After finishing their meal in the courtyard, the three of them stayed for a while to enjoy the cool air. As the sky gradually darkened, they said their goodbyes and returned to their respective rooms.
After bathing, Ye Jinyun changed into a thin inner robe. She lay quietly on the couch, reading a storybook in her hand, while Qing’er gently fanned her to keep her cool.
Yin Zhu walked in from outside and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Your Ladyship, Xiao Quanzi has just found out that His Majesty has summoned Lady Ye for tonight’s bedchamber attendance.”
“Mm,” Ye Jinyun responded calmly. “She does have a bit of ability. Not a wasted trip this afternoon, then. I understand—go rest early. I’ll read a little longer before sleeping. You don’t need to stay with me.”
She waved them off and told Qing’er to go rest as well. She herself was not very sensitive to heat, and the night breeze was already drifting into the room, so there was no need for Qing’er to keep fanning her.
After reading a little longer, she stretched lazily and went to bed. She always woke early to exercise with Lin Qingtang, so she slept early as well.
……
The news that Lady Ye had been summoned for imperial bedchamber attendance quickly spread throughout the harem.
All the consorts were shocked. The emperor had not summoned anyone for months—so why her all of a sudden? This immediately made everyone feel a sense of crisis, and they quickly sent people to investigate how she had caught the emperor’s attention.
After finding out, they grew even more unwilling to accept it.
A cooling delicacy? Something that relieved the emperor’s irritation? Why hadn’t they thought of that?
They became even more frustrated with their own lack of ingenuity.
……
Yuxiu Palace
The Imperial Consort also received the news of why Lady Ye had been summoned. She remembered her—the breathtakingly beautiful newcomer from the selection of consorts.
She hadn’t expected her to actually have some skill, managing to catch the emperor’s attention among so many women. It seemed she had misjudged her.
At this rate, with both her beauty and her talent, she would likely receive continuous favor in the future. The harem had been quiet for so long—soon, it would probably be stirred into turmoil again.
……
That night, the emperor was very satisfied with Lady Ye’s service. Combined with his long period of abstinence, he summoned water three times in Chengqian Palace. The activity only gradually subsided in the early hours of the morning.
Lady Ye was also thoroughly exhausted, her whole body aching. When the palace attendants supported her back to her quarters, her legs were still trembling.
Chen Fuquan watched the emperor bathing with a satisfied expression and thought to himself:
This Lady Ye is not only beautiful, but also clever and resourceful. At this rate, the emperor will likely summon her frequently in the future. If she can also bear a royal heir, she will surely secure a position of lasting favor.
The next day, the emperor issued an edict promoting Lady Ye’s rank directly to Jieyu, skipping an entire rank. This once again made the women of the harem grind their teeth in jealousy. She had only served once, yet she was promoted so quickly—it was clear how much the emperor favored her.
Even the Noble Consort felt a sense of crisis. When Ye Jinrong came to pay her respects that morning, she was made to kneel for a long time before being allowed to rise.
In the following days, the emperor summoned Ye Jinrong repeatedly. On some days, he even went directly to her palace. This infuriated Bai Ruoli, who lived in the same Yufu Palace.
Two women in the same palace—one continuously favored by the emperor, the other not even having seen him once. When their attendants met in the courtyard, the servants from Ye Jinrong’s residence acted smug and superior, while Bai Ruoli’s maidservants were so angered that they shut their doors and stopped engaging altogether.
After her promotion through the fruit shaved ice, Ye Jinrong became even more favored. Every afternoon, the emperor would summon her to the imperial study—not for state affairs, but simply to enjoy a bowl of chilled fruit shaved ice.
After Lady Xianglan prepared it, Ye Jinrong personally brought it over. With the emperor enjoying the refreshing dessert and a beauty fanning him beside him, he was thoroughly pleased and grew even more fond of her.
Seeing her rise in favor so quickly, other concubines in the palace could no longer sit still and began quietly taking action.
……
Nearly a month had passed since Ye Jinrong rose to favor through the fruit shaved ice. During this time, aside from staying alone in Chengqian Palace, the emperor only summoned Ye Jinrong for his nights.
Seeing how she had gained such favor from a single bowl of fruit shaved ice, all the consorts began imitating her. They started researching new ways to please the emperor. Even the Noble Consort could not remain composed and ordered her people to recreate the shaved ice, refusing to believe that once she succeeded, the emperor would still favor Ye Jinrong alone.
As expected, after some effort, the Noble Consort’s people finally managed to replicate the fruit shaved ice. Overjoyed, she immediately invited the emperor to taste it.
The emperor, seeing her effort to please him, went to her palace. After tasting it, he found it identical to the one in Yufu Palace and praised her a few words, staying the night there as well.
From then on, all the palaces began making shaved ice. Since even the Noble Consort had imitated it, no one else felt they were beneath doing so. Whoever could offer fruit shaved ice seemed to have a chance at favor—and none of them were willing to miss it.