Chapter 242

Chapter 242

All that talk about staying calm, keeping composed, and not acting impulsively—Consort Ping was so furious her head was spinning.

She wasn’t someone who couldn’t endure things, nor was she some hotheaded woman who flew off the handle at the slightest inconvenience. But the anger she’d been stewing in all day had finally reached its limit. She prided herself on having considerable patience, yet even she couldn’t withstand being treated like this.

Now, faced with these servants hemming and hawing, she could no longer hold back and unleashed her pent-up fury all at once.

Kangxi was one thing—but even these servants had the nerve to mess with her!

Consort Ping recalled the tea and snacks prepared by the palace attendants, served with such fake sweetness. At the time, she had thought they were being considerate and attentive, not daring to slight her.

But in the end, they’d played her for a fool.

And what was worse, she couldn’t even call them out.

Because there was no evidence. If she spoke up directly, she’d just look like she was picking a fight for no reason—after all, the tea and snacks were perfectly clean, with nothing amiss!

She had to eat crow and keep quiet.

Consort Ping was now convinced that Rong Noble Consort had put her servants up to this.

Now, seeing how efficiently and eagerly these same servants carried out tasks for Rong Noble Consort, only to give her the slow shuffle—did they think she was too meek to fight back?!

Even a doormat has its limits.

With Consort Ping’s outburst, the servants cowered, muttering curses under their breath as they hastily murmured, "This servant wouldn’t dare."

"Wouldn’t dare? Get moving!"

Consort Ping glared at them, their eyes glued to the floor, not a single one daring to meet her gaze, parroting the same empty excuses.

Yet they froze like statues, unmoving, which only stoked her anger further.

Every one of them claimed they "wouldn’t dare," yet not a single one actually did anything.

If she hadn’t remembered that losing her cool would be disastrous—if she hadn’t known that storming through the palace like a madwoman would make Kangxi think she’d lost her mind—

She’d have barked right then, "Do I have to go myself?!"

If she had actually done that, it would have turned into her causing a scene, barging around unyieldingly. Even if she did manage to see Kangxi afterward, he’d think she’d lost her mind.

Those servants "couldn’t stop her"—whether or not they’d be punished for incompetence, it’d still look like ‘proof’ that she had rampaged around unyieldingly.

That would be a total embarrassment.

Men hated nothing more than a screeching woman, and the other party would only see it as petty drama. If Consort Ping acted that way, it would be a complete humiliation.

But if she sent someone else to relay her message, it would be different—she’d have someone else to take the heat.

Consort Ping wouldn’t have to face his displeasure directly.

So no matter how furious she was now, she still remembered—she had to have the servants deliver her message.

The palace servants were suffering under Consort Ping's wrath. The leading eunuch who had spoken earlier responded, "This lowly one will go at once."

He rose, still hunched over and head bowed, backing away quickly.

In reality, someone would often slip away unnoticed to report the situation.

Seeing that someone had finally moved, Consort Ping exhaled in relief and allowed her maids to assist her in sitting down.

As for the others still kneeling, Consort Ping showed no intention of permitting them to rise, and none dared to do so without her command.

She was set on teaching them a lesson—they’d kneel until the messenger returned.

She prayed inwardly that the eunuch would hurry back.

Looking at the kneeling servants, Consort Ping felt both smug and relieved.

Luckily, she hadn’t actually transmigrated as a maid—otherwise, the early struggles would’ve been brutal.

With such a lowly position, climbing up would’ve been next to impossible.

Take the Fourth Prince’s birth mother, Consort De—no, right now, she’s just a concubine-rank Consort De.

That concubine rank was her ceiling—no hope of climbing higher.

After all, Consort De started as a lowly maid. Since giving birth to the Fourth Prince, there had been no further signs of advancement.

No more babies meant no more promotions.

If history had followed its original course without interference, Uya would’ve popped out kids nonstop, rising through sheer baby-making.

By then, the last consort position might have been taken by Consort De before Consort Ping even had a chance. Once among the Four Imperial Consorts, it would have been difficult to displace her.

Look at Consort Xian—just some minor official’s daughter, now old and withered, but she made consort by cranking out babies.

But who cares if she had lots if most died anyway? It only served as a talking point for seniority.

No family backing? Your only ticket up was squeezing out heirs.

Thanks to her family clout, Consort Ping waltzed into the palace as a consort—unheard of, no wonder it made others seethe.

Idly tracing her ornate nail guards, she mused that she’d still landed lucky. No need to juggle seducing Kangxi and clawing her way up.

Already a consort, once she snagged Kangxi’s favor, moving up was guaranteed.

The thought cooled her anger bit by bit. Comparisons helped—seeing others suffer more than her took the edge off.

But with no one back yet, her mood soured.

Why weren’t they here already?

Her mind raced, her face tightening.

Unless…? Her teeth dug into her lip.

At the sound of footsteps, her stomach dropped—too light to be Kangxi’s.

Sure enough, it was Liang Jiugong, Kangxi’s right-hand eunuch.

Liang Jiugong speaking was as good as Kangxi speaking.

Consort Ping could freely vent her anger on these people, but she had to tread carefully when facing Liang Jiugong.

As someone who frequently served by Kangxi's side, if he were to say unfavorable things about her at some delicate moment, it could spell trouble.

Liang Jiugong arrived with a smile, appearing unruffled by the scene, and performed a practiced bow first.

This time, Consort Ping didn’t feign ignorance. With a smile on her face, she spoke warmly, "No need for such ceremony, Liang Jiugong. Please rise quickly."

Then she brought up the matter she cared about most: "After I changed my clothes and returned, these servants tried to send me away. How could I simply go back like this?

It would show disrespect to His Majesty not to take my leave personally. Otherwise, I would feel uneasy. Don’t you agree, Liang Jiugong?"

Consort Ping sat firmly, making no move to leave.

Her words, spoken and unspoken, made it clear that she would only return after seeing Kangxi.

She spun her insistence cleverly, framing her demand to see Kangxi as a matter of respect—claiming that failing to personally bid farewell to the Emperor would be improper.

Liang Jiugong detected the pressure in her words, but his expression remained as respectful and cheerful as when he arrived. He bowed his head and replied,

"Consort Ping is most considerate. However, it’s late at night, and His Majesty has already retired. Thus, he sent this servant to escort you back."

After speaking, Liang Jiugong stepped aside and gestured for her to leave.

Hearing that Kangxi had already retired, Consort Ping narrowed her eyes at Liang Jiugong but did not respond immediately.

The silence stretched, thickening the tension, carrying an inexplicable weight.

The kneeling servants ducked their heads lower.

Under Consort Ping’s somewhat hostile gaze, Liang Jiugong remained composed, maintaining his deferential posture and the same polite, practiced smile.

Consort Ping, observing the unshakable old fox Liang Jiugong, felt a flicker of irritation.

Having served in the palace for many years, Liang Jiugong was not easily intimidated—a wily adversary. Yet, she couldn’t openly confront him now.

After all, Liang Jiugong had stated that Kangxi had ordered him to escort her back. If she caused a stir, it would imply dissatisfaction with Kangxi’s decision, which would do her no good.

Consort Ping calmly assessed the situation.

Liang Jiugong was Kangxi’s personal chief eunuch. Sending him to escort her was already a mark of respect. Pressing further would only embarrass her.

Once she grasped this, Consort Ping chose to back down gracefully.

With a smile, she spoke again, her tone now devoid of its earlier edge,

"If His Majesty has already retired, then I shall not disturb his rest. I’ll trouble you to see me back, Liang Jiugong."

As she spoke, she placed her hand on a maid’s arm and rose, finally willing to leave.

Though Consort Ping spoke politely, Liang Jiugong wouldn’t presume to take her words literally. "It is my duty, Your Highness. This way, please."

He couldn’t possibly accept her thanks for his "trouble."

Consort Ping said nothing more and walked ahead, flanked by her attendants as they departed.

Liang Jiugong indeed accompanied her all the way back to her palace, accepting the expected gratuity before taking his leave.

Soon after, the other concubines in the rear palace learned that Consort Ping had gone to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and actually met the Emperor.

Although she did not stay overnight in the Qianqing Palace, she accompanied His Majesty for dinner and even changed into a new set of clothes when she returned.

It was not the same outfit she had worn when she went there during the day.

Those with reliable information knew that the palace maid who accompanied Consort Ping had returned once to fetch the clothes.

These were precisely the ones she wore on her way back!

Not to mention, it was Liang Jiugong, who was close to the Emperor, who personally escorted Consort Ping back!

All these signs indicated that they had been trying their best to catch the Emperor's attention, to make him remember them.

Those who had been so anxious about the list of attendants, unable to eat or sleep well, still had no certainty.

But today, it seemed Consort Ping had a good chance.

At this critical moment, she managed to see the Emperor!

It was truly infuriating.

When the Noble Consort received the news, her expression was far from pleasant; clearly, it was not good news for her.

When Consort Ping chose not to visit her, the Noble Consort was glad out of sight, out of mind. If Consort Ping really had such disdain and didn't come to her, she wouldn't force it, thus avoiding dealing with her.

After all, it wasn't necessary for Consort Ping to be on the list of attendants, was it?

She wasn't the mother of a prince, and with her attitude, there was no compelling reason for her to be included.

The Noble Consort had already decided to add Concubine Qing to the list of attendants. Among those without princes, this newcomer would stand out more easily.

With Consort Ping out of the picture, her half-sister could finally seize this opportunity to make an appearance.

Had Consort Ping not made such a splash upon entering the palace, overshadowing all the newcomers, the Imperial Noble Consort wouldn’t have had to bend over backwards to scheme for Noble Lady Qing now.

By leaving Consort Ping behind in the palace this time, Noble Lady Qing could also grab this chance to step into the spotlight.

After all, compared to Consort Ping, the daughters of the Tong family had been way too under the radar, almost as if they had been overshadowed. This time, the Imperial Noble Consort was determined to put Consort Ping in her place.

Yet Consort Ping, just to rub it in, went straight to the Hall of Heavenly Purity today to curry favor—and actually managed to see the Emperor.

At present, all the concubines sending soups and delicacies in hopes of an audience were doing so for the sake of the accompanying list.

Consort Ping’s visit today was also about the accompanying list. Why else would she go at this exact moment if not to use some excuse to push for her inclusion?

And yet, against everyone's expectations, she still managed to see the Emperor.

First there was the shared meal, then the wardrobe change, and to top it off, Liang Jiugong himself escorted her back—

Now, the Imperial Noble Consort’s original plans had been thrown completely off course, forcing her to make adjustments.