Climb high and trample low, all empty and hollow

  No matter what days are like in the palace, time always passes like flowing water.

  In these six months, Yirui also gradually adapted to life in the palace.

  Every morning, he would dress up and go to Yonghe Palace to pay respects to De Fei. At the age of four, Yin Zhen was very fond of this sister-in-law, and after paying his respects, Yu Rui would often play with the 14th brother for a short while, occasionally having lunch together with De Fei and her son in Yonghe Palace before returning to Haiding Pavilion.

  Yunhui was formally appointed as a gege during this half year. On the first and fifteenth of each month, Yongzheng would dine with Yiru in the evening and rest in her quarters, but they had no physical intimacy, and Yiru was naive about men and women's affairs, thinking that sleeping together was a marital ritual. At other times, except for New Year's Eve banquets, birthday banquets, and other occasions where the two needed to appear together, Yiru rarely saw Yongzheng, and even when they did meet, they hardly spoke to each other.

  Yunyan passed the test and became one of Yirui's trusted palace maids. Yunqiu also served Yirui wholeheartedly under her influence. Ningqiu still appeared unwilling to get involved, but often gave Yirui advice. With Ningqiu's guidance, Yirui understood the etiquette and rules of the palace and had a clear mind. Knowing that Emperor Yongzheng didn't care about her, she simply ignored him. Except for going to the Yonghe Palace, she spent her time with Yunyan and others doing needlework, practicing calligraphy, chatting and laughing, just passing the time.

  On this day, Yirui went to Yonghe Palace as usual to pay her respects. As soon as she stepped into the palace gate, before she could even finish paying her respects, Xianzhen rushed over to her excitedly and pulled her along to tell stories.

  The Empress Dowager pressed her temples with one hand and waved a fan with the other, smiling: "Fourteenth Brother got up early this morning and kept thinking of you. Really can't do anything about it, just take care and go!" Yirui was dragged by Fourteenth Brother and had no choice but to hastily pay respects to the Empress Dowager, completing the formalities, and followed Yongzheng to the rear palace.

  The story was only halfway through when Yirui suddenly remembered that she had sewn a cloth tiger for Yinzhen the other day, and it was still on Qingqiu's body. She called out several times, but didn't see Qingqiu come over. Instead, Yuexiang, who was attending to Yinzhen, responded: "Just now, Empress De asked Qingqiu to ask her some questions. Does the mistress need me to send someone to take a look?" Yirui heard this and felt uneasy for no reason. She then said to Yinzhen: "Fourteenth brother, this story is a bit boring. Why don't we play hide-and-seek instead?" Compared to listening to stories, the energetic Yinzhen naturally preferred playing hide-and-seek. Yinzhen clapped his hands and said: "Then I'll go hide, you come find me." Yirui smiled and said: "That won't do. You usually live in Yonghe Palace, if you hide there, I definitely won't be able to find you. How about this, Yuexiang, Yuexian, and I will hide, and you come find us. If you can find me, I'll give you a gift." Yinzhen jumped up excitedly, his legs tangled together as he lay on the bed, his head buried in the quilt, waving his hand behind him: "Hurry up, hurry up, let's start!"

  Yu Xiang and Yu Rong were looking for a place to hide, while Yu Rui quickly walked towards the main hall. On the left side of the main hall, there was a long corridor, where the sunlight was shining brightly at this time. The eunuchs and palace maids on duty all turned to the right corridor, rarely seeing some cleaning palace people, who were also used to seeing Yu Rui walking in Yonghe Palace, keeping a distance from her.

  Yi Rui stood at the window of the long corridor, listening to De Fei and Ning Qiu talking about some trivial matters of Yongzheng's daily life. When she heard that Yongzheng had caught a cold recently, De Fei showed urgent concern, and Yi Rui secretly sighed in her heart, thinking that the bond between mother and son was indeed thicker than water!

  Here is the translation:

  Yi Rui was about to leave when she heard Empress De mention, "Can Nala serve in the bedchamber?" Cong Qiu replied, "Not yet. Fugui is still young and has not reached puberty, it's not suitable for her to serve in the bedchamber." Yi Rui's face turned red upon hearing this, and she heard Empress De say with a hint of resentment, "This will give Yunhui that little girl an opportunity to take advantage of. Is Fourth Prince still often staying in her chambers?" Cong Qiu lightly acknowledged, and soon the sound of tea cups shattering on the floor came from within the palace. Empress De angrily said, "What kind of heart does Rong Fei have? How could I not know? Yongzheng was young when he placed that woman by her side, teaching him about lust. It's all because she wants to make Yongzheng lose favor with the Emperor and gain a bad reputation, so that her Third Prince Yongjie can appear intelligent and capable. Yongzheng is also not making an effort, I've reminded him many times but he doesn't listen... Cong Qiu, how old are you this year?" Cong Qiu replied, "I'll be twenty-five in a few months." Empress De said, "Twenty-five, then you can leave the palace. But before you leave, you must help me with something." Cong Qiu hastily interrupted, "Your servant is not worthy, I only hope to leave the palace safely and serve my parents, please grant me this wish." Empress De said, "You don't know if you'll be able to leave the palace smoothly, how can you serve your parents? Obey my orders, and I'll give you a generous dowry... what do you say?" The palace was silent for a long time. Yi Rui stood in the corridor, it was almost noon and the heat was rising, she was sweating all over and her mouth was dry. Suddenly, someone grabbed her legs, and Yongjie exclaimed, "I finally found you!" Yi Rui knew she couldn't stand outside the palace anymore, so she took Yongjie's hand and entered the palace. She saw Cong Qiu still kneeling inside, while Empress De was leisurely drinking tea. Yi Rui curtsied and smiled, saying, "Empress Dowager, I was playing with Fourteenth Prince and forgot about everything, I came to ask for a cup of water." Empress De saw Yongjie's sweaty forehead and felt sorry for him, so she ordered someone to bring in iced green bean and lily soup. She lightly scolded, "Fourteenth Prince is young and loves to play, how can you also follow him like this? It's very hot today, if Fourteenth Prince gets sick from heatstroke, I'll definitely blame you." After speaking, Empress De felt that her words were too harsh, so she said, "You should also drink some green bean soup to relieve the heat!" "Thank you, Empress Dowager!" Yi Rui curtsied again and took the bowl, wanting to finish it in one gulp, but knowing the palace rules, she only took a few sips before putting it down. After giving the cloth tiger to Yongjie, Yi Rui took Cong Qiu back to Hai Ding Ge, her heart full of doubts, but seeing Cong Qiu's heavy expression, she didn't dare ask more questions.

  After lunch, Yirui felt a bit dizzy and weak, so she lay down on the bed and fell asleep until the moon was high in the sky. When she woke up, she first felt a cold handkerchief on her forehead, and Yunyan was sitting beside her. Seeing that she had woken up, Yunyan and Yunquei, one holding medicine and the other supporting her to sit up, Yunyan said: "Fujin, please drink the medicine quickly! You must have been affected by the heat today when you went out, the imperial physician has come to see you, the medicine is just right, drinking it will make you feel better!" This time, Yirui was ill for half a month, every day her whole body felt weak and soft, lying in bed. Unconsciously, Yirui felt that De Fei, Rong Fei, and Yongzheng had all come to visit her, and the various palace ladies also sent over nourishing tonics after hearing about it. What was strange was that these days, she hadn't seen Ningqiu appear at all.

  This day was the first of August, and Yongzheng came to Yiru's quarters as usual for a meal. Seeing her increasingly pale face, Yongzheng slightly softened his heart: "Half a year after entering the palace, you've become even thinner." Yiru smiled but didn't respond. Yongzheng continued: "Tomorrow, I'll be going on a hunting trip with the Emperor outside the pass, and it will take about half a month. Your body isn't well, so I'll have Yunhui help you with matters in the palace." Yiru nodded, feeling downcast in her heart. In reality, since entering the palace, she had never been given control of matters in the palace, and for important events like this hunting trip, as a Fu Jin, she would only be informed on the eve of departure. If it weren't for today being the first day of the month, perhaps even Yongzheng's departure from the palace wouldn't have been known to her. Just as she was lost in thought, Yongzheng handed her a warm bowl of winter melon soup, saying: "Eat more, you need to nourish yourself." Yiru lifted her head, and their eyes met for an instant; Yiru's heart skipped a beat, her nose stung, and tears almost flowed out. Yongzheng hastily finished his last few bites, looked at Yiru intently, sighed, stood up, and said: "I'll be away from the palace for many days, and Yunhui will also need to go take care of things. Your body isn't well, so rest early!" After speaking, he turned around and left, but just as he reached the door, he left behind a sentence: "Take good care of Fu Jin; if she's still this weak when I return, I'll have all of you sent to the Ministry of Punishments!" Yiru's tears could no longer be held back, flowing down slowly...

  Three days after leaving the palace, at noon, Yu Ru was lying on her couch, flipping through a copy of "Huajianji". She heard a servant come to report that Gegie had asked to see her and wanted to get up quickly.

  Before she could even get up, there was an additional beautiful woman in front of her. Yunhui had been granted the title of Gege by the emperor and was deeply loved by him, with gifts of jewelry and fine clothes constantly bestowed upon her. The fabrics and seasonal goods allocated by the Imperial Household Department were also selected by her first, but Yirui's personality was calm and she didn't compete with others, so even if she heard servants talking about it, she just smiled and let it go. Today, Yunhui must have dressed up specially, wearing a light blue hundred-flower peacock cloak, which made her look even more beautiful and charming, with a smile on her face.

  Only then did Yunhui Fu get up and say, "I heard that the lady has been ill for these days, but unfortunately, there are many things to attend to in the palace, and I haven't had a chance to visit. These past few days, the Fourth Master went out of the pass, and only now do I have some free time. I hope the lady won't blame me!"

  Yi Rui didn't say much more, and had someone help her up, instructing them to serve tea.

  Yun Hui held the tea cup, smiled and said: "Since we serve the Fourth Prince together, I'm a few years older than Fugui, so I'll just call her younger sister."

  Yi Rui smiled and took a sip of tea first. Yun Hui saw this, also lifted her teacup, but exclaimed: "Huh, jasmine tea? Little sister doesn't know that Fourth Brother loves Pre-rain Dragon Well the most?"

  Yun Qiu quickly said: "The Longjing tea before the rain is precious, it was prepared for the Fourth Prince, and the lady usually drinks it generously. How can ordinary people afford to drink it?"

  Yun Hui covered her mouth and smiled: "Ordinary people? Sister still has a lot of spare ones, do you want to change tomorrow and send some to sister?"

  Yi Rui's expression didn't change, and Chongyun Qiu said: "Go, pour a cup of Yuqian Longjing for Yun Gege." Then she said to Yun Hui: "Jasmine Longjing, each has its own preferences. Little sister loves the clear and elegant fragrance of jasmine, but big sister can't get used to it, so let's switch."

  Just then, Yun Qiu brought up a newly brewed cup of tea and was about to place it on the small table beside Yun Hui. Suddenly, Yun Hui said, "Wait!" Yun Qiu was startled and had no choice but to lower her head, holding out the cup with both hands in front of Yun Hui.

  Yun Hui didn't take the tea cup, but lifted the tea lid, lightly sniffing the tea fragrance, and said: "Fourth Master told me that pre-rain Longjing is very rare. Early picking for three days is a treasure, late picking for three days becomes grass. Seeing the soup color and smelling the tea fragrance can distinguish the quality of tea. I wonder if Fourth Master has ever evaluated tea with his sister together?"

  Yi Rui smiled: "The jade marrow is cooked before the rain of Guyu, and this spring tea is the freshest. Although my sister's learning is shallow, she also understands a few reasons. Why doesn't my sister take advantage of the heat to drink a few mouthfuls and then taste the tea with her?"

  Yunhui's face turned red, she was originally a palace maid from a humble background and didn't understand poetry at all, but she refused to show weakness: "This is natural. However, sister sees that the tea color is very bright, wants to appreciate it carefully before drinking, only then will it have flavor."

  As the two of them spoke, Yun Qiu, who was holding a teacup, had already become speechless with bitterness. Her hands were numb and aching from being held up for too long, and the heat was slowly seeping into her palms. Yun Hui saw that the tea soup was slightly rippling and knew that Yun Qiu was starting to lose strength, so she reached out and gently pushed Yun Qiu's arms upwards, saying: "Hold it higher, let Ben Gege see more clearly."

  Finally, Yun Qiu could no longer hold on, the teacup crashed to the ground, and the tea also splashed onto Yun Hui's body. Yun Hui was furious and kicked Yun Qiu repeatedly: "Clumsy slave, this new dress is newly made, what use do you have for it? Take me down and flog!" Several small eunuchs rushed up and dragged Yun Qiu out.

  "Who dares!" Yirui shouted, and several small eunuchs were immediately frightened. Yirui slowly stood up and said, "The people in my room don't need sister to teach them." Yunhui angrily said, "This little servant is being presumptuous, does sister want to protect this lowly maid?" Yirui looked Yunhui up and down and said, "Sister's clothes are really beautiful!" Yunhui couldn't help but smile and say, "Of course they are." Yirui suddenly flashed her eyes and stared straight at Yunhui, saying, "I remember that a few days ago when the Empress Dowager visited, she gave me a piece of Shu brocade fabric. I suppose it's now being worn by sister?" Yunhui was shocked in her heart and stuttered, "What about it? It was given to me by the Fourth Prince." Yirui covered her mouth and laughed lightly, saying, "And what about the peacock? Only the clothes of the legitimate princess can have a peacock embroidered on them. The Fourth Prince may favor you, but he wouldn't let you break palace rules and wear this dress so ostentatiously." Seeing Yunhui's face turn red and unable to speak, Yirui said again, "If the Empress Dowager finds out that the princess doesn't know her place, she'll definitely punish more than just the crime of being presumptuous. Since the clothes are already wet, it proves they don't suit sister. It's better to take them off early. Tomorrow I'll choose a suitable fabric and send it over." Yunhui was defeated by Yirui's sharp words, couldn't speak, and didn't even bow before turning and leaving.

  Yi Rui supported herself and said so much, feeling extremely dizzy, and swayed involuntarily. Yun Qiu and Yun Yan hurriedly helped her sit down, Yi Rui grasped the hands of both of them, murmuring: "I won't let the people around me get hurt again."

  This scene fell entirely into Jingqiu's eyes.