Upon hearing the news brought by Mei Yi, Qi Daiyu felt somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.
Meeting the women of the Qi family?
To be honest, although she had the memories of the original body, she had not inherited its emotions. The thought of meeting the original body's family was quite awkward.
However, since it was an act of grace from the Empress, it wouldn't be right to rashly refuse. Moreover, some matters were more convenient to discuss in person.
Thinking this, Qi Daiyu smiled at Mei Yi and said, "This concubine thanks Her Majesty the Empress for her gracious favor."
Thus, the matter of the Qi family women entering the palace was settled.
On the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, Qi Daiyu rose early.
After getting ready, she waited in the main hall, feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
At this hour, the Qi family women would have just entered the palace. They couldn't come directly to Yanqing Residence; they first had to accompany the titled ladies to Cining Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, then proceed to Kunning Palace for an audience, and only afterward could they come to Yanqing Residence.
Yet, Qi Daiyu chose to wait anyway.
"Is the Liu'an Guapian tea prepared? And the pastries ordered yesterday must not be forgotten. Also, the mango sago pomelo dessert—my younger sister has a sweet tooth, she's sure to love it." She still wanted the Qi family to feel she was doing well in the palace, so they wouldn't worry.
Shiliu reassured her, "Rest assured, Mistress. Everything is prepared and ready for the arrival of the old madam, Mrs. Wan, and the Second Young Miss."
That's right. By the Empress's grace, this time Old Madam Qi, Mrs. Wan, and the younger sister Qi Qinglong had all entered the palace.
After waiting for roughly an hour, those three figures finally appeared outside Yanqing Residence.
Qi Daiyu hurriedly rose to greet them.
Outside Yanqing Residence, Mrs. Wan's round face was flushed with two patches of excited red. On her right, she supported her mother-in-law, and on her left, she held her younger daughter's hand. All three wore brand new clothes—not luxurious but clean and tidy. Mrs. Wan had even, for once, adorned her hair bun with a gold hairpin.
"Mother, remember, once we go in, we must kneel and address her as 'Your Ladyship,' alright? We mustn't shout or make a scene. We can't let outsiders look down on Yu'er," Mrs. Wan whispered instructions into the old lady's ear.
Hearing this, Grandma Qi twitched the corner of her mouth. A grandmother kneeling to her granddaughter—only in the Emperor's family would there be such a rule.
Without withdrawing her gaze from surveying Changchun Palace, she said, "I know, of course! I didn't make any mistakes earlier!" Although the etiquette had been learned hastily, she remembered it all. With such a good memory, no wonder she often told the old lady next door that Qi Caishang's intelligence came from her, his mother!
"It's not the same. Earlier, we just kowtowed outside the palace gates. There were so many people, who paid us any mind? But it'll be different later; everyone will be watching us." Given the Qi family's status, they couldn't even enter the doors of Cining Palace. A kowtow at the entrance with a cry of "May the Empress Dowager live a thousand years in good health" was sufficient. The palace servants of Cining Palace didn't even deign to look at them properly, probably wondering which family's women these were that they had never seen before.
The servants at Kunning Palace were more amiable, but Her Majesty the Empress was receiving other guests and had no time to see them.
"Everyone will be watching us?" Grandma Qi felt a bit daunted.
For the first half of her life, she had been the most ordinary old lady. With half her body nearly in the grave, her son had become an official and brought them to this endlessly bustling capital. Occasionally, when someone politely addressed her as "Old Madam," she would smile so wide her teeth showed. She had never imagined that her eldest granddaughter would even become a consort to the Emperor!
Grandma Qi had never dreamed in her life that she would one day walk into the imperial palace. These red walls and green tiles—she simply couldn't get enough of looking at them.
Did her eldest granddaughter live in such a divine, fairy-like place?
"Mother, the palace is so beautiful, so huge!" Qi Qinglong couldn't help exclaiming, "It's many, many times bigger than our home, and there are so many people!" She had never seen such a large estate. Each palace hall was incredibly magnificent. Did her elder sister really live in such a place?
Mrs. Wan's heart ached. She too felt the palace was vast, seemingly impossible to traverse in a day. But her thoughts differed from her mother-in-law's and younger daughter's. Mrs. Wan only thought: Yu'er is timid. All alone in such a huge place, with no one to rely on, is she afraid?
Thinking this, Mrs. Wan nearly shed tears.
And those tears could no longer be held back the moment she saw Qi Daiyu.
Her daughter, unseen for years, was almost unrecognizable from when she left home. Dressed in luxurious robes and exquisite jewelry, she stood smiling at the courtyard entrance. Her posture was so graceful, her smile so refined and noble—the very image of a palace consort from the operas.
It was still the same face, the same figure, yet something was undeniably different. This was her own flesh and blood, raised by her side for over a decade, yet the look in her eyes held a touch of strangeness and formality.
Mrs. Wan didn't think of anything fantastical. She simply felt that the palace truly was no place for ordinary people. It had tamed her good daughter into what she was now.
Suppressing the lump in her throat, Mrs. Wan began to bend her knees to perform the formal greeting. Grandma Qi and Qi Qinglong followed suit.
"This subject's wife (This subject's daughter) pays respects to Lady Zhao Yi..."
How could Qi Daiyu let them actually kneel? She hurried forward to support them, while Shiliu and Putao cleverly stepped in to assist Grandma Qi and Qi Qinglong.
"...Mother, Grandmother, there's no need for such formalities." Having practiced the address several times beforehand, Qi Daiyu managed to say it without much difficulty.
Mrs. Wan, worried about causing trouble for her, said, "You are now an esteemed mistress..." Her eyes hinted at the palace servants watching nearby.
Qi Daiyu smiled gently. "Today is Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's birthday. As a junior, it is right to prioritize filial piety. How could I let you and Grandmother bow to me? Mother, don't worry. Everyone here is from my own residence, and they are all discreet."
Mrs. Wan glanced again at Shiliu and Putao. Seeing they both seemed honest and dependable, she didn't insist further.
"Elder Sister! Do you still remember Qinglong?" Qi Qinglong, being young and less restrained, was now purely excited. Seeing her elder sister after years apart didn't feel strange at all. If not for Mrs. Wan's repeated admonitions before entering the palace, she would have already hugged her. At home, she had been closest to her elder sister.
Both daughters of the Qi family likely took after Qi Caishang's looks. Qi Daiyu was naturally beautiful, though her poor health lent her a delicate, willowy air. Qi Qinglong, however, was healthy and robust. Her hair was styled in double flat buns adorned with two pink beaded flowers, and she wore a peach-colored gauze dress. Her eyes sparkled brightly, and her smiling gaze was enough to make one feel fondness.
"Peach blossoms so fair, radiant their blaze."
It was easy to see she would grow into a beauty.
Qi Daiyu had a deep impression of this younger sister, having even used her name as an excuse to fend off Concubine Mei before.
Unable to resist, she reached out and stroked Qi Qinglong's head. "Of course I remember. Knowing you were coming today, I had some sweet soup prepared. Would you like to try it?"
Elder Sister remembered she liked sweet things! The smile in Qi Qinglong's eyes deepened, and she nodded emphatically. "Yes!"
Qi Daiyu then invited the three of them inside.
In her past life, having to deal with parents of various age groups, Qi Daiyu had gained some skill in communication. With just a few sentences, she soothed the unease and nervousness of Mrs. Wan and the other two who were new to the palace. By the time Qi Qinglong had finished one bowl of mango pomelo sago and was starting a second, Grandma Qi was already being supported by Shiliu as she carefully examined the ornaments in the Yanqing Residence.
She even began to comment: "Is that a bird or a chicken painted on this vase? It's certainly big enough; it could hold quite a lot of grain!"
"This screen is truly beautiful. Was it made by palace embroiderers? I've heard a single handkerchief embroidered by a palace embroiderer can sell for several taels of silver outside!"
...
Mrs. Wan couldn't help but facepalm. Before coming, she had repeatedly warned them not to appear awestruck or provincial at the palace, lest they embarrass Daiyu. Yet, Grandma Qi still couldn't hide her true feelings.
Looking up, however, she saw Qi Daiyu smiling warmly. Mrs. Wan was taken aback.
Qi Daiyu said, "The palace always feels so cold and lonely, not as comfortable as home. Seeing Grandma like this now feels familiar, just like being back home."
Mrs. Wan's eyes welled up again, but she smiled through her tears. Finally feeling less restrained, she grasped Qi Daiyu's hand and began telling her about family matters.
She spoke about how awful Qi Chuchu's ex-wife was, and how kind the new sister-in-law was.
She talked about changes among the neighbors.
She also mentioned Grandpa Qi. "Times were tough for the family back then, and we didn't get any replies to our letters. We were afraid you might be having difficulties in the palace and didn't want to burden you." That's why they eventually stopped writing so often.
Qi Daiyu fell silent. That matter could only be described as a twist of fate between the original owner of this body and the Qi family.
"What I fear most," Mrs. Wan continued, "is you falling ill in the palace. You've never had a strong constitution since you were little, how could I not worry? Your father, he just says nonsense like 'the palace has imperial physicians, are you afraid they can't cure her?' I tell him, it's not the same! When you were little and sick, I had to hold you in my arms and coax you before you'd take your medicine, and only then would you recover quickly."
Qi Qinglong, sipping her mango pomelo sago, chimed in: "Mother, my sister is all grown up now, she doesn't need your coaxing! Even I don't need it anymore!"
"Drink yours and be quiet!" Mrs. Wan glared at her.
Qi Daiyu laughed. "By the way, how is my father doing?"
"Oh, he's the same as ever. It seems he entered the palace today as well. Something about the Ministry of Works presenting a tribute to the Empress Dowager. He's supposedly the chief contributor and received permission to attend. Listen to him boast! The three of us women entering the palace today made him so envious!"
Mrs. Wan couldn't help but laugh thinking about Qi Caishang's sour expression after the palace eunuch came to their home to deliver the summons.
"Father might actually become a real contributor today," Qi Daiyu said, thinking of that large tribute piece. She wondered what form Qi Caishang had managed to create.
"Oh, right!" Mrs. Wan suddenly remembered something and lowered her voice. "That person... is much better now. I brought her to our home, telling outsiders she's a newly bought maid. With your father's promotion and you in the palace, no one suspected a thing." Promotions, wealth, buying land and servants—it all seemed perfectly normal.
The person Mrs. Wan referred to was Suo'er.
Mrs. Wan still felt a chill recalling the scene she witnessed when she returned to the village that day.
A girl covered in blood lay on a dusty bed, barely clinging to life, with a huge gash on her neck covered in herbal paste. The village doctor, whom Qi Caishang had practically forced to stay, rolled his eyes when he saw Mrs. Wan. "Think I'm some miracle doctor? Forcing me to save her! This is all I can do. If she lives, it's her fate."
Unexpectedly, the girl who was so severely injured did indeed survive.
She lay in bed for over a month before she could get up.
"It was a tremendous effort to save her. Perhaps she's still in shock, as she hardly speaks."
Qi Daiyu nodded. "You've done me a great service. That person is very useful. She's frightened and won't dare run away. Keep her at home for now. If you need more silver, just tell me."
Happy to have helped her daughter, Mrs. Wan beamed. "Don't worry. Your father said those people thought she was dead and dumped her in the mass graves. He carried her all the way back to the village himself. No one will ever find out. And you needn't worry about bringing trouble to our family. Your father is the type who would never dare bring trouble home."
Qi Daiyu now had a clearer picture. She was just waiting for a suitable opportunity to hand Suo'er over to the Empress.
But that opportunity would require patience.
