That was it?
The concubines, who had been hoping to see a good show, reluctantly took their leave.
Once they were out of Jianzhang Palace, they put their heads together and whispered, "The Empress is truly magnanimous, letting this go so easily."
"She was just a little late, after all..."
A Changzai muttered under her breath.
But Ma Wanyi, walking up from behind, overheard this. Her delicate eyebrows shot up, her beautiful face clouding over with anger. "To dare be so dismissive as to be late paying respects to the Empress after her very first night attending the Emperor? One can see the future from a single sprout, the end from a mere beginning. If we let someone so undisciplined attend His Majesty two or three more times, will she stop coming to pay respects altogether?"
Ma Wanyi was from a Military General's Family, but they had hired a governess for her. She was a bit of an intellectual and always loved to flaunt it in conversation.
"I was wrong."
The concubine who had spoken hastily dropped into a curtsy.
Noble Princess Consort Rong, seated on her palanquin, neither spoke nor told the woman to rise.
Seeing this, Ma Wanyi continued, "The Empress is benevolent, but someone must be here to strictly enforce palace discipline. This minor punishment was also to ensure Consort Guo learns her lesson and doesn't grow arrogant from the favor she's been shown."
After a two-second pause, Noble Princess Consort Rong finally spoke. "All of you may rise. As for the one who said she was 'just a little late,' you will copy the Palace Rules ten times as punishment."
The scolded Changzai's face went deathly pale.
Qiu Tang, the Chief Palace Maid beside Noble Princess Consort Rong's palanquin, whispered a reminder, "Zhang Changzai and Consort Guo are both from Zhongcui Palace."
"So, they're from the same palace," Noble Princess Consort Rong said icily. "Then Consort Guo shouldn't be idle, either. She will also copy the Palace Rules ten times. And she is not to have anyone do it for her. Let's go."
The eunuchs carrying the palanquin understood the signal and departed in a grand procession. Throughout the entire affair, Noble Princess Consort Rong stared straight ahead, not sparing the group of low-ranking concubines a single glance. Only when the Lady was out of sight did they dare to rise, muttering sullenly, "Such a show of power."
"Hey, where's Chen Daying?"
"Jiang Daying is gone too."
"I'm soaked in a cold sweat. Quick, help me back to my palace so I can change."
Meanwhile, Chen Daying hurried to catch up with Jiang Xian. "You walk so fast! Is that a skill you practice in the dead of night? We've only been in the palace a short time, and Yizhu Pavilion is so far from the Empress's Jianzhang Palace. I was hoping we could walk back slowly together and enjoy the scenery along the way."
But in the blink of an eye, you were ten meters away.
Jiang Xian paused for a moment. "If you walk any slower, you won't need to look at the scenery. You'll become the scenery yourself."
It wasn't until half an hour after returning to Yizhu Pavilion that Chen Daying learned from her Chief Palace Maid, He Xiang, that Zhang Changzai had been punished to copy the Palace Rules ten times. A wave of lingering fear washed over her, and she wondered aloud, "I really owe her for today. But how did she know that would happen?"
The same question was being asked in Jiang Xian's room, where her Chief Palace Maid, Mian Xia, voiced her curiosity.
"My Lady, how did you manage to avoid that trouble ahead of time? Don't tell me you have the power of foresight?"
Jiang Xian chuckled. "'Do I need foresight for that? Trouble always brews where crowds gather. The Noble Princess Consort was in a bad mood, and she didn't get to fully assert her authority during the morning greetings. It was inevitable she'd look for an opportunity to lash out at someone.'"
'One of the cardinal rules of the workplace is to stay far away from a menopausal boss.'
'Noble Princess Consort Rong has the personality and aura of someone whose menstrual period lasts for thirty days straight. A lowly concubine like me is obviously better off staying away. The best thing to do is stay out of her sight. Just getting caught in the tail end of her temper tantrum is enough to cause a world of hurt. Zhang Changzai is the perfect example.'
"That's true,"
Zhenqiu nodded in agreement. "Normally, when Palace Attendants hear that the Noble Consort's palanquin is nearby, they all make a detour to avoid her."
'So, "Watch out, Noble Consort ahead" is basically the harem's version of "Warning, speed trap ahead."'
As for Consort Guo, who had been put on the spot in Jianzhang Palace, she returned to Zhongcui Palace full of indignation. As the legitimate daughter of a Second-rank Official, she had been raised like a precious jewel and cared deeply about her pride. "That Noble Consort is deliberately targeting me! I was only a little late, I wasn't even tardy, and she still lashed out at me! Just wait until I see the Emperor tonight..."
"My Lady, you mustn't,"
Hearing this, her Chief Palace Maid, Shun'er, dropped to her knees and pleaded, "My Lady, you have a rare chance to see the Emperor. Why bring up such unpleasant matters? Given the Lady's temperament, if you hadn't just attended the Emperor last night, she would have surely punished you today. The fact that she only chided you with words shows that she's wary of you and can't really do much."
What Shun'er didn't say was, 'The Noble Consort and the Emperor share a long and deep bond. Who does Consort Guo think she is to challenge that?'
Consort Guo mulled it over and agreed. "Fine. Help me with my facial cream. And brew a pot of chrysanthemum tea to cool my temper. No mulberry leaves, though."
Once, during morning greetings, the Noble Consort had casually mentioned Consort Guo's fondness for mulberry leaf and chrysanthemum tea in Zhongcui Palace. She had launched a harsh investigation of her palace maids and eunuchs but failed to root out the informant. This led to her only daring to speak privately with the maids who had accompanied her from home, and she stopped drinking that tea. "The Noble Consort's comment about 'not having anyone do it for you' was a veiled warning to me. I'm being watched, my every move monitored even in my own palace. It's infuriating."
"That Zhang Changzai has such a big mouth. If it weren't for her, the Noble Consort wouldn't have even thought to punish me by making me copy the Palace Rules."
Then she added with a sneer, "She comes from a minor family, after all. Living in the same palace, she just causes trouble for me."
Because Consort Guo had the highest family standing among this batch of new concubines, she had looked down on the others back in Chuxiu Palace. She especially disdained Jiang Xian, who was the most beautiful. She had mocked her on two occasions and even stole her hot water once, forcing Jiang Xian to wash her hands in the freezing cold, leaving her delicate fingers red and raw.
After the palace assignments were made, Consort Guo put Jiang Xian out of her mind. All she could think about was the Noble Consort's punishment, muttering, "The women in this palace are truly unforgiving. Once I've made my mark with the Emperor, I'll settle the score with each of them."
In truth, the Emperor had never promised to summon her for the night.
It was just that when he had chosen her nameplate the previous night, he had been quite gentle. He praised her peachy cheeks and almond-shaped face, her pair of cat-like eyes that stirred affection, and had even bestowed gifts upon her. Surely he would come to see her again today. This was the custom in the palace. The currently favored high-ranking concubines had often been summoned for several consecutive days when they first received his attention. A great favorite like Noble Princess Consort Rong had once monopolized the Emperor for half a month straight.
Consort Guo felt pretty good about her chances.
But at that very moment, the Emperor, who had wandered into the Plum Garden to clear his head from the vexations of state affairs, also thought the woman dancing gracefully before him was pretty good, too.
The weather was frigid. It had snowed the night before, and now a few sparse flakes still swirled down. Even the wind carried a desolate, biting chill.
For this day to come, Jiang Xian had reported to the Plum Garden every single day without fail.
The palace maids and eunuchs on duty in the Plum Garden had become familiar with her. They figured this young mistress was either crazy or genuinely in love with the plum blossoms, because this area was remote and the Emperor never came here.
Timing it precisely to the hour her system had indicated, Jiang Xian activated her [Fan Filter] aura. The effects—Gaussian blur +50, whitening +65, and skin-smoothing—were instantly maxed out. A snowflake landed on her long lashes, and in the Emperor's eyes, she was so beautiful she hardly seemed real...
'Of course she didn't seem real!'
'What real person comes with their own built-in skin-smoothing, soft-focus filter?'
Even the Emperor, master of a harem of three thousand, was utterly captivated by the walking, perfectly-edited, high-definition beauty before him. He spoke aloud, asking, "Which palace is she from?"