That day, when Qing Luo went to pay her respects to Consort Rou, she ran into Attendant Chen head-on.
The moment she saw Qing Luo, Attendant Chen immediately spoke sarcastically, “It seems the Emperor’s favor toward you is nothing special, Attendant Pei. But then again, based on you, how could you possibly expect the Emperor to favor you exclusively forever?”
Qing Luo was utterly confused.
The last few times Attendant Chen had seen her, she had ignored her completely, treating her like a transparent person, and hadn’t bothered to mock her.
Why was she reverting to her old ways today?
Had she been provoked?
Attendant Chen wanted to see expressions of disappointment, sorrow, or melancholy on Qing Luo’s face, but she was destined to be disappointed, because Qing Luo didn’t understand what she was being sarcastic about, and naturally couldn’t give Attendant Chen the reaction she desired.
Is this Attendant Pei not sad at all?
Impossible.
She must be pretending to be strong.
Can’t you see her eyes are red?
No matter how smug she is for a while, she’s still pitiable and pathetic.
Perhaps this is a sign of her losing favor, and the Emperor will soon get tired of her.
Attendant Chen, whose imagination was running wild, flicked her handkerchief and walked away gracefully, swaying her ample waist.
During the morning greetings, Qing Luo felt that all the Imperial Concubines were acting strangely, constantly staring at her with sympathetic and pitying glances, as if she were a poor little thing.
This made Qing Luo extremely speechless.
She thought to herself that her life had been quite good recently; she lacked nothing in food or clothing, and the Imperial Household Department took special care of her—she was even using ice now.
Many people present might not be as well off as her, so what gave them the right to pity her?
Maybe they had some kind of serious mental illness.
It wasn’t until she returned from the greeting that Qing Luo learned the reason for the Imperial Concubines’ strange behavior from Zhu Lan.
“Little Master, the Emperor rested at Consort Hui’s residence in Zhongcui Palace last night,” Zhu Lan said cautiously, scrutinizing Qing Luo’s expression.
In fact, she had found out last night, but she had hidden it from Little Master until now, simply because she couldn’t bear to see Little Master feel disappointed and sad over it.
“Oh, so that’s it.”
Hearing this, Qing Luo’s expression remained unchanged.
Instead, she found it quite normal.
After all, Consort Hui was a favored consort, and a favored consort who could keep Emperor Zhangping’s affection for several years must have some tricks up her sleeve.
It was perfectly normal for Emperor Zhangping to spend the night there.
It seems Emperor Zhangping prefers Consort Hui over Consort Xi in his heart.
“Little Master, aren’t you… aren’t you sad?” Zhu Lan felt her mistress’s reaction was too abnormal.
Not only did she not cry or fuss, but her expression was indifferent, and she didn’t even lift an eyelid when she heard the Emperor had favored another concubine.
She didn’t believe this was due to great indifference or a lack of care; perhaps Little Master was too shocked, which resulted in such an unusual reaction.
“Why should I be sad?”
Qing Luo countered curiously, then realized why the Imperial Concubines at Xianfu Palace had reacted that way and pitied her.
So it was because of this!
They all thought she should be disappointed and sad because Emperor Zhangping had favored another concubine.
But she genuinely wasn’t sad.
This was because she had known all along that it was impossible for Emperor Zhangping to favor her exclusively.
Something she had accepted from the very beginning had simply happened according to her expectation; since things hadn’t gotten worse, what was there to be sad about?
Qing Luo left Zhu Lan speechless.
After a long pause, Zhu Lan stammered, “Didn’t Little Master ever think about monopolizing the Emperor’s favor?”
Which concubine in the Harem hadn’t entertained such a thought?
There were moments when their ambition was higher than the heavens.
Qing Luo waved her hand, looking at Zhu Lan with an expression of disbelief.
“The Emperor has never belonged to anyone not to talk to one person. His favor can be divided into many shares, used on different women. Whichever concubine he favors, it is his own will.”
So, never mistake yourself for the only one in Emperor Zhangping’s heart.
That is like a moth flying into a fire—overestimating oneself and inviting destruction.
“But the Emperor is Little Master’s husband. What woman under heaven doesn’t hope for her husband to be devoted only to her?”
Qing Luo sighed.
“Can the Imperial family be the same as common households? Besides, there are plenty of common households with three wives and four concubines; how much devotion is there really? Read those storybooks just for fun, but don’t take them seriously. Zhu Lan, you should read fewer storybooks in the future, be more realistic, and stop talking about love and romance all day.”
“Then, does Little Master not like the Emperor?” Zhu Lan asked again.
Qing Luo nodded without hesitation.
“Of course, I like him. But my liking is my own business. Whether I receive the same response is not something I can control. I’ll just leave it up to fate.”
Of course she liked Emperor Zhangping.
How could she not like such a handsome man whose face was incredibly superior and perfectly matched her aesthetic?
But her liking was only for that face, plus a bit of covetousness for the handsome man’s body.
Who would have thought that Emperor Zhangping was the type who looked good dressed and even better undressed?
His figure was genuinely great, with several abdominal muscles.
Her liking was too shallow, too superficial, easily shattered…
In the afternoon, Little Shunzi, who served at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, arrived at the East Courtyard of Xianfu Palace.
“Greetings, Attendant Pei. May Attendant Pei be safe.”
Qing Luo quickly said, “Eunuch Shun, please rise. May I ask why you have come?”
Little Shunzi usually came to deliver rewards, but Qing Luo didn’t see him carrying any this time, which made her feel slightly confused.
He shouldn’t be here to announce preparation for serving the Emperor, either.
That was the job of the eunuchs from the Office of the Imperial attendance, not within Little Shunzi’s scope of duty.
“First, let me offer congratulations to Attendant Pei. It’s a good thing.”
Qing Luo assumed a posture of listening attentively.
Little Shunzi’s face was wreathed in smiles.
He cleared his throat and then dutifully conveyed the superior’s message, “By the Emperor’s decree, Attendant Pei is summoned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to share the evening meal today.”
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Does that mean Emperor Zhangping wants her to accompany him for dinner?
Accompany him for dinner!
Qing Luo’s eyes instantly lit up, and her whole demeanor became radiant.
This was a great thing!
The Emperor’s imperial meal must undoubtedly be better than her own food.
There must be many delicious delicacies.
If the breakfast standard was already very high, what about the main meal?
“This humble concubine respectfully obeys the Emperor’s oral decree.”
After offering thanks, Qing Luo went into her sleeping quarters to change clothes and tidy up.
When seeing the Emperor, appearance and deportment were very important, and Qing Luo herself enjoyed dressing up beautifully and prettily.
It wasn’t just to please others; it was primarily to please herself.
Little Shunzi didn’t leave after conveying the decree; he waited outside, sipping tea.
After a short while, Qing Luo emerged.
She was wearing a jade-green gauze dress, and her soft, black hair was styled into a simple bun, adorned only with a single piece of green jade hairpin.
Her exposed slender hands wore a mutton-fat white jade bangle.
Her makeup was extremely light, almost invisible, yet she possessed the fresh, natural elegance of a lotus emerging from clear water, untouched by excessive carving.
Little Shunzi discreetly observed her, thinking that this Attendant Pei was truly beautiful.
His master had told him that such good looks were comparable to Consort Xi when she was younger, perhaps even surpassing her in beauty by a few degrees.
Especially since Attendant Pei gained favor, she had become more radiant day by day, like an uncut jade that suddenly burst forth with brilliance, transforming into a dazzling piece of precious jade.
“Thank you for waiting so long, Eunuch Shun. Let’s go now.”
“Attendant Pei is too kind.”
They arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Just as Qing Luo entered the dining hall, Emperor Zhangping arrived.
Today, Emperor Zhangping wore a sky-blue casual robe.
Compared to his usual imposing majesty, he looked more fresh and handsome.
Upon seeing Qing Luo, a smile immediately spilled into Emperor Zhangping’s eyes.
He quickly walked a few steps and proactively reached out to help her up.
“Beloved Consort, your new outfit today is truly eye-catching. This color certainly suits you; it couldn’t be more perfect.”
Judging by his tone, Emperor Zhangping was clearly very satisfied with his own taste.
The dress Qing Luo was wearing was newly made from fabric gifted by Emperor Zhangping.
It was said to be a material called Hualuo, primarily woven from silk, characterized by being soft, smooth, sheer, comfortable, and sweat-resistant in the summer, making it perfect for summer wear.
Even within the palace, there were only a dozen bolts of such fine cloth in total.
Qing Luo received two bolts, one bright and one plain and elegant, both personally selected by Emperor Zhangping.
“Does the Emperor only say the clothes look good? Isn’t it because this humble concubine is beautiful,that the clothes also looks good?”
Since they were in the Palace of Heavenly Purity with many palace servants attending, Qing Luo didn’t dare to be too presumptuous, using “This humble concubine” strictly, as caution ensures safety.
“Is that so? But everyone says clothing makes the man. Why does Beloved Consort’s statement sound like the reverse?” Emperor Zhangping deliberately countered, an undisguised smile in his eyes.