Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Pregnant

Should she prepare a birthday gift for the Emperor?

Yun Si thought about it for a day and finally gave up on the idea. Firstly, she was different from Lu Meiren. Lu Meiren was a concubine in the harem, and it was natural for her to give the Emperor a birthday gift. But Yun Si couldn’t do the same.

Secondly, she didn’t have the time.

Serving Lu Meiren took up all her daytime, and she didn’t want to waste her time staying up late at night.

Moreover, she was sold into the palace and had no money. Even though Eunuch Liu favored her, he wouldn’t give her silver. She only had the savings from the past two years and the birthday gift Xiao Rongzi gave her.

In terms of financial ability, she couldn’t give the Emperor anything. In terms of intention, she had a hard life before entering the palace and could only do simple needlework. She didn’t know any decent embroidery, and it was only after entering the palace that she secretly learned from the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau. She had some talent, but compared to the elderly ladies in the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau, she was incomparable.

Yun Si gave up on the idea. After she recovered from her illness, Lu Meiren took her along with her every day.

Recently, Lu Meiren and Qiu Cairen had a good relationship, often going to the Kunning Palace together to pay their respects. Sometimes they would come to the Heyi Hall to sit and chat. After all, Lu Meiren’s title was different, and she was the highest-ranking one in the Chonghua Palace. If Lu Meiren was a bit particular, Qiu Cairen should have come to pay her respects every day.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather gradually cooled down, and the concubines and palace maids in the harem all changed into thicker autumn clothes.

On the eve of the Longevity Festival, Lu Meiren finally finished embroidering the waistband. After cutting the thread, she breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her shoulders, “It’s finally done.”

Yun Si brought in the dinner and heard Lu Meiren’s words. She couldn’t help but smile, “The mistress has been focused on preparing a birthday gift for the Emperor recently. She hasn’t eaten much food. When I went to the imperial kitchen today, Eunuch Song asked me if the food didn’t suit the mistress’s taste?”

Lu Meiren was a favored concubine among the new ones and the only one who had been promoted. The imperial kitchen would naturally pay attention to Heyi Hall.

Lu Meiren looked listless and responded with a frown, “It’s not that the food doesn’t suit my taste, it’s just that I haven’t had much appetite lately.”

Everyone was smart, and of course, they could hear that the imperial kitchen was asking about the food on the surface but actually probing Lu Meiren’s attitude. Lu Meiren’s response would at least reassure the imperial kitchen.

Yun Si was a bit surprised. She thought Lu Meiren had a good appetite. Many people would suffer from summer fatigue, but Lu Meiren didn’t show any signs of it. Even when paying respects in the Kunning Palace, she would unconsciously eat a few more pastries.

Before Yun Si could think further, Lu Meiren had already picked up her chopsticks and eaten a few bites before shaking her head, “Take it away.”

Yun Si frowned slightly. She observed Lu Meiren carefully and saw that her complexion was rosy and her spirit was good. She couldn’t help but swallow her doubts and followed Lu Meiren’s instructions to take away the food. However, she made a mental note to ask the imperial physician to take a look at the mistress after the Longevity Festival.

The next day was the Longevity Festival. Yun Si accompanied Lu Meiren to the banquet. The road to Taihe Hall was smooth today, and they met many concubines along the way, but none of them were high-ranking.

Lu Meiren and Qiu Cairen walked together. Qiu Cairen’s gaze lingered on Yun Si for a moment. Yun Si lowered her eyes, and she had noticed Qiu Cairen’s attention towards her, but since Qiu Cairen didn’t do anything, she could only pretend not to know.

When they arrived at Taihe Hall, they found out that the high-ranking officials had arrived early today. Lu Meiren whispered, “Is the sun rising from the west today?”

Yun Si pulled her sleeve and whispered, “Mistress, be careful with your words.”

Before she finished speaking, she gestured for Lu Meiren to look up at the stairs. Lu Meiren didn’t understand and looked up carefully. When she did, she realized something was off. Many concubines were gathered around a person, laughing and chatting.

Without needing Yun Si’s explanation, Qiu Cairen’s expression changed slightly, “It’s the Empress Dowager.”

Lu Meiren was surprised. She hadn’t seen the Empress Dowager since she entered the palace. It was said that the Empress Dowager had been unwell and had been recuperating in Cining Palace. Now that she had come out of the palace, had she recovered?

Despite the many doubts in her mind, Lu Meiren and Qiu Cairen were respectful and courteous as they approached to pay their respects. Perhaps because it was the Longevity Festival, the Empress Dowager’s face was always smiling. She nodded and allowed them to rise, then inquired about Lu Meiren’s identity.

Lu Meiren replied, “Your servant is the Meiren of Heyi Hall, Lu Shi.”

Although the Empress Dowager had been in Cining Palace, she was obviously well-informed about the happenings in the harem. She turned to the Empress beside her and smiled, “This selection of concubines was well done. I see that each one is a beautiful woman.”

Although she was speaking to the Empress, it was clear that the Empress Dowager was praising Lu Meiren. Lu Meiren’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment. The Empress also smiled and agreed, “Lu Meiren is always obedient and dignified. The Emperor likes her very much.”

The Empress Dowager nodded, “She’s a good one.” After speaking, the Empress Dowager didn’t say much more and started discussing other topics with the Empress. Many concubines surrounded her, but only the Empress could get her favor.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. There was also Consort Jing, but Consort Jing’s body wasn’t well, so she couldn’t attend today.

Lu Meiren and Qiu Cairen took advantage of the opportunity and finally returned to their seats. Their titles weren’t far apart, and they lived in the same palace, so their seats were together, and they sat at the same table.

After a quarter of an hour, Tan Yuanchu finally arrived, and the banquet officially began.

Not long ago, they had held a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, and this Longevity Festival wasn’t very grand. Lu Meiren’s title was low, and she was far away from the Emperor. Yun Si looked up and saw that the Emperor was surrounded by many people, so she couldn’t see him clearly. She quickly lowered her head.

Today was the Emperor’s birthday, and as a special favor, the imperial kitchen had prepared Taihu silver fish for each table. Taihu silver fish was a tribute, and even the concubines in the harem rarely got to taste it. They needed the Emperor’s favor to get it.

When the Taihu silver fish was served, it was still steaming hot. Lu Meiren enthusiastically picked up some with her chopsticks, but when she put it in her mouth, she frowned in discomfort.

Yang Jieyu, who was sitting in front of her, caught a glimpse and covered her mouth, lightly mocking, “Some people are just not destined to enjoy good things. This Taihu silver fish is rare and precious. If it weren’t for the Emperor’s favor, some people would probably never get to taste it in their lifetime. And yet, they’re picky about it.”

The music and dance covered up the commotion at the table. Yang Jieyu’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the people in front and behind her to hear, but not loud enough to reach the Emperor’s ears. Lu Meiren’s body stiffened, and she wasn’t polite either, “Yang Jieyu is noble, and she should be different from the concubines. She must have many opportunities to taste this tribute in her daily life, right?”

It was said that it was a tribute, and without the Emperor’s favor, the concubines couldn’t get it. Yang Jieyu wouldn’t eat it often. Lu Meiren’s words were just a sarcastic remark, implying that Yang Jieyu was no better than her. They were equal, and neither of them could eat it often. What qualifications did Yang Jieyu have to mock others?

Yang Jieyu got angry and turned to Lu Meiren with a cold stare, “The Emperor only favored you for a few days, and you’re already so arrogant. It seems the lesson from that day wasn’t enough to teach Lu Meiren a lesson.”

Lu Meiren’s eyes suddenly turned cold, and after a moment, she smiled, “Not as good as Yang Jieyu.”

Yang Jieyu paused, and after a while, she realized that Lu Meiren was saying she wasn’t as arrogant as her. Yang Jieyu was furious, and if she weren’t in Taihe Hall, she would have stood up and given Lu Meiren a lesson.

Qiu Cairen watched in amazement, and Yun Si was also surprised by Lu Meiren’s combativeness. She didn’t expect Lu Meiren to confront Yang Jieyu directly.

Yun Si was a beat slow in preparing to restrain Lu Meiren, but Lu Meiren had already lowered her head and ignored Yang Jieyu. She looked at the fish meat on her chopsticks, frowned for a while, and finally swallowed it.

There was no way, Yang Jieyu had a point. The Taihu silver fish was a reward from the Emperor, and if she spat it out, Yang Jieyu would definitely accuse her of disrespecting the Emperor.

Lu Meiren didn’t usually reject fish, but today, for some reason, she felt a fishy smell in her mouth, which made her stomach turn. Her face turned pale.

Yun Si noticed something was wrong and bent down, speaking in a low and urgent tone, “What’s wrong with the mistress?”

Lu Meiren covered her mouth and shook her head. She wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn’t hold back the nausea and suddenly vomited.

The people around them gasped in shock, and the music and dance couldn’t cover up the chaos. Yang Jieyu heard the commotion and moved away in disgust. The Taihe Hall fell silent due to the incident.

Yun Si didn’t care about much else. She immediately supported Lu Meiren, and the recent abnormalities in Lu Meiren’s behavior kept replaying in her mind. A guess suddenly arose in her heart, making her involuntarily clench the handkerchief in her sleeve.

Yun Si’s entire demeanor changed. She looked at Lu Meiren with great concern, protecting her with one hand and looking warily at the food on the table.

But no one knew that Yun Si’s mind was in chaos at this moment. Not just her, many people had some guesses, and the atmosphere in the palace became a bit stiff. The concubines near Lu Meiren subtly distanced themselves.

Tan Yuanchu noticed the incident as soon as it happened. He looked up and saw that the woman was protecting Lu Meiren tightly. The music and dance stopped, and Lu Meiren’s dry heaves hadn’t stopped. She was uncomfortable, her face pale, and she looked like she was about to cry.

Tan Yuanchu frowned, “What’s going on?”

Xu Shunfu quickly sent someone to investigate and reported back. When he heard the palace maid’s words, the Empress’s gaze flickered slightly, and the smile on Consort De’s face became a bit faint. However, Rong Zhaoyi lowered her head, and it was impossible to read her emotions.

Tan Yuanchu paused, “Call the imperial physician.”

Lu Meiren’s condition wasn’t suitable for her to stay in Taihe Hall, so she was quickly sent to a side hall. Lu Meiren was a bit panicked, and she grasped Yun Si’s wrist, asking anxiously, “Yun Si, what’s wrong with me? Did someone plot against me?”

Xu Shunfu had just received the order and stepped into the side hall when he heard these words. He couldn’t help but feel a bit amused.

Yun Si didn’t dare to say anything that would give the mistress false hope, so she could only whisper comfortingly, “Don’t worry, mistress. The imperial physician will be here soon.”

If her guess was correct, the mistress would probably have a pleasant surprise today.

However, the joy was the mistress’s joy, and Yun Si’s mood was a bit complicated. She had thought that Lu Meiren might be pregnant, but she never expected it to happen so soon.

Lu Meiren had been in the palace for too short a time, and she didn’t have any foundation in the palace. The Emperor’s favor towards her wasn’t even the most prominent in the palace, and she had even offended Yang Jieyu. Having a child at this time, Yun Si couldn’t say whether it was good or bad.

The imperial physician arrived soon, and after taking Lu Meiren’s pulse, the physician smiled. Yun Si pursed her lips slightly and lowered her eyelids.

“Congratulations, Lu Meiren. You have a fetal pulse, and you’re about half a month pregnant.”

Lu Meiren was stunned, and she seemed a bit dazed. After a while, she finally came back to her senses and asked excitedly, not believing it, “Really?!”

The imperial physician replied, “Regarding the royal heir, I dare not speak carelessly.”

Xu Shunfu got the confirmation and first congratulated Lu Meiren. Then he immediately turned around to prepare to report this matter to the Emperor. However, before leaving, Xu Shunfu subconsciously glanced at the person beside Lu Meiren.

She lowered her head, and her silence was a bit unusual.