Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Before the Emperor

In the Chaoyang Palace, the palace maids passing by kept their heads down, moving quietly to avoid disturbing the occupants.

The Changle Hall was located on the eastern side of the Chaoyang Palace, and Yang Jieyu resided there.

When the news of the Heyi Hall sending food to the Emperor reached the Changle Hall, Yang Jieyu’s face immediately turned sour. The palace maids serving her kept their heads down, not daring to breathe loudly, knowing that Yang Jieyu had a bad temper and would often scold or beat them.

When Ya Ling returned from the Central Province Hall and lifted the curtain, she heard Yang Jieyu mutter angrily, “A bunch of seductresses!”

Yang Jieyu sat on the couch, dressed in a pink luxurious gown, with several palace maids standing by her side. Her eyebrows were furrowed, revealing her irritability.

Ya Ling saw the situation and sighed inwardly. Since the new concubine entered the palace, Yang Jieyu had been restless. The Emperor didn’t visit the harem often, and now he had to divide his attention between Yang Jieyu and the new concubine. Moreover, after the new concubine’s arrival, except for Yang Jieyu’s one night of serving the Emperor, all other opportunities had fallen to the new concubine.

The concubines who followed Yang Jieyu from her old mansion had served the Emperor for four or five years. Although they were still young and beautiful, they couldn’t compare to the new concubine. If it was just about appearance, Yang Jieyu wouldn’t lose to the new concubine, but even the most beautiful face could become stale after a while.

Yang Jieyu couldn’t help but feel anxious, and these emotions were hard to express, turning into irritability. Ya Ling spoke softly, trying to comfort her, “Why bother with them, Mistress? Not everyone can go before the Emperor. Lu Cairen will surely face criticism soon.”

In the afternoon, when people usually felt drowsy, Yang Jieyu would often take a short nap. Ya Ling helped her up and sat her in front of the dressing table. Yang Jieyu looked at the woman in the bronze mirror and sneered, not believing Ya Ling’s words.
She instructed, “Keep an eye on them.”

In the imperial study, Tan Yuanchu was handling state affairs, leaning over his desk. The court officials had just left, and he had a look of fatigue on his face. Suddenly, he remembered something and looked up at the hourglass, asking Xu Shunfu, “What time is it?”

Xu Shunfu thought to himself, hadn’t the Emperor already looked at the hourglass?
Why did he need to ask him again? But he didn’t dare ask and instead exaggeratedly looked at the hourglass, showing a mixture of respect and pretended surprise, “Oh, it’s almost noon!”

Tan Yuanchu narrowed his eyes at him.

Xu Shunfu smiled awkwardly and looked away, tentatively asking, “Should I send someone to call for food?”

Tan Yuanchu didn’t respond, just lowering his eyelids without much emotion.

Well, Xu Shunfu thought he understood. The Heyi Hall really didn’t know how to behave. They said they would send food in the afternoon, but were they really planning to wait until after lunch to send it over?
Who would be eating it then?

Xu Shunfu couldn’t help but think that the mistress of the Heyi Hall lacked common sense. If she had any sense of propriety, she wouldn’t have suggested sending Yun Si to the Emperor’s presence today.

Xu Shunfu had seen all sorts of concubines, but this one was particularly… Hard to say.

As he was lost in thought, a quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Tan Yuanchu looked up and glanced at someone who lacked common sense, his tone a bit cold, “Are you planning to stand here all day?”

Xu Shunfu was startled and smiled awkwardly, “I’ll go call for food, Your Majesty!”

Calling for food was just a pretext; he mainly wanted to go see what the Heyi Hall was up to.

Xu Shunfu left the imperial study and was about to head to the harem when he saw a palace maid carrying a food box approaching. Xu Shunfu’s eyes lit up, and he knew the situation. He didn’t maintain his usual dignified demeanor and quickly went to meet her. However, as he got closer, his footsteps slowed down, and his expression became a bit strange.

When the maid approached, she immediately put on a smile, “Greetings, Eunuch Xu. The weather is hot, and our mistress is concerned about Your Majesty’s well-being. She specifically instructed me to bring a bowl of iced plum juice for Your Majesty. Please announce my arrival.”

Xu Shunfu saw that it wasn’t the person he expected to see, and he was taken aback. For a moment, he didn’t respond.

Ya Ling saw that he didn’t respond for a long time and asked hesitantly, “Eunuch Xu?”

Earlier, Ya Ling had just comforted her mistress, and then her mistress suddenly instructed her to send some plum juice to the Emperor. The weather was hot, and iced plum juice was always prepared in the Changle Hall. Moreover, the Changle Hall had a small kitchen, so it was convenient to prepare a new portion. It wasn’t like the Heyi Hall, where making a simple dish was a big ordeal.

Ya Ling understood the mistress’s intentions.

If she and the Heyi Hall sent food at the same time, and the Emperor’s people refused her, then the Heyi Hall wouldn’t be able to enter either. In terms of status and favor, the Heyi Hall was inferior to her mistress. If the Heyi Hall’s food was accepted, then her mistress’s iced plum juice would naturally be accepted as well.

No matter how she looked at it, her mistress wouldn’t lose out.

Xu Shunfu regained his composure and smiled at Ya Ling, but he didn’t agree. If it was any other day, he would have let the Changle Hall’s gift through. But today was different.

Xu Shunfu, even with his limited sense of propriety, knew that the Emperor hadn’t eaten lunch yet and was waiting for someone. It wasn’t Yang Jieyu or Lu Cairen, but a little-known palace maid.

If he let the Changle Hall’s people in at this moment, wouldn’t he be ruining the Emperor’s mood?

So, Xu Shunfu shook his head, “I’m afraid it’s not convenient today, Sister Ya Ling.”

Ya Ling’s eyes flickered, and she looked embarrassed, “Eunuch Xu, this is the mistress’s order. If I don’t complete it, I’ll face consequences when I return. Please, Eunuch, have some mercy.”

Xu Shunfu smiled without saying a word. He thought to himself, if he let her in, he would be the one facing consequences.

Ya Ling understood Xu Shunfu’s meaning from his expression and gripped the food box tightly. She didn’t press the issue further, knowing that the people in the Emperor’s presence were proud and stubborn. They might appear polite, but they were decisive and wouldn’t budge.

Ya Ling smiled wryly, “In that case, I won’t make things difficult for you, Eunuch.”

She said this and turned to leave, but her pace was particularly slow. She knew that the imperial kitchen had to prepare meals for each palace, and even if they gave the Heyi Hall a favor, it would still take some time. So, the Heyi Hall’s speed would definitely be faster than hers.

But no matter how slow she was, the Heyi Hall should have arrived by now.

As soon as she thought this, Ya Ling caught sight of a palace maid carrying a food box approaching out of the corner of her eye. She immediately became alert. Since she and the woman were walking in different directions, she couldn’t see the woman’s profile clearly, but she was still slightly surprised.

The woman wore a light green jacket and skirt, and despite the loose palace maid attire, her slender figure was still visible. The loose clothing actually accentuated her fine waist. Ya Ling caught a glimpse of the woman’s pale profile as she passed by, and she seemed to glimpse a hint of elegance. When Ya Ling turned back, she could only see the woman’s back.

When the woman approached Xu Shunfu, Ya Ling finally snapped back to reality. She frowned, feeling a bit surprised that she had been distracted by a servant girl.

But soon, Ya Ling pushed this momentary distraction aside because Eunuch Xu actually let the woman in!

Ya Ling’s expression changed, and she immediately turned around to go back. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t sent the plum juice to the Emperor’s presence, but it was unacceptable that she hadn’t sent it while the Heyi Hall had. This was a blatant slap in the mistress’s face!

When the incident became known in the harem, the mistress would naturally not be blamed, but she, as the servant, would be held responsible for not doing her job properly. Even if the mistress valued her, she would still face a reprimand.

The sound of her turning around caught Xu Shunfu’s attention, and he stopped, feeling a bit awkward. He pretended to be surprised and asked, “Why did you come back, Sister Ya Ling?”

Ya Ling felt a bit unhappy and her tone was no longer enthusiastic. She forced a smile, “Didn’t Eunuch Xu say that it wasn’t convenient to send food to the Emperor’s presence today?”
Xu Shunfu’s smile remained unchanged, “Indeed, it’s not convenient.”

Seeing that he still had the same attitude, Ya Ling frowned, her tone revealing some dissatisfaction, “But if I’m not mistaken, someone just went in?”

Xu Shunfu felt a bit annoyed at being questioned. He thought to himself, since others could go in and she couldn’t, shouldn’t she reflect on herself? As a servant, he was just following orders, so what was the point of questioning him?

Xu Shunfu’s smile became a bit colder, “The Emperor agreed to let the Heyi Hall send food today, so that’s why they were allowed to go in. Do you have any other questions, Sister Ya Ling?”

Noticing the change in Xu Shunfu’s attitude, Ya Ling paused and didn’t dare ask any more questions. She turned around and left, feeling frustrated.

After returning, Ya Ling embellished the story and told it to Yang Jieyu, her voice trembling with indignation, “I told him it was Mistress’s special request to send food to the Emperor, but he refused to even announce me. And when the Heyi Hall’s people came, he didn’t even ask any questions and let them in!”

Yang Jieyu’s anger suddenly flared up, and she scolded, “That dog of a servant! I’m not out of favor yet!”

Seeing that the mistress’s anger had shifted to someone else, Ya Ling breathed a sigh of relief, careful not to show it.

Meanwhile, in the imperial study, there was a moment of silence.

After preparing the food, Yun Si returned to the Heyi Hall and let the mistress inspect it before sending it to the Emperor’s presence.

After busying herself in the imperial kitchen for a while, she looked a bit disheveled. The mistress couldn’t bear to look at her and told her to tidy herself up.

Yun Si returned to her room to wash her hands and face, making sure her clothes weren’t stained. She didn’t change her clothes, but before leaving the room, she quickly went back to apply a small amount of fragrant balm to her wrists and the back of her neck.

The fragrance was subtle and wouldn’t be noticeable from a distance, but if someone got close or in a secluded environment, the scent would slowly become apparent.

When she didn’t change her clothes, the mistress complained, “You didn’t clean up thoroughly. Never mind, we’re running out of time. Hurry up and send the food!”

Despite the complaint, Yun Si didn’t miss the brief moment of relaxation in the mistress’s eyes, indicating that her actions had unconsciously put the mistress at ease.

Yun Si lowered her eyelids slightly.

When she arrived at the imperial study, she saw from a distance that Ya Ling from the Changle Hall was leaving.

After hesitating for a moment, Yun Si approached. To her surprise, Xu Shunfu was very agreeable and only briefly checked the food before letting her in.

It was so easy that Yun Si felt a bit surprised.

The door opened and then slowly closed, and Xu Shunfu didn’t follow her in. The room suddenly fell silent.

A soft sound came from inside, and Yun Si looked up to see the Emperor putting down his brush. He leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed and casual, and gazed at her with a hint of indifference. Their eyes met.

The scene made Yun Si feel like she was reliving the moment from the previous day.

Her fingers in her sleeves trembled slightly, and she involuntarily clenched the food box tightly. Her breathing slowed down, and she became aware of the tension in her heart.

Tan Yuanchu seemed to have noticed something too, and a spark of interest flashed in his eyes. The woman stood there, not following the usual rules of calmness, and Tan Yuanchu suddenly realized something.

This was her test, and she did have ambition, and it wasn’t shallow. She wanted to break free from her current identity but didn’t want to make it too easy for him. She wanted to find a balance.

Or rather, she was trying to use her coyness to gauge him.

It’s just that Tan Yuanchu wasn’t willing to play along with her.

Since he had decided to pursue her, he wouldn’t let her take things slowly.

Tan Yuanchu pointedly gestured to the spot beside him, his chin slightly raised, “Come here.”

Yun Si was taken aback, and it took her half a beat to respond. She picked up the food box and stepped forward lightly.

Her footsteps were indeed very light, a habit she had developed over two years as a servant. Finally, she stopped in front of the Emperor, and Xu Shunfu still hadn’t come in.

Suddenly, a realization dawned on Yun Si. Before she left this room, no one else would come in today.