Chapter 38: Extremely Deep Schemes

Behind them, Li Defu and Cai Wei stood a respectful distance, trying not to disturb the two.

Xu Luoyan cooed, "Lotus heart clears heat, lotus seeds are nourishing; in a moment I'll brew lotus‑heart tea for the Emperor, then make a sweet soup with lotus seeds."

"Yan Er has become increasingly virtuous lately," Chu Yunzheng said with a look of satisfaction, his earlier dislike of Xu Luoyan gradually fading: "Yesterday Yan Er cooked for me herself, and I was startled."

"Mother said that serving one's husband is a woman's duty."

Xu Luoyan's face bore a shy coquettishness: "Previously it was my fault for displeasing the Emperor."

"From now on I will serve the Emperor properly. I don't demand the Emperor's heart belong to me; I only hope the Emperor feels a bit happier when looking at me."

She said so, flashing a radiant smile.

Her makeup was delicate, her attire plain, and she wore only a simple jade bracelet on her hand.

Chu Yunzheng looked with delight and exclaimed, "Yan Er, seeing you so sensible makes me quite pleased."

"Peeling lotus seeds and hurting nails—let the I (serving women) handle that."

"No way, I want to do it myself; after all it's food for the Emperor," Xu Luoyan said, stepping onto a footstool to reach deeper lotus pods, while the Emperor held her hand beside her.

Xu Luoyan said, "I'll pick more so the sisters can all taste them."

"Fine, be bold; I'll support you," Chu Yunzheng said, one hand looping around Xu Luoyan's waist, the other holding a lotus pod.

Such a beautiful and familiar scene, in a daze, seemed like watching the moments between myself and the Emperor.

Wang Jingyi was impressive; the Emperor liked to keep everything under his control, so she was made to embody the three obediences and four virtues, being virtuous and considerate.

And this attire…

"Master, if you weren't right beside me, I (serving woman) would have thought that was you and the Emperor," Qiu Ju said absentmindedly.

After speaking, she hurriedly covered her mouth, her eyes full of panic.

Cough—

A sourness surged from her heart, stuck in her throat, making her uncomfortable, and Wan Tang could not help but cough aloud.

Li Ping'er looked full of concern, quickly raising her hand to gently pat Wan Tang's back.

"Shei?" Li Defu shouted, raising his voice.

Wan Tang knew that secretly spying on the Emperor was a grave crime. Not daring a moment's delay, she hurried forward.

Kneeling on both knees, she respectfully called out, "I have seen the Emperor, I have seen the Noble Consort."

Li Ping'er and Qiu Ju also knelt together naturally.

Wan Tang stood right in front, yet Chu Yunzheng didn't even glance at her; the moment he heard her voice, he turned his face aside.

Xu Luoyan, holding a lotus pod, exclaimed, "Sister? Why are you here?"

Compared with the people ahead, they were all of the highest nobility. Wan Tang dared not be careless and replied as instructed, "The Emperor once said that midsummer lotus seeds are the sweetest. I saw the lotus pods plump and thought to pick some for soup."

"Heh," Chu Yunzheng sneered, "Seeing Yan Er pick lotus pods, you also pick lotus pods."

"Is there even a half‑truth left in your mouth?" Chu Yunzheng's voice was full of mockery.

The thin chill was even oppressive with a sense of authority.

Wan Tang's body wavered as if about to collapse, yet she forced herself to persist.

Xu Luoyan clicked her tongue twice, "Sister, in this state you won't faint, will you?"

"Emperor, never mind, it was my fault before, I was harsh to my sister. Now I have reformed; let me be a good person. Please, Emperor, let her get up!"

Xu Luoyan's tone was sincere, gently cooing; even a man, let alone a woman, would feel comforted hearing it.

Chu Yunzheng turned his back directly; that posture seemed to make even a glance at Wan Tang a humiliation to himself.

He said coldly, "She is extremely scheming, accustomed to pretence."

"Yan Er, you need not lower yourself to deal with such people."

Wan Tang's cracked lips trembled slightly, though she kept telling herself repeatedly not to feel emotion.

Why, when hearing Chu Yunzheng say those words, did she still can't help but have red eyes?

"Your Majesty, my Master is not pretending. She is truly ill, caught a chill, and has had a high fever for several days," Li Ping'er knelt hard on the ground, risking her life to reveal the truth.

"Ill?" the Emperor's tone showed a hint of emotion.

Xu Luoyan immediately placed a hand to her lips, made a shushing gesture, and hurriedly corrected, "It's midsummer; there is no chill. It's heatstroke, a heat condition…"

Seeing her echo, Chu Yunzheng's complexion dropped to ice, his tone becoming sharp: "No medicine can save her."

He flicked his sleeve and strode away.

"A fine mood, yet some eyesores ruined it."

Chu Yunzheng gave Wan Tang not even a fleeting glance; had he looked even once, he would have seen her pallid face, lips without color, and a face that had wasted away in days.

"Sister," Xu Luoyan turned, her pride unmistakable, "I see your temper is fierce; in a moment I'll have the removed liver sent to you."

Wan Tang slowly lifted her head, stared at Xu Luoyan, and smiled, "Wang Jingyi truly has good methods."

"Don't you find it sad? Xu Luoyan, look at you, you've even started imitating me…"

Xu Luoyan was nowhere near Wang Jingyi's steady old‑fox composure; after hearing that, her face clearly collapsed.

Her gaze was poisoned, "Hmph, may your life be tougher than your tongue!"

She stood and rushed after the Emperor.

A group of palace attendants waiting nearby also, as the Emperor and Noble Consort left, drifted away in a blackened mass.

He Feng Yu Jing Palace became cold and desolate once more, bleak and lonely.

"Master, the Emperor has gone far; please rise!"

"Indeed, Master, you have been ill for several days. Continuing to kneel may harm your body."

Li Ping'er and Qiu Ju supported Wan Tang from left and right.

Now that the lotus pods are picked, so what? Will the Emperor still eat them?

The last piece of ice in the basin melted into water. Wan Tang's medicine was mismatched, and her cough grew worse.

Shen hour.

Qiu Ju returned from the kitchen and presented a bowl of snow swallow's nest.

Wan Tang gave it a glance, saw the clue, and couldn't help asking, "It's usually blood swallow's nest; why is it snow swallow's nest now?"

Qiu Ju, being simple‑hearted, couldn't hide it, and an awkward smile instantly appeared on her face.

She laughed it off and said, "The kitchen says this is a new product, a tree swallow's nest, best for drinking when ill."

Wan Tang understood perfectly, didn't mind, and slowly drank it down.

Having been in this palace for so many years, how could she not know that this so‑called tree swallow's nest is merely a self‑deception used by unfavored concubines.

Within the Imperial harem, concubines of different ranks receive different monthly allowances.

Besides daily expenses, according to rules there are many places that require gratuities. If one wants finer food, one must purchase it oneself.

Many concubines never see the Emperor in their lifetimes; in this harem, to live well one must also do one's own handiwork and mending.

Wan Tang knows that when unfavored, the hardest thing is the servants.

She propped up her heavy body, wanting to go out for a breath of fresh air.

She heard Qiu Ju say, "Sister Ping'er, the Master just asked why the swallow's nest was changed."

"Hmph, wasn't it that Cai Wei's dog, leveraging his power, snatched it away? Every palace gets only one serving a day, and she insists on taking two bowls away." Li Ping'er said with righteous indignation.

"These days, of the Master's belongings, which one doesn't she snatch? It's as if she's waiting for me on purpose."

"Here, take this and add it to the little Master's dinner tonight." Li Ping'er pulled a cloth bag from her bosom, inside a large chicken leg.

Qiu Ju's nose twitched, "Sister Ping'er, stop snatching; at worst we can just buy it with silver."

"Alas, I've already asked someone to look for Aunt Shang Zhi. But Aunt said that imperial gifts are all recorded; no one dares to take gold, silver, or fine silk for fear of being accused of theft." Xiao Shunzi wore a sorrowful expression.

"It's fine; it was the Master's property to begin with, I'll snatch it again." Li Ping'er made a fierce expression.

Wan Tang felt her nose tingle, leaned on the doorframe and said, "No need, I'm ill and can't eat much."

She stepped forward, grabbed Li Ping'er's hand, looked at the scratches on her face and the bruises on her hand, her eyes heavily reddened.

"Master, I'm fine." Li Ping'er hurriedly reassured, "If it weren't for their numbers, I'd have beaten Cai Wei flat."

Wan Tang's heart felt like being torn by knives; she was no longer alone. Besides hatred, she also had people to protect.

Wan Tang tightly gripped Li Ping'er's hand, her gaze steady on Xiao Shunzi, on Qiu Ju, and solemnly said, "Yes, we must seize."

"But we must not fight openly; we must strike covertly and make them all pay."

Wan Tang looked at Li Ping'er's wounds, at the now gaunt Qiu Ju, and at the bruised‑eyed Xiao Shunzi, as if she had made a momentous decision.

She said slowly, "Help me tidy up."

"I'm going to see the Empress."

Wuwuwu, how heartbreaking.

"Although she's a supporting female character, she still fell for the Emperor! Where's the promised romance?"

"The scumbag dragon is still with Xu Luoyan, who keeps giving her back‑pats and massages, while Wang Jingyi is holding a lotus‑seed gathering at Songbai Palace."

"Nearly ten concubines are playing games with the Emperor; now he keeps praising Xu Luoyan for her magnanimity, benevolence, and poise."

"It's right for Wan Tang to go find the Empress now, since the Empress is furious with Xu Luoyan, so angry she won't leave her room."

Bishui Palace.

The palace closest to the Emperor.

Though not as grand as Kunning Palace, its decorations are still lavish.

Without the palace's dense foliage of flowers and trees, there is more sunlight, making it brighter.

Xiao Mingshu sat in the chair, her hand constantly propping her forehead, speaking weakly, "Wan Pin, I heard you've been ill; I ought to come and see you."

"It's just that I have a head ailment, and it's unbearable!"

"Sounds nice, but clearly it's just because Wan Tang isn't favored, and they're too lazy to bother."

"Wrong, the Empress is doing it on purpose, waiting for Wan Tang to approach so she can seize the initiative."

"Indeed, every concubine in this harem is a pawn in her hand."

Accustomed to the barrage of comments, Wan Tang remained unruffled.

She forced down the urge to cough, hand braced on the chair, and said slowly, "Your Majesty, I have lately also wanted to see the Empress."

"I also wish to thank Your Majesty; since I became a consort of the Emperor, you have always looked after me."

Wan Tang personally held a tray containing the three finest round fans.

Others dare not easily take imperial items, but the Empress does.

No woman would refuse these three most exquisite round fans, yet Xiao Mingshu only gave them a glance, her eyes still calm.

She said lightly, "Wan Pin, you're thoughtful."

Bai Wei stepped forward to help Xiao Mingshu, and Xiao Mingshu sat up.

"Everyone, go down!" Bai Wei shouted.

All the palace attendants withdrew, Wan Tang signaled with her gaze; though Li Ping'er looked worried, she also stepped outside.

Only Bai Wei remained inside to attend.

Xiao Mingshu smiled, then said slowly, "Wan Pin, I've waited for you for a long time; you finally arrived."

"But your arrival is perhaps untimely."

Xiao Mingshu gave Wan Tang no chance to speak, stating bluntly, "What you seek now, I cannot help you with!"