Yun Qin suddenly thought of Beauty Liu and whispered, “Your Ladyship, last night at the Jade Health Palace, this servant personally heard the Emperor say he would have breakfast with Beauty Liu. The Emperor truly cares for Your Ladyship the most.”
After hearing this, Concubine Hui became even more elated. “She flaunts all day long how the Emperor favors her. I truly wish to see her expression when she hears the Emperor has come to the Palace of Spring Joy—it will surely be quite a sight.”
“How could she compare to Your Ladyship?” Rong Zhi chimed in from the side.
Concubine Hui smiled even more triumphantly.
Yun Qin lowered her gaze, feeling somewhat helpless. While she had indeed spoken to please Concubine Hui, her greater intention was to make her more vigilant. Yet, it seemed Concubine Hui was only focused on gloating.
After laughing for a while, Concubine Hui turned to Yun Qin again, looking somewhat troubled. “Come quickly and help me decide—what should I wear when the Emperor arrives later?”
Yun Qin hadn’t expected Concubine Hui to ask for her opinion and was momentarily taken aback. However, she quickly regained her composure and smiled. “For dining with the Emperor, it’s best to keep things simple and homely. Still, a light touch of makeup would be fitting.”
“Isn’t it more homely to wear no makeup at all?” Concubine Hui asked, puzzled.
Yun Qin replied with a smile, “Your Ladyship’s complexion is radiant today. With a touch of makeup, you would surely look dazzlingly beautiful, outshining even the bright sunshine.”
Concubine Hui’s smile deepened, and she couldn’t help but chide her playfully, “You and your sweet words.”
Rong Zhi suddenly interjected, “Then let this servant apply Your Ladyship’s makeup.”
Yun Qin glanced at her, her smile unchanged. “Sister Rong Zhi has been watching over Your Ladyship all night. If you overexert yourself, Your Ladyship will surely worry.”
“Yes, Rong Zhi, go and rest now,” Concubine Hui immediately turned to Rong Zhi, her eyes filled with concern.
Rong Zhi forced a smile, but her eyes glared at Yun Qin. “This servant is not tired. As long as I am serving Your Ladyship, I am full of energy. Besides… I don’t trust others to attend to Your Ladyship.”
At that moment, Rong Zhi was seething with resentment. In just one night, this girl had managed to win Concubine Hui’s trust to such an extent. If she were to leave, she feared there would be no place for her by Concubine Hui’s side!
Seeing her defensive attitude, Yun Qin couldn’t help but feel disdainful.
In the past, Rong Zhi had only competed for favor in front of their mistress. But ever since Concubine Hui became pregnant, she had been guarding her like a mother hen, suspicious of everyone.
The lives, fortunes, and honor of everyone in the Palace of Spring Joy were tied to Concubine Hui. Would anyone be foolish enough to harm her?
Yun Qin couldn’t be bothered to argue further about Rong Zhi’s insistence on staying.
If she wanted to stay awake and exhaust herself, so be it. Let’s see how long she could last.
Yun Qin turned to Concubine Hui and said, “This servant has heard of a makeup style in the palace called Pearl Visage Makeup. It is simple and elegant, and it sounds perfectly suited to Your Ladyship.”
Concubine Hui’s interest was immediately piqued. “I’ve never heard of it before.”
“This servant learned of it from Sister Rong Xin,” Yun Qin naturally steered the conversation toward Rong Xin.
Concubine Hui immediately looked at Rong Xin, who had been standing silently nearby.
Rong Xin glanced at Yun Qin before replying gently, “Your Ladyship, there is indeed a Pearl Visage Makeup. It was the favorite makeup style of Dowager Consort Jiaxi in the past. Dowager Consort Jiaxi possessed unparalleled beauty but disliked the Peach Blossom Makeup, which was most favored by the women of this dynasty. Instead, she preferred the simple and elegant Pearl Visage Makeup. Later, when Dowager Consort Jiaxi prayed for the late Emperor’s blessings, she stopped wearing even the Pearl Visage Makeup, and over time, it became little known.”
“How did you come to know about it?” Concubine Hui asked curiously.
Rong Xin smiled and replied, “Nanny Ruan, who taught this servant palace etiquette, was once Dowager Consort Jiaxi’s hairdressing maid.”
“Then you must know how to apply the Pearl Visage Makeup?” Concubine Hui was indeed intrigued. “Today, you shall apply it for me. Let me see what it looks like.”
“Yes.” Rong Xin responded, unable to resist glancing at Yun Qin once more.
Yun Qin smiled back at her, her peripheral gaze catching Rong Zhi standing to the side, unable to interject. A cold sneer formed in her heart.
Xiao Dezi had a point. Compared to maids brought in from outside the palace, those like Rong Xin, who had grown up within the palace walls, possessed a breadth of vision and knowledge far beyond their reach.
In the past, Sister Rong Xin always urged them not to stand out.
Now, even unwillingly, she had stepped forward. Yun Qin refused to believe that Rong Zhi would continue to call the shots in Chunxi Palace from now on.
As Rong Xin applied the makeup, she explained its origins and significance to Concubine Hui, with Yun Qin occasionally chiming in with a lighthearted remark.
Only Rong Zhi wanted to speak but didn’t know how to begin. She lingered for a while, fuming with frustration, but finding it pointless, she was eventually persuaded by Concubine Hui to go and rest.
No sooner had Rong Zhi left than A Jing hurried in from outside.
Yun Qin spotted her first and, seeing her flustered demeanor, couldn’t help but shoot her a glare.
This girl had always been impulsive and careless, difficult to discipline. They hadn’t even settled the matter from last night yet!
Under Yun Qin’s stern look, A Jing slowed her pace and entered properly. “Your Highness, this servant has something to report.”
At the sight of her, Concubine Hui’s smile faded slightly. “What is it?”
Before speaking, A Jing let out a chuckle, glancing at Yun Qin’s expression before suppressing her amusement and continuing, “Your Highness, the one in the west wing has made a complete fool of herself.”
It turned out that Lady Kong from the west wing had waited early on the palace path where the Emperor would pass upon leaving.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor was late for the morning court session today. Lady Kong, accompanied by her maids, shivered uncontrollably from the cold on the path. When she finally caught sight of the Emperor, she was so frozen she could barely speak coherently.
“His Majesty left here quite late to begin with. With this delay, he grew angry. Lady Kong’s legs gave way, and she fell flat on her face. She’s been carried back now, and I heard the Emperor charged her with impropriety before the throne, sentencing her to a month of house arrest. She’s weeping over there right now!”
As A Jing spoke, she couldn’t hold back another snicker.
This time, Concubine Hui didn’t scold her. Instead, she listened with a cold smile. “She’s always been fond of such schemes. I haven’t forgotten how, shortly after entering the palace, she once intercepted the Emperor halfway in Chunxi Palace. What happened to her now is nothing but her own comeuppance.”
Her eyes glinted as she said to A Jing, “As the mistress of this palace, I cannot ignore such matters. Go and ask if she would like Imperial Physician Zhang to check on her when he comes later to take my pulse.”
Lady Kong was an old acquaintance from the Emperor’s princely residence. Though she schemed constantly, she had never been pregnant, and Imperial Physician Zhang was famously skilled in obstetrics.
Sending Imperial Physician Zhang to see her would be more insulting than harmful.
“This servant will go at once.”
A Jing rushed out excitedly before Rong Xin could stop her. Rong Xin said uneasily, “Your Highness, is this perhaps inappropriate?”
“What’s inappropriate about it?” Concubine Hui dismissed the concern, glancing at her in the mirror with displeasure. “You should learn from Rong Zhi. Don’t always be so meek.”
Rong Xin lowered her eyes. “This servant will remember.”
“Your Highness, what would you like to eat this morning? This servant will go to the small kitchen to hurry them along,” Yun Qin interjected at the right moment.
“Green Glutinous Rice Porridge. The Emperor loves Green Glutinous Rice Porridge the most. Pair it with some ham and bamboo shoots. For the rest, let them prepare whatever they like.”
Mentioning the Emperor, Concubine Hui indeed forgot all her displeasure, and the earlier matter was lightly set aside.
Yun Qin smiled and said, “Your Ladyship only thinks of the Emperor, but what about yourself?”
“You little rascal, teasing me now!” Concubine Hui raised her willow-like brows, holding a handkerchief as if to strike Yun Qin.
Yun Qin deftly dodged, her smile bright and cunning, which made Concubine Hui momentarily dazed.
“Then this servant will make arrangements for Your Ladyship. How about some red date and bird’s nest soup?” Yun Qin, unaware of Concubine Hui’s unusual expression, continued with an undiminished smile.
Concubine Hui snapped back to attention and chided Rong Xin, “Look, look, she’s already arranging things for me.”
“Then this servant will take it as Your Ladyship’s consent.” Yun Qin chuckled, curtsied, and left the inner chamber.
Concubine Hui watched Yun Qin leave through the mirror, then shifted her gaze to her own reflection in the glass. Her smile faded slightly as she turned to Rong Xin and asked, “You and Yun Qin came out of the Bureau of Palace Attendants together, didn’t you?”