Eastern Palace, Chenghua Side Hall.
Zhuang Yunlan sat on a sourwood luohan bed and asked her maid, “Has she been taken away?”
“Yes…” This turn of events was so sudden that Haitang’s pretty face was pale with terror. She replied with lingering fear, “After the Emperor’s personal attendants finished reading the imperial decree, they took Jieyu Chu away. By now, she should nearly be at the Inner Anle Hall.”
Zhuang Yunlan sighed, losing her appetite for the various pastries laid out on the side table for the first time.
It wasn’t that she had deep feelings for Jieyu Chu, who held the primary position in this hall.
It was simply a case of grief for one’s own kind. Chu was a recorded Jieyu of the Crown Prince; how glorious her days used to be! Yet, having offended the Crown Princess, a single word from the Emperor was enough to move her out of the Eastern Palace to a place meant for sick maids and eunuchs to “recover from illness.”
In comparison, she, Zhuang Yunlan, was a mere Cairen of the Crown Prince, someone without any real standing. If she were careless one day and committed a mistake, they would probably skip the “recovery” part and simply beat her to death to settle the matter.
Having been born into this world with memories of her past life, this was the first time Zhuang Yunlan had witnessed the terror of feudal imperial power at such close range.
Even the unscrupulous boss who had exploited her before her reincarnation seemed kind and gentle compared to the Emperor.
“Take these away and share them among yourselves,” Zhuang Yunlan said, pointing to the palace-made lotus plates filled with various pastries.
Looking at them now reminded her of the disdainful way Jieyu Chu had poked at the pastries with her nail guards during yesterday’s birthday banquet.
Of course, what Jieyu Chu had truly disdained wasn’t the pastries, but the Crown Princess who had bestowed them.
In Jieyu Chu’s heart, aside from her best friend and idol—Zhaoyi of the Crown Prince, Shen Shi—there was no one in the entire backyard of the Eastern Palace worthy of her respect.
Zhuang Yunlan clutched a bolster and instructed the four senior maids who were bowing as they cleared the dishes, “Keep a close watch over the next few days. No matter what others do, we are not allowed to discuss this matter here, especially in front of the Crown Princess’s people.”
After dismissing the maids, Zhuang Yunlan walked to the writing desk. She ground her own ink and wrote the character for “Prudence” nearly a hundred times until she barely recognized the word. Only then did she use a fire-starter to light the stack of paper, tossing it into the brazier before the desk to destroy the evidence.
Just as she finished burning them, the senior maid from the Crown Princess’s side arrived.
“This servant pays respects to Lady Zhuang.”
The maid kept her back perfectly straight as she performed a curtsey. She then delivered the message from the Crown Princess: the Cairen should put her mind at ease; Her Highness knew this matter had nothing to do with her and would absolutely not let her be implicated.
Zhuang Yunlan hurriedly stood up with a face full of emotion and bowed toward the Crown Princess’s sleeping quarters. She then had Shaoyao lead the Crown Princess’s maid away to have some tea.
Her gratitude wasn’t entirely feigned. After several months in the Eastern Palace, Zhuang Yunlan had come to see that the Crown Princess was undoubtedly the most kind and gentle mistress in the entire palace.
When Zhuang Yunlan first arrived, she had thought the Crown Princess was practicing a policy of “killing with kindness,” waiting for Jieyu Chu to commit some fatal folly so she could be finished for good.
It was only after interacting with her that Zhuang Yunlan realized she had overthought it. The Crown Princess was truly kind—perhaps even excessively so.
At the very least, regarding Chu, Zhuang Yunlan couldn’t see why the Crown Princess had been so tolerant of her.
However, while the Crown Princess was willing to indulge these concubines, someone else was not. The Emperor had stepped in and dealt with Jieyu Chu directly.
Now that the matter had reached the Emperor’s ears, the entire Eastern Palace had lost face. Even the Crown Prince, who was currently inspecting the capital camps by imperial decree, might be reprimanded.
Zhuang Yunlan couldn’t guess whether the Emperor was acting out of pity for his daughter-in-law to vent her frustrations, or warning the consort of the heir apparent that the dignity of the Heavenly House must not be lost. Regardless, none of it was her concern.
She was just an “invisible” nobody. As long as she didn’t stir up trouble, she could probably scrape by for a few decades and then head to the Huiluan Palace under the title of Dowager Consort to enjoy her retirement.
“Mistress,” Shaoyao said as she returned to the hall after politely seeing off the Crown Princess’s attendant, “Her Highness’s person went toward the back. It looks like they have to make a trip to Lady Xiang’s place as well.”
Zhuang Yunlan nodded. They were all concubines living in the Chenghua Hall with the Jieyu; it made sense that the Crown Princess wouldn’t look after her while ignoring Lady Xiang.
Among the senior maids of the West Side Hall, aside from Haitang, who had only been in the palace for a short time, the others were more accepting of today’s events than their mistress.
Shaoyao glanced at the time and asked, “It’s nearly dinner time. What would Mistress like to eat tonight? I’ll have them go to the kitchen to fetch it.”
This ability to order specific dishes was thanks to the Crown Princess.
Originally, the meals for the Eastern Palace were handled by the Shangshi Bureau. But now that the weather had turned cold and the Eastern Palace was far from the Shangshi Bureau, the food would be ice-cold by the time it arrived.
Last month, the Crown Princess had eaten a cold meal and almost harmed the imperial grandson in her womb. Consequently, the Empress ordered that several rooms at the junction of the front and back halls of the Eastern Palace be turned into a kitchen. Dozens of people were transferred from the Shangshi Bureau to the Eastern Palace specifically to handle the meals for the palace’s masters.
Because of this, Zhuang Yunlan was able to eat a few things she actually liked.
Of course, everything was ordered within her allocated allowance.
“Let’s have a hot pot,” Zhuang Yunlan said. She loved hot pot whenever she was in a bad mood. However, she had caught a cold a few days ago and had only just stopped taking medicine, so she couldn’t eat anything spicy. She told Shaoyao, “There’s no need for the kitchen staff to make the broth. Just ask for some oil, green onions, garlic, bay leaves, and other seasonings, as well as two tomatoes. Didn’t Shunzi serve in the Shangshi Bureau before? Once the ingredients are here, we’ll stir-fry it ourselves and simmer the meat and vegetables.”
Shaoyao knew her mistress was worried about bothering the kitchen staff, so she didn’t say much and passed the instructions exactly as given to the junior eunuch waiting outside.
When the ingredients were brought back, Shunzi poured in the oil and heated it up, sautéing about ten different seasonings like green onions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. He carefully picked out the ginger bits before adding the diced tomatoes, pressing them with a spoon until they turned into a puree. Another junior eunuch poured in boiling water brought from the tea room. By the time the sweet and sour, rich tomato broth was ready, the aroma of the hot pot had already made Zhuang Yunlan feel hungry.
Shaoyao first put the perfectly sliced beef and lamb into the pot. After a brief dip in the broth, the marbled meat changed color. Once lifted from the pot, the slices were rolled in a dry dipping powder made of sesame, Sichuan peppercorns, salt, and crushed peanuts. The meat was fragrant and springy in the mouth.
Zhuang Yunlan immersed herself in the satisfaction brought by the hot pot, feeling a long-awaited sense of comfort.
…
As the sky gradually darkened, the Crown Prince, returning from his inspection of the capital camps, stepped through the Ciqing Gate. A rare layer of frost was frozen upon his handsome, gentle face.
Zhang Bao held his breath, leading two rows of eunuchs as they hurried to keep up with the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince walked into the Eastern Palace with a darkened expression. He passed through several hallways, his pace quickening. A journey that usually took nearly half an hour took only half that time today.
The last golden rays of the setting sun intertwined with the night sky above the great hall before the Crown Prince, yet his rapid footsteps suddenly halted.
His gaze fell upon the gilded plaque not far away. Inside that hall was his primary wife of four years, whom he respected and held in high regard.
The expression on the Crown Prince’s face was unreadable. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he stepped forward again, he turned toward the west, no longer heading toward the main hall.
The deep blue of the night fell behind the Crown Prince, leaving only the six halls to the west graced by the sunset, holding onto a faint, warm orange glow.
Wisps of fragrance drifted out from the Chenghua Hall. An attendant in the entourage let out a low “gurgle” from his stomach and immediately knelt in silence to seek forgiveness. The Crown Prince paused but remained silent.
From behind the screen wall of the West Side Hall, the lighthearted voices of women could be heard.