"You don't know?" Tang Yinmian raised an eyebrow.
Yan Qingshu shook her head. "I haven't been out today."
"This morning during the morning greetings, Concubine Zhu came up and said that you had overstepped your place. She claimed that you had slapped her for no reason and boasted that you thought you were so favored that you didn't put her in your eyes."
"Just as the Queen was getting annoyed by her and was about to say something, an imperial edict from His Majesty arrived."
"It said that Concubine Zhu had overstepped her place and questioned the monarch, so she was demoted from Noble Consort to Concubine."
"She was immediately stunned. Crying, she wanted to go find His Majesty. The Queen couldn't stand it anymore and ordered her to be escorted back to her palace."
Tang Yinmian rambled on in one breath and then quickly took a sip of tea to moisten her throat.
"Me overstepping my place?" Yan Qingshu asked with a laugh.
"Last night, just as I left the Jiuzhou Qingyan Hall, she came up and slapped me. I was already in a bad mood, and since she was so aggressive, I slapped her back."
"I didn't expect her to be demoted."
She pursed her lips, not taking Concubine Zhu's incident to heart.
"Exactly... Relying on her family's merits, she was so arrogant. All she had was a father who had made some achievements..."
Tang Yinmian said resentfully, twisting her handkerchief. In the past, she had been ridiculed by Concubine Zhu many times, both openly and secretly. But every time, because her family had received great imperial favor and she was a Gentlewoman, Tang Yinmian had been suppressed and couldn't fight back. Now that she had been demoted, it was really satisfying.
Hearing this, Yan Qingshu looked up. Seeing the indignation on Tang Yinmian's face, she asked, "Sister Tang, have you also been bullied by her before?"
Tang Yinmian sighed and nodded gently.
"I just can't stand her arrogance. She always makes me think of my half - sister. I'm the legitimate daughter of the family, yet she has oppressed me so much..." Tang Yinmian said and hung her head dejectedly.
Realizing she had said something wrong, she quickly looked up and said, "No, I didn't mean you."
Knowing that she meant no harm, Yan Qingshu just smiled and said, "I know. I didn't have a good life at home either."
The two of them had opposite identities but similar fates.
It was really quite strange.
"How's your health? Do you still feel unwell?" Tang Yinmian saw that her complexion was much better than yesterday and felt slightly relieved.
"I don't feel unwell anymore." Yan Qingshu smiled faintly.
"That's good, that's good."
"However, usually at this time, His Majesty would come. Why not today?"
Normally at this time, she would avoid suspicion and leave, lest Yan Qingshu think that she was only getting close to her for His Majesty.
In this deep palace, she really didn't want to lose this friend...
Speaking of this, Yan Qingshu pursed her lips and said, "I don't know."
Seeing a hint of melancholy on her face, Tang Yinmian intuitively knew that something was wrong but didn't dare to ask too much.
After staying for a while until it was time for dinner, Tang Yinmian finally left.
Yan Qingshu looked calm. Her eyes fell on the crabapple tree in the courtyard with a few fallen petals. She said, "Will the crabapple always bloom?"
Just like her favor, would it always be cherished?
She wasn't sure.
She leaned against the bedside, idly fanning herself. She closed her eyes slightly, feeling the cool breeze brought by the summer sunset.
On this side, as soon as Tang Yinmian came out of the Rouyun Palace, she saw Li Dahai. She guessed that he was here to summon Qingshu. She quickened her pace to leave.
"Noble Consort Tang! Noble Consort Tang, please stop!" When Li Dahai saw her, his eyes lit up and he quickly called out to her.
Tang Yinmian stopped and asked, "Chief Li, do you have something to tell me?"
"His Majesty has turned over your name tag tonight. I brought the Fengluan Chun'en Carriage to your palace, but you weren't there, so I came here to find you." Li Dahai wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled with a wrinkled face.
Tang Yinmian opened her eyes slightly. In her mind, she pictured Di Yunjian's amber eyes, those emotionless eyes.
How beautiful they would be if there was an indescribable tenderness in them.
She slightly curled her lips, feeling a surge of joy in her heart. She said, "Thank you, Chief Li, for coming all this way."
"Noble Consort Tang, please come with me quickly."
Li Dahai said quickly.
The figures of several people walked further and further away.
All this was seen by Shihua.
Shihua walked into the courtyard. Seeing her mistress leaning against the window, watching the crabapple petals fall, she pursed her lips and stepped forward. "Mistress, His Majesty has turned over Noble Consort Tang's name tag."
Yan Qingshu didn't even pause in fanning herself. Her face remained calm as she said, "I see."
"Mistress, aren't you sad?" Shihua asked carefully.
"Sad?" Yan Qingshu straightened up slightly, gently fanning the gilded silk round fan in her hand.
"Why should I be sad? Sister Tang is a concubine, His Majesty's woman. It's normal for her to serve His Majesty."
Yan Qingshu really didn't care.
She had thought about it all night last night. She understood that she had developed some special feelings for this emperor, but it was just a little. It wasn't to the point of possessiveness.
As a concubine, as His Majesty's woman, Tang Yinmian's duty was nothing more than to serve His Majesty and compete for favor.
What was there to be sad about?
Whether His Majesty summoned her today to figure out something about herself or simply for the night, in the end, what was there to be sad about?
"But, but Mistress Tang is on good terms with you. This..." Shihua said, her voice lacking confidence.
Yes, they were all concubines. Why should one give up His Majesty's favor because of friendship?
"You can't think like this. Both she and I are daughters of ministers, daughters of officials. No woman in the palace doesn't compete for favor. Even you and Tanyun are His Majesty's women."
"All the concubines and maids in the entire harem are His Majesty's women."
"Shihua, you must understand that I can be the only favored one in the harem, but I can't stop others from competing for and receiving favor."
Yan Qingshu's gaze fell on the crabapple tree in the courtyard. She felt extremely carefree. Her original wish was just to let her mother and younger brother live a good life and to stop being someone else's stepping - stone.
That was all. Other romantic feelings were for others.
Some time ago, she had used the aphrodisiac powder to make His Majesty remember her deeply. Moreover, the aphrodisiac powder was only effective for three days.
And this time, she had just prepared one for emergencies.
But Yan Qingshu didn't realize that even without the aphrodisiac powder, Di Yunjian still hadn't summoned anyone for the night.
"Mistress, are you so open - minded because you don't have any romantic feelings for His Majesty?"
Seeing her like this, Shihua thought of the other concubines. When other concubines were favored, they would gnash their teeth in jealousy.
"Maybe I do, but even if I don't want him to favor others, will he listen? He won't."
"It's better to accept it generously."
Yan Qingshu admitted that she had developed different feelings for Di Yunjian. When he had scolded her, the grievance and sadness in her heart were real, and the tears of grievance were also real.
"Alright, it will be very quiet here tonight. Boil the water early. I want to rest early."
It was finally a day when she didn't have to act. She couldn't waste it.