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The next day, it became known throughout the harem that the Empress had punished Xian Guifei, ordering her to copy the Diamond Sutra seven times before she would be allowed out of her palace.
When Mei Liang heard the news, she immediately understood that the Empress wouldn't have imposed such a harsh punishment unless the Emperor had given his approval. The Empress came from the powerful Duke Qi family, her father being a second-rank Minister of Personnel in the imperial court.
However, Xian Guifei's family held even greater sway in the court. Xian Guifei's father, a Senior Grand Secretary, was the head of the Grand Secretariat and enjoyed a close relationship with the Emperor. Although many concubines had endured similar punishments, for Xian Guifei, it wasn't just a punishment—it was a disgrace.
Mei Liang knew that the Emperor didn't punish Xian Guifei out of any affection for her. As an unfavored concubine herself, she wasn't so naive. The only reason he'd punished Xian Guifei was to placate her father who was a deputy supreme Commander . Mei Liang remembered that, even during her past life when she was favored in the harem, she had gone through such punishments.
Since she was unwell, Mei Liang was excused from paying her respects to the Empress for a week, giving her a week to rest and come up with a new plan. A week passed quickly, and by the time she was ready to pay her respects to the Empress again, her injury had healed sufficiently.
Upon arriving at the Empress's Yaotai Palace, Mei Liang saw that Xian Guifei and most of the other concubines had already arrived. She had either been a little late or they had come a bit early. Mei Liang walked to her seat, greeting the higher-ranking consorts.
She had expected Xian Guifei to make trouble for her, knowing she was the reason behind Xian Guifei's punishment. But to Mei Liang's surprise, Xian Guifei acted as if nothing had happened.
When the Empress arrived, the morning greeting ceremony began, the empress then began speaking the Emperor would be heading to the Summer Palace in half a month. The list of concubines who would accompany him would be released in two weeks.
Some concubines couldn't hide their excitement, already scheming on how to gain the Emperor's favor so they could join him at the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace was a place with fewer restrictions and more opportunities to gain favor, as well as a greater chance of becoming pregnant.
The time for the Lotus Flowering Gathering was in three days, and the newly arrived concubines were unaware of it, so the Empress took this moment to announce it.
The Emperor would also be attending. Hui Guifei, Imperial Concubine Jun, and De Fei all seemed thrilled, though De Fei managed to restrain herself. Mei Liang, however, had been so focused on her she noticed de fei clutching her handkerchief, which she was clutching tightly to conceal her excitement.
Just then, Hui Guifei, covering her mouth with her jade hand fan, spoke. "It seems that this year, Noble Consort Xian won't be taking the Emperor with her. Looks like someone's fallen out of favor," she said, her voice low but laced with meaning and sarcasm.
Xian Guifei turned to Hui Guifei, her voice laced with mockery. "And who exactly are these people you speak of, Noble Consort Hui? Are you sure you're not talking about yourself? I've heard that every time the Emperor visits your palace, you use the excuse of being sick to win his sympathy. Such cheap tricks are only used by low-ranking concubines. It's truly shameful."
Hui Guifei felt her face flush with anger at the blunt insult, and her hands clenched into fists. "What's wrong with what I said? Everyone in the palace knows the truth, even if no one dares to say it out loud," Xian Guifei shot back, her voice dripping with disdain.
Unable to contain her anger any longer, Hui Guifei was about to lunge at Xian Guifei, but her personal maidservant held her back, trying to calm her down. The Empress, sensing the tension, spoke sharply, "Enough! Look at you two, acting like children. Aren't you ashamed? You're both behaving more childishly than the newly arrived concubines. I don't want to hear any more of this."
The morning greetings soon came to an end, after paying respect to the empress, the concubines left the Empress's Palace according to their rank. Mei Liang, having spent the last week in her palace without stepping out, felt a growing sense of boredom. She decided to take a stroll around the palace before heading back to Yunlu Palace.
As she wandered absentmindedly, Cuìyù following behind, Mei Liang found herself standing before a place both familiar and unfamiliar—the rockery garden. This was a spot she often visited in her past life, where she would climb the artificial hill and look out over the palace. She remembered when she first arrived at the palace, dreaming of climbing this hill with the Emperor by her side.
She had hoped to win his love, her thoughts filled with naive fantasies of happiness. But it was these very dreams that led to her and her family's tragic downfall.
She wondered, if she had never entered the palace and had chosen a different life outside, would everything have turned out differently? Mei Liang thought back to how, in her past life, she had been close to De Fei, as they had both entered the palace at the same time.
De Fei had been kind to her, but as the Emperor's favor shifted toward Mei Liang, their bond grew distant until they no longer even spoke. It was the betrayal that hurt the most—because De Fei had once been her friend.
Now, Mei Liang vowed that she would never let De Fei experience happiness in this life. She would take everything from her. And with de fei five-year-old daughter in the picture, no one could blame her for being ruthless. Her first step would be to plant spies in De Fei's palace.
She would make De Fei's daughter suffer. After all, hadn't De Fei cherished her own child so much? Mei Liang would take everything from her, just as De Fei had done to her and her family. Even if she didn't kill her daughter, she would ensure the girl endured hardship. What Mei Liang didn't know was that the Emperor was standing hidden in the rockery garden, watching her intently.
He was taken aback by the depth of hatred, pain, and anger in her eyes. He had investigated her background and learned that she had grown up in a pampered and loving household, sheltered from hardship. So how could there be such dark emotions in her gaze? Her very presence gave off an evil and dangerous vibe. The Emperor couldn't help but grow more intrigued by this little concubine of his.
After Mei Liang returned to her palace, she bathed, ate, and slipped into a light summer dress. She decided to practice some exercises, as her body was still too weak—just the slightest pressure would make her skin turn red and swollen. Suddenly, Cuìyù and Lánxīn burst into the room, their faces filled with excitement, disturbing her concentration.
"What's wrong with you two? Didn't I tell you to knock before entering?" Mei Liang snapped, her tone cold.
Lánxīn and Cuìyù both flinched, seeing their mistress angrier than they'd ever seen her before. They hurriedly bowed and apologized, "Mistress, we are sorry. We will be more careful next time."
Realizing they understood their mistake, Mei Liang softened. "Now, tell me what's so important that it made you forget your manners?"
Lánxīn couldn't contain herself and quickly blurted out, "Mistress, the Emperor has choose your jade card tonight!" and he will be coming to Yunlu Palace.
Mei Liang's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't thrilled as Lánxīn had expected. Instead, she was shocked. As a concubine who had never been favored before, she should have been summoned to the Emperor's Qian Chun Gong Palace first, not the other way around. What did this sudden attention mean?
Had the Emperor discovered something? Her heart clenched with unease, but she steeled herself. No, the Emperor couldn't have figured it out. Whatever came her way, she would confront it head-on.