Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Confinement

No one knew of the wild night in Chu’an Palace.

Warm sunlight streamed into the hall. Yun Si lay on the bed, her head buried under the brocade quilt, only a bit of black hair peeking out. Her hands ached in an indescribable way, making her bury her face deeper, unwilling to show herself.

Someone pulled her out, and she could guess who it was. She let out a soft whimper, unable to see his face, her taut back exposed under the sunlight. Her butterfly bones were slender, the lines on both sides dipping inward at the waist.

Her body trembled lightly. Someone’s gaze paused, and he draped an outer robe over her, covering some of the spring-like scene. His voice was slightly taut and hoarse.

“Don’t smother yourself.”

Yun Si hadn’t expected him to still be there. She did a quick mental count and realized he had no morning court today.

Her embarrassment, which had been only thirty percent, instantly became seventy. Her cheeks flushed red, and she dared not raise her head as she mumbled, “Why are you still here?”

She didn’t look up, but in lowering her head she caught sight of the pair of hands clasped at her waist. The fingers were long, the bones distinct, resting with perfect composure on her waist hollow, as if those very hands had done nothing at all the previous night.

Yun Si could not be so calm. She lifted her hands to cover her face.

She couldn’t help recalling the disapproving glance Qiu Yuan had cast her yesterday when the hall had been calling for water, and her heart twinged faintly.

In a muffled, soft, aggrieved voice, she protested,

“Your concubine has no face left to see anyone.”

He was unmoved, even asking quietly, “Who would dare laugh at you?”

As though if she gave a name, he would take her side without hesitation.

Yun Si was briefly at a loss for words.

The man behind her continued unhurriedly,

“Weren’t you much bolder back at the temporary palace? How is it your skin has grown thinner now?”

Hearing him bring up the past, Yun Si’s toes curled from mortification.
How could the two situations be the same?

That time had been unintentional; now she was with child, such a thing shouldn’t be done at all. Annoyed, she gave him a push and mumbled, “Don’t say any more!”

Seeing that she was truly upset, Tan Yuanchu didn’t dare tease further and instead said,

“If you’re worried, I can summon the imperial physician to take a look.”

He felt he had been very careful, at the slightest sign of discomfort from her, he would not go further, every step taken in accordance with her will.

Only, when daylight came, someone would always deny everything.

Following his words, Yun Si thought of the disapproving looks from Imperial Physician Lin and Qu Mama, and her scalp tingled. She grabbed Tan Yuanchu’s sleeve, too concerned to feel embarrassed.

“Don’t summon him.”

Imperial Physician Lin came every day to check her pulse for peace; if there was any problem, he would know then.

To call him specially now would be like proclaiming there was silver buried here.

Seeing her cheeks rosy and her whole self without the slightest sign of discomfort, Tan Yuanchu didn’t insist. He nodded to follow her wishes, then said lazily,

“Qu Mama has already reheated the medicinal soup three times, are you still not getting up?”

Yun Si’s whole body froze.
She glanced toward the sandglass in the hall; it was nearly midday.

She felt like crying without tears, tugged on Tan Yuanchu’s sleeve, and bit her lip to stress.

“Last night it was you who insisted your concubine thank you.”

She had been forced.

Tan Yuanchu, his robes loose, lounged against the bed, gaze lowered toward her. Noticing her tension about Qu Mama, he raised an eyebrow lightly and nodded as if nothing was amiss, agreeing to keep their story straight.

Only then did Yun Si dare let Qiu Yuan in to attend her.

When the palace doors opened, attendants filed in carrying silver basins. Qu Mama was among them, bringing the medicinal soup and setting it on a nearby table, waiting quietly for Her Ladyship to wash.

She glanced around and easily noticed the unusual air in the hall, the faint trace of intimacy suggesting what had happened yesterday.

Lifting her eyes, she saw someone’s arm hooked around the lady’s waist, softly coaxing her not to lift her head. Realizing something, Qu Mama looked up and shook her head at her almost imperceptibly.

Qu Mama inwardly shook her head in exasperation, Her Ladyship was truly muddleheaded, how could she let His Majesty have his way?

Qiu Yuan silently washed her mistress’s face and hands. Tan Yuanchu had Xu Shunfu to serve him; apart from Yun Si in the past, he never liked being attended by palace maids, and the attendants in Chu’an Palace did not overstep.

Usually, Yun Si would dawdle over her medicinal soup, but perhaps out of guilt today, she drank it down in one go without needing anyone to urge her.

Then, she stole a sideways glance at Qu Mama.

Qu Mama sighed inwardly and could only say something to ease her mind. “Your Ladyship’s complexion looks very good today.”

Yun Si’s apricot eyes lit up, and much of the unease between her brows vanished.

When Imperial Physician Lin came and confirmed there was no problem, she finally straightened her back and her expression returned to normal. Tan Yuanchu couldn’t help glancing at her, the corners of his lips lifting faintly.

He stayed with her through the midday meal before leaving.

Once he was gone, Qiu Yuan couldn’t hold back from speaking,

“You are only just three months along, Your Ladyship, that was far too reckless.”

Her Ladyship was with child, and Qiu Yuan, knowing she lacked experience in such matters, had sought much guidance from Qu Mama. She naturally knew that at such a time Her Ladyship ought to avoid the bedchamber.

Yun Si’s cheeks flushed scarlet. She wanted to explain, but the fact that there had been calls for water in the hall yesterday was undeniable. She could only say,

“There won’t be a next time.”

Qiu Yuan didn’t believe a word of it. Whether there was a next time or not was hardly for Her Ladyship to decide. Besides, she had already seen clearly, Her Ladyship simply couldn’t resist when His Majesty coaxed her.

It was just then that news from the morning greetings reached Chu’an Palace.

At the mention of serious matters, the trace of blush on Yun Si’s face vanished completely. She lifted her eyes with a hint of surprise.

“What did you say?”

Song Fu repeated, “Su Jieyu has been punished with ten days of confinement and copying the palace rules three times.”

He recounted the matter from start to finish, and only then did Yun Si and Qiu Yuan understand what had happened.

It turned out that after the morning greetings were dismissed, Meng Xiurong had hurried back to her palace. Nearing the Imperial Garden, Su Jieyu’s procession, who knew how, directly collided with hers.
Startled and angered, Meng Xiurong ordered Su Jieyu to kneel in the Imperial Garden as punishment.

It was now the twelfth month, and the cold outside was biting, seeping into one’s bones. Even the most patient person would not want to remain outside for long.

At such a time, kneeling for two or three hours would tax even an iron body.

Su Jieyu’s nature had always been unyielding. Moreover, in her eyes, Meng Xiurong’s position had been gained through scheming over the little princess, so her authority was greatly diminished in Su Jieyu’s mind.

Unwilling to submit to punishment, she directly clashed with Meng Xiurong. The matter escalated to the Empress, and although in the end she was spared kneeling, she was given confinement and the punishment of copying the palace rules.

The real offense was that Su Jieyu had defied someone of higher rank.

Song Fu shook his head with a smile. “I hear Meng Xiurong had no objection to the Empress’s handling of it, but when Su Jieyu left Kunning Palace, her face did not look pleasant.”

He thought Su Jieyu was rather foolish.

Ten days of confinement, what kind of punishment was that?

It’s not as if she had the ability to guarantee she would be summoned to the bedchamber in those ten days. Since that was so, confinement was really just ten days of rest. And as for the palace rules, how many mistresses actually wrote them out themselves?
Weren’t they always done by the servants in their stead?

What’s more, the timing of this ten-day confinement was interesting, ten days later would be New Year’s Eve. The Empress had clearly never intended to keep her from the New Year’s banquet in the first place.

The Empress was already being partial enough, yet the one being favored didn’t even realize it, and might even harbor resentment.

Song Fu clicked his tongue softly, feeling a bit fortunate, thankfully, his mistress wasn’t Su Jieyu, or he would be worried sick.

Qiu Yuan had no comment on the Empress’s decision.
She looked calmly at Her Ladyship.

“It seems Meng Xiurong has made her move.”

What was unexpected was that her target was actually Su Jieyu, not Qi Guipin.

Yun Si nodded. “It’s not hard to understand. Comparatively, Su Jieyu is easier to deal with and won’t draw attention.”

From the time she had entered the palace in the selection, Su Jieyu had always been like this, slightly provoke her, and she would bite the hook.

—

After Su Jieyu was confined, she was furious, leaving Kunning Palace with a cold face.

Hearing of it, Qi Guipin found herself speechless.

Back when she had still been Rong Zhaoyi, she had always shown the utmost respect to the Empress, never daring the slightest slip.
Just where had Su Jieyu gotten such gall?

Thinking of how the Empress had always, in subtle ways, shielded Su Jieyu, Qi Guipin couldn’t help finding it ironic.

“Truly, give her a measure of rice and she returns with resentment.”

She didn’t care to comment on Su Jieyu any further, nor did she bother to pay more attention to her confinement. In fact, it wasn’t a bad thing for her to keep quiet for a while.

In Kunning Palace

Bai Zhi was seething with anger. She fumed, “That Su Jieyu really doesn’t know her place!”

There had been countless favored consorts in the palace over the years, who would dare show a dark face in Kunning Palace?

The expression on Su Jieyu’s face as she left was nothing short of venting her dissatisfaction toward Her Highness.

What a joke.

What right did she have to be dissatisfied with Her Majesty?

If not for Her Highness, could she ever have risen to the rank of Jieyu today?

The Empress ignored her complaints, her thoughts unreadable. She frowned. “Have someone keep an eye on Su Jieyu.”

Others might not notice anything, but the Empress knew Meng Xiurong to some extent, she was not someone who would grow arrogant after gaining favor, or else His Majesty would never have entrusted her with raising the little princess.

And yet today she had crossed with Su Jieyu. Meng Xiurong was not unaware of the Empress’s care for Su Jieyu, yet she still bore a subtle hostility toward her.

As for Su Jieyu?

She probably still thought that their initial collision had been nothing more than an accident.

The Empress felt a bit of a headache. She had chosen to make use of Su Jieyu at first because of her family background, and in large part because she thought Su Jieyu was not clever but not entirely bad either.

Who knew that after the miscarriage incident, it wouldn’t make her wiser, but would instead strip away what few good points she still had.

The Empress also recalled Su Jieyu’s meeting with Qi Guipin the day before and sighed softly.

Bai Zhi was a little indignant.

“Your Highness, can we not just leave her to her own fate? This servant sees she has no gratitude toward you at all, instead, she even resents you.”

The Empress closed her eyes, her tone weary. “Even if this palace protects her, how long can I protect her for?”

Her so-called protection of Su Jieyu had always been more about easing her own conscience. She had been married into the prince’s household for twelve years, and now whenever she looked in the mirror, she always felt that the person in the bronze was a little unfamiliar.

She didn’t want to end up becoming someone she herself no longer recognized.

Bai Zhi fell silent.

She bit her lip, her eyes tinged with heartache. Everyone was changing. She still remembered when they had first married into the prince’s household, back then, Consort De didn’t seem so bad.

She would feel shy stealing glances at Her Highness when she found the pastries delicious, would hide from household duties when they gave her a headache, would fret aloud when Her Highness fell ill. Otherwise, why would Her Highness have trusted her so much as to let down her guard against Consort De even during pregnancy?

But over the days and years, that girl who had still been a bit coquettish upon first entering the household gradually became quiet and mild. Bai Zhi could barely remember what Consort De had been like at the start.

Bai Zhi gave up any thought of advising Her Highness.

No matter what Her Highness chose to do, she could only hope she might live more as she pleased.

—

Ten days was neither long nor short.

But for certain people, those ten days were like living through years.

Song Fu thought serving as a palace man to Su Jieyu would be enough to worry someone to death, and he was right, Bai Shao was so worried she could hardly sleep.

The palace rules could be copied by servants; the mistress only needed to behave herself and remain in the palace for ten days. But her mistress felt wronged, fine, let her feel wronged, but even so, she could only vent within the palace; her discontent could never reach beyond Qingyu Courtyard.

What worried Bai Shao was that the brazier coals in the hall were growing fewer and fewer, and the Central Province Hall had yet to send any new supply.

There was only one brazier burning in Qingyu Courtyard. Though there was some warmth in the hall, it was not much. Bai Shao’s hands, tucked in her sleeves, still felt cold.

A draft slipped in through the cracks of the lattice windows, and Su Jieyu couldn’t help sneezing. Wrapped in a crane cloak, she still shivered a little. She frowned deeply and asked Bai Shao,

“Why is it so cold? Where’s the charcoal? Light two more braziers.”

Bai Shao opened her mouth but made no sound.

Su Jieyu, dissatisfied with her hemming and hawing, furrowed her brows, but since Bai Shao had followed her from childhood, the bond between them was different.

She didn’t lash out at her, instead suppressing the irritation of confinement. “Just say it if you have something to say.”

The jade ornaments in the hall were exquisitely crafted, anyone who saw Qingyu Courtyard would think the one living inside must be someone in favor.

Bai Shao felt a bitter taste in her heart. She lowered her head.

“Mistress… there’s not much charcoal left in the palace.”

The words were hard to say, but once she spoke them, Bai Shao actually felt a little better, it was a relief not to keep the matter bottled up inside.

Su Jieyu’s expression instantly changed.

“No charcoal left, what do you mean by that?”

Having already said the hardest part, the rest wasn’t so difficult. Bai Shao spoke in a low voice, “Normally, the Central Province Hall sends charcoal once every three days, but it’s been nearly five days since the last delivery. The charcoal in the hall can only last another day or two.”

And that was only if they used it sparingly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Su Jieyu caught sight of the frostbite marks on Bai Shao’s fingers, and her expression darkened.

Bai Shao had been with her since childhood, what good things hadn’t she seen?
To put it bluntly, Bai Shao was pampered even more than most wealthy young ladies.

She couldn’t stand the cold. In winter, she had to have charcoal fires burning, or her hands would swell red from the chill.

Just seeing Bai Shao’s condition, Su Jieyu suddenly realized that these past days Bai Shao must not have been using any charcoal at all. Her face turned black.

“The Central Province Hall actually dares to be so presumptuous?!”

This was the first time she had ever had her quota withheld by the Central Province Hall. The blow left her seething, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her body trembling slightly.

Bai Shao looked at her in worry.

Su Jieyu closed her eyes and said, “Go to the Central Province Hall yourself and tell them to send me the charcoal at once.”

Her hands clenched as she forced herself to stay calm.

Bai Shao’s voice was hoarse. If the Central Province Hall dared withhold Qingyu Courtyard’s quota, did they really fear a confrontation?

She suddenly thought of the Empress. In the past, the Central Province Hall had never dared do such a thing.
Why were they so bold now?
Did they think that because the Empress had confined her mistress, she had abandoned her?

Suppressing the unease in her heart, Bai Shao didn’t contradict her mistress at this moment and make matters worse.
She bowed and withdrew.

Though Su Jieyu was confined, her attendants were not restricted.

Bai Shao quickly reached the Central Province Hall. The cold wind along the way had turned her face a little pale. Entering the hall, she saw it bustling with activity, people constantly tallying quotas, ordering others to carry things away. Someone noticed her at once and called out,

“Why has Bai Shao girl come?”

It was a eunuch speaking, Bai Shao knew him. Many matters in the Central Province Hall were under his authority.

Bai Shao didn’t believe that the staff here could be unaware of Qingyu Courtyard’s missing quota. She didn’t bother with tact and went straight to the point:

“Eunuch Rong, why hasn’t the charcoal due to Qingyu Courtyard two days ago been delivered?”

Xiao Rongzi looked genuinely surprised, as if completely unaware. He summoned a palace attendant, asked a few questions, then turned back to Bai Shao with an apologetic face.

“Oh dear, Bai Shao girl, my apologies, it was an oversight by the servants.”

Bai Shao felt a chill inside.
Whether Xiao Rongzi was telling the truth or not, she could only take it at face value.
She took a deep breath. “If it was an oversight, then just make it up this time.”

She thought she was already conceding a step. But unexpectedly, after she spoke, Eunuch Rong looked troubled.

“I must ask for Bai Shao girl’s understanding, right now, the Central Province Hall’s charcoal isn’t enough. We’ll have to ask Su Jieyu to wait another two days.”

Another two days, by then her mistress’s confinement would be over. Bai Shao frowned and asked, “Why?”

Xiao Rongzi lowered his voice in embarrassment.

“His Majesty has ordered that everything must be given priority to Chu’an Palace. Ladyship Xi Xiurong has always feared the cold, so all the charcoal has been sent there. The other palaces can only wait.”

Bai Shao’s face changed sharply, and she gave a bitter inward laugh.

So it was Chu’an Palace again.