It snowed heavily through the night. By the time day broke the next day, the entire ground was covered in snow. Everything before her eyes was pure white, so clean it made one reluctant to stain this whiteness.
Cao Yue stood by the window holding a hand warmer and quietly looked at the snowy scene for a while. Suddenly, a cold gust of wind blew straight at her, and An Ning hurriedly shut the window tightly.
“Miss, since there is nothing to do today anyway, why not have you and An Ping make incense together?”
Anyway, for some reason today, the teaching mama had not come over, and they would not take the initiative to go and invite her.
After the window was closed, with the cold wind no longer seeping in, the warm pavilion gradually grew warm again.
Cao Yue glanced at An Ping, who was lowering her head nearby and blending a calming incense, and gave a faint nod. “All right.”
Her mind was not calm at the moment. She was still preoccupied with last night’s matter, so finding something to do and shifting her attention would also be fine.
An Ping quickly got up and gave up the main seat to Cao Yue, standing by her side to help: “Speaking of which, this hand of mine for blending incense was taught by Miss. It’s just that after this servant learned it, Miss never personally blended incense again. This servant had been somewhat regretful before, and who would have thought that today Miss would make up for this regret for this servant.”
An Ping and An Ning were the same. They were not Cao family household-born servants, but were bought outside when Cao Yue had reached the age to choose her personal maids.
It was not that Cao Yue did not trust the Cao family’s household-born servants, but that she wanted to personally cultivate two maids who belonged only to her, maids who would recognize only her as their master.
The facts proved that Cao Yue’s judgment in choosing people back then was not bad. An Ning and An Ping did not fail her expectations.
Cao Yue handed the hand warmer to An Ning. After washing her hands, she picked up one of the incense materials, opened the lid and smelled it. Feeling that the smell was a bit abrupt and pungent, she immediately closed the lid. “Do not use this incense ingredient in the future.”
She did not like this smell.
An Ping agreed, took the box, and carefully looked at the name of the incense ingredient pasted on the outside of the box, silently memorizing it in her heart.
After that, Cao Yue picked up the second box. She also smelled it and then tossed it aside. There was a bit of listlessness between her brows and eyes, making her look especially downcast.
“Forget it. Blending incense depends on being calm and composed. I am not in much of a mood today.”
She had thought that whatever she encountered, she would remain unmoved, but in the end, she had overestimated herself after all.
This feeling of leaving one’s fate to be judged by others made her especially frightened, as if she had returned to those days in her previous life when she had been locked in the Violence Chamber by Empress Lü.
Many days and nights of fear and trembling, when she did not know whether Ruyi was dead or alive, when she had been turned into a human pig by Empress Lü and wanted to die but could not die, that sense of terror at not being able to control her own fate had reached its peak.
Cao Yue closed her eyes, both hands clenched tightly. What was wrong with her? Why had she thought of that miserable previous life again?
Clearly it was all over, it was all over.
Seeing this, An Ning and An Ping were flustered, but fortunately they quickly calmed down.
This sort of appearance from Cao Yue was not the first time they had seen it. As long as they guarded the girl properly and did not let anything else startle her, waiting until the girl woke up would be enough.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Cao Yue’s fingertip suddenly exerted force, pinching and breaking the flesh in her palm, leaving several crescent-shaped wounds with traces of blood in both palms.
The clear pain pulled Cao Yue back from the nightmare. She slowly opened her eyes, exhausted in body and mind, and let out a turbid breath. Her voice was somewhat hoarse. “I’m fine.”
The two maids did not ask more either. An Ping went to the precious shelf and was just about to get medicine when bursts of footsteps sounded outside, followed by the announcement in the sharp voice unique to an inner attendant: “The imperial edict has arrived!”
An Ping suddenly turned to look at Cao Yue. Cao Yue sorted out her mood, led the people out of the warm pavilion and onto the corridor, and then saw a group of attendants serving before the emperor, headed by Liang Jiugong, standing in the courtyard that had already been cleared of snow by the servants.
Liang Jiugong clasped his hands and smiled as he bowed to Cao Yue, his attitude especially good. “Mistress Cao, the Emperor has an edict. Please prepare and receive it.”
Cao Yue’s gaze fell on the bright yellow imperial edict being held by a little eunuch behind Liang Jiugong. After looking at it for two long breaths, she withdrew her gaze. Her voice was flat, without the slightest ripple. “Come in.”
Liang Jiugong was used to this, but the others serving before the emperor were seeing it for the first time, and their eyeballs nearly fell out of their sockets.
Liang Jiugong had no time to bother with these unsophisticated things at the moment. He flicked his whisk and stepped lightly into the room. Seeing that Cao Yue had already stood in the center of the hall, he hurriedly gave a look and had someone place a kneeling cushion in front of Cao Yue. After watching Cao Yue kneel properly, he took the imperial edict handed over by the little eunuch and unfolded it:
“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: now the daughter of the Cao family is of gentle and prudent nature, diligent and compliant, harmonious and pure, of a kind and benevolent disposition, skilled in the inner rules, with virtuous conduct and graceful bearing. Hereby, in reverent obedience to the benevolent instructions of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, she is hereby conferred the rank of Zhaopin and granted Jingren Palace. Respect this.”
As he recited these words of praise for a woman’s virtue, Liang Jiugong’s thoughts could not help but drift back to last night.
After Kangxi returned to the East Courtyard, Liang Jiugong had seen that the hour was late and was just preparing to serve the Emperor to bed when, who would have thought, the Emperor suddenly told him to bring out a blank imperial edict.
When he wrote it, it was so smooth and fluid, not a trace of hesitation at all. In the blink of an eye, the rank, title, and even the palace to live in were all decided.
Kangxi looked with satisfaction at the title he had come up with and curved his lips with a smile. “The sun and moon make for zhao. This character is simply the most suitable.”
He is the sun, and she is the moon. It was the perfect match.
Looking at Kangxi’s especially satisfied expression, Liang Jiugong himself almost cried. The Emperor was generous, yes, and with a sweep of his hand he bestowed the rank of consort from the outset, but once the news returned to the palace, not to mention those masters in the harem, just the Grand Empress Dowager alone would certainly have objections. Who told Cao family to be only a banner household.
Liang Jiugong subconsciously reached back and touched his own neck, afraid that once his head returned to the palace, it would be separated from his neck. So he steeled himself and advised, “Your Majesty, this servant knows you are satisfied with Mistress Cao, but for Mistress Cao to be conferred the rank of consort at first bestowal, I’m afraid it is much too inappropriate. I beg Your Majesty to think twice.”
Just now in the Western Garden, Kangxi had heard such words that almost expressed affection, and then remembered how more than an hour earlier Lady Sun had knelt there begging bitterly for the sake of the Cao clan. In his heart he already felt much pity for Cao Yue, and so with that surge of excitement and blood, he wrote out the imperial edict of conferment.
At this moment, hearing Liang Jiugong’s subtle reminder, Kangxi came back to his senses and carefully thought about it. He also felt that it was somewhat inappropriate.
But as an emperor, he could not be wrong, and even less could he admit in front of a servant that there was some impulsiveness involved, so after Kangxi rebuked Liang Jiugong, the edict still was delivered to the Western Garden as scheduled the next day.
After Liang Jiugong finished reading the imperial edict, he shook his head in his heart, worried for Cao Yue’s days after entering the palace for a moment, then bent his waist and stepped forward to hand the edict to Cao Yue. “Your Ladyship Zhaopin, please receive the edict.”
When Cao Yue heard the rank, the irritability from just now miraculously calmed down. After kowtowing according to the rites, she raised both hands above her head, palms facing up, to receive the imperial edict, and the wounds on her palms then fell into Liang Jiugong’s eyes without any concealment.
Liang Jiugong’s pupils shrank slightly, but he said nothing. After respectfully helping Cao Yue up, he smiled and instructed, “The Emperor said that since there is much inconvenience outside the palace in a hurry, Your Ladyship’s conferment ceremony should wait until you return to the palace to be held, so that it will seem proper.”
After a pause, he glanced quietly at Cao Yue’s expression again, and Liang Jiugong continued, “The Emperor also said that tonight he will come here to dine with Your Ladyship. Please make early preparations, Your Ladyship. The Emperor cannot be without people by his side, so this servant will not stay long.”
The conferment edict came especially suddenly, catching everyone in the Cao family off guard. More than that, it was the joy that Cao Yue had been conferred the rank of consort from the outset.
Cao Yin had originally been in Lady Li’s place in the South Courtyard. After hearing the news, he hurried over with Lady Li to Lady Sun’s courtyard, only to be greeted by a closed door.
Seeing Mama Hua standing guard outside the door, Cao Yin politely nodded. “Please trouble Mama to go in and report.”
Mama Hua shook her head, her expression serious. “Please go back, Eldest Master. The old madam is unwell and does not wish to see anyone.”
When Lady Sun learned that everything had settled, even though she had already been mentally prepared, she still nearly fainted from anger. At this moment she was heartbroken. How could she possibly be in the mood to see the culprit.
Cao Yin was a clever person, so naturally he knew what Lady Sun meant. He gave a bitter smile. “Mother is angry with me, is she?”
He admitted that he had wronged Yue’er in this matter, but Yue’er had also gotten what she wished for. He had not forced her. Even so, could Mother not understand him either?
Lady Li looked at Mama Hua, then at Cao Yin, completely bewildered. What on earth had happened that she did not know about?
Mama Hua did not take up Cao Yin’s words. After only paying her respects, she went in to serve the old madam.
Cao Yin sighed and turned to leave. As he passed by Lady Li, whose head was full of question marks, he instructed, “Mother is unwell. Since you are a daughter-in-law, stay here with Mother and attend to her.”
Lady Li had not yet reacted when Cao Yin had already gone far away. Lady Li was so angry that smoke nearly came out of her hair. So after freezing through the cold and running all this way, she had not figured out anything at all, and not only had she failed to get any benefits, she still had to stay here and serve people?
No matter how unwilling Lady Li was, she still had to listen to Cao Yin’s words. She stamped her foot hard and, with a face full of concern, called to open Lady Sun’s room door.
At this point, Cao Yue was giving this matter her full attention. After Liang Jiugong left, the teaching mama who had not shown her face in the morning suddenly appeared. Besides her, she had also brought two other people with her. Their rules and manner were immaculate; at a glance, they were clearly from before the emperor.
The teaching mama first congratulated Cao Yue with a face full of joy. “Congratulations, Your Ladyship Zhaopin. Your Ladyship has great joy.”
Yet Cao Yue looked without the slightest joy. She raised her eyes to look at the teaching mama. “Since Mama has come, it probably is not only to congratulate me.”
The teaching mama’s expression did not change as she flattered Cao Yue with one sentence. “Your Ladyship is wise.”
After speaking, the teaching mama did not state her purpose at the first moment, and instead reminded her, “Forgive this old servant for being presumptuous, but the Emperor has already issued the edict. Your Ladyship is now a noble consort master. When speaking to us servants, you should refer to yourself as ben gong.”
After saying that, she remembered that the Emperor would come in the evening. Considering the rules of this Lady Zhaopin, the teaching mama took a breath and continued, “And according to the rules, when Your Ladyship faces the Emperor, the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, the Imperial Noble Consort, and all the consort masters whose rank is higher than yours, you must also refer to yourself as chen qie. Only then would it not count as violating the rules.”
Cao Yue seemed somewhat impatient. She pressed her lips together and was just about to scold her for talking too much, when upon meeting the teaching mama’s steadfast gaze, she suddenly let her words go. “I… ben gong knows.”
Only then was the teaching mama satisfied. “The Emperor said he would come to accompany Your Ladyship for dinner, so before the Emperor arrives, everything in Your Ladyship’s quarters must be checked one by one according to the rules by this old servant, to prevent any bad things from appearing. Please forgive me, Your Ladyship.”
Actually, if this were in the palace, there would be no such rule, after all, things that should not be in a concubine’s palace would not be there. Besides, most concubines served the Emperor according to the rules of the back palace, so there would be even less room for safety hazards.
The reason for this extra step was that the Emperor was truly not acting by ordinary rules. He was going to take pleasure with Lady Zhaopin in Lady Zhaopin’s boudoir. Such a special matter was unique among the concubines.
Seeing the two mammas behind the teaching mama about to start checking the things in Cao Yue’s room, Cao Yue suddenly flew into a rage. She picked up the hand warmer and threw it at the teaching mama’s feet, and angrily said, “All of you, get out.”