The Empress Dowager smiled and said, “Now that spring has arrived and the weather has warmed, I don’t wish to be confined in Ci’an Palace. I always want to walk around everywhere. I just don’t know if you’re willing to accompany this old woman?”
“What words are these from the Empress Dowager! For this subject to serve by the Empress Dowager’s side is a blessing cultivated over eight lifetimes.” Consort Yun laughed sweetly.
Princess Tana was not to be outdone, saying, “Exactly so. In my former home, this subject often accompanied family elders and most enjoyed speaking with elders.”
The Empress Dowager smiled, nodding lovingly and gently, “You are all good children. Now that spring has opened and it’s farming season again, His Majesty was saying just the other day…”
The Empress Dowager then chatted about agricultural and farming matters. Having worked the fields before, she understood these things well.
Princess Tana, Consort Yun, and Li Helan all listened, frequently adding a few words of agreement.
Qin Yining sat quietly with lowered head, trying to minimize her presence as much as possible.
After chatting for a while, the Empress Dowager looked meaningfully toward Qin Yining.
“What’s this? Is Princess Consort Zhongshun uninterested in the topics I’m discussing?”
Being singled out, Qin Yining felt helpless inside. She rose and bowed respectfully, “Responding to the Empress Dowager, this subject’s wife was concentrating on listening to the farming matters you spoke of, and it reminded me of what I saw in the countryside when young. What the Empress Dowager spoke of was full of warm life atmosphere, making this subject’s wife very yearning and nostalgic for childhood days.”
Qin Yining’s words resonated with everyone present. No matter who they were, whether of noble or humble birth, the most carefree time in life was probably childhood—the time they most wanted to return to but could never go back to.
Even the Empress Dowager couldn’t help being moved by Qin Yining’s sentiment.
But the Empress Dowager’s expression remained cold, “Oh. So these days in the palace have made the Princess Consort so dissatisfied that you wish you could return to childhood?”
Qin Yining’s heart tensed, feeling something was wrong.
Usually the Empress Dowager was very polite to her, sometimes even making her feel the Empress Dowager was deliberately courting her favor because of Pang Xiao’s relationship.
But today the Empress Dowager was deliberately finding fault with her!
Nervously on high alert and exercising utmost caution, Qin Yining replied respectfully, “The Empress Dowager misunderstands—this subject’s wife has no such thoughts.”
“You dare argue back?” The Empress Dowager set down her covered teacup with a “thunk,” the white porcelain lid making a tinkling collision sound.
“Empress Dowager, please calm your anger. This subject’s wife dares not.”
“Calm anger, calm anger—with you contradicting like this, how can I calm my anger!” The Empress Dowager’s face was fierce as she scolded, “I see you’re purely here to anger me to death!”
Li Helan had originally been somewhat startled by the Empress Dowager’s fury, but now finally understood, gleefully chiming in, “Still not apologizing to the Empress Dowager! If you anger my mother’s health, can you bear the responsibility!”
Qin Yining had no choice but to kneel, saying respectfully, “Empress Dowager, please calm your anger.”
Ji Yun and Bingtang also knelt and kowtowed.
Li Helan patted the Empress Dowager’s chest soothingly, “Mother, calm your anger. Don’t let this upset your health—arguing with this vixen isn’t worth it.”
Qin Yining lowered her eyes as if she hadn’t heard.
The Empress Dowager said coldly, “Your etiquette is so poor, yet you’re teaching Consort Shun proper conduct. No wonder after all this time, Consort Shun has only learned to that extent.”
Princess Tana, being named and scolded for poor etiquette, immediately turned red as cloth. Suppressing her anger, she didn’t defend herself but stood respectfully to receive the lecture.
Consort Yun glanced at the Empress Dowager and smiled, “Cousin aunt, please calm your anger. In this subject’s opinion, Princess Consort Zhongshun’s etiquette is actually good, her manners comprehensive. She even studied under Nanny Zhan in the Empress’s palace. It’s just that this subject is dull-witted, not as clever as she.”
“Is that so?” The Empress Dowager snorted lightly, “Then you’re saying she learned well herself but deliberately doesn’t want to teach Consort Shun properly?”
Consort Yun covered her mouth in apparent surprise, “How could that be? If she can’t teach Consort Shun successfully, she can’t leave the palace. If she can’t leave the palace, she must frequently move about in the inner palace. This…”
Consort Yun seemed to have discovered some tremendous secret, lowering her voice, “Could Princess Consort Zhongshun intentionally want to linger and scheme for something?”
This massive accusation could crush a person to death.
Being ordered to teach Consort Shun etiquette but not being devoted to it would be defying imperial orders.
Making excuses to stay in the palace—what could she be scheming for? This inner palace was all the Emperor’s inner residence.
She, an outer-court wife, a married woman, yet lingering in the Emperor’s inner palace unwilling to leave, even deliberately scheming to stay…
If such words spread for outsiders to know, how could she conduct herself!
“Please let Consort Yun speak carefully. This subject’s wife is carrying out orders and has no such thoughts as Consort Yun baselessly speculates.” Qin Yining raised her eyes, her cool gaze falling on Consort Yun.
Consort Yun, being stared at with such stern eyes, actually forgot the words that had reached her lips.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager secretly cursed Consort Yun as useless, saying coldly, “Since you say so, your etiquette is very good? You’ve also taught earnestly? That Consort Shun’s current etiquette and manners are inadequate—is that all because she’s too stupid?”
Princess Tana was so angry her face was red and her back teeth ground audibly, but her Dazhou speech became unreliable again at this moment. The more anxious she became, the less she could speak.
Qin Yining bowed, “Responding to the Empress Dowager, this subject’s wife dares not evaluate Consort Shun’s aptitude, but this subject’s wife has indeed taught earnestly. If the Empress Dowager feels this subject’s wife’s teaching is inadequate, why not ask Nanny Zhan to directly teach Consort Shun? This subject’s wife learned from Nanny Zhan after all. Now that Consort Shun’s Dazhou speech presents no obstacles in ordinary conversation, Nanny Zhan’s teaching would not be affected.”
Li Qitian having her accompany Consort Shun was originally Consort Shun’s whim, with Li Qitian going along with it. Since the Empress Dowager was dissatisfied with her now, she might as well retreat while ahead and use this opportunity to leave the palace.
Hearing Qin Yining say this, the Empress Dowager momentarily couldn’t find words to respond.
She ground her teeth, cursing silently: This cunning girl is indeed clever, actually seizing the opportunity to come up with such words.
Seeing the Empress Dowager had nothing to say, Li Helan immediately scolded, “Audacious! The Empress Dowager holds the highest position in the rear palace, yet you dare speak back to her!”
“This subject’s wife dares not.” Qin Yining lowered her head.
Consort Yun finally remembered the Empress Dowager’s secret instructions, smiling softly while concealing the excitement in her eyes.
“Cousin aunt, in this subject’s opinion, why not have Princess Consort Zhongshun perform? Whether her etiquette is good or not, we’ll know just by watching, won’t we?”
As soon as the sweet voice spoke, it made Li Helan burst into laughter.
Li Helan, wearing tortoiseshell nail guards, pointed at Consort Yun, in excellent spirits, “Rarely do you propose such a meaningful suggestion. Mother, your daughter thinks it’s excellent—let Princess Consort Zhongshun perform for all of us.”
The Empress Dowager kept a cold face, pretending to hesitate, then gave a long “Hmm” as agreement. Turning to look at Princess Tana, she said, “Consort Shun, why don’t you test her?”
These words from the Empress Dowager clearly gave Princess Tana the opportunity to humiliate Qin Yining.
Princess Tana’s own etiquette had been learned from Qin Yining and wasn’t even up to standard—how could she turn around to test someone else?
However, with the Empress Dowager’s command, Princess Tana could naturally act with righteous confidence.
Qin Yining saw through this point and simply stopped arguing, lest people seize upon more of her faults.
Though Princess Tana disliked being used as the Empress Dowager’s weapon, in a situation where she couldn’t refuse, she was still quite happy to give Qin Yining some color to see.
“Fine.” Princess Tana stood up, playing with the jeweled tassels hanging at her chest while lifting her chin, “When meeting the Empress Dowager, how should the grand ceremony be performed?”
Qin Yining rose as instructed, respectfully kneeling with bent knees, hands crossed left over right, raised horizontally to eye level, then bending forward with both hands flat on the ground and forehead touching the backs of her hands, “This subject’s wife pays respects to the Empress Dowager.”
“Wrong, do it again.”
Qin Yining then rose as instructed, performing the standard grand ceremony again, “This subject’s wife pays respects to the Empress Dowager.”
“Wrong, do it again.”
“This subject’s wife pays respects to the Empress Dowager…”
Kneeling, kowtowing, rising and kneeling again. This repeated sixty or seventy times, Qin Yining’s tooth-white long dress had long been stained with dirt, and with the thin spring clothing, her knees showed signs of wear.
The Empress Dowager held her tea, squinting as she watched Qin Yining perform the ceremony again and again.
Li Helan had long since covered her mouth laughing, “What is this? Teaching others like this, yet performing the ceremony seventy or eighty times without getting it right once.”
Consort Yun frowned, pretending hesitation, “Cousin aunt, shouldn’t we let her rest?”
“Rest? Does she have the face to rest?” Li Helan mocked.
Consort Yun said no more, well concealing the excitement in her eyes, simply enjoying watching Qin Yining kneel and bow repeatedly. She felt that half her revenge for being grabbed by the wrist and humiliated before the Empress had been satisfied.
Princess Tana made Qin Yining kneel another twenty or thirty times before turning to the Empress Dowager, “Responding to the Empress Dowager, why not have her perform the three kneelings and nine kowtows grand ceremony facing Qianqing Palace for you to observe?”
The Empress Dowager nodded, “Fine, you handle it.”
Princess Tana smiled, “Did you hear? Why aren’t you complying?”
Qin Yining’s knees were already numb from kneeling, but she still rose as instructed, turned toward Qianqing Palace and earnestly performed the ceremony, calling out “Long live” with her voice.
Ji Yun and Bingtang knelt behind the chairs by the window, their eyes already red with anxiety, but they couldn’t shed tears. Crying in the palace without reason was a great taboo. They couldn’t plead for Qin Yining either—their status was too humble, and it wasn’t their place to speak here…
They had known the Empress Dowager harbored ill intentions today, but never imagined she would think up such methods to torment people.
But Qin Yining’s heart was calm. This kind of difficulty was only physical. If the Empress Dowager had only prepared this level of hardship, she should be grateful.
Qin Yining performed the ceremony earnestly, her skirt soiled, knees numb, hair disheveled and hairpins askew, looking very bedraggled. Li Helan was in excellent spirits watching this, unable to help clapping and laughing heartily.
Seeing Li Helan laugh like that, the Empress Dowager also began laughing, even putting on a false show of scolding, “Look at you, so uncouth. Princess Consort Zhongshun is just demonstrating ceremony—it’s not monkey tricks. Must you laugh like this?”
Hearing the words “monkey tricks,” Li Helan laughed even more joyfully.