Chapter 12 Everything Was So Unexpected

rprised. Instead, he casually moved his hand aside and looked up at the man standing on the tree. The night had already fallen; from where they were, all that could be seen was the man’s robe flutteri...Chapter Twelve: Everything Was So Unexpected

"What did you say The Empress Dowager summoned her"

"That's correct."

*slap*

The jade hand fiercely slapped against the tree, causing several leaves to slowly fall. She continued, "Is this information accurate"

"If the Duchess doesn't believe it, she can ask Duke Longye."

The woman slowly turned around and looked at the man in front of her who was in his forties with fox-like eyes. He was the current Great Priest Cheng Ren of Phoenix Kingdom.

This woman is Bu Yao.

Bu Yao's reason for being together with him was that ten days ago, while passing through a bustling market, she received an unexpected paper ball thrown into her carriage. When she opened it, it read, "What one struggles for shall surely be obtained."

Thus, after several twists and turns, she met Cheng Ren. Though she did not believe in these high priests, when Cheng Ren said, "Bu Yao is an ornament for concubines and belongs to the Empress's high status; Qilin is the master of all things and the most spiritual creature. Therefore, one who obtains Bu Yao will surely be above everyone else, while one who gets the Qilin shall have dominion over all under heaven," she was shaken.

Subsequently, Cheng Ren said that he knew Qi Lin and Bu Yao had different time flows but could only explain it as something unusual about them. He left a phrase for Bu Yao, which amounted to two simple sentences:

"Bu Yao belongs to the imperial court; if she wants to compete, she will obtain what she desires at the cost of losing something equally important. Qi Lin is part of nature, and although what she competes for isn't necessarily her true desire, she is destined not to gain what she fights for but instead receive what she truly wishes."

Therefore, she allied herself with Cheng Ren. He promised to help her attain what she desired, while she pledged in return that he would live a life of ease and power.

"Now that the Empress Dowager has summoned her, it looks like her time is approaching soon. Duchess, how do you plan to proceed from here" Cheng Ren flicked his whisk, looking at Bu Yao's figure.

Bu Yao turned around and flashed him a smile, softly saying, "Isn't Great Priest already aware of this"

Cheng Ren smiled slightly, tidied up the mustache at the corner of his mouth, and gazed into the distance.

"Ah chu." Qi Lin rubbed her nose, realizing her rudeness and quickly said, "I apologize."

"It's alright." The Empress Dowager was not bothered by it as she lifted a cup of hot tea to her lips.

The scent of tea lingered in the air, a familiar aroma causing Qi Lin to slightly furrow her brows. If she guessed correctly, this was the bamboo leaf flower tea that Yu Mu had concocted for himself; its light fragrance was invigorating. The tea fruit steeped in the flowers and supplemented with some unique herbs from Yu Mu gave it refreshing properties.

She never expected the Empress Dowager to also have this type of tea.

The appearance of the Empress Dowager had already surprised her; now, shouldn’t she be puzzled as well

"This old woman knows that in two months it will be my birthday. The Emperor wants me to leave Changle Palace," the Empress Dowager continued after setting down her cup. "He has been like this for years."

Qi Lin responded with formal pleasantries, but inwardly wondered how old the Empress Dowager was. Judging by appearance, she seemed about thirty, yet Feng Changqiang should be nearing his twentieth year. By that logic, something didn’t add up.

"Filial piety" At the mention of filial piety, a flash of hatred appeared in the Empress Dowager’s eyes as she coldly said, "If he truly cared, this situation wouldn’t exist."

Only after finishing did she realize that in her anger, she had spoken impulsively. Seeing Qi Lin’s slightly surprised expression, if it weren't for the mission entrusted to her, she would have sealed her mouth right there.

"However, at present, there is something outside Changle Palace that concerns this old woman," she continued after pausing, "If you can handle this matter well, I’ll comply with His Majesty’s wishes."

"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager’s sudden shift left Qi Lin somewhat overwhelmed. Women changing their faces faster than flipping pages wasn’t an exaggeration.

Initially doubtful of Qi Lin, the Empress Dowager recalled her dream and decided to take a chance, voicing her thoughts.

As soon as she exited Changle Palace, Qi Lin was told that she had offended the Empress Dowager and would be taken elsewhere for punishment. The people in the imperial kitchen believed that Qi Lin had violated the Empress Dowager’s command; however, Qi Lin didn’t pay it any mind, which simplified her schedule.

But instead of returning to Qinquan軒 (Xuan), she cautiously asked directions and arrived at the largest lake in the palace.

Gazing at the lake as clean as a full moon gave her an uplifting sense. Along its shore were numerous evergreen trees, well-trimmed by gardeners. In the center of the lake was a pavilion that could only accommodate four or five people; around it, one could still see some remnants of lotus leaves and occasionally glimpse fish surfacing.

The Empress Dowager had mentioned this place was called Qianli Pool, built by Crown Prince Bai Qianye when his father was the Emperor. It was her favorite gift.

Though Qianli Pool’s location was advantageous, offering a panoramic view of Fenghuang Kingdom and receiving plenty of sunlight, it was separated from the water source by a small stream, its elevation above the stream preventing any direct water flow. As Fenghuang Palace was built on mountains with ample water sources, this spot stood out as an exception.

To maintain the cleanliness of Qianli Pool, they had to change its water every five days, an effort twice as great as building a palace for one of the concubines.

So, Qi Lin needs to find a way to replace the water in Qianli Lake without requiring too much engineering work.First of all, it is necessary to examine the geographical environment. Upon reaching the place where the waterfall cascades down, she finds that it's not easy to operate there. She picks up a stick and draws a floor plan on the ground, along with her idea for diverting water through canals, but various conditions prevent this from being feasible.It seems she will have to go back and think more deeply about it.Qin Quan軒is the second most important palace after the Cold Palace. Aside from its remote location, mice occasionally pass by. However, Qi Lin still likes this place because of its unique geographical position; basically no other concubines would come to disturb her, making her feel incredibly free and relaxed.But today is different from usual. As soon as she steps into Qin Quan軒, the solemn atmosphere makes it hard for her to breathe.When she goes inside, she sees that all her palace maids are kneeling on the ground with their heads down, some of whom are young maids trembling with fear.Just when Qi Lin wants to ask what happened, she notices Xiao Ran sitting in front and a few concubines accompanying him, none of whom she has seen before. However, judging by their attire, they should all be at the rank of昭儀(Zhao Yi).Could it be that the sun is rising from the west Qi Lin secretly looks up to see if there are any signs in the sky, but unfortunately, today's sky only has a few thick clouds, indicating an impending downpour."Bold one, why aren't you kneeling before Lady of the West Palace" A woman dressed in green silk scolds her loudly.Qi Lin is taken aback by the harshness of the voice, which causes goosebumps. She still goes to the front of the palace people and performs a ritual according to the etiquette that a concubine should show to the Lady of the Western Palace.According to the etiquette taught by Jingyu, except for visiting the Empress Dowager or paying respects to the Emperor, when concubines meet each other, those with lower ranks need only perform a curtsy towards those with higher ranks. However, towards the Lady of the West Palace, one needs to kneel on one knee."I, Concubine Hongxue, pay my respects to Lady of the Western Palace, may Your Excellency be safe." But after waiting for a long time and not receiving an order to rise, Qi Lin remains calm."Every concubine here holds a rank higher than that of a mere Virtuous Woman. How could Sister forget her sisters" The woman just now speaks sharply with anger in her tone.Qi Lin smiles slightly and says, "Sisters are being too concerned; I merely do not wish to break the rules. Without receiving permission from Lady of the Western Palace, I dare not rise擅自起來; unable to stand up means I cannot greet all the sisters."You!!Utterly speechless at Qi Lin's words, except for Xiaran who remains calm, everyone else is indignant yet unsure how to refute her properly.Xiao Ran, seeing this situation, also gets annoyed but hides it under a smile."All of us are serving the Emperor as sisters; why be so particular" Her weak body makes her voice lack authority. The wind outside blows against her pale face, making it look even paler and bloodless, yet she does not care and continues: "Sisters just mentioned palace etiquette; I believe you must have a good memory of them. If we were to be too particular, wouldn't that appear rather impolite"Qi Lin inwardly thinks this is bad news; from today's situation, it seems they are here to accuse her of something. But she can't figure out what she has offended them with. Then she wonders if perhaps it’s due to Feng Changqing staying here a few days ago

Looking at the jealousy on those concubines' faces, it seems so. However, Xiao Ran... Although she didn't know her well, Zi Yin had mentioned that Xiao Ran was Xiao Zhirou's younger sister, known for being gentle and virtuous, a talented woman, not someone prone to jealousy.

What is going on today

"Then may I ask Sister a question Can you give me an honest answer"

Pondering this, Xiao Ran spoke again. Qi Lin immediately activated all her brain cells and carefully replied, "Please instruct me."

"There are palace rules stating that concubines must not return late and cannot leave the palace grounds after dinner. Does Sister remember these regulations"

It seems she's been caught out. She only regrets leaving so early this morning before dawn; now returning later raises suspicions, yet how did anyone notice She usually takes great care to avoid such issues, but does Xiao Ran need all this trouble

The other concubines were likely here to gloat.

Glancing at Li Ping, she saw him flinch. So he was the one who ratted her out.

"This servant remembers." As she had said before, offending your own servants is like planting a bomb near you; it could explode anytime.

"Then where did Sister go last night" Xiao Ran watched Qi Lin closely. But Qi Lin's expression was calm and composed, seemingly unaffected by her words. Holding back her anger, she continued, "Sister heard that you were slightly unwell and came to visit, only to find you not in the palace. Why is this"

Indeed Even when caught out, Qi Lin remains unruffled; she's seen it countless times.

She knows full well that she cannot mention Feng Changqing, or else her fate would be sealed even faster.

"To report to the Empress: recently hearing of His Majesty's busy schedule, dealing with state affairs day and night." Hoping Xiao Ran would consider Feng Changqing when deciding how to handle this, Qi Lin continued, "This servant heard that tea made from morning dew can relieve fatigue and benefit health. Thus, I left early to gather the dew in hopes of easing His Majesty's worries."

This statement had a double meaning: even if she left at midnight, as long as it was for the Emperor's sake, her actions were justified; punishing her would be seen as His Majesty's fault.

Fortunately, today's weather is poor with fine rain already falling; not having dew doesn't seem unusual.

"It turns out Sister cares so much about the Emperor. This elder sister seems thoughtless in comparison." Xiao Ran could only admire Qi Lin’s composure—no trace of lies on her face at all.

Before, hearing Feng Changqing's name might have made her turn a blind eye; but now she seeks revenge for her dead child.

Fighting back a grimace and hiding the hatred in her eyes, she smiled and said, "Sister’s concern for the Emperor is praiseworthy. But...hed and patted Qiaoer's head, saying, "Little girl, are you thinking about men""Oh, Ah Xue sister, what did you say I didn’t think like that at all. Actually, it’s pretty nice to live here," Qiaoer sa...