Palace maid Shuoning

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Changchun Palace

Inside the bedchamber, palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the floor. Jiang Shuoning knelt at the very end, in the most inconspicuous corner.

She slightly raised her eyes to look at the canopy bed, where two imperial physicians were busy at work.

One person knelt on the ground to bandage Consort Liu's finger, while another held her head and fed her pills.

She subtly withdrew her gaze.

Just now, in the Imperial Garden, as soon as the Emperor stepped into the pavilion, Consort Liu fainted.

She poured it at just the right moment, not too early, not too late, so that the emperor could see her hands covered in blood and her face covered in tears.

Consort Liu returned to the palace in the Emperor's palanquin. She was the first concubine in the entire palace to be allowed to ride in the Emperor's palanquin.

This could be considered a blessing in disguise. It's just unknown how long she can maintain this good fortune.

Bao Zhong stood silently beside her, his gaze sweeping over their surroundings, and he bent down to whisper:

"Consort Rong set a trap, luring Consort Liu into it. Feng Xi won't lose out on either side. When the Emperor asks questions later, he can say whatever he can."

After saying that, he turned and left, as if he had never been there.

Jiang Shuoning lowered his eyes and slowly went over those two sentences.

Last night, Consort Rong suddenly asked Fengchun to find the dusty pipa in the storeroom and said to check carefully if the strings were damaged.

She didn't understand then, but she does now.

Consort Rong had no intention of letting Consort Liu sing all one hundred Kunqu opera pieces; she simply wanted to hand the zither to Consort Liu.

It was Consort Liu herself who was eager to sing and eager to wait for the Emperor to come and see her.

Consort Rong knows everything, even her anxiety.

The words Consort Liu spoke in the Imperial Garden today were barbed and aimed at Consort Rong. She sounded like she was arrogant and ignorant because of the Emperor's favor.

But from another perspective, she might have been deliberately provoking Consort Rong so that the Emperor would see that Consort Rong was angry with her.

She thought the Emperor would come during the day, believing she had timed it perfectly. But the Emperor didn't appear until nightfall.

Perhaps Feng Xi only said, "The Emperor will be going to the Imperial Garden today."

However, the exact time wasn't specified, whether it was daytime or nighttime.

It was Consort Liu who interpreted it as daytime. In the end, it wasn't Feng Xi's fault; it was her own fault for not asking clearly.

Finally, Consort Rong felt relieved, Consort Liu lost her voice and injured her hand, and the Emperor did indeed come to the Imperial Garden.

Feng Xi benefited from both sides without losing out.

Jiang Shuoning cursed the old fox in his heart, but after cursing, he had to mentally review the method again.

She has to learn too.

Half an incense stick later, Consort Liu slowly awoke. Miaozhu was overjoyed, but immediately burst into tears: "Your Highness, you're finally awake! You scared me to death!"

The Emperor entered the bedchamber at that moment. His peripheral vision first swept over Jiang Shuoning, who was kneeling at the end, before he looked away and sat down in front of the bed.

Looking at Consort Liu's hands, which were wrapped in white cloth, he sighed softly.

"The imperial physician just told me that my voice will need three months of recuperation to recover, but my vocal cords are injured, so I'm afraid I won't be able to sing in the future. My hand is also badly injured and needs to be carefully cared for."

Upon hearing this, Consort Liu's tears instantly streamed down her face. She struggled to sit up, threw herself into the Emperor's arms, and cried out in a hoarse, strained voice:

"Your Majesty... I beg you to do me justice..."

The Emperor patted her trembling back, his voice neither loud nor soft:

"The imperial physician instructed that she cannot speak for the next few months. I will find out the reason myself." He gently pressed Consort Liu back onto the bed and tucked her in.

Then he extended a finger, passing over the people kneeling on the ground, and pointed precisely at Jiang Shuoning, who was kneeling at the very end.

"Jiang Shuoning, come here."

(under)

Jiang Shuoning knelt at the Emperor's feet, his gaze falling on the pair of gilded boots embroidered with cloud patterns:

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

The Emperor's brows furrowed slightly, and his voice deepened:

"Jiang Shuoning, you should know what I want to ask. Speak."

Jiang Shuoning placed his hands on the ground, his forehead resting on the back of his hands, revealing his fair and slender neck, and spoke in a calm and unhurried manner:

"Your Majesty, at noon Consort Rong was admiring the flowers at the Sijun Pavilion when Consort Liu came to pay her respects. Consort Rong asked Consort Liu if she had been practicing any new music recently, and Consort Liu said that she was planning to practice a new piece to present to Your Majesty."

Consort Rong then instructed Consort Liu to practice in the pavilion, saying it was quiet and wouldn't disturb anyone. Consort Liu practiced so intently that she forgot the time.

Upon hearing this, Consort Liu glared fiercely at Jiang Shuoning. If looks could kill, she would have died long ago.

"Continue." The Emperor stared at the back of her neck.

Jiang Shuoning replied, "That pipa was an old possession that Consort Rong had treasured for many years. When Consort Liu played it, she was probably not familiar with the tension of the strings, and her fingers were blistered. I was watching from the side and couldn't stop her in time."

She paused, her voice lowering slightly:

"Consort Rong stayed with Consort Liu for quite some time. Later, Consort Liu said she wanted to practice her music alone, so Consort Rong returned to the palace first. Before leaving, she specifically instructed me to stay and look after her, in case Consort Liu needed anything."

Consort Liu could no longer hold back. She pointed at Jiang Shuoning with her hand wrapped in white cloth, and squeezed out broken words:

"Nonsense! It's clearly Consort Rong..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Shuoning looked up at her, his gaze calm:

"Your Highness, your hand must not be injured again. I was only following orders. If Your Highness insists on blaming me, I have nothing to say."

Consort Liu's hand froze in mid-air. Looking at her fingertips wrapped in white cloth, she suddenly seemed to understand something.

She gritted her teeth and slowly lowered her hand, but the anger was stuck in her chest, unable to be spit out or swallowed.

After staring at Jiang Shuoning for a long time, the Emperor picked up his teacup and gently skimmed off the foam with the lid: "Are you finished?"

Jiang Shuo Ning prostrated himself on the ground: "This servant has finished speaking."

The Emperor took a sip of tea and set down the teacup:

"Consort Liu injured her voice and hand today, and as a palace maid, you are to blame. Go to the Sijun Pavilion and kneel there. You will kneel for as long as she sang."

Jiang Shuoning kowtowed: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." She slowly rose and withdrew.

The Emperor then withdrew his gaze and turned to Consort Liu, his tone softening slightly: "Rest well, I will come to see you again tomorrow."

When Consort Liu saw him get up, she hurriedly hugged him from behind, her voice like a broken bellows: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid..."

The Emperor closed his eyes briefly and sighed softly. Just then, a palace maid brought in the medicine, which he took from her, saying, "I will feed you."

Consort Liu then obediently lay back down.

The Emperor blew on the medicine in the spoon, looked up and saw that she was still crying, and softened his voice:

"And you too, who would risk their life just to please me? If the strings aren't right, you won't play. Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Hearing this, Consort Liu felt a surge of grievances and cried even harder, turning away from him.

The emperor called her twice, but she refused to turn around. He immediately put the medicine bowl back on the tray, the medicine spilled out and splashed onto the tray, and he got up and left.

Miaozhu hurriedly knelt before him, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Empress was acting rashly; please be understanding."

The Emperor raised his head, his chest heaving slightly: "Then I'll come back when she's figured it out." With that, he turned and left without looking back.

Miaozhu slumped to the ground, watching the Emperor's figure disappear outside the door, with only one thought in her mind.

Once out of favor, everything is over.