……
In the palace of Consort Chen.
His Majesty has hurried over to visit the Eldest Princess Shengping. As His Majesty's very first child, the Eldest Princess is deeply doted on by him, even more so than several of his imperial sons. No sooner did he hear that the Eldest Princess had fallen ill than he rushed over in a great flurry.
Several top imperial physicians from the Imperial Physician Bureau took turns examining the Eldest Princess Shengping, and all concluded that she had fainted due to a severe cold-induced fever.
After consulting with one another, the imperial physicians wrote out a prescription, and the medicine was administered to the Eldest Princess. Moments later, the Eldest Princess regained consciousness, and all the attending imperial physicians let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Yuer, my Yuer, are you feeling better now?" Tears streamed down Consort Chen's face like broken strings of pearls. The moment she saw her daughter wake up, she rushed over, grabbed her daughter's hand, and asked anxiously.
Princess Shengping shook her head: "Mother Consort, I am alright."
Right after that, Princess Shengping looked up and caught sight of the Emperor. She looked completely taken aback, and after staring in stunned silence for a long moment, she exclaimed delightedly, "Father Emperor! You've finally come to see me. It's been so long since you last visited your daughter."
The underlying worry in Dantai Ji's eyes faded a little. He spoke in a soft, gentle tone, "Your Father Emperor has been swamped with affairs lately, which is why I haven't stepped foot in the inner palace. If you miss me, you can come find me at the front court."
Princess Shengping shook her head: "Going to the front court would surely interrupt your work, Father Emperor."
Dantai Ji stroked the strands of hair on Princess Shengping's forehead tenderly: "Shengping is always the most well-behaved, Father Emperor knows that."
"Eunuch Wang, bring the white jade glazed lantern I just obtained over to the Eldest Princess."
"This servant obeys the order." After Eunuch Wang Zhong spoke, he quickly added in a flattering tone to Consort Chen and the Eldest Princess, "Your Highness and Princess may not know just how rare this white jade glazed lantern is. There are only two of them under the heavens. One is with the Empress Dowager, and this is the only remaining one. His Majesty truly holds Your Highness and the Princess in the highest regard."
Dantai Ji seemed displeased by Eunuch Wang Zhong's unnecessary chatter, and only said, "Go now."
Wang Zhong: "Yes! This servant will go fetch the lantern right away!"
The Eldest Princess's illness came on swiftly and passed just as quickly. With His Majesty by her side, she already felt more than half better.
After that, the Eldest Princess clung to the Emperor, pestering him not to leave. By the time the Eldest Princess fell asleep, the sky had already turned dark, so the Emperor stayed the night at the Xiaguang Palace.
……
The next day.
Cui Huaiyin jolted awake abruptly, her whole body covered in sweat.
She had barely slept a wink that night, and the little rest she did get was filled with dreams.
Some moments she dreamed of that man from seven years ago, sometimes she dreamed of Yunxiang, and other times she dreamed of Zhu Wangbei...
"Master, it's time to get up to pay respects at the Phoenix Palace." A palace maid's voice came from outside the room.
Cui Huaiyin wiped the fine sweat off her forehead with a handkerchief and said, "Come in."
Chenxiang and the other maids walked in, accompanied by two newly assigned palace maids. One carried hot water, the other held scented handkerchiefs. They had received rewards the day before, and Cui Huaiyin had named them Hexiang and Juxiang.
Chenxiang, who was leading the group, lifted the curtain of the bed, and the first thing she saw was her master's exhausted face.
"Master, you—" Before she could finish her sentence, she walked over with a look of deep pity on her face and consoled her in a low voice, "You must not have slept well last night."
Cui Huaiyin nodded gently: "Yes, I was plagued by nightmares. It's nothing serious."
Even though Cui Huaiyin spoke casually, the several maids all looked at her with sympathetic eyes.
After all, Her Ladyship was supposed to have been favored by the Emperor the previous night, but the Eldest Princess's sudden fever had summoned His Majesty away.
His Majesty rarely visits the inner palace as it is. This time he came, only to be called off, so he will probably be busy with affairs in the front court for the entire month to come. As the days go by, this newly promoted Consort Cui will likely be completely forgotten by His Majesty.
What a pity.
Even though they all had such thoughts, none of them dared to say a word out loud.
A master is a master, and a servant is a servant. No matter what circumstances their master is in, the maids must serve her well.
With the help of Chenxiang and the other maids, Cui Huaiyin quickly got herself ready. She wore a moon-blue green ruqun, paired with a rose-red jacket, a pearl-adorned jade hairpin on her head, and a dangling silver silk step shake...
She was a beauty painted to life, her eyes glistening, every frown and smile so unforgettable that anyone who laid eyes on her would never forget her.
The younger Juxiang stared at her in a daze and murmured, "So beautiful."
Chenxiang chuckled softly, "Our master has been a beauty since she was little. Stop staring now. I'm still new to the palace and not familiar with the paths, so I'll need the two of you to lead the way. We can't be late."
Hexiang and Juxiang said in unison, "Yes!"
Following the guidance of Juxiang and Hexiang, who led the way through countless red corridors and palace gates, Cui Huaiyin and her party finally arrived at the Empress's Phoenix Palace.
The Empress had not arrived yet, but several imperial concubines were already waiting in the palace.
They were Consort Liu and Lady Yin. Cui Huaiyin went forward to greet each of them respectfully.
Lady Yin had a soft, beautiful appearance, and her smile was so endearing that no one could bring themselves to dislike her. She had a young daughter, the Fifth Princess, the youngest of all the imperial princesses.
Consort Liu was very tall and slender. She smiled at Cui Huaiyin but did not say much, making it impossible to read what she was thinking. Consort Liu had a son, the Third Prince, who was three years old.
Cui Huaiyin had already inquired about all the imperial heirs in the palace. The Empress also had a son, who was also three years old. The Eldest Princess and the Second Prince were both born to Consort Chen.
Soon, Lady Ma and Lady Lü also arrived at the palace to pay their respects. The two of them each had their own unique charms, and seemed rather amiable.
After exchanging greetings with them, Cui Huaiyin turned her gaze toward the palace entrance.
But by the time the Empress stepped into the main hall, Consort Chen still had not appeared.
All the concubines rose together to pay their respects to the Empress.
The Empress carried herself with such regal grace that one glance at her was enough to make anyone feel awed and not dare to act disrespectfully.
"All of my sisters, there is no need for formalities. Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"So you are the newly ennobled Consort Cui." The Empress smiled as she looked at Cui Huaiyin and asked.
"Your servant, yes, Your Majesty."
"You truly are a remarkable beauty. No wonder His Majesty made an exception to ennoble you to the rank of Consort. You are new to the palace. If you lack anything at all, just send someone to tell me, and I will make sure it is delivered to you."
Cui Huaiyin quickly stood up and bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Your Majesty. Everything in my palace is well provided for."
The Empress nodded slightly, gesturing for Consort Cui to take a seat.
Only then did Cui Huaiyin dare to sit down. The Empress then said many kind words and explained the palace rules to her, all of which Cui Huaiyin memorized carefully.
"…The affairs in the front court are very busy these days. Although His Majesty does not come to the inner palace very often, he will not treat any of you unfairly. None of you must go to the front court to disturb His Majesty." After the Empress finished speaking, she noticed the dark circles under Cui Huaiyin's eyes, and spoke again, "Consort Cui, you are new here. Even though you have not received His Majesty's favor yet, you are a Consort personally appointed by His Majesty. Do not be impatient or rash, and one day you will surely win His Majesty's grace."
Cui Huaiyin: "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. Your servant will remember all of it."
Lady Yin spoke up and asked, "Your Majesty, why is Consort Chen not here today?"
The Empress: "Earlier this morning, Consort Chen sent someone to report that after tending to the Eldest Princess's illness yesterday, she herself has fallen ill, and will need to rest for some time."
Lady Yin: "Then shouldn't we all go visit Consort Chen in her palace?"
Cui Huaiyin, who had been clutching her handkerchief tightly a moment earlier, smiled and looked up: "Your servant is new to the palace, so it is only right that I go to pay my respects to Consort Chen."
