Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 15

Chapter 15 “Mistress, there’s plenty of time ahead.”

Consort Jing, although a second-rank concubine, rarely referred to herself as “This Palace”.

She asked the question naturally, as if it were just a simple inquiry. However, Yun Si was so nervous that her forehead was almost sweating. Lu Cairen was the mistress she had carefully chosen, and of course, she didn’t want to leave her.

But as a servant, what right did she have to refuse the mistress’s request?

After a long time, Yun Si bowed her head, “This servant thanks Your Ladyship Consort Jing for her kindness. My mistress treats me well, and I still want to serve by her side.”

Liu Gui frowned in dissatisfaction, “Hey, Her Ladyship is showing you favor, and you’re not grateful? How can you be so unappreciative?”

Yun Si bit her lip, not knowing how to respond. Consort Jing  didn’t speak for a long time, and the surroundings became quiet.

Consort Jing looked down at Yun Si for a long time before finally speaking, “Since you don’t want to, I won’t force you. Get up and don’t delay your duties.”

Yun Si quickly stood up and thanked her, “Thank you, Consort Jing.”

Consort Jing smiled slightly but didn’t say anything.

Yun Si tolerated the pounding of her heart and quickly turned to leave. Only when she was out of Consort Jing’s sight did her footsteps slow down.

Yun Si took a deep breath, and her back was covered in cold sweat. After calming down, Yun Si’s mind was filled with uncertainty.

Why did Consort Jing want her to serve in the Yongning Palace?

Yun Si didn’t know, but she couldn’t help feeling a sense of unease.

When she returned to the Heyi Hall with lunch, Yun Si was still a bit uneasy. She kept her head down, not letting anyone notice her emotions.

Xiao Rongzi glanced at her covertly, unable to hide the concern in her eyes.The sister probably didn’t know that whenever she had troubles, she would always try to hide her emotions in every way possible.

In the Yongning Palace.

Consort Jing sat in front of the dressing table, slowly removing her nail guards. Liu Gui brought over the medicine and waited for her to finish drinking. Liu Gui looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Consort Jing looked at her through the copper mirror, “What do you want to say?”

Liu Gui couldn’t hide her thoughts, “Why did Your Ladyship want that servant to come to the Yongning Palace?”

She rarely saw Her Ladyship want something, let alone personally ask for a servant. Moreover, that servant was serving in another palace. If the servant really agreed, it would be equivalent to taking someone else’s person, and it would inevitably lead to a feud with Lu Cairen.

Liu Gui didn’t know Lu Cairen personally, but she knew about the Lu family and that Lu’s eldest son worked for the Emperor.

Consort Jing’s body was weak after returning from the Cining Palace. She was sweating profusely and used a handkerchief to wipe it away. She smiled and said in a calm tone, “I just felt that the palace was too cold and lonely.”

Liu Gui paused and then cautiously suggested, “If Your Ladyship feels that the Yongning Palace is too lonely, I can go to the Central Province Hall and ask Eunuch Liu for two more servants?”

Consort Jing turned around and looked at her, amused. She smiled softly, “It was just a momentary whim. Let’s not bother with it.”

Liu Gui didn’t like hearing this, “It’s just asking for a servant from the Central Province Hall. Why is it a bother?”

Jing Fei shook her head and changed the subject calmly, “The medicine is a bit bitter. Are there any candied fruits in the palace?”

Liu Gui immediately forgot about the previous matter and hurried to respond, “Yes, yes, I’ll go get some for Your Ladyship.”

As Liu Gui ran off, Consort Jing lowered her eyelids, and the copper mirror reflected a woman with slightly pale lips pressed together.

******
The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was approaching, and the palace was becoming lively. Although Lu Cairen was abandoned by the Emperor the previous day, no one paid much attention to her the next day because the Emperor had spent the night in the Changchun Palace, and everyone’s attention was drawn to Rong Zhaoyi.

Yun Si saw Lu Cairen breathe a sigh of relief, but soon she frowned in dissatisfaction, pulling at her handkerchief.

No one likes being ignored, especially someone who has always been pampered.

Recently, Lu Cairen had been entangled in deciding what to wear to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. The banquet was a palace feast, and officials above the third rank would bring their families to the palace. In other words, Lu Cairen would see her family at the banquet.

It was no wonder Lu Cairen was excited, having never been away from home for so long.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, lanterns were hung in the palace, and it was said that there would be fireworks over the Zhuque Lake in the evening. Yun Si couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation.

After paying respects, Yun Si entered the palace, “Today, the imperial kitchen made many pastries and mooncakes. Does the mistress have any preferences?”

Lu Cairen turned around, excitedly asking, “Five-nut filling and sour plum?”

Sour plum?

Yun Si was taken aback and covered her mouth, giggling, “How much does the mistress love sour plum? Why does she want sour plum filling in her mooncakes?”
Lu Cairen rolled her eyes and said unhappily, “It’s been a long time since there was sour plum cake in the palace.”

Mentioning this, Lu Cairen’s mood turned sour. Yun Si remained silent, remembering that since the day they returned from the pavilion, the mistress had never asked for sour plum cake again.

Was it because the Emperor didn’t like it?

Yun Si didn’t ignore this and made a mental note of it. She shook her head, “The imperial kitchen might not have sour plum filling mooncakes.”

Lu Cairen’s face fell, and after a while, she listlessly waved her hand, “Forget it, just five-nut filling then.”

She didn’t want the imperial kitchen to think she was difficult to serve.

Yun Si quickly went to the imperial kitchen to fetch the mooncakes and returned. Lu Cairen only took a bite and gave the rest to the palace maids. Yun Si was a bit puzzled, but later she heard Song Rong’s muttering and learned that the mistress had always liked sweet and sour flavors. Eating five-nut filling was just for the sake of joining in the fun.

Yun Si looked at the pastry in her hand and frowned slightly.

Lu Cairen picked for a long time and finally decided to wear the lake-green embroidered mandarin duck skirt today. It added a touch of playfulness to her appearance. She applied her eyebrows and lips, and her cheeks were lightly flushed with rouge, making her look radiant and charming. She turned around in front of the copper mirror and led Yun Si out.

The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was held in the Taihe Hall, which wasn’t part of the harem. They had to walk a long way, and on their way, they encountered a team of imperial guards on patrol. The leader was tall and imposing, with a cold face.

Yun Si saw Lu Cairen’s eyes light up, “Brother!”

Yun Si followed Lu Cairen’s gaze and saw the team of imperial guards stop. The leader’s expression softened slightly, but he quickly regained control, “This humble servant pays his respects to Mistress Cairen.”

Lu Cairen’s footsteps, which had been hurrying towards him, suddenly halted. She was a bit dissatisfied with her brother’s greeting, but she knew it was the rule. She pouted unhappily, “Is Brother on patrol?”

Lu Dongxun saw that his sister was in good spirits and carefully observed the palace maid behind her.

As a member of the imperial guards, he often entered and exited the palace and had some understanding of the harem’s system. A Cairen’s position was attended by six people, including two coarse servants. Strictly speaking, a Cairen was only attended by four people.

His sister didn’t bring Song Rong with her, so Lu Dongxun took a closer look. But the next moment, his hand on the handle of his sword tightened.

The palace maid curiously glanced at him, and when their eyes met, she politely averted her gaze. In the warm sunlight, her cheeks seemed to be flushed with a light pink color, and a strand of hair fell beside her face, adding an indescribable charm to her appearance.

Lu Dongxun couldn’t see her face clearly and didn’t dare to look closely.

Lu Dongxun quickly looked away and saw that his sister showed no signs of crisis. He sighed inwardly, but with so many people around, he couldn’t even warn her.

He needed to continue his patrol and couldn’t linger here for long. As they parted ways, Lu Dongxun couldn’t help but glance at the palace maid again.

His sister was still standing there, and the palace maid seemed to sense his gaze, lightly bowing her head. Her beautiful face was lowered, and Lu Dongxun’s eyes flashed with a sudden spark. He pursed his lips and turned away.

At the original spot, Lu Cairen was still reluctant to leave.
Yun Si was a bit helpless, “Lu Dongxun is a member of the imperial guards, and he often patrols the palace. The mistress will see him again.”
Lu Cairen pouted, her eyes getting a bit red, “Really?”

No matter if it was true or not, Yun Si could only nod at this moment.

Lu Cairen sniffled and finally moved her feet. She spoke softly to Yun Si, complaining, “My brother has always been fond of me since I was a child. He often brought me small toys from the city, like hair ribbons and sugar figurines. But I left them all at home.”

As she spoke, Lu Cairen’s emotions inevitably sank.

When she entered the palace, she could only bring one small package, and she couldn’t take many things with her. She only brought a box of trinkets, two simple outfits, and the silver notes her mother gave her.

As for the rest, no matter how much she cherished them, she had to leave them behind.

Yun Si looked down, listening to Lu Cairen’s words, but she couldn’t really relate.

In her impression, no one had ever given her such things. In recent years, the only gift she received was a year’s worth of silver coins that Xiao Rongzi had worked hard to save.

As the two of them chatted, Lu Cairen suddenly stumbled and lost her balance. Yun Si was startled and instinctively reached out to support her. However, they both ended up rolling to the ground, landing in a flower bed covered with fallen leaves and mud.

Yun Si’s waist was hit by a tree stump, but she remembered to protect Lu Cairen. Her chest was hit hard by Lu Cairen, and she sucked in a breath of pain.
Tears almost fell from her eyes.

But she was used to enduring pain and didn’t even look at herself. She bit her lip, stood up, and carefully examined Lu Cairen’s injuries, “How is the mistress?”

Lu Cairen’s jade hairpin was knocked loose, but she was protected well and didn’t get hurt. However, her anger didn’t decrease at all. She looked up and saw Yang Jieyu being carried high on a palanquin. The combination of old and new grudges made her eyes flash with anger.

Yun Si was afraid she would act impulsively, so she tightly held onto her and endured the pain, whispering softly, “Mistress, please calm down.”

Yang Jieyu looked down from her high position, seemingly uninterested, and said, “Oh, isn’t that Lu Cairen? How careless of her to walk without paying attention.”

Lu Cairen’s restraint snapped, “Whether it was the concubine’s carelessness or Yang Jieyu’s intentional act, Yang Jieyu knows it best in her heart!”

Yang Jieyu’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Is Lu Cairen accusing me?”

Lu Cairen was disheveled and saw people around her pointing and staring. However, she still had some rationality left and knew that confronting Yang Jieyu would be like hitting a rock with an egg.

She gritted her teeth, “For today’s matter, the concubine will ask the Empress to uphold justice for the concubine!”

Yang Jieyu sneered and said lightly, “Unfortunately, the Empress is busy with the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet and won’t have time to bother with you.”

“Before that, let Lu Cairen kneel here for three hours,” Yang Jieyu added.

Lu Cairen’s entire body stiffened. Three hours would mean the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet would be over by then.

She suddenly looked up, “On what basis?!”

Yang Jieyu seemed to have heard a joke and laughed for a long time, covering her mouth. Her eyes suddenly turned cold, and she said in a slow and disdainful tone, “Because my rank is higher than yours, and because you disrespect those above you.”

That day, when she went to serve before the Emperor and was refused entry to the Heyi Hall, Rong Zhaoyi had laughed at her for a long time. Yang Jieyu didn’t dare confront Rong Zhaoyi, but she had mentally blamed Lu Cairen for the incident.

Yun Si tightly grasped Lu Cairen’s hand, and Lu Cairen finally regained some rationality. She bit her teeth hard, preventing herself from retorting to Yang Jieyu. With a high rank comes great power, and she couldn’t afford to offend Yang Jieyu. Lu Cairen’s eyes welled up with tears, and she humiliatingly knelt down on the spot.

Yun Si knelt down beside her.

When Yang Jieyu’s entourage left, Lu Cairen finally couldn’t help but burst into tears.

Yun Si’s whole body ached, and her shoulders trembled slightly. She supported herself with one hand on the ground and gently stroked Lu Cairen’s back with the other. She hid the emotions in her eyes and spoke softly, “Mistress, there’s plenty of time ahead.”