When Qi Daiyu disembarked from the dragon boat, aside from her legs feeling exceptionally weak, she appeared no different from when she had boarded.
The dragon boat was some distance from the other vessels, and the rippling water provided cover. Quan Fuhai and the others didn't think much of it. However, after Consort Hui had left and Quan Fuhai was attending the Emperor as he disembarked, seeing the Emperor's relaxed expression, even tinged with a slight smile, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Having served the Emperor for many years, he found himself somewhat unable to decipher His Majesty's true attitude towards this Consort Hui.
If he favored her, why had he not summoned her for months?
If he disliked her, his previous repeated and puzzling behavior cast doubt. And today, after spending half a day boating with Consort Hui, his mood seemed to have improved considerably.
Your Majesty, do you like Consort Hui or not? Quan Fuhai fell into deep contemplation.
Meanwhile, Qi Daiyu finally returned to "Upward and Downward Sky Light." Using the excuse of having worked up a sweat, she asked for bath water to be prepared.
After her bath, as Shiliu was combing her hair, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Mistress, this isn't the hairpin you were wearing this morning!"
What was nestled in her hair wasn't the lotus hairpin at all, but clearly a real lotus flower!
It was a bowl lotus, about half a palm in size, complete with its stem and leaves, used as a hair ornament.
Qi Daiyu paused, then calmly said, "Mm. I accidentally lost it on the boat, so I used this bowl lotus instead."
Shiliu smiled knowingly—the bowl lotus must have been a gift from the Emperor! She sighed with feeling, "His Majesty treats you so well!"
Qi Daiyu's ears turned slightly red, involuntarily recalling just how that hairpin had been lost.
Jiang Yuan had deliberately teased her, pulling the hairpin loose until her hair was secured by only one remaining pin, perilously close to falling.
And he was moving so vigorously. Seeing her hair about to tumble down, Qi Daiyu was frantic.
If her hair came loose and she emerged disheveled, anyone with eyes would know what had happened in the cabin.
She tried to struggle, but Jiang Yuan held her fast. "What are you afraid of? We'll just redo it."
In her panic, Qi Daiyu forgot all about protocol. "How? I certainly don't know how. Would Your Majesty do it then?"
When she was nervous, her whole body tensed. Jiang Yuan, caught in her tight embrace, felt the surge of passion grow even more intense.
His eyes filled with amusement. "I'll do it for you then."
And then... Jiang Yuan actually did style her hair.
Naturally, there was no comb on the boat. Jiang Yuan could only use his hands to gather and smooth her hair strand by strand. Feeling the satin-like texture, he remarked, "Your hair is quite well cared for."
Feeling languid all over, Qi Daiyu didn't want to respond, only letting out a soft hum.
It had taken considerable effort to get it to this state. When she first arrived in this body, its condition was terribly poor, reflected in dry, yellowish hair. Only through daily care had she finally achieved its current appearance.
"I recall your given name is Daiyu?" Jiang Yuan suddenly asked.
"Mm."
"Silken black hair like ink—it suits your name." He smiled again. "There, done."
That was it? Qi Daiyu reached up in surprise to feel. It seemed it really was done, almost identical to the simple chignon she had worn before boarding.
Could the Emperor actually style hair?
As if reading her thoughts, Jiang Yuan said, "I only know this one style."
He explained, "When I was young, the Empress Dowager was ill for a time. I wished to show filial piety, but what could a child like me really do? At most, bring a smile to her face. I specially asked one of the maidservants attending the Empress Dowager to teach me this simplest of hairstyles. When Her Majesty first began to recover, I styled her hair for her. She was indeed very happy."
He didn't mention that he had practiced for several nights,
nearly pulling Quan Fuhai bald in the process, before he mastered doing the simple chignon even without a comb.
Qi Daiyu hadn't expected to hear such an old anecdote. Picturing the young Emperor, flustered and struggling to learn how to style hair, she couldn't help but laugh aloud.
Today she was dressed in light green robes. The lingering flush from their earlier intimacy still colored her cheeks. This hearty laugh, with her bright eyes, white teeth, and glistening red lips, truly made her resemble a pink lotus upon the water—pure yet enchanting.
Jiang Yuan was momentarily taken aback. Her eyebrows like distant hills, her face often like a lotus blossom—the saying "a face like a lotus, eyebrows like willow leaves" must describe just this.
On an impulse, he went to the small table outside the cabin, broke off a bowl lotus, and tucked it into Qi Daiyu's hair.
"Exquisite." The man's eyes held undisguised admiration.
So now he didn't dislike her for having the delicate, fragile appearance he usually detested?
Feeling somewhat bashful under the praise, Qi Daiyu reached out to Jiang Yuan, asking for her lotus hairpin back.
But Jiang Yuan merely raised an eyebrow. "You've received my bowl lotus. It's only fitting you return the sentiment with a token of your own. This hairpin will do nicely."
He had pocketed her hairpin.
Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Qi Daiyu took a deep breath, trying to forget those intimate scenes.
Learning that the Eldest Princess was currently on the terrace, she went upstairs to see her.
The little one was sitting on the daybed on the terrace, looking at a picture book. Hearing movement, she looked up. Seeing it was Qi Daiyu, she pouted and turned her body away.
Qi Daiyu found it amusing. Now that they were familiar, the child's temperament was becoming harder to hide.
"What's the matter, Princess?"
The Eldest Princess didn't answer.
"I brought back many lotus flowers. Shall we make lotus lanterns together tonight?"
The Eldest Princess's shoulders shifted slightly.
"And I gathered many lotus seeds. We can make candied lotus seeds. Steam the seeds, then coat them in melted sugar. When the seeds are plumply wrapped in the sugar coating and can pull into threads, eating one fills your mouth with a clear sweetness..."
She heard the sound of a swallowed gulp.
Qi Daiyu smiled and went to hug the Eldest Princess. "Alright, this time it was Consort Hui's fault for letting the Eldest Princess return alone. Consort Hui apologizes to the Princess. Will the Princess forgive me?"
The Eldest Princess's cheeks were still puffed out, but she returned the hug. "It's not Consort Hui's fault! It's all Father Emperor's!"
Young as she was, she understood that in the palace, Father Emperor was the ultimate authority. Even if Consort Hui had wanted to accompany her back, it wouldn't have been possible if Father Emperor didn't agree.
Hearing this, Qi Daiyu could no longer contain herself. She burst into loud laughter, even lying back on the daybed.
Laughter is contagious. Though the Eldest Princess didn't fully understand why Qi Daiyu was laughing so heartily, she started giggling too.
The two of them, one big and one small, dissolved into a heap of laughter.
Qi Daiyu hadn't been joking about making lotus lanterns.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching once again. This year it would be celebrated at the Summer Palace, with a banquet already decided for "Myriad Rooms" on the Vast Wave Lake. Each palace could make flower lanterns to release upon the lake.
What Qi Daiyu planned to make were lotus lanterns.
They already had the lotuses. She also wanted to cut some grasses for decoration, which was easy enough. The shores of Vast Wave Lake were abundant with grasses. Qi Daiyu, accompanied by Putao, went to the area behind "Upward and Downward Sky Light," carrying a small basket.
After cutting some grasses and picking a few wildflowers, Qi Daiyu had a sudden idea. She gathered a few strands of grass and began weaving a wreath, adorning it with the wildflowers.
Once one was finished, she placed it on her head and asked Putao, "Is it pretty?"
Putao: "Very pretty! The mistress is so clever with her hands."
Qi Daiyu took the wreath off. "I'll make some for you all too."
As she wove the wreaths, Putao looked around.
"Master, there are some plum trees over there!" Putao saw the deep purple plums hanging from the trees not far away and wanted to pick a few.
Qi Daiyu said, "Let's go take a look." She was quite fond of plums.
However, there was already someone by the plum trees.
"Greetings, Consort Hui."
It was Consort Feng, who lived in the "Ping'an Courtyard" behind.
Qi Daiyu smiled and nodded, "Are you here to pick plums too, Consort Feng?"
Consort Feng kept her eyes lowered and nodded slightly. Seeming to think this wasn't enough, she added in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "...Yes."
Her demeanor was so timid that Qi Daiyu felt a bit surprised.
She hadn't had much contact with Feng Qi. Her impression was that she didn't like to talk and kept to herself.
She had entered the palace in the same group as Nie Zhiyu and others, and her rank was relatively high among the new consorts, yet her reputation was far less prominent than that of Nie Zhiyu, Ye Qiong, or Zhaorong. The Emperor's favor towards her also seemed rather ordinary.
But if Qi Daiyu remembered correctly, when they went to the Nanshan Summer Palace, Feng Qi was one of the four most outstanding candidates among the new ladies at that time.
To have earned the appreciation of the instructing matrons, she must have been excellent in all aspects. Yet, Feng Qi's current demeanor showed no sign of that distinction.
Just as Qi Daiyu was hesitating whether to continue the conversation with Feng Qi, Feng Qi spoke up first, though her voice remained very soft.
"These plums... are very sweet."
Qi Daiyu asked, "Have you picked them here before?"
"...Yes."
Qi Daiyu said, "Then I'll pick a few to taste as well."
Naturally, she didn't need to pick them herself. Putao walked over, stood on her tiptoes, and tapped a ripe plum with the small hoe in her hand, causing it to fall.
Putao caught it in a cloth and then placed it in the basket.
Qi Daiyu watched from the side. Feeling that standing there in silence was awkward, she noticed the flower wreaths in the basket. She took one out and offered it to Feng Qi. "I made this myself. If you don't mind, Consort Feng, please accept it."
As she stepped forward to hand over the wreath, Feng Qi's face suddenly flushed bright red, and her whole person shrank back like a startled little rabbit.
"This consort... this consort thanks Consort Hui."
Feng Qi carefully accepted the flower wreath. "It's truly beautiful..."
Seeing her reaction, Qi Daiyu had a sudden understanding. Could it be that this Consort Feng suffered from social anxiety?
In any case, she certainly seemed very uncomfortable with social interaction.
With this guess in mind, Qi Daiyu stopped trying to make conversation with Feng Qi. Perhaps leaving her alone would make her feel more at ease. So, she turned her attention back to Putao tapping the plums, her expression natural.
After they finished picking the plums, Qi Daiyu said to Feng Qi, "I shall take my leave now."
Feng Qi, her face still flushed, replied, "Please go safely, Consort Hui."
Only after watching Qi Daiyu walk far away did Feng Qi let out a heavy sigh of relief.
She truly was poor at interacting with people, especially those she wasn't familiar with. Every time she had to speak with an unfamiliar person, it required tremendous courage, and her whole body would tense up with nervousness.
Feng Qi looked at the flower wreath in her hand and smiled, revealing two small dimples in her cheeks.
"Consort Hui is really very nice."
Her attendant, Dong Zhi, looked at her with a hint of exasperation. "If you think Consort Hui is so nice, then you should have talked to her a bit more!"
Feng Qi said, "But I'm not familiar with her. It would be so awkward to just start talking."
Dong Zhi: "..." She was truly worried to death about her mistress. Though born into a respectable family, how did she end up with such a shy temperament? Sometimes she wondered how someone who became so flustered and speechless from shyness had even managed to pass the imperial selection process.
What Dong Zhi didn't know was that Feng Qi had undergone half a year of rigorous training at home: if you didn't know what to say in front of outsiders, maintain a proper and dignified smile; if you had to speak but were too afraid, say very little, preferably no more than three words, like "Very well" or "That makes sense."
As a result, she had left the instructing matrons with an impression of dignified reserve and composure.
Feng Qi was only poor at communicating with strangers; she could speak normally once she became familiar with someone. After these months of being together day and night, she was quite at ease in front of Dong Zhi.
"Consort Hui is truly beautiful, and the wreath she made is so lovely as well."
She had seen Qi Daiyu back at the Nanshan Summer Palace and had thought then that she was stunning, the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. After entering the palace, she had seen Concubine Shu and was even more awestruck. However, Concubine Shu was haughty, usually looking down on low-ranking consorts like them with disdain in her eyes.
Feng Qi didn't like people like that.
But Consort Hui was different. She was beautiful, spoke softly and gently, and when she had spoken to her just now, there was even a hint of a smile in her eyes.
"Still, I've heard Consort Hui also enjoys His Majesty's favor..."
She fiddled with the flower wreath, her mood sinking. Before entering the palace, her mother had told her that if she didn't want to compete for favor, she shouldn't get too close to the consorts who were favored. She wasn't clever and wouldn't even know if she was being tricked or deceived.
In this palace, one couldn't make true friends.
