Concubine Lan was still basking in self-satisfaction.
The congratulatory gift she had presented—the Taihu Lake stones—was both unique and extravagant, perfectly showcasing a junior’s reverence for her elder. Concubine Lan was certain the Empress Dowager would regard her in a new light.
With these stones, she would win the Empress Dowager’s favor. Once she had the Empress Dowager as her patron in the imperial harem, securing the Emperor’s affection would no longer be a concern.
At the noblewomen’s banquet table, Lu Yun’s lips curled downward slightly, a glint of schadenfreude flashing in her eyes.
"What a fool. To think even the imperial concubines could be so witless," Lu Yun mused silently, shaking her head.
The southern floods remained unresolved, and the Empress Dowager had taken the lead in promoting frugality, redirecting saved funds to the disaster-stricken regions to aid the suffering populace—a testament to the Da Qing imperial family’s compassion.
Consorts like Consort Shu and Consort Chen had all presented modest yet practical birthday gifts.
Only Concubine Lan of the Xie family, eager to curry favor with the Empress Dowager, had brought the labor-intensive and wasteful Taihu Lake stones—a hundred of them, no less.
What an idiot.
Lu Yun fanned herself with an embroidered round fan, thinking to herself, "No wonder Lu Xuan thrives in the palace. With so many concubines as dim-witted as Concubine Lan, it’s no surprise."
At the banquet, Concubine Lan gazed eagerly at the Empress Dowager, longing for praise.
Behind the beaded curtain, the Empress Dowager’s voice was icy. "The Taihu Lake stones are too extravagant. This old woman cannot accept them. Return them to the Xie family and let your father admire them instead."
Concubine Lan froze.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, chilling her to the bone.
The Empress Dowager took a sip of warm spring tea, her gaze flickering toward the Emperor seated at the head of the table. Li Yuanjing’s dark eyes were unfathomable, as if lost in thought.
The Empress Dowager sighed inwardly.
The Xie family was digging its own grave. Li Yuanjing had just dealt a heavy blow to the Tantai family, and now the Xies were foolishly walking into the same trap.
The Xie family’s intelligence wasn’t entirely wrong—the Empress Dowager had indeed once adored Taihu Lake stones.
When the late Emperor first ascended the throne, a minister had ingeniously presented the imperial couple with two Taihu Lake stones. Their peculiar shapes and artistic value had captivated the Emperor and Empress, who placed them in the imperial garden as ornamental rocks, often admiring them in their leisure.
The imperial couple’s fondness for the stones sparked a trend among nobles and scholars, and soon, Da Qing was swept up in a refined "stone appreciation" craze.
The value of Taihu Lake stones soared, but gradually, the Emperor and Empress realized their devastating consequences.
First, peasants near Taihu Lake abandoned farming to quarry stones, leaving fields barren and causing food shortages.
Second, a single high-quality stone could weigh several tons. Transporting them required tearing down gates and bridges over thousands of miles. Some counties even dismantled city gates just to deliver the stones intact—an immense waste of labor and resources.
The late Emperor quickly recognized the harm.
When the old Empress Dowager passed away, the Emperor declared the stones "inauspicious," blaming them for her death. He ordered them smashed and discarded outside the city gates. The imperial couple ceased their admiration, and the court’s stone-appreciation trend gradually faded.
Now, thirty years later, Taihu Lake stones had vanished from the capital.
Yet today, Concubine Lan had dared to present a hundred of them! This also revealed the Xie family’s wealth and influence—their ability to transport the stones proved collusion with officials along the waterways.
If the Empress Dowager accepted these stones, the capital would surely revive the wasteful trend.
As Emperor, how could Li Yuanjing not be wary?
Concubine Lan, young and ignorant of imperial foresight, remained stunned. "Empress Dowager, this concubine only wished to express her devotion—"
The Empress Dowager slammed her teacup down. "A pile of worthless rocks for my birthday? What an eyesore."
Her disdain was unmistakable.
Humiliated, Concubine Lan could only retreat to her seat. Clearly, her family’s intelligence had been outdated—the Empress Dowager no longer favored Taihu Lake stones. What a miscalculation.
After Concubine Lan’s disgrace, the other concubines and noblewomen presented their gifts in turn.
When it was Lu Yun’s turn, she bowed respectfully and announced, "May the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings. This humble girl brings no lavish gift today. My maternal uncle owns a grain shop in the flood-stricken region. Through my letters, I persuaded him to open a porridge kitchen, providing free meals to starving refugees for a month."
"On this auspicious occasion, I offer this act of charity to accumulate virtue for the Empress Dowager, wishing her eternal fortune and longevity."
She bowed again.
The Empress Dowager was delighted, applauding. "Truly a daughter of the Lu family—such cleverness at such a young age is rare indeed."
Lu Yun’s lips curved upward, though she lowered her head to hide her triumph.
Even Consort Shu, Lu Xuan, seated at the high table, couldn’t conceal her surprise. Her once-naive younger sister had grown so shrewd.
Had their father, the Duke of Lu, coached her?
Pleased, the Empress Dowager rewarded Lu Yun with a precious hairpin—a green-jade-adorned plum blossom hairpin from her own dowry.
Though slightly aged, the hairpin was priceless.
Lu Yun accepted it with restrained excitement, bowing deeply in gratitude.
She thought to herself, "Today, I’ve caught the Empress Dowager’s eye. When I enter the palace as a concubine, she’ll surely be my patron."
Shen Wei, sipping tea nearby, glanced at the old hairpin and marveled inwardly. The Empress Dowager was indeed a fox.
Born into nobility, the Empress Dowager’s dowry had included five hundred hairpins. Over time, many had deteriorated into worthless trinkets.
As the noblewomen finished presenting their gifts, Madam Tantai offered a cooling jade pillow to aid the Empress Dowager’s sleep, earning extra praise.
Finally, it was Ye Qiushuang’s turn. Dressed simply, she was the least conspicuous among the dazzling attendees—her merchant background also made her the lowest in status.
No one understood why the Empress Dowager had invited a merchant’s daughter to the banquet.
As lanterns illuminated the hall and wine fragrances lingered, Ye Qiushuang stepped forward and knelt respectfully before the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager’s eyes softened with affection. "Do not kneel, child. The floor is cold."
Her gentle tone raised eyebrows among the noblewomen.
Concubine Lan clenched her embroidered handkerchief, eyeing Ye Qiushuang warily. Though the merchant’s daughter was pretty, her lowly birth shouldn’t warrant such favor.
Unless—Concubine Lan’s eyes widened in alarm—was the Empress Dowager planning to bring her into the harem?
She gritted her teeth.
With Consort Shu and Consort Chen already towering over the harem, life was hard enough. If another beauty joined, the Emperor’s already-scarce affection would be stretched even thinner.
Yet Ye Qiushuang, despite her first time in the palace and the intimidating presence of Da Qing’s most exalted figures, remained composed.
"On this joyous occasion, this humble girl, Ye Qiushuang, wishes the Empress Dowager eternal health and fortune. The southern floods weigh heavily on my heart, as I too hail from the south. In response, I pledge 20,000 taels of silver, a thousand bolts of cotton cloth, and ten chests of medicinal herbs to aid the disaster-stricken regions."
"At the same time, this humble woman will open an inn in the counties of Nanzhou Prefecture and establish a large cotton-spinning workshop to provide livelihood opportunities for displaced victims of the disaster."
Ye Qiushuang entered the palace this time for the purpose of "philanthropy."
