Chapter 16: Good Fortune
Chen Kangan was also inwardly lamenting his misfortune, wondering which imperial concubine in the rear palace had devised such a vicious scheme to harm Miss Lan Wu. If His Majesty hadn’t left someone by Miss Lan Wu’s side, a real disaster might have occurred.
At this thought, he broke into a cold sweat all over.
“Has the flower-viewing banquet not ended yet?” Suddenly, he heard His Majesty ask.
He cautiously replied, “Your Majesty, it has not yet ended.”
Chu Mingheng gazed at the empty desk before him and said, “Go, take something to Xu Garden and tell Consort Shu that I have a reward for her.”
Chen Kangan was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly assented, yet he couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Your Majesty, what is the reward?”
“Isn’t it a flower-viewing banquet? Go to the Linheng Office and select a fine-looking tamarisk bonsai to send over.”
The emperor’s actions naturally carried their own meaning. Though Chen Kangan didn’t fully understand, he complied and made the preparations.
When the Linheng Office delivered the tamarisk bonsai, a sudden realization flashed through his mind—so this was the “willow” His Majesty intended to send.
The “willow” from the phrase “unintentional planting yields willow shade.”
Chen Kangan hurried to Xu Garden with the tamarisk bonsai. When he arrived, the banquet was still ongoing. The imperial concubines had been drinking at the feast; though not heavily intoxicated, many who couldn’t hold their liquor had set down their cups and refrained from drinking more.
When everyone saw Chen Kangan arrive, they assumed His Majesty was about to come, and they all looked over curiously. But upon noticing that Chen Kangan had brought something with him, their expectations were largely dashed.
Consort Shu glanced at the object covered with red silk carried by the eunuchs behind Chen Kangan, her eyes subtly drifting toward Consort Rou, who remained silent beside her.
“This servant pays his respects to Her Highness the Princess and to the two ladies.”
Princess Yizhen looked at him curiously and asked, “Rise. Since my imperial brother isn’t coming, what brings you here?”
Chen Kangan stood up and bowed his head cheerfully as he reported to them, “Your Highness, this servant has come on His Majesty’s orders to deliver something to Lady Shufei.”
The expressions of all three shifted.
Princess Yizhen grew even more curious, smiling as she looked at Consort Shu. “So it’s a gift for Lady Shufei. Then we can also take a look at what kind of treasure it is, worthy of your special trip.”
Consort Shu was also surprised. Having drunk some wine, her face flushed slightly at the words, and her eyes fixed on the object carried by the eunuchs.
Chen Kangan ordered the red silk to be removed, revealing the tamarisk bonsai inside. “His Majesty said that Lady Shufei has put considerable effort into organizing the flower-viewing banquet. This tamarisk was specially selected by His Majesty from the Linheng Office.”
Hearing this, Consort Shu rose from her seat. First, she addressed Chen Kangan, saying, “I hope the eunuch will convey my gratitude to His Majesty for His Majesty’s gracious reward.”
Then she turned to examine the unusually large tamarisk bonsai.
In truth, Consort Shu did not care for such plain and somewhat dull bonsai, but since it was a gift from His Majesty, she had to feign great delight even if she didn’t like it.
“Why would His Majesty send me such a bonsai? I always thought only Sister Roufei would appreciate such serene and elegant bonsai. But now that I see it, it seems I quite like it as well.”
Consort Rou did not respond to her seemingly sarcastic remark, merely directing her gaze toward the tamarisk bonsai.
It wasn’t just Consort Rou who was looking at the tamarisk bonsai; even Beauty Rong was watching, appearing to be quite fond of it as well.
The surrounding imperial concubines were full of flattery, all saying that Your Majesty favored Consort Shu and must be praising her for organizing this flower-viewing banquet so well.
“Not just well done—in this concubine’s opinion, Your Majesty must surely be concerned about how much effort and care Her Ladyship has put in. Though His Majesty did not attend in person, he still sent gifts, which shows he has Her Ladyship in mind.”
Consort Shu felt pleased upon hearing these words, and even looked upon Consort Rou with less disdain, though she showed none of it on her face. She merely smiled lightly, fanning herself as she said, “All my sisters have put in their share of effort. What truly aligns with His Majesty’s wishes is for us all to live in harmony and happiness.”
“However, when it comes to favor, I believe Beauty Rong is the one most cherished by His Majesty. I hear she spends her days appreciating poetry and painting, quite the picture of refined leisure.”
At these words, everyone stopped watching the dances and music, instead cautiously observing the unfolding drama.
Someone chimed in, “Indeed, it’s said that Sister Rong is quite skilled at clinging to His Majesty. I simply don’t understand—why must she write and paint so far from her own palace instead of staying within her quarters? One might call it an elegant pastime, I suppose.”
Beauty Rong’s aloof nature destined her to suffer in the palace, but at this moment, she was at the peak of favor.
For the past month, His Majesty had not visited the rear palace. Ordinarily, no one had the chance to see him even once, yet she was the exception, spending time with His Majesty every few days.
Though no one spoke of it openly, everyone could see that Beauty Rong deliberately read poetry and painted in places far from her palace, all for the chance of occasionally running into His Majesty.
She sought favor, and others could do the same, but to little effect. They could only resent her inwardly and further slander her for her false aloofness.
Consort Shu dared not speak a single word against His Majesty, so her remarks were all aimed at stirring discontent toward Beauty Rong.
Beauty Rong stepped forward, first kneeling and bowing to Consort Shu, then lowering her head and speaking softly, “This concubine dares not speak of favor. It is merely that I thought the scenery at Bì Wēi Lake was lovely, so I visited a few more times. Occasionally, by good fortune, I had the chance to speak with His Majesty, but it cannot compare to Lady Shufei’s esteemed favor.”
“Good fortune?” Consort Shu smiled faintly and slowly walked toward her. The fan in her hand was embroidered with pearls, and she deliberately tapped Beauty Rong’s cheek with it—lightly, as if teasing. “Come to think of it, last time at Liuyuan was also a coincidence. You said then, too, that it was good fortune to encounter His Majesty.”
After saying this, Consort Shu straightened up and leisurely told her to rise. “I truly wonder how the imperial family’s good fortune can be invoked so easily with just a casual remark from you.”
At these words, Beauty Rong’s face instantly turned pale. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could defend herself, Consort Shu stepped forward first, helping her up with a smile.
“Sister Rong, don’t overthink it. I merely mentioned it in passing. Since you yourself speak of good fortune, I suppose you’ve been fortunate all your life. I look forward to seeing what further good fortune awaits you.”
Though spoken with a smile, her beautiful face reflected in Beauty Rong’s pupils seemed as venomous as a serpent or scorpion.
Watching this scene, Consort Rou softly intervened to defuse the tension. “Sister Shufei, please don’t frighten Sister Rong. Sister Rong’s good fortune naturally began after entering the palace, under His Majesty’s protection.”
Beauty Rong stiffly shifted her gaze toward Consort Rou, who had spoken in her defense. Meeting Consort Rou’s gentle eyes, she lowered her gaze and murmured in agreement.
Consort Shu did not press the issue further, after all, they were still at the flower-viewing banquet, and Princess Yizhen was watching.
She gave a soft, cold snort and returned to her seat.
Yizhen appeared to watch their back-and-forth exchange with an unruffled expression, but in truth, she found this scene even more captivating than the dances and music in the garden. She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly, thinking how truly lively it all was.