Chapter 51: The Emperor’s Favor

Chapter 51: The Emperor's Favor

When the Gardenias were in full bloom.

They were picked and kept in a vase with clean water, but the petals would naturally wilt within two days.

Zhu Meiren believed that once her request about Di Siyuan reached Qian Yuan Hall and with someone guarding the Siyuan Bureau, the Emperor, being prideful, wouldn't replace the withered flowers with fresh ones from the Siyuan Bureau, even if they wilted.

Her intention was to thwart those from the Imperial presence.

Unexpectedly, someone else in the harem sought gardenias from the Siyuan Bureau.

“Wasn't it said that the fragrance of gardenias is overpowering and disliked by everyone, and that no palace had planted them?” Zhu Meiren was puzzled upon hearing the report from Ping An the next day, looking questioningly at Qu Gu, who had previously told her this.

Her aim was to trouble the Emperor, not to inconvenience the ladies of the harem.

Qu Gu hurriedly explained, “My Lady, because the Emperor dislikes them, no palace has planted gardenias, and none of the concubines favor this flower. Especially during blooming season, no one displays them in their chambers.”

Zhu Meiren only needed to hear the first part to understand.

She realized her own foolishness.

What the Emperor likes, the court follows.

She had overlooked such a simple principle.

“Who asked for them?” Zhu Meiren inquired.

“Shen Cairen from Minghua Palace,”

Ping An, standing in the center of the hall, replied, “Di Siyuan refused, saying you had ordered that for three days no one in the palace could have gardenia branches. Shen Cairen initially left, but then suddenly came to our palace gate, asking to see you.”

“Did she mention why she wanted the gardenias?”

“She said she needed some flowers to garnish dishes.”

Hearing this, Zhu Meiren nodded. Shen Cairen was one of the few in the palace favored not for her beauty but for her culinary skills, excelling in cooking and especially in soup-making. For this reason, the Emperor had set up a small kitchen for her in Minghua Palace, “We have some in our palace as well. Lead her to pick some branches to take back.”

“Will you see her, My Lady?” Ping An asked.

“No need to see her. Treat her well,” Zhu Meiren replied, recalling that Shen Cairen had been frequently complaining to Empress Dowager Liu and was known for her somewhat clingy nature.

That didn't sound like her at all.

Besides, Zhu Meiren worried that Shen Cairen might cry in front of her, and she lacked Empress Liu's patience.

Later that afternoon.

Zhu Meiren woke from her nap and played a word puzzle game with her son, Ah Ji, in Ruyi Pavilion.

As the weather grew hotter, she shifted Ah Ji's learning time at Renben Ge from an hour and a half in the afternoon to the morning, from 9 am to 12 pm, totaling three hours.

"Mother, I found it, this one." Zhang Ji held up a wooden block carved with the character '場', approaching Zhu Meiren.

Zhu Meiren took the block, placing it on a small table beside her where seven other blocks were already arranged. This one completed the phrase: "The phoenix cries in the bamboo, a white steed grazes in the field."

This was a sentence Ah Ji learned today at Renben Ge from the Thousand Character Classic.

Since the Emperor had Ah Ji learn characters at Renben Ge, Zhu Meiren had the Imperial Workshop carve a set of blocks for the Thousand Character Classic, each inscribed with a character and painted in various colors, some even adorned with images.

For instance, the block with '凤' (phoenix) had a colorful phoenix painted on the back.

Ah Ji spent half the day at Renben Ge.

For the other half, Zhu Meiren would have him find the characters learned that day, then mix up the thousand blocks and have him reassemble the previously learned characters in order, as a way of reinforcing his learning.

The blocks were well-crafted, colorful, and patterned, making them increasingly engaging for Ah Ji.

He enjoyed playing with them several times a day without getting bored.

Zhu Meiren put down the block and kissed her son's fair cheek, "Ah Ji is brilliant, getting faster every day."

"Teacher Li and my third brother said the same."

Zhang Ji proudly hugged his mother's neck, but his pride lasted only a moment before he spotted Autumn Hong bringing in two small plates of chilled watermelon, pleading, "Mother, I want to eat more watermelon."

"No," Zhu Meiren firmly refused, "Chilled watermelon is cool; you're still young and eating too much might upset your stomach like last time."

Chilled watermelon is a refreshing treat during the hot summer days.

Children crave the coolness but lack self-restraint.

Once, unwatched for a moment, Ah Ji consumed an entire half of a watermelon placed on the table, eating piece after piece until his belly was round and full. This resulted in a stomach upset, nearly frightening Zhu Meiren.

Since then, she instructed the palace staff to cut the watermelon into small pieces and serve them in little dishes, controlling the portion size.

Autumn Hong placed two small plates of watermelon on the low table and then reported, “My lady, Ping An asked me to inform you that Lady Chu of Qingyang Palace is here to see you.”

“What does she want?” Zhu Meiren asked, then immediately felt the question was superfluous.

“Is she the one who has a cat?” Ah Ji, who had just picked up a piece of watermelon with a spoon, suddenly looked up and asked Autumn Hong.

Remembering, Autumn Hong nodded with a smile, “Indeed, Your Highness, she is the one with the Persian cat.”

“Focus on your melon.”

Zhu Meiren patted her son's head and stood up, “Continue with your puzzle blocks after eating, I’ll be right back.” She instructed Fumu to take good care of him and took away the other plate of watermelon, eliciting a disappointed protest from Ah Ji.

She stepped out of the pavilion, walking onto the winding corridor.

Zhu Meiren leaned against the railing, with Bimo Pavilion behind her and the central courtyard in front of the main hall opposite her. The intense afternoon sun wilted the banana plants in front of the hall, their leaves and flowers drooping listlessly.

She handed the plate of watermelon to Autumn Hong, “I don’t feel like eating this now.”

Autumn Hong quickly took the plate, continuing her report, “Lady Chu also went to the Garden Office for Gardenia flowers and came here after failing to get any.”

Zhu Yan furrowed her brows, "It's odd. Usually, no one likes these flowers, but suddenly they’re in demand. In less than a day, everyone is asking for them, changing their preferences to Gardenias."

"It's probably because Qu Gu took a vase of Gardenias to Qian Yuan Hall the day before yesterday, stirring up interest," Autumn Hong shared Qu Gu's guess.

This point was quite accurate.

Zhu Yan also agreed with this statement.

After all, in this palace, unless the Emperor and Empress Liu personally intervened to keep things under wraps, there were few secrets.

Besides, such coincidences were rare in the world.

Zhu Yan knew that because of the Emperor, even when there was no activity at her place, it still attracted much attention, let alone when there was.

Qiuhong continued, "At the palace gate, she complained that Your Majesty is overbearing, saying that even the Empress hadn’t spoken, yet why should Your Majesty prevent the Siyuan Bureau from giving her Gardenia flowers. She also said Your Majesty looked down on her, meeting Shen Cairen but not her."

Qiuhong, not forgetting to report in a low voice, added, "Your Majesty, you might not know, but this Chu Cairen is truly overbearing. Relying on her sister Consort Li, she bullies other consorts in Qingyang Palace. Those in other palaces of lower rank or less favor have often suffered under her..."

"Enough, let's not talk about baseless rumors," Zhu Yan glanced at Qiuhong, stopping her from continuing to gossip.

The harem was always rife with intrigues and disputes.

Being new to the palace, Chu Cairen’s reputation had already spread in this manner. It was likely just a case of her having a strong personality and a sharp tongue. If she had truly bullied anyone, Empress Liu would have been the first to intervene.

"Tell Ping'an to do as with Shen Cairen this morning; let her pick some Gardenia flowers in the palace and send her away," Zhu Yan instructed.

"What if she refuses?"

Qiuhong was somewhat worried. It was her first time seeing someone so bold as to make a scene at the entrance of Fuhua Palace. "Your Majesty, why not just have the guards at the palace gate drive her away?"

Zhu Yan shook her head, pondering for a moment, "If she doesn't leave, have Ping'an tell her directly that it's my order. Tell her to wait for two days, and after that, she can take as many flowers as she wants. Ask her if my, Zhu Yan’s, face is worth waiting two days for her, Lady Chu?"

"Alright, I'll go right away." Qiuhong quickly agreed and hurried off, as Ping'an had been wanting to dismiss the visitor for a while.

——

Inside the Yangxin Hall of Qianyuan Palace.

As dusk fell, Xing En watched the Emperor carry a vase of Gardenia flowers from the Qinzhen Hall to the Yangxin Hall. Over the past few days, the Emperor seemed delighted with these flowers, either holding them or placing them on the desk in front of him, hardly letting them out of his sight. He personally tended to the trimming and watering, not delegating it to any palace staff.

Chang Fang, a gardener specializing in Gardenias from the Department of Gardens, was summoned to Qianyuan Palace to care for these flowers, offering advice but only from the sidelines.

However, starting from this morning, the blooming Gardenias seemed less vibrant than yesterday, lacking their usual lustrous sheen. The Emperor spent the morning changing the water, pruning, and watering them, only to find them wilting even faster, and dared not tamper with them further.

Xing En, observing all this, recalled the order Zhu Yan had issued to the Department of Gardens yesterday and had an ominous premonition that these flowers would not last more than three days before wilting completely.

He was genuinely concerned that Zhu Yan was planning something.

He remembered that the Emperor hadn't seen anyone yesterday due to the slap mark on his face.

It was only today that the mark had faded.

"Your Majesty, how about I send someone to the eastern market tomorrow to buy some freshly picked Gardenia flowers?" Xing En proposed, "We can’t pick them in the palace, but we can outside. Replacing them tomorrow means they won’t wilt by the time Her Majesty visits the day after."

"If you buy them, they won’t be the ones Ayan sent."

The Emperor, without lifting his head, flatly refused and placed the flower vase on the windowsill, instructing, “Leave it here tonight to catch the dew. No need to close the window.”

"Yes," Xing En could only comply, then proceeded to inform the Emperor about the day's events in Fuhua Palace.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face immediately darkened, "Chu Cairen's excessive gossiping and lack of quiet virtue call for reprimand. Please have the Empress send someone to scold her and also inform Consort Li to better manage her sister."

"Additionally, summon Shen Cairen to serve in the chambers tonight."

Author's note: