Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 74

Chapter 74 Name List

The door was knocked, but no one inside responded.

Xu Shunfu couldn’t help but quickly lower his head, not daring to speak.

Tan Yuanchu glanced at the silent and frightened palace attendants around him and said calmly, “You all stay outside.”

He didn’t knock again and directly pushed the door open to enter.

Inside the hall, incense was still burning, camellia buds were about to bloom. Though the sunlight outside was bright and good, the inside of the hall was rather dim, she hadn’t even opened the lattice windows.

Passing by the screen, Tan Yuanchu stepped into the inner chamber. Someone poked her head out from under the brocade quilt, looked at him, and her apricot eyes suddenly widened.
She said angrily, “Your concubine thought Your Majesty was going to avoid me for a lifetime.”

Her voice was a little hoarse. She hadn’t noticed it while crying yesterday, but now it was becoming clearer and clearer, spilling into the hall, tinged with a faint, indescribable intimacy.

Tan Yuanchu cleared his throat and said solemnly, “Why would I avoid you?”

Yun Si bit her lip in shame and anger.
“You know in your heart.”

Tan Yuanchu wanted to say he didn’t, but in the end, he didn’t say it. He stepped forward and pulled her out from under the brocade quilt. She tried to push him away, but Tan Yuanchu reached out and wiped her forehead. Yun Si froze and looked at him suspiciously.

Tan Yuanchu held out his hand for her to see, there was a thin layer of mist on his fingertip.

This scene looked a bit familiar.

Last night, he had also done the same, slowly dangling the bell and reaching out his finger to show her, wrapped in layers of soft moisture, not just his fingertip, even the bell was covered.

Yun Si only felt a wave of heat rush up from her neck. Her cheeks and earlobes were burning hot.

She gritted her teeth. “Your Majesty!”

Tan Yuanchu acted as if he didn’t know what she was mad about and said nonchalantly,

“Aren’t you afraid of getting heatstroke all bundled up like this?”

In July, the weather was especially stuffy and hot, otherwise, Tan Yuanchu wouldn’t have decided to go to the summer palace to escape the heat. There was an ice basin placed in the hall to cool the air, yet she was still wrapped up under the brocade quilt, it wasn’t impossible for her to get heatstroke.

All of Yun Si’s words were stuck in her throat. She glared angrily at Tan Yuanchu.

Tan Yuanchu directly pulled her out. Yun Si was so hot that a thin layer of sweat had formed over her entire body. She was half-pushing, half-allowing herself to be dragged out by him, turning her head to the side, putting on an unwilling look.

Tan Yuanchu noticed she had only taken off her outer robe. Without a word, he glanced at her, then silently picked up the outer robe and draped it over her. He walked to the soft couch and set her down, calling out for Xu Shunfu.
Finally, the hall door was opened.

The lattice windows were pushed open, and a breeze finally swept into the hall. Song Fu brought palace attendants to move the ice basin inside, and in an instant, the hall began to cool.

Tan Yuanchu glanced at the ice basin. There was a little water inside, it was from the melted ice.

That ice basin had clearly been placed there for quite a while.

The expression between the woman’s brows and eyes relaxed quite a bit. All of a sudden, she heard Tan Yuanchu ask unhurriedly, “You dislike her that much?”

Yun Si abruptly turned her head to look at Tan Yuanchu. She was a little puzzled, unsure where she had slipped up. Her dark brows lightly furrowed, and her pair of apricot eyes were wide with innocence and confusion.
She denied it, “Your concubine doesn’t understand what Your Majesty is talking about.”

Tan Yuanchu just watched her put on an act.

Her dislike for Rong Zhaoyi wasn’t a new thing. Tan Yuanchu couldn’t make sense of it, but he also had no way to do anything about it.

Blame her?
That was out of the question.

Strictly speaking, it was Rong Zhaoyi who targeted her first. Now that the two had more conflict, how could the blame be laid on her?

Tan Yuanchu didn’t think he was being biased.

Tan Yuanchu tapped her forehead with his knuckle, then tucked the damp strands of hair at the side of her face behind her ear. He didn’t continue the subject and instead asked,

“Are you hungry?”

Yun Si glanced at Tan Yuanchu suspiciously, hesitated a moment, then replied in a muffled voice, “Hungry.”

She had woken up late today and hadn’t had breakfast. Just now, she’d only had a bowl of soup, how could she not be hungry?

Tan Yuanchu glanced at her without showing it. Saying she was smart, sometimes she really was. Saying she was foolish, she wasn’t wronged in the least.

When she saw him, her anger was likely genuine too, only, once it was exposed that she had deliberately sent someone to invite him today, that bit of anger dissipated along with her guilty conscience.

Tan Yuanchu curled his lips slightly. He didn’t call her out on it and instructed the palace attendants to serve the meal.

Since he was already at Panju Hall, the midday meal was naturally taken there. Tomorrow, they were to go to the summer palace, so today was a day of leisure.
Tan Yuanchu spent the entire day at Panju Hall.

When Kunning Palace received the news, they weren’t the least bit surprised.

Bai Zhi was a little confused. “This servant really can’t understand Yun Jieyu. Say she’s clever, yet she goes head-on against Rong Zhaoyi without holding back. Say she’s not clever, but her usual behavior seems cautious enough.”

As for Zhaoyi Rong, how to describe her?

Baizhi thought she was somewhat too lost in her own situation to see clearly. Back when she and Yang Jieyu were sharing the Emperor’s favor, Bai Zhi had always wondered how His Majesty could fancy Yang Jieyu, but never once questioned His Majesty’s preference for Rong Zhaoyi.

Not because Yang Jieyu was dumber than Rong Zhaoyi, but because she understood exactly why Rong Zhaoyi held the Emperor’s regard.

Yun Jieyu shouldn’t be blind to this, yet she still insisted on going against Rong Zhaoyi. Was she not afraid of angering His Majesty?

The Empress, drowsily pressing her temple, responded blandly, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

Bai Zhi fell silent. Ever since learning that Rong Zhaoyi was also involved in the incident where Consort De harmed Her Highness, Bai Zhi had hated Rong Zhaoyi to her core. Now that someone was making things difficult for Rong Zhaoyi, she was naturally more than happy to see it.

The Empress didn’t find Bai Zhi’s question strange at all.

She also knew that, with the Eldest Prince under Consort De’s care, His Majesty wouldn’t move against Consort De lightly, but hadn’t she still brought down Consort De?

If Yun Si was willing to go against Rong Zhaoyi without regard for the consequences, then Rong Zhaoyi must have crossed a line that Yun Si couldn’t tolerate.

Seeing the Empress wasn’t very interested, Bai Zhi quickly changed the subject:

“Your Highness, why don’t you go to the summer palace to escape the heat?”

The summer palace was cool, and back when Her Highness lived at the Mansion, she had always been the most afraid of the heat. Once His Majesty left with a group of consorts, the palace would be completely quiet.

The Empress replied, “The little princess hasn’t recovered yet, and the culprit who caused Su Jieyu’s miscarriage hasn’t been found. It’s impossible for the palace to be left without someone in charge.”

This was something both she and His Majesty understood perfectly well, so when she submitted the list, and His Majesty saw that her name wasn’t on it, he merely nodded.

Bai Zhi pouted and couldn’t help saying, “His Majesty is truly biased toward Yun Jieyu.”

Bai Zhi always remembered the scene from the day His Majesty had brought up the summer palace—

The lamps in the hall were lit, and Tan Yuanchu had suddenly mentioned going to the summer palace to escape the heat.

“You decide the list.”

The Empress wasn’t surprised. She simply set down what she was doing and looked up to ask, “Does Your Majesty have any consort in mind that you wish to bring along to the summer palace?”

The candlelight was muffled by the lamp cover, unable to illuminate the entire hall. Tan Yuanchu lifted his eyelids slightly and spoke in a mild tone,

“Yun Jieyu hasn’t been to the summer palace yet, add her to the list.”

The Empress nodded. If His Majesty hadn’t wanted to bring Yun Si, then she would have been surprised. As it was, this outcome was within expectations.

She waited a while longer but didn’t hear Tan Yuanchu name anyone else.

Only then did the Empress find it a bit surprising. In previous years, when going to the summer palace to escape the heat, His Majesty would always specifically request to bring Rong Zhaoyi.

That day, once the lamps were extinguished, His Majesty never brought up the matter of the summer palace again.

Bai Zhi had been present in the hall at the time. She heard everything, and only then truly felt His Majesty’s favoritism.
Were there few consorts in the palace who hadn’t been to the summer palace?

To say the least, the consorts selected into the palace during the selection two years ago, none of them had been to the summer palace.

Even Rong Zhaoyi had only been included after the Empress had carefully considered it and added her name. Not just Rong Zhaoyi, but also Consort De.

The Empress glanced at her, then calmly withdrew her gaze. Her voice was level, “Bias is good.”

What she wanted was precisely someone whom His Majesty was biased toward.

The Empress recalled when she submitted the list, Tan Yuanchu had glanced at the names of the consorts and very quickly furrowed his brow.

She had followed his line of sight, it landed on the three characters Rong Zhaoyi.

The Empress narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. It was at that moment she realized, Tan Yuanchu hadn’t brought up Rong Zhaoyi because he had never intended to bring her to the summer palace in the first place.

The Empress asked calmly,

“Does Your Majesty think the list is appropriate?”

Tan Yuanchu directly pointed to two names on the list. He raised his brow and asked, “These two can go together?”

The Empress looked at the names of Rong Zhaoyi and Yun Jieyu, and suddenly understood why His Majesty wasn’t bringing Rong Zhaoyi this time.

Tan Yuanchu said mildly, “I’m going to the summer palace to escape the heat, what I want is peace and quiet.”

The two of them couldn’t stand each other. Who knew what kind of trouble they might stir up once they got to the summer palace? Better to avoid the risk from the start.

The Empress quietly suppressed her emotions and asked, “But Rong Zhaoyi has accompanied you to the summer palace every year. If she isn’t brought along this time, I’m afraid she’ll take it the wrong way.”

Tan Yuanchu replied lightly, “She’s gone every year, missing this one won’t matter.”

The Empress looked at him deeply. He didn’t seem to think there was anything unfair in this, and genuinely believed that since Rong Zhaoyi had been so many times while Yun Jieyu had never been once, if someone had to stay behind in the palace, it should be Rong Zhaoyi.

“But there’s still the little princess. If Rong Zhaoyi doesn’t go, who will take care of her?”

Tan Yuanchu said, “The little princess hasn’t yet recovered. She can’t endure the rigors of travel, she won’t be going this time.”

The hall fell quiet for a moment. Tan Yuanchu narrowed his eyes, his knuckles tapped lightly on the list. After a while, he said unhurriedly,

“Forget it. Leave it as it is.”

The little princess would return to Changchun Palace sooner or later.

The Empress gathered her thoughts and gently shook her head. Rong Zhaoyi probably still didn’t know, if not for His Majesty being mindful of the little princess, she had nearly been left behind this time.

—

On the day they were to depart for the summer palace, Yun Si rose early. Qiu Yuan dressed her in a light summer gown, a lake-green brocade wrap dress with a sheer layer of shark-gauze over it. With a touch of makeup, the beauty stood graceful and elegant, her every glance full of charm, impossible to look away from.

Yun Si looked toward Song Fu:

“You’ll stay in the palace, make sure you take good care of the hall.”

There were servants at the summer palace, and these consorts were only allowed to bring at most two close attendants. Yun Si had already made up her mind early on, Song Fu would stay in the palace.

Song Fu respectfully lowered his head. “Mistress, rest assured. When you return, Panju Hall will be exactly the same as when you left.”

Qiu Yuan glanced at the time and briefly urged, “Mistress, it’s getting late. We should set out.”

This time, Qiu Baolin was also on the list of those going to the summer palace to escape the heat. When Yun Si arrived at the palace gates, she saw from afar that Consort De and Rong Zhaoyi were standing at the front among the gathered consorts. Yun Si got out of her ceremonial carriage but didn’t step forward, the sun up front was enough to bake someone to death, so she ended up standing beside Qiu Baolin.

Qiu Baolin moved aside to make space for her and said in a low voice,

“Just now, Rong Zhaoyi brought you up.”

Yesterday, Rong Zhaoyi had gone to see His Majesty, but in the end, His Majesty had been summoned away to Panju Hall, this incident had already spread throughout the harem. When Yun Si arrived, she could already sense the subtle glances cast at her and Rong Zhaoyi.

Yun Si looked at Qiu Baolin in confusion.

Qiu Baolin said, “Roughly asking why Jieyu still hasn’t arrived so late.”

As soon as Yun Si heard the word “late,” she understood Zhaoyi Rong’s meaning. She blinked her apricot eyes and replied airily:

“Rong Zhaoyi has had nothing to do lately, of course she’d arrive a little earlier.”

The surroundings instantly fell into a dead silence. Everyone began to cautiously speculate about the meaning behind her words, was she mocking Rong Zhaoyi for having fallen out of favor recently?