Lü Cairen was taken aback, then forced a guilty smile:
"Concubine used a silk handkerchief, but that unclean item has long been discarded. Why trouble Jieyu's eyes with it?"
"Discarded? If it was thrown nearby, I will send someone to find it. Only after seeing it can I properly judge the matter. Otherwise, I would be heartbroken to wrong either of you."
Sweat broke out on Lü Cairen's back under the questioning, yet she persisted: "Jieyu need not trouble yourself. The handkerchief was thrown into the lake and sank to the bottom."
"Is that so?" Jiang Yingli glanced toward the lake.
Qian'er urgently said: "Jieyu, please see clearly! Lü Cairen is lying! Just now, Lü Cairen clearly never even took out a silk handkerchief."
Jiang Yingli's gaze returned to Lü Cairen. "Sister, have you not properly studied the Palace Regulations this past half month? Yueqing Pond absolutely forbids discarding any unclean items. Violating this is breaking the Palace Regulations and warrants a caning."
Jiang Yingli's tone was light, but upon hearing this, both Lü Cairen and Bao Lin Zheng paled.
For newcomers who had just entered the palace, the phrase "violating Palace Regulations" was no different from committing a major offense.
Lü Cairen knelt on the ground, flustered: "That handkerchief slipped from Concubine's hand accidentally, and… and it wasn't very dirty. Please, Jieyu, discern the truth!"
"Not very dirty? Then why did you force Bao Lin Zheng to clean it with her sleeve? You are both concubines. How could you trample her dignity like this?"
Lü Cairen's words were inconsistent and full of holes; she panicked first. As she tried to argue further, Jiang Yingli cut her off.
"Enough, Lü Cairen. Do you know that telling one lie requires countless more to cover it? I don't want to hear any more of your clumsy falsehoods."
With that, Jiang Yingli looked at Qian'er. "Help your mistress up and come with me."
Seeing that Jiang Yingli showed no intention of punishing her, Lü Cairen, who had fallen to her knees, breathed a sigh of relief. But immediately after, a look of humiliated resentment flashed in her eyes.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, Qian'er hurriedly helped the terrified Bao Lin Zheng to her feet.
Bao Lin Zheng timidly looked at Jiang Yingli, who had come to her aid, her face full of gratitude but also unease.
Jiang Yingli explained: "There is a swing in my palace. Go play on it to soothe your mood."
Bao Lin Zheng was also overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness, her eyes welling with tears as she gazed brightly at Jiang Yingli.
"Thank you, Jieyu! Thank you, Jieyu!"
Seeing her so fearful and overly cautious, Jiang Yingli, who had originally worried about meddling and inviting trouble, now felt no regret.
If she were bullied to such an extent, she would surely also hope for someone to come to her aid.
However, upon hearing Jiang Yingli's words, "There is a swing in my palace," Lü Cairen's eyes deepened with resentment.
They were both xiaozhu, with ranks below Concubine. She could only live in a side hall of Su Xiuyi's residence—a tiny space where, let alone a swing, even moving in and out felt cramped.
How could her palace have a swing!
Just because she served four years earlier?
It's merely seizing the advantage first, but the palace has never relied on seniority—it relies on favor!
Jia Jieyu is an old acquaintance; surely Your Majesty has long grown tired of her. How dare a soon-to-be-discarded old acquaintance give her a warning?
Lü Cairen rose from the ground, stubbornly straightening her sleeves with a disdainful expression.
"What an imposing presence you have, Jieyu. I wonder if you'll still be able to carry yourself with such authority after a few nights? The rank of Cairen is only a step away from Jieyu. Once His Majesty summons me to his bedchamber, you will regret being so aggressive toward me today."
Lü Cairen considered herself strikingly beautiful, standing out among the many consorts with their monotonous charms. Surely His Majesty would remember her more vividly.
She was utterly convinced that His Majesty would soon summon her, and she would quickly become a favored consort. Thus, even though she currently held a low rank, she no longer feared Jiang Yingli.
Upon hearing these audacious words, Bao Lin Zheng turned pale with fright. Trembling, she glanced at Jiang Yingli's expression, only to find that the offended Jieyu did not look angry but rather astonished.
Jiang Yingli was indeed astonished—deeply astonished.
She had never imagined that among the new consorts, there could be such an ignorant and arrogant fool capable of uttering such breathtakingly rebellious and disrespectful words.
Therefore, she felt not a trace of anger; her face was etched with the words, "How dare you?"
However, Jiang Yingli's astonished gaze at the fool was interpreted by Lü Cairen as being intimidated and frightened by her words.
Lü Cairen lifted her chin triumphantly, her expression disdainful. "Jieyu should have realized long ago that although I am only a Cairen now, I am young and have limitless potential. As for you, Jieyu…"
Lü Cairen paused. Despite her resentment toward Jiang Yingli, she could not bring herself to utter the words "old and faded" in the face of such breathtaking beauty.
In that moment of hesitation, Lü Cairen saw a blur flash before her eyes, and the next second, her face stung with a burning pain.
Accompanied by a crisp slapping sound, Lü Cairen realized she had been struck hard.
She looked up to see Lianqiao, her hand still raised.
"You! How dare a lowly yahuan strike me!" Lü Cairen covered her face, gritting her teeth.
Lianqiao glared back fearlessly. "A mere Cairen dares to speak disrespectfully to our Jieyu? A slap is the least of what you deserve!"
"You just wait! You humiliated me today, and I will make sure you die a miserable death!" Lü Cairen shouted, disregarding all decorum.
The sharp, clear slap snapped Jiang Yingli out of her astonishment at the fool. She grabbed Lianqiao with one hand and took hold of Bao Lin Zheng's sleeve with the other, whispering in a voice only the three of them could hear:
"Let's go, quickly, let's go."
Stay away from fools to ensure peace.
Especially fools like this one, who flaunted their foolishness as if it were written on their faces.
Jiang Yingli had a premonition that Lü Cairen would soon pay the price for her arrogance and blind confidence.
She needed to distance herself from her as quickly as possible to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Seeing Jiang Yingli hurriedly leading Bao Lin Zheng away, completely ignoring her, Lü Cairen angrily pushed the swing, her eyes filled with even greater hatred.
Unexpectedly, the swing swung back and struck her shin, causing her to cry out in pain and fall to her knees.
Her yahuan rushed to help her up, but Lü Cairen pushed her away in displeasure. As a result, the swing swung back again and hit her head.
Clutching her head in a fit of rage, Lü Cairen shouted, "You fool! Why are you helping me? Hold the swing!"
On the way, Jiang Yingli only stopped after she was certain she could no longer hear Lü Cairen's shouts. She released Lianqiao and Bao Lin Zheng, patting her chest in relief.
Bao Lin Zheng knelt in fear and anxiety, pleading for forgiveness. "Please forgive me, Jieyu. It is all because of this Concubine that you were insulted."
"She was being unreasonable and aggressive; it had nothing to do with you," Jiang Yingli comforted.
Bao Lin Zheng stole a glance at Jiang Yingli.
So beautiful, as lovely as a painting.
Especially the moment when she had been struck and fallen to her knees, only to look up and see Jiang Yingli emerge from behind the rockery.
It was as if the heavens had sent a fairy to save her.
But in this palace, there were only Palace Consorts, no fairies. Thus, Bao Lin Zheng anxiously said:
"Jieyu may not know, but Concubine and that Lü Cairen both reside in Qixiang Palace. Su Xiuyi is Concubine's Principal Position. Lü Cairen had already curried favor with Su Xiuyi this morning. If she reports this matter to Su Xiuyi, Jieyu might be troubled by Su Xiuyi…"