Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Name

Yun Si lowered her body, “Your Majesty.”

“Pour water,” a slightly cold voice came, devoid of emotion. Perhaps he had just woken up, and his voice was a bit hoarse.

Yun Si bowed her head and walked quietly to the table. She could sense a gaze on her back, but she didn’t make any attempt to hide it. As she poured water with her back turned, she subtly exhaled. She lowered her eyes and poured a cup of water.

When she turned around, Tan Yuanchu sat motionless, looking effortless. When she handed him the cup, he raised his hand to massage his temples, seeming a bit tired.

Yun Si bit her lip, glancing at the sleeping Lu Cairen. She didn’t dare make any rash movements.

The palace was quiet for a moment. Tan Yuanchu finally took the cup, and in the dim light, their fingers touched briefly. The touch sent a subtle ripple through the air. The woman lowered her head further, while Tan Yuanchu tilted his head back and drained the cup in one gulp. His Adam’s apple moved slightly as he swallowed.

The sound of swallowing wasn’t loud, but it was particularly noticeable in the quiet palace.

The surroundings seemed to fall silent suddenly.

Yun Si involuntarily clenched her sleeve. An inexplicable atmosphere seemed to arise in the palace, filled with ambiguity and intimacy, spreading between the two of them.

“Name,” Tan Yuanchu said, speaking to Yun Si for the second time. His tone was cold, but his voice was low and husky. As he asked the question, his lowered eyes narrowed slightly, and the depths of his eyes seemed to contain a heavy, oppressive fog that made one’s heart pound.The palace was filled with the fragrance of incense, and the smoke curled up faintly.

Yun Si’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she bowed her head, her voice barely above a whisper, as if she was afraid of disturbing someone, “This servant’s name is Yun Si.”

Tan Yuanchu’s gaze swept over Lu Cairen, but he didn’t say anything else. He handed the empty cup to Yun Si.

Neither of them looked at each other. Yun Si calmly took the cup, allowing their fingers to touch briefly. She could hear the sound of his heartbeat in her ear, and she bowed her head respectfully to put the cup back in its place.

The palace door was slammed shut.

Yun Si stood outside the palace, feeling as if she had been drained. She leaned against the pillar, and a gust of cold wind blew past her. She realized that she had broken out in a cold sweat during the brief encounter in the palace.

Yun Si looked up at the sky, and the faint moonlight cast a serene glow over the courtyard. She relaxed a bit and gently lowered her gaze.

The next day, after handing over her duties to Song Rong, Yun Si returned to her quarters to rest.

She wasn’t particularly clever, but after spending so long in the palace, she knew that one couldn’t rush things.

In the Heyi Hall, Tan Yuanchu looked coldly at the palace maids attending to him. One person was notably absent, and he suddenly smiled coldly.

Lu Cairen was confused and asked, “What are you smiling at, Your Majesty?”

Tan Yuanchu’s tone was perfunctory, “Nothing.”

Lu Cairen pouted discontentedly, but then she suddenly thought of something. Her eyes lit up, and she spoke softly, “Now that the weather is hot, Your Majesty must be busy with state affairs. The maidservants in our palace are skilled at making some refreshing and cooling desserts. After lunch, I’ll have them send some to Your Majesty. What do you think?”

Tan Yuanchu smiled slightly, propping his chin up with his hand. He glanced at Song Rong indifferently, his tone light, “Oh?”

Lu Cairen’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, but she quickly shook her head, explaining, “It’s not her, it’s another maidservant named Yun Si. She was on night duty yesterday and isn’t in the palace now.”

Xu Shunfu glanced at Lu Cairen surreptitiously, shaking his head inwardly.

When he heard the familiar name, Tan Yuanchu’s movement paused almost imperceptibly. After a moment, he nodded nonchalantly.

Lu Cairen was overjoyed. She had been in the palace for almost a month and knew that the Emperor didn’t like women from the harem to appear before him. She had only meant to test the waters, but to her surprise, she actually got the Emperor’s approval.

Thinking of Yang Jieyu‘s sarcastic remarks the day before, Lu Cairen couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful. She hummed softly to herself, feeling pleased.

“What’s there to be proud of? She’s just been in the palace longer than you,” Lu Cairen thought to herself.

Lu Cairen’s good mood persisted even during the court session, and her smile was radiant. It caught the attention of the other concubines who hadn’t seen the Emperor in a while, and they couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

Yang Jieyu hadn’t served the Emperor recently and couldn’t afford to be arrogant. She attended court sessions punctually, and seeing Lu Cairen’s smile, she felt a bit irritated.

She propped her chin up with her hand and spoke in a teasing, coquettish tone,  “Oh, Lu Cairen, you’re smiling so brightly. Just be careful not to anger the Emperor again and make him stay away from the harem for half a month.”

Lu Cairen’s smile instantly fell, and she felt annoyed that Yang Jieyu always blamed her for the Emperor’s absence from the harem. If she didn’t refute it, others might believe it, and they would all resent her.

Lu Cairen’s face scrunched up in distaste, “The Emperor is busy with state affairs, and whether he comes to the harem or not is not something we concubines can decide.”

What a joke. If she could influence the Emperor’s visits to the harem, Yang Jieyu wouldn’t have the opportunity to speak sarcastically to her.

Yang Jieyu snorted, her lips curling up lazily, completely ignoring Lu Cairen’s defense.

Lu Cairen felt a bit stifled. She didn’t have Yang Jieyu’s high status, nor was she as favored. She also didn’t have the courage like Su Meiren, so she could only swallow her anger.

When the court session ended, Lu Cairen returned to the Heyi Hall, looking upset. She glanced at Xiao Rongzi, “Hasn’t Yun Si woken up yet?”

Xiao Rongzi replied, “Sister Yun Si went to the imperial kitchen to get breakfast for the mistress.”

Yun Si was one of the attendants in the palace, and everyone in the Heyi Hall, except Song Rong, would call her “sister”. Xiao Rongzi’s address didn’t sound out of place, and Lu Cairen didn’t notice anything unusual.

Lu Cairen frowned, feeling annoyed, “Tell her to stop doing that. Instead, have her make some cooling desserts in the imperial kitchen and send them to the Emperor.”

Xiao Rongzi was taken aback but didn’t dare delay. He quickly ran to the imperial kitchen to find Yun Si.

Song Rong, however, furrowed her brow, feeling uncomfortable. She spoke with a hint of emotion, “Why is the mistress sending Yun Si to the Emperor again?”

Lu Cairen had been stewing with anger in the Kunning Palace, and hearing Song Ruo’s sarcastic words, she couldn’t help but feel impatient. She snapped, “Enough, stop stirring up trouble here. I would love to send you, but can you even find your way to the Emperor?”

Song Rong was taken aback, unable to speak for a moment.

Lu Cairen felt frustrated, “You’re one of the palace maids who came with me. Can’t you just put aside your petty behavior?”

If others knew about the discord between her palace maids, they would just laugh at her.

Song Rong’s face turned pale, and she felt embarrassed as she sensed the subtle glances from around her.

Song Rong felt a bit wronged. She was only thinking of her mistress’s best interests, but instead of being appreciated, she was being scolded. She still believed that Yun Si’s presence was a potential threat.

She asked in a low tone, “Why doesn’t the mistress go herself? If you go personally, wouldn’t the Emperor be more likely to notice your intentions?”

Lu Cairen frowned, “The Emperor doesn’t like the concubines to appear before him. I’m sending Yun Si just to test the waters. Once I’m sure the Emperor won’t reject me, I’ll go myself.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Cairen felt annoyed, “Can’t you just think for yourself instead of asking me everything?”

Song Rong’s face looked a bit embarrassed.

Qiu Ling, who was watching from the side, couldn’t help but smile inwardly as she bowed her head.

Meanwhile, in the imperial kitchen, Yun Si had just received the food and was about to return to the palace when she ran into Xiao Rongzi, who was hurrying towards her.

Yun Si was surprised, “What’s wrong? Does the mistress need me for something?”Xiao Rongzi nodded and then shook his head quickly.

Yun Si was a bit confused, and Xiao Rongzi took a moment to catch his breath before relaying Lu Cairen’s instructions. Yun Si couldn’t help but be taken aback, wondering if she had heard correctly. She asked for confirmation, “The mistress wants me to go to the Emperor?”

Xiao Rongzi nodded. As he looked at his sister, he noticed that despite wearing the same palace maid attire as others, she stood out in the crowded imperial kitchen. She was holding a food box, and yet, he had spotted her immediately.

Yun Si was shocked, but she quickly composed herself. She recalled the events of the previous night and her eyelids fluttered slightly.

She handed the food box to Xiao Rongzi and returned to the imperial kitchen herself.

The Heyi Hall didn’t have a small kitchen, so if the mistress wanted to make something for the Emperor, they had to use the imperial kitchen. It was not only troublesome but also impossible to keep it a secret.

Before Yun Si even left the imperial kitchen, the news of Lu Cairen wanting to send food to the Emperor had spread throughout the harem.

In the Kunning Palace, the Empress was leisurely flipping through documents when she heard the news. She smiled lightly, “It’s normal for her to feel upset after being ridiculed by Yang Jieyu several times.”

Bai Zhi saw that the Empress wasn’t concerned and didn’t think much of the matter. After all, many people wanted to send things to the Emperor every year. If they all took it to heart, they would be driven crazy.

But Bai Zhi was curious, “Do you think Lu Cairen will succeed, Your Highness?”
The Empress put down the document and looked up, her tone indifferent, “Who knows?”

Just then, a message came from the Central Province Palace, asking if they should replenish the damaged jadeware in the Changle Palace, which had exceeded its quota this month.

Bai Zhi frowned in annoyance, “Yang Jieyu is really getting more and more unruly.”

The Empress lowered her gaze, picked up the document again, and began to flip through it. She didn’t comment on Bai Zhi’s words, and Bai Zhi immediately fell silent.

They both knew that Yang Jieyu’s arrogant behavior was backed by someone. Bai Zhi was just confused about what the Emperor saw in Yang Jieyu.

Bai Zhi wondered to herself, what exactly had the Emperor found attractive about Yang Jieyu?