Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Grinding Down Sun Miaoqing At night, the Phoenix and Luan Spring Favor Carriage took Sun Miaoqing to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Just as they had finished the Rites of Zhou Gong and settled down to rest, the sound of thunder and rain echoed outside. Sun Miaoqing turned over. “Why are you awake?” the Emperor asked. Exactly as before. Everything had indeed been pulled back on track. Imitating Zhen Huan’s manner, she hypocritically played along and said a few words. When the Emperor told her not to deceive him, she timidly said she was afraid. She brought out Zhen Huan’s rhetoric about “gathering favor upon oneself, gathering resentment upon oneself” and “enlightened ruler.” Then she urged the Emperor to ensure his favor was evenly distributed. The Emperor closed his eyes and pressed Sun Miaoqing’s head against his side. The next day, at Yikun Palace. Songzhi was massaging Nian Shilan, while Zhou Ninghai stood nearby, reporting the news he had gathered from the rear palace one by one. “An insignificant imperial physician? I don’t understand her recent tactics at all.” Nian Shilan opened her eyes and asked, “What’s his name?” Zhou Ninghai replied, “It seems to be Wei Lin.” “Wei Lin?” Nian Shilan snorted. “Her vision has grown quite far-reaching now.” Far-reaching? This made Zhou Ninghai feel the need to say a few more words. “This servant specifically inquired about him. Wei Lin has no notable family background, and his performance upon entering the Tai Yi Yuan wasn’t particularly outstanding. At best, he’s just diligent and ambitious. Without someone to guide him, he’d likely never rise to prominence in his lifetime.” “You don’t understand~” Nian Shilan drew out her tone. “She’s making a ‘good move’ for herself.” Zhou Ninghai truly didn’t understand: how could someone who hadn’t even earned the qualification to diagnose patients independently be considered a good move? Nian Shilan didn’t explain further. “Did the Emperor summon Consort Qi tonight?” Zhou Ninghai was taken aback. He had just learned this himself and hadn’t had time to inform his mistress yet. He hadn’t expected her to guess it first. “Your insight is divine, Mistress. You even know what the Emperor is thinking. This servant admires you.” That fool Consort Qi—she must still need to hear the Emperor say “Fen Jiao Ni Ji” with her own ears before she’ll give up, right? “Didn’t the Emperor order Attendant Gong to learn to assist in managing the Six Palaces affairs?” Nian Shilan smiled at the corners of her mouth, her voice lazy. “Have her come here.” “Yes, Mistress. This servant will go invite her immediately.” Zhou Ninghai understood his mistress’s intention and deliberately emphasized the word “invite.” Nian Shilan closed her eyes and said, “Remember to have Shen Meizhuang come along as well.” After all, she had also been reborn. She couldn’t let others think she was targeting her, or else she might not come. When Sun Miaoqing heard that Consort Hua had summoned her, she immediately sensed trouble. Hearing that Shen Meizhuang was also going eased her mind slightly. But when she arrived at Yikun Palace, her heart leaped into her throat. Falling into the Thousand Carp Pond! Could it be that the incident of falling into the Thousand Carp Pond was about to be pinned on her again? Nian Shilan lay on the couch behind a layer of red curtains. In the hall, separated by an aisle, two tables were set up, each prepared with the Four Treasures of the Study, account books, and blank notebooks. After hearing the mistress’s request, Shen Meizhuang obediently sat at the table. She opened the account book, then opened another one, and her eyes instantly widened. [If Shen Meizhuang is a fool, push her into the Imperial Lake tonight as well.] Hearing this, Shen Meizhuang’s lips curved upward: The mistress truly loves and hates with clarity. If she likes someone, she likes them, and even if they make mistakes, she’ll blindly protect them. If she dislikes someone, she dislikes them, and even a glance more is detestable. She shook her head. Such a temperament had its pros and cons. One could only say it was fortunate they weren’t enemies now; otherwise, she truly didn’t know how much she’d suffer. Especially being kept in the dark and suffering losses for someone as unworthy as the Emperor is even more pointless. [You little wretch, so fond of stealing others' scenes. You took Zhen Huan's place for seven consecutive days of favor, so today you can take over Meizhuang's scene of falling into the water.] Stealing scenes? Taking over Imperial Favor? So Sun Miaoqing had ill intentions from the very beginning when she approached Huan'er and the others. Shen Meizhuang glanced sideways and shifted her seat slightly to the other side. "Caiyue, come grind the ink for me." "Yes, Mistress." "Stand here." "Yes, Mistress." Caiyue picked up the ink stick and noticed the account book filled with writing. Shen Meizhuang immediately pressed her hand, signaling her not to make a sound. She couldn't let Changzai Gong know that this account book had already been copied. Shen Meizhuang picked up a brush, pretending to transcribe. Sun Miaoqing, however, dared not slack off in the slightest. Having gained experience from copying scriptures in recent days, her writing speed had grown even faster. She remembered that Shen Meizhuang had been punished to recopy the first time due to poor handwriting, and the second time, after extinguishing two lamps and copying two more copies, Consort Hua had finally let her go. Thus, she decided to directly copy two copies to shut Consort Hua's mouth and see what else she could say. Sun Miaoqing kept her brush moving swiftly, quickly copying two copies and taking them to Songzhi. Nian Shilan casually flipped through a couple of pages. [Do you think This Consort will praise you just because your handwriting is neat?] [Whether it's written well or poorly depends entirely on This Consort's mood.] Just as Nian Shilan was about to distort the truth, Songzhi whispered a reminder, "Changzai Gong copied two copies." Sun Miaoqing faintly heard the word "two." Since it would be mentioned anyway, she said, "This concubine knows her handwriting is poor, so she copied two copies of each. Please have a look, Your Highness." This time, she should be able to leave this troublesome place earlier, right? "No wonder the Emperor likes you. Changzai Gong is truly clever." Nian Shilan set the account book aside. "Your handwriting is so elegant, and you write so quickly. Since it's still early, copy the other account book as well—Songzhi." Isn't this openly tormenting someone? No wonder the women in the harem all wish they could kill her! No wonder the Emperor openly called her a vicious woman to her face! She truly is a vicious woman! Sun Miaoqing clenched her fist: She really wanted to rush over and give her a beating. "What?" Nian Shilan slowly raised her eyes, deliberately asking, "Is Changzai Gong unwilling?" "Your Highness misunderstands. This concubine is only worried about disturbing Your Highness's rest here. She thought of taking the account book back to copy and delivering it to Your Highness first thing tomorrow morning." [Knowing you're going to be fish bait tonight, you can't wait to go back? This Consort won't let you have your way.]