Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 81

Chapter 81: She Missed Them.

At Baoxiang Tower, there had been no movement all along, quiet as if no one were staying there.

Inside the building, Gui Qiu looked toward the calm-faced Ladyship, then glanced again at the low-browed and meek Lu Song, and she faintly furrowed her brows.

When night grew late, Gui Qiu fetched hot water. Recently, Her Ladyship’s body was unwell, and the Imperial Physician said that it was good for Her Ladyship to often soak her feet in hot water, so Gui Qiu dared not neglect it.

But when the hot water was brought, Gui Qiu instead stepped back a little. She turned her head toward a certain low-browed and meek person.

After a moment, their positions changed, Lu Song replaced Gui Qiu. He knelt in front of Consort De, holding Consort De’s feet in both hands, washing them bit by bit.

A person like Consort De had always been pampered and raised in precious comfort, her pair of feet also especially fair and delicate, feeling smooth and tender. Lu Song did not dare to look more, lowering his head respectfully, washing with particular care.

Consort De leaned on the soft couch. Suddenly, her fingertips landed on the top of Lu Song’s head, her voice as gentle as usual,

“You have met with Yun Jieyu?”

Lu Song’s heart tightened, and he immediately replied, “This servant has not.”

Consort De raised her brows slowly, it was unknown whether she believed these words or not. Only, her smile did not reach her eyes. All of a sudden, she kicked a foot into Lu Song’s shoulder, splashing water all over Lu Song. Lu Song’s expression changed; he did not dare to wipe it, immediately kneeling properly in submission.

Consort De looked toward Lu Song unhurriedly.

“You have not met Yun Jieyu, then how did Yun Jieyu know this palace’s plan?”

Even in the sudden splash of water, not a trace of a flaw was shown.

Lu Song furrowed his brows to defend himself, “Your Ladyship, this servant has always stayed in the hall, and even if going out, it was following Your Ladyship. How could I have met Yun Jieyu?!”

He was a little nervous.

Consort De narrowed her eyes, staring at him unhurriedly. Seeing his expression not seeming false, Gui Qiu also whispered by her ear, “This servant has not seen him leave.”

Only then did Consort De’s expression gradually ease. She sat up, personally bent down to help Lu Song up, and her voice also softened.

“It is this palace’s fault, I misunderstood you.”

She reached out her hand, gently wiping the water stains from Lu Song’s face. Her movements were soft, and the two were so close that there was a faint hint of ambiguity.

A trace of apology appeared between Consort De’s brows and eyes, and she said softly,

“You have stayed in this palace’s palace for more than a year. How this palace has treated you, you know in your heart. Today, it was only suddenly feeling that you had betrayed this palace that I became angry. Do you resent this palace?”

Lu Song straightened his kneeling body, and upon hearing this, he shook his head.

After a moment, Lu Song let out a light sigh. He was indeed quite good-looking, his brows and eyes carrying a refined air. He had read books, and even though he was now a servant, there was still a scholarly air about him.

He said in a low voice, “Your Ladyship, the water will turn cold.”

He gave in, and Consort De’s brows and eyes showed a smile. She lifted her foot to rest on Lu Song’s knee. Lu Song lowered his head and wiped the water droplets from her feet.

There was no one else in the hall, only Gui Qiu. Gui Qiu kept her head lowered, not casting an extra glance toward the two.

In truth, Gui Qiu also did not know when things had become like this.

At first, transferring Lu Song to Yihe Palace was only because Her Ladyship wanted to investigate Lu Song’s relationship with Yun Si. The first time seeing Lu Song, Gui Qiu had also been a little surprised, after all, compared to the other palace people, Lu Song’s appearance was indeed outstanding.

Her Ladyship, with the intention of provoking Yun Jieyu, specially transferred Lu Song to serve by her side, and at the Mid-Autumn banquet also brought Lu Song along.

That Mid-Autumn, Her Ladyship had been busy for a long time, catching a bit of discomfort, but after the palace banquet, the Emperor went to Kunning Palace.

Her Ladyship had always worried that the palace banquet was not well handled and would dampen the mood, so she said nothing.

Gui Qiu remembered that night, it was Lu Song who kept the night watch. When she got up the next morning, she heard that Her Ladyship had woken once during the night, probably because her body was unwell, but Gui Qiu also did not know exactly what had happened that night. Later, Her Ladyship’s treatment of Lu Song was clearly different.

More than a year passed, and matters gradually evolved into the current situation.

From being nervous and fearful at the start, Gui Qiu had now become someone who could remain indifferent even when seeing it with her own eyes. At times, she even had to help cover up a little.

But even so, Gui Qiu still had a faint worry in her heart.

In fact, she was likely not the only one worried, Her Ladyship should also be on guard; otherwise, she would not have kept her watching Lu Song all the time.

Moreover, Her Ladyship did not allow Lu Song to leave Yihe Palace alone, and after coming to the traveling palace, she likewise did not allow Lu Song to leave Baoxiang Tower.

Was Lu Song truly entirely submissive?

A palace concubine could at most bring two servants out of the palace, and Defei had only brought Gui Qiu and Lu Song. As night grew late, Conosrt De lifted her eyes and told Gui Qiu to go down and rest.

Just as Gui Qiu was about to turn, Consort De called to her again,

“Is Liu-shi still living in Cuishang Pavilion?”

Gui Qiu hesitantly nodded. “Liu-shi’s current position is awkward; the people below probably don’t know for the moment what to do with her.”

Consort De yawned drowsily, her voice carrying a trace of laziness.

“When a person is forced to a desperate situation, they will inevitably lose their reason. This palace does not like taking risks, find a time to make her shut up.”

Lu Song’s head was lowered, his expression entirely unreadable.

Gui Qiu, however, was not at all surprised by Her Ladyship’s instructions, and she reminded softly, “The Emperor has placed Your Ladyship under confinement; I think there is also some suspicion toward Your Ladyship. Baoxiang Tower is not suitable for action recently, we still have to wait.”

Consort De nodded, not caring about whether it would be sooner or later, only instructing one point.

“In any case, make sure she does not speak.”

—

Qi Guipin was supported back to Suiyu Courtyard by Tong Yun, and just sat unmoving on the soft couch. She did not speak for a long time.

Outside, the daylight gradually dimmed, the light withdrawing bit by bit. The hall grew dark, and after waiting a while, some light returned, it was Tong Yun lighting a red candle.

Tong Yun turned back, crouching down beside Qi Guipin.
She opened her mouth, “Your Ladyship…”

The voice suddenly stopped, because Qi Guipin was no longer Rong Zhaoyi, and she should no longer call her Your Ladyship.

Qi Guipin suddenly closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears silently fell. She bit out, “What kind of ‘Your Ladyship’ am I now?”

Tong Yun was silent.

After a long time, she finally found her voice again. “In this servant’s heart, you have always been Your Ladyship.”

She no longer dwelled on it, and said:

“Now that matters have come to this, will Your Ladyship remain decadent forever? Consort De does not want anyone to know about that matter from back then, and is set on making Your Ladyship keep silent.”

“Your Ladyship being this decadent is exactly what she wishes for.”

Tong Yun lifted her head. “Your Ladyship, the little princess is still in the palace waiting for you to return, you cannot fall.”

Tong Yun’s words were like a thorn, forcefully stabbing into Qi Guipin’s heart. She felt the pain, yet had no choice but to listen.

Qi Guipin took a deep breath, turned her head, and wiped away her tears.

Tong Yun was right, she still had the little princess, she could not go on being decadent.

So what if she was just a Guipin?

When the Emperor had first ascended the throne, the position he had given her was nothing more than Guipin. It was merely walking the same path again. She still had the little princess under her knee, there was no reason this path should be harder than before!

Tong Yun hesitated for a moment before speaking softly:

“This servant always feels that there was another meaning in the Emperor’s words…”

Qi Guipin paused.

Tong Yun said in a low voice. “The Emperor said Your Ladyship has been in high position for a long time and has lost your ordinary heart. This servant thinks the Emperor may not actually believe that today’s matter was Your Ladyship’s fault, but since the evidence is conclusive, the Emperor cannot not punish Your Ladyship.”

“Your Ladyship has made mistake after mistake, even if Your Ladyship is not the true culprit, you must bear the crime of negligence in your charge.”

Tong Yun had always felt that the “ordinary heart” in the Emperor’s mouth did not mean that Her Ladyship was jealous and thus committed a series of wrongs, but that after being in high position, Her Ladyship had grown too content in comfort and enjoyment, and thus lost the cautiousness you ought to have had.

When Her Ladyship was still not a Zhaoyi, even when favored, you still remembered to be careful and cautious. When had there ever been so many mistakes in the hall?

The Emperor indeed valued the imperial offspring.

But when Changchun Palace had been exploited full of loopholes, how could the Emperor feel at ease letting Her Ladyship continue to look after the little princess?

Today, losing your personal hairpin, Her Ladyship had not noticed it at all. In the future, if someone were to plot against the little princess in the hall, would Her Ladyship be able to notice?

Qi Guipin was stunned in place. She was not a fool, only that her eyes had been clouded by emotion. Once Tong Yun gave her a hint, she instantly understood what Tong Yun meant. She raised her hands to cover her face.

“So that’s how it is… so that’s how it is…”

So it turned out that when he punished her, apart from being angry over Yun Jieyu’s fall into the water, the rest was also because he feared she could not properly take care of the little princess.

Made by the little princess, ruined also by the little princess.

Whether for good or ill, had the Emperor ever truly placed her in his eyes? Was it that he never had, or that he saw clearly yet did not care?

Qi Guipin was crying.

Tong Yun, however, did not know what she was crying for.

—

The temporary palace truly was quiet for two days.

Rong Zhaoyi had been demoted, now becoming Qi Guipin; Consort De had been placed under house arrest; in the temporary palace, the only one ranked higher than Yun Si was Consort Jing. But Consort Jing was someone who kept to herself and rarely appeared. All of a sudden, Yun Si became the highest-ranked among the remaining consorts and concubines.

The management authority naturally fell into Yun Si’s hands.

When Yun Si first learned of this, she was completely dumbfounded. She exchanged a glance with Qiu Yuan, then couldn’t help looking toward Xu Shunfu, who had brought the news.

“Eunuch, what did you say? I didn’t hear clearly.”

Hearing her call him that, Xu Shunfu hurriedly waved his hands. “You’d better just call me by name!”

That said, Xu Shunfu still repeated what he had just said, “His Majesty says, he wants you to look after these mistresses who have come to the temporary palace.”

Yun Si widened her almond eyes in astonishment, pointing at herself. “Me? Will they listen to me?”

Her tone of suspicion made Xu Shunfu give a wry smile. Lowering his voice, he said, “Girl, have you forgotten? You are now honored as a Jieyu. In this temporary palace, apart from Consort De and Consort Jing, you rank the highest. Consort De is under house arrest, Consort Jing is in poor health, if you don’t take over this managerial authority, who else will?”

The rank of Jieyu may be noble, but in the eyes of those who serve before the Emperor, you are, in the end, someone a bit closer to him.

Xu Shunfu’s words were slightly lacking in courtly form, but they were spoken with genuine sincerity to Yun Si.

Yun Si made a soft sound, not speaking for a while.

She understood what Xu Shunfu meant, but it was precisely because she understood that she felt dazed, or perhaps more accurately, caught a bit off guard.

Seeing that she had grasped the Emperor’s instructions, Xu Shunfu then changed the subject.

“On this journey, many state matters have been delayed. His Majesty is still busy in the Qinzheng Hall, but he keeps you in mind, and has ordered the kitchens to prepare ginseng soup for you.”

Yun Si sat up from the bed, her voice still a little muffled, “Eunuch, thank His Majesty for me, and also bring him a message, that since His Majesty is working so hard, he shouldn’t trouble himself over me. I already feel tired on his behalf.”

Xu Shunfu couldn’t help but laugh:

“Rest assured, Jieyu, this servant will certainly deliver the message.”

Xu Shunfu truly did relay the message back.

Hearing it, Tan Yuanchu merely gave a light snort.
“If I really didn’t keep her in mind, who knows how much of a fuss she’d make.”

Xu Shunfu spoke a fair word on Jieyu Yun’s behalf:
“Your Majesty, Mistress Jieyu is just feeling distressed for you, afraid you’re working too hard.”

How could Tan Yuanchu not understand that reasoning?
He nodded slowly and unhurriedly, swept a glance at the memorials piled high on the table, and his intention to ponder over a woman’s thoughts instantly dissipated. Supporting his forehead with a headache, he said,
“Have the Minister of Revenue come here.”

Xu Shunfu answered solemnly and respectfully withdrew.

Song Ya Pavilion.

After Xu Shunfu left, Yun Si rose from the bed. Blinking her almond eyes lightly, she asked Qiu Yuan, “He’s asking me to oversee the concubines, but what am I supposed to do?”

Yun Si had never dealt with such matters before, and for a moment she was rather at a loss.

Qiu Yuan had rarely seen her so bewildered, and couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh:
“If something comes up, someone will come to inform you, Mistress, rhere’s no need for you to lose your composure.”

When Xu Shunfu came earlier, he had also delivered a list, recording the consorts who had come this time and the names of the courtyards they resided in, and had even brought the person in charge of the temporary palace to let Yun Si take a look.

They would be staying at the temporary palace for a while, so the burden on Yun Si’s shoulders was not light.

Once everything was settled, Qiu Yuan looked over at Yun Si. She helped Yun Si put on an outer robe and sighed.
“Mistress, why don’t you tell this servant anything? You even risked your life, do you know how deep that lake is? How could you dare to fall into it?”

Yun Si lowered her gaze. In the bronze mirror was reflected a woman’s gentle face, still carrying the pallor of illness. Her voice was soft.
“How could this be something I could avoid simply by not daring?”

As for why she hadn’t told Qiu Yuan,
“The incident happened too suddenly. I was still in shock and didn’t have time to tell you.”

Qiu Yuan nodded, but couldn’t help saying,
“This trip to the summer retreat at the summer palace has truly been full of misfortune for My Lady.”

After suffering all the way here, she had then fallen into the water upon arrival.

Hardly a single good thing had happened.

From outside came the sound of a flowing stream.
Yun Si tilted her head and looked through the columned window.
When she saw the small creek clearly, she suddenly remembered everything that had happened that day.

She lightly furrowed her dark brows.
“Have someone come and replace everything in the pond.”

What was meant to be a scene for viewing, who would have thought it would be used to punish people?

After Qiu Yuan gave the order, palace attendants soon arrived and removed all the lotus flowers and stones from the pond.
Since the incident of her falling into the water, the people in the temporary palace had been especially attentive toward Songya Pavilion, as if they had been frightened and feared arousing her displeasure.

At lunch, Yun Si glanced over and saw the attendants still pulling out lotus flowers from the pond.
She turned and told Qiu Yuan, “There’s no need to rush in a single moment. In this heat, let’s not have them risk heatstroke. Tell them to come back after lunch.”

Qiu Yuan’s voice was soft, “Mistress is kindhearted.”

At the praise, Yun Si furrowed her brows slightly. She knew well in her heart why she acted this way.

First, she had once been a servant herself and could understand the difficulties of these palace attendants.
Second, she also wanted to have a good reputation.

Qiu Yuan seemed to see what she was thinking and said calmly, “In all things, one judges by deeds, not by intentions. Mistress need not think so much.”

Yun Si no longer dwelled on it. Her brows and eyes relaxed.
The beaded curtain was half rolled up, and the warm sunlight from outside poured through its gaps, spilling over her.
Her fair face seemed to be coated with a luminous halo, making her features all the more picturesque, truly the bearing of a peerless beauty.

Qiu Yuan was setting the table for her meal, and when she turned back and saw this scene, she was stunned for a moment, saying nothing.

By evening, the stones and lotus flowers in the pond had all been replaced.
When Yun Si went out, she saw there were even some goldfish kept in the pond, lingering happily beneath the lotus leaves.

Night approached, the darkness outside gradually deepened.
There were many bamboo groves in the temporary palace, and when the wind passed, they rustled softly.

On the bed, Yun Si tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Qiu Yuan was keeping night watch. Hearing movement, she sat up.
“Mistress, can you not sleep?”

A long time passed without an answer.
Only when the moonlight outside had grown faint and listless did she finally hear a muffled sound from the bed:

“…Mm.”

Qiu Yuan was a little puzzled.

Could it be that Mistress is feeling afraid?
But it had already been three days since she fell into the water, and in the past few days, she hadn’t shown anything unusual.

The bed curtains were lifted, and the woman poked her head out.
The cool, clear moonlight fell on her, clearly revealing the hesitation between her brows and eyes.
She seemed a little listless, and after a long time, she finally asked softly, “Can concubines go in and out of the summer palace?”

Yun Si knew that in the capital, it was absolutely impossible, unless Tan Yuanchu granted the favor and allowed the imperial consorts to return home to visit family.

But this was a temporary palace for summer retreat.
The rules were not as strict as in the imperial palace.

Yun Si knew she shouldn’t, but she still gave rise to a trace of extravagant hope.

When she had been sold, it had happened too hastily, and she had failed to escape.
The Lu family, capable of doing such a thing, could not possibly have even a shred of conscience to burn a bit of incense for her parents during Qingming.

She had been away from her hometown for nearly five years.

No one remembered her, and no one remembered her parents.

When she was a thousand li away from home, it was still bearable.
But now, knowing she was in Yuzhou City, only a short distance away from her parents, she could no longer suppress the surging emotions in her heart.

Lying on the soft pillow, Yun Si stared absently at a certain spot.

—She missed them.