I once posted on my announcements that chapter 25 will be on Li Lian and the emperor. So sorry because this is not the case. I moved their scene to next week Friday because of reasons concerning the flow of the plot, plot holes and structure. Wait patiently till then, please :)
Chapter 25
Second Class Female Attendant Wei
Lady Wei Li Lian
The Palace
"Li'er." Grand Consort Shu was in her bed. "I am depressed. I can't eat, I can't sleep and I don't have the strength to go relieve myself even if I wanted to."
Grand Consort Shu looked like her normal self in her sleepwear garments, nothing like someone who lacked sleep. Li Lian knew she was being excessive and feigning her state of depression for attention. But she went along with it. "Your Highness, what has displeased you this much? Tell Li'er."
Court Lady Park called for Li Lian after she returned from the Inner Court morning meeting, with the message that the Grand Consort wished to see her.
"I keep dreaming of me surrounded by grandchildren. Many of them." Grand Consort Shu kicked the blankets childishly, showing her frustrations.
"Isn't that a good thing, Your Highness?"
"No, no, no. How is that a good thing? None of those children is from a woman that is from my clan. So how is that a good thing? Look at Concubine Pi, that frog does not respect me and she is pregnant now."
Li Lian was fed up with the mention of Concubine Pi in all conversations. In the morning meeting, the topic was on how the servants should treat the concubine well and look after her during pregnancy. Currently, since Dowager Empress Wang was exiled to the Cold Palace, the Grand Dowager Empress led the harem. On the matter of grandchildren, the Grand Dowager was quite delighted with the news, unlike Grand Consort Shu.
"Li'er, hurry and get pregnant. Make this lonely woman happy. I will have face when they say, Grand Consort Shu's palace maid bore the emperor an heir." The emperor's mother took Li Lian's hands into hers. "Heh, Li'er? Please get pregnant."
"Méiyǒu(no). How could I, if they will take away my child? I'm just an attendant, Your Highness."
"I will adopt him and raise him for you. We already spend a lot of time together. I will be his grandmother and you will raise him as the rightful mother." Grand Consort Shu rubbed her hands as a plea. "Please, Li'er. This will save me from being disrespected by the Wang snakes. And in the case Concubine Pi has a princess and you then provide a prince, this will give Yu'er relief and the empire much jubilation."
This was the conversation Li Lian had with Grand Consort Shu days ago when Concubine Pi's news set foot in the harem.
Li Lian's hard work had paid off. Grand Consort Shu was solely on her side, supporting and relying on her in the harem. It was good for her mission in becoming empress. However, for now, she didn't feel ready to be with child, not when she and Yuwen Hong were still walking on thin ice.
On this day Li Lian sat with Grand Consort Shu among the rest of the harem women, settled under the shades of their parasols handheld by their attendants. In total, over a hundred women of the harem haunched on the grass of Hougong gardens. Laughter, jokes and teasing exchanges were shared to pass time as all of them sew chunks of garments passed to them by the Fashion and Fabrics department.
The emperor's birthday was fast approaching and on this year he declared he would not celebrate his birthday but rather use the day to uplift the poor. Further on, it was decreed the palace must eat basic food like plain rice to save wealth to be donated on this day. Instead of his women preparing a gift for him as in other years, they were each supposed to sew more than five tunics, trousers, dresses and robes.
The Grand Dowager Empress ordered the women to make these clothes after the morning meeting until the time when the sun was above them, everyday till his birthday came. It was for the purpose of creating relationships and unity in the harem. Doing something together would encourage women to socialise.
The harem didn't like this sewing because they preferred the freedom of choosing unique gifts as in other emperor's birthday celebrations, where the one who could find a gift that pleased the emperor's heart would win his favor. Many looked forward to this day as it was an opportunity to catch his attention but this year this was denied.
Li Lian's gaze went over Concubine Pi, reminding her feisty self to not be jealous. The Imperial Concubine lay on the grass, doing nothing. Her servants fanned her, others created a shade for her and the rest fed and pampered her to her heart's content. The Grand Dowager excused her from sowing because she was with child and all she should know is rest.
Over the days, Concubine Pi gained other women's favour. They liked to spend time with her and ask for tips on how she got pregnant, what they could eat to increase their chances and how many times she was summoned by the emperor before she got lucky.
Li Lian rolled her eyes and rather peered at Grand Consort Shu who had all her concentration on her finger work.
Grand Consort Shu was a senior not obligated to make anything like the emperor's women but she did it anyway to please her Yu'er. Her aim was to make the most garments above everyone else to get praises from him.
"I am now an established mother, Yu'er will have lived twenty-four autumns by the next moon." Grand Consort Shu knotted her thread and cut it with her scissors.
"Her Highness has done well," Li Lian agreed, avoiding the accidental eye contact from Noble Consort Qi who sat a few feet from them. Luckily for her, Noble Consort Qi kept her distance since the night they talked.
Life was funny that way. Those who wanted nothing to do with Li Lian hated her and those who wanted friendship were the crazy ones with conspiracies.
"Second Class Female Attendant Wei." The court lady of the Grand Dowager approached them. "It is your turn, My Lady."
Li Lian nodded, standing up.
One by one, the harem women were called by the Grand Dowager who sat on the elevated chair that was in the centre of the garden. She was overseeing the women as they performed their activities while at the same time she called each to give them an audience. The summoned woman had the privilege to chat up the old empress, ask personal questions and so on until it was the next woman's turn.
Dao, who had been quiet and almost invisible behind Li Lian, got up to follow but Li Lian waved her off. Besides Grand Consort Shu being fakely depressed nowadays, there was Dao who was actually downcast. Since the day of the eavesdropping, Dao barely spoke. She did what she was asked and was dutiful but her eyes had lost light. She wasn't the Dao Li Lian knew; the girl who was playful, adventurous and exuberant.
When Li Lian asked Dao about it, all she said was, her favourite characters in a book she loved broke up. She didn't say anything more and though Li Lian tried many methods alongside Ai to cheer her up, she stayed solemn.
But that was not the reason Li Lian was not letting her go along. It was the nature of the relationship she had with the Grand Dowager she wanted to keep private.
An eunuch bumped on Li Lian as she walked to the Grand Dowager. Li Lian almost lost her footing but was quick to hold from falling.
"Forgive this servant, forgive this servant." The eunuch pleaded remorsefully.
His shoe soles were padded to silence his footsteps when he walked. She could tell this because those were the shoes she wore on her mission to rescue Huticah slaves. It helped them walk undetected.
"It is alright. Be careful next time," she excused him.
The eunuch immediately scurried away.
That was more peculiar because normally a servant would try to kiss her feet with thanks for forgiving them. Adding on to the fact his face was unrecognizable, he was indeed suspicious. But again there had been many new faces she observed recently, what did she know? Thousands and thousands of servants also lived in the palace. Surely, she didn't know them all and how the systems of the palace intricately worked.
"Grand Dowager Empress Wu, Her Royal Highness." Li Lian knelt before Her Grace.
Whenever Empress Grandmother stepped out of the Rose Flower palace, she adorned herself in gold. Gold hanfu, earrings, necklace, bracelets, hairpins. She sparkled and competed with the sun.
"Li Lian." Grand Dowager gave her empty teacup to her court lady.
"Your Royal Highness." Li Lian bowed her head, submitting and attempting to prove unexisting allegiance.
"What do you hear?" She dragged her words, wearily.
Li Lian scowled at the question. What kind of question was that? To her luck, her head was bowed, the grandmother couldn't see her unkind expression.
"This attendant hears women chatting, Your Highness."
The Grand Dowager tapped her feet as, no. "Listen, carefully."
Li Lian was not sure what game she was playing at. She listened attentively this time.
"Besides the chatting, it is the protesting scholars this attendant hears."
From the palace gates, up to five hundred scholars knelt and chanted their protest against the emperor's refusal to step down from the Grand General position. Their objections were fueled by the rumours that the Grand General abused his position to court women that were not part of the harem. It was disgraceful and also in the history of Great Nevoria, no emperor sat as Grand General at the same time. It was too much power to one person and too much power could lead to the emperor abusing it in the future.
"The scholars protest at the gates and disturb the functioning of the palace by blocking the way. This is a thorn for the dragon. As Empress, what would you do to help him?" Grand Dowager tested her intelligence.
"This is a purposeless protest, Your Highness." Yuwen Hong already abused his power. He killed and still kills people at will. What was the point of protesting? "I would not deal with that matter, rather I would tend to His Majesty's heart."
"His heart? Why?"
"Knowing the emperor, he will not bat an eye to execute all those scholars to prove a point to those watching and thinking to dare challenge him. Although that will affect court morale and turn more against him, this attendant will not have this past him."
General Feng told her about the protesting before it started. It was the North clan's ploy to push the emperor to a corner so he appoints another general in his place. General Feng got summoned by the Dowager Empress Wang occasionally to just talk about him and Yang Liu. When would they wed? How does he feel concerning Yang Liu?
Apparently, this softened Yang Liu's heart to forgive her mother about the past. Her support was welcomed by the daughter who longed for her mother's love. Yet General Feng suspected where this was headed from the beginning and with time his suspicions were proving right. Dowager Empress Wang wanted General Feng as Grand General for their grand plan.
Li Lian pondered whether the emperor was aware of this plot and that Dowager Empress Wang was breaking rules and taking in visitors in the Cold Palace. She was bullying servants there by the authority of her name to have them do what she liked―breaking the rules. If not clever, that vixen will get stripped off of her title soon.
"You are haughty, Li Lian." The Grand Dowager sighed. "But I wish you to live a good life, always remembering who rules all women here."
Li Lian kowtowed, hitting the ground with her head several times. "This attendant is Grand Dowager's servant."
So far the Grand Dowager was passive and hadn't placed any obnoxious demands. Unlike her father. After weeks of ignoring her, she got a letter from him yesterday.
'You are now the emperor's concubine. Demonstrate what you have been taught to me by convincing the emperor to let my people go.'
Since their last mission went wrong, only the slaves of Furia managed to escape. Her father blamed her for that and wanted her to rectify her mistakes.
The question was, 'How?'
S.V