Chapter 259

Chapter 259

"Truly pitiful, one after another, they all fall ill at such a critical moment." Consort Xian’s face was tinged with a hint of regret, but her eyes betrayed a mocking glint as she spoke insincerely.

She would not have been so overt if she were not wary of giving others a handle to criticize her.

Even this restrained statement carried weight.

But even so, those who heard it understood the underlying message.

"Ladies, you must take good care of yourselves and not neglect your health."

Consort Xian addressed the gathered concubines with feigned concern, her words laden with hidden meaning. She was clearly criticizing those absent, of whom there were only a few, easily countable on one hand.

Almost everyone who could be present was here, except for those genuinely ill and unable to attend, and Consort Yi, whose recent closeness to someone else kept her away. The rest had shown up, giving her face.

Though Consort Hui was preoccupied with her own matters and somewhat distracted, she managed to interject occasionally, maintaining a good facade.

Compared to Consort Xian, Consort Hui appeared more composed and in control.

Primarily, Consort Xian, feeling aggrieved, could not sit idle; otherwise, her pent-up anger would have nowhere to vent, leading her to gather this large group.

There was also an intention to prevent others from visiting the sick, much like how she treated Noble Consort Rong.

As if this would make the other party feel uncomfortable.

Except for Consort Yi, who could afford to ignore Consort Xian, the others had no choice but to attend.

Upon hearing Consort Xian’s ostensibly caring yet veiled criticism, they all thanked her with expressions and words of gratitude, pretending not to understand the deeper implications.

Those who are skilled at stirring up trouble are basically not in this group.

Not particularly quiet or reserved, but rather diplomatic—meaning they understand how to navigate situations and avoid provoking conflicts, often staying inconspicuous in daily affairs.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been chosen by the Imperial Noble Consort.

These were all carefully selected to serve as foils for Noble Lady Qing, making sure she appeared competent—not exceptional, but better than most.

Otherwise, if another attention-seeker emerged, all that careful effort would be wasted.

Noble Lady Qing’s previous performance had left the Imperial Noble Consort less than pleased.

Who would’ve thought she’d be so underwhelming, overshadowed by Consort Ping—making the Imperial Noble Consort intervene. While dissatisfied with Noble Lady Qing’s mediocre performance, the Imperial Noble Consort’s attitude toward her still carried a hint of leniency, as could be discerned from her demeanor.

Had Noble Lady Qing entered the palace and immediately caught the Emperor’s eye without relying on the Imperial Noble Consort, outperforming all the other newcomers, the Imperial Noble Consort’s attitude might have been quite different.

As for the other junior concubines accompanying the entourage, the Imperial Noble Consort had also picked those who were usually unobtrusive—tactful and good at reading the room.

Those who were troublesome, no matter how charming, were all excluded early on by the Imperial Noble Consort.

Among those selected for the trip, aside from the tactful and compliant, some had fathers or brothers serving under the Tong family.

With all their fortunes tied to the Tong family, they naturally wouldn’t dare overshadow Noble Lady Qing—even assisting her when necessary.

The Imperial Noble Consort had indeed left no stone unturned to smooth the path.

After making her displeasure known, directly and indirectly, for a while, Consort Xian seemed to finally notice, pretending to only just realize, "Ah, I hadn’t realized earlier, but it seems one of the ladies is absent—or perhaps my memory fails me."

At this point, someone was bound to answer Consort Xian’s remark.

This was clearly a rhetorical question, as Consort Xian knew full well. If she had genuinely forgotten or not cared, she wouldn’t have said someone was missing—she simply wouldn’t have noticed who was absent at all.

She just hadn’t voiced it immediately, and the reason she didn’t lash out right away was because this particular person was someone Consort Xian had some reservations about. Otherwise, if it had been anyone else, she would have seized the opportunity to vent her anger from the very beginning.

The concubines present acted as though they’d only just noticed the absence. "It seems Noble Lady Qing isn’t here. Noble Lady Liu lives close to Noble Lady Qing—perhaps she knows why Noble Lady Qing was delayed by some urgent matter."

Someone had to speak up, and once they did, they had to deflect the blame to avoid Consort Xian turning her displeasure on them instead.

They weren’t as fortunate as Noble Lady Qing, who had someone powerful backing her. No matter how displeased Consort Xian might be, she wouldn’t go too far with Noble Lady Qing. But for those of lower status and influence, it was a different story.

Noble Lady Liu had traveled alongside Noble Lady Qing during the journey, and because they had gotten along fairly well, they had been settled in nearby quarters. Noble Lady Liu had hoped to foster a closer relationship with Noble Lady Qing.

Consort Xian’s gaze turned to her, clearly expecting her, as the one living nearby, to provide an explanation.

Noble Lady Liu cursed her luck inwardly—just her misfortune to be dragged into this now. Outwardly, she remained deferential.

"Your Highness, this humble concubine isn’t certain either. I assumed Noble Lady Qing had already arrived. Perhaps she was held up by some pressing matter."

Consort Xian’s eyes flashed with displeasure. What urgent matter could Noble Lady Qing possibly have? How dare a mere Noble Lady follow Consort Yi’s example and slight her like this? Without the Imperial Noble Consort’s backing, would she even dare to skip this gathering?

"Oh, Noble Lady Qing? There’s nothing particularly important happening here today. I merely wished to chat with all my sisters. If Noble Lady Qing is occupied, it’s no trouble at all—I wouldn’t want to inconvenience her."

Her words oozed sarcasm. Noble Lady Qing’s absence had wounded Consort Xian’s pride, and she was making her displeasure known.

This was treacherous ground to tread—any response could easily offend someone.

Some concubines ducked their heads even lower, unsure how to react.

To agree with Consort Xian would be to slight Noble Lady Qing, but to disagree would risk angering Consort Xian. Neither choice boded well for them.

They wouldn’t dare parrot Consort Xian’s words, even if it pleased her, because Noble Lady Qing had the Imperial Noble Consort’s backing. Consort Xian might walk away unscathed, but they wouldn’t be so lucky.

Their stammering silence stoked Consort Xian’s irritation further. She relished baiting others into speaking, using veiled, biting remarks to avoid being the outright villain.

"My, what’s this? Cat got your tongues?"

Consort Hui, seeing how far Consort Xian was pushing things, decided to step in before the situation became even more of a spectacle. It was undignified for a Consort to harp on a Noble Lady like this.

"Look at you, frightening all our sisters like this. It’s just one person missing—hardly worth making a scene over," Consort Hui said lightly, lightening the tense mood.

The concubines breathed silent sighs of relief that Consort Hui was so reasonable—otherwise, they wouldn’t have known what to do.

Consort Xian, however, saw right through Consort Hui’s act. She was always casting herself as the saint, leaving others to take the blame.

At least with Consort Yi, what you saw was what you got, and even Consort Ping’s grandstanding was preferable to Consort Hui’s pretenses. Among the Four Imperial Consorts, Consort Hui was the most adept at wearing a mask.

With a single remark, she painted Consort Xian as the villain.

If not for the fact that Consort Yi and Consort Ping had formed an alliance, forcing Consort Xian to maintain relations with Consort Hui for now, she’d have struck back then and there.

"Since you’ve said so, sister, let’s drop the matter. No need to spoil everyone’s mood," Consort Xian replied smoothly.

Calling her 'sister' was a deliberate jab. Previously, it had always been Consort Hui addressing Consort Xian and Consort Yi as "sister." Now the tables had turned, but Consort Hui always seemed to avoid addressing Consort Xian as "elder sister."

Unlike Consort Yi and Consort Xian, who quickly changed how they spoke without hesitation, Consort Hui dug in her heels on this matter.

As if doing so could somehow hide the subtle difference between them.

Consort Hui gave a tight-lipped smile without speaking, though her hands clenched slightly within her sleeves.

She barely gave Consort Xian a second thought—even that good-for-nothing Third Prince she bore paled in comparison to her own outstanding Eldest Prince. What was she thinking?

The gap between them was insurmountable; Consort Xian was no match for her. Let her enjoy her little moment.

With the imperial princes undergoing riding and archery examinations, Consort Xian still found time to call everyone together to gossip. Was she truly so confident in the Third Prince? Meanwhile, Consort Hui’s absent-mindedness betrayed her concern for the Eldest Prince.

Were it not for maintaining superficial harmony with Consort Xian, Consort Hui wouldn’t have bothered to witness her showing off her petty power.

And now, Consort Ping had suddenly come down with 'illness'—what a coincidence. Just moments ago at Consort Yi’s quarters, she had been all smiles and laughter, showing no signs of discomfort. Yet suddenly, she was puking her guts out from 'bad food'?

Could it be that the summer palace’s feng shui truly lacked the healthful energy of the Forbidden City? No sooner had they arrived than one after another fell ill.

——

Though cosmetics could sometimes create the illusion of illness, those women were sharks who could smell blood in the water. They would scrutinize her relentlessly—if her faking sick were exposed, the consequences would be dire.

Moreover, the imperial physicians could discern the truth at a glance.

Not that Consort Ping couldn’t claim vague ailments—aches here, pains there.

The physicians wouldn’t outright expose her, giving her placebo teas instead.

But that wasn’t what Consort Ping wanted.

She was ready to play hardball—risking hypothermia by soaking herself in icy water, inducing a genuine fever. Combined with deliberately lingering over greasy, congealed meals, she successfully made herself ill.

A fake sick-face paled in comparison to the real thing. Besides, Consort Ping also saw this as an opportunity to see how far she could push it.

The physicians came, but Consort Ping remained dissatisfied. At first, she said nothing, taking a few sips and dumping the rest.

Then, playing up her symptoms and leveraging genuine illness, she deliberately made things difficult for the physicians, her patience wearing thin with each passing moment.

The physicians were at their wits' end—Consort Ping’s condition wasn’t serious. By all logic, one dose should have brought at least some relief.

Yet instead of improving, she insinuated that their prescriptions were ineffective, demanding replacements.

Other physicians were consulted, new remedies devised, but nothing pleased her.

Though never stated outright, her Oscar-worthy performance made one thing clear—she wanted the imperial senior physicians summoned.