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Translator: Jalyss
Editor: Odyssey
Chapter 10
“Older sister was joking.” Consort De froze for a moment, then raised her impeccable smile again. She put down the teacup, got up, and greeted Yun Xiu.
She praised very sincerely, “…Only older sister can afford this hair ornament, and the colour matches the clothes very well…”
The voice was very gentle, as if her grievances had melted away, and as if the two had never had any disagreements.
Yun Xiu swept her gaze over Consort De and smiled. She suddenly became interested.
Last night, the emperor left Yonghe Palace within the time it took to flick his sleeves, humiliating Consort De greatly. The harem was waiting to see her be made a joke of.
Looking at her now, she seemed to be fine. She had no emotion at all.
Being poked at a sore spot regarding her clothes, her expression only changed slightly. She even called her older sister affectionately.
This kind of character was tolerable!
In her heart, she must hate Yun Xiu to death, right?
Yun Xiu didn’t care what Consort De had up her sleeve. How long could she endure it for?
The so-called stretching out her hand and not tearing through face… Mrs. Wuya’s attitude was kind. She naturally treated others with courtesy, and she would never do stupid things that others could take advantage of.
Who here couldn’t act?
“The congratulatory gifts are all piled up in the side hall. They are so dazzling, so it’s extremely difficult to choose. We have people prepare a list of gifts and names. This is much more convenient. What do you think?” Yun Xiu restrained her arrogance and spoke slowly in a tone of negotiation.
This was the Mrs. Guo Luoluo she was familiar with.
She was widely known to have this kind of mood and spirit, even if it was considered extremely unpleasant to look at. But this time, she was kind of restrained!
Consort De let out a sigh of relief, and said softly, “It’s all up to older sister to decide. Younger sister is just an assistant.”
Yun Xiu glanced at her with a half-smile.
Was this tone of voice to seek peace, or to show weakness?
She could adapt to whatever the circumstances required, showing traces of the previous Noble Lady Wuya.
When they arrived at the side hall, two Chinese ceramic stools1 were brought in. Yun Xiu motioned to the eunuch to read the long gift list.
“Noble Imperial Consort of Chengqian Palace has gifted Wu Daozi’s famous painting ‘Whistling of the Wind in the Pines’… Noble Consort of Yongshou Palace has gifted a piece of Auspicious Cloud inkstone… Consort Hui of Yanxi Palace gifted a congratulatory poem written by the eldest prince…”
The gifts were all expensive or delicate things.
Yun Xiu lazily took a bite of the flaky pastry.
Consort Hui was ingenious. She used the eldest prince to please the emperor. Perhaps she would win first place.
Consort De held a gentle smile. Her complexion changed slightly when she heard the words eldest prince.
For the sake of her son, Consort Hui really did everything she could!
“Consort De of Yonghe Palace gifted a pair of pink porcelain with a fish pattern…”
After reading for a long time, apart from the master of the first palace, only Concubine Hesheli of Chuxiu Palace had a brilliant gift. It was a Chinese cedarwood screen with a picture that she personally embroidered of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains.
Yun Xiu ordered someone to take out the screen. She looked at it for a long time, and praised it. “The embroidery and stitching is very good. She put in a lot of effort.”
Consort De smiled. Wasn’t it more than a lot of effort?
Concubine Hesheli had been in the palace for a year and she was not very favoured. Although she could enjoy the status of a concubine, she was still just a concubine. The position of the crown prince’s maternal aunt was empty, but the crown prince never got close to her. Wasn’t that a concern?
Consort De knew who was eager to compete for favour.
After the gift list was read out, she turned her head and smiled. “What gift has older sister prepared? Maybe it will open my eyes.”
Consort De believed that Yun Xiu had prepared something good, kept it hidden, and was just waiting for the birthday banquet to reveal it. So she kept her displeasure restrained and suppressed the drooping corners of her mouth.
These words were just a test, but Yun Xiu smiled and said generously, “How could it open your eyes? It’s just a few volumes of Buddhist scriptures that I copied by hand. Have you never seen it?”
After she finished speaking, she looked at Consort De in surprise.
Her twinkling peach blossom eyes were full of doubts, which made Consort De choke. Consort De was secretly annoyed and was unable to say anything for a while.
Buddhist scriptures were too common!
This was a quite well-behaved gift. It wasn’t brilliant and it was very different from what she expected.
“It was I who branched off…” Consort De lowered her eyes and said softly.
Wen Yuan and Rui Zhu lowered their heads, suppressing their laughter. They sighed helplessly in their hearts.
How could the consort have transcribed it herself?
However, after she had randomly copied a few paragraphs, she asked a few of her confidants to imitate the handwriting, saying that it must be completed within three days. It was nothing more than her going through the motions.
Even though the money had been increased for many months, and they had received many rewards, they still couldn’t help but feel anxious.
If the emperor knew, then what?
It was disrespect to the emperor and it was also the crime of deceiving the emperor… Wen Yuan’s heart was miserable.
Wet Nurse Dong almost had a heart attack too, but she couldn’t persuade the consort to change her mind. She was so worried!
***
Aside from Consort De being annoying from time to time, the atmosphere in Yikun Palace was harmonious.
The imperial noble consort sent people to keep a close eye on the other side of Yonghe Palace. As soon as Consort De left, Chengqian Palace got the news.
Heading to Yikun Palace… The imperial noble consort’s eyes lit up, and she appeared excited.
Wet Nurse Zhen was worried, but she couldn’t express it.
The state of the imperial noble consort was obviously wrong!
The imperial noble consort hated Consort De so much that she lost her composure in this regard. She couldn’t wait for Mrs. Wuya to fall from grace.
She wanted Consort Yi and Consort De to fight. As everyone knew, there was an exception to everything. What if it didn’t go according to the imperial noble consort’s wishes… Then what?
After a while, Wet Nurse Zhen’s worries became true.
They originally thought that Consort Yi and Consort De were at odds with each other, but unexpectedly the two got along well. The task of selecting the congratulatory gifts was successfully completed.
Yikun Palace sent people to hand over a note, saying that it was for the imperial noble consort to take a look at everything. Wet Nurse Zhen had sharp eyes and found the little eunuch from Yonghe Palace among them!
The imperial noble consort was greatly disappointed and upset. She immediately dropped the teacup. She recalled the reward of red coral not long ago and felt hatred towards Yun Xiu.
“Consort Yi! Useless thing.” The imperial noble consort held on tightly to the seat. A cold light flashed through her eyes. She thought for a moment, and finally said, “Go, call Yuan Changzai. We have something for her…”
***
Finally, the selection of congratulatory gifts was completed. It took more than 4 hours.
Although it took a long time, Yun Xiu did not feel tired.
From time to time, she took a sip of pear juice, chatted with Consort De, and quickly solved the task assigned by the imperial noble consort.
Although the people next to her were not pleasing, they could always be amusing, right?
As Consort De had fulfilled her task of assisting, she knew that Consort Yi would not keep her for dinner. Consort De stood up slowly with her waist supported. She had a smile on her face. She was about to say goodbye: “It’s almost noon. It’s getting late…”
Before she finished speaking, an announcement sounded outside. Liang Jiugong hurried into the side hall with a horsetail whisk in his hands.
“This servant pays respects to Consort Yi…” He was smiling with a very earnest attitude. There was a faint hint of flattery.
Yun Xiu rubbed her stomach. Somehow, she had a bad premonition.
What was the emperor going to do?
Seeing that Consort De was here, Liang Jiugong was taken aback for a moment. He quickly restrained his expression, and resumed his majestic chief executive appearance. “…This servant pays respects to Consort De.”
After paying his respects, Liang Jiugong was quite annoyed.
After coming down to court, the emperor summoned ministers to discuss matters in Qianqing Palace. They talked about many secrets. Whoever asked to see them was blocked, so he didn’t know that Consort De had come to Yikun Palace.
It was his fault that such an accident occurred!
Fortunately, the family responded quickly…
How could Consort De not notice the change in Liang Jiugong’s tone?
What a great steward who could adapt to the wind.
Recalling the scene of Kangxi leaving with a flick of his sleeve last night, her heart felt as if countless holes had been poked in it. The wind blew everywhere, leaving a rush of coldness.
The emperor… wanted to reward Mrs. Guo Luoluo again?
Consort De was still smiling as she stood still. Her eyes darkened a lot. “Excuse me. Mr. Liang, what is this?”
Yun Xiu raised her eyebrows, and had the demeanour of someone just watching the show. She suddenly felt relieved.
Forget it, she could just be a moth.
……
Liang Jiugong glanced at Consort De, hesitating for a moment. Logically speaking, Mistress De should ignore it.
It was just that Consort De didn’t intend to leave at all. As a servant who served others, he didn’t dare to offend.
…How could Consort De be happy when the emperor summoned Consort Yi to accompany him?
When the time came for her to vent her anger, Liang Jiugong did not want to be the target!
Consort De didn’t look so blank in the past.
Liang Jiugong twitched his lips and plastered a fake smile on his face. Well, since Consort De wanted to hear it, then he would tell her as well.
“His Majesty invited Master Yi to accompany His Majesty in the carriage. His Majesty also said that if Consort has not eaten yet, one will be provided in Qianqing Palace…” Liang Jiugong bowed and smiled. “His Majesty is waiting for Consort.”
While Consort De’s heart was overwhelmed with jealousy and envy, Yun Xiu had opened her eyes slightly and secretly scolded Kangxi.
Accompany him in the carriage to Qianqing Palace! She really didn’t want this honour.
What happened to the emperor recently?
She raised her baby in Yikun Palace peacefully and never curried favour. She wished she could avoid him, so what happened?
It was inexplicable. It was both a reward and being able to accompany him. If this happened a few more times, all the hatred in the palace will be directed towards her.
Consort Yi took a deep breath, and said a few words. “Thank… Thank the emperor.”
***
When Kangxi first saw Yun Xiu, he put down the memorial and smiled slightly.
The folds between his eyebrows stretched, diluting the sense of majesty. He saw the sapphire head ornament in her hair and was amazed. After that feeling passed, a touch of joy and satisfaction welled up in his heart.
Throughout the morning, Kangxi was not in a good mood.
When discussing matters, his expressionless and sullen face made the courtiers tremble. It almost had them bowing down to worship him.
But now, it was completely different.
The crystal-clear gemstones were dazzling, and the iris gold threads were faintly discernible… The slightly dull atmosphere changed and the room was filled with brilliance in an instant.
Kangxi stretched out his hand towards her, and the previous unhappiness was gradually washed away.
In order to see him, Xiuxiu did not hesitate to dress up. She only wore gifts from him.
“Normally, Xiuxiu is pretty enough.” Kangxi raised the corners of his lips and praised her. He then said softly, “It is fine to see Us casually. There is no need to tire yourself out, is that clear?”
1.(繡墩) Chinese ceramic stool, like the one below:↩
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