Exiting through the eastern gate of the Imperial Garden, the first palace encountered was the Palace of Earthly Honor.
The eunuch smiled and introduced, “The Palace of Earthly Honor was renovated once after the Emperor ascended the throne. The eaves and beams were replaced with sturdy and luxurious wood, and all the tables, chairs, and furnishings were newly selected and delivered by the Imperial Household Department. Now that Your Ladyship is moving in, it is perfectly suitable.”
“You have worked hard, Eunuch.” Su Yuewu’s eyes held a faint smile as she glanced at Luzhi.
Luzhi understood and slipped a small pouch of silver fragments into the eunuch’s hand, smiling, “Eunuch, you must be tired from guiding us. Go and have a cup of tea.”
The eunuch’s smile instantly became more genuine. After saying a few more flattering words, he departed.
Su Yuewu was the principal occupant here, so naturally, she resided in the main hall.
The palace maids and eunuchs inside had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing their mistress, they hurriedly knelt facing her, saying in unison, “We humble servants/your humble servants pay respects to Consort Su and wish Your Ladyship peace and blessings!”
“All rise, no need for formalities.”
Su Yuewu’s voice was gentle and delicate. Holding Luzhi’s hand, she walked to the high chair at the northern end and sat down. Her gaze slowly swept over them. Though her tone was amiable, it carried a sense of authority from her high position: “Among you, who are the supervisors?”
A palace maid and a eunuch standing at the front immediately stepped forward and knelt again.
“I am Qingwen, the supervising palace maid of the Palace of Earthly Honor, paying respects to Your Ladyship.”
The speaker was a palace maid around twenty years old, with a crisp voice, dressed in green palace maid attire. Though her face was lowered, her eyes and brows conveyed a lively and spirited feeling.
“I am Zheng Tiande, the supervising eunuch of the Palace of Earthly Honor, paying respects to Your Ladyship.”
This Zheng Tiande appeared to be around thirty years old. His appearance was not ugly, but his somewhat dark complexion, slightly obese body, and slow speech made him seem overly simple and honest.
In summary, he looked unintelligent.
Compared to those slick and cunning, Su Yuewu preferred this type.
As for Qingwen, she seemed clever. If she harbored no ill intentions, she could complement Luzhi well.
Luzhi was thoughtful, gentle, and meticulous, but her only flaw was not being adept at dealing with various types of people.
Overall, Su Yuewu was quite satisfied with these two choices, and a smile appeared on her face.
“Quickly rise. I am new here and have become the principal occupant of a palace. In palace affairs, I fear there will be many things I do not understand, so I will need your assistance from the sidelines.”
She paused slightly and called “Luzhi.” Luzhi then handed two full pouches of silver fragments to Qingwen and Zheng Tiande respectively.
Feeling the weight in their hands, their expressions turned surprised and delighted. They hurriedly bowed again, thanking her excitedly.
The remaining people also needed rewards, though naturally less than these two—each received a small silver ingot, approximately five taels.
This already amounted to nearly a year’s salary for third-rank palace maids and eunuchs. No one would oppose silver, so for a moment, the hall was filled with rising and falling sounds of gratitude and flattery from those who loved to stand out.
Although Su Yuewu had never managed household affairs in the Su residence, she had witnessed her mother’s decisiveness in childhood, experienced Madam Yun’s outward gentleness and inner strength as she grew up, and heard the reflections of some close friends after their marriages. Thus, she had some understanding of the art of managing subordinates.
When arriving at a new place, the most important thing is to win over the leader among the servants. The others will naturally be managed by the leader. If they truly cannot be controlled or develop disloyal intentions, simply find a way to replace or deal with them.
After distributing the rewards, Su Yuewu spoke a few more words in a gentle tone, subtly conveying a sense of intimidation. She made them understand that while she was generous and good-natured, she was not someone to be taken advantage of. Once done, she dismissed them.
Entering the inner chamber, Luzhi arranged some items brought from home and sighed as she looked at the money box, now more than half empty. “We’ve already spent seventy or eighty taels of silver just after entering the palace. Fortunately, Uncle learned that you were entering the palace and sent a thousand taels in banknotes from Qingzhou. Otherwise, we’d truly be in a tight spot.”
Su Yuewu was examining the exquisitely and lavishly decorated room, which was clearly beyond what her status warranted. Hearing this, she lowered her gaze slightly, gently stroking the finely woven Bamboo Lady on the bed, and spoke slowly, “I never expected that after so many years without meeting or even exchanging letters, Uncle would still hold affection for his ungrateful niece. Honestly, I feel ashamed.”
Back then, when Uncle came to deal with Concubine Yun, he stayed for a while to observe whether Father would treat her brother and her kindly.
Su Yuewu had just lost her mother at the time and cried and fussed every day. Apart from Su Yuan, the only one who could calm her down was Uncle.
Because he bore a face that resembled her mother’s by six or seven parts.
However, Uncle’s temperament was somewhat cold and rigid. He disliked being constantly mistaken for her mother and would often arrive with a stern expression, only to leave with a darkened face after a short while, unable to bear her calling him “Mother.”
Children’s memories are fleeting, especially for elders they weren’t close to. After Uncle left, Su Yuewu soon forgot about him.
As she grew older, she occasionally mentioned Uncle to Father, but each time, Father would become furious, angrily denouncing him as someone who despised the poor and fawned on the rich. He claimed that Uncle had refused to allow his sister to marry Father because of his lowly official position. Later, when Mother passed away, Uncle came only to take back the dowry Grandfather had given her. When he failed, he turned hostile and left, never visiting again all these years, as if his two nieces were dead.
It was laughable that Su Yuewu had believed this at the time.
It wasn’t until she corresponded with Uncle this time that Su Yuewu learned the truth. Six years ago, Grandfather was critically ill and, longing for his daughter who had married far away and passed away, wanted to see her and Su Yuan. Uncle sent a letter to the capital, but Father refused, citing “the long and arduous journey” and claiming that the two children, unused to hardship, were unwilling to go. In the end, Grandfather passed away with regret.
Fearing that Father was controlling the children, Uncle, after arranging Grandfather’s funeral, specifically sent a trusted aide to the capital to investigate.
However, the result he received was that the Su family was harmonious and loving, with Father doting on his daughter as if she were a treasure, and the household was filled with joy and without any discord.
Uncle’s heart grew cold, and from then on, he severed all ties with the capital.
Luzhi noticed her low spirits and sighed, offering comfort, “This isn’t your fault, my lady. Since childhood, the master doted on you endlessly and indulged your every wish. Even I, who am a few years older than you, never imagined he could be such a person.”
Su Yuewu was not someone trapped by the past. She lay down on the bed, holding the Bamboo Lady, and sighed comfortably after feeling its coolness: “So I must carve out a world for myself, to cause pain to my enemies and joy to my loved ones.”
Luzhi pursed her lips and smiled lightly: “Then Your Highness will surely succeed immediately. Look at the furniture and decorations in this room—aren’t they all arranged according to your wishes? Take this Bamboo Lady, for example—how could there be such a thing in the palace? Your Highness, who is so thoughtful as to provide this?”
Su Yuewu was also amused, pulling her to lie down together. The master and servant played for a while.
But in places unseen, the smile in those beautiful Peach Blossom Eyes did not reach the depths.
The admiration of youth is always different from other affections.
Yet Su Yuewu understood that she was no longer the unrestrained figure Shen Heng once liked.
Back then, she was innocent and fearless, willing to sacrifice her life for Shen Heng. Now, however, she had already learned the warmth and coldness of human relationships, the hardships of the world, and was filled with desires and ambitions.
Shen Heng now clung to the beauty of youth, unwilling to let go, thus transforming his affection into an increasingly intense passion, like dry wood meeting fierce flames. But what if one day he discovered that things had changed and people were no longer the same?
When that bucket of cold water pours down, how much affection would remain…