The three palace maids from Luhua Palace were all stunned upon hearing this command. They hesitated and looked toward Consort Shen. But Shen Guiyan directly obeyed the command and walked forward.
“This is what you call clever?” Empress Dowager Nian looked at Hanlu. “This dowager’s commands—they have to listen for ages and look at you several times. Palace servants like this, if they stay in the Northern Palace, are they here to vex me or what?”
Hanlu glared angrily at those palace maids, then looked at Empress Dowager Nian. “This… palace servants always need to become familiar with their master before they can serve well.”
“Then since Yan’er is already familiar here, why exchange her for strangers?” Empress Dowager Nian snorted. “Just say it directly—you can’t stand this old woman having a pretty palace maid in her palace. You’re afraid she’ll seduce the Emperor, so you want to snatch her away and strike first?”
“This subject-consort wouldn’t dare!” Hanlu bit her teeth and knelt down again. This old woman’s tongue was far too sharp—she simply couldn’t argue with her.
“Good that you don’t dare. Put your effort into the Emperor properly and don’t meddle with other things.” Empress Dowager Nian took a red coral hairpin from the vanity and casually handed it to Hanlu. “This is a reward for you—a treasure bestowed by the late Emperor. You may take your leave now.”
A treasure? Originally full of anger, Hanlu hadn’t expected Empress Dowager Nian to suddenly offer a sweet reward. She hurriedly received it with thanks and glanced at the hairpin twice—its color was brilliant, clearly very precious.
“Then this subject-consort will take her leave.”
Empress Dowager Nian waved her hand.
By the looks of it, her hope of digging Shen Guiyan out to her own side was lost. However, the Northern Palace Empress Dowager had an eccentric temperament, and the Eastern Palace Empress Dowager didn’t like Shen Guiyan either—her days would be very difficult, so there was no need to worry at all.
What she needed to worry about now was that Gu Chaobei wouldn’t see her at all. Even if she wanted to use her old trick of borrowing a womb to compete for favor, she first needed the Emperor to spend one night in her palace. Otherwise, without a record from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, how could she become pregnant?
Hanlu clutched her handkerchief all the way back to her palace, and just happened to encounter Jiang Shi on the road.
“Consort Shen.” Jiang Shi was only a Noble Lady, so upon seeing Hanlu she had to perform full ceremony.
Hanlu looked at her from the corner of her eye for a long while. This Jiang Shi was born from a concubine in the north courtyard, merely the daughter of the steward. She wasn’t particularly noble—so why did the Emperor prefer to run to her quarters?
“Rise.”
“Thank you, Your Ladyship.” Jiang Shi straightened her body. “This consort still needs to go to the Imperial Study to deliver soup to His Majesty, so I won’t delay Your Ladyship’s time.”
Hanlu looked up to see that the palace servant behind Jiang Shi was indeed holding a soup container.
Her eyes lit up. Hanlu waved her hand to let her go, already forming a plan in her heart.
How else could one seduce a man? If you have a chest, show the chest; if not, show the thighs. If someone finds you repulsive, just use an aphrodisiac directly—how simple!
She immediately lifted her skirts and returned to her palace, ordering palace servants to go to the Imperial Medical Academy to inquire about stimulating medicines with substantial payment. Hanlu was extremely excited. Just once—even if Gu Chaobei didn’t touch her, as long as he stayed in her palace for more than one shichen, she would have the means to produce an imperial heir for him.
Shen Guiyan continued wiping the items in Empress Dowager Nian’s bedchamber, but her eyelids began to droop heavily. Several times they almost closed completely.
“You’d better be careful!” Empress Dowager Nian’s angry shout scared her so badly she nearly threw the glazed vase in her hands.
Still shaken, she turned her head to see Empress Dowager Nian’s fierce face. “I already told you these are imperially bestowed items—how can you wipe them with your eyes closed? Don’t think that because this dowager kept you today, you’re completely safe. There are traps everywhere in this palace—is this really the time for you to be dozing off?”
“This slave knows her error.” Shen Guiyan turned to bow, but couldn’t help yawning again.
There was nothing she could do—she was truly too sleepy. She didn’t know what was wrong. She had slept quite well last night, but upon waking her whole body felt weak and she wanted to sleep more.
Empress Dowager Nian glanced at her and beckoned. “Come here.”
Shen Guiyan was startled, then walked to the Empress Dowager holding her cloth.
“Come up.” Empress Dowager Nian pointed at the heated bed platform where she was lying.
“This…” Shen Guiyan was shocked. “This slave…”
“If you dare waste one more word with this dowager, go back out to the courtyard and continue kneeling!” Empress Dowager Nian glared at her. “Tell me, aren’t you exhausted? People are being good to you, yet you still recite the rules. Are you an empress or an empress dowager? Why be so proper and well-mannered? Wouldn’t it be fine to just accept kindness when offered?”
After this scolding, Shen Guiyan carefully wiped away the spittle that the Empress Dowager had sprayed on her face, then climbed onto the heated platform with her mouth closed.
Palace maids’ clothing was thin, and her body was ice-cold. Suddenly entering the warm soft bed platform and being wrapped in a blanket, she actually shivered.
Empress Dowager Nian was truly a good person, Shen Guiyan couldn’t help thinking. Could her guess be true? Was Gu Chaobei actually not the son of some palace maid, but rather related to this Empress Dowager?
Glancing at her sideways, Empress Dowager Nian said, “Don’t think well of me. Whether I’m good or bad to you, it all has a purpose. If you were useless, this dowager wouldn’t let you onto this heated platform.”
Shen Guiyan was startled and looked at the Empress Dowager uncomprehendingly.
“They all say you’re clever, but truly clever people don’t show it externally. How did you get targeted by the Eastern Palace Empress Dowager?” Empress Dowager Nian asked.
Shen Guiyan pressed her lips together and lowered her eyes, explaining the whole matter of Sixi’s family from beginning to end.
“Tsk, fool.” Empress Dowager Nian laughed coldly and shook her head. “Just manage yourself well. The life and death of everyone in the world has nothing to do with you. Now this dowager has a path to point out for you to walk. Will you walk it or not?”
“What path?” Shen Guiyan looked at her curiously.
Empress Dowager Nian rolled her eyes dramatically. “You’re the Emperor’s legitimate wife—surely you don’t plan to be a palace maid in this Northern Palace for life? Tonight the Emperor will come to pay respects. You do as I tell you. Understand?”
This meant she would support her rise? Shen Guiyan was stunned for quite a while, then knelt upright on the heated platform. “This slave understands.”
Whether she understood or not, she had to understand—as long as there was a chance to return to Gu Chaobei’s side. Empress Dowager Nian seemed willing to help her, so why would she let this opportunity pass?
Seeing her like this, Empress Dowager Nian laughed and said, “Do you know whose realm this is now?”
Shen Guiyan pressed her lips together. “The phoenix presses down above the dragon.”
It was still Empress Dowager Wen’s realm.
Empress Dowager Nian nodded. “Then Empress Dowager Wen detests you. Do you think you have a path to survival in this palace?”
“No.” Shen Guiyan shook her head. “This slave knew early on that offending Empress Dowager Wen meant entering the palace would mean never rising again.”
“Ordinary people who rise must please the Emperor and please the Empress Dowager. But you cannot.” Empress Dowager Nian fingered the prayer beads in her hand. “You can only displease His Majesty and displease the Empress Dowager in order to walk forward step by step in this palace. Understand?”
Shen Guiyan understood immediately—she grasped it at once. Since Empress Dowager Wen detested her, then His Majesty could only detest her too, and the more he detested her, the safer she would be.
But if he already detested her so much, then how could she rise in position?
“It will be much easier now that you understand. This dowager will give you a recipe. When the Emperor comes to pay respects, you make the pastries from the recipe and bring them up.”
“Yes.” Shen Guiyan nodded.
Pleasing people was very difficult, but displeasing them was far too simple. But… she could see Gu Chaobei tonight. It had been nearly half a month since she’d seen him.
She wondered what he looked like wearing dragon robes and a crown.
Shen Guiyan rose to descend from the heated platform, but her head suddenly spun dizzily and she nearly fell directly down. Empress Dowager Nian caught her with one hand and frowned. “Better have an imperial physician examine you. Don’t collapse before accomplishing anything.”
“Thank you, Empress Dowager.” Shen Guiyan leaned back against the heated platform. Empress Dowager Nian had already sent Qiujin to summon an imperial physician.
The physician who came was the most reliable Director Guo from the Imperial Medical Academy. Thinking the Empress Dowager was unwell, he rushed over urgently, only to discover it was a palace maid nestled on the heated platform.
And she had already fallen asleep.
“Examine her.” Empress Dowager Nian said softly.
Director Guo was somewhat surprised, but still set down his medicine chest and began taking her pulse.
Hanlu carried nourishing soup and went to the Imperial Study with a smile. Who knew that just as she stepped inside, she would see some official lady from who-knows-where clinging to the Emperor, full of coquettish charm, her voice so saccharine it made one’s bones go soft. “Your Majesty, let this slave feed you.”
Several medicine bowls were already arranged on the desk, along with several pastry plates. Who knew Gu Chaobei had such an appetite?
Hanlu was so angry her eyes turned red. She stood at the doorway and shouted loudly, “Where did this woman come from? Have you no sense of propriety?”
Her shout startled Gu Chaobei into choking. He pushed the official lady away forcefully and coughed violently.
“Your Majesty!” Hanlu hurried over, wanting to reach out and pat his back, but who knew Gu Chaobei would dodge sideways while coughing and run outside, leaning over the doorway on the verge of vomiting.
Hanlu was frightened, afraid she’d committed an offense against her superior. She quickly followed. “This subject-consort didn’t mean to…”
“Enough, don’t come over.” Gu Chaobei waved his hand. “All these soups and waters—I won’t drink any more. Take them all away!”
“Yes.” The head eunuch outside heard and directly waved his hand for people to enter and remove everything on the desk, including what was in Consort Shen’s palace maid’s hands.
“This…” Hanlu was shocked. “This nourishing medicine was personally prepared by this subject-consort…”
“You all say you personally made it, and you’ve all made me sick to my stomach. What more is there to say?” Gu Chaobei said irritably. “Take it away, take it all away. I’m going to the Northern Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.”
Her timing was simply terrible. The nourishing soup she’d carefully prepared was removed just like that, and she had no good defense. Should she say His Majesty was deliberately targeting her? Indeed, so many people had already brought things, and indeed she had made His Majesty sick. Saying he was going to Empress Dowager Wen’s place wouldn’t give her any ground to stand on either.
Forget it—this time was a coincidence. She still had other opportunities.
But the Emperor was going to the Northern Palace to pay respects now? Hanlu’s heart tightened. Shen Guiyan was still at the Northern Palace. If these two met and sparks flew, reviving Shen Guiyan completely, what would she do?
“Your Majesty, this subject-consort’s stomach hurts.” Hanlu grabbed Gu Chaobei’s hand and said pitifully.
Gu Chaobei rinsed his mouth and glanced at her. “My beloved consort has eaten too much and is stuffed. I also hurt just now—vomiting made it better. Do you want me to have palace maids come help you induce vomiting?”
Hanlu’s face stiffened. She quickly shook her head. “No need… This subject-consort just hasn’t seen Your Majesty for so long and misses you terribly, which is why my stomach hurts. If Your Majesty would accompany this subject-consort, it won’t hurt anymore.”