As expected, when Emperor Zhangping woke up the next day, the Little Attendant beside him was still sound asleep, clutching a corner of his robe, her small head resting on his chest in a posture of affection and closeness.
Seeing this, Emperor Zhangping’s heart inexplicably softened.
He gently removed the slender, jade-like hand clutching his clothes and rose himself, without calling the Little Attendant to get up and serve him.
Zhu Lan had not received the order, so naturally, she hadn’t entered the room.
Thus, it wasn’t until Emperor Zhangping left with his entourage that Zhu Lan discovered her mistress was still sleeping soundly, completely oblivious to the world.
It was obvious she hadn’t gotten up at all, let alone served the Emperor in washing or dressing up.
What… what is going on here?
Why is Little Master so fond of sleeping?
She’s even sleeping in after attending in the bedchamber.
Fine, no hot water was called last night, which means Little Master did not attend in the bedchamber.
But still, this is unacceptable!
The Emperor is up, and Little Master is still sleeping.
She is completely disregarding all rules.
Zhu Lan wished she could shake Qing Luo awake and lecture her ten thousand times more about the rules of attending in the bedchamber.
This time, the Emperor was in a good mood and didn’t bother to fuss, but what if Little Master attends in the bedchamber again and still fails to follow the rules, incurring the Emperor’s displeasure?
If she is cast aside then, everything will be irrepairable, and the little favor she managed to gain will vanish into thin air.
When an Emperor favors a person, he will find reasons to tolerate and forgive countless faults, but once he stops favoring them, even the smallest mistake becomes a major error.
Moreover, this wasn’t a small mistake.
Even someone as esteemed as the Empress must strictly adhere to etiquette; serving the Emperor is her duty.
There is even less need to mention the other Imperial Concubines.
Little Master is merely an Attendant, where does she get the audacity to be so bold?
So, after Qing Luo woke up, she was greeted by a barrage from her personal maid, who kept lecturing her like she was reciting scriptures, speaking with such earnestness that every word was clearly meant for Qing Luo’s benefit.
“Little Master, the Emperor is already up, and you are still sleeping. This is improper…”
Zhu Lan rattled on and on.
Qing Luo felt quite wronged.
“He woke up too early. Even the chickens weren’t up before him. Is it my fault that I can’t wake up that early?”
She was already fond of sleeping and had excellent sleep quality.
Once asleep, she could sleep for eight or nine hours straight without waking up once.
Asking her to wake up at three or four in the morning, right in the middle of a deep sleep, and with no one to wake her, how could she possibly wake up? This story is hosted at g.com.
Zhu Lan stomped her foot anxiously.
“Little Master, you mustn’t talk nonsense! The Emperor is diligent in his governance; he was rushing off for the morning court.”
Qing Luo just said “Oh,” thinking that no wonder Emperor Zhangping woke up so early every time—he had to attend the morning court.
It seemed being an Emperor wasn’t easy either; he couldn’t even get enough sleep.
In some ways, she, a Little Attendant, had it better.
Changing her mind, she thought that the Emperor enjoyed privileges in many aspects—eating well, drinking well, living well, and having many beautiful young ladies lining up hoping to get close to him.
His life was much better than hers.
She was the one who was more pitiful, much more pitiful…
Having arrived at Xianfu Palace, Emperor Zhangping inevitably thought of Consort Rou, who had once borne him a child, and headed straight for the main hall.
Even if the favor was gone, the affection remained.
Emperor Zhangping was a nostalgic person.
When Emperor Zhangping came last night, it was already midnight.
He didn’t allow anyone to announce his arrival, and Consort Rou had already retired, so she was unaware of the news.
“Niangniang, the Emperor has arrived.”
When Ling Lan entered, Consort Rou had just gotten up and was still dressing her hair.
She hurriedly tidied her appearance and went to receive the Emperor, wondering inwardly why the Emperor would come to Xianfu Palace so early.
Emperor Zhangping only sat for a short while, said a few words, and then left.
Only after he left did Consort Rou learn the sequence of events from Xin Lan.
“Niangniang, the Emperor spent the night at Attendant Pei’s residence yesterday.”
This explained everything.
She was the head of Xianfu Palace.
Regardless of which Imperial Concubine’s residence the Emperor stayed at in Xianfu Palace, the Emperor would give her face and pay her a visit along the way.
“It seems Eunuch Liu from the Emperor’s presence did not come to deliver an oral decree yesterday.”
“Indeed not. We heard the Emperor came over suddenly while taking a stroll, likely because he suddenly remembered Attendant Pei.”
Consort Rou smiled, neither confirming nor denying.
Before leaving, the Emperor even instructed her to look after Attendant Pei.
It seemed a favored concubine was about to emerge from her Xianfu Palace.
A Little Attendant who was unremarkable in everything except her beauty—someone she had never paid attention to before.
Who knew that luck would turn?
Any slight disturbance in the palace quickly spreads to everyone.
Soon, the other Imperial Concubines also learned that Emperor Zhangping had stayed overnight at Xianfu Palace, and the one who attended to him was still Attendant Pei.
Why “still”?
Emperor Zhangping was diligent in governance; it was already rare for him to summon Imperial Concubines to attend his bedchamber for half a month out of every month.
Sometimes, no Imperial Concubines attended him for ten days or half a month.
When Qing Luo first went to attend the bedchamber at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Emperor Zhangping had not flipped the Green Name Plaques for four or five days.
After she attended the bedchamber twice at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Emperor Zhangping was busy for a few more days.
Generally, Emperor Zhangping would summon other Imperial Concubines to attend him, as he understood the principle of spreading favor widely.
Several Imperial Concubines who were still relatively favored truly couldn’t sit still now.
In just ten days or so, a Little Attendant had already attended the bedchamber three times, while they, even at their most favored, only had two or three such opportunities a month.
Comparing oneself to others truly makes one angry to death.
Qixiang Palace.
The Imperial Noble Consort held a position equivalent to a deputy Empress, controlling the Phoenix Seal, and exercising the authority of the central palace to manage the Imperial Harem.
Her intelligence network was the most efficient.
She knew that Emperor Zhangping had recently taken an interest in a Little Attendant, not only summoning her twice but also personally visiting the Little Attendant’s residence to stay overnight, even going in the middle of the night.
The Imperial Noble Consort suppressed this news, as its circulation would damage the Emperor’s prestige.
However, the Imperial Noble Consort harbored no feelings of envy or jealousy.
She was no longer a girl in her twenties and no longer yearned for the Emperor’s favor like the other Imperial Concubines in the palace.
She had been a Crown Prince Secondary Consort back when they were in the Eastern Palace.
She entered the residence when she was barely sixteen, but now she was old and her beauty has faded.
Meanwhile, new women, all young and beautiful girls, kept entering the palace.
How could she compete?
Moreover, the Emperor trusted her, and she maintained her dignity.
As long as she managed the affairs of the Imperial Harem properly for the Emperor, he would not treat her poorly.
It was only the matter of the Imperial Heir that caused the Imperial Noble Consort immense worry.
The Emperor could promote and favor whichever Imperial Concubine he wished, but she only hoped that one of them would be fortunate enough to conceive and give birth to a dragon fetus for the Emperor soon, and relieve his worries.
Having learned that Qing Luo was not plump and did not look like someone who could easily bear children, the Imperial Noble Consort couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
The palace maid Yun Lan, however, had a different opinion.
“Niangniang, previously everyone said Attendant Chen looked like she could easily bear children, and she has attended the bedchamber quite a few times, yet hasn’t conceived after all this time. In this servant’s opinion, external physique isn’t necessarily accurate; it also depends on fortune and fate.”
Hearing this, the Imperial Noble Consort felt much more relieved.
The matter of offspring still depended on fate.