Regarding the matter of assigning Head Matrons, many consorts were actually not very pleased. For those who had just entered the palace this year, it was fine. After all, they didn't have many familiar people in the rear palace yet. Having an experienced Head Matron might save them a lot of trouble.
But for consorts like Consort An, Consort Zhuang, and Qi Daiyu, it was hardly good news.
The people in their own palaces were accustomed to and trusted, knowing each other inside out. What was the meaning of suddenly parachuting in a Head Matron? Especially since this Head Matron had been trained under the Empress Dowager's supervision—in other words, bestowed by the Empress Dowager herself—she could only be respected, not slighted.
For the servants in each palace, it wasn't good news either. Particularly for the senior palace maids serving closely by their mistress's side. They had essentially been the highest among the palace servants, second only to their mistress. Now, with the sudden arrival of a Head Matron, should the authority over personnel and finances within the palace be handed over or not?
For a time, there was some unrest in every palace.
The Yanqing Residence was no exception.
Pomegranate, Grape, and the others all wore serious expressions. Grape was slightly better off; she managed the storeroom, such an important place the mistress surely wouldn't immediately hand over to a newcomer. But Pomegranate truly had a face full of woe.
In her mind, that Head Matron had been personally guided by Matron Zhao from beside the Empress Dowager. Her seniority, experience, and methods were all superior. Taking over her authority to manage people was only too reasonable.
The mistress might be unwilling, but one cannot contend against a stronger force. She would have to give face to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. It seemed her duties were really going to be handed over...
The Head Matron assigned to Yanqing Residence was named Yan He. She was relatively tall with a round face that looked very amiable.
Yan He was brought into Yanqing Residence by a eunuch. Upon seeing Qi Daiyu, she respectfully curtsied, "This servant Yan He pays her respects to Noble Lady Hui."
Her curtsy was quite elegant. First, she drew the handkerchief from her waist and flicked it lightly backward, the movement fluid and graceful. Most eye-catching were her hands: her fingers were very long and slender, perfectly proportioned, fair and delicate, with pink, glossy nails, clearly extremely well cared for.
Noticing Qi Daiyu's gaze, Yan He smiled lightly, "When this servant first entered the palace, she was assigned to the embroidery workshop as a seamstress. She worked there for five years, hence she pays extra attention to hand care. It became a habit and she never broke it."
A seamstress's hands are precious; they cannot have any roughness or injuries, otherwise they might snag the embroidery. Qi Daiyu nodded in understanding.
Yan He said, "This servant has a few hand-care recipes passed down from old matrons in the palace. If the mistress requires them, this servant can offer them immediately."
This was a declaration of loyalty.
Qi Daiyu had Pomegranate help Yan He up. "That's perfect. I also enjoy studying such things. Once Matron is settled, we can discuss them together."
Yan He smiled at Pomegranate and rose. "Then this servant humbly accepts."
In her first few days at Yanqing Residence, Yan He did not display any ambition. She neither took over Pomegranate's authority to manage personnel nor asked Grape for the storeroom keys. Just as she said on her first day, she only exchanged hand-care tips with Qi Daiyu, even praising the "hand cream" given by Qi Daiyu effusively after trying it.
Yan He was amiable, often wearing a smile, and did not flaunt her seniority when speaking with Pomegranate, Grape, and the others.
She was thirty-two this year. She entered the palace at twelve and worked in the embroidery workshop for five years. Due to her outstanding embroidery skills, she was promoted to serve in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, specifically in charge of the late Emperor's clothing. Two years later, the late Emperor bestowed Yan He to Princess Yanqing. Thereafter, Yan He served by Princess Yanqing's side until the Princess married. After Princess Yanqing's marriage, Yan He remained with her birth mother, the late Emperor's Consort Jing.
Consort Jing passed away three years ago. Yan He was transferred back to the embroidery workshop as a supervising matron. Now, due to her past seniority, she was selected again and finally assigned to Yanqing Residence.
It must be said that Yan He's experience as a palace maid was quite rich. Upon learning that she had even embroidered dragon robes for the late Emperor, Pear was almost ready to kneel on the spot to become her disciple. Yan He, however, generously laughed and said, "They are just common techniques taught in the embroidery workshop. In the future, as we serve Lady Hui together, there will be plenty of time to teach you."
With her generous and affable attitude, Yan He quickly integrated into Yanqing Residence.
As for the authority issues that worried Pomegranate and Grape, in fact, on the very first day, Yan He had privately sought out Qi Daiyu.
"To be frank, the reason this servant was assigned to Yanqing Residence is because Her Majesty the Empress made arrangements," Yan He explained.
With her seniority, she could very well have gone to Consort Ning's palace to live out her years in comfort, or to the newly favored Consort Nie, where she could have immediately obtained managerial authority upon arrival. Being assigned to Yanqing Residence naturally had its reasons.
"Consort Jing Mu shared a close personal friendship with Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Princess Yanqing was also raised under Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's care for a period. Therefore, Her Majesty the Empress specifically sought out Princess Yanqing to inquire about this servant's temperament, and later sent someone to inform this servant that her future mistress would be you."
Among the Emperor's siblings, Princess Yanqing was the closest to him, so the Empress and Princess Yanqing also had a good relationship. But Qi Daiyu hadn't expected the Empress to specially inquire about Yan He from Princess Yanqing for her sake.
"Her Majesty the Empress said she valued this servant's non-competitive and unobtrusive nature, which suits a kind and gentle person like Noble Lady Hui. Moreover, the Noble Lady is frail and prone to illness. Princess Yanqing also suffered from a congenital weakness from birth. This servant cared for her for several years, learning some pharmacological knowledge and gaining experience with such conditions. That is why she assigned this servant to you."
"So, Mistress, rest assured. This servant came to care for your health. As for other matters, if those young girls make any mistakes, this servant can offer some advice from the sidelines. Managerial duties were never this servant's intention."
After listening, Qi Daiyu was naturally deeply moved. She hadn't expected the Empress to be so considerate.
"Then, from now on, I'll trouble you, Matron. Pomegranate, Grape, and the others are still inexperienced. I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on many matters."
"Of course, Mistress, rest assured."
Only after Yan He left did the smile fade from Qi Daiyu's face.
She believed what Yan He said, but not entirely.
Her Majesty the Empress certainly had genuine care for her, but it was wise to be cautious. Yan He might truly be here to care for her health, but whether there was also an element of surveillance was unknown.
However, even if it was surveillance, Qi Daiyu wasn't worried. She had never harbored any intention to harm the Empress, and there was nothing unspeakable in Yanqing Residence (the truly unspeakable things were all in her phone). The Empress was not like Consort Shu. As long as she continued to respect the Empress, the Empress would not harm her.
Soon, it was the end of the year. Just like last year, it meant attending various events for several consecutive days, kneeling over a dozen times daily. Qi Daiyu was utterly exhausted. If not for the generous New Year rewards, she would have feigned illness to skip the banquet.
For this year's banquet, Qi Daiyu dressed very modestly, as did the other consorts.
After all, with domestic disasters this year and the Empress's "austerity decree" still in effect, no one dared to court trouble.
Perhaps because Qi Daiyu had been exceptionally well-cared for this year, her skin was fair and delicate. Moreover, with the most beautiful Consort Shu absent, even dressed modestly, she still stood out strikingly among the crowd.
Qi Daiyu had forgotten that she possessed a "delicate beauty" kind of looks. The more simple and unadorned her attire, the more it accentuated that "graceful, fragile" beauty, making people instinctively want to ask: "Are you feeling cold, my lady?" or "Please drink your tea slowly."
At the banquet, even the Empress Dowager remarked, "Shall we add more charcoal braziers near Noble Lady Hui?"
She still remembered Noble Lady Hui, who had presented the game of mahjong.
Qi Daiyu: "..." She was actually feeling quite warm.
But she still rose to express her gratitude.
The only one seemingly unmoved was probably Jiang Yuan.
He appreciated Qi Daiyu's liveliness, spirit, boldness, and uniqueness, but had never favored her "frail" aspect—a childhood aesthetic preference he couldn't change. Having recently resolved the matter with the Yuan family, Jiang Yuan was in quite good spirits. Seeing Qi Daiyu's attire now, he felt the urge to tease her again.
Following the Empress Dowager's comment, he said, "Then have several more braziers placed near Noble Lady Hui. We must ensure she doesn't catch a chill."
Qi Daiyu couldn't help but take a deep breath, gritting her teeth as she thanked him.
When the extra braziers arrived, Qi Daiyu was instantly enveloped in heat. Seated beside her were Consort An and Nie Zhiyu, who both subtly shifted away.
Qi Daiyu: "..."
Before long, Qi Daiyu felt sweat on her back. Soon, her face would likely be damp too.
Fortunately, she had used her own cosmetics today, which had exceptional staying power and wouldn't smear.
Inevitably, she recalled last year's banquet when the Emperor made her peel kumquats, causing her such embarrassment.
The wretched Emperor was trying to make her suffer again this year!
Noticing Qi Daiyu's "resentful" gaze, Jiang Yuan, seated above, raised his wine cup to hide his smirk. When the eunuchs announced the rewards, Jiang Yuan turned and whispered a few instructions to Quan Fuhai.
Upon hearing them, Quan Fuhai instinctively glanced at Noble Lady Hui, marveling inwardly. To have the Emperor issue such specific orders during such a grand banquet—Noble Lady Hui was truly in a league of her own.
Unaware of the exchange above, Qi Daiyu finally heard the announcement of the long-awaited rewards.
No promotions in rank this year, but there were the expected gold, silver, silks, and brocades. With these, Qi Daiyu was perfectly content.
The only promotion honor at the banquet went to Zhaorong. By the Empress Dowager's decree, she was elevated from Talented Lady to Beauty.
Expressions in the hall varied. Those unaware of the inner workings assumed it was a reward because the Grand Princess's consort had severed ties and reported the Yuan family. But Qi Daiyu knew this promotion was likely compensation for Zhaorong.
After all, the truth behind Consort Mei's miscarriage had been uncovered; Zhaorong had taken the blame for Consort Shu and Beauty Cao and had been punished. Since the matter could never be made public, this was the form of compensation.
Judging by Zhaorong's expression, she herself seemed to have misunderstood the reason.
The banquet concluded with the Emperor, Empress Dowager, Empress, and several princes and princesses proceeding to Cining Palace for the vigil, while the others returned to their respective quarters.
As usual, Qi Daiyu distributed red envelopes to everyone in Yanqing Residence, rewarding them for their year's hard work, not even omitting the newly arrived Yanhe.
Early on the second day of the new year, Quan Fuhai arrived, bearing gifts from the Emperor.
"Noble Lady Hui, His Majesty has sent gifts to all palaces. Yours are particularly generous," Quan Fuhai said with a smile, stepping aside for the items to be presented.
Qi Daiyu took a look and was momentarily stunned.
Indeed, they were lavish: chest after chest of silks and brocades, box after box of jewels and hair ornaments.
Quan Fuhai said respectfully, "His Majesty remarked that you look most splendid in bright-colored gowns."
But these were far too bright!
Looking at the peach-pink, pomegranate-red, pale yellow, vibrant green, and sky-blue fabrics in the chests, along with the ornate and exquisite jewelry, Qi Daiyu was speechless.
How much did he dislike her dressing plainly?!
That evening, Jiang Yuan visited Yanqing Residence.
