Chapter 383

Chapter 383 A hint of envy seemed to rise in Bai Fu's eyes: "Xue Baolin has been gone for a while now. Who knows whether she's already won Consort Hua's favor." Of those assigned to Fanghua Palace this time, besides Kong Cairen and Bai Fu, there were also Xue Baolin and Miao Cairen. Although Kong Cairen came from a humble background, she had a good appearance, a relatively high rank upon entering the palace, and a quiet, unassuming temperament—which was why Bai Fu had come to talk with her. That Miao Cairen was a gossipy sort from a fallen family—no background, no looks, but the most skilled at stirring up trouble. Bai Fu had no intention of getting involved with her. Xue Baolin, on the other hand, came from a decent family and had an innocent, mischievous face, but she was the most calculating and scheming of them all. She had likely been on guard against everyone from the start, which was why she had hurried off with gifts to pay respects to the mistress of Fanghua Palace early on. Kong Cairen listened for a long while before asking, "Then should we go pay our respects to Consort Hua as well?" "The governess nanny seemed to mention that upon entering the palace, one should show respect to the principal consort of the palace." Bai Fu: "This is exactly what I've been worrying about, which is why I came to discuss it with Sister Kong." "By the rules, going to pay respects would certainly be best. But since Xue Baolin has already gone ahead, if we go now, it would seem insincere, as if we don't hold Consort Hua in enough esteem." "But we can't not go either—otherwise Consort Hua might think we don't understand proper conduct." Kong Cairen: "...Then what should we do?" Bai Fu: "Why don't we wait and see when Xue Baolin returns, and then we can assess the situation?" "Xue Baolin went to see Consort Hua first, so perhaps she'll have some understanding of Consort Hua's temperament, and we can act accordingly." Kong Cairen nodded: "I'm not one to make decisions—I'll follow whatever you say, sister." Just as the two were speaking, a young palace maid came to report: "Mistress, Xue Baolin has returned from Fanghua Palace, but she seems to be limping. It's unclear whether she was punished." Bai Fu and Kong Cairen exchanged a glance, both their eyes filled with surprise. Although Zhaohua Palace was far away, word reached there even faster than it did Bai Fu and the others who lived in Fanghua Palace. Concubine Shen had long been ready to watch the drama unfold at Fanghua Palace. The moment news arrived, she immediately ran to Zhaohua Palace to share it with Xie Run. "Consort Hua's temper has grown fiercer by the day. Who knows what that new arrival did wrong or said something inappropriate—she was punished just after entering the palace." Xie Run was too idle, so she was watering the flowers in the courtyard. Taotao loved to play as well, holding a specially made little gourd as she followed along watering the plants. Somehow, she managed to splash mud all over her own face. Because Xie Run didn't stop her, the nearby Nanny Xu, Dantao, and the others all wore expressions of someone who couldn't bear to look yet wanted to say something. The moment Concubine Shen appeared, someone quick-handed scooped Taotao away. Probably to go wash her face. Xie Run said calmly, "How did she punish someone?" "They say she was made to kneel for a full shichen." Concubine Shen looked down and remarked, "Sister Xie's roses are growing so beautifully. The weather is hot now, and even the flowers in the imperial garden are wilting—they're not as lovely as the ones here." Xie Run set down her watering can and smoothed her skirt. "The Emperor's anger hasn't subsided yet. And now she's punished a newly arrived palace woman—it seems she's been holding in quite a bit of fire these past two months." "Exactly," Concubine Shen agreed. "Both of them gave birth, and Noble Lady Xi had a smooth delivery and even received a promotion. Consort Hua was placed under house arrest before giving birth, and that's one thing—but after barely surviving a difficult labor to deliver the Ninth Prince, the Emperor not only didn't promote her, he hasn't even set foot in Fanghua Palace to this day." "Consort Hua isn't just angry right now—she's likely afraid too. Afraid that with new women entering the palace, the Emperor will be dazzled and she'll truly fall out of favor." "And yet the newly arrived beauties keep parading before her eyes. With her temperament, how could she possibly endure it?" Xie Run smiled. "The Empress's health is failing more and more now, and Consort Wen and Consort Jingshu are managing the Six Palaces on her behalf. I wonder who will handle this matter." The newly arrived palace women might not know about Hua Yu's circumstances, but how could those of them who had been around longer not know? The war between the Xia Dynasty and the Yu Dynasty was still ongoing, and Hua Yu's elder brother had repeatedly distinguished himself in battle. Even if the Emperor was cold toward Hua Yu for a time, he would not remain so forever. Hua Yu's Fei rank would come eventually. Thus, although Hua Yu appeared to be in a state of decline, no one went out of their way to provoke her. Concubine Shen: "The Emperor still holds some affection for Consort Hua. Consort Jingshu probably won't go looking for trouble, and Consort Wen... she likely can't stand up to Consort Hua either." "And since no one has made a fuss about this matter, I doubt anyone will intervene." Consort Hua was, after all, the head of the Nine Concubines—surely she had the right to punish a newly arrived Baolin. Xie Run had one thing she didn't say. She felt that with Hua Yu's temperament, punishing just one newcomer would not be enough to quell the fire in her heart. She was bound to stir up trouble sooner or later. Concubine Shen grew restless upon hearing this. "Sister Xie, we don't know what temperaments these new arrivals have. Do you think I should go offer them some words of advice?" Xie Run looked at Concubine Shen with some helplessness. "Your courage grows bolder by the day. Now you even enjoy throwing yourself into the thick of things." Concubine Shen laughed. "If it were anywhere else, I wouldn't dare go." "But if it's Fanghua Palace—well, Consort Hua is still confined to her postpartum rest. Even if she truly wanted to vent her anger at me, I could just turn around and run. She can't very well chase after me to pick a fight." Now the entire palace knows that Consort Shen is Xie Run's person, so no one easily offends her. Consort Shen is also a reckless one—she does annoying things in her daily dealings, but she always knows her limits and runs away immediately when she senses trouble. With Xie Run as her backing, no one truly dares to touch her. Xie Run knows she can't be confined, so she doesn't stop her, only saying: "Don't underestimate those newcomers. They may have just entered the palace, but they didn't just grow brains." Consort Shen smiles helplessly: "Sister Xie, do you think I look like a fool?" "Going to befriend them now is just to make it easier to gather information later." Xie Run smiles and shakes her head. Consort Shen: "Today everyone is waiting for the Emperor to flip the tablet. I wonder which newcomer will take the lead. I'll go join in the excitement." Consort Shen is hardly the only one waiting for news of the Emperor's tablet flip—the entire Six Palaces is waiting. When Bai Fu and Talented Lady Sun learned that Lady of Beauty Xue had been punished to kneel for two hours without cause, they immediately abandoned any intention of paying respects. Both returned to their own quarters and stayed quiet, afraid that one misstep would incur Consort Hua's punishment. As darkness gradually fell, Bai Fu's heart couldn't help but grow tense. She unconsciously recalled things from her previous life. In her previous life, the first to serve the Emperor was Cairen Kong. It was probably because that face was too striking—after serving the Emperor, she received a promotion in rank. The day after Cairen Kong served the Emperor, the arrogant Lady of Beauty Ming came knocking, using some excuse to thoroughly humiliate Cairen Kong. At that time, the one with authority over the Management of the Six Palaces was Noble Consort Fang, Fang Yuan'er. Fang Yuan'er had been looking for an opportunity to intimidate the newcomers, so she seized the moment to summon Lady of Beauty Ming for questioning, and also called all the newcomers to attend as witnesses. Lady of Beauty Ming showed not a trace of fear before Fang Yuan'er, and her words were somewhat arrogant, angering Fang Yuan'er. Fang Yuan'er directly charged her with insubordination and had her given twenty strokes of the cane. Those twenty strokes were delivered with no leniency whatsoever, nearly beating Lady of Beauty Ming unconscious. From then on, Lady of Beauty Ming lay in bed recuperating—and as she recuperated, she simply faded away. Having fought with Fang Yuan'er for so many years, how could Bai Fu not know the real reason Lady of Beauty Ming's recuperation ended in death? But the situation in the palace now is completely different from the previous life. Bai Fu doesn't dare use the knowledge from her previous life to predict what is about to happen.