usatvline Chapter 311 Paying Respects at the Phoenix Palace
Chapter 311 Paying Respects at the Phoenix Palace
Chapter 311 Paying Respects at the Phoenix Palace
At Fengyi Palace, I pay my respects in the morning.
Outside the palace gate, Consort Chun's face showed a hint of anxiety. The time for paying her respects was fast approaching, but Hua Yan had not yet arrived.
"Shu'er is always punctual, Aunt, please go to Bilangxuan yourself."
Aunt Mei replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, please bring Mengzhu into the palace first. At this critical juncture, we must not let Her Majesty the Empress make a mistake."
Mengzhu stepped forward to comfort him: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. The Emperor stayed at Consort Meng's place last night. He must have been delayed by something. Perhaps Green Willow went to ask the Empress for leave in advance."
Previously, whenever Hua Yan served the Emperor, Consort Chun would wait for Hua Yan outside the palace gates to go to the Empress's palace together. Today, however, Hua Yan did not come, and Consort Chun was inevitably anxious.
Hearing Mengzhu's words, Consort Chun relaxed slightly and led Mengzhu into the Phoenix Palace.
Consort Mei and Consort Qu were already inside the hall. Upon seeing Consort Chun enter, Consort Qu lowered her head and rose to give Consort Chun a curtsy.
Seeing that Consort Meng was not following behind Consort Chun, Consort Mei smiled and said, "It's quite rare today; even Consort Chun has a day when she's all alone."
Consort Chun first bowed to the Empress, then nodded slightly to Consort Qu, not even bothering to give Consort Mei a glance. No matter what the other said, she remained seated as if in deep meditation, her face expressionless.
The Empress watched with great interest as Consort Mei provoked Consort Chun, remaining silent about Consort Meng's lateness.
Last night, it was Consort Meng who served the emperor. Even if she violated the palace rules, with the emperor's favor before her, can she really be punished?
The Empress spoke a few words indifferently. Seeing that half of the morning audience had passed and Consort Meng still hadn't arrived, she felt somewhat annoyed and coldly ordered Xingyu to go to Bilangxuan.
Seeing this, Consort Mei stroked the edge of the celadon teacup with her fingertips. "Consort Meng is favored and has borne children for the Emperor, so it's understandable that she's a bit more precious for a time. Your Majesty, please don't upset yourself."
Aunt Mei had been gone for some time, and for some reason had not yet returned with a reply. Consort Chun was anxious and could no longer remain calm.
Following up on Consort Mei's words, she immediately retorted: "Even if Consort Mei wants to produce offspring for the royal family, she is probably not born with the necessary conditions. Instead of being so jealous all the time, she should take better care of her health."
The Empress sat upright in the main seat, a smile playing on her lips, pleased to see the two women locked in a fierce confrontation.
Consort Mei's expression was grave, and she nearly spilled her teacup. However, she wasn't truly angry; a sly smile played on her lips. "Consort Chun has been favored the longest, and even Consort Guo is pregnant, but Consort Chun... hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy..."
Before the words were finished, footsteps came from outside the hall, mixed with the eunuchs' loud announcements.
In the golden glow of the morning sun, the blue brick floor cast the diamond pattern of the crimson gauze window lattice. The emperor, accompanied by Hua Yan, entered side by side, their black dragon-patterned wide sleeves overlapping the dark purple and golden pheasant palace dresses.
The Emperor's hair was bound with a jade crown, his eyebrows and eyes were long and slender. His hair was styled in a high bun, and a flower ornament between his eyebrows was like a dot of vermilion. The dangling pearls on his hairpins swayed gently, making her even more beautiful and unparalleled.
Upon seeing this, everyone in the hall, except for Consort Chun, felt a pang of sadness.
"Your Majesty, I am late in paying my respects. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me." As Hua Yan bowed gracefully, the mutton-fat jade bracelet on her wrist gently collided with the dragon-patterned jade pendant at the Emperor's waist, the sound as clear as shattered jade.
The Empress's gaze froze slightly, a bitter feeling rising in her heart.
Hua Yan was wearing the attire of a fourth-rank concubine. Just one night later, the Emperor promoted Consort Meng to a higher rank.
And they still haven't discussed it with the Empress...
"May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings." The Empress slowly rose, supported by the gilded phoenix-head chair, her nine-tailed phoenix hairpin dangling like tears.
"Mengmei... Consort Jieyu has served Your Majesty diligently; what crime has she committed? Please take a seat."
Consort Mei unconsciously crumpled the silk handkerchief embroidered with a hundred children on her lap, her fingertips turning slightly white. Consort Qu lowered her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Consort Chun's face out of the corner of her eye.
Consort Chun gazed at Hua Yan with a smile, and when she saw that Hua Yan was also looking at her, a big smile bloomed on her lips.
"The Empress is always kind and gentle, so Shu'er need not be alarmed," the Emperor said loudly as he sat down in the main seat. His words seemed directed at the six palaces, but his gaze remained fixed on Hua Yan.
After everyone was seated again, Consort Chun whispered to Hua Yan beside her, "Shu'er is so beautiful, no wonder the Emperor is so fond of her."
Hua Yan whispered back, "...I'm confused too."
When she woke up in the morning, Hua Yan was utterly exhausted. She dragged herself out of bed to wash and dress, feeling as if her body had been run over by wheels, aching terribly. The Emperor, on the other hand, was refreshed and in high spirits, even instructing Min Rong to bring out the Jieyu's (a concubine rank) robes that had already been prepared...
This delay caused him to miss the appointed time to pay his respects at Fengyi Palace.
Even Consort Mei dared not say much about Consort Meng's promotion to the rank of Jieyu, and the Emperor only mentioned it briefly, as if this promotion was just a routine matter.
Suppressing her bitterness, the Empress smiled and said to Consort Qu, "...Consort Qu's performance yesterday was also outstanding. I haven't yet congratulated Your Majesty on gaining another beautiful and talented woman."
Qu Baolin felt that she had offended Consort Chun, which meant offending Consort Meng. Consort Meng was currently enjoying the Emperor's favor, and she wanted to avoid her at all costs. She never expected that the Empress would push her out at this time.
Qu Baolin, a man of deep thought, quickly changed his expression and immediately showed a hint of gratitude.
"Your Majesty is too kind. I am merely fortunate and do not deserve such praise."
Consort Mei forced a smile and echoed, "Consort Qu comes from a respectable family and has been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood. Among the daughters of officials in the capital, her talent is second only to my elder sister. Since she has won the Emperor's favor, there is no need for her to be so modest."
Qu Baolin: "..."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's smile faded slightly.
Although Qu Baolin has some talent, how can he compare to Zhitong? Shu'er, on the other hand, is just as good as Zhitong in both character and appearance.