89 Not a Good Sort

The news spread quickly through the palace. After Bi'er had finished helping Yan'er wash and dress, she found a moment to lean close and begin her nagging in Yan'er's ear.

“Your Ladyship, I told you that Xia Man'er was never one to be trifled with. See for yourself: tonight His Majesty stayed in the Scarlet Luan Pavilion because of her.” Bi'er took the dress Xiao Lan had helped Yan'er change out of and shook it out as she pouted.

“Your Ladyship, look at Sister Bi'er, she looks ready to start a fight. But which palace His Majesty sleeps in is not something we servants can change…” Sensing Bi'er’s murderous glare, Xiao Lan’s voice grew softer and softer, until in the end she hid behind Yan'er, afraid Bi'er would get angry and pinch her.

“Bi'er, what Xiao Lan said is quite right. Remember this is not a matter for servants to concern themselves with. If such talk were to spread, you and I would lose our heads,” Yan'er said with displeasure as she sat on the edge of the bed.

“Yes, Your Ladyship, you have every right to rebuke me. I was only speaking here to vent my frustration. I would never reveal a word of this to anyone outside of you and Xiao Lan.” Knowing she was in the wrong, Bi'er pulled Xiao Lan closer.

“Your Ladyship, Sister Bi'er and I know we were wrong. We would not dare chatter so carelessly before our mistress again.” After all, as palace maids serving in the inner court, they knew how to read the room and measure their words.

“Ah, I truly worry for you two. In truth, there is no need to be troubled over which palace His Majesty spends the night in. This is only the first day in the palace. If every day from now on is spent in such dread, would that not only make others laugh at us?” In truth, Yan'er’s heart did not think quite so simply. Hmph. What she truly feared was that after tonight she would become the target of a collective attack from the other women who had entered the palace with her.

What she feared most tonight was that Guan Canghai would come. Li Yihe’s repeated recommendation of her had clearly not been made with good intentions; Yan'er had seen through it but had not said so. As for He Meiru, she was indeed a formidable woman. Thinking of having these two women by her side in the days ahead, she knew life would not be easy. Fortunately, Xia Man'er had staged such a bitter little act of self-sacrifice. Since she had managed to keep Guan Canghai with her, then for the time being Xia Man'er would be the thorn in everyone’s side.

Life in the palace was long; what she needed was endurance, and her son Zizhan...

At the thought of her son, tears welled in Yan'er’s eyes. She did not know whether Mu Bai was taking good care of Zizhan. He was only two and a half months old—how could such a tiny child endure all that travel? It was all her fault, all her own fault. Zizhan... Mother will carve out a world for you, no matter what it takes!

The next morning, after she had washed and dressed, Yan'er had to rise early and go to the sleeping quarters of Consort Ru and Consort Hui to pay her respects. The emperor had not yet appointed an empress, so among the women of the palace only Consort Ru and Consort Hui stood shoulder to shoulder in rank.

Yan'er was still dressed with elegant restraint. She rose early and rode in her palanquin to Consort Ru’s residence, the Hall of Benevolence and Harmony. The name of the hall suited the impression Consort Ru gave: benevolent, harmonious, humble, and courteous.

Yan'er did not have a high opinion of He Meiru. Though she wore a gentle face and seemed to understand the larger picture, from their first exchange yesterday Yan'er had already discerned how deep and calculating her mind was. A barking dog, after all, never bites.

Not far from the Hall of Benevolence and Harmony stood Consort Hui Li Yihe’s Treasure Source Palace. Guan Canghai’s granting of that palace to Li Yihe showed well enough how he felt toward her. Treasure Source, treasure source—Yan'er could tell that Guan Canghai did not have much in the way of romantic feeling for Li Yihe. Instead, there was a layer of indulgence there, perhaps because of Li Zuo; treating Li Yihe as a younger sister was only natural for him.

Still, when Yan'er thought of Li Yihe, she felt somewhat helpless. That girl’s hostility toward her was faint yet persistent, and she was doing everything she could to turn Yan'er into the weapon and shield of her entry into the harem. Worse still, they had both come from the Grand Commandant’s household. That venomous woman truly left her with no way to deal with her.

While she was thinking of the women she had met the night before, the palanquin arrived at the Hall of Benevolence and Harmony. As it was set down, Yan'er stepped out.

“Beauty Yan is here as well. Just right—we can go in together to pay our respects to Consort Ru.” Wang Luoyu warmly took Yan'er’s hand.

“Sister Yu.” Yan'er returned the smile with equal warmth.

Inside the Hall of Benevolence and Harmony, He Meiru was already seated at the place of honor, waiting for the others to arrive. The emperor had not established a strict hierarchy among the consorts, and He Meiru had assumed Li Yihe would not come to pay her respects. Who would have thought that just as everyone had settled in, a palace maid outside would announce that Consort Hui had arrived.

“Quickly, invite Sister Consort Hui in.” He Meiru felt as delighted as though she had tasted honey. After all, on the very first day, Li Yihe had given her enough face, which showed she did not yet wish to make things too stiff between them.

A dozen or so women chatted noisily and eagerly, each trying to get acquainted. Then someone suddenly asked from the crowd, “Why do we not see Sister Xia?”

Wu Ling'er was a quick-tongued woman with a simple mind. Without thinking, she said outright, “Perhaps she was too tired from attending to His Majesty last night. She threw herself into the water to compete for favor, nearly losing half her life. Then last night she had to do everything she could to win imperial grace. Is it any wonder she cannot get up today?”

The moment those words were spoken, the two faces that looked the worst were He Meiru’s and Li Yihe’s.

“Well then, she is after all our own sister. Let her rest properly.” Wang Luoyu hurried to smooth things over, though her words sounded conciliatory on the surface and provoked who knew how much resentment beneath.

“Beauty Yan, aside from myself and Consort Hui, you were specially granted a title by His Majesty. The other sisters do not yet have such fortune. Since we are all here, let us not speak of rank. Sister Li is the eldest, so in the days to come she will surely have to help the rest of us younger sisters.” He Meiru would not let Li Banshuang off the hook. From the first moment she saw Li Banshuang, she had known this woman might become her enemy for life.

“With Consort Ru and Consort Hui to guide us, we shall naturally listen to your instruction. There is no need to single me out, Consort Ru. You flatter me too much.” Yan'er felt a trace of resentment. This He Meiru was deliberately stirring the waters against her at every turn. For the sake of future survival, she had to endure.

“The weather is so fine today. Why do we not all go and see Sister Xia together?” Seeing the tense atmosphere, Li Yihe came forward to ease it. After all, Yan'er came from the same household as she did. If things became difficult for Yan'er, her own life would not be easy either.

The suggestion delighted everyone. In truth, each of them had long wanted to open their eyes in the morning and be the first to rush to the Scarlet Luan Pavilion to see that little wretch. A woman who had entered the palace on her very first day and then shut the rest of her sisters out, even daring to wear yellow upon her body, certainly had guts.

Since it was still early and the weather was pleasant, the whole group willingly gave up their palanquins. Accompanied by their maids, they walked and talked their way to the Scarlet Luan Pavilion.

“Go in and announce us. Consort Ru and Consort Hui have come to see Miss Xia,” said Tian Ruo, He Meiru’s maid, to the palace maid guarding the entrance to the Scarlet Luan Pavilion.

“Reporting to the honored ladies, our young lady instructed us early this morning that she will not receive visitors today.” The little maid at the gate replied timidly.

“Your Ladyship.” Tian Ruo moved to He Meiru’s side, waiting to see how she would handle the matter.

“Is your Miss Xia feeling better today?” He Meiru made no issue of being turned away at the door.

“Reporting to Consort Ru, His Majesty stayed here last night to calm our mistress’s nerves. However, she was badly frightened, and the imperial physician said she will need several more days of quiet recuperation.”

“That is good.” He Meiru smiled as she patted the gatekeeper’s small hand, then turned back to the others with a smile. “I heard that after His Majesty finishes court this morning, he plans to invite all of us sisters to the imperial garden to admire the flowers. Why not let Sister Xia rest properly and let us go on ahead to wait for His Majesty?”

No one said anything. They simply followed along with the group. He Meiru’s bright eyes swept over the gatekeeper maid. No doubt that little exchange would make its way into Xia Man’er’s ears.

Li Yihe, however, was not as calm as He Meiru. “Sister Xia spent the night in His Majesty’s bedchamber. By rights, she ought to have received a title today. I wonder what His Majesty will grant her?”

No one dared answer. Each woman was nursing her own thoughts, and the coldest observer of all was He Meiru. She glanced at Li Yihe’s anxious expression, then at the indifferent Li Banshuang. Upon entering the palace, she had already seen that there was absolutely something between His Majesty and Li Banshuang. Yet until now, Li Banshuang had made not the slightest move beyond the ordinary. The more she thought about it, the deeper the mystery became.

As expected, once Guan Canghai finished the morning court session, he went straight to the imperial garden. Earlier that morning in the court hall, he had secretly ordered a message to be passed along saying that everyone would gather to enjoy the flowers. And now it truly was a sea of blossoms—only these blossoms were living, breathing women.

Xia Man’er was dressed in white. Her face was pale and untouched by rouge, naturally plain and pitifully pure. Seated in the palanquin, she leaned weakly against the backrest. Last night the emperor had stayed in her room, yet somehow she had not even known that he had ordered everyone to gather for flower-viewing. Such an opportunity could not be missed. Since He Meiru, as Consort Ru, had said as much, it surely could not be false.

Guan Canghai walked ahead alone. Behind him, Li Yihe called out softly in haste, “Canghai-ge.”

Every time she used that affectionate address, it drew a great distance between her and the other women. The emperor’s personal name was taboo; only Li Yihe dared to call him that.

“Yihe, you...” Guan Canghai helplessly took Li Yihe by the hand and led her to the front of the procession.

“Does Canghai-ge still remember which flowers I like?” Li Yihe looked at him in a coy, ingratiating way.

“The flowers you like are not in season yet. When the New Year comes, I will have people gather some for you in abundance.” Guan Canghai remembered how fond she was of red plum blossoms.

“Your Majesty.” He Meiru’s voice came softly from behind them. “Look ahead. Is that not Sister Xia?”

A triumphant smile appeared on He Meiru’s gently colored face. As expected, she had been pretending to be ill—first to give the rest of them a warning. And now that she had heard His Majesty was here, Xia Man’er had really come rushing over at once.

“Wasn’t she unwell? Why has she come as well?” Guan Canghai’s tone had clearly turned somewhat displeased.

“Your Majesty.” Xia Man’er looked at Guan Canghai in a fragile, pitiful way and slowly curtsied in greeting.

“You should be resting quietly,” Guan Canghai said, helping Xia Man’er to her feet.

“I have missed Your Majesty,” Xia Man’er said, while a blush quietly spread across her face, a sight enough to make anyone envious.