Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 121: Under the Gardenia Flowers

   Wei Yingluo spat out the medicine in one mouthful: “Too hot.”

With a loud clatter, Hupo simply set the medicine bowl down on the table—making a great noise and showing great attitude: “Noble Lady Wei, you really are delicate. It’s hot—so blow on it a little, and it’ll be fine, won’t it?”

This was no longer treating herself as a servant; she was already acting like the master. Wei Yingluo looked at her with a half-smile: “Hupo, as a palace servant of Yanxi Palace, is this how you serve me?”

“We’re both servants who came from Changchun Palace—what’s the point of saying that?” Hupo sat down beside the table without ceremony. On it were many snacks and delicacies that the Empress Dowager had sent over after hearing Wei Yingluo was ill. She didn’t stand on ceremony, casually picking things up to eat. Seeds and shells soon littered the floor as she complained: “Since you’re not some lofty Noble Lady, don’t complain about my poor service.”

“The past is the past; the present is the present.” Wei Yingluo covered her lips and coughed. “Now, after all, I am a Noble Lady…”

Hupo spat out a melon seed shell and impatiently interrupted her: “Yes, yes, yes—you’re the noble mistress, and I’m the lowly slave. Naturally I must obey every word! Since you don’t want to drink it, then don’t drink it. This slave will go pour it out right now!”

Amid the snickering of the other palace maids, she picked up the medicine bowl from the table and poured it straight into the nearby potted plant.

“Good servant, indeed!”

A cold voice suddenly rang out behind her. Hupo was startled, turned around, and in her shock, couldn’t hold onto the medicine bowl—it fell to the ground with a clatter.

“This… this servant greets the Emperor!” She hurriedly knelt before him.

Hongli looked down at her from above. The more he looked, the more displeasing she became to him; the more he looked, the more his anger flared.

“Noble Lady Wei may have come from a palace maid background, but once she became my noble lady, no servant is allowed to disrespect her!” he said coldly. “Drag her out, give her eighty strokes of the cane, and send her to the Cleansing Division.”

“Emperor! Emperor, this servant knows her mistake—please forgive this servant!” Amber hurriedly begged for mercy.

From the bed, Wei Yingluo covered her mouth and let out a light cough. Hongli caught it from the corner of his eye. For some inexplicable reason, he added, almost as if compelled by an unseen force: “…Do it in the courtyard outside. Let everyone see!”

The eunuchs immediately gagged Hupo and dragged her away.

Soon afterward, the sharp, rhythmic sound of caning—crack, crack—came from outside the door, accompanied by Amber’s increasingly feeble and anguished cries.

“…When did you become so weak that you would allow a mere servant to climb over your head?” Hongli slowly walked to the bedside.

Wei Yingluo lowered the hand covering her mouth and replied calmly, “Your Majesty, she was a servant of the late Empress. She was once my colleague.”

Hongli said coldly, “In the past you were a servant, but now you are my Noble Lady! Remember this firmly, and do not disgrace my face!”

Yingluo lowered her head, the corners of her lips curving slightly. “Yes.”

The more he saw her acting meek and obedient, the angrier he became. With a cold snort, he turned and left.

The others thought he was genuinely furious and didn’t dare breathe loudly. Only Li Yu, who knew his temperament well, lagged a step behind. He smiled softly at Wei Yingluo and said, “Noble Lady Wei, congratulations!”

Regardless of anything else, after the eighty strokes were finished, Amber was dragged away. Ming Yu pointed at the bloodstains still visible in the courtyard and declared, “Did everyone see that clearly? This is the consequence of neglecting one’s master. Whoever dares to disrespect their superior again will be the next Hupo!”

From that moment, the atmosphere in Yanxi Palace was thoroughly cleansed. At least for the foreseeable future, no one would dare cause trouble again, lest they meet the same fate as Hupo.

Meanwhile, over at Yangxin Hall, after several consecutive days without seeing Wei Yingluo’s green name tablet appear, Hongli finally set aside his pride and took the initiative to ask:

“…Is Noble Lady Wei still ill?”

Li Yu: “Yes.”

Hongli: “Have Ye Tianshi go and examine her.”

Li Yu: “Yes! Actually… even if Your Majesty hadn’t said anything, the Imperial Medical Bureau would still do their utmost to treat Noble Lady Wei!”

After cautiously glancing at him, Li Yu added, “If you are truly so concerned about Noble Lady Wei, why not go and see her yourself? Seeing Your Majesty would surely bring joy to Noble Lady Wei’s heart, and her illness would improve much faster.”

“Mind your own business,” Hongli said coldly, giving him a glance before standing up and heading outside.

“Yes, this servant spoke out of turn.” Li Yu hurriedly slapped his own face.

“What are you still standing there for?” Hongli’s voice drifted back from a distance. “Go to Yanxi Palace.”

Li Yu: “…”

As soon as Hongli stepped into Yanxi Palace, he wrinkled his nose slightly. “This is—the fragrance of gardenia flowers?”

In the sweltering heat of summer, even standing in the sun for a short while would soak one’s clothes with sweat. The perfumed scents worn by the palace consorts became cloying and heavy in the heat, making the head dizzy after prolonged exposure. But this natural floral fragrance brought a refreshing clarity, instantly lifting the spirit and easing the summer heat.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” Ming Yu came out from the inner chamber and said softly, “Noble Lady has just taken her medicine and is resting behind the bed curtains. This servant will go wake her at once.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping inside the room?” Hongli frowned as he looked at the canopy tent set up in the garden. “Truly absurd. Doesn’t she know how to take care of her own body?”

He strode straight into the garden, brushing aside flowers and willows along the way until he reached the side of the canopy. Through the light gauze and soft curtains, the faint silhouette of a woman could be seen inside. Because it was half-hidden and half-revealed, it appeared all the more enticing.

Hongli lightened his steps. Behind him, Li Yu and Ming Yu exchanged a glance and quietly withdrew.

In the garden, only Hongli and Wei Yingluo remained.

He gently lifted the curtain. A clear tinkling sound rang out—the wind chime hanging at one corner of the canopy chimed crisply, its tone sweet and melodic, like a summer daydream.

From inside came a soft murmur. Wei Yingluo turned over, her eyes still heavy with sleep, her clothing half-slipped off. Perhaps because of the intense heat, she was wearing very little—just a thin robe the color of gardenia flowers, soft as a layer of petals wrapped around her body.

Gazing at her face, flushed and lovely like a sleeping crabapple in spring, Hongli felt his heart stir. He reached out to stroke her slightly reddened cheek. His fingers were cool; she let out a small whimper and rubbed her face against his fingertips.

This was the first time Hongli had ever seen her like this.

In the past she had either ignored him completely or mocked him coldly. On the rare occasions she showed him any warmth, it was always superficial, with hidden defiance. Such innocent, unguarded closeness was extremely rare. It made Hongli freeze in place, almost wishing she would never wake up and that things could stay like this forever.

But soon his fingers were warmed by her cheek. Wei Yingluo murmured “so hot” in a drowsy voice, then slowly opened her eyes. She blinked several times in surprise before looking at him. “Your Majesty… why are you here?”

Hongli’s heart itched unbearably from her unconscious allure. Before she could sit up, he had already reached out and pressed her back down inside the canopy.

Her long hair spilled like ink across the snow-white bed curtains. Wei Yingluo lay pillowed on clouds of hair, returning to her usual demeanor—neither afraid of him nor attached to him, neither drawing close nor pushing him away. Like a cloud drifting on the horizon, she gave him a half-smile and said, “This is the garden… Your Majesty, this really isn’t proper.”

Hongli reached out to capture that drifting cloud. He leaned down and kissed her neck, like a beast seizing its prey. He bit lightly—not too hard—on her throat and said in a muffled voice, “Shut up… I am your proper!”

When he found her pleasing, everything about her was pleasing—even her small struggles at this moment became a kind of delight. Just like the thorns on a flower: when someone loves the bloom too much, they no longer mind being pricked.

Hongli closed his eyes and gently kissed the flower beneath his lips. He still didn’t realize how much he liked this flower—or rather, even if he did like her… he would absolutely never admit it.

Her sleeping chignon had come loose; her spring brows seemed to grow even longer. The gardenia hairpin weighed heavy; faint wine-scented chrysanthemum fragrance lingered.

Embroidered quilts dimmed to golden hues; silk crumpled and lost its sheen. Sometimes in idle moments she toyed with a brush, painting pairs of mandarin ducks.

Ming Yu left the courtyard but did not linger beside Li Yu. Afraid that if she stayed too long he would notice something unusual about her, she hurriedly made an excuse and left. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she collapsed onto the grass, buried her face deep in her knees, and her shoulders began to tremble slightly.

After some unknown stretch of time, a man’s hand rested gently on her shoulder.

Ming Yu started in fright and dared not lift her head.

“Why won’t you turn around and look at me?” the man said with a laugh. His voice carried a natural, free-spirited gallantry, like that of a wandering swordsman.

Ming Yu recognized the voice. She turned her head. Their eyes met. Hailancha was stunned. “Ming Yu… why are you crying?”

Ming Yu did not answer. She simply looked at him and let the tears fall silently.

Hailancha was on duty that night and was not supposed to leave his post. But seeing the girl he loved crying like this, he thought for a moment, then ran to a fellow guard he was on good terms with, quietly asked him to cover the shift, and slipped away.

With no further worries, he hurried back, sat down beside Ming Yu, and looked at her with utmost seriousness. “What exactly happened?”

Ming Yu gave a choked sob, her voice hoarse. “I think I’ve made a mistake.”

Hailancha smiled. “Who in this world doesn’t make mistakes?”

Ming Yu: “No, you don’t understand.”

Hailancha: “I don’t understand. You can tell me.”

Ming Yu choked with sobs: “If I hadn’t said anything, when Yingluo turned twenty-five, she could have smoothly left the palace. Someone like her could have lived happily anywhere she went. It was me—I personally destroyed her happiness. I’ve trapped her in the Forbidden City for the rest of her life. It’s my fault! All my fault!”

Hailancha: “Ming Yu, you didn’t mean to…”

Ming Yu suddenly lifted her face: “No, I did it on purpose! Noble Consort Chun bullied me at every turn, and I couldn’t accept it. I wanted to get justice, so I dragged Yingluo into it with me. I’m so despicable. I’m a truly vicious person!”

Hailancha: “Ming Yu! Ming Yu! Stop crying, don’t cry anymore! You’re not that kind of person. Don’t blame yourself…”

Ming Yu threw herself into his arms, clinging to him and crying heartbrokenly.

Hailancha knew how to defeat enemies and take lives, but he had no idea how to stop her tears. After a moment of helpless floundering, he finally sighed, wrapped his arms tightly around her, and said in a low, grave voice: “I don’t know what Noble Consort Chun did to drive you to such desperation, but as long as you tell me… I will definitely help you.”

“Really?” Ming Yu murmured. “You’ll really help me?”

“Yes.” Hailancha nodded. “I swear it!”

“Thank you…” Ming Yu sighed, lifting her head from his embrace. Her lips gently pressed against his cheek.

The skin beneath her lips gradually grew hot, just like Hailancha’s heart.

“Set off—return to the palace!”

The moment Hongli left, a flood of precious gifts arrived right after, as if he were afraid no one would realize how much he favored Wei Yingluo.

When Ming Yu returned, she found the entire palace staff beaming with joy, crowding around Wei Yingluo: “Congratulations, Noble Lady Wei! Congratulations, Noble Lady Wei!”

Wei Yingluo waved her hand, signaling them to withdraw.

“Where did you go?” Wei Yingluo beckoned Ming Yu closer, reached out, and gently wiped the tears from her cheek. “Why were you crying?”

“I’m fine.” Ming Yu smiled through her tears. “What about you? Are you all right?”

“I’m very well—extremely well.” Not a single tear stained Wei Yingluo’s face. She touched the lingering kiss marks on her neck with an indifferent smile. “One step closer to my goal. I’m very happy.”

Ming Yu’s heart ached. She took her hand and said earnestly: “Yingluo, don’t worry. You’re working hard, and so will I.”

Yingluo: “Ming Yu, what have you done?”

Ming Yu smiled and gently rested her head on Yingluo’s knee: “I’ll grow stronger bit by bit and become your support. As long as it helps you, I’m willing to do anything! You’re truly amazing. You said you wanted to win the Emperor’s favor, and now you’ve done it…”

Yingluo suddenly burst out laughing.

Ming Yu looked up in surprise: “Did I say something wrong?”

Yingluo: “Do you think that just because I successfully served him in bed, I’ve won the Emperor’s favor?”

Ming Yu: “But…”

Yingluo smiled slightly: “Right now the Emperor only sees me as a new toy. In a little while he’ll forget all about me. Unless I can enter his heart, defeating Noble Consort Chun is still a very long way off.”

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