“No need to thank me. Didn’t you save me too?” Mei Siyu laughed awkwardly. She truly wondered if she had misunderstood Wan’er, believing Cheng’s one-sided account and distancing herself from Wan’er. Was that too far-fetched? The person before her truly didn’t seem like someone who would cause trouble, at least very different from the Concubine Shu. Or perhaps Wan’er was more cunning, much smarter, with her delicate appearance serving as the perfect camouflage. No matter what, she should remain cautious – “One must not have evil intentions, but one must always be on guard!” Especially living in the deep palace, being too trusting was not a good thing.
Alright,
“Well, let’s not talk about that. Has the Emperor been to Yun’er’s palace recently?” the Empress Dowager asked gently.
“He hasn’t been here. With Mei Fei around, how would the Emperor think about Yun’er?” De Fei brought up the most sensitive topic, hoping to deepen the Empress Dowager’s dislike of Mei Siyu. She had long heard that the Empress Dowager did not like Mei Siyu and had even reprimanded her twice. This was finally a way to vent her own frustration – after all, who told Mei Siyu to ignore her, relying on the Emperor’s favor?
“That girl again. Does the Emperor really want to turn against me because of this woman? He repeatedly ignores my advice. If she is not properly punished, where is my dignity?” The Empress Dowager knocked over the teacup handed by her maidservant, splashing hot tea on her ankle, and was so angry that she slapped the maidservant several times.
“Useless creature, quickly get out of my sight,” the Empress Dowager said sternly, glaring at the kneeling maidservant begging for mercy.
“Your Highness, are you alright? Yun’er will help you massage it. You shouldn’t be angry with such a lowly person. Getting upset will harm your health, and Yun’er will be heartbroken,” De Fei squatted down, wiping the tea from the Empress Dowager’s ankle with a silk handkerchief, speaking softly and tenderly.
“Yun’er is truly considerate. Since Shu Fei passed away, it’s good to have you come often to keep me company,” the Empress Dowager’s expression softened, smiling and gently holding De Fei’s delicate hand.
Compared to the many concubines in the harem, besides her deceased nephew, she was most fond of De Fei, more so than the Xian Fei or Mei Fei. She hoped Yun’er could become pregnant soon and give birth to a dragon son, fulfilling her wish!
“Xiang Chun, go to the palaces of all the ladies and invite them here one by one,” the Empress Dowager said to her personal maidservant.
“Yes, this servant will go right away,” Chun Xiang responded, slowly walking out with graceful steps.
“Your Highness…” De Fei asked, puzzled.
“Yun’er, I’ll make that girl suffer later. Since she’s the daughter of Mei’s prime minister, I’ll test her poetry and lyrics today and make her lose face. Haha, Yun’er, have a peach, it’s very sweet,” the Empress Dowager’s beautiful eyebrows raised slightly.
De Fei ate the honey peach, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. She didn’t expect this old woman to be so cunning. She had only mentioned it casually, and she was already planning to take revenge for her. It seemed she had latched onto a towering tree this time – the position of empress was surely hers!
Yang Feng Palace!
“Sister Xiang, what brings you here?” Xiao Rou held Xiang Chun’s hand, speaking kindly. This was a trusted person of the Empress Dowager, so she needed to be careful.
“Xiao Rou, the Empress Dowager has asked me to invite Mei Fei to Feng Xian Palace. The message has been delivered, and I cannot stay long as I must visit other palaces,” Xiang Chun said, lightly patting Xiao Rou’s shoulder before turning to leave.
Cloud’er’s poem is good, who else can write one? Yu’er, you write one,” the Empress Dowager looked at Mei Siyu and said softly, showing no sign of annoyance. The term “Yu’er” made Mei Siyu quite uncomfortable – since when had the old lady been so polite to her? The saying goes, “A cat mourning a mouse with false compassion” – be careful of a trap!
“Yes, Yu’er’s poem is not good, sisters, please don’t laugh,” Mei Siyu said modestly.
“Layers of shadows on the jade terrace, repeatedly calling servants to sweep away, just swept away by the sun, yet brought back by the moonlight,” Mei Siyu recited gracefully, borrowing from Su Shi’s “Flower Shadow”. She hoped Master Su wouldn’t blame her – she could always burn more incense for him later.
“Yu’er has made a fool of herself,” Mei Siyu bowed politely and then slowly sat down.
“Yu’er’s poem is not bad. Who else can write one?” the Empress Dowager could not believe that this girl could compose such a rhyming poem, even slightly better than Cloud’er’s. She had intended to make her look foolish but instead gave her an opportunity to show off her literary talent.
Wan’er glanced at Mei Siyu, wanting to speak but holding back. She had immediately seen that the Empress Dowager and Consort De were conspiring against Mei Siyu, hoping to humiliate her. But no one expected Mei Siyu’s literary talent to be so remarkable that even she had to admit defeat! However, Mei Siyu was too naive – this would only provoke their anger further. Now it seemed that even if she did nothing, the Empress Dowager and Consort De would not let her off. She would just observe and wait to benefit.
Mei Siyu, don’t blame me, Xia Wan’er, for using you. Blame yourself for being too favored by the Emperor, seriously obstructing my adoptive father’s plans, forcing yourself into danger! The reason I became sworn sisters with you was to use you to achieve my goals. You were too foolish to see through my scheme – otherwise, who would become sworn sisters with such a foolish woman? Making enemies everywhere in the palace, associating with you would only bring disaster!
Xia Wan’er withdrew from her thoughts, looking at Mei Siyu with a big smile of approval, revealing nothing unusual.
[Text: 077 Empress Dowager’s Deliberate Difficulties]
Mei Siyu saw Wan’er’s glance and returned a faint smile. Fortunately, it was poetry, her strongest skill – otherwise, she would have been truly embarrassed!
Everyone was chatting when Consort De, sitting next to the Empress Dowager, softly said with a smile, “Yu’er sister has such talent, her poem even has a masculine spirit. How admirable!”
“Indeed, which master did you study under?” everyone asked eagerly.
“Well, my father hired a teacher, but I’ve forgotten his name,” Mei Siyu hesitated. She had just read many classical texts and loved ancient poetry, essentially self-taught, but she couldn’t admit that.
“Oh, is that so? Cloud’er suddenly wants to play chess. Would sister care to play a match?” Consort De asked.
“What, Yu’er, don’t you know how to play chess?” the Empress Dowager asked, seemingly concerned.
“This… ” Mei Siyu stammered, unable to speak. How could she play chess? This was clearly meant to embarrass her, but she couldn’t directly refuse.
“What, sister doesn’t want to play with me?” Consort De’s words were provocative and infuriating. Seeing her complacent expression, Mei Siyu was furious. Why must they make her look foolish? She decided she wouldn’t back down – she had watched her godfather and sisters play chess before and knew something about it. She felt confident.
“Fine, let’s play,” Mei Siyu said irritably, sitting at the chessboard and rolling up her wide sleeves in an unladylike manner, looking more like she was preparing for a fight.
The empress dowager said beside her: “Yuer, please don’t force her. Yun’er won’t mind, right?”
“Yes, if my sister feels embarrassed, I won’t force her either.” Defei smiled and said. She really wanted Mei Siyu to massage her back, to comfort herself for the anger she had suffered because of Mei Siyu these days.
