kvmb Chapter 146: Clever response
Chapter 146: Clever response
After leaving the bustling imperial garden, Yunxi hurried along, thinking of finding a quiet and deserted place to rest.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned the corner, he ran into Concubine Li. She was wearing a gorgeous palace dress embroidered with large peonies, the silk threads on the dress gleaming in the sunlight.
The golden hairpin on her head swayed gently with her movements, her waist twisted, and her figure was graceful.
But that face, with its thin and tall eyebrows and sharp eyes, made people dare not look directly at it.
"Oh, isn't this Madam Yunxi from the Marquis' Mansion?" Concubine Li said in a hoarse voice, with her chin slightly raised and her eyes glancing at Yunxi.
Yunxi hurriedly stopped, bowed, and saluted respectfully, "Greetings to Her Majesty Li Fei."
Concubine Li folded her hands across her chest, walked slowly around Yunxi, and looked her up and down.
That look was like a knife, scraping back and forth on Yunxi's body.
"I heard that you made a lot of splash during the drought, and now you can even enter the palace to meet the emperor. You are truly blessed."
Concubine Li pouted, and there was a sour taste in her words.
Yunxi smiled slightly, looked down at the ground, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I am so kind. I have only done my best."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Li swung her sleeves and raised her voice: "Hmph, just a tiny bit of strength?
"I think you have great ambitions." Concubine Li snorted coldly.
Yunxi's heart tightened, but she remained calm. "Your Majesty, you're joking. I only care about the people and don't dare to have any other thoughts."
Concubine Li raised her long and thin eyebrows, her eyes piercing Yunxi like knives, and she snorted coldly, "Huh, you are really good at talking!
"You are only concerned about the people? I want to see what earth-shattering things you can do!"
After saying that, she glared at Yunxi fiercely, twisted her waist, swung the handkerchief in her hand vigorously, and walked away arrogantly.
The golden hairpin swayed violently on her head, as if declaring her arrogance.
Yunxi looked at Concubine Li's receding back, breathed a sigh of relief, calmed himself down, and continued walking forward.
The road seemed particularly long, and every step had to be taken carefully.
After walking a few steps, she met the virtuous concubine again. The virtuous concubine had a friendly face and took the initiative to greet Yunxi when she saw her.
I saw that Concubine Xian was wearing a light blue palace dress embroidered with a few elegant orchids, and the pearls and jade on her head were just right, not as ostentatious as Concubine Li's.
The corners of her mouth rose slightly, and there was a hint of curiosity and kindness in her eyes.
"Madam Yunxi, I've heard that you are an excellent doctor. Could you please tell me about the way to maintain good health?"
The virtuous concubine said gently.
Yunxi quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the key to maintaining good health lies in a moderate diet, a regular daily routine, and a peaceful state of mind.
Just like diet, you should not be too full nor too hungry, and you should balance meat and vegetables properly.
As for daily life, one should follow the seasons, go to bed early and get up early. And to maintain a peaceful state of mind, one should avoid extreme joy or sorrow, and take things in stride.
The virtuous concubine nodded slightly, with approval in her eyes, "Well, that does make sense."
As she was speaking, a palace maid tripped and knocked over the vase next to Concubine Xian.
With a loud crash, the vase shattered to the ground. The palace maid turned pale with fear and fell to her knees with a plop. Her body kept shaking as she kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare me, Your Majesty, spare me!"
The virtuous concubine frowned slightly, and the smile on her face disappeared instantly. She said sternly: "You are so clumsy! Drag him away and punish him severely!"
Seeing this, Yunxi couldn't bear it and quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This maid must have made an unintentional mistake. Please forgive her this time."
Xian Fei turned her head, her gaze lingered on Yun Xi for a moment, and then she slowly said, "Well, for your sake, I'll let it go this time.
Get up, and be careful next time!"
The maid kowtowed several times as if she had been pardoned, and thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you, Madam Yunxi, for your grace."
Yunxi secretly rejoiced that she had finally resolved the crisis.
As Yunxi walked, she came to a palace. As soon as she reached the door, she heard a harsh quarrel coming from inside.
"I saw this first, so it should belong to me!" a round-faced palace maid shouted at the top of her voice. Her face turned red with excitement, and her eyes were round like two ripe cherries.
"I got it first, don't even think about snatching it away!" Another tall and thin palace maid was not to be outdone. She tightly grasped the jewelry in her hand, leaned forward, veins bulged on her slender neck, and her high cheekbones looked even more prominent because of her anger.
Yunxi frowned, quickened her pace and walked in, saying softly, "Ladies, please don't argue. It's not good to hurt the harmony."
When the two palace maids saw that it was Yunxi, they were stunned for a moment and stopped arguing.
Yunxi said, "This jewelry isn't a rare item. Why bother arguing about it? It's better to give it to someone who needs it more."
The round-faced maid grumbled, her face full of reluctance, "Madam is right, but I really like it."
As he spoke, his eyes were still fixed on the jewelry.
Yunxi smiled and said gently, "You will find things you like in the future, but sisterhood is hard to come by.
In this palace, everyone takes care of each other, which is much more important than a piece of jewelry."
The round-faced maid lowered her head, bit her lip, and whispered, "Madam, I know I was wrong."
The tall and thin palace maid also loosened her grip, handed over the jewelry, and said, "Here you go. Let's stop arguing and listen to the Madam."
Yunxi nodded and looked at them with satisfaction, "That's right, don't do this again in the future."
After coming out of the palace, Yunxi met several concubines who were gathered together to appreciate the flowers.
"The flower is so beautiful, but its blooming period is too short," sighed a concubine.
She was wearing a pink palace dress, with light powder on her face, her brows slightly furrowed, and a hint of resentment in her eyes.
"Yes, just like the favors in this palace, they can disappear in an instant."
Another concubine echoed this. This concubine was thin, with a haggard face, and her voice was weak when she spoke.
Yunxi stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen."
"Oh, it's Madam Yunxi." A concubine raised her eyelids and looked Yunxi up and down.
"This flower is beautiful, but our life is not as comfortable as this flower."
Another concubine sighed and gently brushed the corner of her clothes with her handkerchief.
"Madam, have you heard anything new while walking around this palace?"
A plump concubine came over with a look of curiosity on her face.
Yunxi smiled and replied, "Ladies, you're joking. I have nothing new to say."
"Hey, we're almost getting sick from being bored in this palace every day."
One of the concubines shook her head and held her forehead with her hand.
"That's right. We're just looking forward to having some fun." Another concubine echoed.
At this time, a concubine pointed to the vase next to her and said, "Look at the way the flowers are arranged. They are really messed up."
"What's wrong with my insertion?" another concubine said unconvinced.
"Your insertion is a mess, how can it be beautiful?"
"Humph, what do you know? I call this ingenious."
Several concubines started arguing with each other.
Yunxi watched quietly from the side, thinking that there were so many things going on in the palace.
The concubines looked at Yunxi, and one of them said, "Madam Hou, you came just in time. Tell us who arranged the flowers better."
Yunxi looked at several pots of flower arrangements and said, "Each of the ladies' arrangements have their own merits. It's really hard to tell which one is better."
The concubines all laughed when they heard this. One of them, with a round face, grinned widely, her eyes narrowed into slits. She reached out and fiddled with the jewels on her head, saying, "Madam Hou, what you said is quite pleasing to the ear. My flower arranging skills are no exaggeration."
Another concubine with a long, thin face curled her lips and snorted, "Oh, look at how capable you are! It's just arranging flowers, as if everyone can't do it."
As he said this, he glared at the round-faced concubine with his eyes slanted.
Yunxi chatted with the concubines for a while, then made an excuse to leave. Not long after she left, she heard murmurs coming from behind.
"This Marquis' wife is quite good at talking."
"Humph, who knows if he's trying to please me."
Yunxi pretended not to hear, but quickened her pace. She held the handkerchief tightly in both hands, and frowned slightly.
At this time, a young eunuch hurried over and said, "Madam Hou, the Empress Dowager invites you."
Yunxi's heart skipped a beat, her throat in the air, but she didn't dare show any panic on her face. She just nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for leading the way, eunuch."
When they arrived at the Empress Dowager's bedroom, Yunxi knelt down to pay her respects, bowing her body very low, not daring to breathe.
The Queen Mother sat on the couch and said slowly, "Get up. I heard you did a lot of good things during the drought."
The Queen Mother's gaze swept over like a knife, and Yunxi felt a chill on her back.
Yunxi said, "Your Majesty, this is what a common woman should do." She lowered her head and stared at the ground. Although her voice was steady, her heart was in turmoil.
The Queen Mother nodded. "Well, he is quite sensible. But there are many rules in this palace, so you must be careful."
The Queen Mother said this, picked up the teacup beside her and took a sip.
Yunxi replied, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your teachings." After that, she bowed respectfully and then slowly left the bedroom.
After leaving the Empress Dowager's palace, Yunxi was exhausted both physically and mentally. However, she knew that she needed to be cautious in every aspect of her life in order to handle the complex interpersonal relationships in the palace.