Upon hearing this, Qiu Xia immediately wore a worried expression. "She has the support of a Xiuyi? What should we do?"
Lianqiao, however, was not very concerned. "Who cares? Our xiaozhu has Your Majesty backing her. Why should we fear a mere Cairen and a Xiuyi?"
Jiang Yingli was not as pessimistic as Qiu Xia, but she was not as optimistic as Lianqiao either.
A Xiuyi—just one rank below the highest of the Nine Concubines.
With the surname Su and such a high rank, she must be a daughter of the Su family.
She truly could not afford to offend her.
Moreover, if an enmity were formed, it would not be a matter of just a day or two. Could Your Majesty support her once and then do so every single time?
If she had to seek His Majesty’s help every time, she feared she would truly fulfill Lü Cairen’s words and be despised by His Majesty.
Still, the person had already been saved, and the matter had already been stirred up. There was no use dwelling on it now.
Jiang Yingli said to Bao Lin Zheng, "Don’t worry about me. Instead, you, living with Lü Cairen, will likely face her harassment again when you return tonight. Why don’t you stay here with me a little longer before going back?"
Bao Lin Zheng was once again overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness, looking at Jiang Yingli with gratitude.
On the other side, Xiao Chenglan, seated on the Imperial Throne handling state affairs, wore a stern and solemn expression. When Fu Lin recounted the events that had taken place by Yueqing Pond that day, his expression grew even colder, though at times his face would soften, and the corners of his lips would curve upward.
Especially when he heard Jiang Yingli say that throwing things into Yueqing Pond would be punished with caning, Xiao Chenglan’s smile became even more pronounced.
In Yueqing Pond, countless hairpins, handkerchiefs, and wine cups had been thrown in by imperial consorts throughout the generations.
Of course, there were also those who had thrown themselves in.
Thus, there was no such Palace Regulation at all.
"She certainly has a talent for making things up," Xiao Chenglan chuckled.
Fu Lin was a disciple of Fu Wanquan, but he was not as smooth and tactful as his master. Not knowing how to play along, Fu Wanquan silently nudged him aside and picked up Xiao Chenglan’s words.
"Oh, Jia Jieyu is so clever! With just a few words, she managed to intimidate that Lü Cairen."
Upon hearing the name Lü Cairen, the smile on Xiao Chenglan’s handsome face instantly turned somewhat icy.
Fu Wanquan, observing his expression, said, "Your Majesty, Lü Cairen assaulted a Consort and spoke disrespectfully to Jia Jieyu. Should this servant go and punish her?"
Xiao Chenglan, however, shook his head and smiled lightly.
"No need to punish her. First, send someone to add that Palace Regulation."
Fu Wanquan heard the first half of the sentence and felt a chill run down his spine.
With that look on His Majesty’s face, saying "no need to punish" was definitely not meant to let Lü Cairen off the hook…
Fu Wanquan silently withdrew, preparing to find someone to revise the Palace Regulations.
Xiao Chenglan sat on the Imperial Throne, his slender fingers holding the vermilion imperial brush exclusive to the emperor. He applied a slight force, twirling the brush once, causing a drop of bright cinnabar to fall onto the paper.
The piercing red color was exceptionally striking.
Looking at the cinnabar, the gloom in Xiao Chenglan’s eyes faded, and he smiled faintly again, murmuring to himself:
"Encountering injustice, reprimanding the strong, supporting the weak, and discerning right from wrong—she truly possesses the demeanor of a virtuous empress…"
The only flaw was that she did not dare to punish anyone.
Well, given her nature, she had always avoided trouble. Today, she had already been exceptionally brave.
It seemed that his careful selection of a slightly more assertive Lianqiao to place by her side was indeed a good choice, as it could balance out this timid master and servant pair.
With all the important matters now handled, Xiao Chenglan stood up and walked out of Changqing Palace with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Prepare the carriage. We are going to Zhaohua Palace."
Da Ye places great emphasis on filial piety, and even the Emperor cannot escape this rule. Therefore, newly selected consorts cannot attend the bedchamber before they have paid their respects to the Empress Dowager.
This is intended to demonstrate the respect of the Emperor and the imperial consorts toward the Empress Dowager.
Thus, when news spread among the palaces that His Majesty had gone to Zhaohua Palace on the first night after the new consorts entered the palace, most of the consorts did not find it strange.
However, the reason for this calm attitude was that they believed they simply had not yet been granted the privilege. If they had the privilege, His Majesty certainly would not have gone to Jia Jieyu.
Therefore, all the consorts eagerly looked forward to the next day, for after paying respects to the Empress Dowager, they would be able to attend the bedchamber.
Of course, there were also those who gnashed their teeth over this news.
Lü Cairen covered her face, her eyes still burning with hatred, but when she looked up at Su Xiuyi seated above her, her expression turned somewhat fawning.
"Jia Jieyu is truly a petty person who has gained power. She couldn’t wait to flaunt her status in front of me, a newcomer, saying she has a swing in her palace."
Su Xiuyi, who had originally maintained a calm demeanor, finally showed a ripple of emotion and asked, "Does her palace really have a swing?"
Lü Cairen quickly nodded, adding fuel to the fire: "Yes, she even told this Concubine that aside from her, no one else would ever have such an honor."
A swing is not a rare thing—they had all grown tired of playing on them in their boudoirs. But now, this swing was more than just a swing; it represented a special honor.
Su Xiuyi snorted disdainfully. "She’s merely lucky, having stumbled into serving His Majesty when he was in a difficult situation. His Majesty only granted her the title of Jieyu out of gratitude for past loyalty. How dare she act so arrogantly? If she had encountered This Palace today, This Palace would have taught her a lesson."
Lü Cairen seized the moment to flatter: "Your Ladyship entered the palace directly as a Xiuyi, which surely means His Majesty favored you greatly during the selection of consorts. Tomorrow, when His Majesty chooses a newcomer for the first time, it will undoubtedly be Your Ladyship. By then, not only a swing—Your Ladyship will have whatever you desire!"
Women from aristocratic families all understood that their high rank was due to the strength of their maternal families, but no one disliked hearing such sycophantic words.
Especially Su Xiuyi, who, after learning of the current Emperor’s exceptional handsomeness, particularly enjoyed hearing that His Majesty favored her.
She had originally kept her family’s teachings in mind, entering the palace to win honor for her family. But at her age, hearing others praise His Majesty as peerlessly handsome, her heart could not help but waver.
She entered the palace to become Empress, but she believed she could not only secure status and honor but also win His Majesty’s affection.
Both could be achieved, after all—she was a daughter of the Su family, and so beautiful besides. She deserved to have everything.
A determined smile flashed in Su Xiuyi’s eyes as she touched her beautiful cheek.
"As if you need to say it—This Palace will naturally be the first to be chosen. Just wait and see. Tomorrow, His Majesty will come to me, and the morning after, This Palace will be promoted to Zhaoyi, ranking first among the Nine Concubines. As for that Jia Jieyu, she will soon be forgotten by His Majesty."
Lü Cairen hurriedly fawned: "This Concubine congratulates Your Ladyship in advance!"
Su Xiuyi finally deigned to give Lü Cairen a smile.
"You certainly have a sweet tongue. Don’t worry—since Jia Jieyu struck you today, in the future, This Palace will give you the chance to strike her back personally."
"Thank you, Your Ladyship!" Lü Cairen beamed with joy, as if she could already imagine the pleasure of slapping Jiang Yingli across the face.
Lü Cairen understood well the harsh reality that low-ranking women in the palace struggled to survive, which was why she had mastered the art of currying favor. Among this batch of newly entered palace women, aside from the Song family daughter, no one could rival Su Xiuyi’s prominence.
Unfortunately, the Song family daughter was too proud to acknowledge her.
Now, she had already gained Su Xiuyi’s appreciation. Once Su Xiuyi rose in favor, she too would ascend alongside her.
After leaving Su Xiuyi’s palace, Lü Cairen cast a hostile glance toward the smallest side hall of Qixiang Palace, but no light was on there.
“Has Baolin Zheng not returned yet, or has she already retired for the night?”
“Replying to Cairen, Baolin has not yet returned.”
Hearing this, Lü Cairen, who had originally intended to teach Baolin Zheng a lesson to vent her anger over the day’s events, had no choice but to give up.
Earlier that morning, she had successfully ingratiated herself with Su Xiuyi by humiliating Baolin Zheng for Su Xiuyi’s amusement, and she had held no particular grudge against Baolin Zheng initially.
However, the incident with the swing had made her thoroughly detest Baolin Zheng.
Lü Cairen flicked her sleeve and headed toward her own hall.
No matter—there would be plenty of time. As long as Baolin Zheng remained in Qixiang Palace, she would have ample opportunities to teach her a lesson!
Meanwhile, in Zhaohua Palace, Jiang Yingli’s table was laid with a late-night snack, and Baolin Zheng was keeping her company as she ate.
Having an extra person present didn’t make Jiang Yingli feel uncomfortable, especially since Baolin Zheng spoke very little, only answering when asked, and remained quiet and composed.
When the announcement came from outside that Your Majesty had arrived, both Jiang Yingli and Baolin Zheng were taken by surprise.
Baolin Zheng, in particular, had not expected to see Your Majesty so soon. Half a pastry slipped from her hand and fell to the floor, her heart filled with nervousness and unease.
After tidying up briefly, the two hurried to the front hall to receive the imperial carriage.