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Chapter 208.2
He lifted and dropped the curtains, leaving the room. Outside, there were occasional sounds of movement, as Yaoniang lay on the bed, panting.
In this state, how could she possibly continue to sleep?!
When the surroundings finally quieted down again, Yaoniang sat up and put on her clothes. She was a shy person by nature and afraid of being seen by the palace maids, so she haphazardly tidied up the bed before raising her voice to call for the servants.
The attendants who served in the palace in the early morning were usually the servants who had served Yaoniang’s side for a long time. Now that Yu Chan had become the chief maid of Kunning Palace, the four Hong maids had all become the senior maids. Upon hearing the sound inside, Yu Chan, Hong Chou, and Hong Die, accompanied by a few young maids, entered the room. After preparing the water, Hong Die directed the young maids to leave, and then Yaoniang went to the bathing area.
Taking a bath every morning had become a habit, and she could no longer remember when it first started.
After finishing her bath, it was already bright outside. Yaoniang, wearing only a purple undergarment, lazily asked, “Have the two princes gone to the study already?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Over these past few days, Erbao had found his own source of entertainment; going to the imperial study with his older brother every day. However, the little guy didn’t go there to study, but to play with his little friends.
After Emperor Jin’an ascended the throne, the imperial study was not abolished and still oversaw the young princes of various imperial households in their studies. The new emperor had made it clear that the princes, whether they liked it or not, had to comply with the rule.
However, the number of children who attended has decreased compared to the past. Dai Wang’s rebellion had failed, and it caused harm to his entire family and household. Even though the imperial family was not implicated, Dai Wang’s actions were simply too shocking to society. The Emperor Emeritus personally ordered Dai Wang to be demoted to commoner status, which naturally affected the rest of his family. They were sent away from the capital to the faraway Daizhou and placed under house arrest in Dai Wang Manor.
Hong Chou held a jade comb and combed Yaoniang’s hair from the top to the bottom until it was smooth like the finest silk.
“Your Highness, Imperial Concubine Liu and Noble Lady Xu will be coming to pay their respects later.”
Upon hearing this, Yaoniang suddenly remembered how she felt like she had forgotten something. It turned out to be this matter.
Imperial Concubine Liu and Noble Lady Xu were brought into the palace yesterday, and according to the rules, they were required to pay their respects to the empress today.
Yaoniang only learned about this yesterday when Emperor Jin’an personally told her. When she heard about it, she felt a bit uncomfortable, so her words and actions were inevitably tinged with jealousy. Noticing it, Emperor Jin’an then explained the situation in detail to her.
According to his original plan, Emperor Jin’an had intended to send the two of them away, and even the natal family of Imperial Concubine Liu had already hinted to her about it. Who would have thought that such a thing would happen later? Noble Lady Xu’s family had caused quite a scene, and now that it was a critical moment, the two of them could not be sent away and could only enter the palace.
At first, Yaoniang had been concerned about this matter, but now seeing Emperor Jin’an’s intention to release them, she no longer cared whether they were sent away or not. Under this romantic atmosphere, anything irrelevant is disregarded as the two spent the whole night together. As a result, Emperor Jin’an was still unwilling to part in the morning and almost missed the morning court.
“Let them come. After all, they are imperial concubines; they can’t be ignored forever.”
“Niangniang, if you don’t want to see them, let them come today and ask them to come less in the future so as not to cause conflicts. The Emperor Emeritus has not relocated to the new palace yet, and the other dowager consorts and concubines are still living in the rear palace. According to what Xiao Shunzi said, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will arrange for them to live in Cuiyun Pavilion, which is secluded and away from the center, so they won’t bother you.” Hong Chou added, seemingly afraid that Yaoniang would be angry.
Yaoniang nodded.
As soon as she finished dressing up, someone reported that Imperial Concubine Liu and Noble Lady Xu had arrived. However, Yaoniang had not eaten her morning meal, so she made them wait.
On this side, Yaoniang asked them to wait, and on the other side, the palace maids of Kunning Palace didn’t lead the two into the hall but had them stand outside.
This was a show of strength, a common tactic in the palace. Although they were all imperial concubines, one more imperial concubine meant one more person competing for favour. Not giving a good attitude was normal. There was no need for instructions from above; those below would handle it themselves.
Noble Lady Xu wore a sky-blue palace dress, which made her figure graceful and her temperament gentle. However, her complexion looked a bit haggard, even with rouge applied, her complexion did not look very good.
“This newly appointed Empress sure is acting arrogant. Who doesn’t know the kind of person Su Yaoniang used to be?” She said in a low voice, cleverly allowing the nearby Imperial Concubine Liu to hear but not the other palace maids nearby.