Chapter 25 Neither brother was a good man

“Your Highness, don’t land in Queen Mother of Mercy’s trap!” Yun Fenghuang raised her head and said aggrievedly, “I am helpless in the Imperial Harem, and I can only rely on Your Highness. If even Your Highness detests and rejects me, then… then I…”

Before she finished her words, she began to cry.

Empress Ji was unmoved, sneering, “You even play a double game at such a young age! You kept on appreciating Mother’s grace just now, but now you suddenly turn hostile before she had gone away. It’s useless to pretend to be pathetic now. I know clearly what you are planning!”

“Your Highness, You’ve really wronged me!” Yun Fenghuang kneeled a few steps forward and shouted, “Queen Mother of Mercy is Consort Yue’s legitimate aunt, and Consort Yue doesn’t like me. Since they stand at the same side, how is it possible for Queen Mother of Mercy to have favorable views of me? It’s her best mercy not to help Consort Yue murder me, not to mention helping me promote. Although I am dull, how is it impossible for me to understand such a simple truth?”

Empress Ji sneered, “Queen Mother of Mercy has always been reclusive. Since I joined the Imperial Harem, she had seldom requested me something actively. It’s hard-won that she said a few good words for you so that you can be promoted one more grade. However, you even think she did wrong?”

“Your Highness, please allow me to say something bluntly. Although Mei Ren is one grade higher than Cai Ren, not to mention Queen Mother of Mercy, what does it make difference in the eyes of Consort Yue?” Yun Fenghuang wiped the tears on her face, choking with sobs, “Anyway, I am only a concubine! I were so poor that I had to serve Consort Yue cautiously and terribly in Ning Bi Hall when I was a Bao Lin, but is it possible for me not to serve her if she summons me in the future? Because of Queen Mother of Mercy, not only the whole Imperial Harem will transfer attention from Jiang Lan to me, but Your Highness, you don’t like me now!”

She raised her face and begged, “Your Highness, I beg you to withdraw the promotion. I have been promoted one grade since I joined the Imperial Harem a short time ago, so, it’s certainly improper that I am promoted two grades consecutively now. It is better to let me still be Cheng Gui! Your Highness, if you insist on rewarding me, just reward me some clothes or jewelry!”

“You are really a talker.” Empress Ji squinted. She certainly knew Yun Fenghuang tried to dispel her intention to rebuke her, but the sentence “Anyway, I am only a concubine” made the Empress felt comfortable somehow.

The reason why the Empress had wanted to suppress Yun Fenghuang before was that she thought this concubine was not docile enough and would be more unruly if she was promoted too quickly. At this moment, she thought in another way. Mei Ren was just Fifth-Grade, which was four grades lower than Third-Grade Jie Yu. Even if she was promoted two grades in the future because of the pregnancy, giving birth to and raising the royal child, she would only be a Fourth-Grade Rong Hua… Besides, it would take over half a year from pregnancy to giving birth… This was the case that she could succeed in giving birth, but if she couldn’t… There was no royal child so far. Noble Consort Shu and Consort Yue both had high-ranking grades, were born in royal families, and had backers, but they had failed to give birth before…

The Empress thought a lot for a while, and her tone softened, “Forget it. Queen Mother of Mercy is an elder. Since I have promised, there is no reason to repent. Besides, it’s merely a grade of Mei Ren. Since Queen Mother of Mercy and Consort Yue don’t care, is it possible for me to bother about it?

Yun Fenghuang refused with sobbing, “Your Highness, if you are unhappy because of my promotion, I won’t be Mei Ren!”

“I forgave you once just now. Now you start to be wayward to me now?” Empress Ji did not know whether to laugh or cry, “I don’t like wayward concubines. If you really don’t want the grade, I don’t mind going to Chun Yong Palace to plead guilty to Queen Mother of Mercy!”

Yun Fenghuang said inwardly that she couldn’t accept it now just because she wanted it. She wiped the tears on her face, and firmly said, “Your Highness, I don’t accept others’ rewards except for yours!”

“Then you are just promoted to Cai Ren.” Empress Ji tried to keep calm and turned to the maid next to her, “No wonder people in the Imperial Harem say this Cheng Gui is bold. She has only met me a few times, but she dares to assume airs in the face of me.”

The maid smiled and said, “Your Highness, it’s because you are so generous that Cheng Gui Yun is close to you without fear.”

“Well.” Hearing this, the Empress laughed, and let Yun Fenghuang get up, “Look at you crying desolately and miserably. Others not knowing the reasons may misunderstand that I bully you… You have suffered a lot yesterday, so, it’s time to go back to Xi Xing Building to clean up and dress up. I will enjoin someone to reward you later. Don’t worry, I won’t forget to reward you.”

Until now, Yun Fenghuang stopped crying and began to smile. After she kowtowed, she got up and said, “Your Highness, thank you very much.”

On the way back to Xi Xing Building from Yan Fu Palace, there were butterflies in Yun Fenghuang’s stomach. She thought that would the Empress take back the grade of Mei Ren that she had promised Queen Mother Yuan, and only give her a title of Cai Ren?

This was no way. If Queen Mother Yuan hadn’t put up with it, it would have been fine. But since she had asked the Empress in person, how could Yun Fenghuang miss the opportunity!

Yun Fenghuang began to wonder what she should do if the Empress really only gave her a title of Cai Ren… Um, maybe she could regain the grade by taking advantage of Queen Mother Yuan?

Although she said to the Empress that Queen Mother Yuan was Consort Yue’s aunt and must stand at the same side with Consort Yue just now, these words were specifically for the Empress.

In fact, in the view of Yun Fenghuang, Queen Mother Yuan perhaps really doted on Consort Yue. Otherwise, she would haven’t allowed Emperor Chunjia to be engaged to Consort Yue at a very young age. But who was more important in the eyes of Queen Mother Yue, Consort Yue or Emperor Chujia… She thought maybe Emperor Chunjia was more valued by Queen Mother Yuan.

The reasons were very simple. One reason was that Emperor Chunjia was Queen Mother Yuan’s son. He was her adopted son, and Queen Mother Yuan had no biological child. Therefore, the son of the concubine personally raised by her had no difference with her biological son, not to mention Emperor Chunjia who was also more attached to this legitimate mother than his biological mother Queen Mother Qu. Although she doted on her niece Consort Yue very much, Consort Yue was only a niece. Another reason was that the current status of Queen Mother Yuan relied on Emperor Chunjia and had nothing to do with Consort Yue.

Even if for the standard of Queen Mother Yuan’s later life, the treatment after she died, and the future of her family, she definitely had to pay more attention to Emperor Chunjia.

So, for Yun Fenghuang this restless concubine who newly joined the Imperial Harem, Queen Mother Yuan who was experienced and prudent wouldn’t naturally find trouble recklessly like Consort Yue. Although there had been hatred between Yun Fenghuang and Consort Yue, in Queen Mother Yuan’s eyes, it was not necessary for the two women to do a life-and-death struggle and they might bury the hatchet. Of course, perhaps Queen Mother Yuan defended her niece without any reasons, or she thought Yun Fenghuang had no qualification to let her stoop to compromise.

However, from the scene Queen Mother Yuan got along with Empress Ji just now, Emperor Chunjia’s legitimate relatives currently really had no qualification to be wayward. It was easy to murder Yun Fenghuang for Queen Mother Yuan and her group, but the question was what should they do when the forces of Ji’s Family, powerful officials, Prince Regent and the Imperial Court purposely made difficulties for them by taking advantage of this thing?

They had endured for so many years, so, how could they sabotage all their efforts for a concubine?

Yun Fenghuang didn’t mean to look down upon Consort Yue, but she really didn’t believe Yuan Lianniang was so important.

For example, Yun Fenghuang’s status in Xie’s Family hadn’t been low before, and she had been commonly recognized as the pearl of her family. However, when it came to family reputation, hadn’t she sacrificed for the reputation immediately? If it wasn’t for her mother Ms. Jiang’s love to her and her mother had enough ability to suppress the opposition, she would have been sent to her ancestral temple or married away hastily just like her cousins who were at the similar age with her.

Status of girls at that time was generally insignificant… She hadn’t made a mistake, and had been purely implicated by her sister, but her situation had been very miserable, not to mention Yuan Lianniang. Given Yuan Lianniang’s temper, she certainly had made lots of trouble for Emperor Chunjia and his family.

Well, or else she found a chance to sound out Queen Mother Yuan if she just regarded her as a shield to divert the Imperial Harem’s attention on the change of Emperor’s Chunjia’s trusted attendant, or intended to kill two birds with one stone, euphemistically extending an olive branch?

While she was thinking, she had returned to Xi Xing Building. Xin Qing and a eunuch with worried compressions came out to greet, “Cheng Gui, you are back!”

Xin Qing whispered to report, “His Majesty came last night, but we couldn’t find you. In the end, His Majesty still slept here, and left until this morning…”

“His Majesty slept here last night?” Yun Fenghuang raised eyebrows, and sneered, “Ah, His Majesty really has deep love for me.”

She didn’t believe that Emperor Chunjia stayed at Xi Xing Building last night for her. He definitely wanted to privately meet his playmate in his childhood who was now grounded!

Yun Fenghuang sneered inwardly that when she was fighting a battle of wits and courage with Gongxiang Xiao, this jerk was having romance with Consort Yue. What a jerk!

At this moment, she was a little regretful right now that she hadn’t cuckolded Emperor Chunjia. Anyway, Gongxiang Xiao was handsome… Of course, she just thought about it. Neither Emperor Chunjia nor his brother Gongxiang Xiao was a good man!

For her, a naive and ignorant concubine, the life in the Imperial Harem was really too difficult!

No one was good!

Her complexions changed for a while, and then she saw Xin Qing and the eunuch standing still, daring not make a sound. She forced herself to calm down, “Where is Nian Xuan?”

“Nian Xuan?” Both of the two servants were a little confused, “Nian Xuan went out with you yesterday!”

So was Nian Xuan in the hands of the Emperor?

Yun Fenghuang slightly frowned. It would be better if Nian Xuan was in the hands of the Emperor… If the maid was handed to Consort Yue by the Emperor to let Consort Yue vent anger, then she might be dangerous…

Although Yun Fenghuang always detested Nian Xuan in daily life, after all, the maid grew up together with her and was loyal to her…

“It’s time for lunch?” Yun Fenghuang raised her head, “Who will carry the meal?”

“Ah?” Xin Qing and the eunuch both stunned.

Yun Fenghuang said indifferently, “Go quickly and come back soon.”

“… Yes!” The two servants looked at each other, and then the eunuch saluted and left hurriedly.

Yun Fenghuang then asked Xin Qing to make tea, and slowly tasted it, as if she had never asked her about Nian Xuan.

After a long while, the eunuch took the lunch back. After she was full, she rinsed the taste out of her mouth and washed her face. She enjoined Xin Qing and the eunuch to clean the dining table, and then went into the inner room to rest alone.

In the late afternoon, Yun Fenghuang got up in high spirits, and enjoined Xin Qing to bring water to serve her wash and dress up. When she was dressing up, someone came in the outside yard. It was the messenger of the Empress’s Palace who brought the imperial decree of promotion… After all, Empress Ji was born in the great noble family. Although she didn’t like that Queen Mother of Mercy had broken her plan, she didn’t break her promise. She still promoted Yun Fenghuang to Mei Ren.

Yun Fenghuang definitely accepted the imperial decree respectfully, and awarded him the silver ingots she had already prepared beforehand, and then she asked if it was appropriate to express gratitude for grace to the Empress now.

The messenger said, “Her Highness said she was a little sleepy in the afternoon, so, Mei Ren doesn’t need to go to express gratitude for grace today. You can do it tomorrow when you go to pay respects.”

Hearing this, Yun Fenghuang’s eyes flashed, and said “Yes” with a smile.

She personally sent the messenger out, and said something when she said goodbye at the door, “Speaking of this, I was stuck on Small Peng Lai for some reasons so that I didn’t return all night, but I didn’t expect my maid accompanying me to join the Imperial Harem is more self-willed than me, and she hasn’t returned until now.”

“Maybe she is stuck in somewhere?” The messenger smiled, “Mei Ren, if you are not at ease, just wait. Tomorrow you can request Her Highness to help you inquire about her whereabouts.”

Yun Fenghuang smiled and said yes. Then she made a small talk with the messenger for a while and then waved hands to say goodbye.

Until the messenger went away, she turned back to Xi Xing Building. When she walked into the inner room, the smile on her face instantly disappeared!