When Wu Chun entered the palace for the first time, she was filled with curiosity about every corner. She looked around and thought that the saying about the wealth and power of the imperial family was indeed true. When she entered the Fucha Mansion, she had already marveled at its richness and luxury, but now, seeing the gilded lead-glazed tiles in the palace, their golden sheen dazzled her eyes.
The palace walls were imposing, but not as bright as the area outside. Some palace lanterns were still lit in front of the palace gates, casting a dim yellow light in the white frost and mist, which made Yan Ning feel uneasy. She secretly glanced at the old lady; if she encountered the emperor while paying her respects, this situation would be truly embarrassing.
She also understood why Fukang'an's eyes were filled with such unease when he left.
The closer they got to the Cining Palace, the paler the old lady's complexion became. By the time they reached the palace gates, her face was almost translucent. The wrinkles etched by years on her face became more pronounced, as if she had aged ten years in just those few steps.
Yan Ning stepped down from the sedan chair and walked a few steps to help the old lady down. When she held the old lady's hand, it was sweaty and as cold as the snow piled up on gilded glazed tiles.
Concubines were already waiting outside Cining Palace. Beneath the solemn palace gates, a riot of colors could not conceal the solemnity of the imperial palace.
Yan Ning helped the old lady approach and pay her respects. The three consorts from the past were still waiting, followed by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.
Consort Rong smiled upon seeing the old lady, her long, thick eyelashes fluttering, her exotic beauty evident in her face. "Old Madam Fucha, please rise!"
Consort Shu followed closely behind, offering support to the Old Madam and Yan Ning, while Consort Dun maintained her domineering demeanor. Yan Ning already knew Consort Dun's nature and didn't care much, while the Old Madam didn't take Consort Dun seriously either.
The accompanying noblewomen walked in unison, even their handkerchief-waving gestures were identical. Their eyes were fixed straight ahead, not a single one showing any laughter. For them, the patterned bluestone paths of the palace were not easy to traverse; a single misstep could cost their husbands their official hats and plumes.
Standing at the forefront in front of the Cining Palace were the three highest-ranking consorts in the palace: Consort Rong, Consort Shu, and Consort Dun. Behind them stood the wives of nobles, arranged according to rank. Since the families of princes and beile had already entered the palace to pay their respects, only the female relatives of officials were present today. Therefore, Madam Fucha was second only to the three consorts, with Yan Ning standing beside her.
Looking back, Wu Chun had fallen far behind and was nowhere to be seen.
In such a situation, the Empress Dowager's personal appointment of Wuchun to come to the palace to pay her respects may appear to others as an act of favor towards Fukang'an, but in reality, it was an attempt to tightly confine the increasingly powerful Fukang'an within a cage.
When the gates of Cining Palace opened, the sky was already turning white as one could look out from inside the palace. Eunuch Lin walked out of the palace gates and stood on the towering jade steps. He brandished his whip, his sharp voice even more piercing in the cold wind.
"The Empress Dowager has decreed that I am aware of your filial piety, but I am unfortunately bedridden. You should all return home as soon as possible!"
After reading the Empress Dowager's decree, Eunuch Lin adopted a gentler voice, "Ladies, please return! The Empress Dowager is unwell today, thank you for making this trip!"
The ladies-in-waiting relaxed, their taut skin collapsing into visible wrinkles. They followed the eunuch who had led the way back, still behaving with restraint and not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
After the lady of the house left, Wu Chun walked from behind to the old lady's side, and only then did her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settle down.
Yan Ning breathed a sigh of relief and tried to help the old lady move, but the old lady stood upright and did not move. Just as she was about to ask a question, Eunuch Lin walked down the high jade steps.
He went to the three empresses first, bowed his head and smiled obsequiously, saying, "Please go back, Your Majesties! The Empress Dowager said that if you three get too cold in this freezing weather, it will upset the Emperor!"
Consort Rong, Consort Shu, and Consort Dun bowed in the direction of the main hall of Cining Palace before boarding their respective sedan chairs and departing.
The old lady curtsied to the departing palanquin of the three, and Yan Ning had no choice but to step back and curtsy as well. However, Wu Chun, who was unwell, broke out in a fine sweat after performing a curtsy.
Yan Ning felt a pang of pity, unable to bear that she had been kept in the dark. She had only thought the Empress Dowager was flattering her, unaware that she had come as a hostage. Yan Ning took out an embroidered handkerchief from her waist and wiped the fine sweat from Wu Chun's forehead. "It's cold outside. The wind has blown these beads of sweat, and they're sticking coldly to your face!"
Wu Chun's expression warmed. In this vast and deep imperial palace, even the old lady seemed as insignificant as grass and trees. How much more so for her, a concubine in the general's mansion, now that the grudges between her and Yan Ning in the mansion had been put aside, only the warmth and affection of mutual reliance remained.
Lin Gonggong's back had been bent for many years, and when he straightened up in front of the old lady, Yan Ning noticed a bulge on his back. It looked like a small mountain, towering there. "Old Madam Fucha, Madam Fucha, Concubine An, please follow this servant!" He waved his whip and led the way.
The old lady walked calmly with Eunuch Lin, while Yan Ning and Wu Chun exchanged a glance and followed closely behind.
The three women's maids then waited outside Cining Palace.
When Yan Ning was in the palace, it was summer. Of the seven rooms in the main hall, five originally had four double-panel lattice doors with four bowl-shaped diamond patterns, but now only one door was open in each room, with thick brocade curtains hanging down.
Upon entering the palace, a maidservant came forward to retrieve the cloaks the three had removed. Even inside the palace, the moment the cloaks were removed, Yan Ning felt a chill creep in. She glanced at Wu Chun, who seemed no different from herself, and then at the Old Madam, whose expression remained indifferent. Yet, that expression was like a veil submerged in icy water, transparent as if nothing were there, revealing only the coldness beneath.
Two new gilded incense burners with auspicious beast designs have appeared in the hall, standing in the main hall and the Empress Dowager's bedroom, their open mouths emitting wisps of white smoke.
When Granny Zhuang saw the old lady, she showed a respectful expression and personally lifted the brown brocade curtain to welcome the old lady inside.
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