"I forgot to send a congratulatory gift to Noble Beauty Yang yesterday. I hope you didn't mind."
Zi Hua's gaze flickered between Noble Consort Meng's stormy smile and dagger-like nails. They were filed to points and bloody red today.
She gulped, curtseying low. "Of course not, Noble Consort."
To be honest, she'd lost count of the congratulatory gifts received after her promotion. News sure spread fast in the rear palace.
Noble Consort Meng sniffed. "I suppose you won't miss my measly present with all the treasures His Majesty has already awarded you."
"Stop teasing her, Sister Meng," Virtuous Consort Liu berated. "Noble Beauty Yang, sit. You look exhausted."
She was exhausted. Zhen had spent the night with her again, hence the murder glares at morning assembly.
When Empress Zhao arrived, a new round of greetings ensued. But if Zi Hua thought she could retreat from the centre of attention after that, she was deeply disappointed.
"To think it was only yesterday that Her Highness mentioned Sister Yang need not attend morning assembly anymore, yet here you are today," Meng Fan said snottily. "Who would've thought."
"It's just beginner's luck," Song Chang Ge huffed, encouraged by a fellow junior consort taking the lead.
Luo Yin rolled her eyes, not one to miss a chance at refuting her. "Get your facts straight, Noble Beauty Song. Not everyone can be promoted on their second day."
"Agreed," Meng Fan drawled. "You'll hurt Noble Lady Bai's feelings like this, Sister Song."
Bai Nan Feng stiffened but pretended not to hear. She was against sitting next to the Grand General's flamboyant young daughter from the start, but seating arrangements were sadly based on rank...
Unfortunately, this side jab didn't distract Meng Fan from Zi Hua.
"I heard His Majesty rarely visits the same consort twice in a row," she continued accusatorily. "Did Sister Yang use some underhanded method to seduce His Majesty? You're so—"
"Third Sister."
Two words, low with warning, shut Meng Fan up instantly. She frowned at Noble Consort Meng.
"Am I wrong, Older Sister?"
However, it was Empress Zhao who responded.
"Noble Consort, Noble Lady Meng's behaviour in Blossom Palace could be excused due to the servants' lax education. But to discuss His Majesty the Emperor's behaviour with such presumptuousness..." her tone took a sharp turn, "I wonder who she learnt that from."
Meng Fan paled, the implications behind her petty barb only just registering.
Noble Consort Meng cut her a glare, but her anger turned into surprising compliance when facing the empress.
"Don't misunderstand, Your Highness. Meng Fan has always been... precocious since young," she explained. "I will personally reeducate her thoroughly once we return to my palace later. She will be like a new person in no time."
For some reason, when the Noble Consort said she would "personally" teach Meng Fan a lesson, Zi Hua saw fear flicker across the normally arrogant girl's face.
'Whatever, it's none of my business,' she thought.
Empress Zhao was pleased with Noble Consort Meng's politeness, but this was too good a chance to let go of, either.
"See to it immediately, or else I will have no choice but intervene. If all imperial consorts were to act like they knew the emperor inside out, wouldn't chaos arise in the rear palace?"
The smart consorts present sucked in a cold breath. Would the fiery Noble Consort Meng sit still after hearing this blatant insinuation?
But against expectations, she nodded sagely. "Indeed, Your Highness. Everyoneshould know their place, some more than others."
It really wasn't Zi Hua's imagination—after the Noble Consort looked at Meng Fan, her clenched hands started shaking.
Empress Zhao leaned back into her Phoenix Throne. There was no point in further entanglement with Noble Consort Meng now.
"Noble Beauty Yang, you are eligible to attend morning assemblies with your new rank," she said to Zi Hua. "However, do not let one promotion get to your head—your foremost duty is to please His Majesty and contribute to the harmony of the rear palace as a faithful member."
This was Zi Hua's intention all along, but she stood up and swore obedience anyway.
"I heed Your Highness's teachings."
***
One shichen later...
"Morning assembly is exhausting," Zi Hua groaned, shading her eyes from the sun. In her haste this morning, she had forgotten to tell the servants to prepare a parasol, and she was paying the price now.
"How much longer to the Palace of Tranquillity?" she asked Qiu'er.
"Answering mistress, it's quite a long walk back... But I know a shortcut through the Imperial Gardens. Shall we take that route instead? It will be cooler with the trees shading us," Qiu'er suggested.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Zi Hua grabbed her hand and dragged her down a path leading into the garden. "Hurry, hurry! I'm melting over here!"
"Mistress, slow down!"
.
.
.
Ten minutes later, Zi Hua regretted her choice.
At the pavilion between the trees in front, two figures were sitting opposite one another, surrounded by around ten servants in total. One of them was dressed in pastel pink, the other in daffodil yellow. Both wore elaborate accessories in their high updos.
It was Concubine Lin and Noble Concubine Gong.
Zi Hua immediately turned around to leave.
Snap!
She winced and retracted her foot. A broken branch lay under it.
"Lady Beauty Yang, is that you? Aren't you going to greet your seniors?" Concubine Lin called out.
"Sister Lin..." Noble Concubine Gong started.
Before she could finish, Concubine Lin barked out a laugh. "Oh! Silly me, it's 'Noble Beauty' Yang now. Since she doesn't deign to, shall I go over and greet our little Noble Beauty first?"
"Greetings to Noble Lady Gong and Concubine Lin," Zi Hua said, walking up to them reluctantly. Concubine Lin had spared her during morning assembly, but there was no escape this time...
Concubine Lin crossed her arms. "Ignoring us once was already rude enough, but twice? The Blossom Palace servants have no standards at all."
"You looked like you were having a nice chat, and I didn't want to interrupt," Zi Hua half-lied, lowering her posture to show surrender.
"You shouldn't use your seniors as an excuse, Noble Beauty Yang." Noble Concubine Gong shook her head in disappointment. "Her Highness the Empress may be lenient, but disrespect is still inexcusable."
"Excuse me? But I wasn't—"
"She is, after all, an Upper Sixth-Rank Noble Beauty now," Concubine Lin raised her voice. "Who knows, in another two or three days, she will be promoted to upper-fifth, and even upper-fourth rank! By then, she wouldn't just be ignoring the likes of you and me!"
"Concubine Lin, pelase refrain from putting your own thoughts in my head," Zi Hua said seriously. "Or the emperor's, for the matter."
"Talking back at a senior consort?" Concubine Lin's lips curled. "It's about time someone taught you a lesson!"
She raised a hand, poised to deliver a heavy slap.
Zi Hua prepared to block it—
And in that moment—
"Make way for His Majesty the Emperor—!"
A gold coloured palanquin carried by eight eunuchs and followed by many more came into view, its dragon pattern glistening in the sun.
Concubine Lin froze comically. Zi Hua's mouth dropped in shock.
It was Noble Concubine Gong who reacted first.
"I greet Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Everyone else scattered to the sides of the path, conflict temporarily forgotten, and prostrated.
"We greet Your Majesty the Emperor!"
The palanqiun stopped in front of them.
A stool was placed below it, and the emperor stepped down.
Step. Step. Step.
Li Zhen Tian's shoes came to a stop in front of Zi Hua, reminding her of their "first" meeting at the Hall of Radiant Clarity.
His voice rang out above her head:
"What is going on here?"