Holding her drowsy head, she sighed inwardly, realizing that she couldn't even outmaneuver the women in the mansion. In this deep palace, she was fortunate to be just a palace maid and not a concubine, otherwise she wouldn't even know how she died.
Life in the palace was not as simple as Yan Ning had imagined. Although she had a map of the palace, the number of imperial guards patrolling was several times greater than that of the Fucha residence. Because of her special mission, the Empress Dowager did not allow her to accompany her closely, and Granny Zhuang did not assign her any fixed tasks.
Early in the morning, Yan Ning followed Zi Yu and Ling Long to change into her pink palace dress. There was an undergarment, a lining, an outer garment, and then a vest. Yan Ning was stunned by the sight of all that was on her, and she had difficulty breathing because of her neck. After paying her respects to the Empress Dowager, she heard from Granny Zhuang that the Emperor was handling the memorials from the ministers in the Hall of Mental Cultivation that day, so she left Cining Palace alone.
With the map given to her by Heshen, Yan Ning wandered around the Cining Palace Garden, originally planning to go to the Yangxin Hall later to find Heshen and ask him about the two sentences the Emperor had said that day.
Upon seeing the words "Yuhua Pavilion," Yan Ning disregarded the fact that the sun was high in the sky and hurriedly headed towards it.
The sun scorched the earth, and the once-cold palace became stuffy. However, because the Empress Dowager's health could not withstand the bumpy ride, the Emperor, to show his filial piety, stayed in the Forbidden City with her.
With Consort Shu and Consort Rong setting an example, the other concubines dared not complain about the oppressive heat and insist that the Emperor go to the Yuanmingyuan Garden to escape the heat, and could only stay in their own palaces, remaining secluded all day long.
The high-ranking concubines were given enough ice to last until sunset, but those of lower rank, such as the concubines of lower rank and the concubines of lower rank, could only store some cool water in their rooms to wipe away the heat after the ice melted.
Yan Ning walked quickly on the palace's square bricks, her light blue embroidered shoes and white silk socks slightly damp. Her summer-appropriate silk dress was also damp with sweat, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
After passing through the Xihua Gate, Yan Ning arrived at the Yuhua Pavilion, hoping to sneak in while the sun was high and few palace servants were out.
Yuhua Pavilion is located inside Chunhua Gate on the outer west side of the inner court. From afar, Yan Ning could see guards standing in circles outside Chunhua Gate. Hiding to the side, Yan Ning could only look at the four corners of Yuhua Pavilion's pyramidal roof, the roof covered with gilded copper tiles, each of the four ridges adorned with a gilded copper dragon, and a gilded copper pagoda at the top of the treasure roof.
Under the sunlight, the golden light made Yan Ning dare not look at it for long.
Looking at the sun, Yan Ning figured the officials had already left the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Since she had nothing to do, she walked towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation is the emperor's sleeping quarters. Although it is where the emperor handles state affairs, it does not belong to the outer court. People in the inner palace can also wander around freely. When Yan Ning arrived, she happened to see a group of officials leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He Shen was wearing an official robe with a crane pattern and a pearl on the top of his court hat, which contrasted with the red and white ruby on his head. He stood at the head of the group.
Yan Ning hurriedly went up to him, gently called out "Lord He", and led him to another place.
At the foot of the palace wall, Heshen couldn't hide his smile as soon as he received the paper written by Yan Ning. Yan Ning glanced at her crooked handwriting and blushed. She quickly snatched it back, tucked it into her sleeve, and turned away, asking, "What does this mean?"
Heshen cleared his throat, walked around to Yan Ning's side, and said with eyes like crescent moons, "This is a quote from the Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government), which means 'Heaven is noble and earth is lowly, thus establishing yin and yang. Arranged in order from low to high, the noble and the lowly each find their proper place.' In other words, the hierarchical relationship between the monarch and his subjects is like that between heaven and earth, and they cannot be interchanged!"
After saying that, he looked at Yan Ning with some doubt, "Why are you asking this?"
Yan Ning did not answer Heshen's question, but said seriously, "It seems that you are not entirely ignorant, nor did you gain the Emperor's favor solely through your beauty!"
Heshen, who had been looked down upon by Yan Ning more than once, didn't care about her teasing. Seeing her hesitant appearance, he asked, "Is there anything else?"
Yan Ning hugged the map in her arms tightly and hesitated for a moment. "I just went to Yuhua Pavilion, but the Chunhua Gate is heavily guarded and I can't get in. Do you have any ideas?" Thinking about how she kept troubling Heshen, Yan Ning felt a little guilty. Moreover, Heshen's power in the palace was not as widespread as it was outside the palace.
Heshen had his hands tied behind his back, his crescent-shaped smiling eyes widened into almond-shaped ones, and he looked extremely troubled as he paced back and forth in front of Yan Ning.
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