Chapter 324

Chapter 324 From Lady of Ceremony to Lady of Grace was merely a small step up in rank, still within the ranks of the Nine Concubines. Yet she was the first person to receive a rank promotion since the Emperor ascended the throne. Xie Run: "Fang Yuan'er has moved to Chonghua Palace, and Xiuyuan Hua has remained in Fanghua Palace?" "So the two have essentially swapped palaces." Previously, Xiuyuan Hua had dug up the Gut-Rending Powder and made a scene before the Emperor, which incurred his displeasure. He moved her out of Chonghua Palace and sent her to the Chan Yun Pavilion, a side hall of Fanghua Palace. Now the Emperor had promoted Xiuyuan Hua in rank, making her the principal occupant of Fanghua Palace. This meant Fang Yuan'er had to relocate. Among the Six Palaces, only Chonghua Palace remained without a principal occupant, so the Emperor naturally moved Fang Yuan'er there. But in truth, Chonghua Palace was actually somewhat better than Fanghua Palace. When the palaces were originally assigned, Fang Yuan'er had fallen out of favor with the Emperor, while Xiuyuan Hua was at the height of imperial favor. Dantao asked curiously, "Your Ladyship, this servant feels something is off." "Now that the palaces have been swapped, everyone says the Emperor dotes on Xiuyuan Hua—not only promoting her rank but also driving Xiurong Gong out of Fanghua Palace." "But first, Chonghua Palace is more magnificent and splendid than Fanghua Palace, so it's clearly Xiurong Gong who got the better deal. Second, while the Emperor did promote Xiuyuan Hua, from Lady of Ceremony to Lady of Grace, she's still lower in rank than Xiurong Gong... it doesn't seem to have much impact on Xiuyuan Hua." Most of the harem ranks were currently vacant, so whether one moved up a rank or down a rank, the actual impact was minimal. In this matter, both Xiurong Gong and Xiuyuan Hua had gained real benefits. One got a better palace; the other got the tangible advantage of a rank promotion. Xie Run leaned against the palanquin, smiling. "It's only natural that you find it strange. I suspect Fang Yuan'er must have done something." Dantao's analysis was absolutely correct. The Emperor's move, though it appeared to slight Fang Yuan'er, actually gave her an advantage while sparing her from others' jealousy. Xie Run recalled that when she last went to visit Xiuyuan Hua, she had encountered Fang Yuan'er at the entrance and had offered her a few words of advice. For this palace move and rank promotion to come together so coincidentally, Xie Run didn't believe Fang Yuan'er had done nothing. Xiaoshu immediately said, "This servant will send someone to investigate at once." Xie Run didn't stop her. When they arrived at Fengyi Palace, Xie Run could hear lively voices from the main hall even before she reached the entrance. As she entered, she heard Lady Lu say, "Greetings to Bright and Pure Consort. Today Xiuyuan Hua has been promoted, and all the sisters are congratulating her." Xie Run smiled warmly. "Though Ben Gong has arrived a bit late, I must still offer my congratulations to Sister Hua." After some time of recuperation, Hua Yu looked well enough—thinner, but with decent color. Yet Xie Run knew that Hua Yu's poisoning had damaged her stomach and intestines—an ailment difficult to cure, one that would likely cause her discomfort for years to come. Her current appearance of wellness was only skin-deep. Xiuyuan Hua received Xie Run's congratulations and responded with a few pleasantries. Before long, Fang Yuan'er also arrived. Consort Jing spoke up, teasing her: "Xiurong Gong must have just moved to a new palace and lost her way—is that why you're so late?" Her words were clearly mocking. Judging only by the Emperor's decree, everyone assumed Fang Yuan'er had been driven out of Chonghua Palace to make room for Hua Yu. Fang Yuan'er had been quieter than usual lately, but she hadn't had all her thorns plucked out. She immediately retorted in a cool voice: "Sister Consort Jing must spend every day embroidering in Fengyi Palace—has the embroidery needle dulled your wits?" "The reason this concubine is late is because I had to attend to the Emperor before his morning court." Fang Yuan'er paused. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Since entering the palace, Sister Consort Jing has never once attended to the Emperor, so naturally you wouldn't know about such matters." Consort Jing's face flushed purple with rage, and she had to bite her lip hard to keep herself from cursing aloud. Fang Yuan'er's words were truly a killing blow. But the others were shocked by a different piece of information revealed in Fang Yuan'er's words. Concubine Fang asked softly, "Xiurong Gong says you're late because you were attending to the Emperor before morning court—does that mean the Emperor stayed at your palace last night?" Everyone instinctively looked at Hua Yu. Because the Emperor had gone to Chan Yun Pavilion to see Hua Yu the previous night, and had issued the decree promoting Hua Yu to Xiuyuan Hua early that morning, everyone had naturally assumed the Emperor had spent the night at Chan Yun Pavilion. Hua Yu looked utterly bewildered at these words. A single glance was enough for any discerning person to see that Hua Yu herself had no idea what had happened. Someone cleared their throat, and everyone's expressions turned somewhat awkward. Hua Yu belatedly realized what had happened, and her eyes couldn't hide her shock and hurt. "Last night the Emperor came to see this concubine and sat in my palace for a while before leaving. This concubine had no idea the Emperor ultimately stayed at Sister Xiurong Gong's palace." As she spoke, Hua Yu unconsciously twisted the handkerchief in her hands. Xie Run also realized what had happened. The Emperor had likely left Chan Yun Pavilion, gone to see Fang Yuan'er, and spent the night at Fanghua Palace. Because the Emperor hadn't come out of Fanghua Palace after entering, no one knew exactly where he had stayed. Hua Yu, who should have known, had been ill and apparently hadn't sent anyone to investigate, assuming the Emperor had returned to his own Zichen Hall after leaving Chan Yun Pavilion. Through this twist of fate, she had only now learned that the Emperor had spent the night at Fanghua Palace. Xie Run instinctively glanced at the Empress. The Empress was dressed with grandeur, her face radiating elegance and composure, with little visible fluctuation in her brows and eyes, as if she had known everything all along. Only then did Xie Run remember. After any Imperial Concubine of the Six Palaces served the Emperor for the night, the matter had to be recorded in the archives by the Bureau of Palace Affairs. The Bureau of Palace Affairs was under the Empress's management, and daily reports of such nights would be brought to her attention. It was likely that the Empress had already known since last night that the Emperor had stayed at Fang Yuan'er's palace. She had sat at the head of the hall early in the morning, watching everyone congratulate Hua Yu. Everyone assumed that Hua Yu had been promoted after serving the Emperor, but only the Empress knew that it was Fang Yuan'er who had served him, quietly watching the drama unfold for quite some time. The Empress also knew that the promotion was merely compensation from the Emperor for Hua Yu's poisoning, along with other reasons—not out of favor. She watched Hua Yu, first overjoyed at being congratulated, then filled with disappointment and shock, yet remained calm and indifferent from start to finish. Xie Run thought to herself, this must be the bearing and magnanimity expected of a Principal Consort? Now that the harem was stable, minor conflicts among the women would only remain in words and expressions. Xiuyuan Hua, looking at the "smug" Fang Yuan'er, wanted to make some sour remarks, but being poor with words, she ended up sulking alone in a corner, feeling wronged. Seeing that the women had finished their bickering, the Empress stopped quietly watching the show and brought up two matters. "The day after tomorrow is the Empress Dowager's birthday. The Emperor specially went to consult the Retired Emperor, who said that since it is not a milestone birthday, there is no need for a grand celebration." "We will only set up a few tables in Cining Palace, inviting the sisters of all palaces and the Princes to come for a banquet—that will suffice as the celebration."