CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER 80: TAKING CONTROL

"Concubine Li."

Upon seeing the palanquins of Concubine Li and Concubine Xi from afar, Consort Jiang averted her gaze, pretending not to see them, intending to take a different path. Clad in her court attire, she couldn’t match the speed of the eunuchs who toiled in the harem, and was intercepted in the blink of an eye.

"Concubine Li? Consort Jiang, you must be mistaken, you should address her as Lady Li."

"...Lady Li."

Concubine Li’s eyes flickered:

"And the person beside me should also be addressed."

Consort Jiang harbored a glimmer of hope, thinking Yun Jiao would say it wasn’t necessary.

Though Yun Jiao often uttered astonishing words, leaving others in an awkward position, she was generally not someone who bullied others by flaunting her power, unlike Concubine Li, who, when favored, often relied on her beauty to act tyrannically.

"Indeed, you should also address me,"

Yun Jiao cheerfully agreed, "Ah, no, you should address this palace."

...

In her dealings, she had no loud slogans, only a simple principle—treat others as they treat her. When encountering attendants in the harem who had never wronged her, she didn’t mind their impolite speech, never considering them beneath her.

But Consort Jiang had secretly harmed her many times, not only trying to kill her Little Red Rabbit but also letting a cat scratch her, proving she wholeheartedly accepted the harem’s rule of "being of higher rank means you can torment others at will" and reveled in it. So when the tables turned, Yun Jiao could return the favor without any guilt.

This was Yun Jiao’s first time in the harem, standing on the side of the bully.

An immersive war of words!

...

"...Lady Xi."

Amid disbelief, Consort Jiang gritted her teeth and addressed her.

The two addresses made Concubine Li feel quite comfortable.

Being a titled person, all these years, Concubine Jiang, with the Empress Dowager as her patron and self-claimed as the first among the concubines alongside Concubine Wei, never regarded her. Forcing the Jiang Family to lower their noble heads and call her Lady was more refreshing than drinking a sour plum soup with crushed ice in the scorching heat of summer.

Concubine Li was satisfied, yet she heard Yun Jiao say with interest:

"Unlike this palace, who entered the palace with the recent selection, Consort Jiang is an old hand in here, and should know the palace etiquette better than this palace. How come today she lost her composure? Maybe she has just become a Consort and is not yet familiar with the grand etiquette Consorts owe to those of the Concubine rank? No worries, you’ll get used to it over time."

Consort Jiang was stunned.

She never expected Yun Jiao to give her no face at all and to be even more relentless than Concubine Li.

But what awaited her was even more merciless: "Why is Consort Jiang standing there in a daze? Don’t delay your time to pay respect to the Empress, hurry up."

"You..."

"Speak after you kneel."

The years of pride Consort Jiang had built while being in the Concubine rank shattered in an instant. Her chest tightened, her vision blurred, and she wished she could simply faint—if she collapsed outside Jianzhang Palace, it would be Yun Jiao’s fault, and right would turn into wrong! She wanted Yun Jiao to regret her domineering behavior!

"Ah!"

Consort Jiang, holding back her frustration, actually rolled her eyes and fainted!

Yun Jiao calmly reset.

This rare incident of fainting was just the right time to reset.

Just like in "Deep Palace", even if a concubine’s health was at a normal level, with enough patience and resets, you could always reach an outcome where she miscarried.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

... On the tenth try, they finally got to the development branch where two of Consort Jiang’s blood vessels burst, yet she stood rigidly upright.

"Lady Xi sure has a sharp tongue, I underestimated you before, but don’t forget, the days in the palace are long, I won’t always remain a Consort," Consort Jiang retaliated coldly.

Yun Jiao was taken aback: "You still want to be an Attendant Lady?"

Consort Jiang felt a genuine pain in her heart.

Yet the other party seemed oblivious, urging her to quickly perform the grand etiquette.

This was the only way to Jianzhang Palace, and the three of them had delayed here, drawing more onlookers among the passing concubines, laughing at her. Consort Jiang endured her humiliation and truly performed the grand etiquette owed by a Consort to those of the Concubine rank: "Consort Jiang from the Jiang Family greets Lady Xi, may Lady Xi be blessed with peace and health."

"Very well, you do understand etiquette, rise,"

Yun Jiao turned to Concubine Li, "I initially thought of having you perform one for your elder sister Concubine Li too, but time is not on our side, let’s move inside."

Concubine Li was stunned, her jaw almost dropping to the floor.

"Your character is really that impressive."

"There’s even more impressive, just haven’t shown it yet, I’ll let you have a look next time,"

Yun Jiao thought to herself, in "Deep Palace", she could easily execute entire harems or poison the Empress with Colchicine without a second thought. Concubine Li eyed her with half belief, if it were usual times, she’d think she was bragging, but today she felt a bit shaken.

Getting off the palanquin, they walked into the main hall of Jianzhang Palace and finally stopped talking.

Yun Jiao followed the protocol and performed the grand etiquette to the Empress, her actions so impeccable that no faults could be found. The Empress not only didn’t trouble her but also complimented her lightly: "This palace heard of your promotion to Lady Xi and was planning to send a congratulatory gift. You’re here just in time. Dong Hua, take out the gift list I drafted yesterday and send it to Lady Xi later."

After Dong Hua took out the gift list, she began reading it aloud.

At this time, the downside of having a thin family background became apparent. Yun Jiao couldn’t discern whether the Empress’s gifts were valuable or not, so she could only glance at the faces of the concubines to guess they were good things.

As Dong Hua read out a fox fur coat, the Empress interrupted her: "Remember to tailor that fox fur to Lady Xi’s measurements."

See, how considerate!

This minor task was personally instructed by the Empress. If it weren’t for the previous kneeling punishment, one might think Lady Xi was quite favored with the Empress.

"This concubine thanks the Empress for her grace,"

Yun Jiao performed this etiquette with genuine sincerity.

The Emperor’s awards were imperial gifts, hard to circulate.

The Empress’s gifts were different.

If they were good things, they equated to glittering silver taels!

The Empress chuckled slightly: "Have a seat."

After she was granted a seat, they heard the eunuch announce — the Lady, Princess Consort Jing, and Consort Jiang have arrived.

Everyone was first surprised, then chuckled.

Surprised that it was rare for Princess Consort Jing to be out, and hearing the words Consort Jiang, they couldn’t help but laugh.

After entering and paying respects, Princess Consort Jing, pale-faced, pleaded for forgiveness from the Empress: "This concubine’s health hasn’t improved. Jing’er needs my personal care to feed him medicine every morning. Today he’s better, so I came to pay my respects to you, Empress. Being absent for so long is truly my fault."

"Your health is always weak, and you have to worry about the Eldest Prince. How can this palace blame you? Quickly, have a seat."

"The Empress’s compassion is appreciated beyond words,"

Princess Consort Jing curtsied again before returning to her seat.

The seating arrangement for paying respects was very particular. Consort Jiang, aware that she had been demoted from the Concubine rank, felt she should sit at the end of the Concubine rank, first among the Consorts. But looking around, that seat was already occupied by Consort Xu.