It was the height of winter. The winters in Northern Wu had always been harsh, with fine, white snowflakes blanketing the world.
A petal fell from a five-colored plum blossom. Before any palace servant could notice, it was buried deep beneath the heavy snow, its edges hidden from view.
Jiang Yun stepped onto the corridor carrying a tray of tea. As she neared the hall and reached to lift the pearl curtain, she saw Zhu’er, the little palace maid guarding the door, glancing at her with concern.
Zhu’er lowered her head. “Sister, Sister Liu Yue just went inside.”
With that single sentence, the gentle smile in Jiang Yun’s eyes faded slightly.
The Liu Yue whom Zhu’er mentioned was a personal attendant to Her Ladyship. Like Jiang Yun, she was a first-grade palace maid.
One should not assume that because they served the same master, they could live in harmony. On the contrary, it was precisely in such situations that friction and endless schemes were most common.
Jiang Yun handed the tea tray to Zhu’er. Instead of rushing into the hall, she stood to the side and used a handkerchief to gently wipe the dampness from her hair where the snow had melted. She asked softly and impassively:
“How long has she been inside?”
“Sister Liu Yue went in just as you left.”
When Zhu’er spoke, she sounded somewhat awkward and felt a trace of indignation on Jiang Yun’s behalf.
Liu Yue was not actually on duty today. In the past, even if she had nothing to do, she would have stayed in her quarters. Her being so proactive today was simply because she had heard the news of Prince Qi entering the palace.
Jiang Yun remained silent.
From inside the hall, the voices of Her Ladyship and Prince Qi could be heard faintly.
Zhu’er glanced subtly at Jiang Yun. Even without any makeup, Jiang Yun’s skin was as smooth as cream, her eyebrows shaped like crescent moons, and her pink lips naturally red without rouge. She stood there quietly with her eyes slightly lowered. Even though they were both palace maids, Zhu’er always felt that Sister Jiang Yun was different from her.
In what way was she different? Zhu’er couldn’t quite put it into words.
Perhaps it was because while they were both equally busy, Zhu’er would fall into bed as soon as she could, while Jiang Yun always took the time to meticulously apply the Ningzhi Cream gifted by Her Ladyship to her fingers.
Or perhaps it was because while Zhu’er would sleep until the very last moment, Jiang Yun would already be sitting at her dressing table, applying Yuxiang Essential Oil to her dark hair.
Or maybe it was the gentle smile Jiang Yun always wore—faint and subtle, yet somehow remarkably beautiful.
From the masters to the servants throughout Yanxi Palace, who didn’t greet Sister Jiang Yun with a smile, with the sole exception of Sister Liu Yue?
Jiang Yun, however, did not know what Zhu’er was thinking.
As she listened to the muffled voices from the hall, her mind wandered.
Under normal circumstances, even if Prince Qi came, Liu Yue would not have lost her composure and snatched the opportunity to serve in the hall while Jiang Yun was away fetching tea.
The reason she was acting this way was because of a piece of news that had come from Prince Qi’s Mansion two months ago.
—The Princess Consort of Prince Qi had been diagnosed as being over a month pregnant.
At that time, Jiang Yun had been serving by Her Ladyship’s side and had personally witnessed Her Ladyship go from joy to a slight frown.
Jiang Yun knew why.
It was no secret that the Noble Consort had disliked the Princess Consort for a long time.
As it happened, the year Jiang Yun entered the palace coincided with the Emperor’s decree for Prince Qi’s marriage. The Princess Consort was the beloved legitimate daughter of a Duke’s household; it was no exaggeration to call her a favored daughter of heaven with a prestigious status.
Initially, the Noble Consort was pleased with this daughter-in-law, but the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is always delicate.
In particular, after the Princess Consort had been in the mansion for many years without any sign of a child, the Noble Consort’s frequent inquiries led to the Princess Consort’s embarrassment and the Noble Consort’s growing impatience.
Eventually, they grew to despise the sight of one another.
Jiang Yun still remembered how the Noble Consort had rubbed her temples that day and said, “She was already arrogant, and Yu’er always indulged her in the past. Now that she is pregnant, she probably won’t even show respect to me.”
Jiang Yun had remained silent. After a quarter-hour of quiet, the Noble Consort had said with darkened eyes:
“I cannot allow her to grow so arrogant!”
At the time, Jiang Yun had wondered what Her Ladyship intended to do.
It didn’t take long for Jiang Yun to find out.
A few days after the news arrived, the Princess Consort came to Yanxi Palace to pay her respects. The Noble Consort picked up her teacup and said unhurriedly, “Now that you are heavy with child, you must focus more on your health. It is only right that we send some clever girls over to Yu’er’s side to serve him.”
“That way, you can recuperate in peace, and I can be at ease as well.”
Watching the Princess Consort’s expression, Jiang Yun had felt a surge of apprehension.
After the Princess Consort left with a livid face, Her Ladyship had snorted coldly. “Looking at the flamboyant way she walked in, I knew exactly what kind of character she has!”
If things had ended there, there might not have been any further developments.
Her Ladyship had only intended to suppress the Princess Consort’s ego; after all, she was carrying the Prince’s legitimate heir, and Her Ladyship was also looking forward to that.
But the trouble was that the Princess Consort, perhaps being emotionally sensitive due to her pregnancy, couldn’t hold back and mentioned the matter to Prince Qi.
No one knew exactly how she phrased it, but the next day Prince Qi came to the palace and told Her Ladyship: “The Princess Consort has only just become pregnant and has upset Imperial Mother; please do not take it to heart.”
Jiang Yun, who was serving nearby at the time, knew immediately—this was trouble.
Things had developed to the point where the Princess Consort claimed she was unwell and hid in the mansion to avoid paying respects at Yanxi Palace. The Noble Consort’s dissatisfaction with her grew deeper, and she placed more pressure on Prince Qi.
After a stalemate lasting nearly a month, there was finally a turning point.
A few days ago, Prince Qi, likely tired of the friction between his wife and his mother, finally relented.
In this world, filial piety is of paramount importance, and it was naturally the Princess Consort who suffered for it.
Jiang Yun pursed her lips, recalling how Her Ladyship had summoned her and Liu Yue into the hall yesterday.
The Noble Consort, wearing exquisite hairpins, reclined by a half-open window. With a calm gaze, she said, “You both surely know why I have summoned you.”
Jiang Yun kept quiet, lowering her head even further.
She knew that Liu Yue’s affection for Prince Qi was no secret, and hearing those words, she would likely be unable to restrain herself.
Sure enough, Jiang Yun caught a glimpse of Liu Yue’s slightly flushed cheeks out of the corner of her eye.
The Noble Consort saw it too but had no reaction. Instead, she cast a subtle glance at the silent Jiang Yun.
She said slowly, “The Princess Consort is heavy with child. The two of you have always been the ones most in tune with my heart. I intend to appoint one of you to enter Prince Qi’s Mansion, but I wish to ask—are you willing?”
Liu Yue’s eyes brightened. She lowered her head in uncontrollable bashfulness, not forgetting to show her loyalty:
“But… your servant cannot bear to leave Your Ladyship.”
The Noble Consort’s thoughts remained unreadable. She bypassed Liu Yue and focused her gaze on Jiang Yun. “Liu Yue says she cannot bear to leave me. What about you?”
The hall went quiet, save for the harsh sound of the cold wind blowing against the window. Under Her Ladyship’s gaze, Jiang Yun felt her chest tighten, and her breathing grew shallow.
Did she want to go to Prince Qi’s Mansion?
If she asked herself honestly, she did.
Who would want to serve others when they could be a master served by others?
But Jiang Yun was more clear-headed than Liu Yue.
In the current Prince Qi’s Mansion, the Princess Consort was favored and pregnant. There was also the Side Consort Li Shi, who had given birth to Prince Qi’s eldest son last year and held a stable position that even the Princess Consort could not easily challenge.
In addition to those two, there were also Liangdi, Concubines, and countless others.
Her Ladyship’s persistence in sending someone to the mansion now was merely out of spite for the Princess Consort.
However, if she were to actually rely on the Noble Consort’s influence to move against the Princess Consort, the Noble Consort would likely be the first to deal with her.
Entering Prince Qi’s Mansion would be like being surrounded on all sides, with every step being a struggle.
Jiang Yun slowly clenched her fists. She had no time to think for long. She raised her head slightly and answered respectfully:
“Your servant follows Your Ladyship’s will.”
She had said everything and nothing at the same time.
The Noble Consort gave her another look before waving her hand. “Fine. You may both withdraw. I shall think on it further.”
After leaving the main hall, Jiang Yun and Liu Yue walked toward their quarters together. Just as they were about to exit the corridor, Liu Yue suddenly stepped forward and mocked her in a low voice:
“‘Follow Your Ladyship’s will’? I saw you clearly when you were trying to seduce the Prince a few days ago!”
“Others might not know, but do you think I don’t know your shameless intentions?”
As she spoke, she tried to nudge Jiang Yun with her elbow. Unexpectedly, Jiang Yun took a step forward first, causing Liu Yue’s force to hit nothing but air, and she stumbled off the steps.
In an instant, the back of Liu Yue’s hand was scraped raw, and bright red blood oozed out. Liu Yue cried out in pain.
As others heard the cry and came out to look, Jiang Yun stepped forward and knelt down first, supporting Liu Yue by the shoulders. Liu Yue spat, “I don’t need your hypocrisy—”
Before she could finish, her face turned deathly pale, and she looked at Jiang Yun in terror.
In a place where others couldn’t see, Jiang Yun gripped Liu Yue’s injured hand tightly. She let out a soft sigh and said in a gentle, low voice:
“Sister Liu Yue has been in the palace for many years; how do you still not understand the principle of ‘speak less and do more’?”
“If you still can’t remember, I don’t mind helping you.”
Her voice was soft, and her gaze toward Liu Yue was filled with apparent concern, yet the blood completely drained from Liu Yue’s face. Her hand, gripped by Jiang Yun, trembled with pain, but she didn’t dare utter a sound.
She remembered when a certain Lady of Talent had first entered the palace and was quite favored. That lady had been disrespectful to Her Ladyship.
Jiang Yun had said to Her Ladyship then: “Your servant will help Your Ladyship resolve this worry.”
A few days later, news came that the Lady of Talent had drowned. For a long time after that, Liu Yue had practically avoided Jiang Yun whenever she saw her.
As time passed, perhaps because Jiang Yun was usually so well-mannered, Liu Yue had forgotten that Jiang Yun was never someone to be trifled with.
Seeing that Liu Yue had fallen silent, Jiang Yun released her hand. Just as others approached, Jiang Yun asked with a frown:
“Did you hurt yourself in the fall? How could you be so careless? I still have some Ningzhi Ointment gifted by Her Ladyship; I’ll give it to you to use later.”
Jiang Yun was always good at playing a part to win people over. Liu Yue was disgusted, but others fell for it.
Now filled with wariness, Liu Yue didn’t dare say more. She pulled her hand away, her teeth chattering as she forced out the words, “No need.”
…
There was some movement from within the hall, bringing Jiang Yun back to the present. She wondered to herself how Liu Yue, with an injured hand, had dared to show herself to their master.
Was she not afraid the Noble Consort would find it unlucky?
Just then, a small palace maid came out and called to her:
“Sister Jiang Yun, Her Ladyship summons you.”
Jiang Yun paused, seemingly surprised. She looked at the tray Zhu’er was holding. The weather was cold, and in the time they had been waiting, the tea had already gone cold.
The little maid guessed her thoughts and said quickly:
“Sister, don’t worry about the tea. Her Ladyship and the Prince are both waiting for you!”
By specifically mentioning the Prince, the maid seemed to be hinting at something.
A subtle light flickered in Jiang Yun’s eyes. She gave the little maid a grateful smile and turned to enter the hall.