Chapter 095

Chapter 095

Moving to the Jingren Palace was indeed a bolt from the blue for Consort Liang.

How could the Jingren Palace compare to the Yonghe Palace? In the Yonghe Palace, she was close to the emperor, but in the Jingren Palace, even if the emperor visited, she would likely be overshadowed by Consort Tongjia.

Moreover, Consort Tongjia was not easy to deal with. At least Consort Rong was willing to put on a facade, pretending to be kind and gentle, making others think she was a good person.

So even if things cooled down, she wouldn’t find fault with her or make excuses to call her over to enforce rules, as it didn’t align with Consort Rong’s gentle and kind nature.

Consort Liang had previously mocked Consort Rong for putting on such an act, wondering if she was bottling up her anger to maintain her gentle and kind image.

But Consort Tongjia was different. She didn’t care about such things, especially since she held absolute power in the Jingren Palace. If she wanted to make life difficult for Consort Liang, it would be entirely up to her, and no one would dare to stop her or spread the word.

No matter how clever Consort Liang was, she couldn’t withstand Consort Tongjia’s direct use of her status to suppress her.

Wasn’t the case of Lady Uya, who gave birth to the fourth prince, a vivid example? Despite being a concubine who had borne a prince, her presence in the palace was so minimal that she was rarely even mentioned.

If she moved to the Jingren Palace, how could she expect to have a good life? Thinking this, Consort Liang had no choice but to go to the main hall to plead with Consort Rong.

But at this moment, the servants were already packing her belongings. Consort Liang hurriedly said, "Gentlemen, please don’t rush to pack. Allow me to see Consort Rong first, and then you can continue. There’s no hurry."

However, the eunuchs were not very pleased.

If Consort Liang wanted to see Consort Rong, she could go ahead, but it shouldn’t interfere with their packing.

If they waited for her to return, it would delay their work.

But after all, she was still a consort, and after Consort Liang had her maids offer them some tea money, the leader nodded in agreement.

The leading eunuch secretly weighed the amount of tea money and was satisfied, but he said, "Then, my lady, you must return quickly. We have other tasks to attend to, and time is tight. Please understand."

Even with the tea money, they couldn’t delay for too long.

Consort Liang, with a good-natured smile, nodded politely, "Then I’ll trouble you to wait a little longer."

With that, she hurried to the main hall.

Thinking of the tea money she had just given away, she still felt uncomfortable and pained. Her consort’s allowance was not much, and she had to part with some of it for the eunuchs.

These eunuchs really knew how to put on airs, sizing her up as just a consort and daring to act so arrogantly in front of her.

When she arrived at the main hall, Consort Liang first stated her purpose,

"I heard that Sister Consort Rong is ill. I didn’t dare to come earlier to cause trouble, but now I’ve come to visit Sister Consort Rong. I’m also about to move to the Jingren Palace, and before I leave, I truly miss Sister Consort Rong and wish to bid her farewell. Please announce my arrival."

The maid glanced at Consort Liang. She was leaving anyway, yet she still came here. It was really troublesome, and it didn’t seem like she had good intentions.

"Yes, please wait, my lady. I’ll go in and announce you."

Su Yi, holding a pot lid, looked like she was about to go out and enjoy herself.

As soon as she felt a little better, she couldn’t stay in the inner chamber and immediately had someone arrange a recliner for her to sunbathe outside.

Qinxin earnestly advised Consort Rong to rest in bed for now.

"But lying outside is also a form of bed rest. Where I lie doesn’t matter," Su Yi said confidently.

"You can’t be exposed to the wind at this time."

"I'm not in confinement, why can't I see the wind? Besides," Su Yi raised the silk handkerchief in her hand and asked, "What do you see?"

Qinxin looked carefully, isn't it just a handkerchief?

"A handkerchief?"

Su Yi shook her head, "Did it move?"

Qinxin: ???

"No, Your Highness."

"Then it means there's no wind. Silk is the best way to detect a breeze. If it doesn't flutter, it means there's no wind," Su Yi said earnestly.

Qinxin: She suspected Her Highness was talking nonsense just to achieve her goal of lying outside to sunbathe.

Yun Hua was quieter than before. Previously, she would join in the laughter and fun, but now she just smiled slightly on the side, not particularly active.

At this moment, a maid came to say that Consort Liang wanted to bid farewell to Her Highness before leaving.

Qinxin looked at Consort Rong. Consort Liang had to come before Her Highness before leaving. It seemed inconsiderate, but it was also reasonable for her to bid farewell.

"If Your Highness doesn't want to see Consort Liang, I will go and dismiss her," Qinxin said.

To avoid seeing Consort Liang and ruining the good mood. She didn't come earlier or later, but chose this moment. What could she possibly want to say?

Consort Liang was finally moving out of Yonghe Palace. Previously, they would see each other all the time, which was quite annoying.

Especially when she first arrived, she would come running every day. Later, when Her Highness stopped seeing her, she would run out every day, going to Jingren Palace to plot with Consort Tongjia. Consort Tongjia deliberately prevented the imperial physician from coming when Her Highness was ill.

When that plan failed, she instigated the concubines in the harem to complain to the Grand Empress Dowager. She never stopped causing trouble. Fortunately, the Emperor protected Her Highness, so those people didn't succeed.

Consort Liang continued to live in Yonghe Palace as if nothing had happened. They couldn't help but want to spit a few times towards her side palace.

Now it's good, Consort Liang is moving to Jingren Palace to live well with Consort Tongjia.

Su Yi shook her head and smiled, "No, let's see her. I haven't seen her for a while. Please invite her in."

Qinxin saw the nostalgic and expectant look on Consort Rong's face, somewhat similar to when she teased the pot lid. For a moment, Qinxin was somewhat looking forward to what good could come from Consort Liang coming to bid farewell to Her Highness.

Ah, she wasn't being calm!

Consort Liang was a bit unsure outside and had prepared for Consort Rong to ignore her. However, the maid who went to announce her quickly returned, "Consort Liang, please come in."

The fact that she was seen so quickly made Consort Liang more cautious.

After entering, she paid her respects properly and was quickly called to rise. Consort Liang looked up at Consort Rong.

She was sitting on a recliner, with thick pillows on the side, leaning weakly on them. Her face showed some signs of illness. Her originally fair skin now looked even more like snow, her lips slightly pale as if lightly tinted with rouge.

Because she was still ill, Consort Rong looked thinner than before, but her features appeared even more delicate. Even in illness, her beauty was not diminished. Her affectionate eyes naturally carried a hint of tenderness, making people unconsciously want to look longer.

She had practiced Consort Rong's expressions in front of the mirror many times in private, but it always seemed too deliberate, giving a sense of imitating the East. She had to focus more on her attire and makeup.

Consort Rong smiled at her as gently as before, just like the first time they met, "Come sit by me."

Su Yi patted the spot beside her, indicating for her to sit closer and talk, mainly because she stood far away, and Su Yi had to slightly tilt her head to look at her.

Consort Liang slowly walked over and sat down beside Su Yi, "Consort Rong, I didn't come to see you immediately when you were ill. Is your health better now?"

She sat on the side, somewhat uneasy, appearing a bit timid, which was her first act of showing weakness.

"Not bad," Su Yi said while smoothing the fur of Pot Lid, her smile carrying a hint of contentment. She hardly coughed anymore, finally moving past the time when others would panic at the sight of her coughing.

"That's good. I am truly happy for Consort Rong, sister. That day when you suddenly fell ill, I wasn't able to help much, and I've always felt very guilty about it. I hope you won't be angry with me," Consort Liang said, reaching out to hold Consort Rong's hand, putting on a show of sisterly affection.

"You're overthinking it. How could I be angry?" Su Yi smiled gently. The other party didn't even provide a stage for her to get angry. Getting angry would harm her liver, so how could she just get angry casually?

Pot Lid was comfortably having its fur smoothed, but then the smoothing stopped abruptly. It opened its eyes and pawed at the two-legged creature holding it.

But the two-legged creature actually! Didn't! Continue! Smoothing its fur?!

Huh?!

Pot Lid the cat was unhappy. It turned its head to see what was wrong with this two-legged creature. Why wasn't it continuing to smooth its fur? Was its fur not soft enough or tangled?!

Upon looking, it found that the two-legged creature's hand was being held by another two-legged creature, who had completely forgotten about it at that moment.

Having found the source of its neglect, it immediately hissed fiercely at Consort Liang, baring its sharp teeth and glaring at her with a fierce look, 'Why aren't you letting go of my two-legged creature?!'

Consort Liang wasn't very familiar with cats, and she was genuinely frightened by Pot Lid, thinking the cat was about to pounce and bite her. She couldn't help but let out a scream, "Ah!" and instinctively stood up, quickly letting go of Consort Rong's hand and raising her hands to protect her face.

Those familiar with Pot Lid knew that it would at most hiss at people but wouldn't actually bite or scratch. Pot Lid would mostly retract its claws and pat people with its paw pads.

So even though Pot Lid had a bit of a temper, the maids in Yonghe Palace quite enjoyed teasing it because it would only hiss at you, not scratch or bite.

But Consort Liang didn't know that, so she was immediately frightened.

Yun Hua and Qinxin exchanged glances, each silently turning away to stifle their laughter.

"Did it scare you? This is Pot Lid. It has a bit of a temper but won't hurt anyone."

Su Yi gently comforted the frightened Consort Liang, picking up Pot Lid and letting its head rest on her shoulder to prevent it from seeing Consort Liang and hissing at her again.

Consort Liang, however, wasn't entirely convinced. She was even a bit afraid to sit back down, worried that the cat might suddenly lash out and scratch her. If it scratched elsewhere, it would be fine, but she was particularly afraid it might scratch her face.

"Is that so, Consort Rong, sister? The cat you keep is quite cute," Consort Liang said with a forced smile, her body tense.

Seeing Consort Rong's gaze, as if asking why she wasn't sitting back down, Consort Liang thought of what she needed to say next and braced herself, cautiously sitting back down.

However, she sat slightly farther away than before, only half-seated, almost hovering, as if sitting on pins and needles, ready to jump up at any moment.

Su Yi smiled without speaking, showing understanding.

If you weren't sitting so far away, your words would be more credible.

After sitting for a while and calming her fluctuating emotions, perhaps because Consort Rong's attitude had always been kind, Consort Liang felt that Consort Rong might continue to respond well to what she was about to say, giving her the spirit to continue.

"Consort Rong, sister, I am about to leave for Jingren Palace. Before I go, I want to speak my heart to you. I truly cannot bear to part with you.

In this palace, only you have shown me some compassion. The other sisters may not say it, but in their hearts, they probably look down on my background.

Now that I am going to Jingren Palace, the thought of leaving you fills me with great reluctance. I only wish to stay in Yonghe Palace and keep you company." Her words were heartfelt.

As Consort Liang spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. As soon as she finished speaking, the tears that had been welling up rolled down like crystal beads, her crying quite beautiful.

Qinxin, seeing this, restrained herself, reminding herself not to show her emotions so openly. Yun Hua, on the other hand, quickly rolled her eyes, so fast it was almost imperceptible.

Qinxin was amazed. When it came to rolling eyes, Yun Hua was a master. Her eye rolls were crisp, clean, and refreshingly original—a truly excellent eye roll.

"Don't cry, it won't look good if you cry, be careful not to hurt your eyes."

Su Yi said with a look of pity, then very considerately, she reached out and took the handkerchief from Consort Liang's person, placing it in her hand and urging her to quickly wipe her tears.

As for helping to wipe the tears, don't be ridiculous, what if these plastic tears dripped onto her hand, and she had to wash her hands after the person left, it would be troublesome.

Consort Liang looked at the handkerchief in her hand, almost unable to suppress the twitch at the corner of her mouth.

How did Consort Rong take the handkerchief from her and tell her to wipe her own tears? The tone of pity almost made Consort Liang think that Consort Rong wasn't mocking her, it felt strange.

"Sister is so considerate of me, I really don't want to leave sister." Consort Liang steadied her mind, showing humility on her face, and reiterated.

Consort Liang showed a lonely expression, her tone somewhat sour as she said, "I know that His Majesty values sister the most in his heart, I dare not compete with sister for anything, I only wish to serve His Majesty well together with sister.

Usually, if sister is not feeling well, I can also help, so that when His Majesty comes to Yonghe Palace, he won't leave for someone else's place.

Sister is of unparalleled beauty, even if I am fortunate enough to receive praise from others, saying that I look somewhat like sister, in my heart I dare not compare myself to sister.

Sister is of noble birth, I am of humble status, even if I have been granted the title of Consort, it is only because His Majesty values sister, that I have been able to receive this title of Consort."

This speech both expressed her own humility and insignificance, far inferior to Consort Rong, not daring to compete with Consort Rong, and also flattered Consort Rong.

The words implied that the Emperor treated Consort Rong specially, and women, don't they all like to hear such things, that they are the most unique and important in their husband's heart.

This was flattery.

Then she said that she could have achieved her current status, if not for Consort Rong, it would have been impossible to be granted the title, again flattering Consort Rong, hinting that she, Consort Liang, could only rely on her to obtain the title of Consort, this was flattery again.

As for what was said earlier, about serving His Majesty on behalf of Consort Rong when she was not feeling well, it further indicated that she followed Consort Rong's lead, she was the one who followed Consort Rong, not daring to overstep.

Consort Liang felt that she had spoken very well, after all, the concubines in the palace were all like this.

There would always be times when a concubine was not feeling well, perhaps it was that time of the month, but the Emperor came to stay, and even if she was not feeling well and couldn't serve the Emperor, she wouldn't let the Emperor go to someone else's palace.

Usually, she would have the minor concubines in the side hall serve, or arrange for maids to serve the Emperor, wasn't it Consort Wuyang who took advantage of Consort Tongjia's inconvenience, got lucky once, became pregnant, and gave birth to a prince, rising from a maid to a Consort.

Choosing someone to serve, it usually had to be someone from her own camp.

This way, the water doesn't flow to outsiders, even if she was not feeling well, she wouldn't let the Emperor be lured away by other concubines because of her inconvenience.

Her current status was lowly, and she looked somewhat like Consort Rong, wasn't she a good substitute, and could often remind the Emperor of her presence in front of Consort Rong.

Consort Rong often fell ill, there were many times when she was not feeling well, could the Emperor endure it for a while and keep enduring? At such times, if she was called to help, with Consort Rong giving her face, the Emperor would always give Consort Rong face and favor her.

With many such occasions, even if at first the Emperor only saw her as a lesser version of Consort Rong, over time, she was not afraid of not sharing some of the favor.

Consort Liang's calculations were very shrewd, but all this premise required her to remain in Yonghe Palace.

Then, to win Consort Rong's trust, she whispered again what she had said to Consort Tongjia.

At this time, Consort Liang didn't care what reaction the maids around Consort Rong would have, in fact, the palace had already guessed, it wasn't a secret, now mentioning it again was just to flatter Consort Rong,

"I have not yet truly served His Majesty, it shows how much His Majesty cares for sister, I am nothing."

Su Yi:....

The other party used her somewhat similar face to say these words, it really made her want to give her two big slaps, earlier when she said the other party looked like her, she could still admire her own beauty as if looking in a mirror, now she was admiring 'her' saying some brainless words.

Su Yi finally felt the pain of being imitated.

"Consort Liang, you don't need to belittle yourself so much," Su Yi said kindly, comforting her.

"Consort Rong, you don't need to comfort me like this. I know my place and won't dare to become an obstacle between you and His Majesty," Consort Liang said, seemingly encouraged, speaking with increasing emotion.

Yun Hua watched in astonishment; Consort Liang was indeed flexible and adaptable.

This speech was a masterful performance, both belittling herself to lower others' guard and making people instinctively underestimate her, while also easily inflating their egos with her flattery.

Who would have thought Consort Liang could be like this?

Qinxin, worried that her mistress might be swayed by Consort Liang, wanted to step forward and remind her, but Yun Hua held her back, shaking her head slightly and mouthing, "Don't worry."

Seeing that Yun Hua seemed more composed than her, Qinxin's competitive spirit kicked in, and she decided to continue observing. If she saw her mistress being swayed, she would step in to dissuade her.

"Alright, since you've said so, I won't try to persuade you further," Su Yi said with a smile, one that radiated a 'whatever makes you happy' vibe.

It seemed Consort Liang was truly addicted to self-deprecation, and there was no pulling her back. Su Yi couldn't stop her anyway.

Consort Liang, who had been putting on a show, paused upon hearing Consort Rong's words. Why was Consort Rong reacting like this?

Consort Liang, under the guise of wiping her tears, subtly observed Consort Rong's expression. She noticed that Consort Rong still wore a kind smile, but there was something off about that smile and her gaze.

After Consort Rong finished speaking, she leisurely petted the cat, smiling as she watched Consort Liang's actions, appearing to be the perfect listener.

Consort Liang grew anxious. If it were Consort Tongjia, she would have already been flattered, but why was Consort Rong reacting this way, as if she hadn't been paying attention at all?

Consort Rong was indeed cunning, more composed than Consort Tongjia.

Having said all this, Consort Liang, after much preparation, finally revealed her true intentions.

"So, Consort Rong, you really don't need to be so wary of me and tell His Majesty to move me out of Yonghe Palace."

Consort Liang believed that Consort Rong, having reconciled with the Emperor through her illness, had suggested moving her out, and the Emperor, not wanting Consort Rong to be upset again, had agreed, thus moving her out of Yonghe Palace.

Not only was she being moved, but she was being moved to Jingren Palace, to Consort Tongjia.

This must have been Consort Rong's suggestion, as she had visited Jingren Palace a few times before, deliberately sending her there.

Otherwise, with the Emperor so busy, how could he suddenly think of moving her out of Yonghe Palace? It must have been Consort Rong's idea.

"I don't ask for much, only hoping to live peacefully in the harem. I dare not hope for more. Please, sister, speak to His Majesty and let me stay in Yonghe Palace."

Then she raised her hand as if swearing, "I promise I will stay quietly in the side palace and not cause any trouble. His Majesty values you so much; it would just take a word from you, and he would surely agree."

After all that flattery, she ended with a high compliment.

Those who love sweet words might indeed be swayed.

And if Consort Rong, to show her special place in the Emperor's heart, actually went to the Emperor to make the request, and if it was granted, it would prove her significant standing in the Emperor's heart, while Consort Liang would gain the practical benefit of staying in Yonghe Palace, achieving her ultimate goal.

Moreover, if Consort Rong made the request and the Emperor, unwilling to refuse her, revoked the order.

But if the Emperor didn't grant Consort Rong's request, she would feel a sense of loss. Having been flattered so much, not achieving the expected result would make Consort Rong unhappy, and she might even quarrel with the Emperor.

Then the Emperor might see Consort Rong as capricious, changing her mind repeatedly.

Even if Consort Liang didn't stay in Yonghe Palace and went to Jingren Palace, it would just be returning to the original outcome.

Throughout, she only had Consort Rong speak to the Emperor on her behalf, never going to the Emperor herself to say she didn't want to move. She gained the benefits while Consort Rong took the brunt of it. All she had to do was talk to achieve her goal.

Consort Liang's plan was quite audacious.

It made Su Yi laugh out loud. Did she really have a face that was so easy to deceive?

How could Consort Liang use such words to deceive her? This level of deception was truly inadequate.

Su Yi couldn't help but laugh, and her joyful expression was truly beautiful, her eyes sparkling like stars. But at this moment, Consort Liang had no mind to appreciate Su Yi's smile.

As soon as she laughed, Consort Liang's forced expression froze. "Sister Consort Rong, what are you laughing at?" she asked with difficulty.

Su Yi finally managed to stop laughing, her expression softening, her tone as gentle as ever, but the words she spoke were not pleasant to Consort Liang's ears. "I'm laughing at you."

Her tone was so tender, almost affectionate. "Who else here is more amusing than you?"

Consort Liang finally realized that although Consort Rong had been smiling while listening to her, there was always something off about it.

It turned out that Consort Rong had seen through everything all along, but had been watching her like a joke, as she desperately tried to act!

"Consort Rong, you knew all along!?" Consort Liang's eyes widened, no longer calling her 'sister' with every word, her tone no longer as composed as before.

Because she realized she had been a clown in Consort Rong's eyes all along. Consort Rong knew her ill intentions, and her performance had ended up entertaining Consort Rong!

Consort Rong used to enjoy listening to the maids tell stories, often inviting her to listen together and share laughs. Had she been watching her all along, treating her like a storyteller, just to pass the time?!

Although she had been belittling herself and praising Consort Rong, making the other look down on her, this was different from being the one in control, manipulating the other's emotions, and now being treated like a clown by the other!

The former was secretly satisfying, but the latter was more than just frustrating!

"That's right, every word I said earlier was to humor you. I just couldn't bear to see you set up a stage and end up performing a solo act, so I played along. I couldn't help but laugh and reveal it. I originally wanted to leave you with a good impression in the end."

Su Yi spoke with a hint of regret, her face showing the familiar tender and compassionate expression that Consort Liang knew well.