Chapter 0064: Rewards

Chapter 0064: Rewards

The plants were brought back smoothly, and Yun Li rewarded the eunuchs who carried the items.

A group of little eunuchs happily accepted the rewards.

In the afternoon, it began to snow again, this time a bit heavier.

Accompanied by the north wind, Yun Li watched from behind the window as the eunuchs in Le'an Palace cleared the courtyard, sweeping as the snow fell to prevent excessive accumulation.

"Xiaoyi," Zhu Ding called from the doorway.

"Come in."

"Xiaoyi, today it's Shu Jieyu's turn to serve in Zhengyang Palace. She’s been taken there," Zhu Ding reported.

"Hmm, it's been a while since she served," Yun Li nodded in acknowledgment.

Shu Jieyu was low-key, hardly showing signs of favor.

But she actually served quite frequently.

It's just that the end of the year was busy, and the Emperor had less time to see all the consorts.

"I'm surprised, though. I thought it would be the Empress," Yun Li said with a smile.

Zhu Ding also commented, "I thought the same. His Majesty’s intentions are beyond our guesswork."

Yunli raised an eyebrow: "Not the Empress, nor like Consort Lan. Instead, she's Shu Jieyu, known in the palace for speaking little and avoiding strife..."

Zhu Ding was startled: "Miss Yi, do you mean... it was deliberate by His Majesty?"

"I don't know, I'm just speculating. I tend to think rather darkly," Yunli tilted her head.

Zhu Ding remained silent.

"Anyway, the Empress now has a prince. Though not her own, he was adopted at birth, so that counts," Yunli remarked.

"Ah... Wu Cairen's childbirth was difficult, she nearly lost her life," Zhu Yu said.

Zhu Ding understood: "Yes, I see now."

"See what? I didn't really say anything. Go on, attend to your duties. It's cold, dress warmly."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Xiaoyi," Zhu Ding thanked Yunli and left.

In the following days, He Jinli couldn't visit the harem, reportedly busy until midnight every day.

It was normal, as work ceased on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, with no court sessions unless for urgent matters.

Court sessions wouldn't resume until the 16th of the first lunar month of the next year.

During those twenty-something days, many matters had to be rushed.

Thus, the Emperor being busy was understandable.

Yunli and the others were also quite idle recently, with no one attending the bedchamber, there were no targets for contention.

The current Noble Consort was very well-behaved, scarcely speaking a word more than necessary. She stayed out of any verbal spats.

Frankly, as long as she didn’t cause trouble, even the Empress couldn't be bothered with her.

Finally, on the 26th, the Emperor concluded his official duties, ready to peacefully celebrate the New Year.

In the morning, the Emperor, along with the Empress, the Noble Consort, Consort De, and Consort Lan, went to dine with the Dowager Empress.

In the evening, the Emperor stayed over at the Empress's Fengyi Palace.

The next day, the Empress was indeed all smiles.

This winter, the Empress truly reveled in her triumphs.

One good thing after another, all delightful for her. Even though she didn’t have a prince of her own yet, she believed it was only a matter of time.

In contrast, the Noble Consort seemed much less radiant.

On the 27th, the Empress opened her private treasury, bestowing gifts upon everyone.

Yun Li received a pair of peach blossom hairpins, two bolts of cloth, and a jar of fine tea from this year’s harvest. All were fine items.

In the evening, the Emperor visited Le'an Palace.

Recently, for the serving nights, the Emperor had been personally coming over.

Yun Li came out to greet him. It was cold outside, and she hadn’t worn her outer garment.

"Your Majesty, peace be upon you," Yun Li greeted with a graceful bow, smiling.

He Jingli came over, draping his overcoat on her: "Why aren’t you wearing a cloak?"

"I was in a hurry seeing Your Majesty arriving; I'm not cold," Yun Li said with a smile.

He Jingli wrapped his arms around her waist and led her inside, "You should still be careful. With the sudden change from warm to cold, what if you catch a chill?"

"The same goes for Your Majesty. I just stepped out from a warm room. You suddenly removing your coat isn’t right either," Yun Li pouted.

He Jingli laughed, pinching her nose, "Yun’er makes a good point."

Once inside the room, the overcoat was no longer necessary, and Yun Li handed it to an attendant.

Zhu Yu was already preparing tea, serving it to He Jingli.

He Jingli, seeing the tea, smiled, "Given by the Empress?"

Yun Li nodded, "Yes, and look at this," she said, lowering her head to show He Jingli the pair of peach blossom hairpins.

They were indeed exquisite, with rubies inlaid to resemble flower petals.

Delicate and beautiful.

Although cutting technology for gems wasn’t advanced at that time, making the stones not as valuable as cut gems, their natural form had a unique beauty.

The main appeal was the fine craftsmanship of the hairpins.

He Jingli vaguely remembered these items, seemingly from the same batch he had rewarded others with.

It turned out they had made their way to the Empress and looked quite fetching.

"The Empress is generous with you," He Jingli remarked.

"You're being bothersome. The Empress didn’t hesitate, and yet you say this. I am your Xiaoyi, after all. Wouldn’t it be disgraceful to wear something unattractive?" Yun Li huffed.

"What have I said to warrant your complaints?" He Jingli asked, pinching her cheek.

Yun Li continued to grumble, "You're stingy. I even serve you the tea given by the Empress."

He Jingli chuckled. The tea was indeed of fine quality, a spring harvest that was scarce by this time.

The Empress had been quite generous this time.

However, He Jingli was unaware that the Empress gifting everyone was an annual event.

It was like preparing for the New Year, with the main wife bestowing gifts to everyone.

But this year, following the incident with Wu Talent, the Empress had specifically instructed that the rewards for Yun Li be of good quality.

This one, looking decent, resulted in the selection of these items.

The fabrics were common, available to all, but they chose fewer, yet finer hairpins. They also included the scarce spring tea of the season.

The gifts were not abundant, but they were all presentable.

Previously, the Xu family couldn't understand why such fine fabrics were left unused by Qi Yunli.

Since the Empress was bestowing favors, and this year’s newcomers were receiving her grace for the first time, why not give generously?

If you give and others disdain it, doesn’t that just make you look stingy?

The Empress indeed had no shortage of items this year.

Thanks to her father's recent victory, she had received plenty of rewards. There were more than enough items to give a few to each person from her private treasury.

Indeed, the quality of the gifts pleased Yunli, who wore them daily.

He Jinli observed her for a moment: "The New Year is approaching. Is there anything Yun'er lacks for her first celebration in the palace? If so, let me know."

Yunli playfully took his hand: "I’ve never celebrated the New Year alone before, so I wouldn't know what I'm missing until it's over. If I’m to say what I lack the most, it’s a person of extraordinary valor like Your Majesty."

He Jinli gently clasped her hand: "Yun'er is being greedy."

"With such a wonderful Emperor, if I am not greedy, wouldn’t that imply..." Yunli paused, snuggling into his embrace, "Wouldn’t that imply I don’t like Your Majesty? To like is to desire. Be wary, Your Majesty, if any sister in the harem claims she isn't greedy for you, there can only be two reasons."

"What are they?" He Jinli embraced her.