In her previous leisurely life, she had read many medical books.
Because the Emperor struggled to have heirs, she had specifically studied knowledge about gynecology and pregnancy. Though not proficient in medicine, she could still recognize such simple tricks at a glance.
However, purslane only causes miscarriage when consumed by certain pregnant women who are constitutionally cold and frail. For others, it simply clears heat and detoxifies, posing no major harm.
Upon hearing Su Qingyao's words, Liu Qin's face turned pale—not from fear, but from anger.
"That treacherous wretch, daring to betray her mistress," Liu Qin said, her lips trembling with rage. "This servant will go out and drag her back, and ask Hui Pin to judge this matter."
Su Qingyao patted her hand, appearing completely calm. "No rush. I've known she would act this way for a while."
Seeing Su Qingyao pick up a dumpling to continue eating, Liu Qin grew even more anxious. "Mistress, you mustn't eat something of unknown origin!"
Seeing Liu Qin so concerned for her, Su Qingyao felt particularly comforted.
She tapped the porcelain plate and pointed at the dumplings. "Look at this craftsmanship—it was clearly specially ordered from the Imperial Kitchen. Since it comes from the Imperial Kitchen, there's definitely no problem."
After a pause, she added, "In the palace, rank alone doesn't determine everything. There are only two possibilities for someone to tamper with things meant for others."
Liu Qin was drawn in by her calm tone, and her anger dissipated instantly. She looked intently at Su Qingyao and blinked. "What two possibilities?"
Su Qingyao asked her to heat the loofah and egg drop soup on the small tea stove and tested each dumpling with a silver hairpin, confirming they were indeed safe before continuing to eat.
"First, having an absolutely outstanding background, with influence both in the imperial court and the inner palace. Even the Emperor would show consideration if something happened to such a person. Second, possessing the most unique and overwhelming favor, loved so deeply by the Emperor that no matter what she does, she won't be punished. Tell me, does either of these exist in the palace now?"
Liu Qin thought for a moment and shook her head. "Not really."
Su Qingyao quite enjoyed the purslane dumplings and ate ten in one go before stopping, leisurely sipping the egg drop soup. "For the first condition, there happens to be one in the palace right now—the one in Cining Palace. She would be overjoyed to see the Emperor have heirs, so why would she harm her own son? As for the second, there isn't anyone like that in the palace for now, but in the future… it's hard to say."
Hearing this analysis, Liu Qin felt completely reassured.
Her mistress was right—without absolute power or favor in the palace, many things were impossible to accomplish. For instance, today's purslane dumplings were likely the most effective move that person could currently make, and even then, it relied on the gamble that the mistress was indeed pregnant and constitutionally cold.
With such low odds, it was unclear why they would attempt this.
Liu Qin murmured softly, "What's the point?"
Su Qingyao set down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and stood up to walk off the meal. "Why? To ensure that the future crown prince under the Emperor's knees isn't born from someone else's womb."
Liu Qin hadn't expected her to suddenly speak of such profound matters and was startled, hurriedly tugging at her sleeve. "Mistress, please don't speak recklessly."
Su Qingyao smiled and added another pointed remark: "When we returned from Qianyuan Palace that day, The Emperor bestowed such generous imperial favor, likely leading others to misunderstand. The fact that I did not attend the bedchamber is known only to you, me, and The Emperor’s close attendants in Qianyuan Palace—outsiders have no way of knowing. But human hearts are hard to gauge; they might think I’ve won The Emperor’s favor and fear that if they don’t suppress me now, I might climb over their heads in the future."
"How could they be willing?"
Among the current high-ranking consorts, which one hasn’t endured three years in the palace? They accompanied The Emperor through the twenty-seven months of mourning—aside from promotions in rank, not a single one has borne a child.
Not to mention giving birth to imperial heirs, they haven’t even conceived—this in itself is rather strange.
Under such circumstances, they would certainly be unwilling to yield opportunities to newcomers.
Su Qingyao said, "I’m afraid it’s not just me—all the new palace consorts have likely tasted dishes made with purslane. Whatever the form, as long as the Imperial Kitchen can prepare it, they dare to serve it to us."
Since entering the palace, Liu Qin had been serving in the Shang Gong Bureau. Thanks to the care of a fellow villager in a higher position, she had never suffered mistreatment. Later, after following Su Qingyao, and because her mistress was gentle and kind, her life remained comfortable.
Aside from Su Qingyao’s low rank often making her vulnerable to manipulation, they had never encountered anything too outrageous.
Today’s incident, however, left a deep mark in her heart, jolting her awake.
Their status was low and their words carried little weight; after the bedchamber incident, they truly needed to be more cautious than before.
Having formed a plan in her mind, Liu Qin couldn’t help but ask, "What about Liu Ye…"
"Don’t worry about Liu Ye," Su Qingyao said with a smile. "It won’t be long before she’s likely transferred. Though I am curious about where she’ll be sent."
As Liu Qin paced the room with her, she suddenly thought of a question: "Then… mistress, who do you think is really behind this?"
Su Qingyao thought for a moment and pointed toward the adjacent rear hall: "That side might have pulled the strings. Since even she, as a consort, could only act as a middleman, the one truly behind it is likely among those above."
There were only three above—one Noble Consort and two consorts—no one else could be involved.
Liu Qin understood and said, "This servant understands."
For now, there was nothing they could do. Even if bullied outright, they could only smile and endure it. Yet Liu Qin held an inexplicable confidence in her mistress, feeling that it wouldn’t be long before they could turn things around.
Just as the two finished speaking, Liu Ye happened to return.
As soon as she entered, she glanced at the table and saw that more than half of the plate of dumplings had been eaten. Her face immediately brightened: "Mistress, were the dumplings delicious today? This servant specially requested them."
Su Qingyao looked up and gave her a faint glance: "Extremely delicious."
Once this plate of dumplings was consumed, the "kind-hearted" person who had sent them quieted down. A few uneventful days passed, and soon it was early May.
Summer arrived early this year; by early May, the days were already sweltering.
The side chamber was narrow and cramped, with small windows and poor ventilation. In winter, if the charcoal fire was sufficient, it was slightly better, but during spring and summer, it became quite unbearable. Su Qingyao, accustomed to living in Taoxiang Pavilion and being young and full of vitality, suffered from the heat every day.
Even though spring hadn’t fully departed, Su Qingyao already felt the strain of summer. After just a few days of enduring it, she visibly lost weight.
She originally had a round, peach-like face, but these past few days, her chin had grown sharp, making her appear increasingly frail, almost as if she were a delicate beauty cradling her heart.
Seeing her like this, Liu Qin was utterly heartbroken, spending each day thinking of ways to keep her cool, constantly ordering Liu Ye to fetch cold water to place in the room. Su Qingyao hadn’t felt much of anything, but Liu Ye was thoroughly worn out.
Finally, by mid-May, Liu Ye was the first to reach her limit.
Su Qingyao had previously warned Liu Qin that as long as Liu Ye was here, she could at least do some work for her, but once she left, there would be no one left to order around. However, Liu Qin remained convinced that Liu Ye harbored ill intentions, fearing she might harm her mistress, which was why she kept finding ways to make things difficult for her.
Now, with the arrival of the Palace Administrator from the Shang Gong Bureau, Liu Qin felt a wave of relief. She didn’t think about the hardships to come but was instead filled with joy.
The bedroom was too hot, so Su Qingyao didn’t invite the Palace Administrator inside. Instead, she had Liu Qin brew tea and bring it to the outer hall, smiling as she offered it to the Palace Administrator. "On such a hot day, I’ve troubled you to make this trip."
The Palace Administrator from the Shang Gong Bureau didn’t look very old, perhaps only in her thirties, with single eyelids and a somewhat sharp appearance.
Nevertheless, she was quite polite. She first bowed slightly to Su Qingyao before speaking softly, "Recently, all the palaces have been reassigning personnel. Liu Ye from your residence is also on the list. I’ve come today to transfer her, and I ask for your cooperation."
Although the senior Palace Administrators in the palace held higher ranks than a Xuanshi, even a Xuanshi was considered a palace consort, however lowly. In their presence, the Palace Administrators would still refer to themselves as "your servant" as a sign of respect.
Su Qingyao smiled and turned to Liu Ye, whose face was beaming with joy. "Since the Palace Administrator has come for you, you may go. Do your work well in your new place and don’t embarrass me."
She had Liu Qin prepare some silver pieces for Liu Ye, as a final gesture to sever their master-servant bond. "Go now. I have nothing good to offer you here, and I’ve held you back."
Seeing Su Qingyao’s calm and composed demeanor, showing not a hint of anger, the Palace Administrator felt she carried herself with more grace than many of the higher-ranking consorts.
While Liu Ye went to pack her belongings, the Palace Administrator grew quite friendly with Su Qingyao. She was gently pulled to sit on a stool and raised her cup to drink tea. "Today, I’ve enjoyed a cup of tea from you, mistress. If you ever need anything in the future, just send this young maid to the Shang Gong Bureau to call for me. My name is Chunhua. Please remember it, mistress."
Upon hearing her name, Liu Qin couldn’t help but laugh.
Chunhua didn’t mind, saying only, "When I first entered the palace, there were many of us. The senior Palace Administrator who taught us had a headache naming everyone, so she gave us a batch of rustic names. It’s not so bad, really."
Su Qingyao didn’t laugh but said earnestly, "What’s wrong with this name? Spring is abundant, flowers are beautiful—it’s the most splendid of all."
Chunhua was taken aback for a moment before raising her teacup in a toast. "Thank you for your praise, mistress."
Liu Ye had long wanted to leave, and her belongings were already packed. In no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she emerged, showing no reluctance to part with her former mistress.
Chunhua glanced at her and told her to wait outside.
"Since you’re short on help here, mistress, I’ll look for someone suitable when I return and bring them to you." Her implication was clear—she knew Liu Ye looked down on the lowly rank of a Xuanshi and intended to find someone reliable for Su Qingyao.
Su Qingyao was somewhat surprised. This time, Liu Ye’s early departure had unexpectedly led to a favorable connection with Chunhua.
Su Qingyao stood up and also raised her teacup in a toast: "Then I'll thank you in advance, Auntie."
After Liu Ye left, Su Qingyao's place became much quieter.
Although only the two of them, master and servant, were left to rely on each other, life seemed more comfortable. Even though they were busier than before, Liu Qin often wore a smile on her face, clearly truly disliking Liu Ye.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of May, and all the palaces began using ice.
Liu Qin managed to use silver to find a Junior Palace Attendant from a corner room, agreeing with him to deliver ice to the side gate every noon. Over there, The Emperor had resumed summoning for the bedchamber.
Su Qingyao was enjoying the coolness of the ice mountain in her room, telling Liu Qin that they should make some chilled mung bean water to drink another day, when she heard an unfamiliar voice: "Su Xuanshi of Biyun Palace, attend the bedchamber at Qianyuan Palace tonight."
This announcement left Su Qingyao utterly stunned.
Author's note: Su Xuanshi: Again? Happiness comes too suddenly!