“Chapter 0094: What About Jealousy”

"Chapter 0094: What About Jealousy"

"After Ye Baolin left, Yun Li asked, 'How was it?'"

"The maids exchanged glances, but it was Zhu Ding who replied, 'My lady, we think that this Baolin is not as simple as she seems.'"

"'Oh? How so?' Yun Li asked with a smile."

"'From what we observed, although she seemed genuinely unaccustomed to such fine jewelry, she wasn't truly shocked. It seemed more like she was impressed by your generosity. This is curious. Baolin appears to be quite ambitious,' Zhu Ding remarked."

"'You don’t speak often, but when you do, you're quite perceptive. Yes, she seems frail, but indeed proud. That’s not necessarily bad. As long as she doesn't concern me,' Yun Li responded."

"The pair of hairpins she gave was brought from outside the palace."

"The ladies of the Qi family, even those not from the main branch, would not lack such ornaments."

"After all, even if they were from a lesser branch, they were still legitimate descendants. When distributing such items annually, the main branch's daughters might receive more, or better ones, but others wouldn't be overlooked."

"Thus, Yun Li had never lacked for such things."

"After entering the palace, she had even more jewelry, so giving away a pair didn’t trouble her."

"Ye Baolin had just arrived and didn't have her own personal maid, so she wouldn't express her true feelings openly."

"In her heart, she indeed found the gift valuable, but to her, it seemed ordinary."

"Fine jewelry is good, but its value also depends on the source. A gift from Concubine Qiong didn’t appeal to her."

"Therefore, she simply put it aside and neglected it."

"Since she had just arrived today, she naturally wouldn't serve in the bedchamber yet; that would only happen after three days."

"With the weather being hot, ice blocks were needed during the day to stay comfortable."

"As a new addition, she was provided with these, delivered courteously by the staff of the Neishi Mansion and arranged properly."

"Other items were also delivered."

"Yun Li received similar provisions from the Neishi Mansion, who dared not overlook her. Upon receiving these items, Yun Li rewarded them with silver."

"It was a satisfactory arrangement for both parties."

"In the afternoon, after waking from her nap, Yun Li heard from Zhuyu, 'The new girl has renamed her personal maids as 'Shu Shi' and 'Mo Shi'."

"Yun Li smiled, 'She really does seem like a scholarly type.'"

"On the day she was to serve in the bedchamber, the Empress ordered the Imperial Kitchen to send over a special meal."

"That evening, Yun Li was in no rush to sleep."

"She wore a casual outfit, a lotus root-colored skirt with a small jacket."

"Her hair wasn’t elaborately styled; just a simple lily bun adorned with a few pieces of jewelry."

"When Emperor He Jingli arrived, Yun Li came out to greet him."

"He Jingli noticed her appearance: 'My consort looks particularly understated today.'"

"'Your Majesty, in my own palace, a natural look is more fitting,' Yun Li replied with a light smile."

"At that moment, Ye Baolin appeared, dressed in a deep pink skirt. She immediately knelt and offered a deep bow, 'Your servant, Ye, greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor, may you live forever.'"

"'You may rise,' Emperor He Jingli extended his hand."

"Ye Baolin stood up, then curtsied again, 'I apologize for interrupting Your Majesty and sister’s conversation.'"

"'Today is your special day, and it would be rude of me not to meet you. Now, His Majesty is all yours,' Yun Li said with a smile, fanning herself."

"She smiled at Emperor He Jingli, 'The spring night is short, I shall retire to sleep.'"

Though she said it lightly and laughed, Yunli deliberately pouted.

He Jinli found this amusing, sensing she was feigning happiness.

However, to Ye Baolin, it seemed quite different. She perceived Yunli's behavior as rather presumptuous.

When Yunli decided to leave, she did so without hesitation or delay.

She left swiftly.

In contrast, He Jinli lingered, casting a few more glances her way.

After all, sharing a meal together wasn't a big deal.

Once Yunli returned, her meal arrived shortly after, and she went to bed early after eating.

She paid no mind to the happenings elsewhere, even sleeping well and not rising early in the morning.

When she woke up and was dressing, she inquired, “Did she receive a promotion yet?”

“My lady, not yet. She wasn't selected through the draft. Those who come in this manner usually don't receive much advancement,” Zhifu explained.

Like last year, the twelve selected through the draft were promoted after their first night of service.

But for those like Mei Fei and Lin Cairen, it was different.

Currently, Ye Baolin was no exception.

However, it was indeed too soon for her to be promoted. Even in consideration of giving face to the Prince of Qi, a mere title of Baolin was already sufficient.

She was just the sister of the Prince of Qi's concubine, after all.

Even the Empress Dowager's niece entered only as a Cairen.

"Ye Baolin went to Fengyi Palace to pay her respects. She had to perform a major ritual today," Zhifu said.

Yunli nodded and got up to have her meal.

By the time she finished eating, Ye Baolin had returned.

She came to Yunli's quarters again, ostensibly to pay respects.

This time, Yunli dismissed her, telling her to go back.

Yunli was not of such high rank to deserve such grand gestures; peace and quiet were preferable.

Ye Baolin wasn't particularly strong physically, and had barely slept the previous night.

It wasn't that the Emperor was extremely interested in her.

Rather, it was she who, anxious and restless, couldn't sleep.

She was fearful of committing any improprieties or breaches of etiquette during her first night of service.

"She would simply feign sleep, and when the Emperor awoke in the morning, she would rise to serve him."

"Even if she was not adept at serving, she needed to be present."

"After seeing off the Emperor, she went to pay respects to the Empress. Returning from that, she was truly exhausted."

"It was good that Concubine Qiong was not present."

"However, her maid Shu Shi cautiously said, 'Baolin, don't be upset. Concubine Qiong has always been like this. She’s straightforward. Perhaps she hasn’t risen yet.'"

"Shi Mo added, 'Yes, before you arrived, we inquired. In recent times, Concubine Qiong doesn’t attend the morning greetings and always rises late.'"

"'I'm not upset. It's normal not to meet. I thought she might come to see off His Majesty this morning, but she didn’t,' Ye Baolin said."

"'Well, it would be customary, but there's no strict rule about it,' Shi Mo replied."

"Ye Baolin nodded in agreement."

"Soon, the meal arrived, and she was too occupied to inquire further."

"In the afternoon, just after Yun Li woke from her nap, the Emperor summoned her."

"Li Mu arrived, grinning, 'My lady, prepare yourself. His Majesty wishes to enjoy the coolness in the Imperial Garden and has invited you.'"

"Yun Li smiled, 'Alright, I'll get ready.'"

"Yun Li returned to change into a lake green dress, maintaining her lily bun hairstyle, and wore minimal jewelry, with no hairpin, just pearl flowers woven into her hair."

"With a round fan in hand, she headed towards the Imperial Garden."

Shimu returned to Ye Baolin and described Yunli's attire.

Ye Baolin laughed and said, “It seems this Lady is quite calculating.”

“Despite owning such valuable jewelry, she deliberately dressed plainly to meet His Majesty.”

But was Yunli really like that?

Yes, she was.

It was indeed intentional.

At the lakeside pavilion in the Imperial Garden, He Jinli looked at Yunli and chuckled, “Why are you even more plainly dressed today than yesterday? It seems you don’t take our meetings seriously.”

“Your Majesty jests, I am most attentive. I was fine not seeing Your Majesty with other sisters before, but yesterday I saw it myself. I couldn’t very well weep and wail, so this is my subtle way of showing displeasure.”