Chapter 7: Yuanchun's Humiliation

  "Cough, cough!" Seeing this scene, Xiangguo coughed twice, Daiyu came back to her senses, feeling a bit embarrassed, but it was only a fleeting embarrassment. "Ancestor, are you uncomfortable? Let me help you relieve your breath." Daiyu said cleverly, using this as an excuse to cover up her own momentary loss of composure.

  "Yu Niang is very considerate. I brought Yu Niang into the palace today just to let you all get familiar with her, no one is allowed to bully her." Xianzhuang said with a strong protective desire.

  "In obedience to the will of our ancestors." The concubines and imperial consorts hastily paid their respects.

  "As for Consort Liang, you should move into Chengde Palace immediately. Consort Min should get along well with Consort Liang." The original Chengde Palace was the territory of Consort Min, the birth mother of Yongzhao, but now that Consort Liang has been promoted to imperial consort, she will have to take over the main palace. Consort Min didn't seem to react much, but Yongzhao's face turned somewhat unpleasant - all these brothers were bullying him, and now even Consort Liang was climbing above his mother's head; thinking of this, Yongzhao looked at Yongyi with resentment.

  Yinxiang's brother, Yinbian, saw that Yinxiang was unhappy and felt very pleased in his heart. "Fourth brother loves you, what can you do? Mother is just a noble concubine, what does it count for?" The more Yinbian thought about it, the happier he became, and a smile appeared on his face. In Yinxi's eyes, this made him think that Yinbian was happy because of his mother being promoted to imperial consort, and in his heart, he regarded Yinbian as one of his own party members. However, the final development of things always turned out to be beyond people's expectations.

  "Ancestors, is the princess going to stay in the palace for a few days?" A kind-faced concubine spoke up, and Daiyu determined her identity at a glance. There was no kindness in her eyes, yet she looked so virtuous, who else could it be but De Fei?

  "Jade, you decide for yourself. After all, you have to watch the selection with me, and going in and out of the palace every day is also a hassle. Your body isn't good either." Empress Dowager showed her intention to let Daiyu stay in the palace. Daiyu felt uncomfortable in her heart, she didn't want to stay in the palace at all, but her face didn't show it, only her eyes looked complexly at Empress Dowager, "The old ancestor's kindness, Daiyu naturally should accept, but Daiyu just followed Ama into the capital, and there are still many things to deal with at home, so she must go back. Besides, going in and out of the palace every day isn't that troublesome, can't Daiyu come to accompany the old ancestor for breakfast every day?" Daiyu said with a coquettish tone.

  Empress Dowager looked at Daiyu for a while, "Since that's the case, it can't be helped. However, you must accompany me through dinner before you're allowed to leave the palace."

  "Thank you, ancestors." Daiyu said with a mischievous tone, but she felt relieved in her heart. If she were to stay overnight in this Forbidden City, would it be haunted?

  "The princess is young, lively and lovely, with the boldness of a Manchu girl." Yifei praised Daiyu, thinking that her own little nine didn't have the good fortune to be married off, if she could marry Daiyu, then her Guoluo family might be able to climb to another high peak.

  Daiyu heard this and gave a faint smile towards Yifen without saying anything.

  Kangxi changed the subject and everyone became cheerful again. Daiyu sat beside Xiaozhuang, occasionally adding a sentence or two, but her mind had long been elsewhere.

  In a palace of the Yongqing Palace, a woman in pink palace attire was pacing back and forth inside the house, holding a piece of paper that had been crumpled into a distorted shape.

  What should I do? The old lady wrote to me to hurry up and get the favor of the Crown Prince, and then strike the Lin family through the Crown Prince. But after entering the palace for two years, the Crown Prince has not even looked at me properly, and the Crown Princess looks at me with disapproval, driving me to the back, without giving me a chance to approach the Crown Prince, what can I do?

  "Miss, don't worry, the Crown Prince's consort found out yesterday that she is pregnant, this is your chance." Bao Qin suggested.

  "Opportunity? Those ladies-in-waiting have been waiting for a long time, can I let this opportunity slip away?" Yuanchun's eyebrows furrowed, ruining her pretty face.

  "Miss, why don't we go and bribe Lord Lingpu a bit? Maybe he'll help you come up with an idea."

  "Who did you give those five thousand taels of silver to last month?" Yuanchun said helplessly. With Ling Pu's huge appetite, even five thousand taels wouldn't be enough to fill his stomach, what was she supposed to do? Was there still a chance?

  She stopped talking, all these are facts. The young lady at home was a noble lady with fine clothes and food, now she has become a servant girl, without any status, just a humble palace maid. Compared to her family, it's not just a thousand times or a hundred times worse. It's normal for the young lady to be angry.

  "Holding a zither, one day I will stand at the highest point and gaze out at the scenery." Yuan Chun looked out of the window at the sky outside, feeling that she could succeed.

  "What a beautiful view!" A somewhat enchanting voice sounded, followed by a strong fragrance of flowers wafting over, and Yuanchun turned her head away in disgust.

  "What's going on, sister? My younger sister has arrived and you don't even come to greet her?" The newcomer said with a smile, but after being ignored by Yuanchun for half a day, the smile instantly disappeared. "Jia Yuanchun, who do you think you are? I am now the Imperial Concubine of the Crown Prince, and you are just an ordinary palace maid, yet you don't even give me a courtesy?" The woman said with a haughty tone.

  Yuanchun's face was full of anger, but she didn't dare to lose her temper. This woman was inferior to herself in every way, yet she had caught the eye of the Crown Prince and was allowed to serve in front of her. She had risen from a humble position to become a concubine, and would occasionally come to humiliate Yuanchun.

  "Still not kneeling for me?" Changling said angrily, and the maid behind her was about to come up and press Yuanchun down. Yuanchun glared at Changling and reluctantly knelt down.

  "This is just right, look at your hand, oh yeah, you play the piano quite well." Chang Lian gave a wicked smile, and the flower pot under her foot had already stepped on Yuan Chun's hand. Yuan Chun's tears of pain came down instantly, "You... one day..." Yuan Chun struggled free, glaring at Chang Lian, but the words in her mouth didn't come out.

  "One day what? Hmph! You just stay here then." Changling turned and left with a flick of her sleeve. Yuanchun was left alone, tears falling as she said, "Baocai, I can't take it anymore, go tell that person, I agree to whatever she wants, I'll do anything she says."

  "Miss, no way. This kind of thing can't be done." Huaiqin remembered that person's words, if she really helped her do it, once it was found out, she would really die without a place to bury her body.

  "It goes without saying, I've made up my mind. I will definitely succeed." Yuan Chun's eyes were filled with determination, and although the tears on her face had not yet dried, there was no longer any sign of humiliation or sorrow, only a desire for revenge and to rise up.

  Baoyin nodded slightly with some difficulty, went out to fetch water to help Yuanchun treat her wound. Late at night when people were quiet, she left and came back. From then on, Yuanchun embarked on a path of no return, also burying another root of disaster for the decline of the Jia family.

  On the other hand, Daiyu accompanied Xiangzhuang to finish dinner and was about to leave.

  "Wait, Jadeite, it's so late, find someone to send you. Su Ma, go and see who is on duty today." The princes had to take turns being on duty after they came of age, this was the rule of the Qing court. Daiyu heard these words and felt that something was off, she had a premonition that she was being plotted against.