“Then I shall set a precedent.”
Qiu Ruo and Luo Jing were sitting on the steps eating lychees, the faint gardenia fragrance of Jiang Wangnan’s clothes still lingering on the peel.
Qiu Ruo felt tasteless as she looked up at the sun, worriedly saying, “It is already noon; why is Her Grace still not up? Could it be she is overly heartbroken?”
Luo Jing looked thoroughly amused: “Her Grace did not return until late last night, so naturally she is a bit more sleepy. Elder sister, do not worry so much.”
“Qiu Ruo, Luo Jing.” Jiang Wangnan had woken up.
“Ah, Your Grace, is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable? Are your knees still hurting? Should we apply some medicated wine again?” Qiu Ruo asked with concern.
Luo Jing licked the sweet juice from the corner of his mouth and asked, “Your Grace, are there any more lychees? This servant had only just started tasting the flavor.”
Jiang Wangnan stretched out in a long, leisurely yawn, still half-asleep as he said, “I will find a chance to get you more later. Right now I am hungry and want to eat braised pork trotters, eight-treasure tofu, lion’s head meatballs, sliced noodle soup, roast duck, sweet and sour pork ribs, milk pastries.”
Qiu Ruo was very gratified: “Luo Jing, did you write all that down? Hurry and go instruct the Imperial Kitchen.”
Luo Jing instantly grew wind under his feet and darted out.
By the time Qiu Ruo poured him a cup of water, he had already gotten out of bed, put on his shoes, and dressed himself, looking completely obedient. At first, Qiu Ruo had felt quite terrified, but after spending a long time together, she had grown accustomed to it.
Before long, Luo Jing actually returned, bringing back a few plates of dishes that looked rather uninspiring: scallion-pepper duck, fat chicken with cabbage, crystal meatballs, shredded pork with pickled cabbage, and luffa egg drop soup.
Qiu Ruo asked curiously, “Why are none of these what Her Grace wanted to eat?”
Luo Jing drooped his head: “This servant heard that Her Grace was punished by His Majesty yesterday, and the entire palace is spreading the word, so…”
Jiang Wangnan patted his head and smiled: “It is fine, these dishes are quite good too, it is nothing much.”
With that, he picked up a bowl of white rice and shoveled it in mouthful by mouthful, eating with absolute relish.
Qiu Ruo asked anxiously, “Your Grace, are you really alright?”
“What could possibly be wrong? Who made me still a sixth-rank attendant? Only by eating my fill can I have the strength to survive. In due time, I will be better! You two as well, everything will be fine.”
Luo Jing said with an itch in his teeth, “This servant heard that His Majesty deliberately turned a blind eye to help Noble Consort Gao, entirely to give Grand Chancellor Wen face. Pity our Her Grace, who does not even have a maternal family to rely on.”
“Shut your mouth.” Qiu Ruo shot him a warning look.
After swallowing his last bite, his mouth shiny with grease, Jiang Wangnan took a sip of soup and then picked up another bowl of rice: “Luo Jing, go help me fetch another bowl.”
His appetite per meal was about two bowls. Qiu Ruo said, “Your Grace, do not eat too much; it is bad for your stomach. If you are in low spirits, shall we accompany you out for a walk to enjoy the scenery?”
“Let me finish eating first?”
Qiu Ruo nodded and instructed Luo Jing, “By the way, get some plum juice as well for Her Grace to aid digestion after the meal.”
Before long, the five dishes were almost completely wiped out. Sure enough, as expected, he had overeaten.
“So full.” Jiang Wangnan let out a deep breath, his belly rounded and tight, making him feel as though his stomach was about to explode.
“No,” he said, supporting his waist as he stood up from the stool. “It feels a bit uncomfortable, I had better go out for a stroll.”
Unconsciously, a wave of lotus fragrance drifted over, refreshing the mind. They must have arrived near Biling Lake.
Looking out into the distance, that Zhuxuan Pavilion by the shore was no longer as bustling and extraordinary as before, with only a few people scattered about. Moreover, the cosmetics on these people’s faces were very light, practically bare-faced.
Jiang Wangnan asked curiously, “Why are they not dressing up?”
The venue preparations had already begun, and the Lotus Banquet was arriving tomorrow. Xiao Quanchuan was very likely to come inspect it; shouldn’t they be putting in even more effort?
Luo Jing said, “It is said that Noble Consort Gao used a knife to slash open the face of a newly arrived palace maid this morning, simply because that person applied a bit of rouge and powder in front of her.”
“Why? A girl’s face is very important.” He did not understand.
Qiu Ruo explained, “Noble Consort Gao is currently suffering from a facial allergy and can only use medicine, unable to apply powder. She is the oldest among the concubines, and without the enhancement of rouge, her complexion is the worst. With the Lotus Banquet imminent, how could she tolerate other consorts having superior looks?”
Jealousy makes people hideous. Jiang Wangnan did not know what else to say, could only sigh, and then suddenly remembered something: “Right, what about Noble Lady Yuan? It seems she is nowhere to be seen.”
Luo Jing, who knew not where he had heard it from, replied, “Noble Consort Gao and Noble Lady Yuan had a falling out. It seems she has been placed under confinement, to be locked up until after the Lotus Banquet.”
“Ah? Are they not good sisters?” Jiang Wangnan was confused again.
Qiu Ruo remarked sagely, “In the deep courtyards of the inner palace, how can there be any genuine affection? They merely share an empty name and take what they need from each other.”
“There is!” Jiang Wangnan’s eyes shone brightly as he hooked his arms around Luo Jing and Qiu Ruo respectively. “You two! And me!”
Qiu Ruo smiled slightly: “Yet there has never been a consort who would go out searching for food because her maid fainted from hunger.”
Luo Jing grinned and shouted, “This servant will follow Her Grace for a lifetime! And the next lifetime too!”
Jiang Wangnan asked him, “Why is that?”
“Because. Because Her Grace said she would bring lychees for this servant!”
Jiang Wangnan replied with a relaxed smile, “Alright, alright. From now on, whenever I have a mouthful of meat to eat, you will also have a mouthful of meat!”
A gust of wind swept by, fluttering their sleeves, while clusters of white clouds gathered overhead. The sunlight restrained itself, making it neither too cold nor too hot.
Luo Jing suggested, “Your Grace, let us go fly kites! We only played with them for a little while last time. This time, there will definitely be no Noble Consort.”
“Alright, alright, let us go. You two take a kite to play with as well, do not just surround me all the time.”
While things were peaceful and harmonious over here, Xiuxiu Palace was in complete chaos.
“Ah!”
Yuan Bing’s head emerged from a wooden bucket with a splash, her hair bun wet and crooked. Her rouge and powder had long since dissolved, smearing across her entire face as her hands were pinned back by the servants, rendering her completely unable to move.
“Your Ladyship, Your Ladyship, you misunderstood! That peppermint powder was not mixed in an amount of a qian; how could this concubine possibly harm Your Ladyship!” Yuan Bing wailed and begged for mercy.
Gao Shuman leaned against the head of the bed, closing her eyes as she applied ice packs to reduce the swelling and itching, saying nonchalantly, “Continue.”
Before her words faded, the servant grabbed Noble Lady Yuan’s hair and shoved it back down into the bucket, creating endless bubbles on the water’s surface.
A moment later, Gao Shuman gently raised her hand: “That is enough.”
With another splash, everything around the wooden bucket was completely soaked. Yuan Bing’s hair bun came undone, her clothes turned a shade darker, her face was bright red, her eyes were stinging, and she was panting heavily.
Yuan Bing felt her cheeks burning hot and constantly smelled a strange odor. Suddenly, her eyes widened: “Your Ladyship. What was put in this water?”
Gao Shuman said absentmindedly, “Just a little return gift, not worth mentioning.”
Yuan Bing shrieked as small bumps began to surface across her face, growing hotter and hotter. She scrambled on all fours to the edge of the other’s bed, pleading, “Your Ladyship, save this concubine, save this concubine.”
“What are you making a fuss about? This little bit of disfigurement of yours is neither itchy nor painful; compared to mine, it is merely a drop in the ocean!” Gao Shuman said. “Rest assured, you still have utility to me, you will not die, at most it will last for just one day.”
The breath Yuan Bing had just exhaled hitched right back up: “Your Ladyship, this cannot do! Tomorrow is the Lotus Banquet, and I have…”
“The water-sleeve dance, right? My good younger sister, is your body important or is the performance important? Since you are here, make the best of it.” Gao Shuman patted her face, her brows lifting lightly.
Yuan Bing’s entire body went limp, her expression vacant as she collapsed to the floor.
She had known all along.
Gao Shuman smiled coldly: “Do not think I do not know what kind of tricks you wanted to pull. Both you and I excel at the water-sleeve dance. If I cannot attend, you will be the biggest winner of this Lotus Banquet, am I right?”
Noble Lady Yuan’s face turned even redder.
“What you did not expect is that the imperial physician could calculate even the exact amount of peppermint. Moreover, Miaojuan is someone I newly promoted, and her method of extracting the bath beans is slightly different. Younger sister, although you are clever, you simply lack luck. With a hundred precautions, there is always one omission.”
Yuan Bing closed her eyes, letting two tears slip down.
“Do not think I do not know that you planned to elope with that guard lover of yours, which is why you racked your brains trying to get more money to survive outside. Yet the small monthly stipend you receive in the palace was all taken by your father, which is far from enough, so you grew anxious to win imperial favor and rise in rank and rewards.”
“Yes, Your Ladyship guessed everything correctly.” Yuan Bing offered no defense.
“Incorrigible.” Gao Shuman was also annoyed.
As the proud daughter of an imperial censor, she was shameless enough to meet privately with an inner palace guard. I am afraid even the Gao family would not be able to protect the Yuan family, and sooner or later, Yuan Bing would have her entire clan wiped out by Xiao Quanchuan.
“Have I not constantly been advising and helping you? Were those five ingots of gold last time not enough?”
Yuan Bing fell silent for a moment, then shook her head: “Your Ladyship might not know, but current housing and farmland prices have risen quite a bit, and raising children requires another expense. How could it possibly be enough?”
Gao Shuman flew into a rage: “How much money do you actually want?”
“Fifty thousand taels.”
“Absurd! Why should you expect me to worry about all your finances? He is nothing more than a good-for-nothing, a total coward. Why are you still keeping him around?”
Yuan Bing said with deep affection, “Your Ladyship, he treats this concubine very well. Ever since I was young, this concubine has never experienced this kind of warmth. It is he who makes me feel that my sacrifices are reciprocated and that I am loved.”
She was as stubborn as an ox, causing Gao Shuman to nearly roll her eyes: “Enough, I will help you think of a way together. In short, within this palace, the two of you and I must never harbor divided loyalties, understand?”
Gao Shuman handed her an ice pack.
Yuan Bing accepted it with tears in her eyes, kowtowing as she said, “Thank you, Your Ladyship. This concubine was foolish and will surely keep it in mind.”
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, servants stood neatly in two rows holding wooden trays, upon which various precious items were placed: blue and white porcelain vases, carved plum and bamboo flutes, Fuxi guqin instruments, seven-colored glass pitchers, South Sea pearls, velvet hairpins, and patterned Shu brocade.
Xiao Quanchuan looked at them one by one: “Are these the reward items for tomorrow’s Lotus Banquet?”
Sun Nianhai replied, “Replying to Your Majesty, yes. A total of twenty-nine consorts have confirmed their attendance for tomorrow. Aside from Noble Consort Gao and Noble Lady Yuan who asked for sick leave, the rest will basically be present.”
“Has Noble Consort Jiang arrived?”
Sun Nianhai answered, “He has arrived, but he did not sign up for any talent performances.”
Jiang Wangnan was not participating in the skill competition, which meant that no matter how much imperial favor he won, he would have no opportunity to rise in rank. Those were the rules.
“As long as he arrives, that is enough.” With a calm expression, thinking of something, Xiao Quanchuan’s lips naturally curled upward: “Are there no food rewards?”
“No arrangements have been made.”
“Then I shall set a precedent. Hm. Are there still lychees?” Xiao Quanchuan asked.
Sun Nianhai replied, “They are still on the way here.”
“Mn, then add some other things.” Xiao Quanchuan walked over to the batch of patterned Shu brocade and pondered for a moment, “Just put them right in here.”
Sun Nianhai asked doubtfully, “What does Your Majesty wish to place inside?”
Xiao Quanchuan smiled with his eyes: “Good things.”
The next day, by the banks of Biling Lake.
Lotuses blossomed in full competition, standing tall and slender. Occasionally, a dragonfly or two perched on their delicate tips, while the flower petals and green waves overlapped endlessly as far as the eye could see, truly a scene where “the lotus leaves stretch boundless green into the sky, and lotus blossoms reflect the sunlight in special red.”
Zhuxuan Pavilion was filled with both the fragrance of lotuses and crowds of people.
Xiao Quanchuan sat high in the seat of honor without a doubt, leaving one seat empty beside him, which was originally meant for Tang Kuilan.
However, this morning she had announced outside that her headache had flared up and she should not be exposed to the wind, thereby declining the invitation. The rumor of choosing an empress that had previously spread throughout the palace was instantly shattered, breaking the hearts of many concubines.
Only Xiao Quanchuan’s expression remained calm.
His maternal aunt was bluffing again.
When she had said she would focus her attention on Jiang Wangnan at the Lotus Banquet that day, Xiao Quanchuan had not entirely agreed, so he let the rumor of choosing an empress spread widely, hyping it up to secretly incite the concubines to swarm forward.
That way, Tang Kuilan would naturally assume Jiang Wangnan was just like everyone else, racking his brains to show off.
Xiao Quanchuan understood Tang Kuilan; she loathed such hypocritical behavior the most. Therefore, her absence was entirely normal.
On both the left and right sides were three rows of seats, leaving an open space in the middle covered with non-slip carpets to facilitate performances.
The concubines arrived successively, taking their seats from front to back according to their rank. Jiang Wangnan, guided by Qiu Ruo, sat in the middle row.
Surrounded by people everywhere, he felt somewhat suffocated. Noticing that the very corner of the last row was empty, he quietly crept over.
To his left was a red pillar, behind him was a railing, and diagonally to his right stood a servant. He could only see Xiao Quanchuan’s long fingers resting on his knees, and the other person probably couldn’t see him either.
Wahaha, this felt like the wonderful sensation of effortlessly grabbing the back row in a college lecture without any effort.
Xiao Quanchuan tapped his fingers lightly, his tone carrying an indescribable trace of slight displeasure: “Begin.”