flstandardbreds Chapter 181 Palace Maid Jasmine
Chapter 181 Palace Maid Jasmine
Consort Qing was imprisoned. Considering their past relationship, the Emperor decreed that she be confined to a remote place in the palace, but he did not strip her of her title.
Whether Consort Qing was truly insane or feigning madness, Su Nuannuan didn't care at all, continuing to live her peaceful and comfortable life as she pleased. After all, in this treacherous harem, everyone had their own thoughts and schemes, and Consort Qing's ordeal was merely an insignificant link in the chain, one that she herself had brought upon herself.
Due to the significant losses incurred during the epidemic, Su Nuannuan decisively instructed Li Quan to urgently procure a batch of supplies through the Imperial Household Department to replenish the inventory. As the saying goes, "With grain in hand, one has nothing to fear."
Surprisingly, this epidemic swept through almost the entire imperial harem. Apart from Cuiwei Palace, which was spared due to proper precautions, all other palaces were affected to varying degrees, and many palace maids and eunuchs fell ill and fell ill.
After the epidemic subsided, as the Empress reviewed the list of those infected, she secretly rejoiced at her wise decision to entrust her beloved son to Su Nuannuan's care. Otherwise, if he had remained by her side, he likely would not have escaped the disease. She would have been preoccupied with heavy palace duties while also caring for her sick child; over time, she feared she herself might have been in grave danger.
On the morning after the epidemic ended, Su Nuannuan took a group of palace maids and eunuchs who were imprisoned in the Cold Palace and their confessions to the Empress's Anning Palace.
The Empress was always decisive and ruthless. After carefully reviewing the confessions, she immediately ordered the concubines involved to be severely punished. Those who deserved to be demoted were demoted, and those who deserved to be imprisoned were imprisoned. For a time, everyone in the harem was in a state of fear, afraid that they might follow in their footsteps if they were not careful.
On the morning of the fifth day after the end of the epidemic, amidst a world covered in silver, the Empress specially dispatched her trusted confidante Ying Qiu to deliver the calculated silver to Su Nuannuan's palace.
This epidemic, which lasted for a whole month, has finally come to an end.
Winter has passed and spring has arrived, and the new year has begun. Su Nuannuan strolled to the window, gazing at the few trees outside that had just sprouted tender green buds, and couldn't help but sigh softly.
Since the epidemic last year, the already sparsely populated harem has become even more deserted due to the punishment of some unruly concubines.
In the past, the Emperor could stay overnight at the homes of other concubines every month, but now the situation has changed dramatically—the Emperor almost always stays at Su Nuannuan's place.
This was hardly a cause for celebration for Su Nuannuan. On one hand, she needed to serve the Emperor wholeheartedly; on the other hand, she had to live in constant fear of becoming pregnant with another imperial heir. After all, neither giving birth nor raising children was what she desired at this moment.
Shortly after the epidemic ended, both the Empress and Consort Qin expressed their earnest desire to entrust their children to Su Nuannuan's care. However, Su Nuannuan knew the weight of the responsibility involved and, after much deliberation, politely declined their requests.
"Jinse, go to the Imperial Household Department and tell them to remove my nameplate. Say that I caught a chill last night and am not feeling well, so I cannot serve you in bed," Su Nuannuan instructed Jinse beside her.
This was the quickest way Su Nuannuan could think of to stop the Emperor from coming to her. You see, Consort Qing was currently insane and erratic, and there was no one left in the ranks of consorts vying for favor or recognition.
And what about the concubines? There's only one, Consort Jiang, right now. As for the Noble Ladies and Imperial Concubines, there are still a few, but strangely enough, for some unknown reason, the Emperor seems to ignore them, as if they don't exist in the harem at all.
"Yaoqin, you shall come with me to Her Majesty the Empress." Su Nuannuan turned around and softly instructed as she moved her lotus-like steps.
In truth, she had already made up her mind. Since there were so few concubines in the harem, why not simply hold a selection ceremony to enrich this vast palace? If there was a shortage of funds, she could simply make up the difference out of her own pocket. In short, she truly did not want to let the Emperor torment her like this any longer; she was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally!
If those nobles and concubines knew what Su Nuannuan was thinking, they would probably be furious. After all, this was something they desperately wanted.
Su Nuannuan leaned lazily against the sedan chair, slowly making her way towards Anning Palace. However, halfway there, someone suddenly blocked her path.
Su Nuannuan couldn't help but furrow her brows slightly, her gaze turning cold as she looked at the person kneeling before her. Seeing this, Yaoqin quickly stepped forward to inquire about the situation, and soon returned to report to her, "Your Majesty, this person is a maidservant of Consort Jia."
"Why is Jia Ying's maid kneeling here? Tell her to come forward and answer!" Su Nuannuan frowned slightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on the kneeling maid, and whispered to Yaoqin beside her.
At the same time, she gently patted the sedan chair beneath her, signaling the porters to lower it for the moment. After all, she herself hadn't been without weight while sitting in the sedan chair all this way, and if the porters continued to stand and struggle like this, they might not be able to bear the strain. And she had always been an extremely considerate mistress to her servants; how could she bear to let them work so hard?
The palace maid kneeling on the ground trembled slightly upon hearing Yaoqin's words, seemingly hesitant. But in the end, she dared not disobey the order, and slowly stood up, walking with slightly unsteady steps to the front of the sedan chair.
"This servant, Jasmine, greets Consort Zhuang." Jasmine lowered her head and bowed respectfully to Su Nuannuan, her voice carrying a hint of fear and unease.
Su Nuannuan looked the palace maid named Jasmine up and down. She noticed that Jasmine had delicate features and a graceful figure, but she looked slightly haggard. So she asked, "Are you Jia's attendant?"
"Your Majesty, this servant is indeed a second-class palace maid serving Lady Jia. I was punished by being forced to kneel here for an hour because I failed to find the peach blossom branch Lady Jia needed today," Jasmine replied tremblingly, her head bowed the entire time, not daring to meet Su Nuannuan's gaze.
Jasmine was intelligent. Although she answered cautiously, she was able to clearly and logically explain why she was kneeling there.
In truth, Jasmine knew very well that she wasn't Jia Daying's personal maid. Therefore, if she could successfully break free from Jia Daying's control through this opportunity, it would be the best thing for her. After all, in the deep inner palace, choosing the right master was a matter of life and death.