies, she was taking a walk in the courtyard.
"Your Highness, Her Majesty heard that you are about to give birth, so she sent me to deliver this congratulatory gift, hoping that it will protect you and your child and ensure their safety."
As she spoke, the palace maid unfolded the brocade box, revealing a crimson coral bracelet that was incredibly dazzling, like fresh blood.
Song Yaozhu gestured to Granny Qin to accept the gift, "Thank you, Your Highness. However, I am not in a good health to express my gratitude in full. Your Highness is kind and I am sure you will not mind."
"Of course, Her Majesty hopes that you and your child will be safe and sound, and that she can take the young prince to play in the palace in the future."
After dismissing the palace maids, Song Yaozhu instructed Granny Qin to dismantle the bracelet and sell the red coral beads one by one.
"Is there something strange about this bracelet?" Granny Qin was a little reluctant to part with it; it wasn't cheap!
Song Yaozhu sneered. That was something she had given Tang Shuang when she was about to give birth.
Now that she's sent it to him again, their relationship is now an open secret.
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