Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 90

Chapter 90: “They bullied me!”

When Yun Si woke again, she was already back at the temporary palace.

Pulling her clothes around herself, she sat up; Tan Yuanchu was lying right beside her. Yun Si turned her head to look at him, raising her hand to trace the lines of his brows and eyes bit by bit. He was often lazy and careless, yet his features were sharply defined.

Yun Si had rarely seen a man whose looks surpassed his; when the corners of his lips curved in a faint smile, his voice and bearing were dazzling. High above all, power in his grasp, and yet willing to lower himself, no wonder the consorts in the palace often harbored feelings for him.

If he truly liked a woman, he could easily stir her heartstrings.

But in Yun Si’s eyes, her emotions gradually regained clarity; the loftier he stood, the less she could allow herself to fall for him. She had nothing at all, naturally, she had no right to be as willful as others.

Her hand was suddenly caught, and that low, hoarse voice asked:

“What are you thinking?”

Yun Si leaned in, nestling into his arms, tilting her head up to kiss his lips. Her apricot eyes were bright and burning, yet her voice was soft and languid, “This concubine was just thinking… how is it that Your Majesty is so good?”

Whether he believed her or not, he hooked his arm around her waist and let out a low, ambiguous chuckle:

“Liar.”

—

No one mentioned the matter of the emperor taking Yun Jieyu out of the palace. And even if they did, what of it?
The fact could not be changed; bringing it up again would only cause themselves more vexation.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the imperial entourage did not return to the capital; instead, a not-too-grand, not-too-small palace banquet was held at the traveling palace. Using this occasion, Consort De’s confinement was lifted.

Yun Si said nothing.

After Mid-Autumn, the weather was set to grow colder, and the emperor prepared to return to the capital.

At Song Ya Pavilion these past two days, they were also packing up. Qiu Yuan glanced at her mistress’s complexion and looked a little surprised. “Mistress, these past couple of days your complexion seems to be getting better and better.”

Yun Si turned toward the bronze mirror, glancing left and right, and realized Qiu Yuan was actually right.

She raised her brows slightly, a little surprised.

“With the trip back to the capital coming up, and the thought of having to sit in a carriage again, I’m nearly sick with worry, how could it be like this?”

Inwardly, Yun Si was doubtful. Could it be that after resolving some matter on her mind, her complexion had simply improved on its own?

She couldn’t figure it out, but since it wasn’t a bad thing, she didn’t dwell on it further.

Tan Yuanchu remembered her condition, and before returning to the capital, he specifically ordered Imperial Physician Chang to come and take her pulse. Xu Shunfu personally delivered the message, so Yun Si had been waiting in Songyaxuan the whole time.

When Imperial Physician Chang arrived and was taking her pulse, Yun Si casually mentioned that her complexion had improved.

The physician nodded. “This subject was about to ask, what medicine has Yun Jieyu been taking lately? When you first fell into the water, this minister had intended to prescribe medicine to help you recover. But afterward, since your body was… inconvenienced, I delayed until now. Yet in today’s pulse reading, I found your condition has improved quite a bit.”

Yun Si was startled by the question, what medicine had she taken?

All her prescriptions had always been given directly by Imperial Physician Chang, so why was he asking her this?

Yun Si’s smile faded slightly.
She lifted her gaze, “The medicine you gave me, wasn’t it for nourishing my body?”

Imperial Physician Chang shook his head and explained, “That’s not the same. The medicine I prescribed was to replenish what you lost after falling into the water. But the medicine you’ve been taking recently is for regulating menstruation.”

After he finished speaking, the physician added with a smile:

“I heard His Majesty took Yun Jieyu to Yuzhou City not long ago, could it be you sought out a doctor among the common folk?”

Qiu Yuan frowned deeply, and the smile on Yun Si’s face had completely vanished. The atmosphere in Song Ya Pavilion grew heavy, and Imperial Physician Chang realized something was wrong.

Yun Si lowered her eyelids and asked in a flat tone, “May I ask, Physician, what medicines can achieve this effect?”

The physician glanced at her, sighed bitterly in his heart, but could only answer truthfully:

“Sanqi, danshen, peach kernels, all have the effect of invigorating the blood and dispelling stasis.”

After a slight pause, the physician lowered his head and his voice. “And… safflower also has this effect. For women who are not pregnant, all of these can be used to regulate the body.”

He emphasized women who are not pregnant.

Yun Si’s hand slowly tightened. She looked up at Qiu Yuan, who immediately bowed respectfully and withdrew.

Once Qiu Yuan was gone, Yun Si said coldly, “Someone, go invite His Majesty here at once!”

Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Imperial Physician Chang.

“Today’s matter, I must thank you. If not for you, I’d still be in the dark.”

The physician bowed respectfully. “It is merely this subject’s duty.”

Tan Yuanchu came as soon as he heard the summons. Even before the sounds reached inside, Imperial Physician Chang saw Yun Jieyu step down barefoot from the soft couch, lift her skirts, and throw herself straight into the newcomer’s arms. She bit her lip hard, her apricot eyes filled with fear and lingering shock.

“Your Majesty!”

Imperial Physician Chang dared not look again, he even felt a chill of cold sweat down his back.

“Your Majesty, this concubine is afraid…”

Yun Si truly felt a lingering fear, had Imperial Physician Chang not come today, she might never have taken this matter to heart.

Her body trembled slightly, and the hands clutching Tan Yuanchu’s sleeve were icy cold.

Tan Yuanchu held her, gently patting her back. He knew part of her reaction was an act, yet the chill in his heart did not lessen in the slightest.
Was she wrong in what she said?

Today, it was only because she was not pregnant that those so-called medicines had been beneficial to her and no tragedy had occurred.

But what if she had been pregnant?

What sort of scene would he have walked into at Song Ya Pavilion then?

Tan Yuanchu didn’t dare to imagine further, but it didn’t stop his fury.

“Investigate! If you can’t find out who it was, drag out every single person in Song Ya Pavilion and beat them to death!”

Xu Shunfu didn’t dare delay and immediately turned to leave.

When the imperial consorts arrived, they saw the servants in Song Ya Pavilion all kneeling on the floor, wailing and begging for mercy, tears and snot streaming down their faces, just one glance was enough to stir pity.

Consort De was among them. She glanced at Gui Qiu.

Gui Qiu nodded, and as she stepped onto the covered corridor, passing those palace maids, she suddenly lifted her hand to steady Her Highness, revealing an old-style silver bracelet on her wrist.

Yun Si clung to Tan Yuanchu, choking out,

“Your Majesty, is it because this concubine is too useless? You entrusted me with managing the temporary palace, yet I can’t even properly oversee Songyaxuan, always making you worry.”

She was truly crying now, tears falling from the weight of her grief.

She had been desperately striving to climb upward, but now reality was telling her that her abilities could not support her ambitions.

That truth was what truly made her feel flustered and uneasy.

Tan Yuanchu patted her back, and when he saw she was dwelling on such thoughts, his eyes turned abruptly cold and dark. He rarely spoke to her in this tone.

“This is not your fault.”

“Yun Si, if someone harmed you, it is only their fault. You must not take the blame onto yourself for failing to guard against them.”

No one can guard against thieves every single day.

If someone truly harbors ill intent, they will find every possible way to exploit an opening, how could one defend against that?

When the imperial consorts entered, they heard Tan Yuanchu asking the imperial physician,

“Is Yun Jieyu’s body truly without issue?”

Imperial Physician Chang nodded again and again.

“Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Yun Jieyu’s body still carries some deficiency from the time she fell into the water. She only needs careful daily nourishment.”

The consorts who entered were all a little bewildered, if Yun Jieyu was perfectly fine, then what was all the commotion outside about?

Consort De also heard the exchange between Tan Yuanchu and the imperial physician. The emotions in her eyes and brows cooled ever so slightly, without leaving a trace.

Yun Si… wasn’t pregnant?

Gui Qiu also realized something and sighed inwardly, in this way, the few people they still had left in the temporary palace had been wasted.

Yun Si looked at the gathered consorts, and in her heart she already had her suspects. She lifted her gaze toward Consort De.

Who, at this time, would give her medicine containing safflower or other blood-activating, stasis-dispersing herbs?
Her monthly cycles were no secret, only the confined Consort De might not know about them.

Ruling out these factors, there were not many who could send someone into her palace without a sound.

Yun Si then swept a glance at Qi Guipin, pressing her lips together. Since being demoted, Qi Guipin had remained quiet, never causing trouble. Now, when their eyes met, she simply averted her gaze as if to avoid seeing her altogether.

Yun Si felt suspicion, but she could not be certain.

She did not fear wrongly accusing someone, after all, whether it was Consort De or Qi Guipin, both bore grudges against her.

What she feared was letting the real culprit slip away.

Just then, a sudden commotion rose outside, and Yun Si faintly caught Xu Shunfu’s voice,

“… Stop her!”

Everyone inside the hall was puzzled. Yun Si thought of something, abruptly pushed Tan Yuanchu aside, and rushed out.

When she reached the outer hall, she arrived just in time to see a palace maid wrench free from the others and hurl herself with all her strength against a wooden pillar.

Bang—

A dull, crisp sound rang out, followed by the terrified screams of the imperial consorts behind her.

Yun Si froze in place.

Everything seemed to slow. After the palace maid struck the pillar, blood flowed endlessly from her forehead. She staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

Before dying, she looked toward Yun Si, her eyes filled with tears. Her lips moved, but no words came out, her face smeared entirely with blood.

She had killed herself right in front of her.

Yun Si felt as though her own breath had stopped for a moment.

Perhaps it was the saying, “A dying person’s words are kind”, she seemed to see, deep in the palace maid’s eyes, a hidden apology and guilt.

No matter how much hatred Yun Si bore toward her, in this moment she didn’t know what to feel.

When one is lowly, even one’s life is not one’s own, let alone the things one must do.

Yun Si’s body went a little limp, but someone caught her in time.
He called to her, “Yun Si!”

She was forcibly pulled back to her senses by his voice.

In that instant, she didn’t know anything for certain, yet all at once, she confirmed the culprit.

Consort De!

Who else could have such vicious and ruthless methods?!

Yun Si’s lips moved, but for a moment no sound came out.
Then she clutched at Tan Yuanchu’s sleeve, and two clear streams of tears suddenly fell. “Your Majesty…”

She said nothing more, only cried and repeated in a choked voice.

“Your Majesty!”

Tan Yuanchu held her close, about to speak, but heard her sobbing words instead,

“They bullied me!”

A palace maid had died right before her eyes, the trail of clues cut off in an instant. Everything had happened right in front of her, with no time to stop it.

What use was suspicion?

She had no witness, no trail to follow, no evidence, and could not catch her.

Yun Si stared fixedly at the palace maid’s corpse, tears constantly falling from her apricot eyes. Yet within her sleeves, her hands slowly clenched tighter and tighter, her fingertips nearly digging into the flesh of her palms, the pain sharp.

Too much bullying!

—