Chapter 102: Self-Inflicted Woe

Chapter 102: Reaping What One Sows

She was miserable, but Shu Jieyu and I were perfectly happy.

That afternoon, at Huaqili (the residence).

Concubine Lian sat on a soft couch in a light gauze palace dress, frowning at the maidservant fanning her. "Hurry up! Are you trying to roast me alive?"

The young maidservant was new to the summer retreat and had never served Concubine Lian before. Concubine Lian was extremely intolerant of heat—even when the room was already cool, she still felt sweltering. She insisted on daily ice deliveries, demanded the fans never stop, and even required two or three people to fan her while she slept, or else she couldn’t rest.

Especially since Concubine Lian only allowed female servants to fan her at night, barring eunuchs from her rooms after dark. But servants also needed sleep at night. If they had to fan their mistress, nearly half of Huaqili’s eight maidservants would be denied sleep each night. How could they work properly the next day if they were exhausted?

Fanning wasn’t physically strenuous, but standing by the ice basin for hours was a strain on the arms. Though Lvwan had arranged shifts for the maidservants, with duties spanning all twelve hours of the day and other chores in Huaqili, there simply weren’t enough hands.

But as servants, they had no right to complain about their mistress. No matter how hard or exhausting, they had to bite back their complaints.

The maid flinched and lowered her head, hurriedly replying, "Yes, I’ll speed up."

She quickly switched hands, clutching the fan with both hands to fan faster.

Concubine Lian lazily glanced at her, then sneered when she saw the servant using both hands. "Is the fan so heavy it takes both your hands?"

The servant froze for a moment, eyes widening in shock. When she realized what Concubine Lian meant, tears of frustration welled up in her eyes.

She bowed her head deeply, withdrawing one hand in panic, not daring to utter another word.

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps sounded from outside—many of them.

Concubine Lian raised her voice slightly. "Lvwan?"

At that moment, Lvwan entered from outside, fanning herself. "Baking outside. Your chambers are the coolest, Your Highness."

She stepped forward and curtsied. "Your Highness, didn’t you say earlier we were short on hands? I’ve just brought two more maids back. I was instructing them in the courtyard. With two more, the fan shifts will run smoother, and the others will have fewer complaints."

The summer retreat wasn’t like the palace, where everything was meticulously managed. Things moved slower here. Earlier, when she mentioned the shortage, she had considered asking the Emperor for two more maids. But even if she reported to him first, the order would take until tomorrow morning to be carried out. How had they arrived so quickly today?

"So soon?" Concubine Lian was surprised but didn’t dwell on it. She took a leisurely sip of tea and smirked. "Serving me is already a plum assignment. If they still dare to complain, I’ll ship them to the scullery."

Lvwan’s eyes darted away, but she didn’t elaborate. Instead, she smiled and agreed. "Indeed, Your Highness is favored, and His Majesty has always been lenient with you. If even our residence isn’t considered a good post, then those Imperial Consorts who rarely see His Majesty might as well be in exile. If the mistress can’t even take care of herself, how can the servants live well?"

After speaking, she curtsied again. "Your Highness, since we’ve just arrived at the summer retreat, there are still matters in Huaqili I must attend to. Please rest for now. I’ll return shortly."

Concubine Lian hummed in acknowledgment and stood. "I’ll take a short nap. Go handle your duties. The others can attend to me."

"Yes." Lvwan bowed and quietly exited the room, then sought out the two newly arrived maidservants, sizing them up.

She said coolly, "I don’t care who you served before. Now that you’re in Huaqili serving Concubine Lian, you must pull your weight. If I find out any of you are slacking, don’t blame me for being harsh."

With Shu Jieyu’s recent promotion, her retinue had expanded. These two maidservants had originally been assigned to serve her at the summer retreat and didn’t know her well.

Which mistress they served was never their choice.

But they had heard rumors—Concubine Lian was not an easy mistress to serve. Being forcibly taken here left them somewhat resentful.

Now that things had come to this, they had no choice but to accept their fate. The two maidservants exchanged a furtive glance before bowing their heads. "Yes, we will heed your instructions, Madam."

Lvwan gave them a satisfied look, assigned their tasks, then added, "Focus on your work. No idle chatter."

Once they left, a brown-nosing maid approached Lvwan, massaging her shoulders with a flattering smile. "Sister Lvwan is truly impressive, had those two whipped into shape quick. I could never compare to you."

Lvwan quite enjoyed being waited on with a smug look, saying, "Shu Jieyu is on good terms with Noble Consort Zhen, so Her Ladyship would never take kindly to Shu Jieyu. Besides, Her Ladyship is merely borrowing the servants temporarily, not outright snatching them away. We’ll send someone to inform His Majesty later and two more will be sent over tomorrow to make up for it. After all, it was Rou Xin’s idea that spared us from a shortage of hands, so Her Ladyship wouldn’t complain about the heat again tonight."

"You always think of Her Ladyship first, Sister Lvwan. No wonder she dotes on you."

Evening.

The sweltering heat of the day gradually faded, and a cool breeze rose in the evening, making the outdoors less stifling.

After dinner, Concubine Lian, with nothing else to occupy her, asked Lvwan to accompany her for a stroll.

Though she had previously entered the palace to accompany her aunt, this was her first visit to the summer retreat. Only Imperial Consorts with at least some favor could come here, making it an extraordinary privilege.

As someone personally chosen by her cousin, she naturally wanted to enjoy the picturesque beauty of this summer retreat.

Jushuang Pavilion and Huaqili were set at staggered angles, connected by a pebbled path, with a lotus pond to the left.

Huaqili was closest to the lotus pond and also near His Majesty’s Lingbo Songshuang. Since wandering near the imperial quarters was improper, they simply followed the pebbled path, walking leisurely under the willow trees’ shade.

As they passed Jushuang Pavilion, they seemed to spot a group approaching from afar, with Cai Shan at the head.

Eagle-eyed and sharp, Cai Shan also recognized Concubine Lian and led his entourage forward to bow. "This lowly servant pays respects to Her Ladyship Concubine Lian."

As the chief eunuch of the palace and one who always attended His Majesty, Concubine Lian treated the Grand Eunuch with great courtesy. She gave a faint smile and said, "There’s no need for such formalities, Grand Eunuch."

Shifting her gaze slightly, she noticed that behind Cai Shan, aside from a few accompanying junior eunuchs, there were also four palace servants in pale green skirts. She asked, "Where is the Grand Eunuch escorting these people?"

Cai Shan knew exactly what had happened—that His Majesty intended to use Shu Jieyu’s situation to remind Concubine Lian—so he replied smoothly, "By His Majesty’s grace, this servant was ordered to personally escort four palace servants to Jushuang Pavilion for Shu Jieyu’s use, along with a gift of freshly-tributed honey melons."

Concubine Lian’s brows immediately furrowed, her voice turning cold. "Why would His Majesty reward Shu Jieyu out of the blue?"

"Well..." Cai Shan hesitated for a moment, glancing at her attendant Lvwan. He vaguely hinted, hoping Concubine Lian would realize it was her own doing, and said, "Shu Jieyu’s palace was short two servants. His Majesty, out of pity, specifically ordered four to be sent over."

What?

Cai Shan was always tactful and careful with his words, so Concubine Lian had initially wondered why he mentioned Shu Jieyu’s palace being short-staffed. But when she caught sight of Lvwan’s guilty expression, it dawned on her—the two extra servants in her palace had been taken from Shu Jieyu’s quarters, and the matter had even reached her cousin’s ears!

No wonder the Grand Eunuch himself was delivering servants to Shu Jieyu—it must have been because her cousin was displeased that she had taken people from Shu Jieyu.

Lvwan had acted behind her back!

Concubine Lian’s face instantly turned ashen, then deathly pale, a sight most unbecoming.

But now was not the time to lose her temper. Biting back her anger, she glared at Lvwan before turning back to Cai Shan, forcing through clenched teeth, "Since it’s His Majesty’s reward to Shu Jieyu, the Grand Eunuch should hurry along."

"This consort... understands His Majesty’s intentions."

Seeing that Concubine Lian had grasped the situation, the Grand Eunuch considered his task well done and smiled as if oblivious. "Then this servant shall take his leave. Your Ladyship, take care."

Only after Cai Shan and his entourage had walked far toward Jushuang Pavilion did Concubine Lian’s forced smile drop. She glared at Lvwan and demanded in a low voice, "Where did the new servants come from?"

His Majesty had always doted on her—how could he possibly intervene over two mere palace servants and send the Grand Eunuch to deliver four to Jushuang Pavilion? This was clearly a slap in the face! No wonder she was so furious. But how had His Majesty even found out? Someone must have whispered in his ear!

Lvwan fell to her knees with a thud, weeping. "Your Ladyship, forgive me! I feared you couldn’t bear the heat, so when arranging the fanning shifts, I realized we were short-staffed. But today was our first day at the summer retreat, and I feared you wouldn’t rest well. Waiting for new servants would take too long, so I thought to borrow two from Shu Jieyu first and report to His Majesty later to send replacements."

"You are the mistress of the palace, while Shu Jieyu is beneath you. Borrowing two servants shouldn’t have been a big deal—how did it escalate to His Majesty finding out? Someone must have seized the chance to stir trouble, trying to drive a wedge between you and His Majesty, making him resent you, Your Ladyship! You know my loyalty—I only acted for your comfort. Besides, Shu Jieyu has always been close to Noble Consort Zhen. If Your Ladyship investigates who visited Lingbo Songshuang today, the truth will be obvious!"

Lvwan had served her since childhood, always wholeheartedly devoted. Moreover, today’s actions had been for her sake. Seeing her tearful plea, Concubine Lian couldn’t bring herself to scold her harshly.

Her words made sense—taking two servants was hardly significant. Given her cousin’s favor and indulgence, it shouldn’t have mattered at all. If that vile Noble Consort Zhen hadn’t interfered, His Majesty would never have rewarded Shu Jieyu and subtly reprimanded her over two measly servants.

Her cousin used to dote on her the most, yet now he publicly favored Shu Jieyu to humiliate her—all because of that gossipmonger Noble Consort Zhen!

Concubine Lian took several deep breaths to suppress her fury before turning and saying coldly, "We’re returning to the palace!"

Behind Lvwan, the palace maid Rou Xin saw what happened, curling her lips into a faint smile before quietly lowering her head and blending into the procession.

The next day, after finishing her morning meal, Su Jiaojiao sat by the window, toying with a freshly arranged bouquet of flowers.

The morning was cool, the summer heat hadn’t set in yet—such pleasant weather made staying indoors feel like a waste.

She picked up a pair of scissors to trim a few yellowed leaves when Yu Ying approached with a freshly brewed cup of green tea, smiling. "I added a mint leaf—care to try it, Your Highness?"

"I heard that yesterday, Concubine Lian happened to run into the Grand Eunuch while out. When he mentioned that His Majesty had gifted Shu Jieyu with new maids, Concubine Lian’s face turned pale. She’s always been so domineering—it’s rare for His Majesty to reprimand her. How satisfying!"

Su Jiaojiao lowered her gaze with a faint smile. "Only a minor reprimand. She may be displeased, but Shu Jieyu and I have vented our grievances—she brought this upon herself."

Yu Ying chuckled. "Still, Concubine Lian must now realize it was Your Highness who informed His Majesty. Who knows how secretly furious she must be?"

"She’s never liked me—do I fear her resentment now?" Su Jiaojiao set down the scissors, adjusted the bouquet, and placed it on the windowsill. "Yu Ying, the morning is lovely. Accompany me for a walk."

At once, Jia Xi, who had been dusting inside with a feather duster, turned and curtsied. "Your Highness, this servant has long served at the summer retreat and knows a wonderful spot. West of the lotus pond lies a vast lake, lined with blooming flowers. This year, twin red lotuses bloomed in the lake—it’s pure bliss to boat there!"