Chapter 21: The Rising Bright Moon

Chapter 21: The Rising Bright Moon

On the Eve of Regaining Favor

Three days before the Dragon Boat Festival.

Yu Ying brought the completely dried kite back from outside, quickly assembling the frame and tying the kite string. Just as she was about to enter the room to give the kite to her mistress, she happened to see Ling Xiao walking out of the inner chamber, hurrying away.

Knowing the day had come, she quickly stepped into the inner chamber, her eyes shining, and said with a smile, "Mistress, is the time right?"

Su Jiaojiao smiled faintly and nodded, looking towards the direction outside the palace, saying softly, "Yes, it's today."

The day after tomorrow would be the Dragon Boat Festival.

According to the usual palace rules, at dawn, the Emperor and Empress would go together to the Tianji Mountain in the outskirts of the capital to worship the gods and ancestors, offering wine made from calamus.

After the Emperor and Empress returned to the palace, the dragon boat race on the Taiye Lake would commence, with the top three winners receiving special favors from the Emperor. In the evening, a grand state banquet would be held at the Jiuzhou Qingyan, attended by the royal family and court officials of the fourth rank and above to celebrate the festival.

On this day every year, the rear palace was heavily guarded, with the imperial guards clearing the palace paths to prevent contact between external officials and the imperial concubines.

Only the principal concubines could attend events like the dragon boat race and the state banquet.

Su Jiaojiao, being only a Beauty, had no part in such festivities.

She chose this day for two reasons: first, because the concubines would be flying kites in the palace these days, making her actions seem reasonable; second, because every year on the Dragon Boat Festival, the Emperor would rest with the Empress, and it was possible the Empress might use the occasion to promote other concubines.

Since she wanted to draw the Emperor's attention back to her, it was better to act sooner rather than later.

The mistress and her servants gathered their things and stood up to leave. Before they went out, Su Jiaojiao asked again, "Was it smooth when you went to report back to the Empress?"

Yu Ying nodded, "When I went, the Empress was extremely busy with the state banquet for the Dragon Boat Festival. Upon hearing you wanted to report back, she quickly allowed me to leave."

In the palace, the Empress's main concern was always Noble Consort Wang. Although Consort Mi was also pregnant, the child's gender was still unknown, and she was not as formidable as Noble Consort Wang, who had been at odds with the Empress for a long time and was pregnant with the eldest prince.

If Consort Mi's faction grew strong enough to rival Noble Consort Wang, no matter who gained favor, as long as it wasn't excessive, the Empress would only watch from the sidelines.

Moreover, during the incident with Lady Ji, although the Empress also wanted to drag Su Jiaojiao into it, Su Jiaojiao's favor only lasted for two or three days before fading. Now, Beauty Zhong and Talented Lady Xiao were the rising stars, and Su Jiaojiao's brief moment of threat could obviously be ignored.

After all, she had been silent for over half a month, and who knew if the Emperor would even remember her. The Empress, who knew the Emperor's fickleness best, made the reporting back particularly easy.

In the Imperial Garden.

Approaching early summer, the midday air carried a hint of heat. The Imperial Garden was exquisitely beautiful, filled with clusters of flowers. Concubines and palace servants bustled about, flying kites.

Su Jiaojiao looked from afar and saw that many shared her same thoughts.

The Dragon Boat Festival was a perfect occasion for flying kites. Many had made various delicate and splendid kites, brightly colored and particularly eye-catching in the sky.

To put it bluntly, not many people truly loved flying kites, especially not enough to come all the way to the Imperial Garden to do so. It was because the Imperial Garden was closest to the Emperor, making it easier to be seen and harder to be criticized.

Su Jiaojiao held a light green parasol and gracefully entered the Imperial Garden from one side.

As soon as she entered, she saw a woman in a light pink palace dress kneeling in the pavilion ahead, and standing in front of her was another woman.

The standing woman had sharp features and a face full of anger.

It was Zhu Chongyi and Talented Lady Xiao in a dispute.

Zhu Chongyi knelt on the ground, her cheeks swollen and red, clearly having been slapped hard. She was petite and delicate, her tearful appearance looking pitiful.

Seeing this, Su Jiaojiao paused in her steps and stopped in place.

Yu Ying whispered, "Mistress, aren't we leaving?"

"No rush," Su Jiaojiao said calmly, "Let's watch the show."

Today, the Imperial Garden was bustling with people, and their every move in the pavilion was particularly eye-catching. In just a short while, many people had already turned their gaze in this direction.

Ever since the first meeting with Talented Lady Xiao at the Crimson Cloud Palace, it was known that she was arrogant and foolish, and now this encounter only confirmed it.

In the palace, only those of higher rank could punish lower-ranking concubines. Acting privately was a violation of palace rules.

Today, Talented Lady Xiao, relying on her slight favor, disregarded Zhu Chongyi, who was of lower rank, and even made her kneel in punishment, which was already a major taboo. Her actions were undoubtedly a slap in the face to all the higher-ranking ladies. If word got out, the accusation of overstepping her authority would surely be confirmed.

In the pavilion, Zhu Chongyi was sobbing pitifully, overwhelmed with grievance.

Seeing her weak and easy-to-bully demeanor, Talented Lady Xiao became even more arrogant. She slightly raised her chin and sneered, "Cry, cry, all you know is crying! What do you have to cry about?! Such a petty person! If you hadn't ruined my kite, I wouldn't be so angry!"

Zhu Chongyi, with red eyes, shook her head, tears streaming down like broken beads, and choked out, "I didn't mean to... The kite string just got tangled in the air by accident, I didn't mean it..."

"Didn't mean it?" Talented Lady Xiao frowned, even more annoyed, "Whether you meant it or not, my kite was ruined by you! Now that the Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, how can I have time to make another one! You've ruined everything for me!"

Recently, the Emperor has been favoring Beauty Zhong and Talented Lady Xiao more, but whether in initial rank or the Emperor's favor, Beauty Zhong has always been a step above her.

Although their looks and family backgrounds are similar, she has always been inferior, which is unbearable for someone as proud as her! Especially since there is also a Beauty Lian in the palace, whose family background is even worse than hers, yet her rank is half a level higher than Beauty Zhong, which makes her seethe with anger every time she thinks about it.

Fortunately, Beauty Lian has been on leave for a long time, so she temporarily has one less competitor, which is why she wanted to use the Dragon Boat Festival to compete for favor.

Who knew that many others had the same idea, and her kite got tangled with Zhu Chongyi's as soon as it was flown.

Talented Lady Xiao was anxious and pulled hard a few times, but the kite string broke, and the kite fell straight to the ground, its frame twisted and broken, rendering it unusable.

This was something she had prepared to win favor, but it was ruined by such a lowly person, how could she not be angry!

Faced with Talented Lady Xiao's questioning, Zhu Chongyi had nothing to say except cry.

But she was truly wronged. It was clearly the wind's fault, yet she had to suffer such great humiliation.

On the Dragon Boat Festival, with so many people in the Imperial Garden, they were clearly from the same batch of trained concubines, yet Talented Lady Xiao was so domineering, not leaving any face at all.

Kites can get tangled in the air, if she could control it, she wouldn't want to have any involvement with Talented Lady Xiao.

She only hated that her rank was not high, her voice was weak, and her family background was far inferior, so she could only swallow this humiliation.

Seeing her mistress being bullied, Zhu Chongyi's personal maid, Cui Mei, couldn't hold back anymore and spoke up, "Mistress Xiao, even if my mistress was at fault, she has already apologized to you, why must it be like this? Moreover, you are not a higher-ranking lady, according to palace rules, you have no right to make my mistress kneel..."

Before she could finish, there was a loud "slap!" and Cui Mei's face was struck hard, immediately leaving a clear red handprint.

Talented Lady Xiao's personal maid, Lan Ruo, looked at her disdainfully, with a mocking smile, "What are you, to dare lecture my mistress? Why don't you look in the mirror and see how much you're worth!"

Watching the scene up to this point, Su Jiaojiao finally moved.

She walked gracefully, pretending to be surprised as she looked at Zhu Chongyi kneeling on the ground, her brows slightly furrowed, appearing very concerned, "Is this... Zhu Chongyi? What's going on, why are you kneeling here?"

After saying this, Su Jiaojiao glanced at Talented Lady Xiao with a calm expression and said no more.

Su Jiaojiao is a sixth-rank Beauty, while Talented Lady Xiao is a sixth-rank Talented Lady.

Although only one rank apart, the palace hierarchy is strict, and one rank can determine superiority. Therefore, Talented Lady Xiao must still bow and greet Su Jiaojiao.

Talented Lady Xiao's arrogance and arbitrary punishment of low-ranking palace concubines were truly unpleasant to witness. But now, can she still be so arrogant?

Indeed, upon seeing Su Jiaojiao, Talented Lady Xiao's demeanor immediately changed, her face turning extremely unpleasant.

She stared at Su Jiaojiao for a long while, standing straight, unwilling to bow to her. In Talented Lady Xiao's eyes, Su Jiaojiao was merely a pawn with a lesser family background, who could only rise through the influence of her cousin Consort Mi, and thus unworthy of her bow.

However, the reality was harsh. No matter how unwilling she was, she could not change the fact that Su Jiaojiao held a higher status than her.

Su Jiaojiao did not rush her, instead looking at her with a gentle and soft expression, waiting quietly.

Talented Lady Xiao clenched her teeth and stared back at her. Yet, for some reason, Su Jiaojiao's seemingly soft and non-aggressive demeanor, even overly gentle, inexplicably made her uneasy and somewhat fearful.

Her personal maid, Lan Xin, subtly glanced at Talented Lady Xiao and slightly shook her head. Talented Lady Xiao understood her meaning that it was not wise to provoke Su Jiaojiao, so she stiffly bent her knees and bowed, saying, "This concubine... pays respects to Lady Su."

Although many had bowed to Su Jiaojiao before, none had made her feel as satisfied as Talented Lady Xiao's bow today.

Making someone who disliked her bow unwillingly was truly amusing—

Su Jiaojiao smiled brightly, outshining all flowers, her voice melodious, "Talented Lady Xiao, there's no need for such formality."

She turned to Zhu Chongyi, who was still kneeling on the ground, subtly doing her a favor, and said gently, "Zhu Chongyi, you may rise as well."

Zhu Chongyi looked at Su Jiaojiao with tearful eyes, feeling immensely grateful, and was helped up by Cui Mei.

Talented Lady Xiao watched as Zhu Chongyi stood up, unable to do anything, and her anger surged, "Zhu Chongyi has offended me, how can she be let off so easily?"

Su Jiaojiao sighed softly, looking at Talented Lady Xiao, and said in a low voice, "Talented Lady Xiao, have you forgotten Consort Mi's teachings?"

"The imperial garden is crowded, and it won't be long before your disregard for palace rules in punishing Zhu Chongyi spreads throughout the palace. Since you are Consort Mi's person, you are one with her. If today's incident reaches the Emperor's ears, what do you think Consort Mi will think?"

Su Jiaojiao's eyes were clear and gentle, extremely sincere, "You think I'm helping Zhu Chongyi, but in reality, I'm helping you. Let's let today's matter rest."

Su Jiaojiao's words were orderly, showing concern for her at every turn. Talented Lady Xiao knew she was in the wrong, her face alternating between green and white.

But she was always proud and could not possibly accept Su Jiaojiao's favor, coldly saying, "My affairs are none of your concern!"

With that, Talented Lady Xiao left with her entourage, leaving Su Jiaojiao and Zhu Chongyi alone in the pavilion.

Su Jiaojiao sighed softly, looking at Zhu Chongyi, and said, "You've been kneeling for so long, go back to your palace and get some ointment from the imperial physician to apply."

Her voice was gentle, carrying an indescribable fragility, softly advising, "Last time when I was punished by Min Chongyi to kneel, I felt just as wronged as you do now, so I understand you."

Zhu Chongyi's eyes immediately reddened, "Thank you, Lady Su, for your intervention. I will never forget today's kindness."

Su Jiaojiao nodded with relief, saying, "If the ointment from the imperial physician is not good, I have some here that I can send to you."

Cui Mei helped her stand up, and Zhu Chongyi, with red eyes, shook her head, saying tearfully, "The prescription for promoting blood circulation and removing stasis is not hard to find, but few know that the crushed Long Qian grass from ordinary flower beds works best. If the imperial physician looks down on me, I will find some myself, and I'll be fully recovered in a few days."

With that, she bid farewell to Su Jiaojiao, and with her maid, limped away.

Su Jiaojiao watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.

Zhu Chongyi's family background was that of a fifth-rank lower official's daughter, how could she know about medicine?

The only close palace concubine she had in the palace was Lady Ji, who had already fallen out of favor. Could it be...

Su Jiaojiao suppressed her thoughts and walked deeper into the imperial garden.

This unexpected discovery was indeed an additional gain.

With the help of Yu Ying and Yu Ye, Su Jiaojiao's kite successfully soared into the sky.

Amidst the tugging and releasing, the bright moon kite flew higher and higher, standing out among the myriad of colorful and flamboyant kites with its unique simplicity.

To make it more noticeable, Su Jiaojiao intentionally deepened the aqua green base and outlined the moon's contour with fine lines, all these clever designs were a gamble for today.

In the Tai Chi Hall.

Shen Huai finished reviewing the last memorial, his expression indifferent as he sipped half a cup of strong tea.

As the Dragon Boat Festival approached, the court affairs became increasingly busy, causing headaches.

Cai Shan quietly stepped forward, presenting him with a new cup of tea, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty has been busy all day. If you are in the mood, it would be good to go out for a stroll."

He bowed and removed the teacup, speaking naturally, "This servant just came in from outside and saw a sea of kites flying in the rear palace, vivid and dazzling. The Tai Chi Hall's high vantage point offers the clearest view, and this servant is fortunate to share in Your Majesty's glory."

Shen Huai glanced at him lightly, his index finger tapping the table a few times.

Not long after, he stood up and said, "Let's go take a look."

The Tai Chi Hall's elevated position allowed one to overlook a vast expanse of the rear palace from the white jade railing.

At the end of spring and the beginning of summer, the vegetation was lush.

The palace was adorned with blooming flowers everywhere, a sight to behold.

With the festival approaching, kites of various colors were flying all over the palace, creating a unique scenery.

Among them, the Imperial Garden, closest to the Tai Chi Hall, had the densest concentration of kites.

Shen Huai casually looked over and immediately spotted the bright crescent moon kite flying high above.