kvmb Chapter 25 Consort Shu
Chapter 25 Consort Shu
Chu Qingyin turned around and saw Lu Mingzhu and Qiao Qingling walking towards her together, their faces bearing a forced smile.
Chu Qingyin: "..."
It really is true that what you say comes true.
"I wonder what advice Consort Lu has for me?" Chu Qingyin asked softly, a polite but distant smile on her face.
In the palace, sisters are always addressed according to their rank. This Lu Mingzhu is clearly the same fifth-rank concubine as her, but she calls her "sister" as soon as she opens her mouth. Obviously, she wants to take the initiative and put herself ahead of her in terms of address.
Chu Qingyin didn't bother to care about such things, after all, a mere concubine rank was nothing to her.
Lu Mingzhu took a few steps closer, her eyes gleaming with a mocking light. "Didn't Consort Qiao go to Zichen Palace last night? How lucky you are."
"Consort Lu is joking," Chu Qingyin said calmly. "It was merely a summons from His Majesty; how could I presume to speak of such a blessing?"
Lu Mingzhu sneered, "Yes, so be it. I just didn't expect you to be back so soon. Could it be that Consort Chu Qiao didn't serve His Majesty well?"
The sarcasm in her words was obvious, but Chu Qingyin smiled slightly: "Thank you for your concern, Consort Lu. However, His Majesty was busy with state affairs yesterday and had no time to indulge in beautiful women. How could I continue to stay there and disturb His Majesty's handling of state affairs?"
Lu Mingzhu narrowed her eyes, clearly dissatisfied with her reaction: "Who knows if His Majesty is really busy with state affairs, or if this is just an excuse to complain about you?"
As she spoke, she swept her gaze across Chu Qingyin's face again and again, and sneered, "Some people think that just because they have a pretty face, they can gain a foothold in the harem. What a fool they are!"
These words immediately drew sneers from many of the concubines.
Just as Chu Qingyin was about to retort, she caught a glimpse of palace maids sneaking around and peeking at the entrance of Fengyi Palace.
The palace maid looked familiar; she was Yunxiang, the Empress's confidante.
Chu Qingyin's mind raced, and she immediately changed her strategy.
Taking a slight breath, she lowered her head, her eyes glistening with tears, her voice trembling: "Consort Lu misunderstands. I am only aware of my humble appearance, incomparable to the stunning beauty of my sisters in the palace. Yesterday was also the first time His Majesty had summoned me; how could I dare to have any improper thoughts?"
As she spoke, she slowly raised her eyes, her brimming tears glistening in the spring sunlight. "Besides, I am new to the palace and unfamiliar with the place. I only wish to be obedient and serve Your Majesty well... If I have offended Consort Lu in any way, please forgive me."
Lu Mingzhu clearly did not expect Chu Qingyin to react this way.
Although she felt something was strange, she thought again that maybe Chu Qingyin was afraid because the Empress had praised her.
Thinking this through, she couldn't help but smile smugly. "Hmph, it's good that you know. I advise you to behave yourself in the future. Don't think that just because His Majesty summoned you once, you can run rampant in the harem."
Chu Qingyin scoffed inwardly, but nodded outwardly, wiping away her tears with her handkerchief, and said, "Yes, Your Highness, thank you for your guidance, Consort Lu..."
Seeing this, Lu Mingzhu became even more smug.
Qiao Qingling, on the other hand, secretly clenched her handkerchief, feeling that Chu Qingyin in front of her was too unfamiliar, completely different from the arrogant and domineering Qiao Qingling of the past.
Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a gentle and clear voice broke through, "What's going on? Why are you arguing here?"
The group turned around at the same time and saw the beautiful Consort Shu walking slowly towards them.
Her gaze swept over the group, finally settling on Chu Qingyin's face, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.
"Oh dear, what's wrong, Consort Qiao? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"
Consort Shu walked to Chu Qingyin's side, gently helped her up, and then turned to Lu Mingzhu, her tone reproachful: "Consort Lu, did you bully Consort Qiao?"
Lu Mingzhu's expression changed, and she quickly bowed: "Your Highness, please understand, I did not bully her, I was just teaching her the rules of the palace."
Consort Shu twitched the corner of her mouth and said indifferently, "Rules must be followed, but there must also be a proper way to do them. What kind of behavior is it to make someone cry like this? People who don't know the situation might think that you did something to Consort Qiao."
Lu Mingzhu's face turned pale. She wanted to refute, but Consort Shu was a second-rank consort, and her family was the Tiger General, who had made great military achievements. They were no less powerful than the Lu family, so she did not dare to refute and could only lower her head and agree.
"Alright, everyone disperse. What kind of behavior is it to gather at the entrance?"
As she spoke, Consort Shu turned to Chu Qingyin, her tone gentle: "Consort Qiao, are you alright?"
Looking at the beautiful, smiling, and gentle woman in front of her, Chu Qingyin quickly showed a grateful expression: "Thank you for your concern, Consort Shu. I'm fine."
"It's good that you're alright. You're new to the palace, and there are many things you may not understand yet..."
Consort Shu stepped forward, took her hand, and patted it gently: "I feel an instant connection with you, we hit it off immediately. If you have nothing to do right now, why don't you come to my palace and we can have a good chat?"
It is said that those who offer unsolicited favors are either treacherous or thieves, especially in the inner palace.
And this person is Consort Shu—
In her previous life, when a group of women first entered the Sixth Prince's residence, Consort Shu pretended to be gentle and friendly to approach her, which ultimately led to the tragic death of her personal maid, Jinzhu.
Just thinking about how Jinzhu, on her deathbed, lay weakly in her arms, whispering, "My lady, be careful of Consort Shu."
Chu Qingyin is still heartbroken.
Even though he already knew that Consort Shu had poisoned her food, Consort Shu's father had just won a battle, so Pei Yuanling couldn't really punish Consort Shu. Instead, he killed two palace maids and eunuchs in Consort Shu's palace as a warning to others.
But that's not enough.
Jinzhu was her maid who had grown up with her since childhood, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they had a sisterly relationship. Moreover, Jinzhu died because of her.
Chu Qingyin wished she could kill Consort Shu to avenge Jinzhu, but Pei Yuanling forbade it.
Pei Yuanling grabbed her wrist and said, "Yinyin, don't be impulsive. You lost a maid, and I've already killed four of her palace servants for you. Isn't that enough?"
"Not enough, not enough! Those four in her palace deserve to die! But my Jinzhu is completely innocent; she has never harmed anyone!"
"Yinyin, calm down. You have to consider the bigger picture."
Pei Yuanling held her tightly, his thick brows furrowed: "Consort Shu's father has rendered meritorious service in fighting the Northern Di. If I were to punish her now, how would I explain it to General Huwei?"
Chu Qingyin was still filled with resentment. With tears streaming down her face, she asked, "Can you ignore my feelings just to give an explanation to General Huwei?"
As soon as he said this, Pei Yuanling's face darkened.
After a long pause, he looked at her intently and said, "If that's how you think of me, then I have nothing to say."
He turned and left. Chu Qingyin was in a bad mood at the time and cried her heart out on the chaise longue.
Afterwards, Yinping advised her to bow her head to the emperor and admit her mistake.
But she refused; she felt she had done nothing wrong.
So that time, she and Pei Yuanling had a cold war for almost a month before they made up.
Even now, thinking about it, Chu Qingyin still felt a tightness in her chest. Looking at the smiling Consort Shu in front of her, she felt nauseous and wanted to spit on Consort Shu's face.
However, at this moment, she was the newly appointed concubine Qiao Qingyin, and could not show any abnormality.
"Thank you for your kindness, Consort Shu." Chu Qingyin lowered her eyes and said, "Since it is Your Highness's invitation, I will naturally accept it with utmost respect."
Consort Shu nodded in satisfaction, took her hand, and said, "Then let's go."
**
Inside the Phoenix Palace, a solemn atmosphere prevailed.
Yunxiang tiptoed in and whispered to Empress Wang what she had seen and heard outside the palace gates.
"Your Majesty, I think that Consort Qiao is just a soft-hearted pushover. Consort Lu only said a few sarcastic things to her, and she didn't dare to say a word in response. She even cried."
Yunxiang shook her head, thinking to herself that this Consort Qiao was utterly useless.
Empress Wang frowned slightly, a deep meaning flashing in her eyes: "Crying?"
Yunxiang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes, it's absolutely true, there's no way to fake it."
Empress Wang pondered to herself upon hearing this.
If it were the Chu Qingyin of the past, with her arrogant and domineering temper, who sometimes even dared to argue with the emperor, how could such a proud and arrogant person bow her head and shed tears in front of others?
It seems that this Consort Qiao only bears a slight resemblance.
"Where has Consort Qiao gone right now?" Empress Wang asked casually.
"Your Majesty, Consort Qiao has gone to Consort Shu's place."
"Consort Shu?" Empress Wang couldn't help but sneer. "She's really quick. The newcomers have only just entered the palace, and she's already thinking about winning them over."
After a brief silence, the Empress gently stroked the jade ruyi in her hand and said, "You may leave now. Continue to closely monitor the movements of Consort Lu and Consort Qiao. I think among the newly promoted concubines, only the two of them have a chance of good fortune."
Yunxiang replied, "Yes."
After she respectfully withdrew, the Empress stood up and slowly walked to the window.
She narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the apricot blossoms within the palace walls, which were beginning to show signs of spring.
In the imperial harem, one only ever hears the laughter of the new concubines, never the weeping of the old ones. And who knows how many of these new concubines will ultimately remain?