TPNCQ CHAPTER 53
The benefits are too good, making one uneasy.
"Your Majesty, this..." Su Limo hesitated, seeing
that Qianlong would not budge, and could only agree: "Then, I will go with
the children to the Rehe Palace. However, I have one more request. May Imperial
Physician Luo, who attends to me and the children, accompany us?"
Su Limo appeared reluctant and was settling for a second
choice, but in reality, she had just stated her most important objective for
the day.
Imperial Physician Luo was just an ordinary physician in the
Imperial Academy of Medicine. He wouldn't normally be chosen for such a good
assignment as accompanying the court to the Rehe Palace. Yet, without Imperial
Physician Luo to attend to them, Su Limo could not feel at ease.
"Granted," Qianlong said, finishing one bowl. His
mood was clearly improved.
Su Limo quickly took the glass cup and signalled to Dongxue
to bring up another one. "Your Majesty, please have another."
Qianlong watched Su Limo, who was excessively attentive and
thoughtful, presenting the glass cup with both hands. There was no trace of
displeasure on her face; she remained gentle and compliant, as if that
momentary astonishment had never existed. He genuinely wanted to dig into this
woman's heart to see if she was just stupid, or stupid, or perhaps just stupid.
However... why did he feel like Su Limo looked like she had
gotten away with a scheme? He dismissed it as a mere illusion.
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Su Limo was also
pleased and served him with even greater gentleness and compliance. Standing
below, she watched Qianlong finish, quickly handed him a handkerchief, and took
the small spoon.
"This was brewed with Maofeng today, wasn't it? It's
not rich enough; use a bit more next time," Qianlong said.
"...I understand," Su Limo said softly. Heart
flutter, palpitations warning...
Qianlong finished using the handkerchief, tossed it onto the
desk, and rose to leave. Su Limo personally escorted him to the palace gate
before saying, "Your servant respectfully bids farewell to Your
Majesty."
Only when Qianlong's figure had disappeared did Su Limo
order the palace gates closed. She turned and walked into the courtyard,
sitting down on a stone stool. The summer heat had dissipated, and a cool
breeze was gently blowing. The evening was quite pleasant.
"Bring the two remaining bowls of iced milk tea. I'll
have them to me to cool down," Su Limo said, finally relaxing after being
constrained for so long.
*
Empress Fucha and Xian guifei had been busy for many
days preparing for the trip to the Rehe Palace and the Mulan Hunting Ground in
the seventh month. While the arrangements for everyone else's food, clothing,
housing, and travel were manageable with their standard allowances, there could
be no neglect whatsoever regarding the Emperor's needs. Empress Fucha took Xian
guifei to personally inspect and procure all the items the Emperor would
use. They both checked every single item by hand to ensure everything was
perfect before being packed away for use.
On the first day of the seventh month, the entire entourage
set off grandly for the Rehe Palace. Upon arrival, everyone settled into their
pre-assigned residences.
Su Limo truly hadn't expected that her residence in the Rehe
Palace, the Luyan Pavilion, would be the place closest to Qianlong's quarters,
second only to Empress Fucha's Fengming Palace.
Logically speaking, this location was usually reserved for
the most favored concubines; it should have been given to the Emperor's favoured
concubine, Jia fei or Ling pin. How had it ended up being
assigned to her, a Guifei who was currently out of favor?
Su Limo was full of questions but had no one to ask. Since
the arrangements had already been made, there was no need to question it; she
simply had to move in.
The place was quite spacious, though—a two-courtyard
residence facing south. There was a large jar in the courtyard holding a few
goldfish, and the interior of the hall was very exquisitely decorated. The side
hall where Jingshun would stay had also been tidied up long ago, and all the
furnishings were complete. Exhausted from the journey, Su Limo told the wet
nurse and the three attending nannies to take Jingshun for a nap first.
All the princes from the Prince's Residence had also come
along, and they were all properly arranged by their own staff, so she didn't
need to worry much about them. The staff accompanying the princes were all
carefully selected by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
Su Limo, along with Shuangjiang and Dongxue, meticulously
sorted and put away all the bundles they had brought.
After more than a year, she finally had a change of scenery.
No matter how beautiful the Imperial Garden in the Forbidden City was, she had
grown tired of it after seeing it for over a year. Moving to the Traveling
Palace felt like a Rehe Palace, and Su Limo was a little excited.
Although she would only be staying here for two months, she
still wanted to decorate it properly. She instructed Shuangjiang and Dongxue to
rearrange the furnishings in the room according to her liking, and to put away
the surplus items she didn't particularly care for into the cabinets for easy
inventory later.
After finishing the hall's arrangement, Shuangjiang and
Dongxue fetched water and didn't stop until they had personally wiped
everything clean, inside and out.
Su Limo made sure to unpack her usual pillow, just in case
the sudden change of location made it hard to sleep at night.
Seeing Su Limo lying down to rest, Shuangjiang and Dongxue
went to their own room to tidy and clean it as well, arranging the clothes and
bundles they had brought. Noticing the time, Shuangjiang went to the main hall
to attend, while Dongxue went to the Imperial Kitchen to order lunch.
While others merely commented on Su Limo staying in the Luyan
Pavilion and left it at that, Jia fei couldn't sit still in her sleeping
quarters.
"That vixen, Ling pin, charmed the Emperor into
giving her all the gilded stationery, which makes it impossible for me to get a
few sheets to write a family letter. Those cursed servants at the Ministry of
Internal Affairs say the new batch won't be ready until next month at the
earliest, and they tell me to wait! Listen to that—they dare to tell me
to wait for them. Instead of admitting their inefficiency, they blame me for
being too demanding, saying they can't manage it right away. They even
suggested I go beg a few sheets from that vixen! Listen, is that a human thing
to say? A bunch of dog servants!" Jia fei angrily slammed down her
purple writing brush and crumpled the peach blossom paper on the table,
throwing it onto the floor.
La Mei quickly stepped forward to pick it up. "Xiao Luzi
is going out tomorrow. Why don't I give him some money and have him buy some
back?"
"Hurry up and tell him! I always use gilded stationery
for my family letters. If I don't use it this time, who knows how my brother
and that ill-omened sister-in-law will criticize me," Jia fei
sneered. Although she was displeased, she didn't dare genuinely clash with the
Ministry of Internal Affairs, given the Emperor's implicit will. She now deeply
regretted not having protected Wang Fu earlier. Ever since Bai Fu took charge,
he had been heartless, ignoring her regardless of the bribes she offered.
Threats and warnings were useless; since he was just a disposable servant, she
couldn't deal with him immediately.
When Wang Fu was the chief of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs, everything was prioritized for her palace. Now, even getting a few
sheets of gilded stationery required her to suffer the disdain of others.
It was truly humiliating.
Jia fei saw Moli hesitating at the door of the hall
and yelled, "Aren't you coming in? Are you waiting for me to summon
you?"
Seeing she couldn't hide, Moli could only step inside.
Looking at Jia fei seated on the brocade couch, she chose her words
carefully and slowly began, "The Empress is staying at Fengming Palace,
and Ling pin is staying at Tingyu Xuan Pavilion behind the Empress
Dowager's palace, quite far from the Emperor. However..."
Hearing that Ling pin wasn't situated next to the
Emperor, but near the Empress Dowager's palace instead, Jia fei was
delighted. Compared to her, Ling pin was far inferior.
However, hearing just those two words instantly roused her
spirits. "Speak clearly! If you keep stuttering, I'll have you taken out
and beaten with a board to straighten your tongue before you come back to
report."
"It's just that Chun guifei has moved into the Luyan
Pavilion, which is very close to the Emperor's Qinzheng Dian..." Moli's
words were cut short by Jia fei, and she dropped to her knees in fear.
"Do I need you to tell me where the Luyan Pavilion is?
I've been to the Rehe Palace many times; am I blind?" Jia fei put
down the fan she was holding with a loud clack on the table.
In previous years, whenever they
came to the Traveling Palace, the Luyan Pavilion was always occupied by Xian guifei.
With that old hag, Empress Fucha, assisting her, Xian guifei
consistently received the top treatment. Although it was annoying, it was
understandable.
But now, by what right had the Chun guifei managed to
displace Xian guifei and move into the Luyan Pavilion?
The Emperor rarely stayed overnight at Su Limo's palace,
having only visited that one time. However, he did occasionally remember to
stop by her palace for a visit. In the harem, familiarity often breeds
affection. Could the Emperor be developing feelings for her again?
Although Su Limo was becoming increasingly sharp-tongued,
daring to use her status as a guifei to pressure her into showing proper
respect, she hadn't genuinely competed for the Emperor's favor. Besides, her
round, plump appearance was quite amusing...
But now, she had actually moved into the Luyan Pavilion!!
Jia fei was completely baffled.
One Ling pin was already giving her a massive
headache...
*
After resting well, Su Limo saw that the heat outside had
faded, and the hour was still early, so she took Shuangjiang to Fengming Pavilion
to pay her respects to Empress Fucha.
Upon entering the hall, Su Limo saw Empress Fucha and Xian guifei
reviewing account statements. After paying her respects and being granted a
seat, she sat beside them, waiting while they worked. It appeared they were
cross-checking all the items used for the palace transfer that day, as well as
the routine expenses for the Traveling Palace.
Saoqin served Su Limo tea and brought out a plate of
pastries, setting a small table beside her. Su Limo found it quite pleasant to
wait while enjoying the snacks and tea.
The pastries from the Empress's palace had always been
top-notch. At first, Su Limo thought they were specially supplied by the
Imperial Kitchen, but it wasn't until she followed the nannies there to learn
pastry-making that she discovered that, aside from the specialty supplies, all
the other baked goods were made by Saoqin, the head palace maid serving Empress
Fucha.
Su Limo truly hadn't expected Saoqin to possess such fine
culinary skills. On a normal day, Saoqin appeared reserved and unassuming,
always polite, courteous, and suitably humble. She never acted arrogantly,
despite being the most favored senior palace maid at the Empress's side, and it
was said they had grown up together.
Su Limo became even more courteous to her.
After about half an hour, Empress Fucha and Xian guifei
finally finished checking the accounts.
"Apologies for making you wait so long, Sister. Things
are coming one after the other right after the palace move," Xian guifei
said, closing the ledger, a deep dimple visible at the corner of her lips.
"Huanghou niangniang and Sister Xian guifei
have been busy all this time. I am truly embarrassed that I couldn't help at
all and just sat here drinking tea and eating pastries," Su Limo said
softly.
"Is the Luyan Pavilion to your liking? If you are
lacking anything, just tell Xian guifei. The Luyan Pavilion is spacious,
which is better for you to live in with Jingshun. A child over a year old is
restless and constantly running around, and the courtyard is perfect for
playing," Empress Fucha said, raising her teacup for a sip.
"Chenqie thank the huanghou niangniang for your
concern, and I thank Sister Xian guifei for your thoughtful
arrangements. Everything is very good, but everything is too good. I am
deeply worried that I have overstepped my bounds, and that it is
inappropriate," Su Limo said humbly. Although she didn't know the history
of the place, it certainly wasn't a residence she was usually qualified to live
in. She suspected the Empress or Xian guifei had intentionally arranged
the move. That's why, after resting, and thinking the Empress's side must also
be settled, she rushed over to express her gratitude. Her attitude had to be
correct.
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Xian guifei
used to live there many times, but now, considering Jingshun, Xian guifei
suggested you stay there, and I agreed that it was suitable. Just settle in
with peace of mind," Empress Fucha said with a warm smile.
"I thank the huanghou niangniang, and I thank
Sister Xian guifei," Su Limo sincerely expressed her gratitude
again. So that was it. It seemed Xian guifei was truly looking out for
Jingshun's benefit and arranging privileges for her.
However, being treated this kindly made Su Limo feel a bit
doubtful.