Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Changzai Gong Is Punished (Bonus Update) Sun Miaoqing did not reply to her and immediately knelt down to plead guilty. "This concubine is late in paying respects to the Empress. I beg the Empress to forgive my offense." The Empress said magnanimously, "What matters in paying respects is sincerity. Being late once is not a big deal. Someone, bring a seat—" "Thank you, Your Majesty." Hearing these familiar words, Sun Miaoqing felt an ominous premonition rising in her heart. Nian Shilan had no interest in competing for favor, but she would not stand by and watch the Emperor's new tool suppress her own family. "The Empress has always been considerate of the Six Palaces, but such excessive favor may spoil Changzai Gong." Consort Li immediately seized the opportunity to voice what she had not been able to say earlier, "Exactly! How dare a mere Attendant be so presumptuous? If we set this precedent, will we all be able to disregard the rules and pay respects to the Central Palace with just a claim of sincerity in the future?" Sun Miaoqing realized she had been careless. Her maid, Lvzhu, quickly spoke up on her mistress's behalf. "Reporting to the Empress, my mistress was not intentionally late. On the way here, she was bumped into by a young eunuch carrying water, which soiled her clothes. Fearing it would be disrespectful to pay respects in such a state, she returned to change her attire, which caused the delay." Sun Miaoqing had calculated the timing, thinking that Shen Meizhuang's incident of soiling her clothes should have already passed. Unexpectedly, it happened to her this morning. Caiyue's words were now spoken by Lvzhu. She feared Consort Hua would seize on this and not let it go. [Isn't this what happened to Shen Meizhuang in my previous life?] [Could it be that events from my past life must be experienced by someone?] [If that's the case, then I won't hold back.] "Whether it was intentional or not, a mistake is a mistake! And mistakes should be punished." After Nian Shilan finished speaking, Sun Miaoqing instinctively glanced at Consort Jing, then remembered that as the mistress of Xianfu Palace, she would only speak for Shen Meizhuang, not for her. "Then, sister, how do you think this matter should be handled?" The Empress looked at Nian Shilan, whose lips curled slightly upward, and felt a sense of foreboding. "According to the Palace Regulations, Changzai Gong, relying on favor to be arrogant and despise the Central Palace, should receive thirty strokes of the cane." Nian Shilan glanced at Sun Miaoqing. Sun Miaoqing tried to remain calm: Even without Consort Jing's help, it would only be a deduction of salary for two months. No big deal. [Do you think I'm going to give you a salary deduction?] [Even if Heaven allowed you to be reborn, it was only to make you a supporting character. Do you really think everything is under your control?] [Since these events must be experienced by someone, and you entered the palace in place of Xia Dongchun, you might as well suffer Xia Dongchun's punishment.] [Better to deal with you early, so you won't stir up trouble later and learn from that wretch Zhen Huan to secretly harm me!] Nian Shilan continued with what she had left unsaid earlier. "But as Consort Li said, if everyone follows this example, will there be any law or order left in the harem? Therefore, Changzai Gong shall be given Zhang Hong as a minor punishment and a major warning, so that no one will dare to rely on favor and become arrogant in the future!" She didn't even bother to ask the Empress for her opinion. Sun Miaoqing immediately rose from her seat and knelt down. "This concubine admits her fault and is willing to accept punishment, but—" [Want to imitate the Empress and make a dramatic turn in your speech? I won't give you that chance.] Nian Shilan decisively cut her off. "Since Changzai Gong is willing to accept punishment—someone." Given the Nian Family's current status, Consort Hua could indeed forcibly punish this Sun Miaoqing. During the last joint palace audience, when Consort Hua had this intention, she had silently supported it. However, imposing punishment within Jingren Palace would inevitably implicate her. The Empress once again began to look down on Consort Hua for her lack of intelligence. 【Perfect. If the punishment is carried out in Jingren Palace, no matter who proposed it, once it’s decided, it will be seen as the Empress’s will. If the Emperor blames me, I can shift the responsibility onto the Empress.】 The Empress: "..." Hah, she’s learned to be clever now, knowing how to frame me? Never mind. With her intellect, unless things are spelled out clearly, she probably can’t tell friend from foe. I’ll just have to be more careful myself. "Rules should not override human sentiment. Consort Hua’s intention to enforce palace discipline is commendable, but Changzai Gong is currently enjoying Imperial Favor. If her health is harmed, she won’t be able to attend the Emperor. I believe a light punishment will suffice—let’s suspend her monthly allowance for two months." Shen Meizhuang witnessed what should have been her own punishment and once again felt grateful to Consort Hua. Sun Miaoqing, fearing that Consort Hua might cause trouble, quickly expressed her gratitude, "Thank you for your mercy, Empress. This concubine will remember this lesson and never repeat the offense." "I hope all sisters will take this as a warning. If anyone offends again in the future, we will follow Consort Hua’s suggestion." The Empress’s words also helped preserve Consort Hua’s dignity. Everyone rose and said in unison, "We, your subjects/concubines, will heed the Empress’s teachings." No one would know that the basin of water spilled by the young eunuch earlier had been secretly ordered by the Empress. This was the price of being the first to step forward, and the price of overestimating oneself. After this incident, Sun Miaoqing realized there was still a gap between herself and Zhen Huan, the female lead—she lacked the protagonist’s halo. Therefore, for now, it was necessary to align herself with the protagonist. Leaving Jingren Palace, Sun Miaoqing caught up with Shen Meizhuang, intending to show goodwill by suggesting they visit Zhen Huan together at Suiyu Pavilion. Shen Meizhuang recalled Nian Shilan’s inner thoughts—despite being the daughter of an official, she resorted to such lowly tricks to compete for favor, which was truly disgraceful. Unwilling to accompany her, Shen Meizhuang found an excuse to return to her palace first. "Hmph, putting on such an air of pride, yet she’s nothing but a lowly wretch who had an illicit affair with a physician," Sun Miaoqing muttered quietly. Just then, she heard An Lingrong’s loud voice from the other side, "Farewell, Consort Hua." An Lingrong did not have the title of assisting in managing the affairs of the Six Palaces like Shen Meizhuang and had not yet attended the Emperor. With her low rank and little influence, she had no way to go to Yikun Palace to receive Consort Hua’s teachings. She could only seize opportunities to try and get Consort Hua to notice her. For example, just now, she slowly moved forward and loudly said "farewell" as Consort Hua passed by. Nian Shilan was indeed startled by her voice and glanced at her. An Lingrong felt a flicker of joy, but unfortunately, Consort Hua had no inner thoughts about her. She was now eager to know when she would receive favor. It wasn’t that she envied others for their favor, nor did she have any intention of competing for it. But once she gained the Emperor’s favor, even if her rank couldn’t be immediately elevated, her status would rise, making it easier for her to visit Consort Hua at Yikun Palace. As she was lost in thought, Sun Miaoqing approached her.