Who Would Understand, Her Ladyship Wrote A Hundred Palace Regulations - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: He is the Emperor, not a Judge

Helian Qi was also shocked, his gaze fixed on Ning Wanyin.

“This concubine only loves food…” Ning Wanyin’s face gradually turned red under his gaze, and she was a bit shocked.
“This concubine… this concubine has overstepped, please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Helian Qi came back to himself and couldn’t help but smile. “I didn’t expect you to be so greedy. Order the construction of a small kitchen in Lingxue Pavilion.”

“Thank Your Majesty!” Ning Wanyin quickly stood up and bowed, her smile particularly sincere.

Helian Qi saw her joyful and happy expression and didn’t say much more.

“I still have memorials to review today, so I’ll leave first. I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”

“Your Majesty is busy, farewell,” Ning Wanyin bowed and saw him off.

It was the 15th day of the month, and according to the rules of the Great Yan court, the emperor and the empress would share a bed on the 1st and 15th of each month.

Although Empress Yuanxiao had passed away, the emperor would not stay in other concubines’ palaces on these days, as it would be against etiquette.

“Your Majesty returns to the palace!” Wang Degui shouted loudly.

The Emperor’s entourage left Yonghe Palace.

Only then did the group of palace maids and eunuchs in Lingxue Pavilion dare to beg for mercy, kowtowing to Ning Wanyin and pleading guilty.

“Ning Meiren, please forgive us! We were scared stiff and didn’t react in time! We’re loyal to you!” Xiao Guizi knocked his head on the ground loudly.

“Mistress, we have merit! We went to ask the emperor to come…” Dan Li hurriedly shouted.

If Ning Wanyin had lost favor, it would be good for them to leave Lengxue Pavilion and find a new place to serve.

But now that she was in favor…

The head eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department would not give them a good arrangement.

To avoid offending Ning Wanyin, they would likely be sent to the Laborious Warehouse.

Ning Wanyin picked up the bowl of pumpkin porridge in front of her and took a sip, saying calmly, “You palace maids and eunuchs have received many rewards and benefits while serving in Lingxue Pavilion. Yet when I had a conflict with others, you didn’t protect me. Where’s the logic in receiving rewards without doing your job?”

Serving in a favored concubine’s palace meant receiving more rewards and silver than ordinary palace servants.

Other palace servants would also treat them with respect and deference.

With so many benefits, how could they not protect their mistress when something happened?

“Considering it’s your first offense, each of you will receive 20 lashes. If there’s another incident of disobedience or betrayal, it will be a death sentence,” Ning Wanyin said, scanning the group of palace servants calmly.

“If you find my management too strict and don’t want to serve here, you can leave after receiving your punishment.”

The palace servants were trembling with fear, not daring to make a sound.

Their mistress was really ruthless.

Even if they wanted to leave, they would have to receive their punishment first.

Since they would be punished anyway, who would want to leave?

They were a group of palace servants who had been driven out by a favored concubine, and neither the inner nor outer court would give them a good arrangement.

“This servant failed to protect you properly and almost let you get hurt. This servant is willing to accept punishment!” Xiao Guizi, who was good at reading the situation, was the first to speak.

The other palace servants also kowtowed and accepted their punishment.

Dan Li breathed a sigh of relief and said, “This servant will serve you with all her heart from now on!”

“I don’t need your service. You can leave after receiving your punishment,” Ning Wanyin said coldly, looking at Dan Li.

Dan Li panicked and kowtowed quickly. “Please forgive me, mistress! This servant is loyal to you…”

Lian Rui had been furious with her for a long time and immediately said, “Don’t just stand there! Take her away and give her her punishment. After that, send her to the Imperial Household Department!”

“Yes!” Several palace servants, eager to redeem themselves, dragged Dan Li away.

In the end, only the mistress and her loyal servant were left in the pavilion.

“Thank goodness the emperor came…” Lian Rui felt a deep sense of relief. She was afraid that they wouldn’t be able to call the emperor, and her mistress would be in a difficult situation.

Ning Wanyin looked at her red and swollen eyes and gently patted her shoulder. “Go get a warm towel to apply to your eyes. They’re swollen like walnuts. I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re okay, mistress, I’ll be relieved…” Lian Rui rubbed her red eyes and looked at Ning Wanyin. “It’s thanks to Tang Meiren’s testimony that we were able to deal with Li Jieyu. She’s really vicious!”

“Whether there’s testimony or not, the outcome would be the same. The emperor didn’t question the palace servants who were present,” Ning Wanyin said.

If the emperor wanted to investigate the truth, he would send all the palace servants to the Criminal Department.

But to him, it was just a minor incident between two concubines.

Even if Ning Wanyin really pushed Li Jieyu, what did it matter?

He was the emperor, not a judge.

He would only choose people who were useful to him.

So, he didn’t ask about the details and dealt with Li Jieyu directly.

“Yes, the emperor trusts you completely!” Lian Rui nodded, completely misunderstanding the situation.
“He wouldn’t believe slander from others!”

Ning Wanyin…

In the eyes of outsiders, it seemed that way.

But if she really got into trouble, the emperor wouldn’t believe her.

This was just a minor incident, and the emperor didn’t care about the details.

This was why she went to ask the emperor for help in the first place.

Knowing when to use her connections and when not to was important.

Ning Wanyin lowered her head and picked up the ointment that Tang Miaoling had sent, examining it carefully.

No poison.

When the female physician came to apply medicine earlier, she had shown her the ointment and asked if it was suitable for her injury.

The female physician also said it was a good medicine for treating injuries after checking it.

Double verification confirmed that there was no poison.

Ning Wanyin muttered to herself, “Tang Miaoling has been acting strangely lately.”

“I have an idea, mistress!” Lian Rui said thoughtfully. “Maybe the elders in Tang family wrote a letter to the young lady, telling her to get close to you. If she loses favor, having an ally in the palace would be helpful, and she could borrow your influence.”

This was a common occurrence.

Maidens with relatives in the palace were natural allies.

“But if it’s to compete for favor, why did she move out?” Ning Wanyin asked.

“Maybe she was uncomfortable seeing you favored all the time? The young lady doesn’t seem to have a broad mind,” Lian Rui thought more and more that this was the case.

Ning Wanyin didn’t think it was that simple and needed to observe further.

She remembered the favor Tang Miaoling had done for her today.

“Let’s wait and see. We still need to be careful and not trust her too much,” Ning Wanyin reminded.

Lian Rui nodded deeply in agreement. “Don’t worry, mistress. In this palace, I only trust you!”

After a pause, Lian Rui thought of the emperor’s reward and asked curiously, “Why didn’t you want a promotion, mistress… Of course, the small kitchen is also a good thing. In the future, I can make many small dishes that you like!”

“But you also said that a title is a real thing. It’s very important,” Lian Rui added.

Ning Wanyin smiled faintly. “It’s not strange for a favored concubine to break the rules. When you’re in favor, you’re safe. But once you lose favor, it becomes a crime that others can use against you.”

“For example, if I hit Li Jieyu today, the emperor would still protect me. But hitting someone of higher rank would be a crime that could be used against me in the future.”

“Of course, it’s different now because she’s only a Guiren,” Ning Wanyin said.

Ning Wanyin thought the emperor was a clever person.

Li Jieyu had bullied her because she was of higher rank, so the emperor demoted her to a lower rank.

“It’s better to think things through, mistress!” Lian Rui nodded in understanding.
“With the Emperor’s favor, a promotion is just a matter of time. There’s no need to rush and give others a handle.”

Even if she didn’t bow to the Empress Dowager, Ning Wanyin had an excuse that the emperor had exempted her due to her illness.

Many concubines throughout history had been exempted from bowing due to illness, so it wasn’t a big deal.

But promoting her without reason would be breaking the rules openly.

When the emperor was protecting her, it wouldn’t matter.

But once the emperor stopped protecting her, it would become a crime.

She had never thought that the emperor would protect her forever.