Having been in the palace for many years, Consort Xi rarely got this angry, especially over a mere Little Concubine.
In the palace, she was an Attendant; in an ordinary household, wasn’t she just a servant, a tool to warm the bed?
It was a joke.
As a mistress, she couldn’t even deal with a servant.
With that, Consort Xi, with a group of palace servants, strutted away haughtily, leaving only Qing Luo still kneeling in place.
After kneeling for a while, Qing Luo felt pain in her knees.
She couldn’t help but grimace, her expression somewhat contorted and split.
Qing Luo thought, since Consort Xi didn’t have anyone specifically watching her kneel, could she perhaps slack off a bit and not kneel so earnestly?
The bluestone slab was hard, and kneeling for a long time truly hurt.
[host, I advise you not to slack off yet. Consort Xi didn’t have anyone watching you, but do you think her informers would be few?]
Qing Luo, who had just thought of slacking off, immediately knelt properly again.
Informers, of course, would not be few.
If Consort Xi found out she wasn’t kneeling seriously and came back for a surprise inspection, wouldn’t she have even more reason to punish her?
“Then what should I do? How long do I have to kneel before I can get up? I won’t have to kneel for three, five hours, will I? My knees will be ruined.”
Qing Luo wore a bitter face, only wanting to sigh.
Three or five hours would be one thing, but what if Consort Xi forgot about punishing her to kneel?
Would she have to keep kneeling indefinitely if Consort Xi doesn’t remember to tell her to get up?
Consort Xi was truly something; she didn’t even set a time for her, making her wonder how long she had to kneel.
She only felt the road of kneeling was long, with no end in sight.
[host, don’t worry. Little Qian will now activate the pain reduction function for you, which can reduce the host’s pain by half.]
Qing Luo immediately felt much more relaxed; it didn’t hurt as much.
At critical moments, the good pregnancy system was still somewhat useful.
But that only relatively lessened the pain.
As the kneeling time grew longer, Qing Luo still felt more and more pain.
It wasn’t just simple pain; it was aching, throbbing, and numb, as if her knees no longer belonged to her.
“Can’t you block all the pain for me?”
[Sorry, host, there are no corresponding permissions for now. This is the most Little Qian can do for the host.]
[host, keep it up, just a little longer. Aren’t we trying to win favor? We need some strategy. Consort Xi punished you, but you can’t be punished for nothing. After kneeling for so long, it has to be worthwhile. It’s best to make Emperor Zhangping pity and care for you more.]
Qing Luo was truly on the verge of tears.
Whether it was worthwhile or not wasn’t important, but she was really uncomfortable.
Since childhood, her family hadn’t laid a finger on her, rarely even scolded her, let alone hit or physically punished her.
She never expected to end up kneeling after transmigrating.
She should have just taken the palanquin back to Xianfu Palace.
[Come on, host, even if Consort Xi didn’t act up today, once she learned you served Emperor Zhangping in the Palace of Heavenly Purity last night, would she still treat you well? She would still find trouble with you sooner or later. Not to mention, even if you hid in your small courtyard every day, you’d still have to meet her when paying respects to the Imperial Noble Consort, right? You can’t escape it.]
[Besides, if you took a palanquin, wouldn’t you still run into Consort Xi?
If you did, wouldn’t you still have to stop and pay your respects?
Could you ignore her?
The good pregnancy system’s words were all reasonable, making Qing Luo even more melancholic.
This was what they called, ‘if it’s a blessing, it’s not a disaster; if it’s a disaster, you can’t escape it.’ She had only served Emperor Zhangping a few times, including the night Emperor Zhangping stayed at her place, only four times in total.
But it wasn’t she who made Emperor Zhangping summon her to serve him; it was Emperor Zhangping himself who was willing to let her serve him.
If Consort Xi had an opinion, she should have the guts to confront Emperor Zhangping directly.
What was the point of dealing with a small fry like her?
Hmph, bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
Who told her she was a soft persimmon, destined to be manipulated?
Why should she, a soft persimmon, be at everyone’s mercy?
She refused…
The news that Qing Luo had been disrespectful in her word,offended Consort Xi, and was punished to kneel in the Imperial Garden spread like wildfire throughout the entire harem, causing a stir among the concubines.
There were those who gloated, those who watched coldly, and not a few who ridiculed and made fun, but hardly any were willing to lend a helping hand.
Noble Lady Zhang did have the intention to help, but she and Consort Xi had never had any friendship.
One was a favored consort, the other a Noble Lady.
Consort Xi would dismiss her with a few words if she didn’t want to see her, and Noble Lady Zhang couldn’t even get an audience to plead for Qing Luo.
In desperation, Noble Lady Zhang could only turn to the Imperial Garden to offer Qing Luo a few words of comfort.
The sun gradually rose higher.
Qing Luo was not kneeling in a shaded spot, and under the sunlight, large beads of sweat were now rolling down her face, one by one.
Her clothes were soaked with sweat, sticking to her body, making her very uncomfortable.
She looked utterly forlorn.
“Sister Pei, the sun is too harsh now. You should move to another spot to kneel, or you might suffer from heatstroke,” Noble Lady Zhang advised.
Qing Luo shook her head, looking up with a weak smile.
“Sister Zhang, Qing Luo appreciates your kindness, but since Imperial Consort Xi hasn’t spoken, it’s best Qing Luo doesn’t move on her own, lest Imperial Consort Xi mistakenly think Qing Luo isn’t sincere in admitting her mistake.”
She would not give Consort Xi any opportunity to make a fuss.
The brilliant sunlight made Qing Luo’s face even paler, her lips even white.
There was also a large area of redness and swelling on the right side of her face.
Zhu Lan beside her was crying profusely, the mistress and servant duo looked truly pitiful.
Seeing this, Noble Lady Zhang felt a pang of sympathy.
She thought, Consort Xi was clearly making a mountain out of a molehill.
It was just a slip of the tongue; usually, a few reprimands would be enough.
But she had to resort to physical violence, hit her, scolded her, and now made her kneel, and for so long.
Her jealousy was truly heavy, showing no virtue befitting a mistress of a palace, and she was even an old Concubine who had been by the Emperor’s side for a long time.
“In my opinion, Imperial Consort Xi’s punishment is good. Otherwise, some people might become complacent, thinking they’ve gained power and forgetting their place. They need a timely warning, or they might just float up to the heavens.”
With Qing Luo in distress, how could Attendant Chen miss the opportunity to mock her?
Hmph, just an Attendant.
There were plenty of people in the harem who could deal with her.
She thought Qing Luo deserved it, only thinking of vying for favor, completely disregarding the many concubines in the harem waiting for the Emperor’s favor.
She ate all the meat herself, not even leaving a drop of soup for others.
It would be strange if she wasn’t targeted.
People, after all, still need to know when to advance and retreat, and how to temper their sharp edges.
Isn’t it true that a tall tree catches the wind, and a prominent person invites trouble?
Noble Lady Zhang frowned, displeased.
“If Attendant Chen cannot speak properly, she can certainly remain silent. Why be sarcastic and stab at people’s hearts?” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Attendant Chen retorted righteously, “Could it be that Sister Zhang believes Imperial Consort Xi punished wrongly, and that some people who disregard proper hierarchy shouldn’t be punished?”
“When did I ever say such a thing? Attendant Chen has such a clever tongue. Your ability to fabricate and take words out of context is truly admirable. I am ashamed of my inferiority.”
“Ah, so it was I who misunderstood. It’s all my fault for being foolish. I even thought the sun was too strong, making Sister Zhang’s mind muddled and confused right from wrong.”
Attendant Chen’s purpose in coming was to enjoy the pathetic sight of her rival (as she saw her) suffering.
Now, seeing Qing Luo kneeling under the blazing sun, barely able to maintain her posture, she finally felt much relief in her heart, thoroughly releasing the accumulated frustration and resentment of these past days.
There’s always someone better.
You may be proud for a while, but when you hit a snag, someone will come to deal with you.
No matter what Attendant Chen mocked or ridiculed, Qing Luo pretended not to hear, completely ignoring her.
Attendant Chen found it uninteresting and left as quickly as she came, taking her people with her.
Not long after she left, Noble Lady Zhang also departed.
“How much longer do I have to kneel? Does Consort Xi really want me to kneel all day? In such hot weather, isn’t she afraid something might happen?”
[She’s probably fearless because she has strong backing. Do you know how powerful Consort Xi’s maternal family is? Her two elder brothers were imperial companions to the crown prince; now one is a Grand General, and the other is the Minister of Justice. And her father is a veteran of three dynasties with many proteges. In her eyes, host, you are just a small fry, your life is as cheap as duckweed.]
Qing Luo couldn’t help but secretly click her tongue.
Oh my, what a powerful maternal family.
Why didn’t she transmigrate into Consort Xi’s body?
If she had, even without vying for favor, just because of her family’s prestige, she could still thrive in the harem, like Consort Mei.
“Then why was she only a secondary consort back then, and not the Crown Princess? With this family background, she was certainly qualified to be the Crown Princess.”
Qing Luo wasn’t very clear about the standards for selecting a Crown Princess, but Consort Xi had both family background and beauty.
She was also said to be proficient in all four arts of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
She seemed perfectly suited to be the main consort.
Oh, except for being a bit too jealous.
Could that be why she didn’t become the Crown Princess?
[That’s because the Crown Princess was decided early on, like a betrothal from birth, understand? And the Crown Princess’s family background was also excellent, a four-generation ducal family, the legitimate daughter of a century-old noble house, no worse than Consort Xi. Plus, the Empress Dowager preferred the Crown Princess as a daughter-in-law…]
Listening to the good pregnancy system’s gossip, Qing Luo felt the time wasn’t so difficult to pass.
Indeed, diverting attention was a good way to alleviate pain.
After an unknown amount of time.
[Here it comes, here it comes, host, get ready. I’ll count to three, then you faint. You know how to fake a faint, right? It’s simple: close your eyes, fall down, and it’s done.]
At this moment, Qing Luo’s mind was hazy.
Everything she saw was blurry, as if many stars were spinning before her eyes, spinning endlessly.
[One.]
[Two.]
With a thud, Qing Luo softly collapsed.
Zhu Lan cried out in al arm and rushed to help her. good pregnancy system: […]
It hadn’t even counted to three yet, why did the host faint first?
Wait, why did she actually faint?
Wasn’t the host supposed to fake it?
Is the host a bit delicate?
It’s only been a little over an hour of kneeling.