“Reporting to Consort Su, Agreeable Lady Chen Yanqiao from the Rui Zhu Pavilion is outside requesting an audience.”
Eunuch Zheng’s deep voice sounded from outside. The master and servant inside exchanged glances. Su Yuewu sat up, and Luzhi hurriedly helped her tidy her slightly disheveled collar before raising her voice to the outside, “Eunuch Zheng, come in to report.”
Eunuch Zheng responded and entered through the partition door. Without waiting for Su Yuewu to ask, he bowed and reported, “Your Highness, the Rui Zhu Pavilion is the western side hall of the Palace of Earthly Honor. This Agreeable Lady Chen Yanqiao is also a candidate selected during this Imperial Selection. Originally, she was to reside in Yonghe Palace, but Consort Su, the mistress of Yonghe Palace, suddenly developed a high fever last night. To avoid contagion, the Empress decided to move Agreeable Lady Chen Yanqiao’s residence to our Palace of Earthly Honor.”
Today the candidates entered the palace, and Consort Su suddenly developed a high fever last night—was it really such a coincidence?
Su Yuewu thought of her cousin whom she had met several times in the Eastern Palace, her heart stirring slightly, but her expression remained unchanged as she asked, “So that’s the case. Is the eastern side hall also occupied?”
Eunuch Zheng: “Reporting to Your Highness, no.”
Su Yuewu nodded: “Then let Agreeable Lady Chen Yanqiao come in.”
Eunuch Zheng affirmed and respectfully withdrew.
Soon, a familiar figure entered with a palace maid.
Su Yuewu narrowed her eyes slightly in surprise. It turned out this Agreeable Lady Chen Yanqiao was none other than Lin Yue’s little follower from the Imperial Selection day, Chen Yanqiao.
Chen Yanqiao’s expression was quite complex, her five fingers clutching the embroidered handkerchet tightly.
She had never imagined that her mistress after entering the palace would be Su Yuewu.
Recalling how she had followed Lin Yue during the Imperial Selection and offended Su Yuewu thoroughly, her heart was unsettled, filled with fear and anxiety.
In the palace, a higher rank could crush others, and moreover, the difference in status between them was far more than just a little.
Indeed, Lin Yue was also a consort, but she was arrogant in temperament, and whether she would be willing to help was uncertain. Even if she intended to, distant water could not quench a nearby thirst. Now she had directly fallen under Su Yuewu’s control—how should she live her days hereafter?
Chen Yanqiao pondered anxiously in her palace for half a day, still deciding to take the opportunity of meeting her mistress to probe Su Yuewu’s attitude and, incidentally, explain her actions that day.
“I pay respects to Consort Su. May Your Highness be well.”
Chen Yanqiao knelt and performed a grand salute, her tone gentle, her posture extremely proper, appearing somewhat humble.
Su Yuewu glanced at her up and down, seeing this posture, and roughly understood in her heart.
She knew this person was dependent on Lin Yue, her words and actions merely following others’ moods. Although she didn’t mind much, she didn’t let her rise immediately, deliberately paused, then leisurely said, “You may rise.”
People always need some temper. Being overly lenient and kind would only make others think one was weak and foolish, not taking them seriously.
During the few moments she was left hanging, Chen Yanqiao’s heart had already thumped several times, even thinking of the worst outcome. Only upon hearing these words did she regain her composure.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Chen Yanqiao expressed gratitude but did not rise, instead lowering her head even further, softly speaking, “On the day of the Imperial Selection, I had no intention of offending Your Highness. It was only to comply with Consort Lin, to settle matters peacefully, that I reluctantly spoke those words, causing Your Highness displeasure. I deserve death ten thousand times and await punishment.”
Su Yuewu raised a brow slightly upon seeing her unhesitatingly push Lin Yue forward.
“Is that so? This consort originally thought you and Consort Lin were close friends, as intimate as sisters. I was just thinking that if you were unwilling to share the Palace of Earthly Honor with me, I could choose a day to report to Her Majesty the Empress and allow you to move in with Consort Lin.”
Chen Yanqiao naturally did not believe she would truly plead with the Empress on her behalf, taking this only as a warning. She quickly kowtowed: “Consort Su, please see clearly. This humble one’s father serves in the Ministry of Personnel, as a subordinate to Minister Lin. My relationship with Consort Lin is just like my father’s with Minister Lin—only reverence and fear.”
This made things very clear, completely severing any connection between herself and Lin Yue, fully indicating that she was constrained by her father’s position.
Su Yuewu smiled, as if suddenly understanding: “Oh, is that so? Then this consort can sympathize with your predicament, Agreeable Lady Chen.”
Before Chen Yanqiao could relax, the charming and melodious voice from the seat above spoke again: “However—”
Her entire body tensed once more as she heard Su Yuewu pause, her tone somewhat troubled: “If Agreeable Lady Chen felt compelled to offend me this time out of reverence and fear, what should I do if, for the same reason, you were to do something else next time?”
Chen Yanqiao hurriedly replied: “Absolutely not! To be honest with you, Consort, this humble one is a concubine-born daughter. My birth mother passed away early, and Father favors my other sisters more. In the past, while at home, there were certain things I had no choice but to do. But now that I have entered the palace, with no attachments left at home, my actions naturally need not be constrained by others anymore. So please rest assured, Consort.”
Su Yuewu did not know how much of this was true or false. Even if it were true, such an act of pushing forward someone she once relied on to take the blame as soon as the situation changed was something that demanded vigilance.
What she had just said was merely to warn Chen Yanqiao, to discourage her from scheming under her watch.
“If Agreeable Lady Chen says so, then this consort is reassured. Sharing a palace is also fate. As long as you can keep your word, this consort can let bygones be bygones.”
Chen Yanqiao immediately responded with excitement: “Thank you, Consort! Please rest assured, from now on, this humble one will follow your lead without question!”
Having declared her loyalty, Chen Yanqiao had achieved her purpose for coming and rose to take her leave.
Upon returning to the Rui Zhu Pavilion, her personal maid Furong, whom she had brought into the palace, closed the doors and windows and spoke with concern: “Does Mistress intend to pledge allegiance to Consort Su? But what about Consort Lin? That one is narrow-minded and holds grudges. If she cannot deal with Consort Su, she will surely turn her spear toward you.”
Chen Yanqiao said calmly: “As you said, Lin Yue is narrow-minded, yet arrogant and condescending. What future is there in relying on such a person? It would be better to seek a larger tree to shelter under.”
Furong was puzzled: “Does Mistress mean Consort Su?”
Chen Yanqiao shook her head: “She is not that yet, but she is also someone I cannot afford to offend.”
Su Yuewu had left the Eastern Palace years ago and now re-entered the rear palace, even directly being granted the title of consort. There were only two possibilities.
Either His Majesty still held lingering affection for her, or Empress Dowager was backing her from behind.
Both of these were towering trees in the rear palace, while Su Yuewu was merely someone leaning against a large tree, not the tree itself.
What Chen Yanqiao had said in the main hall earlier was half-truth and half-falsehood.
Her birth mother passing away early and her father’s neglect—these were true.
Yet she was not without ties.
She still had a sister, born of the same mother.
Her sister had once been gentle, but to protect her, her temperament gradually grew fierce. She would raise a storm over withheld allowances and resort to violence when Chen Yanqiao was bullied by other sisters.
She endured family discipline countless times and thoroughly offended the legitimate mother.
Two years ago, the legitimate mother arranged for the sister to marry a scholar who had passed the imperial examination.
After passing the exam, the scholar broke his leg. The current dynasty had a rule that those with physical disabilities could not serve as officials, thus ending his career, leaving him to make a living by teaching.
If that were all, it would merely mean a life of poverty. However, the scholar, due to this misfortune, became violent and twisted in nature. There had been rumors of him abusing his students even before. After the sister married him, he initially put on a facade, but once he tested and found that she had no backing from her maternal family, he completely shed his human skin, repeatedly beating her and venting his beastly desires.
Chen Yanqiao wanted to rescue her sister from this sea of suffering and ensure that beast died without a burial place. To do so, she had to seize every opportunity to climb higher.