Consort De, who had just been all smiles moments ago, now had a dark expression on her face. Her mouth curled up forcefully as she said, "Luyin, let's return to Yanqing Palace. I need to exchange this congratulatory gift for something even grander."
She had originally planned to deliver a congratulatory gift to Hexi Palace and take the opportunity to see the Sixth Prince. But after overhearing the palace servants' gossip, Consort De felt compelled to prepare a more extravagant gift.
Luyin, lacking Consort De's composure, burst into tears of anger. "Your Highness... His Majesty, he's just too..."
"Silence!" Consort De glared at her. "How dare a mere servant like you criticize His Majesty?"
She turned her gaze to the group of maids and eunuchs who were engrossed in their heated discussion. Taking a deep breath, she approached them. "What are you all talking about? Why don't you share it with me?"
"Ah! Consort De... This slave deserves death!" The group of idling palace servants, caught red-handed by Consort De, fell to their knees in terror. But in truth, they weren't overly frightened, as Consort De was known for her tolerance and rarely troubled the servants.
"Instead of attending to your duties in your own palaces, you've come here to gossip about Concubine Zhenxian. Are you tired of having your heads attached to your necks?"
"We wouldn't dare, Your Highness!" they cried in unison.
"I think you would," Consort De's eyes turned cold. "Guards, take them to Hexi Palace and make them kneel at the entrance, slapping their own faces. His Majesty cherishes Concubine Zhenxian above all others, and even I dare not speak ill of her. How dare you servants engage in such gossip?"
Unlike Consort De, Concubine Zhenxian was not known for her merciful nature. The group of maids and eunuchs wailed and begged for forgiveness, but this time Consort De showed no leniency, ordering them to be escorted to Hexi Palace.
The Emperor had spent most of the day accompanying Jiang Xinyue in Hexi Palace, only leaving after she and the child had fallen asleep.
"Who are these people, causing trouble for our mistress?"
"Just punish them by making them clean the chamber pots. No need to disturb the mistress. We can report to her when she wakes up."
Outside, Xi Que and Shuang Jiang's voices could be heard. Jiang Xinyue, who had just awakened from her nap, happened to overhear them. "Xi Que, Shuang Jiang, what's going on? Where's the Sixth Prince?"
Hearing her voice, the two quickly entered the room. "Your Highness, the Sixth Prince has been fed and is now sleeping. The wet nurse and Nanny Li have taken him away to care for him, so as not to disturb you. The Fourth Prince and Eunuch Sheng are also present, so please don't worry."
Jiang Xinyue was feeling much better, though her tailbone still ached terribly, making it difficult for her to walk.
During the incident with Consort Liang, she wasn't entirely feigning her condition. The pain in her lower back had been excruciating.
It was likely due to the intense pushing during childbirth, which had injured her bones.
"Who were you talking about punishing by making them clean chamber pots?"
Had something happened while she was asleep?
At the mention of this, Shuang Jiang felt a surge of anger, and Xi Que, who was never one to hide her feelings, spoke up: "Your Highness, we used to think Consort De wasn't such a bad person. After all, it was Consort Ye who captured Shuang Jiang's family and threatened her to harm you. Consort Liang was also terrible. Everyone in the palace says Consort De is a wonderful person, but today we've seen her true colors."
"How is she wonderful?" Jiang Xinyue asked.
"She's only wonderful to herself!" Xi Que rolled her eyes. "Anyone who opposes Consort De is bad, and only she is kind, beautiful, and genuine. She knows you've just given birth to the Sixth Prince and have been elevated to the highest rank among the four imperial consorts, yet she sent a group of gossiping servants to kneel at our palace gates and slap their own faces. When people inquire, they say it's because these servants spoke ill of you. Those who don't know the truth might think you ordered this punishment yourself, and they'll say you're arrogant and domineering."
It was as if she was trying to prove that Concubine Zhenxian was insecure, that her position as the highest-ranked consort had been stolen from Consort De.
Shuang Jiang added, "When I went out, those people had already been kneeling for quite some time. When others asked, they said they were being punished by Consort De for gossiping about their superiors and were sent to kneel at our palace gates to apologize. Now the entire harem will surely be saying that you're abusing your favor with the Emperor, and that Consort De has been wronged."
She had managed to maintain her good reputation, elevating herself as the victim while making their mistress look like the villain.
Jiang Xinyue smiled, "Why be angry? The fact that she could provoke the usually easy-going Consort De into action shows that she can barely contain her frustration. It's better that she acted; now I can catch her fox's tail."
She then instructed Shuang Jiang, "Don't punish those servants. Be gentle with them and give them some ointment for their swelling. Tell them... that I dislike corporal punishment for palace servants the most. Consort De was in a bad mood today, which is why she took out her frustrations on them. Tell them not to hold a grudge against Consort De, and remind them that she is the kindest and can't bear to see servants hurt. She surely didn't mean it."
It was as good as telling everyone outright that Consort De was jealous of her new position as the highest-ranked consort and was deliberately taking out her frustrations on the servants while trying to make her look bad.
Xi Que and Shuang Jiang's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and they left with mischievous smiles to carry out Jiang Xinyue's instructions.
At the entrance of Hexi Palace, a crowd of curious maids and eunuchs had gathered, whispering about the servants who were repeatedly slapping their own faces.
"I think they're done for this time. The new Consort Zhenxian will surely make an example of them to assert her authority."
"It serves them right for neglecting their duties and gossiping about their superiors."
"But what they said was true! Even if Consort Liang... I mean, the demoted Concubine Yu, doesn't deserve it, there's still Consort De. How could Concubine Zhen be promoted to Consort Zhenxian over them? Consort De is kind-hearted and probably feared that Consort Zhenxian would punish them severely later, so she sent them to apologize first. If only Consort De had been promoted instead, she's so good to us."
"It's truly pitiful. Are the lives of maids and eunuchs worth nothing? Look at them, their faces are all swollen. If someone like this becomes the highest-ranked consort, we might lose our lives for the smallest mistake in the future!"
"Shh, be quiet... someone's coming out of Hexi Palace."
Xi Que pretended to glance around casually, then sighed and shook her head. "You poor things, get up now. Our mistress is in high spirits today and won't hold this against you. But next time, if you want to gossip about your superiors, find a more discreet place. Don't let Consort De catch you again."
Shuang Jiang brought out some medicine. "You came here to kneel and slap yourselves without explanation, and it frightened our mistress when she heard about it. She sent me to bring you some ointment for your injuries. Don't hold a grudge against Consort De; she must be in a bad mood lately. If you see her, just keep your distance to avoid trouble."
It was as if she was saying: You all heard that, right? This has nothing to do with our mistress. It was Consort De who caught them and made them do this. Our mistress doesn't want to see any bloodshed on such a joyous day for her.
Those who had been praising Consort De's kindness earlier now blushed with embarrassment.
