Chapter 0066: Resentment

Chapter 0066: Resentment

It was in the morning when He Jinli finally left.

Yun Li escorted him to the exterior of Le'an Palace.

He Jinli said, "Go back. The New Year is approaching. After the celebrations, I will come to see you again."

"Yes, I wish Your Majesty a smooth and prosperous New Year. May your reign be peaceful and the people content, and may all go according to your wishes. May there be favorable weather for the crops."

He Jinli, who had already turned to leave, turned back, genuinely amused.

His laughter wasn't feigned, "Good, I accept your kind wishes."

With that, he turned again and boarded his carriage.

Meng Chang called out to start the procession, and the Emperor and his entourage moved away.

Meng Chang, noticing the Emperor's smile, felt a sense of admiration.

Every New Year, the consorts and concubines always say these words. They're auspicious phrases.

But none had spoken them so early, at the palace gate while seeing off the Emperor.

It might seem like a mere formality, but the Emperor seemed genuinely pleased...

Although Meng Chang admired Yun Li's intelligence and ability to curry favor, he didn't realize that He Jinli's smile was not solely due to her words.

Of course, this was one reason.

Mainly, he was amused by Yunli's phrase "may the winds be favorable and the rains timely."

Could he really control the weather? But it was a kind gesture from a junior concubine. The thoughtfulness was what mattered.

Naturally, he laughed.

Meng Chang also thought about the pair of hairpins from yesterday. Such fine items, presented from the south, were scarce in the palace.

It wasn't about the quantity or the value, but the style and craftsmanship of such jewelry were rare.

The Empress had some, and probably the Noble Consort too.

Even Lady Lan Fei might not have any.

The Emperor had been keeping them without a specific recipient in mind, certainly not for Qi Xiaoyi.

Yet, Qi Xiaoyi had the skill to obtain them with her sweet words, not directly asking for gifts, but somehow getting them nonetheless.

Regardless of his musings, Yunli went back to catch up on sleep.

Fortunately, nothing troublesome happened in the days leading up to the New Year.

It passed peacefully.

On New Year's Eve, while it was still dark, Yunli got up early.

To be accurate, it was not morning but midnight.

The hour of Yin. But in ancient times, this was considered early morning.

Everyone got up, dressed neatly, and without time for breakfast, Yunli hastily drank a bowl of warm tremella soup.

Then she hurriedly began to get ready.

Now, formal attire was necessary, but Miss Yi's formal wear wasn't much different from her regular clothes.

Just added patterns and cloud-shoulder adornments.

Once dressed and jeweled, being just Miss Yi, she had no floral crown for such a grand occasion.

Then, she quickly hurried towards the Grand Temple.

The Grand Temple was located to the east of the imperial palace.

Yunli, fairly close, exited Le'an Palace, passing between the Yuqu Palace and Ninglu Pavilion.

Beyond Yuqu Palace, she walked alongside the Yuefu corridor.

Navigating the passage between Guanghong Palace and the Imperial Medical Bureau, and after passing through four or five gates, she arrived outside the Grand Temple.

By now, people from all over were converging there.

Outside were the imperial relatives, those with the privilege to enter had to set off at the hour of Yin, rising even earlier.

In the imperial harem, led by the Empress Dowager, the imperial concubines also had to attend.

The Empress, accompanied by everyone, waited; once all were gathered, He Jinli also arrived with his brothers.

They first entered the Grand Temple to offer incense and prostrate themselves. Yun Li and others were somewhere in the middle.

There were still many people behind them.

All were descendants of the He family, including imperial relatives who usually didn't come, were also present.

After He Jinli finished offering incense, he had to recite prayers, following various rituals.

Yun Li's legs were numb; she had been kneeling for about half an hour.

By the time all the rituals were completed, He Jinli had already read several pieces.

Finally, at the hour of Mao, as dawn broke, the ceremony concluded.

As everyone rose, they couldn't relax yet; they were still in a rush. People from the imperial harem left in groups.

The Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubines formed the first group, followed by the Empress and other concubines as the second. The princes and princesses made up the third group.

Finally, it was the turn of the imperial relatives.

Yun Li and her companions hurried to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. On New Year's Day, even those who normally lacked the privilege had to bow.

However, they couldn't even enter the hall, just bowing at the doorway was sufficient.

Once finished, they could go to pay their respects to the Empress, who remained seated for the ceremony.

Both the Empress and the Empress Dowager had many guests today; there was no moment of leisure.

After sitting for a while, around noon, they would proceed to the Zhengyang Palace for the banquet.

Yun Li found it absurd, so many rituals even on New Year's Eve, leaving everyone hungry…

It was almost toxic.

The grand banquet needs no elaborate description, just auspicious words and lots of drinking.

Since it was primarily the He family present, there wasn't much to discuss.

It wasn't until late at night that the gathering finally dispersed.

Yun Li returned feeling almost broken apart, utterly exhausted.

But it wasn't over; there was still another day to go…

Tomorrow, officials of the third rank and above and their families were also to enter the palace for a banquet, a reward and honor from the Emperor.

If a family failed to attend this year, it would be a tremendous disgrace, practically an expulsion from the circle of nobility.

Thus, after only a short rest, Yun Li was awakened. Fortunately, being young, she didn’t get dark circles under her eyes, otherwise, it would have been a problem.

Today, she chose to wear just one peacock-feather hairpin, which was eye-catching enough by itself.

Indeed, her appearance attracted immediate attention, but given the special occasion today, no one had the time to inquire.

Yet, the women of the harem all took a good look, their envy not light.

The Imperial Concubine was particularly jealous. She had only received a few such pieces of jewelry when she married the Emperor, and she hardly dared to wear them.

It wasn't that she lacked fine jewelry, but those personally gifted by the Emperor, secretly bestowed, were few.

Now, Qi Yun Li, barely a year in the palace and a mere minor official, had acquired such exquisite items.

And she dared to wear them so openly…

The Imperial Concubine suddenly realized that, although she was angry and jealous of Lan Fei's favor, she had never felt this furious.

Was Qi Yun Li worthy? She was merely a pawn sent in for the Imperial Concubine's use, how dare she?

The Imperial Concubine's face wore a smile, but her heart was far from calm.

If other women were favored, it might not replace her, or at least not so quickly. But what if Qi Yun Li gained favor?

The harem didn’t need two women from the Qi family.

She had originally hoped that Qi Yun Li would bear a child.

As for her own well-being, it mattered little.

But now, she felt threatened.

Yun Li, oblivious to all this, took her assigned seat, far from the Qi family members, merely nodding to them from a distance.

The grand banquet began, filled with song and dance.

As a minor character, Yun Li spent the entire event as a mere spectator.

At such a New Year's feast, no one would think of engaging in harem intrigues; it would be foolish.

Yun Li was seated with Jing Xiaoyi to her left and Zhang Xiaoyi to her right, who was five months pregnant.

It was becoming quite noticeable.

However, Yun Xiaoyi, who was sitting on the other side of Zhang Xiaoyi, looked pale and cast envious glances at her.

But she merely looked on, knowing that any rash action would spell her doom.

After the first day of the New Year, there were no major events.

The Empress and the Noble Consort, along with a few other high-ranking concubines, could greet their family members.

On the third day, the Noble Consort sent for Yun Li, who declined, citing the impropriety of her status.