The next morning, Consort Yue led several low-grade concubines other than Yun Fenghuang to Yan Fu Palace to pay their respects. Before she asked for leave for the new Bao Lin, Noble Consort Shu had already asked where her sister was.
“She got a cold for falling into the water yesterday and couldn’t get up this morning.” Consort Yue gave her a slanting glance and smiled lightly, “Sis, you know me. If it is someone else, I will be absolutely reluctant. After all, for a new Bao Lin who just joined the Imperial Harem, how could she miss seeing the Queen Mother and the Empress? But since she is your younger sister, I could not make you embarrassed, could I? So, I allowed her request.”
These words mostly made it clear that Yun Fenghuang was indulgent and self-willed, and since she thought that she was the sister of Noble Consort Shu, she neglected to see the Empress... Well, rounding it up, it also showed that Noble Consort Shu was not so respectful to the Empress?
However, Noble Consort Shu performed as if she did only hear the first sentence. She questioned with a shocked and pale look, “What? My sister was healthy when she joined the Imperial Harem yesterday, how did she fall into the water and get cold?”
Then she turned to Empress Ji, “Your Highness, I didn’t seem to have heard of people of Hu Zhu Palace summoning any imperial doctor yesterday...”
Before Consort Yue could answer, Empress Ji had already ordered the leading maid beside her, “Send an imperial doctor to Consort Yue’s Palace and have a look.”
She then said to Consort Yue, “You have been in the palace for a long time and are familiar with the rules. Bao Lin Yun is young and just joined the Imperial Harem. Don’t you think you should take care of her?”
“Your Highness, I am wronged.” Consort Yue secretly ground her teeth with anger, then she got an idea and explained, “I did not know Bao Lin Yun messed around as soon as she joined in the Imperial Harem, and even fell into the water in front of my hall! At that time, My Majesty was in the hall. When I heard this, I sent someone to rescue her immediately. I planned to call for the imperial doctor right away, but Bao Lin Yun insisted that she was in good health, and didn’t have to disturb My Majesty for her... I couldn’t reject her and agreed. I didn’t know she could not get up today. I just planned to talk to sister Noble Consort Shu in private, inviting her to exhort Bao Lin Yun not to ignore her health only for the sake of her face. Now, it turns out to be my fault!”
The meaning behind the words showed the reason why Yun Fenghuang fell into the water. She heard that Emperor Chunjia was on Ning Bi Hall, so she lingered to peep, and made this mistake... Maybe there would be no mistake, and she purposefully used this incident to attract the Emperor’s attention? Afterwards, she refused to let the imperial doctor treat her because she was afraid that she would not be able to serve the Emperor with his sleep if she was diagnosed with illness.
In short, Consort Yue was unlucky to have such a restless girl in her palace!
Noble Consort Shu absolutely refused to admit that her sister was such a person, “My younger sister is quite ingenious and honest. How could she walk around? Consort Yue has always been innocent and outspoken, but you cannot lie on this.”
“You misunderstood me. There were so many new ladies joining the Imperial Harem yesterday.” Consort Yue chuckled, “Why didn’t everyone else fall into water but Bao Lin Yun? Are you suspecting that it was me who pushed her down?”
“That would be your question to answer.” Noble Consort Shu smiled lightly, “In the past few years, people in your palace have had the biggest chance to encounter accidents. My sister is not the first, presumably not the last one?”
The verbal battle between the two continued. Empress Ji and other concubines did neither get involved nor stop them, and they were holding the tea bowl cheerfully to enjoy the live show.
After a while, there was a maid coming out from behind. She quietly went to the Empress and whispered. The Empress nodded and said, “Let her in.”
She glanced at Noble Consort Shu and Consort Yue and smiled, “Both of you, calm down. The imperial doctor has made a diagnosis for Bao Lin Yun, and there is no problem with her. Now she is waiting outside. Just let her in for the details.”
As soon as Consort Yue heard this, she looked pale with some upset feelings. She was afraid that Yun Fenghuang could not bear their questions and told the truth, which would make her shameful; also, this little bitch set her up badly. Now she was brought by the Empress’s maid, maybe she was taught anything during this period to frame her?
If she had ever considered about the situation earlier, it would have been better to bring the little bitch over to pay respect!
The more Consort Yue thought, the more she felt upset. She vowed secretly that no matter how the matter ended today, she would cope with the bitch as soon as possible!
After a while, Yun Fenghuang was brought in the hall by a maid, and came forward to salute and pay her respects in a manner of politeness. She was a born beauty, one of the most beautiful girls among these concubines. Since her behavior was not frivolous, showing an image of a girl coming from a respectable family, Empress Ji, who came from an aristocratic family, had good impression on her. She let her up and asked why she fell into the water.
“Yesterday, I served My Lady with the meal. During this period, My Majesty arrived and I walked outside the hall to wait for their order.” Yun Fenghuang said, “But...”
Hearing her first two sentences, Consort Yue was relieved. Though she was a little bit annoyed that the little bitch taunted her stinginess. After all, she sent the new Bao Lin out of the hall for fear of competition as the Emperor arrived, but at least the bitch was clever to say what Emperor Chunjia told them yesterday.
Unexpectedly, with a horror, Yun Fenghuang said timidly, “But... but when I stood at the poolside, I was suddenly pushed by someone and fell into the water!”
All the concubines did not think of this answer. Even Empress Ji was stunned, and she asked, “Really?”
“It’s true!” Yun Fenghuang began to wipe her tears, as if she was telling the truth. Consort Yue was stunned, wondering if any of the confidant had framed the little bitch secretly... but wait! Yesterday, when Emperor Chunjia arrived, she didn’t make this bitch go out at all. It was this bitch who realized that she was extremely guilty and ran out of the hall and jumped into the water!?
In the past years since Consort Yue had joined the Imperial Harem, although she had a few losses in the hands of the Empress and the high-grade Consorts, it was absolutely easy for her to deal with the low-grade concubines. Now was the first time that she was framed by a little Bao Lin!
At this moment, she was so angry that she smiled, “If so, you mean someone in Hu Zhu Palace wanted to harm you? You are just a little Bao Lin joining the Imperial Palace. Who do you think you are? Why did anyone need to take your life like this?!”
“Turns out you remember that my sister just joined the Imperial Harem, and is just a little Bao Lin?” Noble Consort Shu immediately said, “You said firmly just now that Bao Lin was walking around in Hu Zhu Palace and tried to trace My Majesty. As if Bao Lin was so powerful. Right after she joined the Imperial Palace, she was so bold with the ability to explore where My Majesty was!”
Consort Yue snorted, “Of course, a normal Bao Lin is not so powerful, but is Bao Lin Yun a normal one?”
She meant something, “Your Highness didn’t even speak before, but Noble Consort Shu had already affirmed that I did not summon an imperial doctor for Bao Lin Yun yesterday. You are so smart and well-informed! Quite hard for me to prevent!”
“Consort Yue, you really wronged Noble Consort Shu about this.” Noble Consort Gui, who had been watching the show, seeing Noble Consort Shu losing words to refute, suddenly said, “If Noble Consort Shu really knew the information clearly of your Hu Zhu Palace, why her younger sister was framed to fall into the water?”
Consort Yue raised her eyebrows and said, “Noble Consort Gui should be cautious about your words! Bao Lin Yun fell into the water because she was framed by someone. This is her one-sided word, which cannot be believed! I will never believe that someone in my palace would dare to act so boldly. Blatantly murder a concubine!”
Although she was a little irritable, she was not a fool.
Even though the dead concubines in Hu Zhu Palace in recent years were not a few, it seemed to have nothing to do with her. They were dead of either some kinds of accidents or suicide. Even if people of the Imperial Harem knew what was going on, it was hard to denounce Consort Yue’s crime of murdering other concubines.
Now Yun Fenghuang said nothing about Consort Yue, but saying “I was pushed by someone into the water in Hu Zhu Palace”. Therefore, the hostess of Hu Zhu Palace, whether she knew it or not, was difficult not to be involved!
The most terrible thing was that because of Consort Yue’s temper, nine out of ten concubines on Chong Chang Hall had already believed what the new Bao Lin said.
At this moment, Noble Consort Gui said, “I think Bao Lin Yun’s statement should be true.”
She looked at the Empress with a smile, “Your Highness, although the grade of Bao Lin Yun is low, it was the Empress Dowager who personally ordered her to join the Imperial Palace. The Empress Dowager is very sharp and sensible. Is it possible that a girl who is still underage can fool her? If Bao Lin Yun is really the kind of person who reverses black and white, I am afraid she would have been kicked out by the Empress Dowager when she paid her respect in Qing Ci Palace, right?”
The Empress Dowager was the prominent start of Ji tribe, the biological grandaunt of the Empress and the grandmother of the Emperor, and also the largest support of Empress Ji... Empress Ji might know that the Empress Dowager would not remember a little Bao Lin. But how could she refute Noble Consort Gui at this moment?
In particular, there was a feud about a competition of the position of Empress between her and Consort Yue, so, she was happy to get her in trouble, “The person chosen by the Empress Dowager must be good.”
This statement not only affirmed the words of Noble Consort Gui, but also euphemistically satirized Consort Yue. Because among all the high-grade concubines, Consort Yue was the only one who didn’t get the Empress Dowager’s agreement. It was even fair to say that she entered the palace under the objection of the Empress Dowager.
“Your Highness, are you saying that Bao Lin Yun was framed by someone ordered by me?” Consort Yue had had been very angry yesterday, and now she felt desolate to be attacked by the crowd. Although she tried her best to hold her weakness back in front of the Empress, her tears still fell down uncontrollably. Under great anger, she suddenly stood up, walked quickly towards Yun Fenghuang, and said angrily, “I am the hostess of Hu Zhu Palace. Just a little Bao Lin is not worthy for me to break the rules of the palace?! You think too highly of yourself!”
She walked to Yun Fenghuang, intending to kick her to take revenge, but Yun Fenghuang immediately knelt down, trembled with words “My Lady, forgive me”, and took the opportunity to pull the skirt of Consort Yue... The action was so…!!!
Immediately, Consort Yue stepped back subconsciously, confirming that Yun Fenghuang could not catch her skirt, then she yelled, “You idiot, may you open your eyes and look around the palace, who do you think you are? You really think there is no one in the Imperial Harem who is as beautiful as you are, so I want to kill you when I see you?!”
“What are you doing?” Noble Consort Shu stood up quickly when she saw this, blocking Yun Fenghuang, and said, “In front of Your Highness, you cannot be so presumptuous!”
“Noble Consort Shu is right. Sister Yue, you have gone too far!” Noble Consort Gui adjusted her golden hairpin calmly, and said quietly, “The state has its law and the palace has its rules. Please, Your Highness, time to judge!”
Empress Ji followed it and said, “Consort Yue of Hu Zhu Palace was out of control and harsh on other concubine. She should be banned from going out for one month with her monthly supply reduced by half. Consider it a warning to all of you!”
She gave a glance at Yun Fenghuang, who was still kneeling on the ground and trembling, and raised her eyebrows, “Bao Lin Yun was wronged.”
She rewarded Yun Fenghuang something, nothing more than clothing and jewelry. Although they were not much, they represented the attitude of the Empress. For a time, the concubines who were frightened by the controversy all cast envious glances to her.
When Yun Fenghuang rejoiced and thanked the Empress for her favor. Consort Yue was also sent back to Hu Zhu Palace for punishment. Before leaving, her deformed and angry face made the Empress feel so good. The Empress glanced at Yun Qingman, who was standing anxiously behind Noble Consort Shu, and was pleased to help them, “Since the hostess of Hu Zhu Palace is not here, Bao Lin Yun can follow Noble Consort Shu.”
“Fenghuang!” So, on the way to Mian Fu Palace where Queen Mother Ji lived, Yun Fenghuang and Yun Qingman were logically brought to the sedan of Noble Consort Shu. As soon as they sat in, Yun Qingman couldn’t wait to hold her hand, “I didn’t know that Consort Yue was so ruthless. Are you okay?”
“This is not over yet. Qingman, wait a minute.” Before Yun Fenghuang answered it, Noble Consort Shu frowned and asked, “Fenghuang, right? I have heard of you from my father. You are very clever. Now the time is limited. In short, you were pushed by someone and fell into the water yesterday. Is it true?”
When she asked this, she stared at Yun Fenghuang’s face closely, did not miss the slightest change, and said in a low tone, “The Empress hates Consort Yue. As long as you can make Consort Yue shameful, she does not want to check it carefully. But we are going to pay respect to Queen Mother Ji, and in front of her, it is not so easy to cover up!”
In addition to the concubines of her own family, Queen Mother Ji did not like the concubines of other factions, including Noble Consort Shu!
Even if the Empress punished Consort Yue, she was afraid that Queen Mother Ji would not end it easily. Maybe this matter would go worse and the three sisters of Yun tribe would be involved in punishment as well... Noble Consort Shu explained the stakes in few words, “I must know the truth so I can determine how to share it with the Queen Mother later. It is a matter of great importance. You should be well-aware of the priorities and not be arrogant!”
Yun Qingman thought that Noble Consort Shu’s words were too harsh. She felt so sorry for Yun Fenghuang because Duke Yi made her join the Imperial Harem without her permission. At this moment, she was afraid that Yun Fenghuang would feel embarrassed, so she pulled Noble Consort Shu’s sleeve secretly, saying in a low voice, “Sister!”“Do you think that Queen Mother Ji is as accessible as me?” Noble Consort Shu gave her a disdainful look, but her tone softened. Before she was about to say a few soft words, Yun Fenghuang said directly, “It’s true I fell into the water, but no one pushed me.”“What?” Yun Qingman broadened her eyes and said, “Fenghuang, you dare...” Dared to frame a consort in public, the hostess of the palace she lived!Although Yun Qingman knew Yun Fenghuang was quite bold, she couldn’t help taking a cold breath to hear this!Not only Yun Qingman, Noble Consort Shu also frowned slightly, and said, “You are quite bold,
Hearing this, Noble Consort Shu froze for a moment, but Yun Qingman immediately agreed, “Yes, sister. You said yesterday that Fenghuang is different from other concubines, because the Empress Dowager personally issued the imperial decree to cordially invite her to join the Imperial Harem. So, Consort Yue must dare not hurt her. But the current situation is: Consort Yue is narrow-minded, and Fenghuang is unfortunately involved in the fight between the two groups. One is Queen Mother Ji and the Empress, the other is Queen Mother Yuan and her niece Consort Yue. What will Fenghuang’s future be if she can’t leave Hu Zhu Palace?”“... Let’s go back to Tong Xia Palace first.” Noble Consort Shu glared at Yun Qingman reluctantly. She then took a deep breath and berated her in a low voice, “Consort Yue is the hostess of Hu Zhu Palace. It’s okay for me, a Noble Consort, to privately judge her, but not for you, a Mei Ren to do the same thing. I have told you the Imperial Harem is n
Yun Fenghuang thought for a moment, looked up and asked, “Although My Lady can’t get me out of Hu Zhu Palace now, what about later in the future?”“If there is a chance in the future, I will get you out. I surely don’t want my aunt and Qingman to be sad.” Noble Consort Shu looked at her with appreciation and her tone softened, “Although you are not the daughter of Yun’s Family, you are my aunt’s niece, which makes you my cousin. We are relatives. I don’t want to make things difficult for you if I could.”“My Lady,” Hearing this, Yun Fenghuang felt like being in relief inwardly and was more daring. She asked tentatively with bright eyes, “Although Hu Zhu Palace seems to be a dangerous place, Consort Yue is not a forgiving and kind person, and I offended her greatly now... Now that you are willing to tell me the truth in detail, My Lady, does that mean I still have a chance to live?”Otherwise, she had no need to tell these things to a person doo
Yun Fenghuang gave a reward to the little eunuch who passed on the message, and awarded some silver to the inferior maids who came to congratulate her and the eunuchs who ran errands. After that, she urged Nian Xuan to serve her to bathe, dress and make up.Although she knew that Emperor Chunjia might be unwilling to name her to sleep with him...However, every man loved beauties. Even if the Emperor might be unhappy to come over, he might relent after seeing her so beautiful.She was very confident in her appearance!In addition, the Imperial Harem had the hidden rules that the low-grade concubines would be advanced after they slept with the Emperor. However, Yun Fenghuang had only seen Emperor Chunjia once, and was not clear about his character. What should she do if he deliberately found her fault, blamed her in the name of misconduct and bad service, and then demoted her grade and expelled her out of Hu Zhu Palace?
Since Consort Yue, the hostess of Hu Zhu Palace, was still grounded, Yun Fenghuang went to Tong Xia Palace with Nian Xuan after dressing up.“Be careful later.” Noble Consort Shu let her in right after hearing the reporting, enjoining her while dressing, “The Empress has planned and informed Mei Ren Xue, the one lives in Zhao Yuan Ji’s palace, to be the first one among all of you to sleep with My Majesty. However, the Emperor suddenly said that he was going to see you. I don’t know about Mei Ren Xue’s temper since she is new here. However, the hostess of her palace is tough.”If Mei Ren Xue (Ms. Xue) was an ordinary person, Zhao Yuan Ji might not be so concerned about her. While Ms. Xue, who got the title of Mei Ren firstly like Yun Qingman, was not ordinary. Her father and brother were prominent. Moreover, she was Zhao Yuan Ji’s cousin. There was a big chance that she would stand up for Ms. Xue.Yun Fenghuang was aggrieved, “I didn’t expect My
“Although I am humble, I’m still cordially invited to join the Imperial Harem.” Yun Fenghuang calmly said, “At this moment, both your servants can speak. Why can’t I?”She turned to the Empress, and respectfully saluted, saying, “I just think that Your Highness has a prominent family. Getting married with His Majesty at a young age, you are regarded as a born phoenix (queen) with nobility. As noble as you, Your Highness, how could the homophonic sound of my name offend you? If this name truly offends you, what about those people who make phoenix-shaped hairpins and robes with phoenix pictures? Should all people whose surnames are Long (dragon, as a symbol of the Emperor in ancient China) or Feng (phoenix, as a symbol of the Empress in ancient China) change their names?”“You want me to avoid the taboo. Come on. Let’s do it together.” Yun Fenghuang thought.Long and Feng as surnames had existed for many dynasties. No former emperor or empress ha
“What are you doing here?” A maid of Ning Bi Hall was mad to see Yun Fenghuang and Nian Xuan, “Consort Yue has no time to talk with you. Just leave and mind your own business.”Yun Fenghuang smirked and walked around her in a circle, tiding her sleeves, and indifferently said, “You didn’t even get in to report. How do you know that My Lady has no time? Are you trying to bully her when she is grounded? How dare you, a little maid, to make the decision for your master?”The maid was enraged, and thought to herself, “So, you do realize that Consort Yue is still grounded!”Although there was no explicit stipulation in the palace that the people grounded couldn’t summon anyone, the hidden rule was that the one who was grounded could meet nobody except for her personal servants. In this way, she could show that she was penitent and had no time to handle other things. Thereby, she didn’t need to hear any report of the arrivals. Moreover, it would be f
“Cheng Gui?” Nian Xuan froze for a moment. But when she was about to ask the reason, Yun Fenghuang had already made a smile on her face, and said joyfully, “Hurry, greet him!”After a while, a little eunuch of Emperor Chunjia walked in quickly, and also smiled, “When His Majesty passed by Tai Ye Pool after school just now, he saw a few beautiful apricot blossoms on the other side and wanted to go around to appreciate them. I remembered that there is a hundred-year-old apricot tree in your yard, so I told this to His Majesty. Hearing this, His Majesty said that he didn’t finish the game of chess with Cheng Gui last night!”Yun Fenghuang went forward with a smile and saluted him, saying sweetly, “Thank you very much. I will keep your kindness in my heart.”“I really don’t deserve this.” The little eunuch avoided her salutation immediately and murmured, “It’s just a matter of coincidence... “Then, Cheng Gui, you make the preparation first, and I’m