Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Scandal

Before midday, news of Qi Guipin’s punishment had already spread throughout the harem, and word had even reached the imperial court.

Xu Shunfu did not dare delay and directly reported it to Tan Yuanchu.

Tan Yuanchu was bent over his desk handling state affairs. Without even lifting his head, he only said, “She harbors resentment in her heart.”

Xu Shunfu immediately understood the Emperor’s attitude. He lowered his gaze, his expression blank, acting as though he knew nothing.

—

Kunning Palace

Upon hearing the little maid’s report, Bai Zhi gave a cold hum, making no attempt to hide the schadenfreude in her tone

“Who told her to rely on the little princess and look down on everyone else? Now the wicked meet their just deserts, it’s her turn to suffer a bit!”

Bai Zhi had nothing but dislike for Qi Guipin, utter dislike, one hundredfold.

Especially after learning that Qi Guipin had once conspired with Consort De to harm the Empress, Bai Zhi wished she could skin her alive. She even wondered, how did Qi Guipin have the face, after harming the Empress’s child, to still calmly ask the Empress to take good care of the little princess?

Why didn’t Bai Zhi like the little princess?

Because for every day the little princess stayed in Kunning Palace, Qi Guipin would find an opportunity to visit. As the victim, the Empress had to watch helplessly as the enemy who had caused her to lose her child enjoyed scenes of motherly affection right in front of her, and she could say nothing.

For Qi Guipin to be able to plot alongside Consort De, truly, she was cut from the same shameless mold!

Did she feel no guilt or shame at all when facing the Empress?!

Hearing Bai Zhi’s righteous indignation, the Empress herself showed no reaction. She lifted her eyes slightly and asked, “Has Yun Jieyu returned?”

Bai Zhi nodded. “Yes. After punishing Qi Guipin, she returned to Panju Hall.”

The Empress nodded lightly and asked no further.

From outside came the sound of the little princess playing and laughing. Bai Zhi frowned in irritation, while the Empress acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, lowering her gaze to continue reviewing the dossiers submitted by the Central Province Hall.

—

Yihe Palace

Gui Qiu turned and entered the hall.

Consort De had already overheard Gui Qiu’s conversation with the attendants. She spoke slowly and evenly, “She really grows worse with each passing day.”

Gui Qiu replied respectfully, “Qi Guipin is nothing but self-important cleverness, utterly incomparable to Your Ladyship.”

Qi Guipin had always wanted to compare herself to Consort De, never realizing that Consort De had never even placed her in her eyes. Only she would think that just because she had borne a little princess and because the Emperor usually favored her more, she could be mentioned in the same breath as Consort De and the Empress.

Little did she know, neither Her Ladyship nor the Empress had ever cared for the Emperor’s favor.

It was like clouds passing before one’s eyes, gone in an instant. Only Qi Guipjn would cling to it desperately and refuse to let go.

As for Gui Qiu’s flattery, Consort De merely curved her lips in indifference. Then, as if recalling something, she asked, “Where is Shu’er?”

Guiqiu hesitated for a moment before replying softly, “Today His Majesty summoned the Eldest Prince before him, and he has not yet returned.”

Consort De nodded, a faint smile flashing across her brows. She was pleased to see the Emperor grant an audience to the Eldest Prince.

Shu’er was the Emperor’s eldest son. Even if she herself no longer cared about the Emperor’s passing favor, she still hoped Shu’er would earn his father’s regard.

Consort De had always known clearly upon whom her honor and disgrace depended.

—

At the same time, in the Central Province Hall, Xiao Rongzi blocked Qiu Ling’s path. Qiu Ling shuddered all over and stammered,

“…Eunuch Rong.”

Xiao Rongzi brushed his sleeve. It was obvious he had been deliberately waiting for her here.

Qiu Ling’s heart skipped a beat. Before Xiao Rongzi could speak, she had already made up her mind. These past few days she had been watching the direction of the palace winds, and now she could understand a few things.

Looking at Xiao Rongzi, Qiu Ling had a vague guess as to why he had come to find her.

Her being summoned by Xu Shunfu might have been a private matter, but for her to leave the Central Province Hall in the middle of the night, there was no way the Central Province Hall would not know.

Qiu Ling silently lowered her head to Xiao Rongzi.

She also knew perfectly well whose person Xiao Rongzi was.

In a low voice, Qiu Ling began, “The day this servant…”

When Xiao Rongzi heard the words before His Majesty, his heart tightened. Then, realizing something, he said coldly, “Stay properly in the Central Province Hall.”

Qiu Ling was about to speak, but then heard Xiao Rongzi say, “My elder sister is lenient, but I am not.”

Qiu Ling instantly fell silent, grumbling inwardly.

Yun Si, lenient?

Yun Si paid no attention to what outsiders might say about her. After punishing Qi Guipin, she simply kept waiting for the day five days later—

The date that Lu Song had agreed upon with her.

When that day finally came, Yun Si realized it happened to be the first day of the lunar month.

What was special about the first day? In truth, nothing, except that it was the day the Emperor would go to Kunning Palace to spend the night.

A flicker passed through Yun Si’s eyes.

Of all days, it had to be today, what medicine exactly was Lu Song selling in his gourd?

Before going to pay respects, Yun Si summoned Qiu Yuan. Qiu Yuan helped her dress but hesitated a little. “Mistress, today is Kunning Palace’s night of service.”

Leaving aside whatever Lu Song was planning, just the fact of trying to get the Emperor to go to Yihe Palace today was already a difficult task.

Yun Si also cursed under her breath.

“Always finding ways to make trouble for me.”

She exchanged a look with her mistress before Qiu Yuan voiced the doubt in her heart. “What matter could there be that must be done today?”

Or rather, that must be done when the Emperor is in Kunning Palace?

Yun Si frowned. She thought of Lu Song, and a wild idea suddenly rose in her mind.

Perhaps the key was not Kunning Palace itself, but that today the Emperor would not be going anywhere else, and thus Yihe Palace would also not receive him.

Startled by her own thought, Yun Si was dumbfounded.

“If it really is as I think, the balance in this palace might be about to change.”

After the morning greeting, Yun Si did not leave with the other concubines. No one thought anything of it, no one knew exactly when Yun Jieyu had begun to be on good terms with the Empress, but she now stayed in Kunning Palace for half an hour after every greeting.

Only An Cairen glanced back once. After leaving Kunning Palace, she muttered discontentedly,

“It’s really unfair. How is it that both His Majesty and the Empress favor her so much?”

Everyone knew she couldn’t control her tongue, so no one paid her any attention.

The Empress, as usual, was teaching Yun Si how to read the account books, but noticed Yun Si seemed a little distracted.
She looked up in puzzlement. “Are you bored?”

Day after day of handling these matters, it was hard not to find them tedious, but they were also a symbol of having power in hand. The Empress had never refused the work, and her position did not allow her to.

What the Empress did not understand was that someone like Yun Si, who was eager to seize every opportunity to climb higher, shouldn’t be feeling bored at all.

Yun Si shook her head, a faint hesitation in her brows and eyes. “No.”

Bai Zhi brought tea and snacks from the side. She disliked others sharing in the Empress’s authority, but when it came to the Empress teaching Yun Si, she had never voiced any objection.

Seeing Yun Jieyu’s hesitant look, she couldn’t help but press.

“What is it, Yun Jieyu? What’s the point of hiding things from Her Highness?”

Bai Zhi was feeling a little anxious, what was wrong with this Yun Jieyu? Her Highness had been truly open-hearted with her… well, admittedly with an agenda, but still with absolute candor.

Bai Zhi was utterly fed up with backstabbing, couldn’t Yun Jieyu be as straightforward as Her Highness?

Yun Si sensed Bai Zhi’s attitude and shook her head inwardly.

She and the Empress were not of the same rank, nor in the same position. The Empress could afford to be frank because she had the standing to do so, but Yun Si?

Cooperation was one thing, but she could never act as freely as the Empress. She was destined to plot cautiously, step by step.

Still, her current demeanor was naturally meant to invite the Empress’s assistance. So, after Bai Zhi’s words fell, Yun Si lifted her eyes and asked briefly,

“Your Highness, what kind of scandal could destroy someone beyond redemption?”

The Empress looked at her in surprise, then said slowly, “When you ask such a question, don’t you already have the answer in your heart?”

A scandal.

The Empress raised her eyes to meet Yun Si’s gaze. People were different from one another.

In this imperial palace, what could truly ruin someone beyond redemption would, naturally, be bringing shame upon the royal family.

As Yun Si was about to leave Kunning Palace, the Empress suddenly called to her. Yun Si turned back in puzzlement, only to see the Empress remain silent for a moment before speaking slowly,

“What you and I trade is one thing, but whatever you intend to do, I hope Yun Jieyu will act with caution.”

Yun Si was genuinely a little surprised.

She said nothing, turned, and left Kunning Palace. Once outside, Qiu Yuan asked her, “Mistress, what did Her Highness mean by that?”

Yun Si shook her head, her voice a little soft.

“Perhaps she guessed I’m planning to act, and is warning me to be careful.”

She might not have guessed exactly what Yun Si intended, but to sense it from a single question, that was proof enough of how meticulous the Empress was.

Yet, it was precisely such a person who had left the murder of her child unavenged after so many years.

Yun Si realized something, pressing her lips together lightly. After a long moment, she sighed with some emotion.

“So it turns out our Empress is one of the rare soft-hearted people in this palace.”

Qiu Yuan was stunned, unable to understand how her mistress had reached such a conclusion.

But Yun Si was thinking, after holding palace power for so many years and enjoying the Emperor’s trust, if the Empress truly staked everything on making Consort De pay with her life, was it really possible she had no way?

There was a way.

She had used Su Jieyu, yet when it came to Su Jieyu’s pregnancy, she had always waited for Consort De to make a move, handing all initiative over to her. If she had been more ruthless, directly causing Su Jieyu to miscarry and then framing Consort De, wouldn’t she have been more certain of bringing Consort De down?

Instead of letting Consort De make the move and erase every clue and shred of evidence.

Even if she could not bring down Consort De, the Empress still chose to continue protecting Su Jieyu.

After going in such a wide circle, what the Empress really aimed for was to saddle Consort De with the crime of plotting against an imperial heir. And a little princess, greatly favored by the Emperor, carried far more weight than an heir who had yet to be born.

But later, the little princess was always kept in Kunning Palace, and the Empress never used her for anything.

Her own child had been murdered, yet the Eldest Prince had grown safely to the age of six. This was partly due to Consort De’s tightly guarded methods, but after holding power in the palace for so many years, was it really possible the Empress had no means at all?

Now, sensing that Yun Si was about to act, even with her own eagerness for revenge, she still gave her a word of caution.

Yun Si lifted her gaze toward the sky, looking at the towering red walls around her. She pressed her lips together lightly.

The imperial palace had always been like a bottomless well, the red walls on all sides could slowly force even the kindest person to harden their heart step by step.

She would never be the Empress.

If it were her, how could she possibly let an enemy go free, allowing them to live carefree before her eyes?

Today was destined to be a sleepless night.

Word came from the imperial court that tonight was Kunning Palace’s turn for bed service, no one found this surprising.

At Yihe Palace, the great hall doors closed as night was about to fall, red candles burning steadily.

In Panju Hall, Yun Si waited for the appointed time. She had been feeling terribly drowsy since dusk, but she forced herself to stay awake. As the sky grew dark, she turned her head toward Songfu.

Song Fu bowed respectfully. “This servant has made all the arrangements. Please rest assured, Mistress.”

Yun Si inclined her head.

She had promised Lu Song to arrange for the Emperor to be invited to Yihe Palace today, but she did not trust Lu Song and naturally would not take such a risk herself.

At Kunning Palace, after Tan Yuanchu and the Empress finished supper, the Empress invited him to take a walk to aid digestion. Tan Yuanchu did not refuse, and a quarter of an hour later, they returned to the hall.

The Empress glanced at the time. Just as they were preparing to retire for the night, a sudden clamor came from outside.

The Empress frowned. “What is it that’s so noisy?”

Bai Zhi’s voice, full of displeasure, came from beyond the door.

“It’s people from Yihe Palace. They say Consort De suddenly fainted and have come to invite His Majesty over.”

Bai Zhi was fuming, today was the first day of the lunar month, the Empress’s night of bed service. Not earlier, not later, but now?
If this wasn’t deliberate on Consort De’s part, it would be a wonder!

The Empress glanced at Tan Yuanchu and saw that he didn’t even lift his eyelids, showing no intention of moving.
She guessed at once he would not go.

She wasn’t surprised.

The Emperor had always been like this, at certain times, he was especially attentive to protocol, and he despised the greedy, unscrupulous ways some used to fight for favor.

Only, the Empress was puzzled. Consort De was not a reckless person. In all these years, when had she ever invited the Emperor on the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month?

Never, it was not her style at all.

Suddenly, the Empress recalled the question Yun Si had asked her earlier that day. Her breath lightened, and when she saw Tan Yuanchu frowning with a trace of impatience, she suddenly said,

“Your Majesty, Consort De has always been measured in her conduct. Perhaps something truly has happened at Yihe Palace. Just in case, you should go and take a look.”

Tan Yuanchu paused, frowning quickly. He looked at the Empress, who lowered her gaze as if she herself were a little surprised at her own words. He was by no means unaware of the logic in what she said, but he was not at all inclined to go see Consort De.

But since even the Empress had advised it, if he still refused to go, it would make him seem heartless.

Tan Yuanchu gave a cold, indifferent reply, rose, and left Kunning Palace.

Once he was gone, Bai Zhi entered looking resentful, muttering, “Your Highness, why did you let the Emperor go?”

The Empress glanced at the uneasy attendants outside the hall and said lightly, “What’s there to stop?”

Bai Zhi still wanted to speak, but the Empress interrupted her with a question that left her puzzled. “Who was the servant who came to the palace to summon him?”

Bai Zhi froze for a moment. After a long pause, she frowned in frustration.

“This servant can’t remember, nor did I recognize her. Anyway, she claimed to be from Yihe Palace, and besides her, who else would dare come to Kunning Palace to summon someone?!”

Bai Zhi didn’t suspect at all that the visitor might have been impersonating someone from Yihe Palace, her tone was nothing but dissatisfaction toward Consort De.

The Empress’s gaze flickered slightly. She sat up.

“Help me dress.”

Bai Zhi stared, displeased. “Why give her face?”

Why should she care about Consort De’s life or death?
Why should the Empress get up in the middle of the night to visit her? Did Consort De deserve it?

The Empress glanced at her. “Consort De is unwell. As Empress, I should go visit her.”

Unable to win the argument, Bai Zhi could only help her dress.

—

Meanwhile, the closer Tan Yuanchu got to Yihe Palace, the quieter it became. There was no trace of panic, no sound at all except the wind stirring the grass.

This was not normal.

If Consort De had truly fainted, there would at least be attendants hurrying to fetch the imperial physician, and the road to Yihe Palace should have been brightly lit.

Xu Shunfu also sensed something was wrong. He turned to Tan Yuanchu.

“Your Majesty, this…”

Tan Yuanchu lifted his eyes, his gaze faint yet deeply shadowed. He said calmly, “Since we’re here, I want to know what this is about.”

The main gate of Yihe Palace was tightly shut. When Xu Shunfu pushed it open, the gate attendant was startled. She seemed about to call out a greeting, but one look from Tan Yuanchu silenced her immediately, and she respectfully stepped aside.

Proceeding forward, Xu Shunfu saw the main hall doors closed, candles still lit inside, while Gui Qiu was standing outside.

Xu Shunfu was puzzled.

If Gui Qiu was standing guard outside, then Consort De inside was not resting.

Tan Yuanchu’s group was far too conspicuous. When Gui Qiu saw them, she was startled and hurriedly called out, “Your Majesty!”

But it was already too late.

Even though the people inside fell abruptly silent upon hearing the voice, Xu Shunfu still caught sounds that should never have been coming from within the hall. He was so shocked he dropped to his knees with a thump.

Consort De… Consort De, she…

The surrounding attendants also dropped to their knees in fright, while Gui Qiu’s face turned deathly pale.

Tan Yuanchu’s expression was frigid as ice. “Open the door!”

With a creak, the door was pushed open.

A wave of heat rushed out from inside, accompanied by the thick, heady scent of incense, making one’s whole body feel uncomfortably warm.

When the Empress arrived, it was just as the doors were thrown open, revealing the scene inside in its entirety. She had already guessed on the way that today’s events were someone’s scheme against Consort De, but even so, her breath still caught in her chest at the sight.