Chapter 438

Chapter 438 Xiaoshu: "Although there are quite a few people in the palace who imitate Your Ladyship's attire, that's only on ordinary days." "On occasions like this, everyone keeps a low profile, afraid of drawing too much attention to themselves. Who would dare to make a statement with their clothing?!" "This Noble Lady Bai, on the other hand, not only refuses to stay in her place, but insists on imitating Your Ladyship's dress. Could she be trying to curry favor this way?!" Dantao chided softly: "Don't talk nonsense. The Retired Emperor has only been gone a few days. His Majesty is still in mourning!" Saying this out loud almost sounded like criticizing the Emperor. Xiaoshu immediately fell silent, only looking at Xie Run with a aggrieved expression. "Your Ladyship, is Noble Lady Bai deliberately provoking you?!" Dantao: "It would be one thing if she merely imitated Your Ladyship's attire, but she deliberately comes to flaunt herself before Your Ladyship." "In this servant's view, she may not just be trying to provoke Your Ladyship—it seems more like she wants to..." "Provoke Ben Gong into anger?" Xie Run listened to the two maids' words and slowly finished the sentence. Dantao nodded: "Exactly so!" Xie Run smiled and shook her head. "Then I'm afraid she'll be disappointed." After that dream of endless cycles, Xie Run perhaps understood Bai Fu better than Bai Fu understood herself. Bai Fu was a person of deep schemes and extraordinary patience. If she suddenly did something provocative, it wasn't truly to provoke Xie Run, but more to hope that Xie Run would grow angry and target Bai Fu in response. If Xie Run made a move to harm someone, the image she had carefully built over years would collapse in an instant, and only then would Bai Fu have an opportunity to exploit. Xie Run: "After she entered the palace, she never once caught the Emperor's eye, and then she had to endure the mourning periods for both the Empress and the Retired Emperor." "If the Emperor firmly observes three years of mourning for the Retired Emperor, her prospects are bleak—like those flowers in the Imperial Garden that wither before they ever bloom." "Now... I'm afraid she's grown anxious." Bai Fu didn't dare to harm anyone herself, nor did she have the ability to extend her reach into Zhaohua Palace. So her only option was to deliberately provoke Xie Run, to anger Xie Run into making the first move. Her reasoning wasn't wrong, but she overestimated herself and underestimated Xie Run. Xiaoshu was shocked and confused. "She's anxious, so she provokes Your Ladyship? Does she have the audacity of a dog?!" Who in their right mind, when competing for favor, would skip over those of similar rank and directly provoke the Noble Consort—the highest-ranked consort in the palace?! "Is she not afraid that Your Ladyship, in a fit of rage, would take her worthless life?!" Xie Run said helplessly: "If Ben Gong were to become such a bloodthirsty person, the Emperor would be the first to be displeased. Ruining my own virtue for her sake—it's not worth it." Dantao: "She's likely counting on exactly that, which is why she dares to be so arrogant. Your Ladyship must be patient and not fall into her trap." Xiaoshu disagreed: "But if Your Ladyship ignores her completely, she'll only grow bolder. Soon the whole Six Palaces will know, and it will make Your Ladyship seem like someone without a temper." In the past, when she was in the Prince's residence, she could live within her own circle—after all, the Princess Consort was above her, and Xie Run didn't need to prove anything. But now that Xie Run held the esteemed position of Noble Consort, if she couldn't even subdue a mere Baolin, people would laugh at her. The Emperor might also grow annoyed with Xie Run, just as he had once been annoyed with Consort Jingshu. Xie Run smiled: "Have someone go to the storeroom and pick out a few bolts of plain-colored fabric that have been stored for years, and send them to Noble Lady Bai. Tell her these were fabrics I favored during my days at the Prince's residence." "If she likes them, she may have them made into garments and wear them every day." Dantao: "If you do this, the entire Six Palaces will know." Xie Run: "When the Six Palaces learn of this, the only one they'll laugh at is her." The one whose days will be difficult will be Noble Lady Bai. By sending the fabric, Xie Run was telling Noble Lady Bai that she wasn't afraid of being imitated, while also displaying her own magnanimity and tolerance. Moreover, the fabric she sent happened to be old stock from years past. Others wouldn't think ill of the fabric being old—after all, Xie Run had entered the palace directly at Fei rank, and the items in her storeroom were things Noble Lady Bai might not obtain even after another ten years of waiting. But Noble Lady Bai would understand the humiliation hidden behind those old fabrics. Xie Run thought to herself that the Bai Fu of the past and the Bai Fu of the present were ultimately different. The Bai Fu who had first entered the palace in her previous life had never experienced the glory of a high position, nor had she enjoyed the sole favor of the Six Palaces. Naturally, she could endure patiently and withstand poverty. But the Bai Fu of now was Noble Consort Bai, who had enjoyed the splendor of the Noble Consort position and received the reverence of the Six Palaces. Her pride and ambition were utterly different from her previous life. When she received those old fabrics, who knew how angry she would be. By then, she would likely make her second move. Xie Run strolled leisurely through the gardens of Baohua Temple, her mood quite carefree. She had been in the palace for several years now, and it seemed she had rarely truly sparred with anyone. If one set aside matters of life and death, this back-and-forth scheming was rather interesting. Indeed, her days had been too easy. At noon, Xie Run prayed for two peace amulets at Baohua Temple on behalf of Taotao and Baozhen, and also lit two longevity lanterns. After spending a day at Baohua Temple, Taotao was having so much fun he didn't want to go home. Before leaving, he clung to Xie Run with all sorts of coaxing, simply refusing to return. As Xie Run was reasoning with him, she suddenly saw the Empress Dowager's elderly attendant approaching. "This servant pays respects to Noble Consort Zhao of Zhaohua Palace. Her Grace the Empress Dowager wishes to offer prayers and blessings for Her Majesty the Empress, and will be staying at Baohua Temple for half a year." "As for those who came from the palace, Noble Consort Zhao and Consort Jingshu are to arrange their return together." Xie Run was so astonished she didn't know what to say, but quickly realized this must be the surprise Consort Jingshu had mentioned. The Empress Dowager hadn't taken a small step back—she'd taken a giant leap. Staying at Baohua Temple for half a year to pray for the Empress... The Emperor truly had his methods. Xie Run was delighted inwardly, but her face still wore a worried expression: "Mother, why the sudden decision to remain at Baohua Temple?" "The temple is crude and meant for spiritual cultivation—I fear it will be too harsh for you, Mother." "The Emperor is filial; if he learns that the Empress Dowager is suffering here, he will surely rebuke us." Xie Run furrowed her brows, feigning unease. This matron was already who-knew-how-many batches of attendants the Empress Dowager had cycled through, and her composure was remarkably deep. She merely smiled lightly and said: "Precisely because the Emperor is so filial that the Empress Dowager's heart grows ever more reluctant, and thus she conceived the wish to pray for the Empress." "The Empress Dowager has also sent someone to report this to the Emperor, lest he misunderstand the consorts." "Your concern for the Empress Dowager's wellbeing, this servant will surely convey. I only hope that you will let the Empress Dowager have her way, so that peace may reign in the harem." Xie Run nearly lost her composure. This matron was definitely one of the Emperor's people. She might as well have said outright that if the Empress Dowager stayed in the harem, the Six Palaces would be thrown into chaos. But the Emperor's methods were rather underhanded. Since ancient times, when elders prayed for their juniors, it was almost always for direct kin—a mother-in-law praying for her daughter-in-law... that was rarer than rare. If the Empress Dowager stayed at Baohua Temple for half a year, wasn't that telling the world she'd caused the Empress's death and felt guilty? And the Empress Dowager had actually agreed to it. She might as well have said she missed the Retired Emperor and was staying at Baohua Hall to pray for him. Xie Run admired the Emperor's tactics while secretly rejoicing. With one destabilizing element removed from the harem, she couldn't imagine how many troubles she'd be spared. Returning to Zhaohua Palace, Xie Run sent someone to deliver the fabric to Bai Fu. On the way back, Bai Fu had again been assigned by Consort Jingshu to run miscellaneous errands. Hence, she returned to the palace later than the others.