"Anyways, the Emperor has to take concubines, so what’s the difference between one hundred and one thousand..." Xia Ruqing said.
Zi Yue was speechless.
...
After the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the new year would arrive.
For the Emperor, it simply didn’t exist.
Though it was time to lay down the brush, there was an abundance of year-end affairs. How could Zhao Junyao find leisure?
He had ceased attending court, but the pile of petitions from various regions hadn’t reduced in the slightest.
He would sit in the Imperial Study Room for an entire day.
He hadn’t visited the Harem in half a month.
Xia Ruqing expressed her sympathy. What’s the use of taking so many concubines if you don’t even have the time to sleep with them! she grumbled inwardly, but these were words she dared not speak aloud; Zi Yue would likely nag her to death.
At this moment, outside the Imperial Study Room, Hai Dasheng presented a huge stack of tribute lists.
"These are the new year tributes from various regions and gifts from neighboring countries. Please, Emperor, have a look!"
Li Shengan took them and presented them before the Emperor.
"Emperor, this is the list of tributes. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has already registered and stored them in the archives!"
Zhao Junyao didn’t even lift an eyelid.
"Put them aside. I... will look at them tonight!"
"Yes!"
Li Shengan dared not say more.
Zhao Junyao’s gaze was stern, fixed on the petitions before him. The imperial brush in his hand was dipped in cinnabar, and lines of vermilion imperial comments leaped onto the paper.
The room was filled only with the occasional sound of paper turning.
Li Shengan stood quietly at a distance in the outer chamber, waiting for any summons.
An unknown amount of time passed, and the sky gradually darkened.
Feng Anfu stood outside with a silver tray, not daring to leave or enter.
Li Shengan came out to meet him.
"Brother Li, at this hour... does the Emperor intend to summon someone?"
Li Shengan was also a bit hesitant.
"The Emperor hasn’t given any orders. Why don’t... you wait a bit longer?"
Feng Anfu had no choice but to continue standing there.
Just as Li Shengan returned inside, Zhao Junyao suddenly spoke.
"Have Lady Xia attend me tonight!"
Li Shengan quickly responded, "Yes!"
He then hurried out to give the orders.
"Go ahead. The Emperor has selected Xia Jieyu’s tablet. Have her brought over to serve!"
Feng Anfu breathed a sigh of relief and happily carried the tray away.
Heh! Xia Jieyu truly is a lucky one. Good thing I’ve always been polite to her; it would have been awful to offend her!
...
Consort Yun Pin had been demoted and repeatedly beaten. For a time, the entire Harem reveled in her misfortune, laughing at her predicament.
As for the other person demoted this time, Lady Xi, her situation wasn’t much better. She seemed to be ’totally dispirited’!
Honored Lady Lan, who had the closest relationship with her, couldn’t bear to leave her alone. She had no choice but to accompany her daily in Lijing Pavilion.
Was the food not good? It didn’t matter; Honored Lady Lan would share half of her own. Were the items not nice? No problem; she would give her own to Lady Xi! If the rabbit was too difficult to care for, Honored Lady Lan would take it to her own palace and tend to it on Lady Xi’s behalf.
Even though Lady Xi had been demoted, her days weren’t truly difficult.
For this, she was deeply "moved."
"Eldest Sister Lan, without you, I’m afraid I would die in this Harem!" SOB, SOB...
Honored Lady Lan was flustered by her tears.
"You... you stop crying. We... we entered the palace together, didn’t we!"
Because they came from similar family backgrounds, they had met during the selection process. Two naive girls, they had resolved to be sisters, to share blessings and endure hardships together!
Honored Lady Lan was sincere, wishing she could give her very heart to Lady Xi.
As for Lady Xi... Dong Cha, standing to the side, found it somewhat unbearable to watch.
At dusk, Honored Lady Lan had to leave.
Lady Xi reluctantly saw her to the door.
"Eldest Sister Lan, you must come again tomorrow!"
Honored Lady Lan smiled contentedly. "I will come first thing tomorrow morning."
"Dong Cha, see Eldest Sister Lan out for me."
Dong Cha answered, "Yes!"
Honored Lady Lan kept saying there was no need. "It’s only a few steps away!"
Lady Xi insisted, and Honored Lady Lan had to agree.
Before leaving, Lady Xi added a reminder, "Dong Cha, once you’ve seen Eldest Sister Lan off, you must hasten back!"
The implication was clear: Dong Cha was not to say anything she shouldn’t.
Dong Cha was startled for a moment, bit her lip, and lowered her head. "Yes!"
Dong Cha returned from Zhaohua Pavilion. The lights at Lijing Pavilion were out. She didn’t know when they had gone off.
Startled, Dong Cha hurried over.
"My Lady?"
She cautiously pushed the door open.
"My Lady?"
It’s already dark. Aren’t we lighting a lamp?
She slowly walked in, intending to fumble for the tinderbox and light the lamp.
Suddenly, Lady Xi appeared behind her, holding a candle.
"What are you yelling about!" Her tone was distinctly impatient.
Dong Cha was terribly frightened and spun around sharply. The dim candlelight, shining upwards from below her face, gave Lady Xi an eerie appearance. Her expression was somewhat sinister and terrifying.