Chapter 285: Complaint

Volume One, Chapter 285 Complaint

Rong Luoge was busy with matters of the Weaving Workshop, so she naturally couldn't attend to anything else; as days passed, the women of the harem soon began to feel unsettled.

Since His Majesty, after court sessions, only goes to the Fengyi Palace and won't even take a step into the Imperial Garden, how can these newly entered palace women hope to have a chance encounter with him?

Not to mention anyone else, even Su Ying couldn't bear it any longer and went to the Empress Dowager to complain.

In Funing Palace, the Empress Dowager watched Su Ying sobbing breathlessly, sighed gently, "What's there to cry over? You're not the only one; His Majesty hasn't even seen anyone, has he?"

"Aunt, how can it be the same? After all, I'm your niece; how can His Majesty refuse to give me any face? How then can I hold my head up before others?" Su Ying clenched her handkerchief to wipe her tears. She truly hadn't expected His Majesty to be so cold; she had thought it was because she entered the harem first that he was displeased.

Later, didn't she leave the palace?

She's already taken a step back, isn't she?

But she didn't expect that, after formally being selected into the palace, His Majesty would still be like this, seemingly heartless to everyone except the Empress, to whom he is deeply devoted.

If this continues, how can she ever become pregnant and bear a child?

In this harem, only giving birth to a prince secures a place, just like Aunt—wasn't she only seated as Empress Dowager because she bore His Majesty?

Su Ying isn't much concerned with favor itself; she cares about what the favor can bring her.

The Empress Dowager also feels a headache; her own son now increasingly disregards her, the Mother Empress.

"Don't worry, later I'll speak to the Emperor. No matter what, you're his cousin, so you're inherently different from others." The Empress Dowager said, looking at Su Ying.

Su Ying then broke into a smile, looking at the Empress Dowager: "I knew Aunt loved me the most." After saying that, Su Ying, still in a decent mood toward her aunt, continued, "Aunt, I heard the Empress has summoned Kang Shufei and Madam Qiongzhang, but I don't know why. Both Kang Shufei and Madam Qiongzhang come from good families; could the Empress be trying to win them over?"

The Empress Dowager, of course, was aware of this; mentioning the Empress made her headache worse. She looked at Su Ying and said, "Don't provoke the Empress without cause; the Rong family isn't easy to get along with. Now that she has borne the Crown Prince, His Majesty treats her differently from before."

Su Ying's grip on the handkerchief tightened, hearing that her aunt also feared the Empress—not just fear, but seemingly unwilling to oppose her, which Su Ying hadn't expected.

After all, Aunt is the Empress Dowager; the Rong family may be the Empress, but isn't she also Aunt's daughter‑in‑law?

In this world, how can a daughter‑in‑law ever suppress her mother‑in‑law?

"Aunt, Empress Rong is now the mistress of the Six Palaces; can't she come to pay her respects to you? By right, you are the Empress Dowager and she is the Empress; serving and showing filial respect is her duty. If she neglects you, does Aunt not mind?"

How could the Empress Dowager not mind? Yet her relationship with her son is strained, leaving her with little confidence, and she has never liked Rong Luoge; seeing her daily would only aggravate her.

Thinking this, the Empress Dowager looked at Su Ying, "I must observe mourning for the Late Emperor, so purity is paramount."

Su Ying could not possibly be unaware of her aunt's thoughts; hearing that, she sneered inwardly, not believing a word. How much affection could Aunt have for the Late Emperor? Just one Ming Imperial Concubine has made her aunt's whole life uneasy; mourning the Late Emperor is merely an excuse to deflect Su Ying.

Perhaps Aunt can't even handle Rong Luoge.

Last time when she entered the palace, Aunt said she had to endure because her name and words were improper; now she's proper, yet she says mourning requires purity. In short, the Empress Dowager always has a reason.

Su Ying, hearing that, laughed, "Aunt, that's what you said, but it's Ying'er who's being reckless. I won't disturb your rest, I'll take my leave now."

The Empress Dowager indeed seemed a bit weary, waved her hand and said, "Go."

Su Ying left Funing Palace and headed straight for her Yongfu Palace; halfway there she stopped, thought it over, and instead turned toward Yunhua Palace.

Song Huihe, seeing Su Ying, was a bit surprised and said with a forced smile, "Yo, which wind blew the Virtuous Consort here? What a rare guest."

Su Ying smiled at Song Huihe, "Consort Hui, why must you mock me? I came with something to discuss with you; if you're uninterested, then never mind."

Song Huihe gave Su Ying a glance, weighing how much truth or falsehood lay in her words, then said, "Go ahead, tell me."

Su Ying sat opposite Song Huihe and, at a leisurely pace, began, "Now that the palace is like this, isn't Consort Hui also anxious?"

Song Huihe sneered, "The Virtuous Consort is meeting us for the first time; we're not. Thinking back to when we entered the harem from Dong Gong, in these years when has His Majesty ever favored anyone else? Honestly, the Virtuous Consort's sister probably doesn't like to hear it; we've all become accustomed."

Su Ying's face stiffened; with Song Huihe speaking that way, how should she respond?

It's really hard to reply.

Su Ying lowered her eyes slightly, staring at Song Huihe's embroidered shoes on the ground; the toe was set with a pearl the size of a thumbnail, its hue natural. Such a bead would probably cost over a hundred taels of silver elsewhere.

"Having a habit is one thing, but changing it is another, isn't it?" Su Ying lifted her head to look at Song Huihe, "If this continues, won't all of His Majesty's children be born to the Empress? Is that what Consort Hui wants to see?"

Consort Hui's expression darkened; she naturally did not wish to see that.

"What do you intend to do?" Song Huihe asked directly.

Su Ying didn't answer but counter‑asked, "What is the Empress's private summons of Kang Shufei and Madam Qiongzhang for?"

Song Huihe: …

Just as expected, Su Ying never lets a rabbit go without a hawk; she didn't know before, but over the years she's built a small foothold in the palace, and this news only came to her after much effort.

After pondering, Song Huihe's expression kept shifting, and she finally said, "Outside the Xi Cheng Gate of the harem, the Virtuous Consort knows that place, right?"

Su Ying nodded, "Of course I know. What does this have to do with the Xi Cheng folks?"

"The connection is huge," Song Huihe said, looking at her. "You probably don't know that the official office outside the Xi Cheng Gate is being relocated, and what will happen after the move… you could never guess."

Su Ying truly couldn't guess, but seeing Song Huihe's uneasy expression, she realized the matter was likely not simple, and she said earnestly, "What exactly is it for?"

Song Huihe felt that stirring up a storm by acting was always too risky, but with her future niece involved, it would be different.

Perhaps she could take a chance.