Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 171: Unwilling to Change

   The strings and drums struck together as sleeves rose; like whirling snowflakes and tumbling tumbleweeds, Chenbi danced gracefully in the center of the floor. Hongli reclined on the couch, watching her swirl and spin.

Palace gossip never escaped him. Lately there had been talk that Chenbi wanted to be friends with Consort Ling and was constantly going to her.

Beside him, Li Yu reported, “Your Majesty, on Her Ladyship Consort Ling’s instructions, the Imperial Household Department is currently cleaning Shoukang Palace.”

At the mention of Consort Ling’s name, Chenbi’s dancing toes missed a beat.

…It seemed the rumor was not baseless. Hongli asked, “Is the Empress Dowager returning?”

Li Yu answered, “This servant inquired. Her Ladyship Consort Ling only said that today is the tenth day of the fifth lunar month, and that if this is told to Your Majesty, you will understand.”

“The tenth of the fifth month?” Hongli repeated it silently, then suddenly realized. “No wonder…”

Li Yu: “Your Majesty?”

Hongli: “Do everything exactly as Consort Ling instructed. Make sure everything is perfectly arranged before the Empress Dowager returns.”

Li Yu: “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Once Li Yu had left, Chenbi planted her toes on the ground, spun once in mid-air with a cascade of bell-like chimes ringing from her costume, and leapt straight into Hongli’s arms. She settled onto his lap, tilted her head back, and looked up at him. “Your Majesty, what’s so special about the tenth of the fifth month?”

Hongli replied, “Every year on the fifteenth of the fifth lunar month is the anniversary of He’an’s death. The past two years the memorial rites were held at the Yuanmingyuan. This year, it seems they will be held back in the Forbidden City.”

Chenbi: “He’an?”

Hongli stroked her hair gently. “My own younger sister—the only pearl in the Empress Dowager’s palm.”

Knowing the Empress Dowager had always disliked women who were too flirtatious or overly bold, Hongli patiently explained to her how she should behave in the Empress Dowager’s presence.

But halfway through, Chenbi grew impatient. “Enough, enough—I understand. I’m going to find Yingluo now. Today we’re still practicing how to walk.”

When it came to the ways of being a consort, Chenbi was like a child who had to start learning even how to walk from the beginning. Yet Hongli knew she was not someone who liked to follow rules. He shook his head and asked, “What are you planning to give her today?”

Chenbi’s eyes lit up. She quietly pulled out a small box and opened it to reveal a necklace of pearls inside—large, perfectly round beads that shimmered with a soft, lustrous glow. “This is the gift I’m giving her. Do you think she’ll like it?”

“I’m guessing no,” Hongli said with a smile.

The gift sent by a rival in love, no matter how precious or beautiful, Wei Yingluo presumably would not like it at all.

Chenbi disappointedly set down the box. “Then what does she like? As long as I have it, I’ll give it to her.”

Hongli was silent for a moment before saying, “Then send her a pot of mutton soup.”

Chenbi tilted her head, looking at him in confusion. “But Yingluo said she doesn’t like to eat that.”

“But mutton soup is good for her stomach.” The words slipped out of Hongli’s mouth before he realized he had spoken too freely.

He wasn’t indifferent to her tastes; rather, he cared more about her stomach than her preferences. That was why, the last time Wei Yingluo came to Baoyue Tower, he had insisted she take an entire jar of mutton soup back with her.

The lost look in Wei Yingluo’s eyes was still vivid in his mind. He felt a mix of regret and secret delight. He simply… wanted to see more of her jealous expression, just as he was always jealous of Fuheng.

“Your Majesty, you treat Yingluo differently from everyone else.” Chenbi gazed at him and suddenly said this. Before Hongli could respond, she smiled brightly and continued, “Fine then, mutton soup is good for the stomach. I’ll send her a jar right away.”

At that moment, Wei Yingluo was not in Yanxi Palace. She was at Shoukang Palace.

Eunuchs and palace maids came and went, constantly cleaning the hall. the current Empress took her by the arm and said, “The Empress Dowager personally appointed you to organize the memorial ceremony. It has truly been hard on you. I just took a look, and everything is arranged perfectly. It’s only thanks to you understanding the Empress Dowager’s wishes so well that it could be done so beautifully.”

Wei Yingluo replied, “Your Majesty flatters me. I merely did my utmost to prepare. Since Your Majesty has seen it, would you kindly offer some guidance?”

“There is actually nothing else improper.” The Empress’s gaze swept across the offering table. “The only thing missing is a small Buddha flower. If it is burned in front of the offering table, the Empress Dowager will be even more pleased.”

Wei Yingluo: “A small Buddha flower?”

The Empress nodded. “Every year at the end-of-year anniversary of death, only then is the small Buddha flower used. When the Empress Dowager personally sees how much importance the Emperor attaches to Princess He’an’s death anniversary, mother and son will surely be reconciled as before.”

Wei Yingluo: “Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. I will remember.”

The Empress gave a meaningful smile. “The Empress Dowager has not yet met Concubine Rong. On that day, I will have to trouble you; Consort Ling to personally make the introduction.”

Wei Yingluo froze for a moment and instinctively looked toward the Empress, only to see the smile on the other woman’s face deepen. A chill ran through her heart.

After making a few more arrangements, it was time for dinner. Wei Yingluo excused herself first. The moment she stepped out of Shoukang Palace, her expression immediately darkened. Ming Yu, who was beside her, couldn’t help but ask, “Yingluo, what’s wrong?”

Wei Yingluo: “The Empress is about to make her move.”

Ming Yu: “Make her move?”

Wei Yingluo nodded. “Concubine Rong—she is in great danger.”

There were too many eyes and ears around, so Ming Yu didn’t ask further. She planned to wait until they returned to Yanxi Palace to ask in detail. But just as they stepped through the main gate of Yanxi Palace, the clear tinkling sound of anklet bells rang out. No need to guess who it was.

Wei Yingluo’s footsteps paused. “…Why are you here again?”

“You’re finally back!” Chenbi came over with a beaming smile and grabbed her hand. “I brought mutton soup. It’s very good for your stomach. It’s already cooled down, but I’ve asked the kitchen to heat it up for you!”

On the table was not only the mutton soup, but also a box of pearls—each one valuable enough to buy an entire courtyard in Jiangnan. Similar treasures had been arriving at Yanxi Palace for some time, all sent by her. Yet Wei Yingluo felt no joy at all, because every one of those rare and precious items had been bestowed upon her by Hongli. Each piece served as a reminder of how deeply he favored her.

“I don’t want to drink it.” Wei Yingluo shook her head. “In the future, stop sending things here. What will people say when they see this?”

Chenbi didn’t care in the slightest. “What others say has nothing to do with me. Sending gifts to a good friend is only natural.”

Wei Yingluo: “You and I are not friends.”

Chenbi said with great confidence: “It definitely will be from now on.”

This person was like a piece of sticky toffee; Wei Yingluo really couldn’t win against her persistence, so she had no choice but to reluctantly drink that jar of mutton soup together with her. At first it tasted unpleasant, with a strong gamey smell the moment it entered her mouth, but after the soup went down, a warm feeling gradually spread through her body. The stomach that always ached faintly actually felt much more comfortable because of it.

Chenbi kept serving her dishes and ladling soup for her, busily and happily. In a moment of carelessness, the jade plaque tied to her wrist slipped off and fell with a plop into the jar of mutton soup. When Chenbi lifted her hand, the jade plaque rose along with the red string on her wrist, dripping soup with pattering sounds.

“Ming Yu, bring a clean handkerchief,” Wei Yingluo instructed.

Ming Yu fetched a handkerchief, and Wei Yingluo wiped the jade plaque clean. From the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of the characters engraved on it and suddenly froze.

Jingying Chenbi.

“What’s wrong?” Chenbi noticed where her gaze had landed. She untied the red string and handed the jade plaque to her. “This was given to me by the Emperor, but I don’t really understand Han poetry. I can’t read what’s written on it.”

A sour feeling welled up in Wei Yingluo’s heart, yet her expression remained cold and distant. “The Emperor is praising you. ‘Like flawless jade in still water, perfect and unblemished.’”

The mutton soup in her mouth instantly became tasteless. Wei Yingluo pushed the jade plaque back. “I’m tired. I won’t teach you etiquette today. Ming Yu, see the guest out.”

Chenbi was stunned. “Yingluo, why are you suddenly angry? Is it because of this jade plaque? If you don’t like it, I’ll never wear it again!”

Her voice made Wei Yingluo feel irritated and restless. After Ming Yu escorted her away, she lost all interest in eating. Dragging a body that felt completely drained of strength, she stumbled back to her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly.

After seeing Chenbi off, Ming Yu returned to her side, hesitating to speak.

“Ming Yu,” Wei Yingluo murmured while staring at the ceiling, “do you know what Baoyue Tower is?”

Ming Yu shook her head. She sat beside her, holding her ice-cold hand, listening attentively like the most loyal confidante.

“During the Yongzheng era, when the current Empress Dowager was still Consort Xi, she gave birth to the Eleventh Princess. But the princess had been frail and sickly since childhood. At that time, the shamaness selected Baoyue Tower, saying its feng shui was excellent. To help her daughter, Consort Xi did everything she could to persuade the previous Emperor to renovate Baoyue Tower so she could move in with the child. The construction was about to begin when Empress Xiaojingxian resolutely opposed it, saying there had never been such a precedent in the Great Qing.” Wei Yingluo sighed. “In the end, the little princess died just after her first birthday. All these years, the Empress Dowager has never let go of that regret.”

Ming Yu suddenly understood. “So you’re saying the Empress wants to make use of the Empress Dowager? But the Empress Dowager has always been at odds with her…”

“If she can use me, why can’t she use the Empress Dowager? In this harem, there are only permanent interests, never permanent friends.” At the word “friends,” Chenbi’s face floated into her mind again. Wei Yingluo sat up irritably and said coldly, “The Emperor is a man and careless in these matters. The Empress Dowager might not have minded before, but with the Empress pushing, she will soon feel… that Concubine Rong moving into Baoyue Tower is like a dove occupying a magpie’s nest!”

Ming Yu was silent for a moment, then softly said, “…Wouldn’t that actually be good? If the Empress’s plan succeeds, it removes a thorn in your side. In my opinion, why don’t you just pretend you know nothing and let things play out?”

Wei Yingluo was stunned by her words.

Just as Ming Yu said, all she had to do was close her eyes, pretend she saw nothing, and sit back while everything unfolded—she could reap the benefits without lifting a finger. If the Empress succeeded, she would lose one thorn in her side; if the Empress failed, she would lose nothing.

But… could she really do that?

Days passed like autumn leaves falling one by one. Chenbi still came to play with her every day, and never empty-handed: sometimes a box of precious stones, sometimes an unusually beautiful fallen leaf, sometimes a string of exotic waist bells full of foreign charm. Chenbi offered everything she had to please her.

Each gift was different, but one thing remained unchanging—every single day, one jar of mutton soup.

Looking at her innocent, guileless smile, Wei Yingluo grew increasingly silent and withdrawn.

Until the fifteenth day of the fifth month.

For once, Chenbi had changed out of her dance skirt and into extremely formal Manchu attire. She awkwardly stepped into a pair of flower-pot platform shoes, pushed the maids aside, and took a few steps on her own. After great effort she finally found her balance, then immediately broke into a delighted smile:

“Yingluo, I can walk by myself now.”

Her maid glanced at Wei Yingluo, gave a light snort, and said, “You can’t even walk properly in those flower-pot-bottom shoes. What if you fall? Wouldn’t that be utterly embarrassing? Consort Ling Your Ladyship, look—you’ve taught her for so long, and our mistress still doesn’t know how to walk.”

Hearing the sarcasm in her words, before Wei Yingluo could even speak, Chenbi had already rebuked her first: “This has nothing to do with Consort Ling. It’s all because I’m not used to them! From now on, you are not allowed to speak ill of her again! Withdraw!”

The maid shut her mouth aggrievedly. Chenbi walked a few more crooked steps, then her ankle twisted and she nearly fell to the ground. Wei Yingluo hurriedly reached out to steady her. Seeing her drenched in sweat, she couldn’t help but say, “You don’t have to change the qipao, but at least change back into the shoes you’re used to wearing.”

Chenbi wouldn’t listen to her maid, but she was willing to listen to her. She gave a sweet smile: “Okay.”

She changed back into her familiar shoes, took a few light steps, and moved gracefully like a little deer hopping by the water’s edge.

“Your Ladyship, it’s time for us to go,” the maid reminded her. “This is the first time the Empress Dowager has summoned you to Shoukang Palace. You must not be late.”

Chenbi nodded, then turned back to Wei Yingluo and said, “I’ll go ahead now. I’ll come find you to play later. You have to wait for me—don’t eat too much. I’ll bring mutton soup and we can eat it together.”

She left with a smile, unaware that she might never return, and would never taste that last mouthful of mutton soup.

“Yingluo…” Ming Yu looked at Wei Yingluo with worry.

“Ming Yu, I’m sorry.” Wei Yingluo raised her hand and touched the tears on her own cheek. “I… don’t want to become the kind of person I hate the most.”

Chenbi had already reached the entrance of Shoukang Palace.

Just as she was about to go in, hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind.

A hand reached out abruptly from behind her, grabbed her, and pulled her away.

“Yingluo?” Chenbi stumbled along, looking at the person in surprise. “What are you doing?”

Wei Yingluo said in a low, grave voice: “Saving your life.”

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