Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Pavilion

“Come in.”

Lu Cairen sat in the palace, while Song Rong and Qiu Ling were both punished to kneel. Qiu Ju was outside sweeping the courtyard. There was only Lu Cairen alone in the palace. She had a tense face, and her displeasure hadn’t faded yet. When she saw Yun Si, her complexion slightly improved, but she still looked listless and lacked energy, “You’re back.”

Yun Si approached and massaged Lu Cairen’s head and neck. Lu Cairen let her do as she pleased. After a while, she muttered in a low voice, “If they were all as sensible as you, it would be great.”

Yun Si pursed her lips slightly and didn’t respond. If Lu Cairen knew her true thoughts, she would probably hate her the most.

After regaining some energy, Lu Cairen sat up and asked with her hand supporting her chin, “So, did the Emperor say anything?”

Yun Si lowered her eyes and shook her head. Before Lu Cairen could frown, she added, “When I went to the Emperor’s presence, I met Ya Ling from the Changle Hall.”

Lu Cairen sat up, frowning, “Why did she go at this time? It seems like she’s intentionally trying to go against me!”

Yun Si, of course, knew that the “she” Lu Cairen was referring to wasn’t Ya Ling, but Yang Jieyu. She gently patted Lu Cairen’s back, “Don’t be anxious, mistress. Listen to me.”

Lu Cairen looked up.

Yun Si told her about Ya Ling bringing a food box to the Emperor’s presence but not being able to deliver it, and ultimately returning with the food box.

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Cairen burst out laughing. Her eyes sparkled, “She’s finally getting what’s coming to her! Serves her right!”

With this matter distracting her, Lu Cairen forgot what she had asked Yun Si earlier and didn’t mind that Yun Si had returned so late. She was preoccupied with thinking about how she would appreciate Yang Jieyu’s expression when she paid her respects tomorrow.

By evening, there was still no news from the Emperor’s presence. Until the palace was locked up, everyone knew that the Emperor wouldn’t be visiting the harem today.

Song Rong was on night duty today. She had knelt for two hours, especially during the noon when she knelt under the scorching sun. Now, she felt uncomfortable all over. When she laid out the bedding, her knees gave way, and she almost knelt directly on the ground.

Under the light, Lu Cairen saw her movement and frowned, “Does it still hurt?”

Song Rong’s eyes welled up with tears. She didn’t dare let her mistress see, so she lowered her face and shook her head.

Lu Cairen’s heart softened a bit because Song Rong had been serving her since she was young, “There’s red medicine in the cabinet. Take it out and apply it.”

Song Rong’s tears fell directly. She choked, “I thought the mistress was disgusted with me.”

Lu Cairen felt a moment of guilt. She had to admit that there were times when she was a bit disgusted with Song Rong. Other mistresses’ servants managed their affairs, but Song Rong only seemed to cause trouble for her.

However, when it came to loyalty, Lu Cairen knew that Song Rong was unmatched. She might have people in the palace who were more capable, but none were to compare to Song Rong.

Lu Cairen felt awkward, “I’m telling you this because I consider you one of my own. Yun Si and Qiu Ling are both servants sent by the palace to serve me. If you keep bullying them, how can I manage the palace?”

Song Rong’s tears continued to fall. She felt a pang of sadness but knew that her mistress was right. She finally nodded, “From now on, I won’t trouble the mistress anymore.”

Lu Cairen rubbed her temples, feeling a headache, “Alright, rest.”

The candles in the palace were extinguished, and everything fell into darkness. Song Rong buried herself in the bedding, and no one could see her expression.

On the other side, Yun Si returned to her quarters, lay on the bed, and couldn’t help but toss and turn, unable to sleep. Her beautiful eyebrows were furrowed.Her current situation was a bit tricky. The Emperor was out of the question.

As for the situation in the Heyi Hall, Lu Cairen trusted Song Rong deeply. Even if she temporarily valued Yun Si, it was only because she had no one else to rely on.

She had to become the person Lu Cairen trusted the most.

Yun Si breathed out lightly. It would be great if Lu Cairen’s status was higher, but she had just entered the palace. It wouldn’t be easy to improve her status in a short time.

The night outside grew darker, and Yun Si forced herself to close her eyes and rest. She had too few things to rely on, and each one was precious. She couldn’t afford to not cherish them.

The next day, it was time for the morning court. Lu Cairen rarely didn’t have someone wake her up, and she got up early. Yun Si had just entered the palace when Lu Cairen was already sitting in front of the dressing table. Yun Si took the eyebrow pencil and carefully drew Lu Cairen’s eyebrows. It had to be said that Lu Cairen’s complexion looked particularly good today.

Perhaps it was because she was in high spirits due to the happy event.

When they arrived at the Kunning Palace, most people were already there. Consort De and Rong Zhaoyi were talking. Rong Zhaoyi was resting her chin on her hand, looking displeased, but her complexion looked better than a few days ago.

Yang Jieyu arrived late, wearing a coral-colored dress and a gold hairpin. She was so stunning that it was hard to look at her directly. After she sat down, before anyone could speak, the Empress came out.

It seemed like she had timed it perfectly.

Unable to see Yang Jieyu’s embarrassment, Lu Cairen pouted dissatisfiedly. In a place where no one noticed, Su Meiren glanced at her lightly, and a flash of emotion crossed her eyes.It wouldn’t be long before Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Empress had some instructions to give, so the morning court was a bit longer than usual.

The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet would be held in the Taihe Hall. When the Empress mentioned this, she looked at Consort De, “This year, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of it for me.”

Consort De smiled warmly and said humbly, “Your Highness is being too polite. It’s all part of my duty.”

Lu Cairen was a bit surprised. After leaving the Kunning Palace, she asked Yun Si, “What did the Empress mean during the morning court? Has Her Ladyship Consort De always been in charge of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet?”

Managing palace banquets involved the Central Province Hall, and Yun Si did have some knowledge about it. She looked around and then whispered, “In the first year of the Emperor’s reign, the Empress had a miscarriage and couldn’t attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. I heard that Consort De was in charge of it that year.”

She carefully used the phrase “I heard” because she hadn’t entered the palace yet during the first year of the Emperor’s reign.

“In the second year, the Empress accompanied the Empress Dowager to worship Buddha outside the palace and couldn’t return in time. Consort De was in charge again.”

“Last year, the Empress caught a cold, and the Emperor asked Consort De to assist with the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.” Yun Si nodded, “So, it seems that Consort De has been involved in every Mid-Autumn Festival banquet since the Emperor’s reign began.”

Lu Cairen was confused. In previous years, it made sense for Consort De to be in charge when the Empress had some inconvenience. But today, the Empress seemed fine. Why did she hand over the task to Consort De?

Lu Cairen was the legitimate daughter in her family, and in her impression, her mother would never let the concubines interfere with her authority. The Empress’s actions seemed a bit unexpected.

Yun Si saw the puzzled look on Lu Cairen’s face and reminded her softly, “These are matters for the ladies, and we have nothing to do with them.”

No matter what was going on behind the scenes, it was not something they could control. Lu Cairen understood the implication of Yun Si’s words. As a low-ranking concubine, even if she knew that some things were not as simple as they seemed, she could only pretend not to know. Lu Cairen subtly frowned, disliking this feeling.

She responded listlessly and didn’t say anything else. Yun Si noticed that her mistress’s mood was not good, but she didn’t offer any words of comfort. To be blunt, Yun Si hoped that Lu Cairen would have some sense of crisis instead of being content with serving the Emperor once or twice.

“Pa! Pa! Pa!”

Three clapping sounds came, and both Yun Si and Lu Cairen were startled. They knew the rules of the palace and understood what the three clapping sounds meant.

A chorus of surprised and delighted voices rose up around them. Yun Si looked up and saw the imperial carriage approaching from a distance. She pulled her mistress aside, bowed, and paid her respects.

The imperial carriage stopped in front of them. Tan Yuanchu sat in the carriage, his eyes reflecting a figure in green. He slowly lowered his gaze, “Rise.”

Yun Si and Lu Cairen stood up, and she respectfully took a step back. The owner of that voice was still lingering in her mind from yesterday, but now Yun Si didn’t even glance at him.

Yun Si wouldn’t make a move to flirt with the Emperor in front of Lu Cairen. At least, she wouldn’t initiate such behavior.

It wasn’t because of strong guilt feelings, but because such behavior would do more harm than good for her. Once the Emperor got over his infatuation, he would think she was unworthy.

It wouldn’t be worth it.

She behaved properly, keeping her head down and only exposing a small portion of her pale jaw. Lu Cairen blocked most of her body, and she almost seemed to be hiding. She was a different person from the one who had been in the Emperor’s arms with spring in her eyes yesterday.

Tan Yuanchu raised his hand and lightly tapped the armrest of the chair. As the imperial carriage was lifted again, he casually dropped a sentence, “Lu Cairen will accompany me.”

When the words fell, Lu Cairen was taken aback for a moment, and then she felt a surge of joy. She ignored the subtle gazes from around her, stood up, and quickly followed the Emperor’s carriage.

After the imperial carriage left, whispers began to rise from the surroundings, “She really got lucky!”

Su Meiren’s face turned cold, and she turned to look in the direction the Emperor had left. She didn’t shift her gaze for a while.

She had been standing not far from Lu Cairen, and the Emperor could have seen her if he had looked. But regardless of whether he had seen her or not, the outcome was that she was completely ignored.

Su Meiren clenched her handkerchief tightly.

Bai Shao was a bit nervous, “Mistress, it’s getting late. Should we return to the palace?”

Su Meiren didn’t move. After a while, she nodded slightly towards the direction the Emperor had left and asked, “What’s that place?”

Bai Shao had entered the palace with Su Meiren and wasn’t familiar with the palace’s layout. She glanced at a small eunuch behind her, who hesitated before answering, “That’s the lotus pond, and there’s a pavilion where you can enjoy the scenery.”

The small eunuch paused and swallowed the rest of his sentence.

What he didn’t say was that Rong Zhaoyi’s Changchun Palace was also in that direction. It wasn’t originally a lotus pond, but because Rong Zhaoyi loved lotus flowers, the Emperor had instructed the gardeners to cultivate a patch of lotus flowers there, which gradually became a scenic spot in the palace.

The small eunuch knew this, and Yun Si naturally did too.

When the imperial carriage stopped at the lotus pond, Yun Si subtly furrowed her fine eyebrows.

Rong Zhaoyi attached great importance to this lotus pond, almost as if she considered it the place where she and the Emperor had their romance. If she knew the Emperor had brought another concubine here, she probably wouldn’t be pleased.

Lu Cairen knew nothing about this and was surprised to see the lotus flowers, “Why are there so many lotus flowers at this time of year?”

As she spoke, she reached out to touch the flowers. Yun Si’s heart skipped a beat, and she discreetly pulled Lu Cairen back. Lu Cairen was taken aback but wasn’t foolish. She vaguely guessed that she had done something taboo and immediately let go of her hand.

Tan Yuanchu glanced at Yun Si casually, his expression indifferent.

On one hand, she was hiding her thoughts from Lu Cairen, and on the other hand, she seemed to be genuinely looking out for Lu Cairen. It was hard to tell if her loyalty was genuine or not.