Chapter 232 - 197: Home Raid

Before arriving, Consort Ji had considered several possibilities. The Pure Consort might refuse to see her, turn a deaf ear to her words, or even kick her while she was down. She had countermeasures prepared for all of these outcomes. She’d even planned how she would leave Bihua Palace, weeping with her face in her hands, just to stir up gossip throughout the Six Palaces.

The one thing she hadn’t counted on was the Pure Consort being so incredibly righteous.

’So the Imperial Household is shorting you, is that it? Skimping on your rations, are they?’

Seeing Consort Ji fidgeting and about to rise to stop Zhenqiu, Jiang Xian shot a look at Mian Xia, who promptly stepped forward and pressed her back into her seat. Mian Xia smiled graciously. "Don’t be anxious, my lady. Our Lady is famous in the palace for her warm heart. As long as your story is true, once we take it to the Lady, she will certainly see that justice is done for you."

Consort Ji panicked. This was the last thing she wanted—to bring this before Noble Princess Consort Rong.

Those eunuchs were masters of treating people according to their status. Seeing she had no hope of winning the Emperor’s favor, they had gradually stopped showing her any courtesy. Even her silver wasn’t as persuasive as it used to be. She was desperate to find a patron. Her original targets had been Princess Consort Zhang and Lu Ronghua, but since neither accepted her olive branch, she’d had no choice but to set her sights on the Pure Consort.

If the Pure Consort had harshly thrown her out today, she could have used the incident to play the victim in front of the Emperor.

’Even if a Miss Ji is out of favor, there’s no reason to be humiliated like this.’

The Emperor would surely have to comfort her for a day or two, just for the sake of the injustice she’d suffered!

"The Lady is very busy, and I am a mere nobody. How could I dare disturb her with such trivial matters?"

In her panic, Consort Ji spoke without thinking and regretted it the moment the words were out.

Sure enough, Jiang Xian raised an eyebrow. "So you felt it was perfectly fine to disturb me instead?"

"That’s not what I meant. I... I’m clumsy with words. Please, just pretend I was never here. It was reckless of me. I beg you, Your Ladyship, please don’t disturb the Lady with what happened today."

Consort Ji was on the verge of kneeling right there in the main hall.

But Jiang Xian wasn’t having it. ’Does she think Bihua Palace is a place you can just waltz in and out of?’ To her, this was like being a senior executive with a private office. A mid-level employee had just stormed in, bypassing the chain of command to report that the HR department was embezzling funds. Then, halfway through the complaint, she says "never mind" and tries to bolt? ’Things aren’t that simple.’ "Are you in a great hurry to leave?" Jiang Xian asked. "I was just thinking of inviting the Lady over—actually, never mind. There’s no reason to make her come all this way."

Consort Ji’s face lit up. "You are right. We shouldn’t bother the Lady with such a trivial matter."

Jiang Xian set down her teacup and smiled. "Then I’ll just take you to Zhaoyang Palace to sort this out face-to-face."

The color drained from Consort Ji’s face.

With that, Jiang Xian rose to leave. A whole retinue of palace maids and eunuchs bustled into action around her. In the blink of an eye, a palanquin was waiting at the gates of Bihua Palace. Consort Ji and her maid trailed behind, looking small, pitiful, and utterly helpless. She kept stealing glances at Jiang Xian, on the verge of speaking but holding back, desperately hoping the Pure Consort was just trying to scare her.

But she wasn’t. The Pure Consort’s palanquin was genuinely heading toward Zhaoyang Palace.

Meanwhile, Chen Guiren, who had snuck over to the main hall to watch the whole show, sighed to He Xiang as she watched the palanquin disappear. "So she’s only afraid of the Noble Consort, not the Pure Consort? That’s what you get for entering the palace so late. Who doesn’t know that our Lady Shufei is the sort of person who dared to go up against the Noble Consort right after arriving? That woman is completely clueless."

Thoroughly satisfied with the drama she’d just watched, she even snagged a box of candied fruit on her way out. The palace maids in the main hall, long accustomed to this behavior, simply made a note in their log: Chen Guiren from the West Wing stopped by to mooch food and drinks again.

On the way to Zhaoyang Palace, Consort Ji prayed silently. She hoped Noble Princess Consort Rong would be too busy to receive guests, or even better, not be in Zhaoyang Palace at all. If so, there might still be a way to salvage this.

However, no sooner had Jiang Xian’s palanquin reached Zhaoyang Palace and the little eunuch at the gate announced her arrival, than Noble Princess Consort Rong’s Chief Palace Maid, Qiu Yun, emerged to welcome her warmly. "The Lady was just talking about you, Lady Shufei! Not even an incense stick’s time has passed, and here you are. You and my master must be of one mind. Please, come in, quickly."

She didn’t so much as glance at Consort Ji, who was standing right beside them.

Ordinarily, a palace maid was expected to curtsy even before a concubine of the lowest rank. But Qiu Yun, priding herself on being the Noble Consort’s Chief Palace Maid, acted as if she wasn’t there at all. And there was nothing Consort Ji could do about it; she wouldn’t dare make a fuss over one of the Noble Consort’s servants right inside Zhaoyang Palace.

When she heard the Pure Consort was visiting, Noble Princess Consort Rong was in the middle of being fed bird’s nest soup, spoonful by spoonful, by Qiu Tang. She was pleased that Jiang Xian had come to see her of her own accord, but she still complained to Qiu Tang, "I’ve been keeping track. Over the past half-month, the Pure Consort has visited Jianzhang Palace three more times than she’s visited Zhaoyang Palace. It’s a wonder she still remembers I exist."