Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 95

Chapter 95: The Truth

In the Central Province Hall, ever since Qiu Ling came out of the Heyi Hall, she had never been sent away again. Deep down, she knew Yun Si would not allow her to leave the Central Province Hall.

Fortunately, Eunuch Liu had always been gentle and treated her well. Now that Yun Si had become a concubine of the rank Jieyu, Qiu Ling didn’t even dare think about leaving the Central Province Hall. She wished she could just keep her head down and live quietly, hoping Yun Si would never think of her again.

When Xu Shunfu found her, Qiu Ling’s whole body tensed slightly.

After having been to the Heyi Hall and returning to the Central Province Hall, Qiu Ling felt her life was now relatively easy. It had been a long time since she’d felt this kind of nervousness that even made breathing difficult.

Qiu Ling smiled bitterly in her heart. Sure enough, not everyone can climb to enjoy glory and wealth.

The psychological shadow Yun Si left on her was too deep.
So, when Xu Shunfu questioned her, Qiu Ling mumbled vaguely and gave unclear answers.

Xu Shunfu’s face immediately turned cold.

“Answer exactly what I ask. If you hide anything, the Punishments Department has plenty of empty cells!”

Qiu Ling trembled all over in fright.

She completely panicked. “I will speak!”

What happened back then had left a deep impression on Qiu Ling. Even though nearly two years had passed, she still remembered it clearly. Shaking with fear, she said, “It was when Lu Pin was returning to the palace… I heard two palace attendants discussing Eunuch Chang privately, in secret…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the words “paired eating” (a euphemism for a sexual relationship between eunuchs), but since Chang Deyi had been personally dealt with by Xu Shunfu, he naturally knew the man’s problem.

Xu Shunfu’s heart gave a jolt, cold sweat seeping down his back. Inwardly, he cursed Chang Deyi, what bad luck!
Dead already, yet still causing him trouble!

Qiu Ling didn’t know what Xu Shunfu intended to do, but after being a servant for so long, her greatest skill was reading people’s expressions.

She could hear the respect in Xu Shunfu’s tone whenever he mentioned Yun Jieyu.

Qiu Ling’s eyes flickered. But before she could say more, Xu Shunfu suddenly interrupted her with a cold voice, “Come with me.”

Qiu Ling realized who she was about to meet, and her eyes widened in shock, her whole body trembling slightly with fear.

The night was deep, shadows of trees swaying. Following Xu Shunfu, Qiu Ling entered the Yangxin Hall. She knelt on the floor while the Emperor sat high above in his seat. Qiu Ling didn’t dare lift her head to look up.

When Xu Shunfu told her to recount exactly what had happened back then, Qiu Ling shuddered. She knew that in this matter, no matter whom the Emperor favored, she could still be considered as having aided and abetted wrongdoing.

But in front of the Emperor, she didn’t dare conceal anything, nor did she dare to speak recklessly. After repeating what she had told Xu Shunfu, she swallowed nervously and continued in a trembling voice,

“At that time, Yun Jieyu, like this servant, was attending to Lu Pin in the Heyi Hall. After Lu Pin suffered a miscarriage, she was determined to regain favor. Upon hearing about Eunuch Chang’s matter, she… she began to have thoughts…”

Xu Shunfu risked stealing a glance at the Emperor, only to swallow hard in fright.

Ever since ascending the throne, the Emperor had always been one to keep his emotions unreadable; even in great anger, at most his face would turn cold. Xu Shunfu had never seen the Emperor’s expression so dark and terrifying.

He kept his head bowed low, inwardly cursing Chang Deyi to the bone. Truly capable, was it not enough to cause trouble in life, but also after death?

A concubine in the harem wanting to win a chance to share the Emperor’s bed… yet first needing to curry favor with a lowly servant like him?

Xu Shunfu didn’t even dare look at the Emperor’s face now.

Lu Pin had such thoughts?

What kind of thoughts could those be?

Just like that Huang Cairwn who had sent palace maids to Chang Deyi, which girl did Lu Pin intend to send to him?

With Yun Jieyu’s beauty, the answer was obvious.

As far as Xu Shunfu knew, the Emperor had already taken a liking to Yun Jieyu back then. But because Lu Pin was under confinement, the Emperor was unwilling to give her face and couldn’t be bothered to see her. As a result, for nearly half a year, the Emperor also hadn’t seen Yun Jieyu.

Qiu Ling’s voice continued, “Later, Yun Jieyu came to find this servant… and asked… what exactly Lu Pin intended when she told her to deliver something before His Majesty…”

Qiu Ling kept her head lowered, her eyes flickering. She wanted to tell the truth, but not the whole truth, she made herself look a bit better.
“This servant felt uneasy, so in the end I told Jieyu Yun the truth. The next day, the incident with Lu Pin happened…”

When she finished speaking, she suddenly knocked her head on the ground with a loud thud.

“Please forgive me, Your Majesty! It’s not that this servant didn’t wish to act, but with my low position and insignificant voice, I dared not resist my mistress!”

She was still begging for mercy, while up on the high platform, Tan Yuanchu’s face was expressionless, but in his eyes there was a layer of shattered ice, chilling to behold.

Tan Yuanchu was thinking, during the half a year he hadn’t seen her, was this how she had endured?

No wonder the woman had said she felt disgusted.

How could she possibly not feel disgusted?

If that day Lu Pin had not met with misfortune, what would she have looked like when she next appeared before him?

Tan Yuanchu didn’t even dare to think further.

“Get out!”

Qiu Ling’s pleas for mercy were abruptly cut off. Xu Shunfu immediately led her away, and when he returned, he stood there with lowered eyes, as quiet as a cicada in winter.

After a long while, Xu Shunfu heard the Emperor’s voice,

“Each time she targeted Rong Zhaoyi, I indulged her, though occasionally I wondered if I was spoiling her.”

Only now did he realize, she had never been recklessly arrogant because of favor; she had always known exactly what she was doing. Between her and Rong Zhaoyi, the one who was wronged had always been her.

Whenever he thought he was maintaining so-called balance, would the woman have felt nothing but weariness in her heart?

Her dislike of him seemed to be the most natural thing in the world.

Xu Shunfu was startled and hurried to say, “Your Majesty, you are unaware of the inside story, this cannot be blamed on you.”

Tan Yuanchu fell silent and said nothing.

The hall sank into a deathly stillness. Inwardly, Xu Shunfu gave a bitter smile, what a mess this all was!

After a while, Xu Shunfu suddenly remembered something. He glanced at the Emperor and said softly, “Today, someone from the Central Province Hall came.”

“They said that now that Qi Guipin is no longer of third rank, should she be moved out of the main hall of the Changchun Palace?”

Under Qi Guipin’s knee was a little princess, so no one dared treat her lightly. Even to move her out of the main hall, they still had to come before the Emperor to ask permission.

Tan Yuanchu’s face grew even colder.

“They still haven’t moved Qi Guipin, are they waiting for me to personally handle this matter?”

His way of addressing Rong Zhaoyi had now completely changed to “Qi Guipin.”

The Central Province Hall, following protocol, hadn’t dared to move Qi Guipin out of the main hall. Tan Yuanchu suddenly realized that the punishment of demoting her rank was actually meaningless to her.

She was likely certain she would be restored sooner or later.

So, the reason she had kept a low profile and behaved herself during this period was simply because she was waiting for his anger to subside.

Especially since he had not decided on the little princess’s arrangements for a long time.

Tan Yuanchu could not deny that when he learned the person who had plotted to push Yun Jieyu into the water back then was not Qi Guipin at all, and that she was merely the scapegoat, his purpose in demoting Qi Guipin had only been to make her reflect on herself.

Indeed, he had been dissatisfied with Qi Guipin, but because of the little princess, his tolerance toward her had been much higher than toward the other concubines.

And now, the words Qiu Ling and Yun Si had spoken back in the temporary palace kept circling in Tan Yuanchu’s mind.

— Lu Pun used an excuse to trick Yun Jieyu into meeting Eunuch Chang.
— Your Majesty, this servant found a portrait in Chang Deyi’s room.
— You know nothing!
— She makes this concubine feel disgusted…
— They bullied me!

The woman’s cries and accusations echoed in his head.
Tan Yuanchu closed his eyes, and after a long moment, Xu Shunfu’s hesitant voice reached his ears.

“Then… what about the little princess?”

Tan Yuanchu’s eyes suddenly snapped open, a coldness filling them.

“Handle it according to palace rules.”

Xu Shunfu couldn’t help being shocked.

—

The night sky was clear, and the early autumn breeze carried a trace of chill. The gates of Panju Hall had been closed early, but in the middle of the night, they were suddenly knocked upon from outside.

The night watch palace attendant hurriedly opened the door. Upon seeing who it was, they were startled and quickly bowed to pay respects.

Yun Si had been feeling unusually drowsy lately. When the Office of Ceremonies hadn’t come with any message by evening, she had gone to rest early. Perhaps because her heart felt unsettled, she slept restlessly that night.

Half-dreaming, half-awake, Yun Si seemed to hear the sound of a door being pushed open. She woke abruptly, and when she saw someone standing by her bed, every hair on her body stood on end, and she almost cried out in alarm.

Only when she looked up and saw the person’s face, illuminated by moonlight enough to easily recognize him, did she catch her breath.

Her sleepiness vanished completely, goosebumps still covering her skin, and she couldn’t help but speak out in complaint,

“Why are you not asleep in the middle of the night, and instead come to my palace to frighten me?”

Tan Yuanchu pulled her into his arms, only to find her drenched in cold sweat. Realizing he had truly frightened her, he said softly, “It’s my fault. I’ll have someone summon the imperial physician.”

Yun Si’s heartbeat gradually steadied. She quickly held onto Tan Yuanchu, sensing something was wrong with him.

“Your Majesty, don’t trouble yourself. This concubine is fine.”

A palace attendant entered and lit the candles. The hall was instantly bright, and with his vision clear, Tan Yuanchu felt her forehead again. Seeing that her complexion was regaining warmth, he no longer insisted on summoning the physician.

Yun Si sat up, tilting her head to carefully observe Tan Yuanchu. Noticing the coolness in his expression, she tentatively asked,

“Are you in a bad mood?”

Once the candles were lit, Xu Shunfu led the palace attendants out, leaving only Yun Si and Tan Yuanchu in the hall.

Tan Yuanchu wrapped his arm around her waist, burying his face in the hollow of her neck, and replied in a muffled voice, “Mm.”

Yun Si’s apricot eyes widened in surprise, feeling a bit puzzled inside.
What was going on with this husband and wife? Was this something they had agreed upon today? They were both being so straightforward.

It was enough to leave a person feeling somewhat at a loss.

Moreover, Yun Si felt a bit… hard to describe.

If he was in a bad mood, why come to trouble her? She had been sleeping perfectly well, who had she provoked?

Yun Si felt rather uncomfortable in her heart, especially knowing that later on he would still restore Qi Guipin to the third-rank position of Zhaoyi. She let him hold her, neither resisting nor offering him comfort.

She didn’t comfort him, and he seemed to think nothing of it.

After a long while, just as Yun Si was about to drift back into drowsiness, she suddenly heard Tan Yuanchu say in a faint voice,

“I’ve had Qi Guipin moved out of the main hall of the Changchun Palace.”

It was a short sentence, even spoken with a certain coolness, but Yun Si instantly woke up. Her mind hadn’t quite caught up yet, and she blurted out instinctively, “Weren’t you planning to restore her rank? Why go to all this trouble then?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yun Si’s whole body stiffened.

She suddenly became completely alert, her heart filling with regret, truly, drowsiness leads to mistakes!

She quickly gathered herself, lowering her gaze slightly. She shifted a bit, trying to withdraw from Tan Yuanchu’s embrace, turning her head aside as her voice came out low and muffled,

“This concubine didn’t mean to express any dissatisfaction toward Your Majesty.”

She said she didn’t, but every word carried traces of her mood.

Tan Yuanchu interrupted her. “It’s my fault.”

Yun Si looked up abruptly. Only then did she realize that today the Emperor had been referring to himself as “I” rather than “We,” and this was already the second time he had said “It’s my fault” today.

Yun Si felt something was a bit strange. She hesitated and softly asked, “Your Majesty, what is wrong with you?”

But Tan Yuanchu didn’t answer her, instead, he asked another question. “Who in the palace do you think could take good care of the little princess?”

Yun Si, without even considering the implication behind the matter of choosing a foster mother for the little princess, suddenly jolted all over, nearly breaking out in cold sweat.

Whether or not Tan Yuanchu truly intended to deal with Qi Guipin, was this matter of choosing a foster mother for the little princess something he should be discussing with her?

Had he, in the middle of the night, mistaken the palace halls and thought Chu’an Palace was Kunning Palace?

Of course Yun Si knew that was impossible, she was just completely muddled by Tan Yuanchu today, still confused after being startled awake.

She gave Tan Yuanchu a push, lifted her apricot eyes, and complained.

“Your Majesty, are you deliberately teasing this concubine? Since when is it my place to decide where the little princess should go?”

Even if Tan Yuanchu truly would listen to her, Yun Si would never give him an answer.

What a joke, her dislike for Qi Guipin was one thing, and her dislike for the little princess was also a fact, but she certainly wasn’t about to bring trouble upon herself.

What if, in the future, the little princess’s foster mother treated her poorly, or, even with good intentions, failed to care for her properly? In the end, whose responsibility would it be?

Right now, Tan Yuanchu’s favor toward her was strong, and he thought she was flawless in every way. But in the future, when her favor inevitably faded, would Tan Yuanchu blame the little princess’s misfortune on the suggestion she gave today?

Yun Si didn’t know if such a day would come.

But she wouldn’t gamble on it.

Tan Yuanchu seemed to realize this as well, for he no longer asked her who should raise the little princess.

He shifted her inward, removed his outer robe, extinguished the candles, and only then returned to the bed. Pulling her into his arms, he lay down with her, one hand holding her waist as if to lock her completely in his embrace.

At last, Yun Si found a moment to think the matter over.
She glanced at Tan Yuanchu with suspicion.

“Do you truly intend to leave her in the fourth-rank Guipin’s position, and not as a temporary measure?”

The words temporary measure made Tan Yuanchu’s entire body stiffen.

So, in her heart, she did harbor resentment toward him after all.

He didn’t leave her waiting long. In a low voice, he answered, “No.”

Receiving such a definite reply left Yun Si uncharacteristically stunned.

She was still somewhat muddled. Just today, she had heard from the Empress that Qi Guipin’s fourth-rank position was only temporary, yet tonight Tan Yuanchu came to her saying he would not restore her to third-rank Zhaoyi.

Tan Yuanchu was a man of deep ruthlessness, but he had never lied to her.

So… what had happened in between?

Yun Si couldn’t figure it out no matter how she thought.
In the end, she could only put it aside.

The night deepened. Yun Si felt someone’s hand holding her waist, until at last it stopped at her lower abdomen.

Suddenly, she remembered how, back in the Yangxin Hall, Tan Yuanchu had once remarked that she was disappointing.

At the time, she had no rank and had never even thought of conceiving. But now, as a fourth-rank Jieyu, only one step away from third rank, it seemed she could begin to consider the matter of bearing an imperial heir.

Yet with Consort De standing before her, Yun Si found herself with little energy to spare on the thought.

She lowered her head, pressing it gently against Tan Yuanchu’s chest.

In the darkness, his warm breath brushed against her neck. Surprised, he drew her closer, his voice soft, “Can’t sleep?”

She gave a muffled hum from within his embrace.

He lowered his head to kiss her forehead. The autumn night carried a trace of chill.
Though her undergarments were fastened with buttons and a sash, they posed no obstacle to him. His fingers brushed lightly as they moved downward. Yun Si bit her lip, her breathing gradually quickening.

Bit by bit, he gathered her in, his fingers slowly exploring, finding her warm and damp, the touch leaving faint ripples.

After a long while, she couldn’t help but bury herself in his arms, letting out a choked sob.

He was so practiced at this.
This time, instead of using tea water to cleanse her, he simply took the handkerchief from beside the bed and wiped her gently. He lowered his head and kissed her, lingering for a long time on her tightly closed eyes.

Yun Si couldn’t stop trembling all over.

Even after the quiet stretched on, she still choked slightly, her tears falling onto him, her body curling up, trembling softly as though spring tides had yet to recede.

She didn’t lift her head, and in the darkness she couldn’t see his face, but she could hear the surging desire in his voice. Holding her, stroking her back, he spoke lightly, “Sleep.”

Yun Si wanted to say something, but he always knew her too well, easily leaving her drained.

She bit him, who puts someone to sleep like this?

But in the end, the words of complaint never made it past her lips. Exhaustion washed over her again, and as drowsiness surged, she murmured two indistinct sounds before drifting into a hazy sleep in his arms.