Chapter 128 - 109: Attending the Sick
The bed in the main hall was spacious, large enough for two people.
Noble Princess Consort Rong sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for a palace maid to bring the congee. The bowl was sent over from Zhaoyang Palace. Unaware that it was for someone who was ill, and knowing only that the Noble Consort had ordered it, the cooks had added many rich ingredients. Holding the spoon, the Noble Consort blew on it to cool it down before feeding her. "Open your mouth."
The first spoonful: half a sea cucumber.
The second: a dried scallop.
The third: diced abalone.
The fourth: Jiang Xian felt like she had bitten into something that didn’t quite fit the picture—a piece of white fungus...
Being spoon-fed, Jiang Xian was extremely anxious. She whispered, "You don’t have to cool it. Just feed it to me directly. Or, Your Ladyship, you can just pinch my cheeks and pour it down."
"I am here to feed you congee, not to force-feed you red flower medicine."
"Then just feed me with that same energy."
In her past life, she had grown accustomed to racing against the clock, studying and working, with no time to savor the taste of food. Eating even a little slowly made Jiang Xian feel guilty. It was as if she were forbidden from enjoying a good meal, pursued by fate her entire life, forced to go all out just to escape the destiny of a left-behind girl in a small village.
Noble Princess Consort Rong said coldly,
"Are you telling me how to do things? If you want to ruin your own body, I simply won’t allow it."
The higher-up had spoken, so Jiang Xian had no choice but to be fed quietly. After finishing the entire bowl of congee and being tended to by the palace maids to freshen up a bit, she indeed felt much better. "I can be on my own now. Your Ladyship, you should go back."
Noble Princess Consort Rong paused, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly. "You are ordering me again."
Her superior’s attitude was firm. Jiang Xian immediately activated her Little Pitiful Halo, trying to move her boss.
From Noble Princess Consort Rong’s perspective, Gu Pin was in her arms, looking up at her with teary puppy-dog eyes, her voice soft and sweet. "This servant is imploring Your Ladyship."
The Noble Consort once thought she hated it when Gu Pin put on a cutesy, high-pitched voice. But when "Cutesy Pin" was acting cute *at her*... it was actually quite satisfying. Unfortunately, as the most ill-tempered person in the harem, the Noble Consort was immune to both tough and soft approaches. "If I leave, will you actually rest properly?"
Jiang Xian nodded vigorously.
Noble Princess Consort Rong sneered again. "But I don’t believe you."
In an instant, the teary puppy-dog eyes filled with disbelief, accusing the Noble Consort of being cold, heartless, and unreasonable.
Noble Princess Consort Rong singled someone out. "You, the palace maid who looks like a tree stump, come here and tuck your master in properly."
Mian Xia came over, murmured, "Pardon my impertinence," and tucked Jiang Xian’s blanket in tightly. Jiang Xian tried to resist, but she couldn’t muster any strength.
"I know you have boundless energy, a heart full of passion, and a penchant for staying up all night." Before coming over from Zhaoyang Palace, Noble Princess Consort Rong had even applied some lip rouge. At this moment, her brilliant red lips curled into a cold smile. "But you are only a Noble Lady. The edict for your promotion to Pin has not yet arrived. Not to mention, even after you become a Pin, if I command you to kneel, you must kneel. Now. Immediately. I order you to sleep."
Jiang Xian stared at her in disbelief, as if she had been treated cruelly. "I’m not tired. I don’t need to rest. You ordered my palace maid to restrict my freedom."
Seeing the Noble Consort ignore her, she squirmed and wriggled under the blanket but was ultimately unable to break free from its confinement.
"I want to ask you a question."
"Hm?"
"Why did you save me today? If I died, the position above you would open up. No one would have blamed you, and it would have been easier for you to survive if you had just run away on your own."
Noble Princess Consort Rong realized that Gu Pin seemed particularly foolish tonight.
Perhaps she could get the truth out of her.
It had nothing to do with harem politics, nothing to do with personal gain. She just wanted to know what Gu Pin was thinking.
"...Seeing someone die and not helping... I can’t do it..."
Jiang Xian’s breathing grew fainter. Noble Princess Consort Rong had to humble herself and lean down to hear her intermittent words. Because of the fever, the breath that brushed against her face was hot. "...Don’t want to be a Noble Consort..."
"Then what do you want to be?"
’Could it be that the ambitious appearance she showed before was all an act? Is Gu Pin actually a person who wants no part in worldly struggles, someone who just wants to live a life of leisure and wealth?’
Noble Princess Consort Rong was incredibly curious, so she leaned down a little further.
Finally, just before Jiang Xian drifted off to sleep completely, she spoke her answer.
After hearing it, Noble Princess Consort Rong shot upright, sinking into deep confusion—
’What on earth does Gu Pin mean by "partner"?’
’Does she want to be my ally?’
’Her rank is a bit too shabby for that. I’ll just have to wait for her to be promoted a little higher.’
***
The next day, Jiang Xian opened her eyes, feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
She sat up ramrod straight and saw the Noble Consort still sitting gracefully by her bed, shooting her a disdainful look.
Jiang Xian was surprised. "Your Ladyship, you watched over me all night?"
"It’s just that when I looked around, there wasn’t a single room in this dump that I could bring myself to lie down in. I was better off sitting."
"This humble temple cannot accommodate a great Buddha like Your Ladyship."
Zhenqiu and Mian Xia entered carrying tools for washing up. They curtsied and said, "The Empress’s Miss Fu Jin has already visited. The Empress has excused Master and Her Ladyship the Noble Consort from today’s morning greetings."
Noble Princess Consort Rong nodded. "I will return to Zhaoyang Palace."
"Let me see you off, Your Ladyship. It’s on the way to Jianzhang Palace to pay my respects anyway."
"Didn’t the Empress excuse you from paying respects?"
Jiang Xian said with solemn dignity, "I am never absent. Your Ladyship, please do not insult me with such words again."
Noble Princess Consort Rong stared at her for three seconds, then scoffed. "Since you’re so eager to see the Empress, I suppose I’ll accompany you." She paused and called for Qiu Yun. "Have my palanquin brought over, and fetch another one. The Emperor’s edict for her promotion to Pin may not have been issued, but I’ll make the executive decision this once. In any case, no one will dare say a thing when they see my palanquin."
The confidence of the harem’s number one tyrant was truly something else.
Jiang Xian wanted to say that she was fine with walking, and besides, it wasn’t that she wanted to see the Empress so much as she disliked being absent. However, the Noble Consort didn’t look pleased, so she kept her mouth shut to avoid adding fuel to the fire.
By the time the two of them had finished washing up, the palanquins were ready and waiting outside.
And today, in Jianzhang Palace, the better-informed Concubines were all waiting to see the Noble Consort make a fool of herself.
They had heard that the Emperor had been intercepted and led away from Zhaoyang Palace by Noble Lady Gu. The Noble Consort had supposedly lost face and even followed the Emperor to Yizhu Pavilion. They couldn’t find out what happened in the latter half of the night, but they figured the Noble Consort must have just slunk back to Zhaoyang Palace to sleep alone!