Page 14

Someone fetched the bruise-healing ointment, and the Emperor personally rubbed it onto Lian Hua's knee. It was only when he was ready to sleep and heard her stomach growling that he realized she had not eaten dinner.

The Emperor shook his head helplessly, truly a handful, he ordered some cakes brought over for her to fill her stomach, and after much fuss, she finally settled down to sleep around the dead of night.

Speaking of this matter, the Imperial Chief Steward Zhang Qing really was at a loss for words; he had not expected this Young Master to be so stubborn.

If other concubines were serving His Majesty every day, they could hardly wait to let the whole world know both openly and secretly.

She, on the other hand, kept it tightly under wraps; such sincerity was unheard of. It would not have been necessary for her to pay out of her pocket for groceries if it were otherwise—the Imperial Kitchen would have hurried to deliver anything she wanted; who wouldn't try to curry favor with her?

It might be hard to believe, but during this period, the Emperor frequently visited Canglan Court, and neither the Harem nor the Bureau of Palace Attendants had any clue.

The whereabouts of the Emperor were only known to those eunuchs at Star Palace who followed him, and leaking the Emperor's movements was a capital offense in this dynasty, punishable by immediate execution; who would dare reveal even a hint?

Moreover, Canglan Court was rather secluded, separated by a vast garden from the residences of most other concubines. The Emperor didn't need to pass through the Harem to get there, and he always visited with minimal fuss and fanfare.

Additionally, since the Emperor was not given to lust and seldom visited the Harem, most summonings to his bedchamber were direct, and it was not unusual for there to be ten to fifteen days without such a summoning; hence, no one suspected anything untoward.

Furthermore, Lian Hua's status was so insignificant—in the past, His Majesty had never summoned her; in the Harem, she was like a grain of sand, who would take notice of her?

For all these reasons, Canglan Court had become a blind spot; no one knew how many times the Emperor had visited Canglan Court.

Naturally, Lian Hua was unable to leverage her position to her advantage; if the Imperial Kitchen had known that the Emperor was spending every night at Canglan Court, they wouldn't just send regular ingredients, but delicacies from land and sea would flow continuously, and they would never dare charge Lian Hua for them.

The next day at Mao Hour, Lian Hua got up and diligently helped the Emperor dress, amusing him greatly—he found the Little Concubine realistic, yet he quite enjoyed Lian Hua's attentiveness, which brightened his mood for the whole day.

Although Lian Hua didn't say much, the Emperor took note of the bruises on her knee and of something she mentioned offhand—that her monthly salary was ten taels but she only received six or seven. Were there servants skimming off the lower-ranked concubines' money?

In the Emperor's eyes, this was intolerable; no matter how low their rank, the concubines were still his women. Even a dog deserved a glance at its owner before being struck. How could there be such insolence, treating the master's property as their own? If they were any bolder, would they even dare deceive the Emperor?

Lian Hua had no idea that her casual remarks had stirred a great commotion in the entire Harem.

The Emperor summoned Zhang Qing, ordering him to discreetly investigate these two matters.

As he walked out of the Administration Palace and looked at the sun, Zhang Qing wiped his sweat, feeling that things were getting serious.

The issue of Lian Hua's bruised knee was straightforward; tracing her movements from the previous day would unravel the truth.

But the problem of withheld salaries was more troublesome; this was an unspoken rule in the Harem, where the un-favored concubines and lower-ranked servants' wages, handled by the Salary Distributing Eunuch, were always skimmed off, under the high-ranking concubines' protection, tacitly approved. As the Imperial Chief Steward, he was well aware, choosing to turn a blind eye—not speaking of things best left unsaid.

Now that His Majesty demanded a thorough investigation, Zhang Qing understood that His Majesty, with his penetrating insight detested such practices; failing to uncover the truth was inexcusable, and this was not an easy matter to settle.

Zhang Qing called over his godson, Zhang Sancai, and quietly instructed him on the matter. Zhang Sancai, drenched in cold sweat, knew someone was going to suffer.

Ever since His Majesty ascended to the throne and rigorously reformed the Harem, there were established protocols for promoting concubines, and each palace servant had specific responsibilities—everything bound by rules. The Harem appeared calm on the surface, and as long as everyone abided by the rules and avoided serious trouble, His Majesty was rather lenient. This made many forget the thunderous methods from ten years ago.

Having always served close to His Majesty and witnessed the methods of the Emperor's former court, Zhang Sancai deeply understood that His Majesty was like a lion in repose—still until striking awe when roused.

This was going to be a big issue; Zhang Sancai had never felt such relief, grateful that he had heeded his godfather's advice to fulfill his duties honestly, without harboring any ulterior motives.

Zhang Qing quickly clarified the matter of Lian Hua's bruised knee; it turned out that Beauty Li, under the guise of teaching her manners during yesterday's lotus viewing banquet, had forced Lian Hua to kneel, leading to the bruises. He then truthfully reported this to the Emperor.

The Emperor, pensive upon hearing this, pondered for a moment, then decreed that two disciplining nannies, under the pretense of the Noble Consort, re-educate Beauty Li on etiquette, with the edict to be issued three days later.

But these were matters for later; for now, Lian Hua, elated by the Emperor's decree, was too excited even to catch up on her sleep, feeling realized her dreams of indulging in fine food and drink—how could she not be joyful?

Excited, Lian Hua found the Young Eunuch designated by Zhang Qing, and seriously ordered a great deal of items under the pretense of wanting to prepare something tasty to nourish His Majesty. The Young Eunuch left with a pained expression.

This Young Eunuch's full name was Feng Ji, but few called him by his full name, generally addressing him as Xiao Jizi, known for his shrewdness in handling affairs.

Having finally had a chance to serve His Majesty the previous night, he had hoped to make a favorable impression but ended up tragically instead, alas.

Xiao Jizi clearly understood that, though under the Imperial Chief Steward as one of Star Palace's eunuchs, he would probably be serving Young Master Lian from now on, a fact tacitly approved by His Majesty. While others climbed upwards, he seemed to have climbed downwards, alas—this was Xiao Jizi's nth sigh.