Chapter 45: Intercepting Imperial Favor

Chapter 45: Intercepting Imperial Favor

Resuming Duties

Lady Ji's face suddenly paled, her charming appearance turning ashen. She stared at Zhu Baolin in disbelief, who was speaking to the Emperor with her usual composure, and suddenly felt as if she had never truly known the true Zhu Wenrui.

Although she had never truly considered Zhu Wenrui as a close friend, and had always looked down on her ordinary appearance and her status as a concubine's daughter, only pretending to be friendly, the Zhu Wenrui she once knew was quiet, soft-spoken, and meekly trailed after her, clearly a simple, unassuming woman from a modest background.

But now, seeing her so cunning and skilled in social maneuvering, she seemed like a different person altogether from the Zhu Wenrui she remembered.

She had finally gotten the chance to appear before the Emperor, only for Zhu Baolin to deliberately bring up the incident where she had been poisoned and lost her composure in front of the Emperor, clearly intent on preventing her from gaining favor, unable to stand seeing her succeed.

Lady Ji had never imagined that Zhu Baolin wasn’t just unwilling to guide her; she was deliberately trying to prevent her from gaining favor!

She sneered inwardly, fine—

So this is the kind of person Zhu Wenrui really is. In that case, don’t blame her for severing their past ties and showing no leniency!

Before the Emperor could speak, Lady Ji curtsied and said in a sorrowful, humble tone, "I have always been sincere and open in my dealings with others, which is why I was poisoned at the Spring Banquet and lost my composure in front of Your Majesty. Fortunately, I have now fully recovered, and it is my great fortune to once again behold Your Majesty’s divine presence."

Shen Huai gave her an indifferent glance, and the mention of the Spring Banquet jogged a faint memory.

That day, it seemed she had been poisoned and was itching all over, losing her composure before him. Later, he had dealt with Miaoyu to resolve the matter and hadn’t seen her since.

With the busy affairs of the court and the fact that there were over twenty newly entered palace concubines, it was normal not to remember someone he had only visited a couple of times.

She was indeed charming, with fair skin and a voluptuous figure, exactly the type he might have taken a fleeting interest in before.

But—

With so many beauties in the palace, it was her losing her composure before him that he remembered, which didn’t pique his interest.

Shen Huai nodded and said casually, "Rise, there’s no need for such formality."

"Zhu Baolin is pregnant and finds it difficult to move around. Occasional visits are enough; there’s no need to disturb her every day."

The implication of these words was all too clear. Zhu Baolin smiled smugly and said to Ji Miaoyi, "Sister Ji, this is your first time here. In the future, you will surely follow His Majesty’s advice and let me rest well for the pregnancy."

Ji Miaoyi’s body swayed slightly, but she managed to maintain her composure and said, "Yes, I understand."

Meanwhile, in Tongxin Hall.

Yu Gui Pin was standing by the window with a pair of golden scissors, trimming a pot of orchids. Her brows were slightly lowered, and then she coldly raised her eyes to look in the direction of Huizhu Hall, her expression icy.

Lü Wan, knowing her mistress was in a bad mood, approached with a cup of clear tea and tentatively whispered, "Madame, Zhu Baolin is pregnant. Surely His Majesty will want to see her first before coming to Tongxin Hall. Please wait a little longer and have some tea to soothe your nerves."

Yu Gui Pin said coldly, "When I was under house arrest, His Majesty didn’t come, and I could console myself by saying it was against the rules. But today is the day my house arrest is lifted. His Majesty has come to Yong’an Palace, but he went to the side chamber instead of the main hall. Doesn’t His Majesty understand the hierarchy of status?"

"Snap!"

With a sharp sound, the orchid was cut off by her forceful hand.

The elegant, pure flower branch fell onto the table with a thud, and she clenched it tightly in her hand, crushing it to pieces.

How could she swallow her pride when even a mere Baolin could step over her!

What has happened to the Emperor, treating her so coldly!

Yu Gui Pin grew more resentful the more she thought about it, her eyes involuntarily reddening, and her cold, hard voice trembled slightly, "Why, why is this happening!"

She slammed the golden scissors down hard on the table, which bounced off the jade vase shaped like a lamb fetus and struck her left hand. The sharp blade immediately left a long bloody gash on her hand.

Bright red blood dripped from her pale hand, pooling and spreading across the dark cloud wood table.

Lü Wan was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to hold her hand, exclaiming, "Your Highness! Your hand!"

Lady Yu, seemingly indifferent to the pain, fiercely pulled her hand back and coldly said, "Go and summon His Majesty, tell him that I am unwell and have injured my hand, and ask him to come and see me."

Seeing the expression on her mistress's face, Lü Wan was momentarily stunned, then immediately bowed her head and said, "Yes, I will go immediately."

In the Painting Bamboo Pavilion, Zhu Baolin and Shen Huai were chatting and laughing.

The palace servant at the door tried to stop her, "His Majesty is here, you cannot barge in!"

"Move aside!" Lü Wan ignored the servant's obstruction and pushed her way in, curtsied, and said, "Your Majesty, Lady Yu is unwell and has just injured her hand. Please go see her!"

With tears in her eyes, she knelt and prostrated herself, saying, "Her Highness hasn’t left the palace for a month and has been in poor spirits. Your Majesty, I beg you to remember she’s new to the palace and your past friendship, and go see her."

Lü Wan spoke with deep emotion and great sorrow. Shen Huai glanced at her, his expression complex and inscrutable.

After a while, he finally said, "Hmm, I see."

He stood up casually and said indifferently, "Lady Yu has just been released from house arrest and is new to the palace. I will go see Lady Yu, you should rest early."

Such a public snub was clearly a slight against her!

Zhu Baolin's face changed, and she looked up at His Majesty.

Her chance was ruined, and Lady Ji was also annoyed. But she knew she could not stop His Majesty at this moment, so she swallowed her resentment and said, "This humble one respectfully bids farewell to Your Majesty."

Shen Huai stepped out first, and Lü Wan, knowing she had succeeded, immediately smiled with joy, gathered her skirt, and followed him into the Harmony Hall.

In the inner chamber.

Lady Yu lay quietly on the chaise lounge, her eyes closed, her brows slightly furrowed, as if troubled by something in her dream.

Looking down, her fair hand was hastily wrapped with a silk handkerchief, the bright red bloodstains clearly showing. Blood seeped out from the edges of the handkerchief, dripping down her slender fingertips, "drip," "drip," one drop after another.

Shen Huai frowned and said in a deep voice, "How did you let Lady Yu’s hand get injured like this?"

Lü Wan lowered her head and said with a sob, "Your Majesty, Her Highness was too grief-stricken to let us bandage her. We truly could not persuade her..."

As she spoke, Lady Yu on the chaise lounge seemed to be awakened by the voices and slowly opened her eyes.

Her long lashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze cold and lifeless.

After a moment, she turned her head to look at Shen Huai standing beside her, and in the blink of an eye, tears rolled down.

"Cousin?"

Lady Yu was momentarily stunned, then joyfully propped herself up on one side of the chaise lounge, threw herself into Shen Huai's arms, crying like a delicate flower, "Cousin, I thought you wouldn’t come, I thought you hated me, that we would never see each other again in this lifetime..."

Shen Huai was silent for a while, then raised his hand to pat her back, saying gently, "How could that be."

"I have always treated you as a sister, how could I abandon you?"

He glanced back, "Call the imperial physician immediately."

"Yes!"

Consort Yu Gui clung to Shen Huai's waist, unwilling to let go, her voice trembling as she sobbed, "If that’s the case, why did you leave me in confinement for a month without visiting even once? When I first entered the palace, I was so lost and helpless, with no one to turn to. Every night, when I woke from my dreams, I would think of the days when you carried me back to the palace as a child. You don’t know... those memories were the only thing that kept me going."

"I really missed you..."

Shen Huai comforted her, his voice calm, "You stirred up trouble as soon as you entered the palace. If I visited you often, how could I maintain authority?"

"Now, neither of us is who we used to be. Many things cannot be done just as we please."

Consort Yu Gui pursed her red lips, her eyes slightly reddened, "I understand where I went wrong."

Shen Huai subtly removed her hand and had her sit down, then asked, "Does your hand hurt?"

Hearing her cousin's concern, Consort Yu Gui's heart finally warmed, and her voice carried a hint of grievance, "It hurts..."

"If it hurts, take better care next time," Shen Huai said unhurriedly, "I’m swamped with state affairs and can’t visit you often. As the lady of this palace, you need to learn how to manage your subordinates and get along with other concubines. If you keep causing dissatisfaction, even if I want to protect you, I can’t."

Consort Yu Gui nodded, her lashes lowered as she said, "My father warned me early on that life in the harem is not easy, and my temperament is a bit spoiled, so I might not adapt well. But I always thought that with you here, I could live happily."

"Was I too naive?" She looked up at Shen Huai with a smile, tears unconsciously falling from her eyes, "I will learn to be a good concubine. Can you not treat me the same as everyone else?"

Shen Huai lowered his gaze and said softly, "You are naturally different from others."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lü Wan entered and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Yu Gui, the court physician has arrived."

"Let him in."

After the physician entered, Lü Wan brought in a tray and placed two cups of tea on the table, "Your Majesty, Consort Yu Gui, please have some tea."

Consort Yu Gui extended her hand, allowing the physician to clean and bandage the wound, while nervously watching Shen Huai, afraid he would leave again.

She said softly, "Cousin, why not stay at the Tongxin Hall for dinner? The kitchen in Yong’an Palace has the chef you assigned, and you haven’t tried it yet."

Shen Huai glanced at her, his expression somewhat inscrutable.

After a while, he said, "Alright."

"Then I’ll have the kitchen prepare immediately." Consort Yu Gui was instantly delighted and instructed Lü Wan, "Tonight’s dinner must be carefully prepared. His Majesty loves Yurong Pastries, so don’t forget."

At the mention of Yurong Pastries, Shen Huai paused slightly while drinking his tea, as if recalling something, a flicker of mockery briefly crossed his eyes before returning to normal.

The Pixiang Hall.

The attendant who came in relayed the news of His Majesty staying at the Tongxin Hall for dinner and Consort Yu Gui openly intercepting favor, reporting everything in detail to Su Jiaojiao, also mentioning that the Tongxin Hall had summoned the court physician.

Hearing this, Su Jiaojiao smiled softly, but there was no warmth in her eyes, "Today’s Yong’an Palace has been quite eventful."

"Yu Ying," Su Jiaojiao said with a faint smile, "After dinner, go and report back to the Empress to end your leave. I doubt she’ll say much."