Five, Honey Fragrance

  The matter of the Empress's illness was settled three days later. Xiao Tang, who was in charge of pastries and confectionery ingredients in the imperial kitchen, came forward to confess that he had carelessly mixed up two types of powder, which caused the Empress's discomfort.

  The news arrived when I was working with Ling Rong on a double-sided embroidery of snow-white silk gauze on a black wood frame. Double-sided embroidery is most particular about the skill and technique of the needlework, as well as the embroiderer's eyesight and thoughts. Thousands and thousands of threads must be hidden in the embroidered piece without leaving any trace, one extra stitch, one less stitch, one crooked stitch, or one slanted stitch would cause the pattern to deform or change color.

  The embroidery depicted a distant mountain landscape in spring, with over a hundred shades of green that seemed to mesmerize one's eyes. After gazing at it for a while, I felt a slight dizziness. Through the soft, lake-green silk curtains, a faint, dark blue shadow fell on the ground. Outside the curtain, the palace maid was busy airing and drying the large pieces of Ming-style flower-patterned fabric sent by the Imperial Household Department. The delicate, fragmented patterns of the butterfly-shaped flowers danced and fluttered in the shadows, as if trying to capture the last moments of summer's fleeting light. I stood up, rubbed my sore neck, took a sip of fragrant tea, and asked: "What do you think?"

  Ling Rong gazed at the sunlight, carefully comparing the color of the silk thread. A faint smile played on her lips as she said, "This must be what Consort Hua meant by a coincidence."

  I smiled lightly and said, "Why are you beating around the bush?"

  Ling Rong put down the silk thread in her hand, pursed her lips and said: "Yes. Obey Sister Zhen's orders." Then she slowly spoke: "The Emperor wants to thoroughly investigate, Xiao Tang will be the first to come forward, but someone doesn't want the Emperor to continue investigating and is using him as a pawn." However, she was puzzled, "But...the Emperor punished Xiao Tang for dereliction of duty and had him beaten to death."

  I held the fragrant tea in my hand, gazing at the busy figure of the palace maid outside the curtain, and said lightly: "Of course, she must be executed. If we investigate further, it will become a scandal within the palace, which may seem like a small matter to the officials and the empress dowager, but to the people, it would be a loss of face for the imperial family." I slowly savored the fragrance in my mouth and continued: "We all understand the reason why the emperor cannot do anything about her for now. It's just that we can't touch her for the time being."

  Ling Rong looked puzzled, so he stretched out his finger and pointed to the southwest direction of the window screen. Ling Rong immediately understood, and sighed in a low voice: "The emperor, as the son of heaven, also has so many helplessness."

  I slightly curled my fingers, pursed my lips, and said word by word: "The cunning rabbit will die, the running dog will be boiled. I'm just waiting for the day when the Mu Rong family's birds are exhausted and their bows are stored away."

  Ling Rong was silent for a moment, picked up a fragrant medicinal grape and slowly chewed it in her mouth, saying: "Ling Rong just feels that sister is working hard."

  "I said: 'How can one not be hardworking when standing at the pinnacle of wealth and honor?'"

  Ling Rong patted her hand and smiled: "But the emperor has been very good to my sister these past few days." She paused, "Actually, the emperor is always very good to my sister."

  This sentence entered my ears and suddenly reminded me of what I said when I was sitting idly with Xuán Líng the other day.

  He held me on his knees and peeled the lychee together, with the corners of our hair touching, the red lychee in jade-like hands, the two of us speaking softly, what a wonderful scene.

  I whispered softly in his ear: "Why does Fourth Brother believe that Huanhuan is innocent?"

  He was peeling the water caltrop, apparently not used to doing this, and peeled it very clumsily. The snow-white pulp had uneven patches of deep red skin that hadn't been cleaned off. He said: "You are Si Lang's wife, how could I, as your husband, not believe you?"

  A warm and comfortable feeling in her heart, she pretended to scold: "Is that all? No wonder the other consorts always say that Fourth Prince is biased towards me, it seems they're not wrong after all."

  He put down the water caltrop in his hand and said seriously: "Huan Huan wouldn't do such a thing." As he spoke, he grabbed my hand and said: "Then dig out my heart and take a look, is it biased towards you or towards others?"

  My face flushed with anger, I retorted: "You're the ruler of a country, and yet you speak so carelessly, without any sense of decorum or gravity, it's laughable."

  He just smiled and didn't say a word, peeled an entire water chestnut and put it in my mouth, saying "Is it good or not?"

  Frowning, he forced himself to swallow and said, "It's so astringent, not peeled cleanly." His hand couldn't help but smile as he said, "Fourth brother grasps the universe, where is he used to doing such things? It's better to let Huanhuan handle these small trifles." As he spoke, he peeled several more, all of which were peeled with smooth skin and flesh, and placed them in his palm. He smiled and said, "Sweet and refreshing, crisp and extraordinary. Still, your hands are clever."

  I smiled, "This is Jiangnan's water red lotus root, crispy and tender, refreshing and fragrant. It's naturally extraordinary."

  As they spoke, Xuan Ling ate a few more, slowly closing his eyes to savor the flavor. "The taste of this red lotus root is clear and not greasy, just like your zither music and your dance."

  I burst out laughing, "Being greedy to the extreme, after getting Liang, one will covet Shu. The ancient saying is indeed correct. After peeling the lotus root for you, you still want me to play the piano and dance."

  He couldn't help but smile: "What dance are you doing? I'm not even allowed to think about it." Then he said, "You want to jump, I won't let you. You'll be sweating all over and feeling miserable."

  "I exclaimed: 'Others are "ice muscles and jade bones, naturally cool and sweatless" (1), but the Emperor teases me as a water-made sweaty person!' I deliberately turned my back on him and ignored him, letting him coax me thousands of times, before turning around to smile at him."

  I thought for a moment, and suddenly felt that at this time, I shouldn't be silent in my thoughts, I should say something, otherwise it would seem like I was neglecting Ling Rong's boastful words. So with a smile, I said: "The Emperor is also very good to his sister."

  Ling Rong suddenly revealed a nearly sorrowful expression, staring blankly at the hundred kinds of green silk threads on the embroidery frame, each one carefully smoothed out. I found her expression strange, and Xuan Ling was also good to her, as the favored concubine what more could she be dissatisfied with? However, Ling Rong's thoughts were more sensitive than others, and in the end, it wasn't easy to ask. After a while, she finally smiled and said: "Sister, why did you suddenly think of embroidering this thing, using so much effort, laboring your mind?"

  I stood there quietly for a moment, stroking the smooth embroidery and said, "It's really a painstaking thing. However, the more painstaking and thoughtful a thing is, the more it can test a person's intelligence and perseverance."

  Ling Rong said: "Sister, your words are always so profound. What does embroidery have to do with wisdom? I don't understand."

  I changed the tea for her and sat down again to embroider, saying warmly: "Sometimes, not understanding is a blessing. It's best if you never understand."

  Ling Rong smiled and changed the subject, saying: "Sister's painstaking work on the double-sided embroidery must have taken countless days of effort. In a few more days, we'll be returning to the palace, I'm afraid it will be a laborious task."

  I just kept my head down and embroidered, without even raising my head: "Don't mention the embroidery frame, even if I wanted to move all the broken lotus from the front of Yifu Hall to Taiye Pool, who would dare say 'no' in front of me?"

  Ling Rong smiled and clapped her hands: "Yes, yes, yes. I'm afraid sister will merge Fan Yue Lake with Tai Ye Pool, and the Emperor will only say it's a good idea."

  I couldn't help but laugh: "How did you also learn to be so glib?"

  After embroidering for a while, I started to sweat and was afraid of staining the silk threads, so I got up to wash my hands. Seeing Xuanbi carefully selecting the colors of this season's clothes outside the room, her blue-green dress seemed like a lotus leaf swaying gently in the sunlight. The small pearl earrings I had given her, as big as a thumb, sparkled on her earlobes with every move she made. Suddenly, I remembered something and it was as if that day in Shende Hall's twists and turns, I recalled a bright dawn, but behind that dawn was how cruel and dark it was, which made me dare not to open my eyes for a moment. Finally, I couldn't bear it anymore, if it were true, wouldn't I be no different from sleeping with someone else on the same pillow, or having a sharp blade hanging over my head, as precarious as eggs piled up? Taking a deep breath, I called out: "Xuanbi——"

  "Miss, is it time to change the tea and fruit?"

  I glanced at her and smiled: "Didn't you go to the imperial kitchen last time to get some tapioca flour to make pearl balls? Go make some as a snack."

  "Miss, why did you suddenly think of eating this? After what happened last time, I thought it was polluted and threw it all away."

  "Oh, what a coincidence. I was just thinking of this flavor." I said, "Well, never mind, let's do something else then." Turning my head to ask Ling Rong: "Is there any chestnut cake that the emperor rewarded today? Can we have another bowl of eight-treasure sweet tofu?"

  Ling Rong smiled and said: "Sister has made up her mind, that's it."

  After having some dim sum with Rong Yu, they dispersed. Watching the palace maids and eunuchs pack up their things to return to the palace, she felt a bit more energized and went back to embroidering flowers.

  Calmness, such calmness was maintained until the Mid-Autumn Festival after returning home.

  As usual, the Mid-Autumn Festival was spent in Ziyao City. The day of return was set on August 5th. When returning, the queen's retinue was different from when she came, and Mei Zhuang's carriage was strictly guarded, making it impossible to get out easily; Hua Fei's emerald green phoenix canopy carriage followed closely behind the Empress's dragon carriage, majestic and impressive, sweeping away the despondent air of her arrival. Xian Fei, Feng Shu Yi, and Xin Gui Bin were followed by me and Cao Jie Yu, with Ling Rong bringing up the rear. After two days of traveling, we finally returned to Ziyao City, although sitting in a carriage, I still felt tired, fortunately, Tong Li Palace had everything prepared, so after a quick wash, I fell asleep.

  The Mid-Autumn Festival ceremony was grand, Xuan Ling held a banquet for the officials in the outer court, and in the evening, the inner palace also had a family banquet. The Empress managed it very lively, and the eldest son Yu Ruo played with Shu He and Wen Yi, two imperial princesses, under her knees, which was very lovely.

  According to the ritual, the family banquet was held in the first hall of the Hui Guang Hall at the main gate of the rear palace. All the princes and ladies-in-waiting were present. The Empress Dowager seemed to be in high spirits and even came with several imperial consorts. The Empress Dowager sat facing south on the precious throne, while the imperial consorts sat on either side accompanying her. A stage was set up in the south of the hall, where performances of music and dance were held simultaneously. The Emperor and Empress led the concubines, princes, and princesses to offer tea and wine, paying New Year's greetings to the Empress Dowager for a thousand autumns and ten thousand years.

  He Bi, each returned to their seats. The music for the ceremony was played repeatedly, and the singer in the band sang out the congratulatory words with a loud and clear voice that echoed through the clouds, harmonizing with the music.

  The Empress Dowager, as the most revered elder of this vast and illustrious noble family, naturally enjoys an honor and pride that no one can match. This is my first time seeing the Empress Dowager, whom I had imagined countless times in my mind. Although my position is far from the Empress Dowager's throne, I couldn't help but feel a deep respect and admiration for her based on the rumors I've heard. The numerous stories about her made me envision a stern and majestic figure of the palace's first noblewoman, but when I actually saw her, her calm and serene demeanor left me somewhat surprised. As it was a family banquet, the Empress Dowager's attire was elegant yet not overly elaborate - a simple yet dignified cyan-golden robe with minimal embroidery, adorned only with jade and pearls on her hair, and light makeup on her face. The Empress Dowager is not particularly beautiful, perhaps due to her frequent recitation of Buddhist scriptures, she has an air of subtle elegance and detachment that commands respect. As the highest-ranking woman in this imperial court, she should be living a life of unparalleled luxury, yet for some reason, her countenance bears a faintly melancholic hue, likely due to her excessive devotion to Buddhism.

  The Empress Dowager saw the ten or so consorts and concubines below her, looking very pleased. She said to Xuan Ling: "The Emperor wants to share his blessings with everyone, so that the imperial family can flourish." She also said to the Empress: "You are the mistress of the harem, you should take care of the Emperor more, don't let him have any worries." The Emperor and Empress acknowledged her words. The Empress Dowager then chatted with them about the moon for a while. Although the Empress was her own niece, she only showed a polite but distant attitude, not being very close to her, which also proved the rumors that the Empress Dowager did not dote on the Empress to be true.

  Because the King of Yunnan was on a distant expedition to the southwest, only Queen He was present. The Empress Dowager smiled and said: "Your king is not here, you must take good care of yourself and take care of your son." She ordered someone to bring things to reward her. Queen He heard this and bowed her head in gratitude for the Empress Dowager's concern. The Empress Dowager also kindly said to Xuanfu: "I heard that Xuanfu is very promising, poetry, books, and archery are all good. I am at ease as a mother." Turning around to Shun Chen Taifei and Zhuang He Taifei, she said: "The sons you have raised are very good." Shun Chen Taifei was born into a humble family, and Prince Pingyang Xuanfu had always been raised by Zhuang He Taifei. Now hearing the Empress Dowager say this, she was overjoyed to tears.

  Since Xuanqing was taken care of by the Empress Dowager after leaving the palace, she became even more fond of him. She pulled him to sit beside her and smiled: "Xuanqing is the one who makes me worry the most. When you get married and have someone to take care of you, I can finally rest assured that I've fulfilled my duty to your mother for all these years."

  Xuan Qing smiled: "Don't worry, Mother Empress, I have someone in mind and will definitely bring her to pay respects to you after we get married. It's just that the person I have in mind is very hard to attain."

  The empress smiled and said to Xuan Ling, "Let the emperor hear this too. You are a virtuous girl from a family of officials and military officers, you can choose slowly by yourself, if not, as long as it's good, even if the door is a bit lower, it doesn't matter."

  Xuan Qing just smiled and didn't speak, Xuan Ling said: "Empress Dowager don't worry, maybe tomorrow he will have the person he likes also can't be known."

  The Empress Dowager smiled helplessly: "Let's hope so, and we can only let him have his way."

  The empress dowager gradually showed a tired look, so she returned to the palace first. The several imperial consorts seemed to be very respectful of the empress dowager and saw that she was tired, immediately accompanied her back to the palace. The family banquet was hosted by the emperor and empress.

  The seats were arranged according to the ranks of the imperial consorts, from high to low. I was not very close to Xuan Ling, and from afar, I saw him sitting shoulder to shoulder with the Empress, his face as white as jade, with a majestic air about him.

  I smiled faintly at him, and he apparently saw it, also smiling back at me, his eyes lingering on mine like silk, endless. In the midst of a crowded courtyard, I felt my face flush, and with a bashful expression, I lowered my head to take a sip of wine.

  Xuan Ling was already talking to the empress, but I saw Xuan Qing take advantage of no one's attention and slightly raise his cup in my direction, exchanging a knowing smile with me. I raised the wine cup in front of me and drank it down.

  Xuan Ling frequently gazed at me from across the table, instructing Li Chang to personally serve me some of the dishes in front of him, many of which were my usual favorites. Although we couldn't speak due to the rules, it was still a warm and tender gesture that filled my heart with joy.

  The family banquet finally came to an end, and on this Mid-Autumn night, Xuan Ling naturally stayed in the Zhaoyang Palace of the Empress. The consorts returned to their respective palaces to rest. Sitting in the sedan chair, the wine from earlier began to take effect, her cheeks felt hot and flushed, and her body became soft and weak. She leaned back for a while, then lifted her head to see that the moonlight was extremely beautiful. The full moon hung high in the dark blue sky like an icy plate, shining brightly and clearly. The moonlight was like water, reflecting off her skirt and the jade pendant around her neck, making it shine with a warm glow. The jade pendant was originally a pair of fish, and on this night when the moon was full, she was alone, casting a solitary shadow. She heard the sound of birds flying over the Taile Pool, their cries echoing through the cold air, and couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation. Even the bright moonlight had become a dull, murky color, like the water lilies floating on the surface of the Taile Pool.

  After the banquet, I returned to the Yingxin Hall, where Liuzhu and Huanbi helped me change out of my auspicious clothes and remove my heavy makeup. They washed my face clean of all powder and rouge. Unconsciously, I reached up to touch my face, saying, "My face feels hot, I really did drink a bit too much tonight."

  Li Zhu smiled and said: "Wine is not drunk, everyone is self-intoxicated. The emperor at the banquet was very fond of Miss, even An Mei Ren, who had recently gained favor, couldn't share half of it."

  "Don't talk nonsense."

  She smiled faintly and hesitated for a moment: "Really?"

  Li Zhu said with a smile, "You didn't go, so you didn't see it. Empress Hua was so angry that her eyes were wide with rage." She chuckled and bent down, "It's good to make her angry, otherwise she wouldn't know the weight of Miss in the Emperor's heart, and she would be arrogant every day."

  I glared at her and said, "What nonsense are you spouting! Even in your own palace, you must be more cautious."

  Liuzhu finally composed herself and replied with a lowered brow, "Yes."

  Lan Yu held up my dress and smoothed it out gently, saying: "The Emperor has always been very good to our Miss."

  Upon hearing this, his heart warmed up slightly, but then a faint chill arose.

  She had just changed into her nightclothes and heard footsteps outside the door, thinking it was Xia Lianzi going out to relieve herself at night, so she said: "It's late too, go close the palace gate and rest."

  It was Li Chang's voice, respectfully saying: "Disturbing young master's sleep is slave's fault."

  Seeing him, he couldn't help but wonder what he was doing coming so late, and hastily said: "I haven't slept yet. What brings you here so late, sir?"

  He said: "His Majesty has something called a slave that must be handed over to the young master. I hope the young master has a good dream tonight."

  As she spoke, with a smile, she handed over to me a wooden box made of extremely delicate purple sandalwood with gold inlays. On the lid of the box was stuck a seal, on which was written a large character "feng", and next to it were five small characters handwritten by the emperor himself: "Bestowed upon Concubine Zhen Shi".

  Li Chang just smiled and stood up: "Please let Concubine Wei take a look, I can also go back and report."

  With a slight frown, I opened it and felt my heart racing fast, my eyes slightly warm, and for a moment, I couldn't help myself. Inside the box was a silver silk cord with an intricately woven knot, its patterns curling and twisting, the buttons connected in a ring-like shape, carefully crafted to be both sturdy and full. Next to it was a small piece of paper with two lines of calligraphy: "Waist with double sashes, dream of intertwined knots." These were two lines from Emperor Liang Wu's poem "With Thoughts", written in his own handwriting, which brought an unconscious smile to my face. After a moment, I said, "Please thank the emperor for me."

  Li Chang just smiled: "Yes. Congratulations, young master." He said, and together with Tong Yu and others, they retreated out.

  The moonlight is like a strong wine, through the icy window lattice, it's like a milky white mist surrounding the ground. I held the intertwined knot in my hand and fell asleep with a smile.

  She got up early and slowly combed her long hair in front of the mirror, only to see that the person in the mirror had beautiful eyebrows and eyes, with a slightly pale complexion, but her eyes were still shining like stars, like two bright black pearls, sparkling and changing as she moved.

  Xuan Ling has been staying with me for three nights, and I think he will go to Ling Rong's place tonight. Since the matter of Yu Mei Zhuang, I have almost always been at a disadvantage. I thought that with Ling Rong's favor, people like Hua Fei would not dare to do anything to me, but now it seems that relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself, and I should make a good plan.

  She twisted a lock of hair in her hand, lost in thought. Suddenly, she saw from the mirror that there was a flash of blue-green clothes outside the window behind her back, and almost thought it was her own eyes. So she shouted: "Who is sneaking around outside?"

  However, it was Huai Bi who turned around and came in, smiling as usual: "The emperor let the old man of the flower house send a few pots of newly opened purple chrysanthemum 'Double Flying Swallow' and 'Cutting Cloud Brocade'. I am thinking of asking if Miss wants to appreciate them now, but I'm afraid of disturbing Miss.

  I don't particularly like chrysanthemums, I think they smell bad, but Mei Zhuang likes them very much. Last autumn she was in favor and Xuan Ling gave her countless precious chrysanthemums, which were blooming everywhere in the front and back halls, like clouds and mist, and even the name of the hall where she lived was called "Chrysanthemum Hall".

  My heart is gloomy, this year's chrysanthemum is still in full bloom, but Mei Zhuang's honor and prosperity have vanished into thin air.

  The once prosperous Cunjutang has become a prison for those who have fallen from power, with Mei Zhuang confined within its walls, leaving only the name "Cunjutang" to evoke feelings of sadness.

  I felt a stir in my heart, and glanced at Fen Bi, saying nonchalantly: "You go teach people to put it under the corridor and take good care of it, I'll go see." After thinking for a moment, I said again: "The jewelry that the emperor rewarded yesterday is not bad, you choose some good ones to send to An Mei Ren, Feng Shu Yi and Xin Gui Pin. And tell Feng Shu Yi that I will go to accompany her to talk tomorrow night."

  She nodded and lightly turned around to leave.

  I gazed at her slender figure disappearing behind the curtain, and suddenly my thoughts became clear, a plan formed in my mind, and I fell into endless contemplation.

  In the evening, Xuan Ling didn't come to my palace, so I took Qi Wei and Pin Er to visit Cao Jie Yu in He Xu Hall. It seemed sudden, and Cao Jie Yu was quite surprised. Because of the incident with Wen Yi Emperor's daughter earlier, she always had some unnatural awkwardness that couldn't be concealed.

  I just warmly grasped her hand and said: "Mei Mei misses Empress very much, specially came to take a look. Sister Cao won't be unwelcome, will she?"

  She saw me being polite, she hurriedly let me in, ordered the palace maid to bring up incense and tea to entertain the guest, saying: "How could it be? Day and night I was thinking that my sister would come over and sit for a while, only afraid that my sister is still angry with me for being muddled."

  I sat down with her, smiled and took the tea presented by the palace maid, slowly blowing away the rising foam, saying: "Sister Cao said that it's hard for me to be embarrassed. The thing that day was just a misunderstanding. I'm afraid Sister Cao still holds a grudge, so I came over to untie the knot with my sister. Everyone serves the emperor together, and they should not be separated. How can a small misunderstanding hurt each other's feelings?"

  Cao Jieyu nodded repeatedly and said, "That's exactly what I mean." As she spoke, she held my hand and stroked it, with a hint of moisture in the corner of her eye. "Although I'm older than you by several years, I'm still a foolish person. That day, after hearing those scoundrels' nonsense, I let my sister suffer such great injustice, and I really deserve to be beaten." She then pretended to hit herself.

  I hastily grasped her hand and said, "Sister, if you continue like this, you'll drive your sister away. It's all because of those palace maids' loose tongues that our sisterly relationship has been disrupted. It wasn't Sister's fault; she was just concerned about the princess, but excessive concern leads to trouble."

  Cao Jieyu sighed, "I didn't expect that in such a big palace, my sister would be the one who understands me the most. I only have one daughter, Wen Yi, and she is naturally my heart's treasure, but she has had three disasters and eight hardships, it's no wonder I'm worried about her. And yet, I've been deceived by someone else's scheme and wronged my sister."

  I smiled and said, "Let's not mention the past. It was sudden of me to come see my sister today, so please don't mind." As I spoke, I instructed Ping'er to bring over the items, pointing at each one as I introduced them: "These are a few bellybands that I personally embroidered for Princess Di, although my needlework isn't great, it's just a small token of affection, so please don't dislike them." I continued, "These fabrics were newly arrived from the Weaving Department, and you naturally wouldn't lack these, but feel free to cut and sew clothes as you like." "These face powders and lip balms were personally made by Cui Shunren during his free time, they're very fine and smooth when applied to the skin, and are actually better than those sent from the Imperial Household Department, so please try them out."

  She said something, and Cao Jieyu praised her all the way. The two were very close, as if they had never had any disagreements before. She took a look at the belly band I gave to Princess Wen Yi, couldn't bear to put it down, and flipped through it with relish, saying: "Sister's hands are really clever, that embroidered phoenix seems like it can fly away, those flowers seem like you can smell their fragrance just by looking at them." As she spoke, she had the wet nurse bring out Princess Wen Yi and compare her wearing the belly band, praising without end, seemingly without a single guard against me.

  I smiled at everything in front of me, hugged Wen Yi for a while, and then pulled Cao Jieyu over to whisper: "These are just ordinary things, sister still has something to give to her sister, but it's not very convenient here, can we go to the inner room?"

  Cao Jieyu thought for a moment and then agreed, entering the inner chamber with me. The inner chamber was cool and shaded, with layer upon layer of thin silk curtains hanging silently to the ground. On the bed, there was a rose-purple woven quilt, and on the low table in front of it, a porcelain vase with a few newly bloomed flowers inserted in it, not at all luxurious. I took out a small, golden-inlaid enamel box from my sleeve and said solemnly: "Please, sister, accept this gift."

  Cao Jieyu saw me being so serious and was slightly surprised, saying: "Sister, what are you doing?" She then pressed me to sit down, took the box and opened it. Her expression changed to one of astonishment and disbelief as soon as she opened the box, saying: "Such an expensive gift, I absolutely cannot accept it. Sister, please take it back."

  I said firmly: "Sister had something to ask of her elder sister. Elder sister speaking like this, isn't that refusing younger sister?"

  Cao Jieyu carefully put down the box and said softly: "Sister, if you have anything to say, just say it. If I can help, I naturally won't decline."

  I suppressed my smile and said with tears: "The noble and elegant Empress, I have always admired you from the bottom of my heart. But I don't know how I offended you, so that you misunderstood me and wouldn't let me get close to your majesty's elegance." After finishing speaking, I burst into sobs. "I am all alone in this deep palace, suffering a thousand hardships. Now Shen Chang is under house arrest, I am even more isolated. Please have pity on me, sister."

  Cao Jieyu's face was filled with surprise, and she comforted her, saying: "Sister, what are you talking about? You're deeply loved by the Emperor and have a close relationship with An Mei, like sisters. How could you say something like this?"

  I shed tears and said: "Sister, what favoritism is there? It's just that the emperor finds her novel and comes over for a couple of days. I'm afraid that after a few days, she'll be cast aside again. An sister is also not clever. Seeing the emperor becoming more and more fond of her, I don't know where I will end up in the future."

  Cao Jieyu's eyes also turned red after listening, and she sighed: "Sister, your words have moved me to sorrow. As an older sister, I am in the same situation. Although there is still a child, it is just a princess, not enough to take charge of things."

  "I hastily said: 'The Empress Dowager trusts my sister very much, and I hope that my sister will speak kindly of me in front of the Empress Dowager. If she can get the Empress Dowager's favor for just one day, I would be eternally grateful.' As I spoke, I picked up a handkerchief and quietly wiped away the tears on my face."

  Cao Jieyu comforted me for a while and said, "Sister has this heart, the empress will certainly know. But it's better to take back this gift, sister will try her best to mediate in front of the empress."

  I wept and said: "If so, my sister is willing to serve as a servant for the queen and sister." Again, she opened the box and placed it in front of Cao Jieyu, "This box of honeycomb fragrance was given by the emperor, I heard that it is a tribute from Nanzhao, there is only one such box. I hope my sister will not disdain to accept it."

  "Really, this thing is too precious. If you give it away like that, I'm afraid others will find out and it won't be good."

  I smiled, "If sister is willing to help me, it's more precious than anything else. How could I be stingy with a box of incense in front of my sister? Besides, this was privately awarded to me by the emperor and wasn't recorded." After a brief pause, I continued: "This honey-fragrant incense has a subtle scent that seems nonexistent, but once it's applied to clothing, it will last forever. It's not like ordinary incense. My luck is thin, so please accept it, sister." I added another sentence: "Just don't let others know about it."

  After pushing it back several times, Empress Cao also smiled and put it away on the dresser in her inner chamber. After chatting for a long time, I finally stood up to bid farewell.

  Returned to the Ying Xin Hall, lifted her sleeve and took a sniff, her body had already been stained with a faint honey-like fragrance, which was so subtle that it wasn't easy to notice unless one smelled carefully, and she couldn't help but smile slightly.

  Xiao Lianzi came in and said: "Just after the young master left, the eunuch from Cao Jieyu's palace quietly threw away all the things the young master had given."

  This was expected of her, she wouldn't really accept the things I gave her. My intention wasn't that, I raised an eyebrow and said: "You even threw away the spices?"

  Xiao Lianzi said foolishly: "What spice, I haven't seen any."

  I smiled slightly, "Got it. It's none of your business, go down."

  "Are you so sure that Cao Jieyu will accept the honey fragrance you gave her?"

  I chatted with Cao Jieyu for a long time, my mouth was dry and I picked up the tea cup with blue flowers, took a sip of half a cup, my long fingernails were dyed with orchids last night, bright and beautiful in front of me. I seemed to be careless and stopped my gaze, saying slowly: "She has been under Huafeng for a long time and doesn't dare to overstep her bounds. I see that she is very frugal in her daily life, even in the inner chamber, so I know she has never used such precious incense. What's more, honey incense is indeed rare, except for the Empress who doesn't like fragrances, which woman would refuse? Even if she was cautious around me, she wouldn't throw away this incense." I put down the tea cup and smiled: "Those who can't let go of wealth and glory will never become a great figure."

  "Master's mind is as calm as still water, and I can rest assured," said the servant with a smile. "I've been following Master for almost a year now, and his ability to discern people's hearts is truly admirable."

  I said lightly, "What's the point of guessing people's hearts? It's just thinking twice before speaking." I smiled slightly coldly, "People's hearts? That's the hardest to guess. With my limited skills, it's possible to make a guess, but hitting the mark is difficult."

  "Master, as long as you can guess the Emperor's intentions accurately, that will be enough."

  I cherish my fingernails, put on the nail guard, and carefully examine the pearl inlaid on the golden nail guard: "In this harem, to rise, one must guess the emperor's thoughts; but to live, one must guess the thoughts of other women in the harem." She said, looking at Yu Tong: "Have all the arrangements been made?"

  "Yes. I have arranged everything with Xiaoyuzi and Xiao Lianzi, no one else knows."

  I smiled faintly: "That's good, don't waste that box of honey fragrant tea, it's really a treasure."

  Note: (1) From Song Dynasty, Su Shi's "Dongxian Song" lyrics. This sentence describes the goddess-like demeanor and elegant charm of Hou Shu Meng Chang's concubine, Hua Rui Furen. Legend has it that it was originally written by Meng Chang, and Dongpo continued it afterwards.