Who Would Understand, Her Ladyship Wrote A Hundred Palace Regulations - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: About Everyone Thinking I’ve Lost Favor

After the concubines left.

Lian Rui whispered, “Mistress, I’ll go ask the emperor to come and save you!”

“No need to go,” Ning Wanyin said, shaking her head.

She guessed the emperor wouldn’t come.

She was the emperor’s pawn to suppress the Xue family.

But as a pawn, she needed to understand that the emperor wouldn’t always suppress the Xue family.

The art of being an emperor was about balance and control. The Xue and Cen Dukes were not only enemies who wielded too much power but also subjects who shared the burden of governing the country with the emperor.

If the emperor supported his favorite officials too much, it would lead to a lose-lose situation.

The emperor’s goal was to balance the power between his favorite officials and the Xue and Cen Dukes, not to crush the latter.

Otherwise, his favorite officials would become the new Xue and Cen.

Once she understood this logic, everything became clear.

As a pawn, when the emperor was suppressing the Xue family, she would charge forward. When the emperor retreated, she would remain silent and low-key.

Xue Jieyu’s promotion indicated that the emperor and the Xue family had reached a certain understanding.

As the empress dowager, it was her authority to reprimand and punish the concubines.

The emperor wouldn’t deliberately disrupt the rules of the imperial court.

Unless the emperor needed to suppress the empress dowager, he might support her and undermine the empress dowager’s authority.

If it was like the situation with Song Meiren, the emperor might have come to save her.

But now, the timing wasn’t right, and the situation wasn’t in her favor.

Since she didn’t have a guarantee that the emperor would come, she wouldn’t embarrass herself by asking him to.

Besides, the emperor knew everything that happened in the palace.

Even if she didn’t send someone to ask for help, he would know what happened in Cining Palace today.

…

In Qianxin Hall.

Wang Degui nervously reported Ning Wanyin’s punishment to the emperor, trying to gauge his reaction. “Ning Meiren is usually a very proper person. If she kneels for a whole day, her knees will definitely be hurt.”

He didn’t dare to say that the empress dowager was picking on her but just spoke well of Ning Wanyin.

The Emperor, who was reviewing memorials, didn’t even look up. “What did you take from her?”

“Please calm down, Your Majesty! I didn’t take anything. I just reported the situation because Your Majesty usually favors Ning Meiren,” Wang Degui said, trembling with fear.

The Emperor’s face was expressionless, and he seemed irritated. “Mind your own business and get out.”

“I know my mistake!” Wang Degui kowtowed and scrambled out of the palace.

Helian Qi held his brush to review the memorials, and Ning Wanyin’s smiling face floated in his mind.

The cinnabar paused on the memorial, leaving a red mark.

Coming back to himself, Helian Qi continued writing. It was just a trivial matter.

Not worth mentioning.

As soon as Wang Degui left Qianxin Hall, a palace maid knelt down, crying and wailing. “Please, Eunuch, report to the emperor. My mistress was punished by the Empress Dowager! Please ask the emperor to save her. The Empress Dowager is deliberately punishing my mistress!”

It was Dan Li.

Ning Wanyin had told them not to report it.

Lian Rui followed orders, but Dan Li had her own ideas. She had witnessed the emperor’s favor towards Ning Meiren…

She believed that the emperor would definitely rush to Cining Palace to vent his anger for Ning Meiren.

At that time, he would also reward her, a loyal servant! Maybe he would even promote her to a higher position.

Wang Degui had just been reprimanded and understood the emperor’s attitude of not caring. He scolded Dan Li. “What’s the meaning of crying and wailing in front of Qianxin Hall? Don’t you know the proper etiquette? Get out of here!”

“But my mistress is waiting for the emperor to save her…”

“The Empress Dowager’s punishment of concubines wouldn’t lead to death. If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll send you to the Laborious Warehouse!” Wang Degui interrupted sternly, but considering Ning Meiren’s previous favor, he left some room for her.
“The emperor already knows about this. Alright, go back quickly. Disturbing the emperor’s peace is a death penalty!”

Dan Li couldn’t believe it. The emperor knew about it but didn’t care? Did that mean…

Her mistress had lost favor?

Everyone in the palace was watching the movements of Qianxin Palace.

When they heard that Dan Li was chased away, the concubines were shocked.

The emperor had protected Ning Wanyin so much before, but now he let her be punished by the Empress Dowager.

Did this mean she had lost favor?

…

In the left side palace of Zhongcui Palace, Mozhu Pavilion.

“Good news, Mistress! The people from Lingxue Pavilion went to ask the emperor for help and were chased away. Ning Wanyin has lost favor!” Shi’er returned with a smile.

Song Qingzhi was both surprised and delighted, feeling relieved. She had been worried that the emperor would go to save Ning Wanyin.

The emperor had protected Ning Wanyin even when she didn’t pay her respects.

Wouldn’t he care about today’s incident?

Unless he no longer liked Ning Wanyin!

“Let’s see, it’s been a while since the Emperor visited Lingxue Pavilion,” Song Qingzhi said to herself.

It seemed that the emperor’s favor towards Ning Wanyin was just a temporary infatuation.

Once the novelty wore off, she would be just an ordinary concubine. She wasn’t special in the emperor’s eyes.

Understanding this, Song Qingzhi felt much better.

…

When the sun was setting.

Ning Wanyin returned to Lingxue Pavilion with Lian Rui’s support. Everyone in the palace was in a panic.

“What’s wrong?” Ning Wanyin asked, frowning.

Dan Li was in a state of panic. She had thought that Ning Wanyin was favored by the emperor, so she was arrogant and fearless.

But now that Ning Wanyin no longer had the emperor’s support, Dan Li worried that she would be implicated.

“Your servant went to Qianxin Hall to ask the emperor for help, but the emperor didn’t care…” Dan Li’s voice trembled with fear and resentment. “Mistress was too arrogant and offended the Empress Dowager. You won’t have good days ahead…”

Lian Rui interrupted sternly, “How dare you disrespect the mistress and say such impertinent things!”

“Didn’t I tell you not to go?” Ning Wanyin’s gaze turned cold as she looked at Dan Li.

The piercing gaze frightened Dan Li, and she took a step back. “Your servant was just worried about your safety. Who knew you would lose favor so quickly…”

“You’re cursing the mistress! You—” Lian Rui was furious.

Ning Wanyin’s gaze was calm, and she decided to replace Dan Li. She didn’t need someone who acted on their own without permission.

But the Imperial Household Department wasn’t hers to control, and she couldn’t just replace people at will.

She would deal with this matter tomorrow.

“Lian Rui, help me inside. I’m hungry. Ask Xiao Guizi to go to the Imperial Kitchen to fetch dinner,” Ning Wanyin said.

Xiao Guizi was looking for a way to transfer to a different position, but he hadn’t found one yet. He reluctantly went to the Imperial Kitchen.

Lian Rui helped Ning Wanyin change her clothes and saw the bruises on her knees. She felt heartbroken and tears welled up in her eyes. “Mistress, your knees are bruised…”

The mistress had never suffered such humiliation before.

Although the Ning family had fallen, Ning Wanyin was raised with love and care, and she had never been punished.

“The emperor is heartless. You didn’t do anything wrong…” Lian Rui wiped away her tears and felt sorry for Ning Wanyin.

Ning Wanyin stroked Lian Rui’s head to comfort her. “Don’t cry. I’m fine. The Empress Dowager has the authority to punish me, and the emperor can’t interfere.”

“But the emperor used to protect you…” Lian Rui didn’t understand.

“The emperor has protected me,” Ning Wanyin said calmly.

Xiao Guizi returned with the food box. Unlike the usual eight dishes, there were only four dishes and one soup, and they smelled bad.

“This food is spoiled! How can we eat it?” Lian Rui was shocked.
“You must have brought the wrong dishes. Go and exchange them.”

“I knew the food was spoiled, but the person in charge said this is what you’re supposed to have… They wouldn’t exchange it. They said there’s no other food available in the Imperial Kitchen,” Xiao Guizi said listlessly.

“We paid for the food. The Imperial Kitchen used to provide desserts…” Lian Rui was puzzled.

Xiao Guizi shook his head and sighed. “That’s because no one was deliberately making things difficult for the mistress before. Now, the silver doesn’t matter.”

He was an old servant in the palace and wasn’t surprised by the situation.

Everyone in the palace knew that Ning Wanyin had lost favor, and there were many people who didn’t like her. If any concubine told the Imperial Kitchen to make things difficult for Ning Wanyin…

Ning Wanyin wouldn’t have good days ahead.

Hunger made people irritable.

Ning Wanyin, who hadn’t eaten all day, looked at the spoiled food and felt terrible.

She had planned to visit the emperor tomorrow, but nothing could stop her from eating a decent meal!

Now! Right now!