Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Partiality

The lamps in Panju Hall burned the entire night.

When Tan Yuanchu sent someone to summon Imperial Physician Lin, Yun Si looked utterly puzzled and didn’t have time to stop him.

“It’s so late, why are you calling Imperial Physician Lin into the palace?”

Tan Yuanchu lowered his gaze, his eyes falling upon the woman’s lower abdomen. Yun Si felt completely ill at ease under his look and gave him a small push before he finally answered,

“When it comes to pregnancies, there is no one in the Imperial Hospital who can match Imperial Physician Lin.”

Yun Si naturally knew who Imperial Physician Lin was; what she was concerned about was that it would draw too much attention.

Tan Yuanchu lifted his eyes to her, seeming to guess her thoughts, and said offhandedly,

“As long as you are carrying the imperial heir, you are bound to attract everyone’s attention. Whether or not you call the physician has nothing to do with it.”

Yun Si blinked.

Tan Yuanchu, unused to seeing her like this, asked, “What do you want to say?”

Yun Si coughed lightly and muttered under her breath, “You also know your harem is full of women who aren’t easy to deal with.”

Tan Yuanchu narrowed his eyes slightly. Look at that, she had grown bold; even her tone had changed.

Where was the obedient demeanor from earlier?

Before Imperial Physician Lin even arrived, Yun Si yawned and leaned languidly against Tan Yuancho’s chest. Her apricot eyes drooped, drowsiness making her dazed.
Tan Yuanchu gently stroked her back and said quietly, “I’ll wait, just sleep.”

Muffled against him, she shook her head. “…I’ll keep you company.”

Perhaps she was truly exhausted, for her voice was soft and languid, making her seem especially gentle and compliant as she nestled against him. Something unnameable welled up inside Tan Yuanchu.

Truthfully, if he had to explain exactly what he liked about her, Tan Yuanchu wouldn’t know how to say it.

It was just that she could so easily stir his emotions.

Only one thing was a drawback, she wasn’t good at acting, always letting him see through her lies without much effort.

Tan Yuanchu lowered his gaze to her.
She claimed she wanted to keep him company, but with her head buried in his neck, her breathing was gradually evening out, as though she was struggling to stay awake while her eyelids battled each other.

Tan Yuanchu said nothing. Only a single candle was lit in the hall, casting a quiet dimness, and all the palace attendants held their breath to provide the woman with a peaceful space.

When Imperial Physician Lin arrived, he bent to salute but was stopped by Tan Yuanchu’s slight nod.

It was the tenth month; the autumn wind was chill, yet Imperial Physician Lin had broken into a sweat. Seeing this, he immediately fell silent and respectfully took the pulse of the woman held in the Emperor’s arms.

The pulse was indeed a slippery pulse, though a little faint, making one feel uncertain.

Imperial Physician Lin released her hand, and upon looking up found the Emperor’s gaze fixed on him. A sudden realization struck him, the Emperor seemed nervous.

Sensing this, Imperial Physician Lin quickly lowered his head to hide his surprise. He stole a discreet glance at Yun Jieyu, and his heart grew even more cautious. He dared not show the slightest negligence as he said in a low voice,
“Your Majesty, Yun Jieyu’s pulse is indeed one of joy.”

The hall was silent for a moment. Tan Yuanchu’s eyelids seemed to tremble slightly; after a long while, when he looked up again, his emotions were already concealed.
He gave a small nod.

“You’ve worked hard. Go down and collect your reward.”

Imperial Physician Lin dared not utter congratulations. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned to leave. But just as he was about to step out of the hall, something caught his peripheral vision, making him freeze.

The man reached out and touched the woman’s abdomen, just a fleeting touch before pulling away. His lips were pressed tight, and though he seemed tense, there was also a trace of cautious care in his demeanor.

Imperial Physician Lin hastily withdrew his gaze in astonishment.

In the palace, concubines often summoned him for pregnancy diagnoses; he had witnessed countless occasions where a concubine was confirmed to be pregnant. Yet it seemed he had never seen the Emperor like this before.

In the past, he had often heard people say that Yun Jieyu was favored, but Imperial Physician Lin had always thought those claims were somewhat exaggerated.

It wasn’t until today that he realized, this rumor was no baseless fabrication.

For a long while, there was no one else in the hall—only Tan Yuanchu and Yun Si. Yun Si had already fallen asleep, but Tan Yuanchu lay awake in the darkness, his eyes showing no trace of drowsiness.

One arm guarded Yun Si, his palm gently resting on her lower abdomen.

That place was perfectly flat, no different from usual, and Tan Yuanchu found it hard to imagine that within it a life would be nurtured, one who would one day call him Imperial Father.

This wasn’t his first time becoming an imperial father, yet for the first time he felt a kind of belated wonder and joy, an indescribable, unstoppable surge of emotion in his heart.

When his own father had been Emperor, Tan Yuanchu had never understood, why, among all his father’s children, he would so blatantly favor one above the others.

But today, Tan Yuanchu vaguely understood.

Just as there were concubines who rose in rank through bearing children, there were also imperial heirs whose status rose because of their mothers.

Yun Si had only just been confirmed pregnant, yet he was already thinking about how she should be treated after giving birth to the heir.

But in the past, when other concubines became pregnant, his feelings were always distant. He would think that perhaps the child might not be born safely, and that if he invested too much emotion too soon, it might all end in nothing.

He had been stingy, offering only a little hope.

It was unfair.

Only now did Tan Yuanchu truly understand how difficult it was to “treat all equally.” Once the heart leaned toward someone, it was nearly impossible to act without bias.

After a long time, deep in the silent night, a nearly imperceptible sigh sounded in the hall.

Someone did not sleep the whole night.

—

The next day, when Yun Si woke, it was already the hour of chen. Still groggy, she sat up and, after a long moment, finally remembered, yesterday, she had seemingly forgotten all about Tan Yuanchu.

She had simply gone to sleep on her own.

Letting out a pained groan, Yun Si covered her face in misery.

The sound startled Qiu Yuan, who hurriedly lifted the bed curtains and looked her over from head to toe, asking worriedly, “Mistress, are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

Yesterday, after Yun Si was diagnosed as pregnant, every servant in Panju Hall had been lectured by the Emperor. Now, even if she merely sneezed, the palace attendants would probably all be on edge.

Still hiding her face, Yun Si furtively peeked around the room and asked in a low voice,

“Where is he?”

Qiu Yuan, puzzled, replied, “There was morning court today, His Majesty left around the hour of mao(5-7am).”

Yun Si let out a long breath of relief.

She got up and dressed before answering Qiu Yuan’s question. “I’m fine.”

But when her gaze brushed over her lower abdomen, her apricot eyes trembled slightly. She couldn’t help but place a hand over it, and after a long while, she quietly withdrew her hand.

To be honest, she didn’t feel anything at all.

If the imperial physician hadn’t said she was pregnant, she wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss.

It wasn’t until breakfast was brought in, and she found herself completely without appetite, that she felt a faint sense of reality. Frowning, she hesitated for a moment before asking Qiu Yuan,

“Do you think… in a while, I’ll end up retching at the slightest smell, to the point the sky and earth spin?”

Having been tormented before, Yun Si had no desire to go through that again.

Qiu Yuan gave her a helpless look. “Why is Mistress scaring herself like this?

This servant thinks the imperial heir in your belly will be well-behaved and sensible, perhaps it won’t trouble you at all.”

Yun Si murmured softly, “I would hope so.”

After breakfast, she went to Kunning Palace to pay respects. Passing the main hall of Chu’an Palace, Yun Si cast an inconspicuous glance toward it.

Qiu Yuan noticed and whispered, “When Su Jieyu was pregnant back then, His Majesty even promoted her rank. Mistress, don’t worry, you’ll move in sooner or later.”

Being able to move into the main hall meant becoming a third-rank consort.

Catching the implication in Qiu Yuan’s words, Yun Si’s lips curved slightly. In this harem of countless concubines, only upon reaching third rank could one truly be said to have endured to the top. If she could be promoted, Yun Si would of course be overjoyed.

But she still kept her reason. Lowering her eyes slightly, she pressed her lips together.

“It’s not the same.”

Rising from Guipin to Jieyu and rising from Jieyu to Zhaoyi were completely different matters.

Only from third rank upward could one be considered high-ranking.

Yun Si let out a quiet breath, without discouragement. Supported by Qiu Yuan, she boarded the palanquin. She knew clearly in her heart that she still had a hard battle ahead and could not relax in the slightest.

At Kunning Palace, the concubines had all come early to pay respects today. Each of them seemed a little distracted, occasionally glancing toward the beaded curtain.

The atmosphere was listless.

No wonder, after learning yesterday that Yun Jieyu was pregnant, who could have gone home and slept soundly?

When the attendants announced Yun Jieyu’s arrival, the hall fell solemnly silent. All eyes turned toward the curtain.

Yun Si entered with the sunlight behind her. She wore a palace gown of rouge-colored cloud-patterned brocade, draped with a cloak. She was more radiant than flowers themselves.
With no makeup on, her cheeks were still fair with a faint natural pink, and even the warm sun seemed to favor her, lingering on her for a long while.

By the time the others came back to their senses, Yun Si was already seated. She sat in a relaxed posture, lifting her apricot eyes with a hint of puzzlement.

“Why is everyone looking at me? Is something wrong with me today?”

The hall was quiet for a moment before one of the concubines suddenly felt a touch of bitterness.

The moment Yun Jieyu appeared, she had eclipsed the bearing of everyone else, making it impossible for them to look away, let alone for His Majesty.

It was Qiu Baolin who broke the silence.

“Yun Jieyu’s bearing is so exceptional that we were all a bit dazed looking at you and forgot ourselves for a moment. Please don’t take offense.”

Yun Si covered her lips and gave a light laugh, her apricot eyes seeming to hold scattered starlight. Her voice was crisp.

“With you praising me like this, if I were to take offense, wouldn’t that make me unreasonable?”

With Consort De gravely ill, Consort Jing habitually absent from morning greetings, and Qi Guipin claiming illness, Yun Shi’s rank was unexpectedly the highest in the hall after the Empress.

Naturally, there were two or three other Jieyus present, but only Su Jieyu enjoyed significant imperial favor, the rest preferred to keep a low profile.

Even Yun Si herself was surprised today, for she was seated in the first position at the Empress’s lower right.

Before Consort De’s illness, this seat had always been hers. Later, when she became too ill to leave Yihe Palace, the one occupying it became Meng Jieyu.

Such an arrangement was beyond reproach.

Yun Si also knew well that there was an undercurrent of discord between her and Su Jieyu, yet Su Jieyu was under the Empress’s protection. No matter whether she or Su Jieyu sat in this seat, it would stir controversy.

Better to yield it.

Meng Jieyu had been married into the royal household for eleven years, entering in the same year as the Empress herself. In terms of seniority, her sitting here would invite no idle gossip from anyone.

But Yun Si hadn’t expected that today, Meng Jieyu would give up the seat, so that she and Su Jieyu ended up sitting opposite one another, with Meng Jieyu seated just below her.

Yun Si glanced at Meng Jieyu, who smiled with pressed lips, then quickly lowered her gaze, quietly waiting for the Empress to appear.

Yun Si raised her brows, somewhat understanding her thoughts.

Meng Jieyu had no desire to be drawn into her conflict with Su Jieyu. Now that Yun Si was pregnant, this was the perfect opportunity for Meng Jieyu to withdraw from the spotlight.

Yun Si wasn’t surprised by her choice, after all, how many in this palace were as lacking in sense as An Cairen?

The Empress arrived on time, and after allowing everyone to rise, she had Qiu Yuan assist Yun Si, causing Yun Si’s cheeks to flush.
She said shyly, “Am I really so delicate?”

The Empress disagreed, looking at her. “You, your pregnancy isn’t yet past the third month. This is the critical time. One can’t be too careful.”

Su Jieyu lifted her cup and sipped her tea. The Empress’s words drifted into her ears, yet whether the tea was sweet or bitter, she couldn’t taste a thing.

The Empress had Yun Si sit down. Instead of tea, there was a bowl of sour plum soup set before her.

“His Majesty sent word before morning court, saying that your condition is heavy. From now on, you are exempt from all morning greetings, so you won’t overexert yourself.”

Yun Si was momentarily stunned.

When had she ever overexerted herself?

She noticed the Empress seemed to glance at her knee, and she suddenly choked back a response. Yesterday’s situation had been exceptional.

She wasn’t so foolishly servile, if she could avoid kneeling, why would she rush to do it?

Lowering her eyes, her face seemingly flushed with embarrassment, she said softly, “His Majesty overstates things, making Your Highness worry as well.”

Su Jieyu set down her cup and said coolly, “It’s truly because Yun Jieyu is favored. To have His Majesty care so much, personally instructing in all things, just upon discovering the pregnancy.”

As soon as the words left her lips, the other concubines’ eyes inevitably shifted to Yun Si.

There was nothing technically wrong with what Su Jieyu said, after all, she herself had been pregnant before.
When had His Majesty ever shown her such concern?

Yun Si lifted her gaze slightly. The flush on her face hadn’t yet faded, but her voice was soft as she said,

“Is Su Jieyu complaining that His Majesty wasn’t attentive enough to you?”

She disliked those who pushed their luck.

They held the same rank, what exactly gave Su Jieyu the right to keep throwing her attitude at her?

Su Jieyu’s face suddenly darkened.
Whether or not the Emperor cared for her was something they both knew well, but no matter what, she could not openly complain about him.

In sharp tongues, she was never a match for Yun Si, yet she couldn’t stomach letting Yun Si have it so easy.

She suddenly curved her lips faintly.

“These past two years, pregnancies among the harem’s concubines have often met ill ends. Yun Jieyu, you must take good care of the imperial heir in your womb, don’t end up with the same fate as mine.”

Her gaze landed, neither too heavy nor too light, on Yun Si’s abdomen.

Yun Si’s eyes cooled.
She didn’t bother to shield her belly, letting Su Jieyu look as she pleased. She stirred her silver spoon, the utensil gently tapping against the rim of the bowl.
The sour plum soup was bright and appetizing, yet she hadn’t touched it. She smiled softly.

“With your reminder, Su Jieyu, I certainly won’t end up like you. After all, a miscarriage with the culprit still untraced for so long, that’s a situation unique to you in the entire harem. Others would find it hard to imitate even if they wanted to.”

Su Jieyu’s expression changed instantly.

“You—!”

Yun Si unhurriedly lifted her gaze to meet hers.

All around, the concubines fell silent in an instant.

Who didn’t know that the matter of Su Jieyu’s miscarriage, with no culprit ever found, had always been a thorn in her heart?

And yet Yun Jieyu dared to touch it.

The air between them was faintly tense, as if on the verge of confrontation. Someone glanced toward the Empress, curious to see whose side she would take.

Between the two, one was deeply favored by the Emperor, the other had long been under the Empress’s protection.

The Empress rubbed her forehead lightly, feeling a headache coming on.

“Enough. Yun Jieyu is with child, Su Jieyu, you ought to mind your words.”

Su Jieyu’s head snapped up toward the Empress, a flicker of disbelief in her eyes.

She should mind her words?

Did the Empress not hear what Yun Si had just said?
Yun Si had used her miscarriage to openly and implicitly mock her, how could the Empress fail to catch that?!

After a long moment, Su Jieyu’s lips twitched faintly.

How could the Empress possibly not hear?

But wasn’t this her way all along?
Whoever the Emperor favored, she favored as well.

Su Jieyu clenched her handkerchief, lowered her gaze, and said without discernible emotion,

“This concubine knows her mistake and will remember Your Highness’s teaching.”

Yun Si raised her brows slightly, glancing at the Empress. She felt sure the Empress must be quite vexed at the moment.

The Empress might wish to help Su Jieyu, but unfortunately, rotten wood could not be carved.

Yun Si’s guess was correct, the Empress was more than just vexed. For a moment, she didn’t even want to manage Su Jieyu anymore.

Could Su Jieyu not see the situation clearly?

Never mind that Yun Si now enjoyed deep imperial favor, just the fact that she was carrying the imperial heir made her more precious than anyone else. For Su Jieyu to bring up her pregnancy in such a way, if word of that reached the Emperor’s ears, would she even keep her life?

If the Empress didn’t warn her today, then in future the one giving the warning would be the Emperor, and then it wouldn’t be just a warning.

How long did Su Jieyu think the Emperor’s pity for her would last?

After the morning greeting was dismissed, Bai Zhi instructed the servants to tidy the hall.

When she saw that the bowl of sour plum soup prepared for Yun Si had not been touched, she paused for a moment and looked hesitantly at the Empress.

“Your Majesty, if things go on like this, you and Yun Jieyu will eventually grow apart.”

Between Yun Jieyu and Su Jieyu, sooner or later, a choice would have to be made.

The Empress closed her eyes in weary silence.