CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 40: THE CONCUBINE IS STILL JUST A BABY

The crowd’s gaze once again fell uniformly on Yun Jiao.

Concubine Lan also turned her head to stare at her—

So it turns out that last night, the Emperor of Yan Chi left her waiting until midnight because he was with this woman. Her appearance was indeed outstanding among all the beauties present, possessing a naturally delicate complexion, with arched eyebrows and cherry lips, and eyes brimming with charm.

Born so beautiful, she ought to be adorned in silk and satin, sitting amidst towers of gold and jade, looking ethereal into the distance, like a work of art admired and nurtured by others. Yet she chose not to, not seeing herself as a great beauty, it was this unassuming grace that turned her from a piece of art back into a living person.

In what way am I inferior to her?

No matter how beautiful she is, she was brought over from the Imperial Palace. As for novelty, I should have the upper hand.

The moment she realized this thought, Concubine Lan quickly looked away, feeling immensely frustrated.

How could she think like this!

The Emperor not coming meant she maintained her chastity for love, and peace between them remained unbroken; she should be happy.

"I see, then it’s truly my fault," Concubine Jiang exclaimed with a faint smile: "Now Concubine Lan must feel upset inside. Oh dear, don’t blame me, Attendant Lady Xi, you too monopolize favor in the palace, then cling to the Emperor at the hunt, not even giving face to the new Concubine Lan, truly immature."

Concubine Lan’s silent lowering of her head was seen by the other concubines as a sign of her fear of trouble.

Concubine Jiang only wished to make Yun Jiao the target of all.

"Concubine Jiang’s words are true!"

The hierarchy in rank was distinct, and Yun Jiao had to wait for her to finish speaking before replying.

She inhaled quietly, raised her tone slightly, using an unusually sincere and lively voice, resembling a heroine from a Qiong Yao drama: "Compared to Lady, I am truly petty and ignorant! Luckily, we have Concubine Jiang considering for Concubine Lan! I shall convey to the Emperor that next time he wishes to favor Concubine Jiang, he should consider Concubine Lan’s presence, the spirit of caring for others’ young and old is worth learning!"

In the harem, there were many sharp verbal exchanges trick built on satire, but it was the first time anyone had seen someone embody a Qiong Yao character.

When everyone realized it, they felt that Attendant Lady Xi was not only logically clear and quick to respond but also bold.

Wasn’t Concubine Jiang trying to pit the Emperor’s new love against the old one?

If she cared so much for new arrivals’ feelings, why not give up her own nights of favor?

Such a counter isn’t something only Attendant Lady Xi could think of, but honestly, few dared to tear through decency and publicly shame the concubine, openly declaring they’d take it to the Emperor.

Yet she truly had the stature for it.

Everyone watched intently, not willing to miss a bit of the spectacular show.

Concubine Jiang, furious, her lips trembling, glared at Yun Jiao with a look that could ooze venom, yet in the Empress’s presence, she couldn’t indeed overstep her bounds to lash out at Yun Jiao. She smirked coldly, "Attendant Lady Xi speaks so pleasantly, shouldn’t you also act sensibly?"

The hot-headed Concubine Jiang no longer thought about competing for favor.

Anyway, she hardly had a fraction of favor initially; now she just wanted any stray cat or dog to take away Attendant Lady Xi’s favor to see if that wench could remain as smug!

"The higher the rank, the greater the responsibility. I’m just a small Attendant Lady, not as sensible as Concubine Jiang,"

Yun Jiao blinked innocently, feigning cuteness:

"I’m still young, a baby even."

A baby over two hundred months old is still a baby: "I just left the swaddle and entered the palace, asking for lady’s mercy."

All present were shocked.

Those familiar with her outrageousness, like Concubine Wei, weren’t here, leaving Concubine Jiang dumbfounded, and even the Empress was somewhat uncertain—it was assumed that the Emperor favored smart ladies, but unexpectedly it was Attendant Lady Xi and her antics that caught his fancy?

Attendant Lady Xi skipped the stage of satire straight to spouting nonsense.

Concubine Li, unperturbed, even found some dark amusement.

Previously it was only she tortured by Attendant Lady Xi, and now everyone had witnessed it!

Attendant Lady Xi claimed to have just left the swaddle, but Concubine Jiang would have liked to kick her straight back to her mother’s womb: "Attendant Lady Xi should watch her sharp tongue, especially before the Empress, understanding the importance of hierarchy."

Concubine Jiang believed the Empress would side with her.

After a pause, the Empress indeed spoke slowly: "Concubine Jiang may be temperamental, but she still holds the main position in a palace and is a ranked concubine. Attendant Lady Xi should be more aware of her status when replying. It was thought that you had learned the rules in Chuxiu Palace, but it seems there’s room for improvement. Starting tomorrow, come here daily to have Nanny Mao guide you a bit."

Nanny Mao was one of the old servants at the Empress’s side.

The classification of palace attendants was detailed and precise, with each Prince and Princess surrounded by three types of nannies: wet nurses, water nannies responsible for chores like tending fires and washing, who held the lowest status and seldom spoke to the masters, and rules nannies tasked solely with ensuring etiquette, every movement and smile curvature under their watch.

The rules nannies were the living embodiment of the Palace Rules, their eyes were the measuring stick.

Having Nanny Mao teach Yun Jiao etiquette didn’t necessarily mean physical punishment, but verbal harshness was inevitable.

Most importantly, confining Attendant Lady Xi to learn etiquette would make it difficult for the Emperor to overrule the Empress in summoning her for favor.

Unless, the Emperor favored her so much that he would ignore the Empress’s face for her.

...

Yun Jiao was left behind while the others dispersed one by one.

Consort Ji followed closely behind her sister, listening to Lady’s nonchalant comment: "An Attendant Lady enlisting a Consort’s support, even two wouldn’t stand a chance."

Mentioning it, Consort Ji sighed with resignation.

With the rescue by the pond as precedent, after the Qiu Lie entourage list was announced, Lady presumed her half-sister had linked up with Attendant Lady Xi, seeing this in turn revealed her half-sister’s potential, remarking she "may not keep men, but has some charm over women": "The Empress restraining her is your opportunity to shine; seize it well."

Consort Ji lowered her head in silence.

Lady glanced from the palanquin at her: "Do you feel guilty about trying to usurp Attendant Lady Xi’s favor?"

"Sister..."

Lady’s face, as refreshing as a pear flower beneath the moon, once again showed signs of vexation: "If it were someone else, I wouldn’t say more. You, like the Empress, consider favor a tangible entity that can be snatched away or possessed, when in truth it is merely the Emperor’s changing whims, undeserving of your burden." Blame lay on men whose hearts, like the moon, waxed and waned without warning.

Like two men fighting a duel over who the beloved belongs to, completely disregarding her own wishes.

Many in the harem couldn’t escape this cognitive rut.

"Sister sees it all so clearly." Consort Ji smiled bitterly.

"Not really,"

Lady withdrew her gaze, lazily closing her eyes: "I’d rather see them all perish, alas, the world does not move according to my will."