Palace Intrigue?: I Make the Emperor Cry by Rewinding Time!-Chapter 105 - 99: Safflower, With Safflower Added Inside

Chapter 105: Chapter 99: Safflower, With Safflower Added Inside

There are many ways to marinate salted fish.

Usually, it’s about showing weakness and biding one’s time.

Yun Jiao tried both and discovered that as long as she was doing well, she couldn’t shake off the malicious speculations and stares from the concubines. So, she chose another way of marinating—lying flat in peace, letting love and hate be as they may.

"Concubine Xi is truly not humble at all," Concubine Feng covered her mouth and laughed.

"Once the Empress speaks kindly of me, it must mean I’m genuinely good, for I dare not refuse a gift from my elders!"

Yun Jiao laughed along.

She appeared to sit upright, yet she had already started to give in.

"The Empress has always been kind to the concubines, and now Concubine Xi benefits from it," Concubine Wei lightly raised her chin and lifted her hand to touch her hair: "Does Concubine Xi really think everyone loves her so dearly? Even with a bit of favor from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, not everyone would like you."

Yun Jiao replied, "Two such likings are enough for me; I’m quite content." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

With the Empress Dowager and the Emperor’s favor, who needs more in the harem!

At this moment, her humility made others even more envious.

Concubine Wei: "You!"

Many live not for themselves but for the version of themselves in others’ mouths, hoping to be loved by many, carefully maintaining their reputation, unable to sleep at night for a bad comment. Yun Jiao painstakingly gained a healthy body and certainly wouldn’t let others’ words become her shackles.

"Alright, Concubine Wei is a senior in the palace; how can she still be so sharp-tongued? Concubine Xi is young, and as sisters, you all should be more tolerant,"

The Empress gently intervened, and Concubine Wei fell silent.

It’s not that Concubine Wei was intimidated.

But the Empress’s gentle voice made her speechless for a moment from disgust.

"Indeed, indeed,"

Yun Jiao chimed in with a sweet voice: "Yes, yes, I’m still young, just a baby, so my sisters should give way to their little sister~"

With her skill level, she was at least at the top tier of a loli voice.

The last time Concubine Wei heard such a tone was from her own Princess Ruyi.

Being disgusted in turns by the Empress and Concubine Xi, Concubine Wei was mentally scarred, and until the hasty end of the morning greeting at Jianzhang Palace, she did not say another word.

"Concubine Xi, please wait."

As Yun Jiao left Jianzhang Palace, she was stopped by a strange palace maid.

She mentally saved her progress and then asked what the matter was.

"Lady Shufei wishes to invite Concubine Xi to Yanxi Palace for a while."

Seeing how prescient her filing was, Yun Jiao, understanding the principle that no feast is a good feast, casually thought of a reason to refuse: "Please tell Lady Shufei that I’ve left the water boiling in my palace and need to return to check it."

"...Lady, can’t a servant handle that?"

"Oh, you said that. I just can’t feel at ease leaving it to others, truly a fortuitous inconvenience this time."

The palace maid did not pose further difficulties, expressing her regret about the matter and then respectfully withdrew.

Xue Ya stomped her foot: "Master’s excuse doesn’t hold water!"

"Lady is wise,"

Gong Mei said, relieved: "Lady deliberately used a blatantly flawed excuse to test the other party’s attitude while confusing Lady Shufei, truly killing two birds with one stone."

Master finally grew up and understood palace intrigue.

"So Master had such thoughtful deliberation."

Xue Ya suddenly understood, looking at her master with admiration.

Yun Jiao: ...

In this situation, how was she to say that she just randomly came up with an excuse?

Yun Jiao slowly shifted her gaze: "Yes, things are just as Gong Mei said, I was testing Lady Shufei’s reaction."

The next day, the palace maid from Yanxi Palace came again to invite her.

This time, Yun Jiao said she had agreed to dine with Concubine Li, fearing it was inconvenient to visit.

The palace maid thought for a moment: "Concubine Li could come along."

Beside her, Concubine Li’s eyes almost popped out.

She hadn’t agreed to anything! What did it have to do with her!

Yun Jiao thought for a moment, then agreed.

The two sat on the sedan, the palace maid leading the way in front, and Concubine Li whispered through clenched teeth: "Dragging someone down with you even to death?"

Yun Jiao whispered: "This is called dying for love."

Concubine Li’s face remained pale the entire time.

Arriving at Yanxi Palace, they were treated as if confronting a great enemy, with Consort Ji, not a palace maid, coming to greet them and lead them inside.

Concubine Li frowned: "You’re a Consort, how come it’s not a palace maid greeting us?"

"I am first Lady Shufei’s sister, and then a concubine in the palace,"

Consort Ji said submissively.

The two immediately understood that this was because of the Ji family.

Among the Six Palaces, Lady Shufei’s Yanxi Palace wasn’t the most lavishly decorated, yet it was the most particular, being refurbished four times a year with the soft furnishings changing according to the seasons. After entering winter, red plums became the theme in the courtyard, with blooming plum blossoms visible everywhere, their refreshing fragrance filling the air.

Yun Jiao whispered to Concubine Li: "How long do you think we have to kneel later?"

"Maybe half an hour."

"Is Lady Shufei so ruthless?"

Concubine Li thought for a moment: "Actually, Lady Shufei doesn’t punish people often, unlike Consort Jiang... who was once Concubine Jiang, who would torment anyone who received the Emperor’s favor, nor like Concubine Wei, who likes to speak sourly. But if you ask me who in the palace is not to be trifled with, I would definitely say it’s Lady Shufei, although I can’t quite explain why."

A person of high rank need not flaunt their power everywhere to intimidate others.

Yet Lady Shufei managed to make subordinates fear her while making superiors think she is gentle and courteous.

Yun Jiao: "Oh, impressive."

Concubine Li gave her a sideways glance, feeling the naive child didn’t understand.

Based on Yun Jiao’s years of cyber palace intrigue experience, being summoned by a high-ranking concubine is never a good thing, often involving kneeling, copying scriptures, and serving as an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"Concubine Xi and Concubine Li have arrived?"

Lady Shufei was sitting in the hall, her smile making the red plums in the nearby vase pale in comparison.

Yun Jiao and Concubine Li paid their respects to her together.

After they performed the courtesy, Lady Shufei immediately asked them to sit and gave an order: "Sit down. Serve the tea."

The palace maids brought out pre-prepared hot tea, with a faint floral scent.

Yun Jiao gently sniffed, noticing the fragrance was stronger.

She saved her second progress, preparing for presumptuous words: "Safflower, it’s the scent of safflower."

Concubine Li’s face changed again.

Lady Shufei chuckled lightly: "I didn’t know Concubine Xi had such an ability to recognize flower scents."

Yun Jiao: "Lady doesn’t know many things."

Of course, Yun Jiao had no such capability.

She was simply testing, randomly guessing with the flower that most frequently appeared in palace intrigue scenarios.

"I’ll consider Concubine Xi’s words a joke then,"

Lady Shufei unexpectedly looked at her and said:

"This tea is made from a preserved mixture of Xiangfei Pavilion’s begonia and Snow Brocade tea. Its fragrance is unique, being my favorite. The tea by Concubine Xi’s side is the same as mine; if Concubine Xi doesn’t believe it, we can exchange and drink."

As soon as she finished speaking, a palace maid came forward knowingly and switched their tea cups.

Lady Shufei gracefully lifted the cup with her fair hand and drank the floral tea in one go, the cup soon emptied.