Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Spending the Night with the Emperor

When the news of spending the night at the Heyi Hall was announced, the palace immediately became busy.

The message arrived a bit late, and Lu Cairen was shocked, her eyes wide with surprise. She couldn’t believe that she would be spending the night with the Emperor. Yun Si didn’t seem surprised and immediately had the servants prepare Lu Cairen for bathing. Hot water was delivered to the palace in buckets, and the bathroom was filled with steam. After Lu Cairen finished bathing, she still couldn’t believe it and asked, “Did the Emperor really decree that I should spend the night with him?”

Yun Si smiled lightly, “The eunuch from the Emperor’s court came personally to deliver the message, so it must be true.”

Lu Cairen’s eyes lit up, and she playfully splashed some water on her face. She sat down in front of the dressing table and asked Song Rong to step back.
She then turned to Yun Si, “You’ve been in the palace for a long time, and your hands are skilled. Today, you can help me with my makeup.”

When Song Rong heard this, her expression changed. Yun Si glanced at her discreetly and sighed inwardly. As a servant, Song Rong was worried about being replaced. Lu Cairen’s praise of Yun Si’s skills would likely mean that Yun Si would be responsible for her makeup from now on, taking away some of Song Rong’s duties. Song Rong naturally wouldn’t be happy about this.

However, Yun Si wouldn’t refuse. She wouldn’t give up the opportunity just because she was afraid of offending someone. Besides, it was her master’s command, and she couldn’t refuse.

Yun Si’s hands were indeed skilled. She observed Lu Cairen carefully in the mirror for a moment before starting to work on her makeup. Since the Emperor favored Rong Zhaoyi and Yang Jieyu, many people would subtly follow their makeup styles when serving the Emperor.
Yun Si didn’t do that.

Lu Cairen was sweet and lovely, and if she followed Rong Zhaoyi’s makeup style, it would be like drawing a tiger but ending up with a dog. It would be a waste of her natural beauty.

Yun Si chose a simple peach blossom hairpin and a matching pink dress with wide sleeves. The dress complemented Lu Cairen’s slender waist, and after applying makeup, she looked even more delicate and charming. The peach blossom hairpin added a touch of sweetness to her appearance.

Lu Cairen looked at herself in the mirror from different angles, and her smile grew brighter. She covered her mouth and laughed, “I knew Yun Si had skilled hands.”

Yun Si smiled, her lips pursed, and didn’t look at Song Rong. She said with her eyes downcast, “Your servant is undeserving of such praise, mistress.”

Lu Cairen pouted, not liking Yun Si’s humility: “You did a great job, what’s there to be humble about?”

Yun Si’s cheeks flushed, and she realized Lu Cairen’s attitude. She immediately changed her response: “Your servant thanks you for the praise, mistress.”

The two of them chatted and laughed, creating a warm atmosphere in the palace. Song Rong clenched her handkerchief and glanced at Yun Si, who was smiling brightly. Yun Si’s beauty was striking, with almond-shaped eyes that seemed to outshine others. Song Rong hadn’t seen Rong Zhaoyi, who was favored by the Emperor, but she didn’t think Rong Zhaoyi’s beauty could surpass Yun Si’s.

Song Rong had seen many beautiful women with her master, but Yun Si’s beauty was particularly dazzling. With Yun Si around, would the Emperor even notice her master? Song Rong was worried and had to admit that she felt a bit intimidated by Yun Si. It wasn’t just about her beauty, but also about her experience in the palace. Yun Si had been in the palace for a long time and knew it much better than she did. Her master had only spent a few days with Yun Si, but she seemed to rely on her heavily. It was clear that Yun Si was the one who had gained her master’s trust, and Song Rong couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful.

Xiao Rongzi discreetly looked away from Song Rong, her expression cold for a moment.

Lu Cairen knew the palace rules and had sent someone to the imperial kitchen to order dinner. After dinner was served, she led her servants to wait in front of the palace. Song Rong supported Lu Cairen, while Yun Si stood quietly behind her, not competing for attention.When Tan Yuanchu entered, the first thing he saw was this scene.

Lu Cairen was dressed in her finest attire, and according to reason, Tan Yuanchu should have seen her first. But it wasn’t the case. When he entered, he heard some noise, and the woman looked up, catching his eye.

The lights around her seemed to cast a soft glow on her, and her glance seemed to carry some inexplicable meaning. She quickly looked away, perhaps aware that her beauty drew attention, and she kept her head lowered, revealing only a glimpse of her pale jawline.

Up close, her slender waist was even more apparent, hidden beneath her green robe.

“Your servant, Lu Cairen, pays her respects to Your Majesty.”

The green in his field of vision faded as Lu Cairen, dressed in a pink palace dress, came into focus. Tan Yuanchu raised an eyebrow, realizing his momentary distraction. No one else noticed, and he helped Lu Cairen up as if nothing had happened. For a moment, he found it hard to understand why Lu Cairen would choose to have such a person serve her.

Yun Si didn’t try to get close to the Emperor and Lu Cairen. Song Rong intentionally blocked her way, and she went along with it, stepping back to let Song Rong attend to Lu Cairen.

She knew that Lu Cairen trusted her now because she was new to the palace and didn’t think she had ulterior motives. But Yun Si knew herself. She had come from the Central Province Hall, and she knew what she wanted.

She wouldn’t draw attention to herself in front of Lu Cairen, aware of her place. She wasn’t greedy for small benefits.

Yun Si lowered her head, her mind racing. She couldn’t help but think of the Emperor.

She had seen him only three times since entering the palace. The first time was when she caught a glimpse of him strolling in the Imperial Garden with Rong Zhaoyi. At that time, she was new to the palace, overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, and didn’t pay much attention to him.

When she saw him again during the morning court, she was too nervous to notice much about him, except that he seemed uninterested in being noticed.

But this time, she had prepared herself mentally to see the Emperor. Although it was just a brief glance, she got a good look at him, and he was different from what she had imagined. She had thought he would be a very majestic person, but that wasn’t entirely true. He did have a majestic aura, but it wasn’t what she had expected. Instead, because of his calm expression, he seemed a bit careless.

Whether it was his handling of Yang Jieyu and Su Meiren in the Imperial Garden or his conversation with Lu Cairen now, she always felt that he wasn’t paying much attention.

Yun Si discreetly looked up and saw the Emperor sitting on a chair, eating. When Lu Cairen offered him food, he agreed without hesitation. She wondered if he had come after eating or if he was just not hungry. Lu Cairen said something to him, and he shifted his position, leaning back in his chair lazily. He responded to Lu Cairen’s words sporadically, but when Lu Cairen seemed dissatisfied, he would glance at her with his dark eyes, and no one dared to show any discontent.

Before leaving the Central Province Hall, Yun Si had thought a lot about the Emperor. She had to admit that her greatest reliance was her beauty. In the palace, Rong Zhaoyi and Yang Jieyu were known for their beauty, and she had always thought that the Emperor was someone who appreciated beauty. Now, she didn’t think that idea was wrong – after all, Su Meiren and Lu Cairen came from similar backgrounds, but Su Meiren was ranked higher, and wasn’t it because Su Meiren was more beautiful?

But now that she had seen the Emperor up close, she realized that her previous thoughts were too simplistic.

Suddenly, the Emperor, who had been responding carelessly to Lu Cairen’s words, looked up. His dark eyes locked onto hers, and Yun Si was startled. She quickly lowered her head, her hair falling around her face, revealing only the lower half of her face. She bit her lip and clenched her hands tightly around her handkerchief.

Tan Yuanchu noticed the maidservant’s gaze, which was furtive and secretive. At first, he didn’t care, but now he was intrigued. Tonight’s visit to the Heyi Hall was unexpected. When Xu Shunfu asked him if he wanted to enter the palace, he had suddenly thought of the scene in the Imperial Garden. Before he knew it, the words “Heyi Hall” had slipped out of his mouth.

Tan Yuanchu clicked his tongue, feeling a bit surprised by his own reaction. He had always thought of himself as someone who wasn’t swayed by beauty, and his interest in the women in the harem was more out of curiosity. But now, he found himself drawn to a particular woman, which was unexpected.

Despite the surprise, Tan Yuanchu accepted his feelings without much fuss. He had always done what he wanted, and he wasn’t about to change now.

He had been looking at her for a while, and it seemed to have piqued his interest. The impression he got from Yun Si was that she was a disciplined person, but what she was doing now didn’t seem to fit that image. When their eyes met, he saw a glimpse of emotion in her eyes.

Her almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, but what he saw wasn’t just innocence. There was a hint of ambition in those eyes, and the clearer her eyes were, the more apparent it became. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was hard to ignore.

Tan Yuanchu looked away, his fingers drumming lightly on the table. He wasn’t entirely surprised by the woman’s ambition. In the harem, there were few women without ambition, and she was just one of many.

People were always drawn to things they couldn’t have easily. When something became too accessible, interest would wane. Tan Yuanchu felt a bit disappointed.

He put down his chopsticks and didn’t look at Yun Si again. Following Lu Cairen’s lead, he entered the inner chamber, accompanied by a group of servants. As he scanned the room, he didn’t see Yun Si, and his movements paused almost imperceptibly.

Wasn’t she supposed to be serving here?

Tan Yuanchu glanced at Song Rong, who was attending to Lu Cairen, and asked directly: “Has the servant been changed?”
Lu Cairen was taken aback for a moment, but she didn’t think much of it. After all, when they met in the Imperial Garden, Yun Si was by her side, so it was natural for the Emperor to ask such a question.

Lu Cairen spoke softly: “No, Song Rong has been following me since I entered the palace, and she usually attends to me closely.”

Tan Yuanchu nodded indifferently. So, she hadn’t even managed to gain a loyal servant?

Lu Cairen saw the Emperor’s expression and didn’t think much of it. She smiled and gently hooked her hand around the Emperor’s.

However, Xu Shunfu looked up and glanced at the Emperor. He had been following the Emperor for many years and had never seen him pay attention to the servants attending to the concubines. Xu Shunfu quickly connected the dots and realized that the Emperor’s gaze in the Imperial Garden wasn’t directed at Lu Cairen. He didn’t show any unusual reaction, but he made a mental note of it.

The Emperor and Lu Cairen entered the inner chamber, and Yun Si stepped out. There were many people serving inside, and she wasn’t needed. Besides, Song Rong was watching her closely, and she didn’t want to give Song Rong any reason to speak ill of her to Lu Cairen. Yun Si thought about the brief encounter with the Emperor and couldn’t help but touch her chest, still feeling a bit shaken.