Chapter 325

Chapter 325 The Empress reminded the concubines of the harem: "All sisters, be sure to prepare gifts in time, so that we may show our filial piety to the Empress Dowager." Having said that, the Empress took the opportunity to praise Consort Jing: "Consort Jing has been accompanying Ben Gong in Fengyi Palace these past days, embroidering a congratulatory gift for the Empress Dowager. Her filial piety toward the Empress Dowager is evident for all to see. In the future, I will certainly speak highly of her to the Empress Dowager." Consort Jing forced a smile that did not reach her eyes. Having been confined to the palace day after day for embroidery, much of her temper had been worn smooth. She had grown gloomy, with a stifled frustration always pressing against her chest. The Empress Dowager disliked the Empress so much that even a month's worth of embroidered congratulations would likely end up cut to shreds with a single snip of the scissors. If the Empress sang her praises, it would only fall on the Empress Dowager's ears as proof that she was the Empress's woman, making the Empress Dowager resent her all the more. The words were spoken so grandly and righteously, yet pitfalls lurked at every turn. The others praised her to her face, but inwardly they were all laughing at her. Xie Run held a light fan in her hand, waving it idly as she asked, "What is the second matter Your Highness mentioned?" Whether it was her imagination or not, Xie Run felt that in that instant, the smile on the Empress's face faded considerably. A hint of coldness seemed to lurk in her eyes as well. The Empress's tone grew increasingly indifferent: "The second matter is that the envoys of the Xia Dynasty have already arrived in the capital. They will be attending the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet the day after tomorrow." The Empress's natal family had come—ordinarily a cause for great joy. But Xie Run studied the Empress's expression and, seeing her mood so flat, said nothing more, only: "Then I shall go make preparations early, so as not to lose propriety at the time." The other consorts all knew to read the room—except Xiuyuan Hua, who had never been particularly good at reading the situation. The others wisely kept silent, but she alone asked curiously: "Now that the Xia envoys have arrived in the capital, Your Highness the Empress will soon be able to see your family." "May I ask, are the envoys this time Your Highness's brothers?" The Empress swept a cold glance over her. "How is Xiuyuan Hua's illness?" Xiuyuan Hua paused, not quite understanding why the Empress had suddenly asked about her illness, but she still replied: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My health has improved somewhat. The imperial physician said I only need to recuperate slowly." The Empress said coolly, "Since your illness has not fully recovered, you should stay in your own palace and rest properly. The Emperor, out of pity for you, specially elevated your rank. He hopes you will be more steady in the future, and at least learn to manage Fanghua Palace." Xie Run's fanning motion paused slightly. The Empress's words were a rebuke to Xiuyuan Hua for talking too much, telling her to stay in her own palace and not come out unnecessarily in the future. But that last part about learning to manage Fanghua Palace was rather intriguing. Among the concubines of the harem, only upon reaching the Fei rank could one truly be called the mistress of a palace, with the authority to govern it. The Emperor had granted some of the old household members the rank of Nine Concubines and allowed them to reside in separate palaces—but only because the harem was sparsely populated, with few at the Fei rank, so those at the Nine Concubines level were permitted to take residence first. Moreover, these old members had ties of shared history from the prince's household. After two years of service in the palace, they would naturally be elevated to the Fei rank, and then legitimately become mistresses of their palaces. This was also an unspoken rule tacitly accepted when a new emperor ascended the throne. But hearing the Empress just now tell Xiuyuan Hua to learn to manage a palace— Under normal circumstances, Xiuyuan Hua would need at least another two or three years before she could reach the Fei rank. Yet the Empress's reminder now seemed to suggest she knew something. Could it be that the Emperor intended to elevate Xiuyuan Hua to Fei? Xiuyuan Hua naturally did not understand the subtext in the Empress's words. She only took it as the Empress rambling on about trivial matters again—her ears heard it, but not a word entered her mind. She merely responded perfunctorily. At least she did not bring up the Xia envoys again. After leaving Fengyi Palace, Xie Run called Lady Lu to take a stroll in the imperial garden. After the rain a few days prior, the crops in the fields had drunk their fill of water, and half the flowers in the imperial garden had burst into bloom overnight. Xie Run and Lady Lu walked along at a leisurely pace. Lady Lu also waved a fan in her hand. Ever since she entered the palace as a Lady of Beauty, she had grown increasingly plump, and now in the summer heat, she was especially sensitive to the warmth. As she walked, the fan in her hand barely stopped. Lady Lu said: "Last night, the Emperor actually favored Xiurong Gong... What ability does she have? Several times she has fallen out of the Emperor's favor, and several times she has regained it." There was a note of lament in Lady Lu's words, but also considerable envy. Xie Run thought for a moment, then answered seriously: "I don't know." This time, she truly did not know. In the original script, everything Fang Yuan'er was supposed to invent had already been invented. As for prophecy—after Wan Linlang's death, the Emperor had likely grown wary and guarded against her for that very reason. After cooling toward her for all these days, he suddenly favored Fang Yuan'er again. It couldn't be that Fang Yuan'er was simply so alluring that the Emperor could not bear to let her go? Xie Run did not think so, but most of the concubines in the harem did. Lady Lu said softly: "Sister Xie, Xiurong Gong has such methods. You had best be careful." "In the old days at the prince's household, the two of you were equally favored. But after Xiurong Gong lost the Third Prince, she could never compare to you again." "Now if she uses her tricks to regain favor, I'm afraid you'll be the first one she targets... She has too many schemes in mind, Lady Xie truly must be careful." Xie Run nodded slightly: "I understand what you mean." Xie Run didn't believe that Fang Yuan'er had regained the Emperor's favor through beauty alone. The Emperor was not the type to lose his senses over a pretty face or to overlook past grievances. Every time the two reconciled, it was never without Fang Yuan'er's selfless contributions behind the scenes. Xie Run was simply curious—what methods had Fang Yuan'er employed this time? Seeing that Xie Run had a clear picture and remained composed, Lady Lu didn't bring up Fang Yuan'er's matter again. She shifted the topic to something else: "The envoys from the Xia Dynasty have arrived at court, but Her Majesty the Empress doesn't seem pleased—in fact, she appears somewhat irritated." Xie Run lowered her eyes, her gaze sweeping the surroundings with a faint glance. This place was filled with blooming flowers competing in splendor—the scenery was lovely, and it was quite open, so there was no fear of being overheard. Xie Run lowered her voice, using her fan as if to cool herself while actually concealing her lips, and whispered: "The envoy leading this mission is the Sixth Prince of Xia. I hear he didn't come alone—he brought two Xia princesses with him." Lady Lu suddenly understood something and couldn't help but furrow her brow. "The Xia Dynasty already has an Empress in our country, yet they still send princesses for marriage alliances—what exactly are they trying to do?" Even if Lady Lu was not well-versed in politics, she still instinctively protected the Yu Dynasty and harbored a certain wariness and dislike toward the Xia Dynasty. For the Xia envoys to come to the Yu Dynasty with two princesses in tow, it couldn't possibly be just for a casual visit—it was clearly another attempt at a marriage alliance. Lady Lu sneered: "One Empress isn't enough, so they send two more princesses—are they trying to fill the entire Yu royal family with people from Xia?" "Such greed—aren't they afraid of choking on it?" Seeing Lady Lu's displeasure, Xie Run could already anticipate how much gossip would spread among the people once this news got out, and how much resentment would be directed at the Empress. Since they were Xia princesses, once they arrived in the Yu Dynasty, they wouldn't be married off to just anyone—they would certainly be wed into the royal family, either to a Prince or to the Heir Apparent. Xie Run silently added another thought to herself. Perhaps they might even be taken into the Emperor's harem. In political maneuvering, anything unexpected could happen. Xie Run: "The Empress is displeased because the Xia Dynasty already has her there, yet they still sent two princesses for marriage alliances." "By doing this, the Xia Dynasty clearly isn't trying to support the Empress—rather, they want to use her influence to prop up their own people." The Empress might not necessarily help the Xia Dynasty pursue its interests, but she absolutely would not tolerate their approach. Her own family, who should have been her staunchest supporters, now only thought of bleeding her dry, using her and squeezing out every bit of her value—how could the Empress possibly be happy about that? Furthermore, the Empress's lack of a son had always been a lingering worry for everyone. The Xia Dynasty sending more people might well be an attempt to use another princess's womb to bear a child with both Xia and Yu royal blood, then have the Empress raise it, making it a legitimate heir. Their calculations were loud and clear—not only chilling the Empress's heart, but also treating the entire court and the Emperor of the Yu Dynasty as fools to be deceived. Xie Run finally concluded: "The day after tomorrow, there's bound to be quite a show."