Chapter 112 - 93: A Duel in the Imperial Garden
Feng Liangyuan’s words drew all eyes to Jiang Xian.
"Oh?"
Jiang Xian wore a perfectly composed smile, not at all the arrogant expression of a favored concubine that others might have expected. She said softly, "Thank you all for your concern. No one pushed me. I fell into the water on my own."
The moment Jiang Xian spoke, everyone turned in unison to look at Noble Consort Rong.
After all, in the entire harem, only the Noble Consort could make another concubine "voluntarily" fall into the water!
Noble Consort Rong’s expression soured. "She fell in because she’s a clumsy fool. What are you all looking at me for? I slept soundly in Zhaoyang Palace last night and went nowhere. Unlike Noble Lady Gu, who was running all over the palace in the dead of night, unable to stay put."
"Why would you need to lift a finger yourself, Lady, with your exalted status?"
Feng Liangyuan was known for speaking her mind.
Noble Consort Rong slammed her teacup down, making a loud noise:
"If I really wanted to do something, the first thing I’d do is sew your mouth shut! It would save me from having to listen to your incessant yapping—it’s incredibly annoying!"
The cup struck the table with a sharp CLACK.
The Empress, who had been so drowsy her eyes were glazed over, was jolted awake.
Unaware of the real reason for the noise, Feng Liangyuan looked up. She saw the Empress—her expression as grim as still water—staring right at her with wide eyes, as if glaring in fury. Her heart pounded with fear. Stammering, she sank into a half-kneel. "I misspoke. I beg Your Ladyship’s forgiveness."
When the Empress didn’t respond, her fear intensified.
The Empress glanced at her, then turned her gaze to Consort Xian.
No one understood the Empress’s intention. Jianzhang Palace fell silent for a moment before Consort Xian let out a soft sigh. "Feng Liangyuan misspoke, so she should apologize to the Noble Consort and admit her mistake. You must be more careful in the future. When the Noble Consort is speaking, what gives you the right to interrupt?" ’She knew it,’ Consort Xian thought. ’The Empress was zoning out during the morning greetings and hadn’t heard a word. She needs me, the resident neutral party, to give her a summary.’
In other words—
This woman ran her mouth and provoked the Noble Consort. It’s not a huge deal. Just let her kowtow and allow Rong Xueshi to flex her authority, and the matter will be over.
Feng Liangyuan apologized profusely, and Noble Consort Rong gave a cold snort.
The Empress nodded slightly. "Feng Liangyuan, you should be more careful with your words in the future. The Noble Consort was right to reprimand you."
Noble Consort Rong glanced at the Empress in the seat of honor and smiled. "With the Empress herself supervising our every word and deed, the concubines will surely be careful."
The newly arrived concubines didn’t understand the subtext, thinking the Lady was implying the Empress was severe and scrutinized their every word for any mistake to punish them for. But those in the know, like Consort Xian, knew that Noble Consort Rong was mocking the Empress for not having paid any attention to what they were saying.
Thanks to the distraction caused by Feng Liangyuan and Noble Consort Rong, the morning greetings ended without any of the concubines finding out why Noble Lady Gu had fallen into the water.
The high-ranking concubines, however, were unconcerned.
They had their own information networks; it was only a matter of time before they learned the truth.
And then there was one who was too impatient to wait for spies to investigate and report back.
Outside Jianzhang Palace, Noble Consort Rong stopped Jiang Xian directly to ask her about what had happened the previous night.
And the other concubines, who usually scurried away from the Noble Consort like mice from a cat, now slowed their steps as if by unspoken agreement, pricking up their ears to listen in on the gossip.
Chen Daying crouched slightly, trying to hide in Jiang Xian’s shadow.
However, Jiang Xian was slender, while Chen Daying had gained more than ten pounds under Jiang Xian’s care. Her attempt to hide was as effective as a chubby cat trying to conceal itself behind a telephone pole. Instead of succeeding, she only drew Noble Consort Rong’s attention. "I’m speaking with Noble Lady Gu. What are you doing, skulking around like that?"
Chen Daying continued to shrink back.
Noble Consort Rong’s delicate brows shot up. "Chen Daying, I’m speaking to you! Are you deaf?!"
Only then did Chen Daying belatedly drop to her knees. "A skulking person, you say, Lady? I don’t see anyone like that."
The gossiping concubines: ...
Chen Daying’s eyes darted around and landed on Guo Cairen, who was standing a short distance away. "Oh, Guo Cairen, I think the Lady is calling you."
Guo Cairen, having had the trouble expertly redirected to her, nearly choked with rage.
But one cold glance from Noble Consort Rong had her kneeling as well.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Jiang Xian dipped into a curtsy to smooth things over. "To answer your question, Lady, last night the Emperor desired a narcissus from the pond, so I entered the water to pick one for him. Since you insist on asking, is it because you also wish to personally pick a narcissus for the Emperor?"
Her words stunned everyone present.
Lu Ronghua, who had been quietly enjoying the drama from the sidelines, couldn’t help but ask in astonishment, "You jumped into the water in the middle of the night just to pick a narcissus? Couldn’t you have just sent a servant?"
"But it was for the Emperor. I wanted to pick it myself."
"Weren’t you afraid of catching a chill and falling ill?"
"I’m not afraid."
"I’m truly curious, Noble Lady Gu. What gives you the confidence to be so daring?"
The moment Lu Ronghua asked, Noble Consort Rong wanted to tell her to shut up.
And sure enough, in the next moment, Jiang Xian smiled faintly and declared in a clear voice:
"What I rely on, of course, is my burning love for the Emperor! With that to protect my heart, no chill can ever invade my body."
Noble Consort Rong: ...
’Great,’ she thought. ’This time "fervor" has become "burning love."’
At this point, everyone knew Jiang Xian was spouting utter nonsense.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
After all, she was using the Emperor as her shield. Who would dare say that love for the Emperor was useless? The concubines cursed inwardly. ’That Yizhu Pavilion... one is crazy and the other is a fool. Neither of them is to be underestimated.’
Just when everyone thought Jiang Xian had lost her mind, she turned to Noble Consort Rong with a beaming smile and challenged her, "Lady, now that I have revealed the full reason why I entered the water last night, are you going to personally pick a narcissus for the Emperor?"
This was the essence of one-upmanship: to use such excessive effort and achieve such spectacular results that everyone else’s contributions seem worthless by comparison.
Facing the harem’s number one bully, Jiang Xian had no choice but to engage in this malicious competition and catch her opponent completely off guard.
Qiu Yun, the palace maid beside the Noble Consort, grew anxious.
"Your Ladyship, you mustn’t fall for her trick! You are far too precious to take such a risk."
Consort Xian, who happened to be passing by in her palanquin, overheard the entire exchange. She couldn’t help but lament inwardly. ’Low-ranking concubines will really risk their lives just to curry favor. Thank goodness I come from a good family and am a veteran from the imperial mansion. Otherwise, in this day and age, you’d even need to know how to swim to compete for the Emperor’s affection!’
’In her opinion,’ she thought, ’Noble Lady Gu’s goading tactics would be useless.’
’Such a childish taunt would only work on a three-year-old.’
"...I’ll show you whether I dare or not."
Noble Consort Rong, all of three years old, her delicate cheeks flushed red, ordered her people to take Jiang Xian along to the Imperial Garden.
Now that the battlefield was moving to the Imperial Garden, it would be too conspicuous for the crowd of onlookers to follow.
Consort Xian had her palanquin halted.
’Anyone can go to the Imperial Garden,’ she mused. ’And if enough people go, no one can be blamed. There’s safety in numbers.’
After careful consideration, she asked in a graceful voice, "I was thinking of going to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers. Would any of you dear sisters care to join me?"
In the blink of an eye, a large "flower-appreciation (gossip-seeking)" squad had swarmed around Consort Xian’s palanquin. In that moment, they were all the dearest of sisters, showing an unusually fervent enthusiasm for the Imperial Garden’s flowers, which they had all long since grown tired of seeing.