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Chapter 22
Gu Han's thoughts were in turmoil, and she rarely slept in late. The next day she nearly missed the morning greeting hour.
With no time for breakfast, Gu Han hurriedly brought Jiu nian and Little Fangzi to Kunning Palace to pay respects. Only en route did she learn of yesterday's aftermath at Chaoyang Palace. Just as Little Fangzi had predicted, Xiuyi He had indeed brought a servant back to her palace, but it wasn't Xie Ang'an.
To this, Gu Han only gave a simple acknowledgment and nothing more.
She knew that with Xie Ang'an's capabilities, as long as he was given an opportunity, he would always manage well. Those years when his name filled the capital, he had relied on far more than just a handsome face.
Little Fangzi and Jiu nian couldn't help but steal glances at her, wondering if it was their imagination, they felt their mistress had become considerably calmer in dealing with this matter.
Just as they arrived at Kunning Palace, Gu Han met the examining gazes of the crowd.
The other consorts all wanted to know, by what means had Gu Han gotten His Majesty to promote her rank in such a short time? But no matter how they scrutinized her, they couldn't see what made Gu Han so special.
Gu Han ignored these looks and was about to take her seat when she was stopped by someone from Kunning Palace:
"Měirén's seat is over here."
Gu Han understood. With her promotion, even her seat in Kunning Palace had changed accordingly. She sat across from Miao Měirén. Just as she sat down, she met Miao Měirén's gaze. Miao Měirén only glanced lightly before looking away, making no attempt at conversation. Every small gesture revealed her aloof temperament.
Miao Měirén was indifferent, and Gu Han wouldn't presume to chat with her uninvited. She discreetly scanned the room and only then discovered that Xiuyi He's seat was empty.
When the Empress emerged, Gu Han learned that Xiuyi He had requested leave.
She had neither favor nor children, so naturally she didn't care whether her bed tag was selected or not.
A trace of disappointment flashed through Gu Han's heart. Undeniably, she had rushed to Kunning Palace this morning partly to watch the show. With two edicts issued simultaneously yesterday, she truly wanted to know, could Xiuyi He maintain yesterday's arrogance?
With the Empress Dowager about to return to the palace, the Empress had many matters to attend to, and morning greetings dispersed quickly.
At noon the scorching sun beat down. Gu Han had no desire to linger outside and returned directly to Changchun Pavilion. Before long, rewards arrived from Kunning Palace, followed by congratulatory gifts from the other consorts trickling into Changchun Pavilion one after another.
Congratulating her on her promotion.
The gifts were basically items for wearing or adornment, rarely anything edible. Gu Han's attention focused particularly on the glass vase sent from Yian Palace. The vase was purplish-red, finely crafted, clearly quite valuable at a glance.
But what drew Gu Han's attention to this vase wasn't for these reasons. She looked at the floral pattern on the vase's mouth, unable to tell for a moment whether it was peony or herbaceous peony. But regardless of which it was, one could glimpse some of Consort Shu's ambition through it.
Jiu si followed her mistress's gaze and was immediately dazzled. "This vase is so beautiful! The herbaceous peonies in the Imperial Garden are blooming perfectly. Tomorrow this servant will go pick some to bring back, we can put them to use right away."
Gu Han furrowed her delicate brows slightly. After a moment, she pushed the vase away:
"Record it in the registry and store it in the warehouse."
Jiusi froze, somewhat hesitant. "We're not displaying it in the hall?"
Gu Han's eyes darkened slightly. She lowered her eyelids and said gently:
"Such a precious item, it wouldn't do to chip or bump it."
Jiusi wasn't stupid. Hearing her mistress say this, she knew there was intention behind it. Otherwise, what fine things hadn't her mistress seen? It was just a vase, no matter how finely crafted, it wasn't worth such care from her mistress.
Compared to Yian Palace's gift, Xianleng Palace's was very conventional, a porcelain jade vase, nothing particularly precious. But Gu Han had to contemplate deeply, both palaces sending vases at the same time, was it coincidence or intentional?
But regardless, if she didn't use the vase from Yian Palace, naturally she wouldn't use the one from Xianleng Palace either.
Gu Han didn't examine everything one by one, having Jiu nian record them all in the registry and send them to the warehouse.
After a while, Jiu nian returned saying, "Aside from Xiuyi He, all the other palaces sent congratulatory gifts."
Given the current relationship between Chaoyang Palace and Changchun Pavilion, even if Xiuyi He had sent a gift, Gu Han couldn't possibly use it.
Therefore, Gu Han didn't take this matter to heart at all.
No matter how lively the harem might be, the consorts' focus was always on His Majesty. However, after Gu Han's promotion, His Majesty didn't enter the harem for several days in a row. The consorts all wilted, no longer even in the mood to watch the excitement.
With His Majesty not entering the harem and Xiuyi He on leave, since entering the palace, Gu Han finally enjoyed a period of peaceful days.
---
**In Chaoyang Palace.**
Rong Ling pushed open the latticed window and from afar heard the commotion in the main hall. A palace servant ran out covering her cheek, tears streaming, still clutching cleaning tools.
Even from this distance, Rong Ling shivered. These past days, the main hall had been in constant uproar, forcing Rong Ling to stay in her quarters, afraid that venturing out would catch Xiuyi He's eye.
Rong Ling gloomily sipped her tea:
"Who knows when it will finally settle down."
The palace maid Xiaojiu had just returned from Zhongsheng Hall with this month's ice allotment. She placed it in the ice basin and gently waved a round fan from the side. A cool breeze immediately rose in the hall, quite comfortable.
A Bǎolín’s allocation was meager, and she used ice sparingly. Fortunately Changchun Pavilion occasionally shared some, making this summer bearable.
Hearing her mistress's words, Xiaojiu's eyes flashed as she lowered her voice:
"When this servant returned from Zhongsheng Hall, it seemed like there was some dissatisfaction over there too."
Xiuyi He had broken quite a bit of jade recently. As mistress of a palace, Zhongsheng Hall had no choice but to replenish it for her. Back and forth, how could this not provoke Zhongsheng Hall's displeasure?
Xiaojiu didn't understand what Xiuyi He was doing. Angering Zhongsheng Hall was no good thing.
But Xiaojiu didn't dare speak such disrespectful words.
However, Rong Ling could guess somewhat. She snorted softly under her breath: "Half a month ago, that one sent someone to Zhongsheng Hall to request a person and didn't get her way. These past days haven't she been finding ways to make things difficult for Zhongsheng Hall's people?"
In Rong Ling's opinion, she truly couldn't understand Xiuyi He's maneuvers.
She had neither favor nor children. Right now only her rank made people regard her highly. But if she kept carrying on like this, when Zhongsheng Hall lost patience, the one who'd suffer in the end, wouldn't it still be Xiuyi He herself?
Just then, Rong Ling caught sight of someone from Zhongsheng Hall arriving again. From a distance, she couldn't see clearly, only vaguely felt that the lead eunuch seemed somewhat different from others, though she couldn't say what was different.
After the people from Zhongsheng Hall entered the main hall, Rong Ling pondered the taste of it, it was like in bearing she'd once seen on those young masters from aristocratic families.
This thought flashed by, and Rong Ling herself felt it absurd. She shook her head and closed the latticed window. Just a servant, how could he deserve such high praise as "bearing"?
---
Entering the eighth month, the palace clearly became livelier.
Jiu nian had gathered quite a few osmanthus branches from somewhere and hung them in Changchun Pavilion's hall. Her thoughts were clever, she only hung a few sprigs, not changing the hall's arrangement, but upon entering, the entire room filled with osmanthus fragrance.
On this day, after morning greetings ended as usual, Gu Han prepared to return to her palace but was bumped from behind by someone. The force was so great that Gu Han stumbled forward about to fall. Palace servants cried out in alarm.
Looking at the steps before her, Gu Han's heart stopped for an instant. In her urgency, she only managed to turn her body slightly, immediately tumbling into the flower bed beside the path. A sharp pain came from her knee, and Gu Han drew in a cold breath.
Palace servants clumsily helped Gu Han up. Looking down, she realized her knee had struck the pebbled path, no wonder it hurt so fiercely.
Tumbling into the flower bed left her disheveled, but not falling down the steps was already fortunate.
Gu Han's face rarely turned cold. She looked up at the person who'd bumped into her, someone unfamiliar. The woman suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud, looking constrained and frightened. Before Gu Han could say anything, tears began streaming down her face:
"This concubine didn't mean to collide with you! Please, Gu Měirén, calm your anger!"
Little Fangzi leaned close and said in a low voice, "This is Bǎolín Liu."
Among the newly selected consorts there was also someone surnamed Liu, but none with the Bǎolín rank, so this person was a consort who had risen from His Majesty's former residence, she had been in the palace at least three years.
Bǎolín Liu continued crying and wailing. In no time, she had drawn quite a crowd.
Gu Han coldly watched her performance. Someone who had been in the palace so long would be so reckless? Even avoiding her palace servants to bump directly into her? Especially recalling the force of Bǎolín Liu's collision just now, if Gu Han hadn't reacted at the critical moment, how could she be standing here perfectly fine now?
Since entering the palace, Gu Han had never lost her temper, always wearing a gentle, soft smile, to the point many assumed she had a clay-like temperament.
Suddenly, someone asked, "What happened here?"
Gu Han looked up, it was Noble concubine Lin. For some reason she had lingered in the Imperial Garden today and still hadn't returned to her palace. Even her usual sedan chair entourage was nowhere to be seen. Supported by palace servants, she walked over and surveyed the situation.
Noble concubine Lin furrowed her delicate brows lightly, saying somewhat sympathetically, "Look at this pitiful sight. Gu Měirén, I wonder what wrong Bǎolín Liu committed to provoke such anger from you?"
Gu Han silently pulled at the corners of her lips.
She bowed in salute, but the moment she bent down, she suddenly fell to the ground, her face paling. Jiu nian cried out in alarm. The sympathy on Noble concubine Lin’s face became hard to maintain.
Gu Han clutched at Jiu nian, biting her lip as she struggled to stand, but was powerless due to the pain in her knee. Yet even so, she kept her back perfectly straight, only lowering her eyes:
"Since Noble concubine Lin finds her pitiful, this concubine naturally won't blame her."
Consort Lin's expression stiffened slightly. What relation did a Bǎolín have to her? What did it mean that she found Bǎolín Liu pitiful?
Before Noble concubine Lin could say anything more, three claps sounded from not far away. The faces of all the concubines present changed, then immediately took on expressions of delight, even Bǎolín Liu with tears still on her face was no exception.
Gu Han glanced imperceptibly at Bǎolín Liu. If Bǎolín Liu claimed this wasn't intentional, Gu Han absolutely didn't believe it. She just didn't know where Bǎolín Liu got such audacity.
Gu Han lowered her eyelids lightly, her brow tips slightly cool.
When the imperial procession approached, she bowed like everyone else as usual, making no special movements. But her dress was stained with grass and leaves, her whole person disheveled, the pain in her knee affecting her somewhat, making her particularly conspicuous among the crowd.
At least, Lu Yu spotted her at a glance.
---
**Author's Note:**
Lu Yu: Can't you let me worry less?
Here are the ranks of imperial consorts:
- Empress (皇后 Huánghoù) — Head of the Imperial Harem
- Imperial Noble Consort (皇贵妃 Huáng Guìfēi) — Rank 1
- Noble Consort, Pure Consort, Virtuous Consort, Worthy Consort (贵妃、淑妃、德妃、贤妃 Guìfēi, Shūfēi, Défēi, Xiánfēi)** — Senior Rank 1 (The Four Consorts, with Noble Consort as the highest)
- Consort (妃 Fēi) — Junior Rank 2
- Bright Deportment, Bright Countenance (昭仪、昭容 Zhāoyí, Zhāoróng) — Senior Rank 3
- Cultivated Deportment, Cultivated Countenance (修仪、修容 Xiūyí, Xiūróng) — Junior Rank 3
- Noble Lady (贵嫔 Guìpín) — Senior Rank 4
- Imperial Concubine (嫔 Pín) — Junior Rank 4
- Beauty (美人 Měirén) — Senior Rank 5
- Talented Lady (才人 Cáirén) — Junior Rank 5
- Precious Grove (宝林 Bǎolín) — Senior Rank 6
- Imperial Woman (御女 Yùnǚ) — Junior Rank 6
- Palace Maid (宫女子 Gōngnǚzǐ) — Senior Rank 7
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