coobybook Chapter 90 Unfair
Chapter 90 Unfair
Since it was a rare occasion for her younger sister to enter the palace, Empress Wang didn't pay attention to the other concubines. She chatted with them for a few words before dismissing them.
Chu Qingyin was naturally more than happy to accept this, after all, she had long been tired of the drama of being all lovey-dovey with a group of emotionless women calling each other sisters.
Just as she stepped out of Fengyi Palace, a familiar voice came from behind her: "Consort Qiao, please wait."
It's Consort De. Why is she here?
When Consort De approached, Chu Qingyin bowed slightly and asked with a smile, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"
"My sister's palace is on the same route as mine, why don't we walk together?"
Consort De smiled and said, her face, which had been used to worshiping Buddha for many years, appeared calm and gentle, and she looked very kind.
Since entering the palace, she has upheld the virtue in her title, living a secluded life and detached from worldly affairs. Although she was a concubine in the harem, her daily life was simple and her temperament virtuous, much like that of a nun.
Therefore, she had never had much of a presence in the palace, and thus Chu Qingyin and she were merely nodding acquaintances in her previous life.
Therefore, she was somewhat puzzled that Consort De had taken the initiative to come to her.
After all, the two of them had never crossed paths since she entered the palace.
Although Chu Qingyin had some doubts in her heart, she did not show them on her face: "It is my honor, Your Highness."
Consort De couldn't help but smile, "Consort Qiao is truly a remarkable person."
This sudden praise startled Chu Qingyin slightly. "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"
Consort De gazed quietly at her face, which resembled that of the Imperial Concubine, and after a long while, she spoke: "Everyone says you look a lot like her, but I feel that you are completely different. She would never joke around like this in front of us, much less be so lively and easy-going."
Those eyes, as clear as autumn water, gazed at her quietly, as if they could see through the soul within her body.
Her long eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly. Chu Qingyin lowered her eyes to avoid that gaze and pretended to be nonchalant, saying, "Your Highness, Consort De, you truly have a transcendent Buddhist heart, seeing right through me at a glance."
"You don't love His Majesty, do you?" Consort De said with a smile, her eyes calm and her tone resolute.
"Why did Consort De suddenly bring this up?"
Consort De remained silent, simply watching her quietly.
That gaze made Chu Qingyin uncomfortable. She tucked her long fingers into her sleeve and suppressed her unease, saying with a faint smile, "Your Majesty, I cannot agree with what you say. All the women in this palace love His Majesty, and I am no exception."
Consort De remained silent for a long time, then smiled with relief: "That's true."
During their conversation, the two arrived at their destination.
Chu Qingyin smiled and bid her farewell: "Thank you, Consort De, for seeing me off all the way."
Consort De nodded slightly: "I originally wanted to offer you some words of comfort, but you seem to have a more open-minded perspective. That's right, your personality is more pleasing than hers, and His Majesty would probably only like you more."
After saying this, she turned and left.
Chu Qingyin was left standing there, watching the pale blue figure gradually disappear into the distance, her expression complex.
Consort De was a devout Buddhist; could it be that she had actually noticed something amiss?
But then she shook her head. From the moment she first met her until now, this Consort De had always been detached and observed her with a calm and detached attitude.
They seem to be uninvolved in the conflicts, yet they are always in the midst of them.
For some reason, she always felt that this Consort De was not as detached from worldly affairs as she appeared before her.
This feeling is very strong.
Especially since her rebirth and re-entry into the palace, she has increasingly felt that the people and things in front of her, which should be very familiar, are constantly breaking her perception.
It was as if she had been viewing flowers through a fog before, but now that fog was gradually dissipating, and she could finally see everything clearly before her eyes.
Perhaps she was indeed too arrogant and conceited in the past. Otherwise, how could she have died so easily at the hands of a mere eunuch?
But has she really become smarter now?
Thinking of the words Wei Yiqiu uttered before banging her head against the wall in the Cold Palace that day, they seemed like a curse, tightly binding Chu Qingyin, and a strong sense of unease rose in her heart once again.
Should she have someone investigate further?
Since Pei Yuanling left in a huff that night, he had not set foot in Feixue Palace for several days.
People in the palace have always been sycophantic, and when they learned that she had fallen out of favor, the stewards of each palace began to subtly or overtly undermine her, or reduce her allowances in the palace.
"Your Highness, these people are going too far. They clearly gave too few examples, but they insist they did nothing wrong. When I tried to reason with the person in charge, he said that this is all a Noble Consort can do, and if she had the guts, she should go and reason with His Majesty." Xianglan returned from outside the palace, her face full of indignation.
Chu Qingyin was reading a book when she heard this. She didn't take it seriously and said, "You've been in the palace for quite some time now. Don't you know the rules of survival here?"
"But you are still a Noble Consort, you shouldn't bully people like this."
"Alright, don't worry about it too much..."
Chu Qingyin smiled and looked up, about to say something to comfort her, when her brows suddenly furrowed: "What happened to your face?"
Xianglan subconsciously turned her head away, and replied somewhat guiltily, "Your Highness, I was walking too fast on the road and tripped and fell..."
Before she could finish speaking, Chu Qingyin interrupted her: "Who hit you?"
Xianglan stammered, but in the end she couldn't withstand her master's sharp gaze and stammered, "It's...it's...Wang Degui, the manager of the Imperial Kitchen."
"Wang Degui?"
Chu Qingyin's tone was cold, and the anger surging in her eyes was obvious.
She vaguely remembered this Wang Degui. He had always been a shrewd and calculating person, extremely adept at social maneuvering. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to rise to a managerial position at such a young age.
Now that he dares to so blatantly humiliate those around her, it's clear someone is behind it, doing this on purpose.
who can that be?
Seeing her somber face, Xianglan couldn't help but shiver: "Your Highness, please don't be angry. It was just a slap, it didn't hurt at all."
Chu Qingyin snapped out of her daze and said, "Come here."
Xianglan obediently stepped forward, and a face was right in front of her. When Chu Qingyin looked up, she saw that half of the face was obviously red and swollen, and there seemed to be a trace of blood on the corner of the lips.
That slap was clearly extremely hard!
It is absolutely despicable.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Qingyin instructed Yu Yan to fetch the skin-nourishing ointment and apply it to Xianglan to reduce the swelling.
Xianglan hurriedly refused: "No need for Your Highness to do it, this servant can do it myself."
As she was about to reach out to take it, Chu Qingyin interrupted her: "Don't move."
Xianglan immediately stiffened her body and dared not move again.
Chu Qingyin picked up a clump of ointment with her fingertips and gently applied it to Xianglan's face, secretly making a vow in her heart.
Xianglan, I will definitely get back at you tenfold or a hundredfold for the injustice you suffered for me today.
The medicine was applied quickly, and Xianglan tidied herself up before turning to leave.
"Xianglan, have Kang Luhai inquire about His Majesty's recent movements," Chu Qingyin said calmly.
"Your Majesty, are you planning to reconcile with His Majesty?" Xianglan asked with delight.
Seeing the little girl's joyful expression, Chu Qingyin's lips curled up: "Who told you that I had a fight with His Majesty?"
"But the way His Majesty left that night... it was obvious that he had argued with you."
As Xianglan spoke, she took two steps forward and comforted her, "Your Majesty, I can see that His Majesty dotes on you. As long as you take the initiative to show weakness, he will surely reconcile with you as before."
"Oh, really?" Chu Qingyin said with amusement.
However, she was thinking to herself that she knew that Pei Yuanling still treated her kindly because she held the identity of 'Chu Qingyin' in her hands.
As long as she takes the initiative to show goodwill, he will definitely not treat her coldly.
But when she thought of Pei Yuanling's inexplicable anger that day, she felt a headache coming on.
She hadn't yet figured out how to treat him, or how to use her current position to create more opportunities for her brother.
"Your Majesty, although this servant does not know what you are struggling with, this servant feels that in order to survive in the palace, one has no choice but to rely on His Majesty's favor."
Xianglan paused, her voice slightly choked with emotion from the grievances she had endured over the past few days: "Like today, without His Majesty's favor, you can't even get fair treatment."
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin smiled bitterly to herself; she knew this very truth all too well.
In this life, however, she is tired of fighting with a group of women just to win the favor of one man.
But thinking of her brother in prison, no matter what the future holds, Pei Yuanling's favor is of utmost importance to her right now.