"I've asked the imperial kitchen to stew some nourishing tonics for your stomach. Have some," said Emperor Yunjian, waving his hand. Zhuyao on the side stepped forward, holding a bowl of tremella soup.
Yan Qingshu thanked him softly and then took the bowl.
"Hiss." Yan Qingshu frowned and gently moved her wrist, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Emperor Yunjian also felt a bit awkward. He had been a bit too excessive this afternoon, tiring out her hands.
"I'll feed you," Emperor Yunjian coughed lightly, took the soup ladle, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to her lips.
"Your concubine doesn't dare..." Yan Qingshu lowered her head and said in a small voice, her fair hands clutching the brocade quilt.
"What's there to be afraid of? Drink quickly," Emperor Yunjian said helplessly with a smile.
Yan Qingshu didn't act too coyly and opened her mouth to drink a few sips.
She had a stomach ailment. In her childhood, she had been constantly mistreated and often gone hungry. Such high - quality tremella and bird's nest were only things she had heard about from the servants.
Now, she could finally have some.
"Your Majesty... about the Lady..." Yan Qingshu hesitated.
"Don't worry. She went too far this time. I've put her under house arrest," Emperor Yunjian's face darkened as soon as he heard about the Noble Consort Xian.
"Your Majesty, your concubine doesn't want to deceive you. To be honest, your concubine resents the Lady and father. But before your concubine entered the palace, father said that as a family, we should share both glory and humiliation."
Emperor Yunjian frowned and said unhappily, "The Noble Consort Xian treated you like this. Are you still going to plead for her?"
Yan Qingshu quickly shook her head, her eyes red as she said, "No, Your Majesty. Your concubine doesn't really want to plead for the Lady in her heart. It's just for the sake of the concubine's step - mother and younger brother to have an easier life."
If she said that the Noble Consort Xian was after all her elder sister, it was likely that this favor from the emperor would end before it even really started.
"My imperial palace is as tight as a drum. What extraordinary ability does the Noble Consort Xian have to make the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion mistreat your step - mother and younger brother during her house arrest?!" Emperor Yunjian got angrier the more he listened. Did this girl not trust him?
"No, your concubine is just worried..." Yan Qingshu lowered her eyes, a sly look in them.
"A few days ago, your concubine received the blood - stained clothes of the step - mother and younger brother. Your concubine was heart - broken..."
As a member of the Yan family, she naturally knew that the Noble Consort Xian had secret channels of communication with the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion.
Emperor Yunjian also realized something. It seemed that the Marquis of Zhenyuan had placed quite a few spies in his palace.
Seeing Emperor Yunjian's deep gaze, Yan Qingshu knew that he had taken her words to heart. She quickly said, "Your Majesty, it's your concubine's immaturity. Your concubine won't say any more."
After saying that, she finished the tremella and bird's nest soup and obediently sat on the bed looking at him, giving Emperor Yunjian a way out in a timely manner.
She knew that Emperor Yunjian couldn't do much to the Noble Consort Xian for now. She didn't expect this act of feigning injury to deal a heavy blow to the Noble Consort Xian.
In this round, all she wanted was a bit of pity from this man in front of her, so as to gain more favor.
Emperor Yunjian smiled slightly and said, "Lie down first. I still have some memorials to review."
Yan Qingshu nodded and obediently lay back down.
The night was deep. Several dark shadows flashed through the Qianyuan Hall and split into two groups. One group headed outside the palace, while the other went towards the Phoenix Algae Palace.
After Emperor Yunjian finished reviewing the memorials, he lay back down beside Yan Qingshu. By this time, Yan Qingshu was already sound asleep.
---
The next day, it was broad daylight.
When Yan Qingshu woke up, Emperor Yunjian had already gone to court. Shuangning, the head maid of the Qianyuan Hall, had already prepared her clothes. Zhuyao quickly combed her hair into a bun, and they rushed out of the Qianyuan Hall in a hurry.
The Qianyuan Hall was relatively close to the Phoenix Cry Palace. So when Yan Qingshu arrived, there weren't many people yet. Only Lady Tang, a talent, was waiting outside the palace early.
When Lady Tang saw her, a gentle smile spread across her face, making people feel comfortable as if bathed in the spring breeze.
"Greetings to Noble Lady Yan."
"Sister Tang, there's no need for such formalities," Yan Qingshu quickly pulled her up.
A faint smile also appeared on her face. One should not strike a smiling face. Although she didn't know what Lady Tang's intentions were, she had at least helped her out of a difficult situation.
"I heard this morning about what happened in the Phoenix Algae Palace last night. I wonder if Noble Lady Yan is feeling better?" Lady Tang asked in a soft voice.
"I'm much better," Noble Lady Yan replied.
"That's good," Lady Tang said and then didn't ask any more questions.
Yan Qingshu raised her eyebrows. She had thought Lady Tang would say more.
One after another, the concubines arrived. They naturally also knew about what had happened last night. When they saw Yan Qingshu at this moment, their faces darkened in unison.
Concubine Zhu, who had been quite favored recently, walked over with a smiling face.
"Is Noble Lady Yan feeling completely better?"
"Thank you for your concern, Concubine Zhu. I'm much better," Yan Qingshu replied with a smile.
"Oh, what the Noble Consort Xian did last night was really astonishing. You're her younger sister. One can only imagine what kind of suffering others would endure if they fell into her hands," Concubine Zhu said seriously, covering her beautiful face with a round fan. Only her eyes were left, looking at Yan Qingshu provocatively.
Yan Qingshu didn't say a word. She knew that Concubine Zhu just wanted to mock her, and she didn't want to talk to her.
At this time, Qingzhu came out of the hall.
"All the ladies, please enter the hall. The Lady has finished dressing and grooming."
After saying that, the concubines walked in arm in arm.
Lady Tang walked beside Yan Qingshu and said, "Don't pay attention to Concubine Zhu. She can say all kinds of unpleasant things once she opens her mouth. If you had followed her words just now, she would have taken the opportunity to give you a good scolding."
"Thank you, Sister Tang," Yan Qingshu said with a smile.
Inside the hall, the Empress was wearing a phoenix crown and a phoenix robe, sitting upright on the high seat.
"Paying respects to the Empress. May the Lady live in eternal happiness," the concubines saluted.
"All my sisters, please rise," the Empress said with a smile, raising her hand.
The concubines rose and sat in their respective seats.
"I'm sure all my sisters have heard about what happened last night. The Noble Consort Xian will be confined for a month and copy the Precepts for Women a hundred times."
"I heard about it early this morning. When I first heard it, I was really shocked. I originally thought the Noble Consort Xian was just a bit hot - tempered, but I didn't expect her character to be so consistent," Concubine Zhu took the opportunity to chime in, her eyebrows full of mockery.
The other concubines also snickered.
The Empress's gaze fell on Yan Qingshu and she asked with concern, "Are you feeling better? I heard that you fainted in the Phoenix Algae Palace last night. Do you still feel unwell?"
"Thank you for your concern, Lady. Your concubine has a stomach ailment. It flared up last night, which is why I fainted in the Phoenix Algae Palace," Yan Qingshu stood up and bowed gracefully, a gentle smile on her lips.
"I heard that most people with this stomach ailment are famine victims who suffered from hunger. Could it be that Noble Lady Yan didn't have enough to eat in the past?" Concubine Zhu's surprised voice rang out again.
Her gaze fell on Yan Qingshu. The Noble Consort Xian being confined for a month really made her feel happy. When the Noble Consort Xian was favored in the past, she had set many obstacles for her, and she had almost died. Now, here was a perfect excuse to deal with the Noble Consort Xian. The bigger the commotion, the more the emperor would punish that jealous woman!
Yan Qingshu saw her intention and was happy to cooperate.
"It's not that I didn't have enough to eat. It's that your concubine is just picky," Yan Qingshu lowered her eyes, looking so pitiful as if she had something to say but hesitated.
"Why do you still want to cover for her? We're not blind," Concubine Zhu snorted.
"Lady, your concubine thinks that what the Noble Consort Xian did was really too much! Why did the Emperor let her off so lightly?" Concubine Zhu seized the opportunity to say.
They all had spies in the palace. The words the Noble Consort Xian had said last night had really touched the emperor's sore spot. Why did the emperor let her off so easily?