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Translator's note: Finally there are advance chapters availaible on Kofi
Translator's note: I would like to give a big shoutout to Stephnora and Anxiousempathx for supporting me. you made me so happy guys. A big thank you to all my dear readers who stayed even with the caotic posting schedule. you all have my heart.
Chapter 137
Liu An personally escorted the wet nurses to Yian Palace. He took a moment to look at the little princess, who was sleeping soundly in her swaddling clothes. It was clear that Consort Shu had raised her well; she no longer showed any of the frailty she had at birth, looking fair, plump, and utterly adorable.
Liu An was always courteous to the masters of the harem. He said respectfully "The Emperor is concerned for the little princess, so he has ordered this servant to arrange two wet nurses to serve her."
Consort Shu acted as if she were completely unaware of the Emperor’s underlying motive. She gave a faint, smiling chide: "The Emperor is truly thoughtful toward the little princess. I thank His Majesty on her behalf."
Liu An glanced at her in surprise before bowing and taking his leave.
Once Liu An was gone, Consort Shu swept her gaze over the two wet nurses. She said, neither warmly nor coldly "Since the Emperor sent you to care for the princess, you shall stay by her side from now on. Nurse Jiang has been caring for the princess all along and understands her condition best. If there is anything you do not know, just ask her."
The two nurses didn't dare say much, bowing respectfully in agreement.
Consort Shu said no more. She leaned over to tuck in the princess’s brocade quilt, the pads of her fingers—now free of her decorative nail guards—lightly brushing the infant's cheek. After asking Nurse Jiang for a detailed report on the princess's recent health, she finally left the side hall.
She carried herself so naturally, without a single slip in composure, that for a moment even Ya luo thought the Emperor truly had sent the nurses out of simple concern.
It was only when they entered the main hall that the expression on Consort Shu’s face finally faded.
Ya luo looked at her, hesitating to speak. Consort Shu began putting her nail guards back on, but she seemed lost in thought. In her distraction, her finger struck the dressing table. She furrowed her brows in pain, but quickly lowered her eyes as if nothing had happened.
Ya luo remained silent. Her mistress acted as though everything were fine, but Yaluo actually wished she would just lash out. Keeping these emotions bottled up inside made Ya luo feel a creeping sense of fear.
Today, the Flower Conservatory sent several pots of magnolias to Yihe Palace. Rows of blooming white flowers were arranged before the hall, creating quite a scenic view.
The servants from the conservatory had been very diligent. The head eunuch personally delivered the magnolias, his face squeezed into a wide smile as he bowed low
"After the Emperor issued the decree, this servant didn't dare dally for a moment. As soon as they bloomed, I hurried to bring them to Yihe Palace. All the magnolias in the conservatory are here. If Your Ladyship is displeased, we have other orchids as well; I brought a few along this time."
Aside from the magnolias, the eunuch had brought nearly ten other varieties of orchids. Palace servants held them in their hands, their scattered beauty refreshing to the soul.
Gu Han leaned over to pinch a petal. A faint, pure fragrance drifted up, not as thick and sweet as peach blossoms, nor as overpowering as osmanthus. It was elegant and pleasant. Gu Han truly liked them—or she would have, if no one had tampered with them.
She didn't make things difficult for the head eunuch. Straightening up, she said with a shallow, gentle smile "Since you handled it personally, Eunuch, I am naturally at ease."
Receiving her praise, the eunuch’s smile broadened even further.
Gu Han said warmly: "It was a long, hard trip for you. Jiu si, take a portion of the lychees the Emperor sent the other day and give them to the Eunuch to take back."
Lychees were a precious luxury these days, rarely tasted by anyone outside the high nobility. The eunuch’s face lit up instantly. Whether they were expensive or not was secondary; the fact that Her Ladyship gave a reward meant she was satisfied with the Flower Conservatory's work. How could he not be happy?
The Flower Conservatory wasn't like the Imperial Kitchen; there was little "grease" to skim, and few opportunities to interact with those in high positions. Its only real perk was the peace and quiet. If he could gain a bit of favor from Consort Zhao, he could hold his head a little higher in this palace.
Once the people from the conservatory left, Jiu si muttered indignantly "They were careless in their work. Even if Your Ladyship didn't punish them, why give them a reward?"
Gu Han tapped her forehead, amused "How can one guard against a thief for a thousand days? Ultimately, they were just innocently caught up in this. Those who do not know are not guilty."
Jiu si couldn't win the argument, so she just pouted and stayed silent.
Gu Han nodded toward the magnolias and gave Jiu si a meaningful look.
Jiu-si knew a bit of medicine and quickly stepped forward. There were twenty or thirty pots in total. Being cautious, Jiu si inspected them one by one, only to find that more than half of the pots and the soil had issues.
She returned with a grim expression. The smile on Gu Han’s face faded as well. She coldly commanded Jiunian:
"For the next few days, do not let the Prince or Princess into the main hall."
As she spoke, Gu Han had Jiusi move a few pots of the magnolias into the inner chamber.
Looking at those few pots of magnolias, a flicker of coldness—hard to detect, flashed in Gu Han's eyes.
Just after noon, Jiu nian came in to report "Your Ladyship, Tongji has arrived."
Gu Han intended for the princess to learn music, but since she was still so small, Gu Han often had Tongji come to play. Year after year, the princess would eventually remember the melodies. However, since it wasn't safe for the princess to enter the main hall recently, Gu Han had intended to tell Tongji to come back in a few days.
Just as Gu Han was about to speak, she seemed to hear a wailing cry. She rubbed her forehead, nursing a headache. A moment later, Jiu si came running in hurriedly "Your Ladyship, the little Prince is awake, and he’s crying for you!"
For a moment, Gu Han couldn't worry about Tongji. She only had time to command "Have her wait in the outer hall."
There were magnolias in the courtyard and in the inner chamber. Since Tongji had to visit Yihe Palace often, Gu Han feared she might get sick as well. The only safe spot left was the outer hall. Gu Han had no desire to let an innocent person suffer, so after giving the order, she hurried to the side hall.
The moment she entered, she saw the little "debt collector" howling at the top of his lungs. She stepped forward to look, only to see that the little brat didn't have a single tear on his face. Half-angry and half-amused, she reached out to tap his forehead "You just can't stand to see me have a moment of peace, can you?"
He was clearly doing it on purpose.
Gu Han felt conflicted. Sometimes she loved how clingy Ze'er was; other times, she found it exhausting. She picked him up, and sure enough, the little debt collector stopped crying. He stared at her with wide eyes and reached out to grab her hair.
Gu Han quickly leaned away to dodge him. She didn't focus entirely on Ze'er; she leaned over to check on An'er on the bed. As expected, An'er had been woken up too. She was quietly opening her almond-shaped eyes, neither crying nor making a fuss. However, she had stuffed a finger into her mouth, getting saliva all over her hand, a sight that left Gu Han caught between laughter and tears.
Gu Han sighed softly. An'er was far too well-behaved. She had looked smaller than Ze'er since birth and had always been considerate. Because Ze'er was so noisy, people couldn't help but pay more attention to him. The more this happened, the more Gu Han felt An'er was getting the short end of the stick, and she couldn't help but feel a bit more protective of her.
Gu Han was always afraid the girl would feel the disparity. So, no matter how much Ze'er fussed, Gu Han made sure to devote a portion of her heart to An'er.
She knew very well that in the eyes of the servants and the world, a princess could not be compared to a prince. Even the Emperor—no matter how much he doted on An'er—valued the prince more in the depths of his heart. If even she, the mother, favored Ze'er, then her little princess would truly be wronged.
Gu Han leaned down to pinch An'er’s cheek. An'er made little "yi-ya" sounds. Hearing this, Ze'er flailed his arms and legs, trying to roll over to see. Gu Han didn't help him; instead, she waited expectantly for him to roll over on his own.
Just then, a servant announced that the Emperor had arrived.
Gu Han was busy caring for the two children and couldn't spare a moment. Without even raising her head, she said "Have the Emperor invited into the hall."
In the main hall, Tongji held her zither with lowered eyes. She had been to Yihe Palace many times, but rarely entered the hall itself. The two princes were shy of strangers, and if the music was too loud, it would disturb them. Therefore, she usually played for them from outside the hall.
But Her Ladyship never mistreated her; she would even have the servants hold an umbrella to provide shade for her.
Tongji couldn't help but steal glances around the hall. Her feet felt a bit restless; the floor was made of green jade stone, and the curtains in the outer hall were more precious than the fabric of the clothes she wore. Everything was exquisite—luxurious, even.
After looking for a while, a seed of envy involuntarily sprouted within her.
Suddenly hearing footsteps, Tongji snapped back to her senses. She hurried to turn and salute: "This slave pays respects to Your Ladyship."
As the person drew closer, Tongji realized something was wrong. What appeared before her was clearly a black hem. In this palace, only one person wore that color. Tongji felt her heart racing violently, the thumping sound so loud it was deafening.
Driven by an unknown impulse, she lowered her fair neck even further. A performer’s figure was always graceful, especially for those who made it into the palace, where both figure and skill were essential. By slightly bowing her head, she took on a posture that looked particularly frail and delicate.
Lu Yu hadn't noticed her at first. Hearing her greeting, he shifted his gaze to her "Is your mistress not here?"
Lu Yu hadn't seen Tongji’s earlier posturing, so he naturally didn't notice any change. But Liu An saw everything. He couldn't help but give Tongji a second look, muttering to himself: The servants of Yihe Palace are usually so well-behaved; even when serving tea, they never try to crowd the Emperor.
Liu An also knew that Consort Zhao frequently had a performer come to play in the palace.
It seems Her Ladyship's judgment slipped this time, he thought.
However, Liu An didn't take Tongji to heart. To throw flirtatious glances at the Emperor in Yihe Palace—forget the fact that the Emperor hadn't even noticed, even if he did, Tongji’s concern shouldn't be whether she would succeed, but whether she would earn the Emperor’s disgust.
Tongji bit her lip nervously and said "This slave does not know. Her Ladyship is not in the hall."
Only then did Lu Yu notice the zither she was holding. He raised an eyebrow: "You aren't from Yihe Palace?"
Leaving a performer in the hall while having a servant lead him in meant the mistress was nearby. Once Lu Yu realized this, he quickly guessed where Gu Han was. But he rubbed his nose and fell into a strange silence, choosing not to go look for her immediately.
The last time he came to Yihe Palace, Ze'er had urinated all over him. Gu Han, that heartless woman, had just watched and giggled. He was still traumatized by it and didn't dare enter the side hall just yet.
At that moment, Tongji said softly: "This slave is a performer from the Music Pavilion. My name is Tongji."
Lu Yu wasn't really listening. Not wanting to enter the inner hall, he decided to wait for Gu Han in the outer hall. Just as he went to sit down, passing by the performer, she seemed to have stood too long holding the zither; her legs suddenly gave way, and she tumbled toward him.
Lu Yu knew she was An'er’s music teacher, so he reached out to steady her. The performer looked up at him with eyes full of gratitude. Lu Yu was no fool; he could see the flirtatious "hidden waves" in that glance even if he were blind. He frowned.
Right at that moment, a voice came from the doorway
"What is Your Majesty doing?"
Lu Yu clearly hadn't done anything wrong, but hearing that questioning tone, he felt inexplicably guilty. He instinctively let go.
Tongji was already leaning precariously; the moment he let go, she tumbled straight to the ground. She hissed in pain, her eyes instantly turning red—not just from the hurt, but from fear.
Lu Yu saw Gu Han’s calm face and his heart skipped a beat. He explained in a hurry
"I was merely giving her a hand."
Liu An had long since made himself scarce, not daring to get involved.
Gu Han swept a glance over the tearful Tongji and lowered her eyes:
"Your Majesty is truly kind-hearted."
Author's Note:
Kunning Palace: Empress
Yi'an Palace: Consort Shu
Xianleng Palace: Imperial Consort De
Zhaoyang Palace → Main Hall: Xiuyi He
Zhaoyang Palace → Side Hall: Rong Baolin
Yihe Palace → Changchun Pavilion: Female Lead
Rongcui Hall: Beauty Miao
Cuizhu Pavilion: Beauty Lin
Changning Courtyard: Zhou Meiren
Hanleng Palace → (Main Hall transferred to Side Hall): Talented Lady Yuan
Also appearing: Noble Lady Lin, Liu Baolin
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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