The Palace Maid is a Fox Spirit

Chapter 23: Chunhui Garden

In the Fengyi Palace, the concubines and noble consorts from various palaces came to pay their respects."We, the concubines, pay our respects to the Empress.""You all may rise." The Empress smiled and spoke.Once the concubines were seated, the Empress  began to speak."I haven't congratulated Noble Lady Yan yet. Since you entered the palace, you haven't had the opportunity to serve the emperor. Now that you have, be careful in serving him in the future.""Thank you for your guidance, Empress ..." Liu QingQing's face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly concealed it."Lately, the emperor mentioned that he hasn't had the chance to go out and relax in the palace. I thought that staying in the palace for too long might become boring for the sisters. So, next month, the emperor and I have decided to take the sisters to Chunhui Garden to relax and relieve their boredom."

At this moment, everyone started to anticipate the trip, including YueXi. She had never been to Chunhui Garden before and was quite curious.The Empress looked at their expressions and smiled. "Alright, I know you're all happy. Just remember to behave wherever you go and not trouble the emperor.""We will follow the guidance of the Empress.""You have all paid your respects today. You may leave now."

After everyone had left, the Empress kept Court Lady Zhu behind and spoke to her for a while."You've been in the palace for some time now, and I will speak for you in front of the emperor." The Empress smiled warmly."Thank you for your favor, Empress!" Zhu smiled happily, feeling very grateful."Alright, you may go now." The Empress let her leave after speaking.Qinglan saw Court Lady Zhu walking out of the door not too far away and exclaimed loudly, "Court Lady is truly fortunate. If she knew she was the first person the Empress appreciated, she would be filled with gratitude!""Qinglan, don't talk nonsense." The Empress also agreed.Noble Lady Zhu, outside the door, heard their conversation and walked away proudly.In the Xizhao Tower, Yuexi and Wise Consort Ran were chatting."The Empress is trying to win over Court Lady Zhu," WIse Consort Ran said."The Empress has always had a grudge against Lady Shun because of the Third Prince. Naturally, she wouldn't allow her own influence to diminish slowly." Yuexi said with a cold smile."It's not just about winning her over. The Empress left Court Lady Zhu in front of everyone to let everyone know." Wise Consort Ran analyzed."The Empress's intention is to make everyone aware that she is trying to win over Court Lady Zhu. Court Lady Zhu will undoubtedly be seen as a thorn in someone's side. If anything happens to her, she can only rely on the Empress. In this sense, Court Lady Zhu is just a pawn in the Empress's hands." Yuexi explained."I didn't expect it to be like this..." Wise Consort Ran was also surprised.In the Yingxin Court, Lady Shun missed her son and the two princesses, but at this moment, the Empress arrived."I... wish the Empress peace." Lady Shun stiffly saluted."You may rise." The Empress noticed her guardedness and softened her attitude."Why has the Empress come..." Lady Shun still had her guard up.The Empress glanced at her and sat down, reprimanding, "Look at what you've become. I know that you have been wary of me because of the Third Prince's matter, but I swear I never harmed your child. Someone must have framed you.""I have been short-sighted. I apologize for that, Empress." Lady Shun started to cry."Don't worry, I won't hold it against you. But you should know who spared your life and who promoted you. If you trust me, I will never treat you unfairly.""I will give you time to think. Come to me when you have made up your mind." The Empress left after speaking.

Soon, a month passed, and JunhanCheng brought the concubines to Chunhui Garden for relaxation. Once everything was taken care of, the concubines had time to do their own things. Yuexi was no exception. After preparing everything, she hurriedly went out for a walk.

Yue Xi and a group of people arrived at the most beautiful bridge in Chunhui Garden, called Longing Bridge. When Former Emperor (Emperor He Wen) when he is a prince and came to Chunhui Garden, he met Empress Yi Zhen on this bridge. They fell in love at first sight, and after ascending to the throne, Empress Yi Zhen was conferred the title of Empress Yi. The two of them often came to this bridge to reminisce. However, the good times didn't last long. Empress Yi Zhen was weak and became seriously ill after serving as the empress for eight years. Emperor He Wen was heartbroken and didn't attend court for several days. He stood on the bridge, thinking about his beloved, and named this bridge as Longing Bridge, which means "Bridge of Longing."

Ru Xin was fortunate enough to have visited Chunhui Garden a few times, so she heard about everything here and shared what she knew with Yue Xi, who found it interesting."It seems that Emperor He Wen wholeheartedly loved Empress Yi Zhen," Yue Xi couldn't help but envy this beautiful love story."But when Empress Yi Zhen passed away, Emperor He Wen was so devastated that he didn't attend court for five days. The civil and military officials were all discussing and questioning whether Emperor He Wen was trapped by his emotions and neglecting state affairs," Ru Xin said."So, even the emperor has his moments of helplessness," Yue Xi said, and then she noticed that two young ladies were arguing on the bridge. It was Court Lady Zhu and second attendent Yao"Little sister accidentally bumped into Court Lady, please forgive me..." second attendent said humbly, hoping to reconcile."Hmph, look at your attire. I remember your family is in the salt business, without any official position. With such a lowly background, the clothes you're wearing must be dirty. Now that my clothes have been dirtied, how do you expect me to forgive you?" Court Lady Zhu said arrogantly."If Court Lady doesn't mind, little sister can weave a new set of clothes..." second attendent Yao said humbly."Absolutely not! The fabric you have on your hands can't compare to what I'm wearing now. If someone sees it, I'll be criticized. How about this, you wash it for me a few times, and I'll consider it forgotten," Zhu didn't let her off the hook."You!" Second attendent Yao's maid, Ying Ying, couldn't stand by and pointed at Court Lady Zhu in indignation.Yue Xi couldn't bear to watch and stepped forward to help second attendent."Court Lady Zhu," Yue Xi walked up and called out.When Court Lady Zhu saw her, she felt a little guilty and greeted her, "Greetings, Noble Lady Yan.""I heard everything that just happened," Yue Xi said."......""Although second attendent Yao accidentally bumped into you, it's a minor issue. Even if second attendent Yao offended you, it's not a reason for you to mock her family background. If second  attendant Yao were from a wealthy merchant family, would you say that she's dirty because of her background? Then, as someone who was born a palace maid like me, wouldn't I be considered extremely dirty in your eyes?" Yue Xi said sternly."I'm at fault. I didn't mean it," Court Lady Zhu denied guiltily."And I see that you don't understand the rules of the palace. Doing laundry is the job of servants, not masters," Yue Xi continued."Yes...""While second attendent Yao made a mistake, it's not a big deal. I believe Court Lady Zhu is broad-minded, so let's leave it at that," Yue Xi said."Yes..." Zhu Cai-ren answered with a hum and left."Second Attendent Yao, you may rise," Yue Xi helped second attendent Yao to her feet."Thank you, Noble Lady, for saving me..." second attendent Yao's eyes were filled with tears.Yue Xi looked at second attendent Yao's appearance. Although her looks were not outstanding in the palace, she could still be considered beautiful."No need for excessive courtesy. How are you feeling?" Yue Xi asked."I'm fine. It's just that I caused trouble for Noble Lady... and made Court Lady Zhu dislike you," second attendent Yao said."These things are not a big deal. You don't have to mind too much. Come, let's take a walk together," Yue Xi said.Upon hearing this, the second attendent Yao smiled, nodded excitedly, and followed Yue Xi.Meanwhile, in the Empress's Palace...Qing Lan massaged the Empress's temples, and she noticed the Empress sighing."What's wrong, Your Majesty?" Qing Lan asked."Ah, I've been restless lately," the Empress said with a sigh. "The Emperor is concerned about the Empress and even brought the Fengtian Tower's people to Chunhui Garden. Should we inform them?" "Well, go ahead and inform them. With them around, I feel more at ease in my heart."Not long after, the Queen summoned Su Wan."Su Wan, greetings to the Empress."

1. Empress2. Noble Consort3. Virtuous Consort/Wise Consort/Graceful Consort4. Consort5. Honored Concubine, Honored Lady, Exquisite Concubine, Exquisite Lady, Accomplished Concubine, Accomplished Lady6. Noble Attendant7. Imperial Concubine8. Noble Lady9. Concubine10. Lady11. Court Lady12. Constant Attendant13. Imperial Maid14. Second Attendant15. Lady-in-WaitingI would like to share with everyone the beauty ranking of the palace ladies, but there will be new characters joining later, so the ranking may be subject to changes:1. Zhao Yue Xi (Peerless)2. Lin Wan Xin (Peerless) (Deceased)3. Liu Qing Qing (National Beauty)4. Xiao Ying Xia (National Beauty)5. Tan Zhi Qing (National Beauty)6. Gao Wan Er (National Beauty)7. Xu Yun Fei (Floral Charm)8. Qin Li Yang (Floral Charm)9. Zhu Qing Zhi (Floral Charm)10. Yuan Xiang Xin (Floral Charm)11. Shan Qian Qian (Floral Charm)12. Meng Jia Jia (Elegant Beauty) (Deceased)13. Yao Wen Hui (Elegant Beauty)14. Jing Mo Xian (Elegant Beauty)15. Cha Qin Yan (Elegant Beauty)16. Li Xu Hong (Graceful Beauty)