Chapter 345

Chapter 345 Consort Li narrowed her eyes, seemingly about to start another quarrel with Fang Yuan'er. Xie Run glanced at her sideways. "Consort Li, Ritualist Hui is, after all, a senior figure who has served the Emperor for a long time. She shouldn't be casually discussed like this." Consort Li's expression stiffened slightly, but she lowered her head with practiced ease. "It was my impropriety in speaking." Fang Yuan'er laughed from the side. "Now that I think of it, hearing Consort Li speak, it seems you're quite familiar with the old people and old affairs of the prince's residence. I wonder where you got such well-informed news?" Ritualist Hui was indeed one of the more senior figures from the prince's residence. The moment Consort Li opened her mouth, she had laid out Ritualist Hui's entire background—that was hardly the kind of information a princess of the Luosha Kingdom should possess. Xie Run also caught the implication. Fang Yuan'er was legitimately suspicious of Consort Li. But Consort Li did not explain herself. She only smiled meaningfully. "That's right, Imperial Concubine Gong. Aren't you curious how I came to know these old people and old affairs?" "If you're curious, then whenever you have free time, come chat with me often. I'll naturally be generous with my teachings." Fang Yuan'er's face darkened slightly. At this moment, she truly wanted to curse that troublesome Emperor. Of all the people to place in the main position of Chonghua Palace, why did he have to choose Consort Li? Even Consort Jing would have been less infuriating. Their bickering had become a regular occurrence. Xie Run had initially enjoyed watching the drama, but now she was growing weary of it. Both women loved to probe each other with their own little schemes, yet neither was a fool. They had clashed countless times but refused to reveal even a shred of useful information. If they weren't tired of it, Xie Run certainly was. After finishing her business, Xie Run made an extra trip to Fengyi Palace specifically to see the Empress. Xie Run: "Empress, I can see that Consort Li and Imperial Concubine Gong simply cannot get along. Rather than letting them cause trouble every few days, why not separate them like Noble Lady Wu and Noble Lady Ye before?" The Empress gave her a deep look. "Do you think I want them living together?" The Empress wasn't so idle as to listen to Consort Li and Fang Yuan'er bicker every day. Xie Run suddenly understood something. She paused, then asked softly, "Was it the Emperor's wish?" The Empress nodded slightly but said nothing. Xie Run had no choice but to abandon that idea. On the way back, Xie Run kept pondering what scheme the Emperor was playing at with such an arrangement. He couldn't possibly be unaware that Consort Li and Fang Yuan'er didn't get along and were constantly testing each other. The Emperor shared the Empress's temperament—both disliked trouble and abhorred chaos in the harem. Yet he deliberately placed Consort Li and Fang Yuan'er, the two most likely to clash, together. It was as if he wanted them to keep fighting. Xie Run was deep in thought when suddenly the palanquin lurched, startling her. Dantao, walking beside her, was also startled and rare was her anger as she scolded, "How are you walking?!" "You're all seasoned servants—can't even keep steady on flat ground? If anything happens to Her Ladyship, are you prepared to pay with your lives?!" The eunuch carrying the palanquin immediately knelt and apologized: "It is this servant's fault! I beg Her Ladyship to spare my life!" Xie Run asked gently, "What happened? Why did you suddenly stumble? Is there something wrong with your leg?" The eunuch wiped his sweat and explained with a choked voice: "This servant injured his leg a few days ago. I wasn't paying attention while walking today and stumbled." Dantao's tone softened somewhat. "If your leg is unwell, who arranged for you to be on duty?" "It's a small matter if you don't perform your duty, but a great matter if Her Ladyship falls. Don't you know which is more important?" The eunuch kept his head lowered, repeating only, "This servant knows his mistake, this servant knows his mistake. I beg Her Ladyship for forgiveness." Having handled countless matters in both the residence and the palace, Xie Run could see at a glance that this was underlings scheming against each other, with her caught in the crossfire. She only asked one question: "Who arranged today's palanquin bearers?" Dantao replied respectfully, "Reporting to Your Ladyship, it was Eunuch An." As one of the Six Palaces, Zhaohua Palace had no shortage of eunuchs serving Xie Run. Besides Chunjuan as the head steward, there were layers of supervisors beneath. This Eunuch An was in charge of palanquin arrangements. Xie Run said calmly, "Have someone else take over the duty." If Eunuch An had deliberately assigned an injured eunuch to serve her, it was for his own selfish motives at Xie Run's expense. If it was unintentional, it was still negligence of duty. Xie Run wouldn't bother with the squabbles of those beneath her—she couldn't manage them all, and there was no need to. Just then, laughter came from nearby, and Xie Run disliked having a crowd of nervous servants hovering around her. She raised her hand, letting Dantao help her down from the palanquin. "I'd like to walk a bit and clear my mind. You may all return first." The group of eunuchs and palace maids bowed and acknowledged. After walking a few steps, Xie Run spotted the Second Princess. The Second Princess stood in the pavilion where Xie Run had once rested, surrounded by many attendants. It seemed she was feeding the fish. Xie Run frequented Fengyi Palace often, so she was far more familiar with the Second Princess than others were. Having nothing else to do, she walked up. The palace maids and eunuchs in the pavilion saw Xie Run and bowed in greeting one after another: "Greetings to Consort Zhaode." The Second Princess continued tossing fish food from the tray into the water, oblivious. Her wet nurse hurriedly held the Second Princess and bowed to Xie Run: "The Second Princess greets Consort Zhaode." Xie Run raised a hand: "She's still just a child, no need for such formality." Xie Run walked closer, reaching out to gently pat the Second Princess's head with particular tenderness. The Second Princess suddenly smiled and called out, "Aunt Zhao!" She couldn't say "Consort Zhaode" properly, so she always called Xie Run "Aunt Zhao" at Fengyi Palace. This child was only a month older than Taotao, raised plump and fair by the Empress, utterly adorable. When she wasn't speaking, she looked just like a lucky doll from a painting. Xie Run smiled and asked, "What is the Princess playing at, laughing so happily?" The Second Princess blinked blankly, seemingly unable to understand Xie Run's question. Xie Run hadn't expected the Second Princess to answer her anyway, and was about to say something else when she suddenly heard the little girl point at the carp in the lake and call out in a crisp voice, "Fish, fighting to eat!" Xie Run glanced casually and saw a school of fish crowding around the fish food, scrambling to eat. She smiled, but the smile froze halfway. She thought she might have guessed the Emperor's intent. The snipe and the clam grapple, and the fisherman profits. Consort Li and Fang Yuan'er fighting each other bloody—it was all just palace scheming. In the end, it would only be mutual destruction. By then, which of the two could still cause the Emperor trouble? Thinking deeper—could it be that the Emperor was deliberately indulging them, wanting to lift them up only to let them fall? But... why?! Xie Run's heart suddenly grew heavy. She reached out to stroke the Second Princess's hair, her smile strained. To mask her emotions, Xie Run deliberately changed the subject: "The Second Princess truly has lovely hair—thick and black. She'll never have trouble styling it in the future." The wet nurse caring for the Second Princess laughed: "Isn't that so? This morning when Her Majesty the Empress was combing the Second Princess's hair, she said the same thing, and added that it takes after her birth mother." Though the Empress was raising the Second Princess, she never shied away from mentioning the child's birth mother. In the Empress's view, both the grace of giving birth and the grace of raising were graces. Concubine An had her faults, but she had still given birth to the Second Princess. After saying those two sentences, the Second Princess focused entirely on feeding the fish with her little dish of food, paying no attention to the voices around her. Xie Run smiled, chatted a little longer, then led her people back to Zhaohua Palace. She sat to the side, quietly watching Taotao play for a long while, lost in thought. The palace maids and eunuchs nearby, seeing her expression, dared not disturb her, moving about with light steps and hushed movements. Taotao played by himself for a while, then began to grow sleepy. Ignoring Nanny Xu beside him, he reached out toward Xie Run, wanting to be held. Before Xie Run could snap back to attention, the little rascal had already burrowed into her arms, squirming and calling out in a muffled, childish voice, "Mother!" Xie Run felt the weight in her arms and had no choice but to return to the present. She patted his bottom in exasperation. "Such a big boy now, still crawling into your mother's arms?!" Taotao paid her no mind, found himself a comfortable spot, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Xie Run suddenly envied the little boy. Born a prince, carefree and untroubled, never having to guess the Emperor's thoughts and attitudes day after day. As long as he didn't make mistakes, a lifetime of good days was guaranteed. She sighed. "Enough, I can't overthink this." "Let's just live our lives quietly and mind our own business, mother and son." Thinking too much wouldn't solve anything—it was just borrowing trouble. After the Second Princess returned to Fengyi Palace, the Empress summoned the wet nurse for questioning. She first asked about the Second Princess's meals and clothing, then asked, "I heard you ran into Consort Zhaode on the way?" The Empress had asked casually, as was her habit. The wet nurse recounted the entire encounter with Xie Run. "This servant was holding the Second Princess to pay respects to Consort Zhaode. Consort Zhaode asked what the Second Princess was playing at, and the Second Princess said, 'Fish, fighting to eat.' Consort Zhaode's expression seemed to change somewhat—I don't know what she was thinking." Anyone who managed to become a trusted confidant of a mistress in the palace had basic skill in reading faces. The moment Xie Run's expression faltered, their minds had already turned several corners. The Empress raised an eyebrow. "'Fish, fighting to eat'—what does that mean?" The wet nurse said, "The Second Princess was likely talking about how when fish food is thrown in, the fish scramble to eat it. As for what Consort Zhaode was thinking, this servant wouldn't know." The Empress immediately recalled that Xie Run had just asked her about Consort Li and Imperial Concubine Gong. A faint smile crossed her face. "She's a clever woman. I only hope that now that she's seen it clearly, she won't torment herself." What the Emperor thought or planned didn't really matter—what mattered was how the people living in the harem chose to see it. If one lived in constant anxiety, even the best days became hard to endure. If one remained composed, then even in the heart of a storm, one could still be at ease. The Empress nodded and simply instructed, "Go back and continue looking after the Second Princess. As for today's matter, don't breathe a word of it to anyone." The wet nurse bowed and replied, "This servant obeys." With another pregnancy in the harem, the winds were about to shift again. Now Hua Zhaorong was the most prominent figure in the palace, with people from every residence scrambling to curry favor with her. Because Xie Run had gained the authority of Management of the Six Palaces, she hadn't initially felt the shift in the winds. It wasn't until she handled several disputes between consorts that she slowly began to understand. After Hua Zhaorong gained favor, everything had to be offered to her first for her pick. The higher-ranking consorts weren't lacking anything for the moment, so they endured for the sake of peace. But the lower-ranked imperial concubines had limited allowances, and when their maids and eunuchs occasionally took their things to curry favor with others, they found themselves lacking this or that, which inevitably led to more complaints. There were even craftier palace attendants who, to please the people in Hua Zhaorong's palace, would take things from one household and claim another had taken them, stirring up trouble between the two while profiting from the chaos. Xie Run dealt with several such cases and finally understood what the Empress meant when she said the harem should not harbor anyone with excessive favor. When one person received too much favor, the resentment of the Six Palaces would converge upon them. Not a single word was wrong. Before she knew it, the Empress's birthday had arrived. The Empress disliked ostentation, and since this wasn't a milestone birthday, she only planned to set up a few tables in Fengyi Palace and have a simple meal with her sisters of the Six Palaces. But the Emperor said no, insisting that it be arranged with more fanfare. The Empress knew the Emperor was trying to save face for her, so she couldn't be ungrateful. Only, her health was failing day by day, and when it came time to arrange the birthday banquet, she had to delegate many matters to Xie Run and Consort Wen. Although Consort Li had obtained the title of Management of the Six Palaces, she had never once touched palace affairs. She only used the title to bully Fang Yuan'er. Fortunately, Fang Yuan'er herself didn't care. Xie Run, however, was helping to manage a palace banquet for the first time, running around so busy her feet barely touched the ground, gaining plenty of experience. But the more matters she took over from the Empress, the more she could sense the Empress's growing inability to keep up, and she was secretly astonished. On the day of the birthday banquet, everyone arrived early in full formal attire. The Emperor and Empress appeared together, hand in hand, dispelling the rumors that the two nations were at odds and that the Emperor intended to depose the Empress. The two had just taken their seats when suddenly someone announced: "Welcoming the Empress Dowager!" Hearing the voice, Xie Run pulled Taotao up to bow in greeting. The Empress Dowager, surrounded by a retinue of attendants, appeared before everyone in resplendent robes, dignified and graceful. She reached out to support the Emperor and Empress: "Today I have come to offer my congratulations to the Empress." The Emperor straightened his back and said coolly, "It's merely a small birthday. I wonder how it managed to disturb Mother." The Empress Dowager smiled. "I've also come to see the Empress. She works so hard managing palace affairs, and since she's finally hosting a birthday banquet, how could I not show my support?" The Empress took the opportunity to say, "Thank you for your kindness, Mother." The Empress Dowager took the Empress's hand and patted it gently, speaking with heartfelt sincerity: "Empress, you are more fortunate than I. You have the Emperor's affection, and even your birthday banquet is held differently from others'." Xie Run stood nearby and heard the Empress Dowager's words clearly. For a moment, she felt speechless and somewhat amused. The Empress Dowager was likely displeased that the Emperor had made such a grand production of the Empress's birthday banquet, stealing more limelight than her own. The Emperor used to humor the Empress Dowager a bit, but this time he said directly: "Mother has worked hard these past days as well. I wonder how the investigation into the Gut-Rending Powder is progressing?" "If you truly can't find any leads, perhaps you should ask Imperial Father. He might know something about it." The Empress Dowager's face twitched, and she wished she could bite the Emperor to death. "Your father is focused on spiritual cultivation these days. There's no need to disturb him." "Besides, today is the Empress's banquet. Bringing up such matters would only invite bad luck." The Emperor replied, "Whatever Mother says is what it shall be." The Empress Dowager was so angry she couldn't utter another word. After sitting for a while, she claimed she wasn't feeling well, and fearing she might delay the banquet, she took her retinue and left. Once the Empress Dowager was gone, the atmosphere of the Empress's birthday banquet became much more peaceful. The Emperor and Empress exchanged a few words, and everyone ate and drank merrily, everything harmonious and smooth. Xie Run was feeding Taotao some egg custard. The little rascal was clamoring to go play and refused to eat, so Xie Run had to coax him into taking a few bites first. Xie Run: "One more bite, and I'll let you play for an extra quarter of an hour." Taotao opened his mouth to eat. Suddenly, someone at the banquet shouted: "Poison!"