CHAPTER 681: CHAPTER 681: PRAYING FOR BLESSINGS

After all, she herself was a Noble Consort.

How dare they fob her off with such things, heh!

Ying Yue wanted to persuade her but was pushed away by Noble Concubine Shih with a swipe of her hand.

"No one shall persuade me. These people have ridden roughshod over me for so long; it’s about time they tasted the bitterness of defeat!"

Having said this, Noble Concubine Shih ordered someone to bring her a cloak.

Seeing she couldn’t be dissuaded, Ying Qiu had no choice but to go and prepare.

In reality, there wasn’t much to prepare.

Even though Noble Concubine Shih had fallen out of favor, she wasn’t destitute just yet.

There were still fine clothes to be had.

Ying Qiu quickly found a purple mink cloak, which matched perfectly with the violet palace dress she wore underneath. Put together, it was quite fitting!

Dressed anew, Noble Concubine Shih, with Ying Qiu’s assistance, rode in a warm palanquin toward the Imperial Kitchen.

Xifu Palace wasn’t far from the Imperial Kitchen.

They arrived in just a few minutes.

Upon hearing that Noble Concubine Shih had come, Eunuch He, the Chief Steward of the Imperial Kitchen, hurriedly came out, bowing deeply.

"Oh my, Noble Consort, why have you come here?"

"This servant pays his respects to the Noble Consort!"

Noble Concubine Shih emerged from the warm palanquin, majestically graceful, and looked coldly down at the little eunuchs kneeling before her.

She didn’t speak. Instead, she slowly advanced, supported by Ying Qiu’s hand.

When she reached He Changshou’s side, she smashed the soup tureen she was holding onto the ground in front of him.

"Why have I come here?"

"If I hadn’t come, you all would have practically defied the heavens by now!"

"He Changshou, it seems you’ve grown quite bold, haven’t you?!" Noble Concubine Shih said, her eyes narrowing coldly.

The soup tureen, filled with substandard bird’s nest, shattered into innumerable pieces before him, along with its contents.

He Changshou was so frightened his body trembled.

"This servant deserves death! Noble Consort, please spare my life!"

Without seeking any excuses, he admitted his fault directly, because he knew about the bird’s nest soup incident!

Noble Concubine Shih sneered.

"Spare your life? I had no intention of taking your wretched life. You brought this on yourself!"

It was true that He Changshou was a Chief Steward, but the Noble Consort was a First-Rank Noble Consort of the Great Chu Dynasty.

Even if she was out of favor, if she truly wished to deal with a eunuch, she had more than enough power to do so.

Upon hearing this, He Changshou nearly wet himself.

"Noble Consort, this servant... this servant..."

He looked at the fragments of porcelain and the yellowed bird’s nest on the ground, mumbling incoherently.

"This servant is just a servant, after all!"

"Speaking for this servant, even if you gave me a hundred and twenty times the nerve, I wouldn’t dare!"

The implication was that he was acting under someone else’s orders.

The Empress was in charge of the Harem, and she was the one who issued the rations.

A eunuch, even if he was a Chief Steward, couldn’t really make such decisions.

He had said all he could.

And the Noble Consort had been well aware of it all along.

After staring at him for a long while, Noble Concubine Shih took a deep breath and huffed coldly.

"Fine then!"

"He Changshou, whether you truly live a long life is up to you. This time, I will spare you. But if there is a next time..."

He Changshou quickly interjected.

"Noble Consort, this servant wouldn’t dare anymore! This servant will never dare again!"

Noble Concubine Shih narrowed her eyes, her gaze as icy as a glacier sweeping over the little eunuchs huddled behind him once more.

Confident that everyone in the Imperial Kitchen had been suitably chastised, she left contentedly.

"Ying Qiu, let’s go!"

"Yes!"

Noble Concubine Shih departed slowly, riding away in the warm palanquin.

Her next destination was the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

She dealt with the Ministry of Internal Affairs in much the same manner.

After making a large circuit, when she finally returned to Xifu Palace, Noble Concubine Shih was quite satisfied.

"At last, it’s all resolved!"

"From now on, our days will be much better!"

Ying Qiu also smiled at her side.

"Indeed, Your Grace!"

"Now, everyone in the palace knows that the Empress and Consort Xian Pin are not faring well. We are the most honored now!"

Just then, the Imperial Kitchen sent over a new serving of bird’s nest porridge, personally delivered by He Changshou this time.

Noble Concubine Shih was very satisfied and took a couple of sips.

"They say, ’Without a fall, how can there be a rise?’"

"I’ve been unlucky for so long; this streak of misfortune should finally be over!"

"Even if I am unreasonable at times, I would never commit wicked acts like the Empress!"

"This is her retribution!"

Ying Qiu smiled.

"What Your Grace says is true!"

But in the next moment, she frowned.

"But Your Grace, who do you think was behind the Emperor’s assassination attempt this time?"

Noble Concubine Shih’s lips curved into a faint smirk.

"Hmph. No matter who was behind it, it has nothing to do with me!"

"But I guess it must have been the Empress!"

"The Imperial Forest Army are the Emperor’s men, and they are able to leave the palace. Within the Harem, the only ones with the means to leave the palace are the Empress’s people!"

Consider the procurement duties for the Imperial Kitchen and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

One must have the Empress’s Phoenix Seal and a personally conferred token to leave the palace.

And for ordinary palace attendants who wish to leave, it is even more troublesome.

Their request to leave must be submitted for approval by a Steward Sister. After the Empress reviews and approves it, she will stamp the document with a golden seal.

Then, they are issued a standardized token, which generally has a time limit.

This means if one cannot return within the allotted time, they would be deemed culpable.

Therefore, palace attendants leaving the palace must strictly adhere to their stated tasks. If they are delayed by other affairs, they will be punished upon their return.

Punishments could range from caning for major infractions to deductions from their monthly stipend for minor ones.

In summary, the procedures for leaving the palace for those in the Harem are quite complicated.

Therefore, when something untoward happens within the Harem, suspicion naturally falls on the Empress.

After all, she is the only one who could exploit her position for such purposes without being easily detected.

Ying Qiu sighed.

"Fortunately, the Empress didn’t target us in this matter. Otherwise, we would have been completely defenseless!"

Noble Concubine Shih sneered sarcastically.

"As if she would dare!"

Yes, the Empress wouldn’t dare!

At this moment, the Empress, in Jiaofang Hall, was engulfed in a flurry of activity.

She had issued a strange order.

"Prepare the luggage!"

Yu Lan was thoroughly perplexed.

"My lady, you haven’t said where we are going?"

Outwardly, the Empress appeared calm, but inwardly she gave a bitter smile.

Where could I possibly go? I don’t know either. But since the Emperor has commanded it, I suppose I must comply.

"My lady, how many sets of seasonal clothing should we pack?"

Yu Lan wanted to ask how long they would be gone, but since even the Empress did not know, she could only reply.

"Pack a few extra sets!"

Seeing that the Empress seemed distracted, Yu Lan decided not to ask any more questions.

The Empress had many belongings, and it took more than a Shi Chen to complete the initial packing.

After lunch, the Empress leaned on the kang, sipping tea.

Just then, the Emperor arrived.

She was somewhat shocked and frightened, but she still went forward to greet him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Junyao gave her a brief, indifferent look, his expression unchanging.

"Mm."

"Since the Empress is prepared, we shall set out tomorrow."

"The Great Chu Dynasty has been facing a period of misfortune. The Empress shall go to Wanyue Nunnery to pray for blessings for the people."

This time, the Empress was utterly shocked.

"Pray for blessings?"

Go now? At a time like this?

Zhao Junyao nodded.

"Yes. Once the Empress has finished packing, she should rest early. Tomorrow morning, I will arrange an escort to take you there."