Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 100: Return to the Palace

   After that night when Fuheng left, he never returned with any intention of coming back. He would rather sleep on the cold, hard desk in the study than return to the bedroom.

Erqing’s days became unbearable. Almost everyone in the Fucha family was guessing that her position as young madam was probably no longer secure—especially since she had no children. For the sake of the Fucha family’s future heirs, even Lady Fucha no longer stood on her side this time and discussed with Fuheng the possibility of taking a concubine.

Life became truly difficult. Erqing felt both fear and anger. Finally, gritting her teeth, she made up her mind…

“Niangniang!”

Inside Changchun Palace, Erqing kowtowed deeply to the Empress. Beside her was a simple blue cloth bundle. With her head bowed to the ground and her voice trembling with tears, she said, “I wish to return to Changchun Palace to attend to Your Ladyship during your illness!”

The Empress sat in the principal seat. Beside her rested a walking stick that Wei Yingluo and Ming Yu had made together for her. There were no dragons or phoenixes carved on it—only two “fortune” characters written in two different handwritings.

“Attend to my illness?” The Empress was momentarily stunned.

“Yes.” Erqing raised her head, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and said softly, “Niangniang, your health is frail, and this servant is extremely worried. I have specially informed my father and mother and obtained their consent before packing my belongings and entering the palace.”

The Empress glanced at the small bundle beside her. A dignified young madam of the Fucha family could not possibly have brought only such meager belongings—this was deliberately done for her to see.

Seeing through it but not exposing it, the Empress only gently shook her head: “The palace is not short of people. Moreover, with your current status, it is not appropriate for you to do such menial tasks. You should return.”

“Empress!” Erqing crawled forward on her knees, inching all the way to the Empress’s feet. Raising her head to look at her, she said in a pitiful voice, “This servant has followed you for six years and has long grown accustomed to serving you. Even though I’ve left the palace, I still cannot set my heart at ease! In the past, even palace maids who served the Empress Dowager well would, after getting married, be reluctantly missed and specially summoned back to remain in service—let alone this servant who married into the Fucha family and became Your Majesty’s sister-in-law. What is improper about wanting to attend to Your Majesty’s needs during illness?”

The Empress gently stroked the cane beside her.

When she had been unconscious, Erqing had not come.

When she struggled, leaning on the cane, learning step by painful step to walk again, Erqing had not come.

When she needed care the most, Erqing had not come.

On the cane there were only two characters for “blessing” (福):

one from Yingluo,

one from Ming Yu.

Not a single one from Erqing.

So the Empress smiled and said:

“No need. I already have Yingluo and Ming Yu by my side. That is enough.”

Erqing was silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh and finally revealed the truth.

“Empress.” Tears fell drop by drop onto the ground. In a mournful, heartrending voice Erqing said, “Lord Fuheng is always so busy. In a month he returns to the residence only three or four days, and even then he sleeps alone in the study. This servant is truly lonely and desolate at home… That’s why I wanted to come back to serve Your Majesty. Do you… really not want this servant anymore?”

Her voice was filled with extreme sorrow, like that of a little dog abandoned by its master.

The Empress had always been soft-hearted by nature. Although she harbored some resentment toward Erqing for being fickle and ungrateful, seeing her like this, she ultimately could not bear it and said:

“Erqing! Tell me honestly—what exactly happened?”

“Lord Fuheng favors a certain maid and has argued with this servant many times over her. In a moment of anger, I punished the maid, which greatly enraged Lord Fuheng.” Erqing sobbed as she spoke. “Now… there is no longer any place for this servant in the Fucha household.”

But the Empress did not believe her one-sided account.

Or rather, compared to Erqing’s version, the Empress trusted far more the younger brother she had watched grow up since childhood.

With a faint glance at her, the Empress said calmly:

“I have never seen Fuheng lose his temper before. It seems the mistake you made this time must have been truly serious.”

Erqing was clever. Seeing that the Empress was not falling for it, she immediately stopped trying to lie about the matter and switched to an emotional offensive instead. Clutching the hem of the Empress’s skirt, she cried desperately:

“Empress, please just allow this servant to remain in the palace and accompany you for a while—at least until Lord Fuheng’s anger subsides. Then this servant will return. Please, I beg you…”

Just as the Empress understood Fuheng, Erqing also understood the Empress very well.

She knew the Empress had always been deeply attached to old things—even an old garment would be patched and mended rather than discarded—let alone a person.

Sure enough, after hesitating for a long while, the Empress sighed helplessly and said:

“Fine. You may stay.”

The news that Erqing had returned to the palace quickly spread throughout Changchun Palace.

“The Empress is just too kind-hearted!” In the palace maids’ quarters, Ming Yu viciously cracked melon seeds between her teeth. “What kind of place is Changchun Palace? She thinks she can come and go whenever she pleases!”

Wei Yingluo glanced at her curiously. “Weren’t you once the closest to her? Why do you dislike her so much now?”

Ming Yu scoffed with a sneer.

“Ever since she became the young madam of the Fucha family, she’s become a completely different person—dressed in pearls and jewels, bossing people around. I’m just a servant; I wouldn’t dare presume to be her equal anymore!”

Wei Yingluo smiled faintly.

“People don’t change that quickly. If she really has changed, it only means you never noticed it before…”

She suddenly stopped speaking—because the door had opened.

Erqing stood leaning against the doorframe, her gaze sweeping the room before finally landing on Yingluo.

“Wei Yingluo.” Erqing raised a finger and pointed at her with the air of someone giving orders to a subordinate. “My luggage has been moved into the side hall but hasn’t been properly arranged yet. Go and tidy it up for me.”

Ming Yu was about to explode in anger, but Wei Yingluo reached out to stop her. Out of consideration for Lord Fuheng, she politely declined:

“Lady Fucha, whenever the weather is damp and rainy, the Empress’s legs ache unbearably. I still need to hurry and massage them for her.”

She yielded three parts, but Erqing pressed even harder, raising one eyebrow and saying:

“Is there no one else in Changchun Palace besides you? Ming Yu can naturally do it. You just need to help me organize my things!”

“I don’t have time,” Wei Yingluo shook her head. “Wait a moment. I’ll go ask who is free.”

She had already been extremely courteous, giving Erqing a way to save face.

But unexpectedly, the moment Yingluo stepped through the doorway, Erqing reached out and clamped down on her arm like an iron vice.

“You…”

Wei Yingluo was truly starting to lose patience.

The moment she turned her head—

a slap landed hard across her face.

“How dare you, lowly servant, defy my orders!” Erqing sneered. “The Empress is too merciful, making you forget your own place. Today, I shall teach you a lesson, so you’ll remember who is the master and who is the servant…”

Slap!

A crisp, resounding slap rang out.

Erqing was struck hard, spinning in place before staggering back to her feet, barely steady.

“You—you…” She raised a hand to cover her swollen right cheek, staring at Wei Yingluo in disbelief. “Wei Yingluo, you’ve gone mad! You actually dared to hit me!”

Wei Yingluo gave a cold smile. Earlier she had been caught off guard, but now that she had regained her senses, she would never again give the other woman a chance to slap her.

“If you want to throw your weight around, go back to your Fucha residence!” She advanced on Erqing step by step. “In Changchun Palace, there is only one master—that is the Empress! Whether it’s you or me, we are both servants! If you forget your place, then I have no choice but to remind you… with my own hands.”

Terrified that another blow was coming, Erqing shouted loudly, “Help! Help! Wei Yingluo is beating someone! Zhenzhu! Hupo! Somebody, come quickly!”

She called for a long time, but no one answered.

Erqing gradually realized something was wrong. She looked around—Zhenzhu, Hupo… all the palace servants of Changchun Palace stood at a distance, watching coldly.

It felt as though a crowd had gathered around a cage, observing a monkey leaping and scrambling inside.

“Xitara Erqing.” Wei Yingluo reached out and shoved her against the wall, planting one hand beside her ear. Her voice carried three parts mockery and seven parts scorn. “Changchun Palace is no longer your domain. If you’ve forgotten your place, I don’t mind teaching you a proper lesson—so you’ll remember who is the master and who is the servant…”

Erqing’s chest heaved violently for a moment.

The slap she had dealt Wei Yingluo had been returned in kind. The vicious words she had thrown were flung right back at her the very next second—leaving her face and heart both stinging painfully. Unable to hold back, she spat venomously, “Just you wait. I’m going to the Empress right now and ask her to deliver justice!”

Faced with the threat, Wei Yingluo didn’t even twitch an eyebrow. She simply raised a hand in invitation. “Go ahead.”

Her complete lack of fear made Erqing freeze for a second.

“Just you wait!” Hurling one last vicious remark, Erqing turned and stormed off.

Watching her retreating figure, Ming Yu approached Wei Yingluo with a trace of worry. “Yingluo…”

“It’s fine,” Wei Yingluo replied calmly. “Let her go.”

The eunuch in charge of delivering meals was clearing away the trays.

The Empress had just finished dining. The weather had grown rather warm, and her appetite was poor—most of the dishes remained untouched, with only a few refreshing side dishes sampled with a few bites.

She accepted the handkerchief offered by a palace maid, gently dabbed her lips a few times, then rose with the maid’s assistance. As she stepped out the door, she saw someone kneeling at the palace entrance.

“Empress!” The moment she appeared, Erqing burst into tearful cries. “Empress, you must seek justice for me!”

She recounted her recent ordeal with plenty of embellishment and exaggeration, deliberately speaking at the palace entrance so that everyone could hear and see.

The Empress listened quietly, her face showing not the slightest change of expression. She merely glanced up at the sky, as if feeling the heat here was unsuitable for conversation, and said indifferently, “Follow me to the bedchamber. Someone, go and summon Yingluo.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Erqing’s heart leaped with joy. Wei Yingluo, now you’re in for it!

The group entered the bedchamber. The Empress sat on the edge of the table, accepted the teacup from a maid, and slowly stirred the tea lid in a leisurely manner.

Erqing was kneeling on the floor below, her peripheral vision occasionally darting toward the door.

The door finally opened, and Wei Yingluo walked in. “Your Majesty, you summoned me?”

“No matter what, she is still your senior after all.” The Empress set the teacup down on the table. “In front of outsiders, you should give her at least some face.”

Wei Yingluo obediently replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Come here and massage my legs.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Erqing had been kneeling on the ground for a long time, yet no further words came.

   She couldn’t help but raise her head, looking at the Empress in bewilderment. That’s it? Nothing more? Her legs had gone numb from kneeling, her eyes were red from crying, and all she got in the end was this light, airy reprimand?

   Wei Yingluo was wholeheartedly massaging the Empress’s legs, completely focused on the task, having entirely forgotten Erqing’s presence. As her fingers pressed or tapped, the Empress’s expression softened slightly, but the way she looked at Wei Yingluo remained unchanged—gentle and full of trust.

   Suddenly noticing Erqing’s gaze, the Empress lifted her eyes and gave her a faint smile. “Why are you still here?”

In that instant, Erqing suddenly understood everything.

“No matter what, she is still your senior. In front of outsiders, you should give her at least some face.” — Those words weren’t directed at Wei Yingluo at all. They were clearly meant for her!

The subtext was painfully obvious: times have changed. Having left the palace and returned, Erqing was no longer the head palace maid of Changchun Palace. That position now belonged to someone else—to Wei Yingluo.

In front of outsiders, Erqing must give her face, instead of doing what she did today—after suffering the slightest grievance, kneeling at the main gate and making a huge scene that everyone knew about.

And the deeper implication was even clearer—the Empress fundamentally did not believe the grievances and accusations Erqing had cried about.

A cold sweat broke out down her back. Erqing slowly lowered her head. “…Yes, this servant begs to withdraw.”

She retreated properly to the door, and the moment she closed it behind her with a backward hand, she caught sight of the two of them—one sitting, one kneeling—one attentively relieving the other’s pain, the other gazing at her with gentle warmth.

Between them was an intimacy with no room for her to insert herself, no space for her to sow discord.

Erqing suddenly felt her hands and feet turn ice-cold, as though she had fallen into an icy cavern, waking up in an instant.

“Wei Yingluo was right,” she murmured to herself. “This is no longer the Changchun Palace of the past, and I am no longer the Erqing of the past…”

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