Chapter 0034: Changing Tactics

Chapter 0034: Changing Tactics

On that day, Yun Li wore a bright red dress, smiling warmly at the Qi family, at her and Qi Tongkang. Her manners were impeccable, devoid of the anger and struggle of the previous days.

Before leaving, she hugged herself and said to herself...

She said, 'Mother, a daughter sent into the palace is no longer your daughter'...

"Do you hate us that much?" Lin asked, crying.

"It seems, Mother, you don't understand. My words meant that once a woman enters the harem, she no longer belongs to her natal family. This applies to me, and to my elder sister. She needs the Qi family's support, so she has to act in concert with them, but I don't. I said I didn’t want to enter the palace, I had a choice, but you all wanted me here. If nurturing me for over a decade was for this, then here I am."

"But Mother, you know me. How could I possibly be controlled by you for a lifetime? Once in the palace, I no longer need the Qi family and won’t work on its behalf. I will vie for favor for myself," Yun Li said calmly.

She never withdrew her hand, but Lin gradually found herself unable to hold on.

Never before had she so acutely felt that her daughter had emotionally drifted away from her.

Even during the initial uproar when Yun Li was unwilling, Lin hadn’t felt such a complete emotional disconnect.

But today, she realized that these hands of hers... could no longer hold on...

As Lin let go, Yun Li grasped her hand, "Mother, this path was chosen by you. Blood ties cannot be severed, so if I rise to prominence, you will share in it. But if I fall from grace, am demoted, sent to the cold palace, or sentenced to death, then, unfortunately, I can only be unfilial, dragging down my parents."

Lin’s face turned pale, "You..."

"Mother, don’t worry, don’t upset yourself," Yun Li said with a smile.

"We’ve said enough. We're in the Noble Consort’s palace; it’s not appropriate to keep talking alone like this," Yun Li said, her smile bright as she rose.

Lin’s mind was in turmoil, unsure of what to say, and just followed her up.

The Noble Consort was surprised they finished talking so quickly.

Nevertheless, she ordered an early lunch, though it was still quite early for that.

Yun Li wasn’t in a hurry to leave; having come, she joined the meal as well.

The Noble Consort kept things serene, dismissing most attendants and only keeping a few close ones to serve.

They talked about past events, which kept the atmosphere at the table lively.

Yun Li was particularly cooperative, though she hadn't been involved in most of the events the Noble Consort spoke of.

When Jiang and Lin were about to leave the palace, Yun Li suddenly asked, "I wonder how my grandmother has been doing recently?"

Jiang hurriedly replied, "The old lady is doing well."

"Is that so? That's good to hear. My elder sister and grandmother are not related by blood, but it’s different for me. I hope my great-aunt will forgive me for asking," Yun Li said with a smile.

"What are you talking about? Your elder sister also cares for the old lady. She has always included her in the things sent back from the palace," Jiang said with a laugh.

The Noble Consort understood that Yun Li was doing this deliberately.

She didn't respond but glanced at Lin.

Lin lowered her head, pretending not to notice.

After seeing Jiang and Lin off, Yun Li left with just a bow.

The Noble Consort didn’t stop her, probably thinking she needed time to digest the conversation. In reality, Lin, who had prepared so much to say at home, ended up not being able to speak a word due to Yun Li’s verbal onslaught.

On the way back, she was so lost in thought in the carriage that she seemed oblivious to her surroundings.

At this point, Yun Li was indifferent. Initially, she had been unwilling to enter the palace, but her parents had strongly recommended her. Even when she resisted, the imperial edict had already been issued.

It was too late for anything to be said.

The time for heartache had already passed.

The love and care from her parents for over a decade were genuine, but even so, they had done everything they could. To control her life was beyond their capability.

And that was that.

Yun Li returned to Le'an Palace without much inner turmoil.

She was never a very emotional person. In her early years here, she constantly missed her modern-day parents.

She didn’t feel a strong sense of belonging here. Gradually, she accepted it due to the love and care of her parents.

But even love can change.

Perhaps in ancient times, daughters were ultimately not valued. Or maybe, Qi Tongkang and Lin did love her, but if she could bring greater benefits to the family, sacrificing her wasn't unacceptable.

Even in their eyes, such a sacrifice wasn’t considered abandonment.

Every girl from a prominent family was expected to give everything for her family.

That was the education here.

At the Noble Consort’s, she had Mianxing personally deliver rewards to Yun Li.

The gifts were new jewelry just sent to the Internal Affairs Department, which she herself had never used. She chose something appropriate to send to Yun Li.

Delivered blatantly from Yuzhi Palace to Le'an Palace, taking the route past Xingxing Pavilion, it was clearly meant to be seen by the people of the harem.

The Noble Consort thought of her mother's words: one cannot simply write the Qi name twice and expect to separate them. Yun Li's desire to detach herself from the Qi family wouldn't be so easily achieved.

Her mother had said, as sisters of one family, they should support each other. After all, Qi Baolin's position as a mere Baolin was a bit lacking.

So, she decided to reward her.

Her needs for food, clothing, and daily necessities should not be neglected.

Once or twice, outsiders might not believe it, but over time, with enough frequency, no one would believe Yun Li's attempts to distance herself. If others don’t believe her, what can she do except rely on herself?

Yun Li, looking at the gifts, accepted them with a smile, saying, "Sister is too kind. I won't formally express my gratitude this time, I hope my elder sister won’t mind."

Mianxing also smiled, "Baolin, no need to be formal. The Noble Consort won’t mind these little things. We're all sisters in the same family."

Yun Li accepted the gifts, generously rewarding Mianxing in return.

After Mianxing left, Yun Li instructed her servants to store the items, intending to use what was useful.

Why wouldn’t she use such fine things?

"Baolin, just now Mianxing came from Yudai Bridge," Zhifu mentioned.

Yun Li raised an eyebrow, "Oh? It seems the Noble Consort has realized that commanding and controlling doesn't work, and has switched tactics? It's a pity for them, really. They could have chosen a more obedient pawn."

Yun Li wasn't afraid of their manipulation, as they couldn't control her.

What could they do, ask Qi Tongkang and his wife to die?

As for restricting her resources, wouldn't that be what they deserved?

Today's fruit is the result of yesterday's actions.

"But if it always goes on like this, won’t it be problematic?" Zhifu asked.

"It doesn't matter. We'll see how it goes," Yun Li said with a smile, not overly concerned.

That night, the Emperor favored Hua Baolin.

Countless women in the harem must have torn their handkerchiefs in envy, but Yun Li slept soundly.

With so many women in the harem, there were bound to be more children, but the Emperor only had two thus far, simply because the time hadn't been right.

That night, though Hua Baolin was favored, the next morning it was Sun Baolin who had joyful news.

Sun Baolin resided in Lan Fei's Cuiyun Palace.

As Lan Fei was favored, Cuiyun Palace saw the Emperor more often, making Sun Baolin one of the more favored newcomers.

At the morning gathering, Sun Baolin said, "I didn't realize until this morning when I felt extremely nauseous and noticed I've missed my period for a while, which made me suspect..."