Hua Chun sneered, rolled over on the bed, and went back to sleep.
“Your Highness!” Before long, Rui’er came rushing in urgently: “Something’s happened to the cat!”
Huh? Hua Chun blinked her eyes open groggily: “What happened?”
“A miscarriage, quite a bit of blood came out,” Rui’er said, lowering her voice. “No one touched it, it’s been given good food and drink, only just now it drank the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine again.”
A chill ran down her back. Hua Chun pressed her lips together: “Bring in the physician’s attendant who brewed the medicine.”
“Yes.” Rui’er answered, lifted her skirts, and ran out, soon returning with the person.
“This servant pays respects to Your Highness.”
“No need for formalities.” Hua Chun smiled at her: “You brewed today’s medicine?”
The attendant hesitated timidly for a moment before answering quietly: “Yes. It happened that Attendant Tang was feeling unwell today, so the ingredients and prescription were handed over to this servant.”
“Was there anything different about the prescription from usual?”
“No.” The attendant quickly took out the prescription and handed it to Qing Niao: “Your Highness may examine it.”
What use would it be to show her? She wouldn’t recognize it anyway. Hua Chun waved her hand, signaling Qing Niao to put it away, to be shown to the physician later.
“Nothing wrong here. The medicine is brewed well, keep up the good work.”
The attendant: “……” Having been scared half to death fearing something was wrong with the medicine, only to find nothing was the matter at all?
Heart pounding with fright, the attendant took her leave, breathing a huge sigh of relief before hurrying back to the medicine room.
“This palace really is fraught with danger everywhere.” Watching the door close, Hua Chun sighed quietly: “Take the prescription to Physician Feng for review.”
“Yes.” Rui’er answered and took the prescription out. Qing Niao sighed as she watched her go: “Seems like having a bit of caution in this palace really isn’t a bad thing.”
Hua Chun nodded — her skill at dodging trouble was quite something. If it had been someone else, even if they’d managed to avoid the assassin at Huiming Palace, they wouldn’t have escaped Madam Tang’s pregnancy medicine.
But then, was she in such a hurry to court death? Daring to tamper with the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine?
“Your Highness.” Half an hour later, Rui’er returned, holding the prescription with furrowed brows: “Physician Feng says there’s nothing wrong with this prescription at all, it wouldn’t cause a miscarriage either.”
“Huh?” Hua Chun was surprised: “Did he look carefully?”
“Yes, this servant even specially brought along the medicine dregs. The physician said the dregs matched the prescription exactly, all perfectly standard.”
This was practically unbelievable. Hua Chun frowned — the cat drank the medicine and miscarried, yet the prescription itself was found to have no problem at all? If she drank it and miscarried too, would that also fail to be pinned on Madam Tang?
Truly frightening — the depths of Chinese medicine were profound indeed, and if even the physician found nothing wrong, that could only mean Madam Tang was a true expert.
Shaking her head, Hua Chun asked Qing Niao: “Is the harem’s real power currently in our hands?”
“Yes.” Qing Niao nodded.
“Can we also decide the ranks of the consorts?”
“Well…” Qing Niao said, “that would need His Majesty’s approval. Is Your Highness thinking of demoting Madam Tang?”
Hua Chun shook her head, saying: “Go tell His Majesty that Madam Tang has been taking very good care of this palace, and that she is gentle and virtuous, fitting to become an Esteemed Consort. Ask if her rank might be raised. Also, the Consort rank is vacant — this palace wants to select someone from among the Esteemed Consorts to fill it.”
Huh? Qing Niao couldn’t understand: “Madam Tang was scheming to harm your child, and you still want to get her a promotion?”
“It’s fine, just do as I say,” Hua Chun said. “I won’t shortchange myself in the end anyway.”
After hesitating a moment, Qing Niao still went.
The sovereign hadn’t been to Yangxin Hall in two days, sitting in Zichen Hall with a rather poor expression. Qing Niao went in to pay respects and relayed Hua Chun’s wishes. The sovereign, without even thinking, said: “Do as she says, no need to come report to me specifically.”
They no longer even needed the Emperor’s approval? Qing Niao clicked her tongue — that was a lot of power to grant. Wasn’t the Emperor afraid her mistress would demote everyone in the harem?
Though, of course, Hua Chun wouldn’t do something that foolish — but she had thought the Emperor was still angry at her mistress. It didn’t seem to be the case, apparently.
Nodding, Qing Niao withdrew. The sovereign stared blankly at the memorials on his desk for a while, then resumed revising them.
“Your Majesty, why don’t you rest a moment?” Eunuch Qin said. “At least have some tea.”
Working through memorials day and night like this, what was even the point?
“I’m not thirsty,” the sovereign said. “When it’s time, have someone go pay respects to Mother Empress on my behalf.”
“Yes.”
Even the Empress Dowager had heard about the Emperor’s exhausting workload, and she merely frowned: “We refuse to believe he can’t function as Emperor without Consort De. If that were truly the case, then the throne might as well go to someone else!”
“Empress Dowager!” Yuejian let out a low exclamation, glancing sideways at Consort Xu.
The Empress Dowager pressed her lips together, saying quietly: “We spoke out of anger, no one need take it to heart.”
The Emperor’s diligence had reached the Empress Dowager’s ears too, yet she only frowned: “We don’t believe he’d be unable to function as Emperor without Consort De. If that’s truly so, then the throne might as well go to someone else!”
Consort Xu forced a smile, though inwardly she felt uneasy. The Empress Dowager’s angry words had gone somewhat too far — how could the throne be casually changed hands? And the “someone else” she mentioned was most likely Prince Xi.
Earlier it had seemed the Empress Dowager was treating the Emperor better, showing less favoritism, but with this fit of anger, had things reverted right back to how they used to be?
A person’s deep-seated favoritism, it seemed, could never truly be reversed.
Consort Xu lowered her eyes as she attended to the medicine, and the Empress Dowager drank it without another word, her gaze distant and fixed on some point, as if lost in thought.
Madam Tang sat properly in her chambers, awaiting news from Yangxin Hall. She never expected that, after all the waiting, the news wouldn’t be of Consort De’s miscarriage, but rather: “Your Highness, Consort De has petitioned an imperial decree on your behalf, elevating you to Esteemed Consort!”
“What?” Madam Tang froze, taking a long moment to recover: “Elevating me… to Esteemed Consort?”
“Yes, not only that, Consort De also said she would select one person among the Esteemed Consorts to be promoted to Consort. His Majesty has already agreed.”
Utterly stunned, Madam Tang quickly changed her clothes and headed to Yangxin Hall.
“This concubine pays respects to Your Highness!”
Looking at the person kneeling below, Hua Chun smiled faintly: “Rise. This palace was just about to have someone reward you.”
Madam Tang looked up at her blankly: “What has this concubine done to deserve such honor…”
“You’ve brewed my medicine for so long, keeping my pregnancy stable and secure — that’s certainly a contribution. Besides the rank, this palace will also reward you with some jewelry, have the maids beside you bring it back together later.”
“……This concubine thanks Your Highness for the grace.”
Madam Tang couldn’t make sense of it. The medicine pot she’d used to brew the medicine had been boiled with licorice root — excessive licorice was toxic and would cause a pregnant woman to miscarry. She’d been drinking that medicine for so long, she should have miscarried by now — why was everything fine, and why was she even being rewarded for it?
Had she not actually drunk the medicine? Impossible, then how had the pregnancy been stabilized? The physicians had all said the medicine was necessary, and for the sake of the child, Consort De surely wouldn’t have skipped it. So where exactly had things gone wrong?
Her eyes darting around, Madam Tang said quietly: “To receive such deep favor from Your Highness is truly this concubine’s fortune. Should this concubine continue brewing the medicine?”
“No need. Now that the pregnancy is stable, this palace no longer wishes to drink the medicine.” Hua Chun looked at her with a smile: “You’re someone who is genuinely good to this palace, so come help this palace with some matters. From now on, whenever the harem distributes goods, you’ll help deliver them, how does that sound?”
Such trust indeed — Madam Tang quickly knelt: “This concubine thanks Your Highness for the grace.”
“No need for formalities.” Hua Chun raised her hand, letting her sit, then chatted idly with her for half an hour.
Once the news spread, Consort Xu was displeased, leaning against the doorway and scoffing coldly: “No wonder she kept refusing me so much — turns out she was already eyeing bigger branches to climb. Just look how well she’s served her new mistress, getting promoted straight from Attendant to Esteemed Consort, treated far better than Consort Shu ever treated her.”
A maid beside her said quietly: “Attendant Tang went to the Cold Palace just a couple days ago to declare her loyalty, saying she’d find a way to save Consort Shu, and now she turns right around to find a new mistress. Poor Consort Shu is still kept in the dark about it.”
Earlier, Madam Tang hadn’t been implicated along with Consort Shu precisely because Consort Shu had kept her on the outside, hoping she’d find a way to help — and this was how it turned out, keeping a white-eyed wolf all along.
“Also quite pitiable.” Consort Xu said. “She’s stuck in there knowing nothing at all — let’s be good people and let her see clearly what kind of person this Madam Tang really is.”
“Yes.” the maid nodded in agreement. Consort Xu then found time during the Empress Dowager’s afternoon rest to make a trip to the Cold Palace.
Madam Tang was still immersed in joy, with little guard up, and the mere thought that with a bit more effort she could rise to the rank of Consort filled her entirely with happiness.
“Your Highness.” a maid beside her said quietly. “Even this servant thinks following Consort De seems quite reliable. If she favors you a little more, becoming a Consort really wouldn’t be difficult at all.”
Madam Tang paused, her expression somewhat complicated: “If she truly favored this concubine, that would indeed be good — this concubine only fears being given a bit of sweetness while a hammer is kept hidden behind.”
“How could that be.” the maid said. “You’ve done well stabilizing her pregnancy.”
Brow slightly furrowed, Madam Tang fell silent. As for stabilizing Consort De’s pregnancy — whether it was merit or fault, even she herself was confused. Could it be that, by some strange coincidence, Consort De’s own constitution happened to resist the effects of the licorice?
Unlikely, probably…
She couldn’t figure out what Consort De was really thinking, but regardless, if she wanted the rank of Consort, she couldn’t afford to be at odds with Consort De any longer. Her real competitor should be Consort Xu.
“Your Highness!” A eunuch ran in from outside, saying urgently: “Consort Xu has gone to the Cold Palace.”
Standing up at once, Tang Guning asked urgently: “The Cold Palace where Consort Shu is kept?”
“Yes.”
“Then hurry!” Grabbing a cloak and wrapping it around herself, Madam Tang immediately rushed out.
Whatever Consort Xu intended to tell Consort Shu, she could already guess. If Consort Shu truly believed it, she’d be in serious trouble.
Hua Chun sipped her sweet snack, quietly listening to Rui’er report on the goings-on outside.
“Both of them went to the Cold Palace?”
“Yes,” Rui’er nodded. “Each one racing faster than the other.”
“Seems like Consort Shu holds quite the handle over Madam Tang?” Hua Chun clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Someone who dares to be so arrogant while another holds leverage over her — that’s quite something.”
Qing Niao said: “Madam Tang comes across as impeccably composed, very deep and calculating, mistress shouldn’t underestimate her.”
“I know,” Hua Chun shrugged. “Let’s just let Consort Xu have a go at her for now, and watch how she handles herself in battle.”
When it came to stirring up conflict, this bunch of women were still too green to play against her. Back when Hua Chun was small, she could honestly be called the little princess of provoking fights in the courtyard — when two kids ganged up on her, she could turn them against each other and set them fighting amongst themselves. Madam Tang and Consort Xu were practically delivering themselves to her doorstep.