“This palace sees that, Sister Xibi, your mood has been good since early this morning. I suppose there is something worth being happy about. Why not say it and let this palace hear it as well?”
De Fei lightly told the imperial concubine who was in the middle of paying her respects to get up, but her gaze had never moved away from Xi Pin. Seeing that Xi Pin was pressing her lips together and not speaking, De Fei asked again.
At this point Xi Pin could no longer pretend to be stupid, and could only casually brush it off: “Having a new younger sister to keep me company, isn’t that something happy?”
Although she looked down on De Fei’s background, she did not dare openly go against her. Who made the palace rules so strict, and De Fei one of the Four Consorts, with princes and princesses under her name? She was only a pin rank, after all.
However, Xi Pin refusing to speak did not mean that Xi Pin’s mortal enemy would let go of this chance to step on her.
Hesheli Shi, a concubine of secondary rank who lived in the same Chuxiu Palace as Xi Pin, gave a light laugh. “I thought Xi Pin’s mouth was how hard, but it turns out she’s only this much. You dare say it but not admit it?”
Do not be fooled by the fact that she and Xi Pin were both from the Hesheli clan. In truth, the difference in status between the two was as wide as heaven and earth. She was the younger maternal aunt of the Empress Dowager Hesheli, mother of the former emperor, and the maternal aunt of the current crown prince. Although she had no formal rank in the palace, she enjoyed the treatment of a consort rank.
Thus, Hesheli Shufei simply did not fear this insignificant offshoot of the Hesheli family.
Being made to lose face by Hesheli Shufei in front of so many people, Xi Pin’s face turned red. She immediately wanted to swing back and hit Hesheli Shufei across the face, but was stopped by Hesheli Shufei’s quick eyes and hands. Then, with a hard shove, Xi Pin’s flower-pot shoes lost their footing and she twisted her ankle and fell to the ground.
Seeing her in such a miserable state, Hesheli Shufei was full of mockery, and even De Fei curved her lips. “Sister Xi Pin, how could you be so careless as to fall? Is it serious? Should this palace have someone summon the imperial physician?”
Xi Pin’s personality was arrogant and overbearing, and she had never had good relations with the consorts and concubines. Now that she had made such a fool of herself, not a single person stepped forward to help her. So she could only vent her anger on her own palace maid, pinching Bi Yun’s arm hard. “Are you a dead person? Hurry up and help this palace up!”
Bi Yun was hurt, but did not dare make a sound. She could not help Xi Pin up by herself, so she hurriedly called the palace maids from Chuxiu Palace to come and help her. Only when the two of them worked together was Xi Pin finally helped to her feet.
Almost all of her strength was leaning on Bi Yun. Xi Pin touched her disheveled hair, then looked down at her filthy, messily ruined clothes, and said through gritted teeth, “This servant’s clothes are not in order, so I’m afraid I cannot go pay my respects to the Empress. Please have De Fei pass on this servant’s words to Her Majesty.”
She also did not want to lower herself and beg De Fei, but there was no choice, because at this moment only De Fei had the highest rank. She could only lower her head to De Fei.
De Fei did not make things too difficult for her either, and agreed very readily. “Go ahead.”
After Xi Pin’s farce at the gates of Chengqian Palace, it was quite quiet for a while. Only when the other three consorts and the noble consort arrived did the gates of Chengqian Palace open, and everyone went in one after another.
Before stepping into Chengqian Palace, the gate of the neighboring Jingren Palace suddenly opened. De Fei thought it was Zhaopin coming out, and turned her head subconsciously to look. In the end, she saw a familiar figure enter Jingren Palace.
If she remembered correctly, that person was Wei Zhu, the disciple taken in by Liang Jiugong.
In Jingren Palace, Cao Yue had also just finished washing and dressing. She had originally planned to go to Chengqian Palace, but Wei Zhu came at this very moment, and also brought an imperial decree from Kangxi: “His Majesty said that, Your Ladyship Zhaopin, you have just traveled by carriage and horse and have only just entered the palace. You will need a few days to get used to it and rest. It would not be too late to go to Chengqian Palace to pay your respects on the first day of next month.”
Today is the twenty-eighth, and there are only two or three days left until the first day of next month.
Cao Yue had not slept all night, and her spirit was already poor. With Kangxi’s words, Cao Yue naturally took the opportunity to agree. “Many thanks to His Majesty for his thoughtfulness. What else did His Majesty instruct?”
Wei Zhu wore a smiling face as he recounted Kangxi’s orders one by one. “His Majesty also ordered this servant to come over and listen to Your Ladyship’s commands, and assist Your Ladyship in handling the trivial matters of Jingren Palace.”
Yesterday he had led the people from Qianqing Palace to receive the imperial carriage in the square, and at that time His Majesty had already said in front of Zhaopin that he should come to Jingren Palace. He had heard it very clearly.
Only, when it came to reading the emperor’s mind, he was still far from his own master Liang Jiugong. He did not know whether those words from His Majesty meant that he should stay in Jingren Palace to serve from now on, or whether he only needed to come to Jingren Palace to hold down the place.
So he had not come to Jingren Palace immediately last night, but first asked his master in private. Fortunately, he was still to return to Qianqing Palace to serve.
Only after understanding His Majesty’s meaning did he hurry over early this morning.
“His Majesty did mention this to this palace yesterday. In that case, I will trouble Eunuch Wei Zhu.”
Even though Cao Yue’s forehead was faintly aching, there was still a bit of a smile on her face, and she looked very polite.
Wei Zhu repeatedly said he did not dare. “Does Your Ladyship have anything you wish to instruct this servant to do?”
Speaking of this, Cao Yue frowned slightly, seeming somewhat troubled. “This palace is entering the palace for the first day, and there are many rules and matters in the palace that I do not understand very well. As for managing trivial affairs, I also do not know what to do. Why not…”
Wei Zhu bent his body, very humble, listening carefully to Cao Yue’s words and following her meaning. “Does Your Ladyship have some idea?”
Cao Yue smiled a little embarrassedly. “Why not have Eunuch Wei Zhu and An Shun handle these trivial matters together. When everything has been arranged properly, just let this palace know.”
This answer was somewhat unexpected, and Wei Zhu hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether he should agree.
Among the favored consorts and concubines in the palace, which one did not keep a tight grip on her own palace? To hand over the palace affairs of Jingren Palace to two servants like this, as Zhaopin was doing, was something absolutely unique in the entire harem.
After several breaths passed and Wei Zhu still did not answer, Cao Yue asked again, “Is there something improper about it?”
Wei Zhu hurriedly shook his head. “There is nothing improper. Since Your Ladyship has given the order, this servant will certainly do his best.”
After agreeing, Wei Zhu respectfully withdrew and went out to find An Shun, and the two of them discussed together how to carry out their duties.
Cao Yue had thrown out a huge test and probe, and her mood improved by a few degrees. Along with that, her head did not seem to hurt as much anymore.
The reason she gave such an order was twofold. First, she wanted to test how much loyalty and ability her chief eunuch An Shun had.
As for the second reason, there was no need to waste the servants sent by the emperor to hold down the place. With the hands of people from the imperial presence, they should be able to handle quite a lot of things.
She leisurely picked up her teacup and drank two mouthfuls of tea, and then An Ning brought in two plates of pastries and a small bowl of milk bird’s nest soup, placing them one by one beside Cao Yue’s hand. “This servant looked at the breakfast sent from the Imperial Kitchen, and most of it was not to your taste. So I had people go to the Imperial Kitchen to get some ingredients, and had An Ping use the stove in the tea room to barely make two kinds of pastries for you.”
Just by looking at how much worse those pastries looked than before, one could tell how poor the conditions for making them were.
Cao Yue did not mind. She picked up a piece and ate it slowly. “Wasn’t it said that every principal residence in the palace would be equipped with a small kitchen?”
Speaking of this, An Ning was full of anger. “This servant was also puzzled. I went to look, and only then did I know that the small kitchen was indeed there, but inside there was no pots, bowls, pans, cook, or anything else. It was just an empty shell.”
It looked as if the Empress Dowager had put a great deal of thought into Jingren Palace and decorated it lavishly, but in truth it was all just a show. None of the practical things were there.
Cao Yue was not as angry as An Ning, and even laughed.
An Ning stamped her foot, so angry that her cheeks puffed up. “You’ve already been so manipulated, and you can still laugh.”
Cao Yue stuffed a piece of pastry into An Ning’s mouth and raised her brows. “Why can’t I laugh? I’m laughing because I suddenly discovered that the Empress, who manages the harem, is only this much.”
She wanted the reputation of being virtuous and broad-minded, but when she handled affairs she still mixed in personal motives. Wasn’t that just sending her a handle to use against her?
An Ning had her mouth stuffed shut, so she could only angrily chew the pastry and swallow it. “You mean the Empress is all show and no substance?”
Cao Yue picked up the milk bird’s nest soup and slowly blew on it. “That is not wrong if you put it that way. A small kitchen is something every principal palace must have, and food is also of utmost importance. The Empress deliberately ignored this, so then this palace will have His Majesty personally give the order. By then, whose face will be slapped, does that still need to be said?”
But An Ning did not quite understand. “But if the Empress is all show and no substance, why would His Majesty feel at ease handing the harem over to the Empress to manage?”
Cao Yue took a spoonful of bird’s nest and smiled without making a sound.
Because His Majesty does not need a woman who is too smart to manage the harem.
This was also why she had to present herself before His Majesty as someone ignorant of worldly affairs.
Just as Wei Zhu was joining hands with An Shun to clean up Jingren Palace, Kangxi had also left court. Without even changing out of his court robes, he hurried to Cining Palace to pay his respects to the Grand Empress Dowager.
The grandparents and grandson had not seen each other for a long time, and simply exchanging greetings and asking after each other took a quarter of an hour. Kangxi then told the Grand Empress Dowager some interesting things he had encountered on the road, coaxing her into smiling from ear to ear.
Somoer personally handed Kangxi a cup of tea to moisten his throat, and smiled. “Your Majesty does not know this, but when the Grand Empress Dowager learned that you were returning to the palace in the middle of the night, she had long since been unable to sleep. She instructed this servant to wash and change her clothes and wait for you.”
When Kangxi heard this, he did not even drink the tea, and a trace of guilt appeared between his brows and eyes. “It is this grandson’s fault. If I had known this earlier, I should have come to pay my respects to you as soon as I returned to the palace.”
The Grand Empress Dowager spat at Sumoer once, and said with a smile, “The emperor need not think too much. You came back to the palace covered in dust and travel weariness. You should rest more. I am right here in Cining Palace. It is never too late to come and pay your respects.”
“It is still the Imperial Grandmother who cares for her grandson.”
Kangxi’s words, in tone and implication, all carried closeness to the Grand Empress Dowager, which put her in an excellent mood. She had been smiling the whole time, looking like a kind old lady.
Watching Kangxi tilt his head back and drink tea, the Grand Empress Dowager fingered the sandalwood Buddhist beads in her hand and said casually, “I heard that the emperor brought back a concubine, and even conferred the rank of pin?”
Kangxi set down his teacup and smiled in response. “Yes, nothing can be hidden from the Imperial Grandmother.”
The Grand Empress Dowager gave Kangxi a sideways glance and said kindly, “This matter is known throughout the palace. Is it really anything strange that I know too? It’s just that I am very curious. To make you, the emperor, disregard the rules of our ancestors and break precedent to confer the rank of pin, this Zhaopin must be very much to your liking.”
As she spoke, the Grand Empress Dowager lowered her eyelids, covering the cloudy eyes that kept flashing.
Kangxi had been raised up by the Grand Empress Dowager’s own hands, so of course he knew what the Grand Empress Dowager liked and what she disliked.
He did quite like Zhaopin, and did not wish for her to be disliked by the Grand Empress Dowager. So he put on a casual expression.
“What Imperial Grandmother said is somewhat unfair. There are so many consorts and concubines in the harem, and each one has something that suits my heart. As for Zhaopin, she does have some beauty, that much is true, but the reason I conferred her the rank of pin was largely to give the Cao family face. This time, the Cao family handled every detail of the reception with great care, and I am not a ruler who is stingy with rewards, so I should always reward the Cao family with something.”
The Grand Empress Dowager’s skeptical gaze carefully swept across Kangxi’s face. She knew that the emperor favored the Cao family greatly, and a large part of the reason lay with Lady Sun. After all, the emperor remembers old feelings, otherwise the Cao family would not have developed to where they are today.
Zhaopin is Lady Sun’s daughter, so the emperor raising up Zhaopin is also understandable.
It was just that she had also heard that Zhaopin was breathtakingly beautiful, unmatched by anyone in the harem. Could it be that the emperor had not put even a little of that in his heart?