Chapter 76: Luo Rou

Chapter 76: Luo Rou

The cold expression on Jiang Hui's face disappeared as she sat in the sedan chair, replaced by a faint smile.

She instructed to the outside of the curtain, "Back to Yaohua Palace."

News traveled fast in the palace, especially when Lady Luo was made to kneel on the path to Taiye Pool Palace in broad daylight.

Within an hour, the whole harem knew about the argument between Lady Luo and Lady Xue at Taiye Pool, leading to disrespectful remarks about the crown prince and their subsequent punishment of kneeling by Empress Dowager Zhao.

As the afternoon sun grew more intense, fine beads of sweat formed on Lady Luo and her servant, made worse by the discreet but scrutinizing glances of passing consorts and palace staff.

Su Jin, who knelt beside Lady Luo, struggled to her feet, rubbing her knees before stepping forward to help her mistress.

"My lady, the time is up. Please rise," she said.

With her head bowed, Lady Luo opened her eyes upon hearing Su Jin's words, realizing she had dozed off.

Assisted by Su Jin, she slowly straightened up, her face now wearing an expression of indescribable shame and anger.

"Let's head back to Kui Lan Garden, stick close to the walls," Lady Luo instructed in a low voice.

Su Jin quietly agreed, enduring the pain as she bent over to brush off the dust and pebbles from Lady Luo's brocade dress and adjusted the green palace sash at her waist, before helping Lady Luo limp towards Kui Lan Garden.

At Changxin Palace, Lady Xue, standing in front of Qingxin Pavilion, saw Lady Luo returning and deliberately said aloud, "Is Sister Luo alright? By the looks of it, you might need to call a royal physician!"

Without waiting for Lady Luo's response, she laughed and said, "I've thought ahead for you, see? I called a physician for you a quarter-hour ago. Sister Luo should prepare a thank-you gift!"

Her tone was mocking and her demeanor arrogant, infuriating Lady Luo to the point of clenching her teeth, finally managing to say, "Thank you, Sister Xue."

Su Juan from Kui Lan Garden, hearing the commotion, hurried forward to take over from Su Jin in supporting Lady Luo, whispering, "My lady, Lady Xue has summoned Doctor Cheng. He's in the hall having tea now."

Lady Luo, still with a face of shame and anger, coldly responded and let Su Juan assist her into Kui Lan Garden.

Her body was fine; despite kneeling for two hours, her bones were unharmed. Doctor Cheng, stroking his goatee, prescribed some pain relief and bruise-healing medicine before leaving.

Once they were alone, Lady Luo's expression softened, and she said softly, "When Su Juan brings the medicine later, you should have some too."

"Yes," Su Jin replied, sitting on a stool and murmuring a complaint, "Lady Xue's acting was just too... I couldn’t help wanting to hit her..."

Lady Luo chuckled lightly, "If she hadn't acted that way, how could she have sent the physician so timely? Who knows how many spies are out there."

The next day, as the bored consorts visited Fengyi Palace, they finally had a piece of gossip to discuss. Despite being cautious due to the noble consort sitting above, they quietly chattered while sitting on their embroidered stools.

Being only a beauty, Lady Luo couldn’t attend the Fengyi Palace visit. The newly promoted Lady Xue was eagerly questioned about the previous day's events at Taiye Pool, satisfying the curiosity of the junior consorts.

Some whispered, "Although Lady Luo was indeed wrong, what she said... wasn’t entirely untrue about the crown prince..."

They exchanged knowing looks.

Lady Xue frowned, seemingly overhearing something. She glared at them, startling the women into immediate propriety. Everyone knew that Lady Xue was backed by Empress Dowager Zhao; a single complaint from her could spell disaster.

After the visit was over and Mingluan Hall emptied, the Empress prepared to return and visit the Grand Princess. Autumn Moon entered, drawing back the curtain, and reported in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Lady Luo requests an audience."

"Lady Luo?" The Empress paused for a moment, her thoughts shifting quickly before saying, "Let her in."

Lady Luo, with injured knees, walked with a slight impediment, supported by Su Juan as she greeted the Empress.

"I am Luo Shi, a beauty from Kui Lan Garden, paying respects to Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless peace and prosperity."

The Empress glanced at her and said indifferently, "Rise. Chunyan, provide a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lady Luo expressed her gratitude and sat on the embroidered stool, gesturing for Su Juan to hand the lacquer box she brought to Chunyan.

Chunyan took the box, opened it to look inside, her expression unchanged, and placed the contents on a small table next to the Empress.

The Empress picked up a pair of brocade socks embroidered with the design of 'hundreds of birds paying homage to the phoenix' using two slender fingers. The stitches were tight, and the fabric was smooth and delicate, clearly a labor of love.

Sitting on the embroidered stool, Lady Luo leaned forward slightly and smiled, "I cannot visit Fengyi Palace daily to pay respects, but I always keep Your Majesty in my thoughts, hence I made some embroidery to express my respect."

"I didn't know, in addition to being skilled in literature, Lady Luo, you're also quite adept at needlework," the Empress said with a faint smile, handing back the lacquer box to Chunyan to keep.

"My position today is all thanks to Your Majesty's support during the palace selection," Luo Rou said with a slight bow, her tone growing more intimate.

During the initial palace selection, both Zhao Shuren and Liu Cairan, who entered the palace with Luo Rou, were given sachets, and her own selection was indeed greatly aided by a question from the Empress.

After spending a quarter of an hour in Fengyi Palace, Luo Rou tactfully took her leave.

Chunyan said to the Empress, "Your Majesty, judging by the embroidery, it seems Lady Luo has prepared this gift for some time. It might not be a spontaneous gesture due to yesterday's incident with the noble consort."

The Empress sipped her tea and said softly, "Since Zhao Shuren entered Changmen Palace, Lady Luo has lost her support. She first tried to ingratiate herself with the Xie family, but unfortunately... She has always been at odds with Lady Xue. It's not surprising she now turns to us. Yesterday was just the final straw."

"However, in my view, Lady Luo doesn’t seem like someone who would speak carelessly. Her mention of the crown prince yesterday... was probably intentional," Chunyan suggested softly.

"Of course it was intentional," the Empress said with a slight smile. "She wouldn’t block her own path. She needed to show us that she's not aligned with the noble consort, to feel comfortable presenting gifts here. We couldn’t favor her without such assurance."

"I understand now," Chunyan realized, lowering her head and falling silent after this reflection.

The Empress murmured to herself, "After Sun Guiren's fall and the unremarkable performances in the autumn court and hunt, it is indeed time to consider others..."

Remembering the scholarly air in Lady Luo's eyes and her deliberate imitation of the noble consort's style, the Empress instructed, "Go to the Gongye Bureau and tell Quan Shun to take care of Lady Luo."

"Yes," Chunyan acknowledged.

Changxin Palace, Kui Lan Garden.

After sending Su Juan to prepare medicine, Lady Luo sat by the window, picking up the embroidery frame from the basket to continue her work on a Vermilion Bird pattern.

Su Jin whispered, "My lady, why put yourself through this?"

Looking outside to ensure quietness, she continued, "You and Lady Xue both serve Empress Dowager Zhao, yet Lady Xue openly advances while you can't leverage any support and end up injuring yourself... And now, following instructions to visit Fengyi Palace..."

Lady Luo smiled slightly and interrupted, "I entered the palace aiming for a great future, not just immediate rank."

Pausing, she spoke softly, "Su Jin, look, now I have the Empress openly favoring me, and in secret, Empress Dowager Zhao won’t hinder me. Isn’t that favorable?"