Then, the imperial decree was issued, and everyone was instantly in an uproar. Although there were several concubines in the harem, they were all sent in by the ministers and were not favored at all. Now, suddenly, a talented woman was granted the title of "Cairen," a title that was neither high nor low...
The Empress was trapped in the palace and didn't want to go anywhere, but she still learned of this news from the palace maids first.
"It was quite lively over there today. On the day of the investiture, His Majesty bestowed many gifts upon us."
"Well, it's said that she used to be a palace maid, but she's quite good-looking."
"Otherwise, the emperor wouldn't have taken a liking to you, don't you think?"
The Empress overheard everyone's discussion, went back to her room, and called someone in.
"Why did Your Majesty bestow upon her the title of 'Talented Lady'? Why was I unaware of this?"
The man bowed his head and replied, "What happened last night was announced this morning at the investiture ceremony. Now that the ceremony is over, he has moved into the Chuxiu Palace."
"Chuxiu Palace? She lives there alone?" The Empress was somewhat shocked.
"Logically, she should have lived in the same palace as the other concubines, but there were probably too many people and it was difficult for her to fit in, so she was put there."
"Even so, it's still too outrageous. How can a mere talented woman be worthy of living in Chuxiu Palace, especially since she was originally a palace maid?"
The man slightly raised his head and glanced at her, then said, "These things are not important. Your Majesty should resolve the current predicament first. After all, people in the previous dynasty are still bringing this up."
The Empress sat motionless in her chair, her eyes vacant, and said, "It seems that His Majesty no longer trusts me, otherwise this wouldn't have happened. Alright, I know everything. You may leave."
"yes."
After the man left, the empress picked up a vase from the side and smashed it on the ground.
The person had just reached the door when they were startled by the loud noise. After a moment, they shook their head.
Having spent two terms in this deep palace, this person knew the reason behind it all. The newly arrived concubine was secondary; the main reason was probably that incident. If she was truly wronged, she could easily explain herself. Since she couldn't even offer an explanation, the veracity of the matter was still questionable. The reason she shook her head was that it was already a great honor for the emperor to keep her as empress; there was no need to make such a fuss.
After a while, the Empress calmed down and then let someone in again.
This time, a palace maid came in.
"Why do you look so unfamiliar? Where is the others?"
The palace maid lowered her head and replied, "Her Highness's head maids have all been taken away, leaving only a few of us."
Upon hearing this, the Empress was both shocked and furious, and demanded, "Who took it away? Why didn't they tell me?"
"It was His Majesty's decision. His Majesty said that the people around the Empress were all immoral and could not do their jobs well, so he transferred them all away."
"Go and invite the emperor up here. Tell him that I have something important to say."
Upon hearing this, the palace maid was taken aback: "This..." She knew that the emperor did not want to see her. If she went to invite him now, wouldn't she be scolded?
"Just go. Tell him it's something very important. I won't blame you if he doesn't come."
The palace maid had no choice. Although she was no longer in the emperor's favor, she was still the empress. The palace maid knew her place, so even if she didn't want to go, she had to go.
"Yes," the palace maid replied.
"Why are you here?" The head eunuch recognized who it was and quickly stepped forward to stop them.
"Her Majesty said she had something very important to tell His Majesty, so that's why I came."
The eunuch was so anxious that his face was almost contorted in pain. He said, "You must tell the Empress to rest well for a while and not to come to see the Emperor. We'll talk about it again later."
The palace maid hesitated for a moment: "If I were to relay these words back verbatim, even if Her Majesty agreed not to hold it against me, I probably wouldn't have an easy time either."
"It is indeed difficult for you to convey these words, but Your Highness cannot see the Emperor now. That would be like jumping into a fire pit. Besides, the Emperor's mood has improved these past two days, so please let Your Highness wait a little longer."
The palace maid sighed softly: "Because all of Her Majesty's people have been taken away, something even Her Majesty didn't know about, it's no wonder Her Majesty is furious."
"There's nothing we can do about it. They didn't do their job well, so His Majesty can only vent his anger on them. The good thing is they didn't suffer any physical pain, they've just become laborers. Alright, go back and see how to tell the Empress."
"Alright, thank you for the advice, Father-in-law."
"It's all to avoid trouble, there's no other way."
"Yes," the palace maid replied, and then went back.
After returning, the palace maid relayed the message to her.
"So you never saw the Emperor at all?"
The palace maid nodded and hummed in agreement.
"He's just being nosy. He could have just sent a message. Saying all this useless stuff shows he doesn't respect me at all."
The Empress glanced at her again, waved her hand, and said, "Alright, go down. You're not capable enough in this area."
"Yes." The palace maid didn't think there was anything wrong with her words.
The Empress redrew her makeup and prepared to go there in person.
Meanwhile, Su Lixia, after taking a nap, was doing something else again.
"The princess used to love shopping, but she hasn't gone shopping in a long time."
Hearing this, Su Lixia glanced at her and said, "The streets here aren't very interesting, there's nothing to see. It's better to stay home, play chess, and drink tea."
"It's just that the princess has become increasingly lazy. She used to dress up as a man and go to those kinds of places, always looking for ways to have fun."
Su Lixia coughed twice: "No way, did I ever do that?"
"Do you need Xiaolian to help me remember?"
Su Lixia gestured for them to stop and said, "No need, let bygones be bygones."
"Then why did the princess always go to play cards before?"
"Playing cards?" Hearing this, Su Lixia became interested. "What kind of cards?"
"It's just mahjong tiles and comparing sizes, the princess really enjoys playing cards with the old men."
Su Lixia sighed softly and said, "I've gotten rusty with mahjong tiles since I haven't played in so long."
"Xiao Lian didn't want the princess to hit her anymore; it was too uncomfortable to always dress as a man."
"I now find it fun to dress up as a man."
Upon hearing this, Xiaolian's lips twitched.
"No way?"
Su Lixia chuckled and said, "Come on, get dressed up for me."
"Huh?" Xiaolian frowned, somewhat displeased.
"Oh, just dress up for me, you don't need to."
"Alright then," Xiaolian finally agreed.
Su Lixia looked in the mirror and frowned as she watched Xiaolian prepare to apply the foundation for her: "No boy is this fair-skinned. Let's make it a little darker."
Xiao Lian wondered, "Is the princess changing her style? Didn't she say before that she wanted to be like those young scholars, with a clean-cut face and always pretending to be a bookworm?"
Su Lixia laughed heartily: "Yes, yes, there are indeed such people, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I don't see any of them with fair skin."
"Yes." So Xiaolian adjusted it to be a bit darker.
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