Who Would Understand, Her Ladyship Wrote A Hundred Palace Regulations - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: I Didn’t Even Live Until Today

After Helian Qi left, Shun Pin was so overjoyed she burst into tears.

“Your Ladyship, why are you crying? His Majesty values you so much now, this is a great blessing!” Chun Que said.

Shun Pin wiped her tears. “I entered the residence at fifteen, and have known His Majesty for four years. Never once has His Majesty cared about me. Back when we were still in the Prince’s Mansion, Consort Zhuang had favor. Even when His Majesty came to my courtyard, if she claimed a headache, she would trick him away…”

“Now you can steal her favor too! No one will bully you anymore!” Chun Que comforted her.

Shun Pin dabbed her eyes, recalled what had happened today, and asked, “That female physician Sun, was it thanks to Ning Meiren?”

“Yes. But she didn’t know you were pregnant. She invited her for herself, saying her leg illness had relapsed… this servant thinks she was just pretending… Besides, she’s suspected of harming Li Guiren. Maybe she was really targeting Li Guiren, and you just got dragged in…” Chun Que said.

Shun Pin shook her head. “Dragged in? No, this was aimed at me. Ning Meiren helped me by accident. But since she’s already offended Empress Dowager Xue, a favored concubine surrounded by enemies like that, I daren’t befriend her…”

——

Xianfu Palace, right wing hall.

That day Tang Miaoling had deliberately drenched herself with cold water, leaving her sick and groggy, feverish for several days. Even the imperial physicians said her illness was severe, and even Empress Dowager Xue exempted her from paying respects, lest she spread her sickness.

Now she had nearly recovered, but in order to avoid being summoned to His Majesty’s bed, Tang Miaoling purposely refused to take her medicine, dragging her recovery on.

“Master, something major happened today…” Qiu Xia hurried in and reported everything that had taken place in Jingxi Palace.

Tang Miaoling was stunned. “Shun Pin is pregnant? Li Guiren is dead?”

“Yes.” Qiu Xia nodded.

Tang Miaoling was bewildered.
Huh?
As someone with memories of a past life, how come I didn’t know Shun Pin would get pregnant?

Wait, today is the first day of the fourth month.

Then that’s fine.

In my previous life, I didn’t even live until today.

Tang Miaoling had died on the very last day of the third month in her previous life.

As for Li Guiren, someone who had lived in her past life, yet now had actually died. Tang Miaoling was surprised, but upon thinking it over, not really.

In the previous life, Li Guiren might have had little contact with her cousin and so survived.

But in this life, she had gone out of her way to offend her cousin. Wasn’t that just cutting the line to see King Yama?

That her cousin sent her off first, well, that was obvious enough.

Then what about the two who should have been sent off by her cousin in the last life?

What was their situation now?

Thinking of those two friends from the Yellow Springs, Tang Miaoling looked at Qiu Xia curiously and asked, “Do you know Wei Meiren? How… how is she?”

“You mean Wei Meiren from one of the Four Great Marquessates, who entered the palace with you?” Qiu Xia asked.

Tang Miaoling nodded. “Yes…”

“Ten days ago, Wei Meiren accidentally fell into the Yaoyue Lake in the imperial garden. They said when she was pulled out, she was already barely breathing… Truly blessed with great fortune, she was saved…”
Qiu Xia, who was well-informed, replied, “She is now recuperating in the palace.”

Huh?
Wei Meiren didn’t die?

Tang Miaoling recalled, last life, Ning Wanyin and Wei Meiren had met by chance in the imperial garden. Wei Meiren had always looked down on Ning Wanyin’s background and mocked her a few times…

That very day, Wei Meiren drowned, said to have been pushed into the water by her cousin.

But because there was not enough evidence, and the emperor shielded Ning Wanyin, even though Xue Zhaoyi and the others demanded Ning Wanyin’s life, in the end it came to nothing.

Ten days ago, the Yaoyue Lake, time and place matched her past life exactly.

So why was she still alive this time?

Had she just swallowed less water in this life?

What’s even stranger was, since she hadn’t died, why hadn’t she come out to accuse Ning Wanyin of pushing her into the water…

Qiu Xia continued, “I heard Wei Meiren slipped on a cobblestone and fell in… Now the cobblestones by Yaoyue Lake have been replaced with white sand. Mistress, you must also be careful to watch your step when you go out.”

Tang Miaoling was even more bewildered.

Huh? She fell in by accident?
Wasn’t it my cousin who pushed her?

Tang Miaoling couldn’t quite figure it out, so she set it aside and continued asking, “Is everything well in Linlang Palace?”

Qiu Xia was even more puzzled. The mistress of Linlang Palace was Consort Zhuang, who raised the Eldest Princess at her knee. Since Consort Zhuang disliked other consorts, Linlang Palace housed only the two of them, mother and daughter.

“Her Ladyship Consort Zhuang is well, and nothing unusual has happened in Linlang Palace.”

Her cousin hadn’t made a move against Consort Zhuang, and the Eldest Princess was also still alive.

Why was that?

Could it be that because Li Guiren had cut in line, her cousin had been too busy and hadn’t had the chance yet?

That must be it.

Even death has its order of urgency.

Li Guiren had gone out of her way to offend her cousin, so her cousin sending her off first was only natural.

“Meiren, your illness is almost better. Why not go out for a walk…” Qiu Xia advised.

“Cough, cough, cough…” Tang Miaoling immediately coughed, pretending to be weak.
“I haven’t recovered yet. My head aches, my chest aches, everywhere feels unwell…”

Even though her two Yellow Springs companions were still alive, hadn’t her cousin already sent a new one away?
Her cousin was still that same cousin who killed without blinking.

The victims might be different, but the blade that killed was always just as swift.

She absolutely did not want to go out and face this terrifying world.

From today on, she would be someone who lived to a ripe old age.

Feign illness, lie flat, and avoid the world.

——

In Cining Palace.

“Was it at your instigation that Li Guiren tried to harm Xue Zhaoyi?” Empress Dowager Xue asked.

Xue Zhaoyi was full of grievance. “Aunt, I didn’t even know Liu Zhaoyi was pregnant…”

“Then it must have been Consort Shu who did it…” Empress Dowager Xue mused.
At present, the emperor had only one son and one daughter. Consort Shu would be the last person willing to see another prince born.

Xue Zhaoyi said angrily, “I never took her seriously before, but she does have clever tricks, she even dragged me down with her…”

Li Guiren had been her follower, so the emperor would certainly suspect her of being the one behind it all.

“Consort Shu has been in the palace many years, her foundation is steady. The Cen family relies on her and will protect her. Now is not the right time to deal with her. Handling Ning Wanyin is what matters most,” Empress Dowager Xue reminded her.

Xue Zhaoyi said angrily, “I already had a fine plan to kill two birds with one stone. It only required some risk. Seeing Li Guiren might be useful, I thought to use her first. Who would have thought she was useless trash? Aunt, rest assured, with my original plan, Ning Wanyin will beg for death and not find it!”

With full confidence, Xue Zhaoyi withdrew, simmering with anger, determined to make Ning Wanyin suffer.

Watching her departing figure, Empress Dowager Xue could not help but shake her head. She turned to a Nanny waiting by her side and said,

“Yan’er is still young and hot-tempered. She does not act thoroughly enough. Go serve at her side. You needn’t restrain her, letting her practice on Ning-shi will be fine. Just report back to me in time if anything happens.”

“Yes.” The Nanny accepted the order and withdrew.

——

Once the fourth month arrived, it was time for the Imperial family’s annual Summer Hunt.

Every year the emperor would go hunting for several days in the imperial mountains outside the capital, accompanied by princes, ministers, and a select few concubines. Because the temporary palaces on the mountain had few chambers, the number of consorts allowed was limited, usually around five.

Consort Shu prepared a roster and presented it to Helian Qi.

“Consort Zhuang has always been fond of hunting, so she must go. Xue Zhaoyi, Cen Jieyu, and Ning Meiren are Your Majesty’s newest favorites. And Shun Pin, she has never had this chance before. This year she ought to be granted this grace…”

Since once consorts entered the palace, their families could no longer see them, the Summer Hunt was different: the ministers and their families accompanied the hunt. If a consort’s family happened to be among them, they could meet, considered an imperial favor to the favored concubine.

“Shun Pin is not in good health. She will not go.” The emperor directly refused.

Consort Shu had already guessed the emperor would not let Shun Pin leave the palace, but since her pregnancy was a great credit, Consort Shu had to mention her first.

Taking the opportunity, she followed up, “Then this year it will be just these four sisters to accompany Your Majesty?”

The Emperor glanced at the roster and recalled two more names. “Add Song Meiren and Wen Baolin.”

Consort Shu froze.
Both were daughters of the Emperor’s important ministers…

“Look at me, I forgot these two sisters are dear to Your Majesty as well.” Consort Shu smiled sweetly as she spoke, committing both of them firmly to memory.