Pampered Consort's Acting Awards - Chapter 56 Part 1

Xiao Yu stayed in Changchun Palace for two consecutive nights, a rare occurrence for the new emperor, who usually wanted to retire after attending the morning court session.

A continuous stream of rewards flowed into Changchun Palace.

Rumors began to circulate within the palace that the emperor favored Consort Li, who hailed from Goryeo. Despite the high status of the other three consorts, Li Yuan’s rise in favor made Consort Xue feel like a cat who had its tail stepped on, and she glared at Li Yuan with fiery eyes.

Tensions simmered among the concubines, and Empress Dowager Chu naturally saw it as a favorable development.

The following day, Su Ling paid her respects at Cining Palace. Empress Dowager Chu said to her, “The emperor and the officials advocate frugality and simplicity, and the palace should also follow suit. For my birthday, let’s keep things simple.”

“I understand Imperial Mother’s intentions, but His Majesty has repeatedly instructed me that while we may be prudent in other matters, we must not skimp on Your Ladyship’s birthday celebration. It would be inappropriate to sacrifice decency for the sake of thriftiness. It wouldn’t be aesthetically pleasing,” Su Ling whispered. “Imperial Mother should also understand His Majesty’s filial piety.”

Empress Dowager Chu smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll leave the matter to you. I trust you completely.”

After a while, Eunuch Zhang reported, “Your Ladyship, Consort Li, Consort Xue, and Consort Liu are waiting outside the hall.”

“Let them in quickly.”

The three consorts paid their respects together and took their seats one after another.

Empress Dowager Chu’s gaze swept over Li Yuan as she smiled and said, “Cining Palace isn’t so strict. If you’re tired, you could have come later. But no, you all came earlier than expected.”

“If we were tired,” Li Yuan responded, catching the deeper meaning behind the words. “With Her Majesty the Empress as a role model for the palace, how could we dare to slack off?”

Consort Xue glanced at Consort Li and playfully raised the corner of her mouth. She is undoubtedly good at flattery.

Empress Dowager Chu played with the beads in her hand and said, “Time flies in the palace. In the blink of an eye, I’ll become a grandmother. Each of you must serve the emperor wholeheartedly in the future, so that the imperial family can prosper and thrive.”

The three consorts agreed.

Su Ling looked at Li Yuan, who lowered her head and glanced at her own belly, her cheeks flushing.

Su Ling left Cining Palace and arrived at Kunning Palace expressionlessly. After discussing Empress Dowager Chu’s birthday arrangements with Shangyi Xu, it was almost time for the evening meal.

A table was set for dinner, filled with delicious, visually appealing, and tasty dishes.

But Su Ling felt nauseous and couldn’t even eat her favorite dish, pepper vinegar shrimp.

Fu Ying gently patted her back and said, “Your Majesty, shall I remove some dishes and bring a few different ones?”

Su Ling vomited, rinsed her mouth, and waved her hand, saying, “No need. Just take it away. I won’t eat for now.”

Fu Ying panicked and said, “How can that be… The physician said that you should eat for the sake of the child in your womb…”

With tears in her eyes, Su Ling suddenly raised her voice and said, “I said, take it away!”

After shouting, Su Ling herself became stunned. Why did she vent her anger on Fu Ying?

That was not right, not right at all.

After a while, she finally said, “Fu Ying, I have no appetite.”

“I understand,” Fu Ying held Su Ling’s hand and said, “Your Majesty, take a rest for a while.”

Su Ling sat and whispered, “Fu Ying.”

Fu Ying replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Su Ling sighed and said, “Go to the storage room and pick more rewards to send to Changchun Palace. Also, ask if they need anything else.”

Fu Ying thought and said, “Yesterday, the person in charge from Changchun Palace asked me about a remedy for insomnia. She said Consort Li has been having trouble sleeping lately and wanted to get a prescription. But later she heard that your prescription was prepared by the emperor, so she didn’t ask again.”

Su Ling’s eyes narrowed, and she spoke softly, “Then give her all the Bodhi treasures from the storage room.”

Consorts receiving favor and the empress bestowing rewards were expected, but the lavish rewards in front of Li Yuan were beyond her expectations. She picked up a hairpin and casually twirled it. She had heard that the emperor had only been accompanied by the empress since he returned from the suburban residence. As a young couple deeply in love, with the intimacy she could see from the occasional red marks on the empress’s neck, how could she not hold any grudges? It was impossible.

A woman understands another woman best. Take herself, for example. Her behavior last night, being accommodating and understanding, was nothing more than a second-best attempt to compete for favor. Since she was young, she had learned Han Chinese language and politics and saw it clearly. The relationship between the empress and the dowager was not as harmonious as it seemed.

The empress’s maternal family was gradually growing powerful, and with the merits of her support, if she were to give birth to a son and have him named a crown prince, the paradigm of ruling the world as a motherly figure would change from “Chu” to “Su.” The Chu lineage would never tolerate this.

“Child…” Li Yuan murmured, recalling the tired look in the man’s eyes as he slumped over the desk last night. Even though he was exhausted, he refused to let her care for him. But he was the emperor. She was his person, to begin with.

Every month, Xiao Yu consistently set aside a few days to dine with the empress dowager to express filial piety. On that evening, the dowager summoned her niece, Chu Yan, into the palace, ostensibly to keep her company and provide some entertainment. But everyone knew who she really wanted to provide entertainment for.

The dowager didn’t let Chu Yan marry him as a consort back then. On the one hand, Chu Yan was indeed young, and on the other hand, Xiao Yu, as the prince, did not have the luck of becoming a dragon. Marrying him to a Su family girl was better than risking it. At least in this way, the Su family’s military power could not become support for Prince Yan.

As time passed, everything seemed to develop according to the dowager’s intentions. However, looking at it today, it didn’t seem to be going as she had wished.

Chu Yan stood to the side, lowering her gaze as she helped the emperor with the dishes. The empress dowager occasionally teased her, saying she was grown up and knew how to serve people. The aunt and niece would banter back and forth, but Xiao Yu said nothing. After finishing the dinner, he went directly to Changchun Palace.

The room was dimly lit as candles flickered, and Xiao Yu lowered his eyes to look at the documents. Li Yuan had developed the ability to observe and understand others from a young age. She was more meticulous than anyone else in managing the lamps, replacing the wick when it was dim and adding oil when it was bright. Whether it was grinding ink or brewing tea, everything was done perfectly. She didn’t say a single extra word, just quietly watching him.

Xiao Yu didn’t intend to treat her like a palace servant, nor was he accustomed to changing people around him. He said, “I’ll call someone to take over for you. Rest.”

“I’ve been idle since I entered the palace, and it’s rare for me to have a task. Your Majesty, please let me do something.” Li Yuan heard a slight warmth in his tone compared to yesterday and smiled coyly, gathering the courage to change his tea. “Fuding white tea is refreshing for the mind but not suitable for drinking too much in the evening. Would Your Majesty like to try some Bodhi tea? It’s the reward given to me by the empress today.”

Xiao Yu paused his writing and looked up. “The empress rewarded you?” Bodhi tea was not as expensive as Longjing or Biluochun, but it had the effect of treating insomnia. Those fresh Bodhi tea leaves were found by him for her when she couldn’t sleep.

Li Yuan nodded gently and said, “Her Majesty is gracious and benevolent. She generously rewards me with top-quality medicinal herbs and jewelry, urging me to serve you well and bear children for you as soon as possible. If Your Majesty lets me rest like this, I would feel even more unworthy of her kindness.”

Li Yuan did not lie, but she cleverly combined Su Ling and the dowager’s words. She did not mention her own insomnia but portrayed the empress as exceptionally tolerant and magnanimous. Her smiling tone was like a soft whisper in Xiao Yu’s ear, saying, “Your Majesty, the empress is revered by the world, and she will not be jealous. She doesn’t care whom you favor.”

Xiao Yu remained silent, only flicking the teacup with his fingers, saying nothing more.

***

After Li Yuan gained favor, Su Ling enjoyed a period of peace and quiet. The dowager no longer mentioned the emperor’s favor, nor did she mention selecting concubines again. After all, it was still unknown whether Su Ling’s current pregnancy would result in a boy or a girl. Empress Dowager Chu was even more convinced that Xiao Yu would not let the Su family grow too powerful if she gave birth to a son. The art of balancing power as an emperor was something one should know when sitting in that position. The Duke of Zheng hadn’t yet won a decisive battle, and rumors about the Su family’s military strength were spreading outside the capital. If they were to win a battle, what then?

Moreover, looking at the infatuated appearance of Consort Li, Empress Dowager Chu could tell that Xiao Yu was not a completely cold-hearted person. As long as he no longer solely favored the Su family’s daughter, there was no need to worry about the rest.

The surface of the lake in the Imperial Garden was calm and peaceful, with no ripples in sight.

After finishing her breakfast, Su Ling’s maid, Fu Ying, took hold of her mistress’s arm and said, “The sun is perfect outside, not too hot, and there’s no wind. Would you like to go outside for a walk, Your Majesty?”

“Sure, sitting indoors all the time feels suffocating.” Su Ling put down the selection list of palace maids and stood up, holding onto the table’s edge for support.

Fu Ying served tea in the courtyard, and Su Ling enjoyed the sun’s warmth on her body, which made her involuntarily close her eyes and bask in comfort.

While gently massaging Su Ling’s shoulders, Fu Ying said, “There are some minor matters that Your Majesty should have entrusted to the Shangyi Bureau and the Sili Supervisor’s Office. If you personally take care of everything, it may strain your body…”

Su Ling smiled and replied, “I’m not made of paper. Managing some trivial matters in the palace won’t tire me out.”

Fu Ying glanced at Su Ling’s belly and scolded her lightly, “It’s different now compared to before.”

Su Ling let out a soft “hey” and explained with a smile, “Don’t underestimate these palace chores. There are many hidden issues. The people in the Sili Supervisor’s Office, who handle matters related to the Six Bureaus, are mostly holdovers from the Yongchang era. I have seen the account books from those years, and it was a mess. The deficit in the inner court didn’t come without reason. It’s a critical time for personnel changes, and I can’t make a big fuss about investigating past issues, but I also can’t let them continue to run amok. I’m doing more to exert pressure on them, so they won’t deceive me or act against my intentions in the future.”

Fu Ying whispered, “This servant feels sorry for your hardships…”

“I can take a nap if I’m tired. If you want to talk about hardships…” Su Ling suppressed her smile and spoke softly, “In the end, it is His Majesty who endures hardships. The harem is not like it was in the previous dynasty…”

Before their private conversation could continue, Zhang Xi, a eunuch from the Kunning Palace, rushed over stumblingly and said, “Your Majesty, something has happened in the Changchun Palace.”