March has passed, the peach blossoms have faded, and the weather has begun to warm up, but none of the masters in the harem felt it was much warmer, and some even felt it was abnormally cold.
Zhao Xianrong of Xihe Palace was nearly killed by villains. The emperor was furious and conducted a thorough investigation. Even the servants were trembling with fear, fearing that they would be implicated for no reason.
To date, the only person who is in a relaxed mood is probably Zhuang Yuyan, who is recuperating in Xihe Palace. She is half lying on the couch, playing with the palace flowers specially sent to her by the Palace Department.
"My lady, these tea leaves..." Tingzhu took out the tea can, "Do you want more?"
"Didn't the Ministry of Palace Affairs send us some new Biluochun and Bitanxue?" Zhuang Luyan glanced at the teapot. "Burying it under the pot of arhat pine will maximize its value."
She didn't like tea, so she naturally wouldn't drink all the new tea this year. Even if the Palace Department didn't send it for a month, it would be enough. But since she had been wronged, how could the people in the Palace Department have an easy time? The emperor was coming, wouldn't it be nice to drink some old tea from last year?
"I heard that yesterday, Eunuch Gao sent the Junior Supervisor of the Palace to work as a servant in the Clothing Bureau," Tingzhu carefully buried the tea leaves under the soil of the arborvitae, so that no one could see any trace of anything underneath, and then continued, "Also, Xu Zhaorong of Changtian Tower is ill. Today, the maids around her knelt in Qianzheng Palace for half a day, and the emperor did not go to see her."
Zhuang Yuyan sneered, "Didn't she say a few days ago that she needed people to call upon? Now that she's sick, there must be even more people she needs to call upon."
Tingzhu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you don't know yet. Although the emperor did not go to Changtian Tower today, he issued an edict, saying that Xu Zhaorong needed to recuperate since she was ill, so he reduced the number of servants in Changtian Tower."
After hearing what Tingzhu said, Zhuang Yuyan smiled. The emperor was already annoyed by Xu Zhaorong's artificial attitude, and now he found that she was bullying others by taking advantage of her power, so he was naturally even more annoyed. Men should always sympathize with weak women, but they also hate women pretending to be weak.
Being artificial is fun for a while, but being artificial all the time is boring. As early as when the servants around Qian Guiren were wronged and Xu Zhaorong was punished by the emperor, she guessed that the emperor was tired of Xu Zhaorong.
The temporary cold reception made her see clearly who hated her so much that they didn't even leave her any room to bully her. Concubine Rou relied on her beauty to be favored, Su Xiuyi relied on having a favored cousin, and whose power did Concubine Yan rely on?
No wonder even if she followed the example of Concubine Shugui, she was still only a concubine. Her words and deeds were still far inferior to those of Concubine Shugui.
"Your Majesty, Aunt Heyu from Jingyang Palace is here." Yunxi walked in. "The sun is shining brightly outside, and there is no wind. Your Majesty, do you want to go out and bask in the sun?"
Zhuang Yuyan helped her stand up by holding her hand. "It's boring to stay in the house all day. Let's have someone set up a table and chairs in the yard and have Aunt Heyu pass the message in the yard."
He Yu stood in the yard, the warm sunshine shining on her body, making her feel lazy. She had not seen Zhao Xianrong since the night she was attacked. Now more than 20 days have passed, and Xihe Palace has been rewarding her every day. Anyone can see that the emperor has not abandoned Zhao Xianrong, but has been pampering her infinitely.
Just as I was thinking about this, I saw Zhao Xianrong coming out holding the hand of a palace maid. She did not tie her hair up, and her long black hair was casually draped behind her. The pink gown was a little too big for her body, but it exuded an indescribable charm.
"I, He Yu, have met Empress Zhao Xianrong." He Yu hurried forward to pay her respects. Who dares to be disrespectful to Empress Zhao Xianrong now? Isn't that courting death? Not to mention her, even the Empress Dowager has to be polite to Empress Zhao Xianrong now.
"Aunt Heyu, there's no need to be so polite, but what important matter does the Empress want you to come for?" Zhuang Yuyan smiled at Heyu, then slowly sat down on the couch.
"Your Highness, the Queen Mother has nothing important to do. She just asked me to bring you some blood-replenishing herbs," He Yu said, and then asked the maid behind her to hand the things to the servants of Xihe Palace. "The Queen Mother also said that Your Highness should not worry. If you need anything, just report to Jingyang Palace."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty," Zhuang Yuyan nodded. "My misfortune has really exhausted the Empress. I should have gone to thank you in person, but my body does not allow it. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
"You are too kind, Empress Zhao Xianrong," He Yu said hurriedly. "You are injured now, how can you suffer like this? Empress Zhao Xianrong understands your feelings. Empress Zhao Xianrong said that as long as you can take good care of your injuries, it will be the most gratifying thing for Empress Zhao Xianrong."
"Your Majesty is so kind. I am truly grateful." Zhuang Yuyan's voice became increasingly tired as she spoke, and her face became even paler.
Seeing this, He Yu said, "Please rest and take care of yourself, Empress Zhao Xianrong. I will go back and report to you now."
"Aunt, take care," Zhuang Luoyan smiled and watched He Yu leave. Even after she could no longer see him, the smile on her face did not fade. She just closed her eyes and leaned back on the soft couch to rest. The warm sunlight shining on her body was perfect for sleeping during the spring sleepiness.
Tingzhu saw Zhuang Xuyan closing her eyes to rest, so he and Yunxi stepped back two steps to give her a quiet environment.
Fubao walked into the yard and found his master basking in the sun in the yard, so he waved to Tingzhu.
"What's the matter?" Ting Zhu came over and asked in a low voice.
"Tingzhu, have you heard that Eunuch Gao is investigating the servants in each palace? All the servants who passed by our Xihe Palace on the day when the master was injured have been summoned for questioning." Fubao lowered his voice and said, "I heard that several were beaten to death."
"You have evil intentions, so you deserve to lose your life," Ting Zhu turned his head and glanced at Zhuang Yuyan who was still recuperating, "There is no need to report to the queen at this time, so as not to spoil her mood."
Zhuang Luoyan opened her eyes and saw Fubao and Tingzhu chattering about something. She didn't ask much, but just changed her posture and continued to rest. Unexpectedly, she fell asleep slowly.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw a bright yellow color in front of her eyes. She raised her head slightly and saw the emperor sitting on the edge of the couch, holding a book in his hand and reading quietly.
"Your Majesty?" Before Zhuang Yuyan stood up, the emperor had already put down the book and held her down. "You couldn't sleep because of the pain from your wound a few days ago. Now you can finally have a good rest. There is no need to be so polite in front of me."
Zhuang Yuyan lay back on the couch and looked away slightly, "I just didn't expect the emperor to come."
"I have nothing to do today, so I came to see you." Feng Jin took the cloak from Ting Zhu's hand and covered Zhuang Yuyan with it. "I saw that you slept well, so I didn't call you."
"I have slept for quite a while," Zhuang Yuyan touched her cheeks which were red from the sun, "Your Majesty, please go to the room with me. Reading in the sun is not good for your eyes."
Feng Zhen smiled, suddenly bent down, picked up Zhuang Yuyan by the waist, and said, "My beloved concubine wants to go into the house, so I will obey you."
“Your Majesty!” Zhuang Yuyan exclaimed in shock, reaching out to grab the emperor’s neck, “This…”
She actually got to enjoy the privilege of being carried like a princess that the heroine in romance novels enjoys one day. What a great feeling.
Feng Jin put Zhuang Yuyan on the imperial concubine chair and put a cloak on her back. "There is no sun in the room. Don't catch a cold. You are still weak now. You can't get sick again."
"Your Majesty is always so nervous. I am not that weak." Zhuang Yuyan complained, but her hands gently grasped her cloak. "Your Majesty is busy with government affairs. You really don't need to worry about my health every day."
"You said before that I am your heaven, so when you are not feeling well, I will naturally worry about you," Feng Jin reached out and touched the black hair on Zhuang Yuyan's shoulder, "There are no major events in the court recently, and you have plenty of time. You don't have to worry about these things."
Zhuang Yuyan wanted to say something when she saw Luyi coming in carrying a Podocarpus that had been basking in the sun for a while. Although the Podocarpus was not very big, it was still a bit laborious to carry.
"Let the eunuchs do these things. How can a palace maid like you do such heavy work? What if you accidentally drop it?" Feng Jin saw that it was the arborvitae tree that he had given to Zhuang Yuyan, so he said, "I noticed that your queen really likes this pine tree."
"Your Majesty, I can move it. I am the one who takes care of this pine tree on weekdays." Lu Yi knelt down and bowed. She had a pretty appearance and her demeanor was cheerful and energetic.
Zhuang Luyan glanced at Luyi with a calm expression. This palace maid was originally the senior palace maid by her side, but she preferred to use Yunxi and Tingzhu, and kept her distance from Luyi. Now Luyi's attitude made her feel a little funny.
Why come in at this time when there are so many other times to move?
"It's great that you can take good care of this pine tree, but as a palace maid, don't you know how to greet before entering the house?" Feng Jin seemed not to see the merits of Lu Yi, and just said lightly, "You are Zhao Xianrong's palace maid, and I can't punish you. Go kneel outside."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty," Lu Yi bowed with a grim expression and walked out without daring to raise her head.
After she left, Zhuang Yuyan heard the sound of bamboo coming from outside the curtain.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have made some tea."
"Come in," Feng Jin pulled Zhuang Yuyan's cloak, then turned to look at Ting Zhu who came in and said, "You are a dedicated servant, and I will reward you with a pair of gold ingots. In the future, you must serve your queen wholeheartedly."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Ting Zhu knelt down to express her gratitude.
Zhuang Luoyan smiled faintly, her eyes fell on the potted arborvitae, as if she was thinking about something.
Feng Jian looked at Zhuang Yuyan and said, "I know you have a good temper, but if there are servants around you who are useless, it is better to keep them, otherwise they will cause trouble to the master."
"Lu Yi was sent here to serve me after I entered the palace," Zhuang Yuyan sighed, "She has a straightforward personality, so I don't usually take her out. Your Majesty, please don't be too harsh on her."
"The maids are specially taught by the maids about the rules. If there are some who don't understand the rules, it's not that they don't understand, but that they don't take it seriously," Feng Jin patted the back of Zhuang Yuyan's hand, "It would be a disaster to keep a servant who doesn't take the master seriously."
Zhuang Yuyan hesitated for a moment and sighed, "Your Majesty is right. I am ignorant."
"It's not that you are stupid, you just didn't think about it." Feng Jin changed his hand from patting to shaking, but his movements were very gentle.
Seeing the two people in such a state, Tingzhu retreated cautiously. When she saw Luyi kneeling outside, her brows slightly wrinkled. The servant that the emperor had just mentioned was not attentive. Just now, she saw Luyi carrying the arborvitae in. Could it be that there was another cat?
A servant wants to gain favor by taking advantage of his master's power? If the servant is not a beauty, then he is courting death.
But if she is a beauty, why would she need to rely on someone else's power to be discovered by the emperor?