Seeing that everyone had left, Bai Wutong casually tossed the jacquard satin to Lianxin. "Keep it at the bottom of the chest."
"My Lady, this is top-quality jacquard satin! I never expected Beauty Wen to have such a wonderful disposition. She is so much better than Beauty Gao. If Your Ladyship shared living quarters with her, you wouldn't have to live in fear."
Lianxin felt a pang of reluctance, but seeing Bai Wutong's expression, she quickly complied. Her gaze swept across the room and landed on a pink sachet. "My Lady, where did this sachet come from? How come I've never seen you wear it before?"
Clearly, when they went out, she had been wearing the white sachet.
How did the style change just by visiting the female physician?
Bai Wutong gave her a calm look. "I wear it every day. It's just kept out of sight inside, so you couldn't see it."
Entering the room, Bai Wutong casually tossed the sachet into her sleeve pocket.
It was a good thing she kept it on her person every day, otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to fool Wen Chuyun.
Although that spice was harmful to health, that only applied to humans.
As for her, she was a cat spirit, and she feared these things the least.
Before coming to the Capital, Bai Wutong had lived in the mountains and wilderness year-round, knowing all kinds of herbs and flowers like the back of her hand.
In her eyes, Wen Chuyun's little tricks were nothing more than showing off one's slight skill before an expert.
The other woman had paid her a personal visit today likely because she had found out about her meeting the Emperor at the Empress Dowager's residence.
Bai Wutong hadn't intended to hide it anyway; with so many eyes and ears in this palace, word would get out sooner or later.
Outside the door.
Lianxin pulled Chan'er aside. "What does the Empress Dowager's Yongshou Palace look like? Tell me quickly! Did Her Ladyship get to see the Emperor?"
Chan'er offered a dull smile. "This servant waited outside the hall and wasn't able to go in. I only caught a glimpse of the outside, and it is indeed much better than Lanxin Pavilion. As for the Emperor... he went, but only exchanged a couple of words before leaving."
"Useless thing," Lianxin scoffed lightly. "You can't even handle such a minor task. It's only because Her Ladyship is kind-hearted that she keeps you here. The place you really belong is the Bureau of Washing."
Unawares, the night grew late, and the entire Imperial Palace turned as pitch-black as ink.
A gentle, drizzling rain fell, deepening the color of the green bricks and gray tiles.
By daybreak, the rain had stopped, and the air was filled with a crisp, refreshing scent of grass and trees.
Bai Wutong picked fresh flowers as usual, ate breakfast, and prepared to head to the female physician's quarters.
Since the Emperor wouldn't be coming to the inner court anyway, she would go there to pass the time and check if there were any usable medicinal herbs to bring back.
At the pavilion's corner, a broad figure suddenly appeared, blocking Bai Wutong's path. It was Gao Jingwan, who had not shown her face for two consecutive days.
Her features were ordinary to begin with, and now her complexion was sallow, with dark circles under her eyes, looking as though she hadn't rested well. Her brows were stained with a trace of violent hostility, and the corners of her mouth turned down.
"Bai Wutong, you shameless bitch! You actually dared to use a trip to the Empress Dowager's palace to seduce the Emperor! It's you, this bitch, who brought bad luck upon me, or else why would the Emperor have sent me back! It's all your fault, I'm going to tear you to pieces!"
Gao Jingwan came lunging forward with her heavy, bulky body!
Bai Wutong furrowed her delicate brows and instantly sidestepped to dodge.
Gao Jingwan shouldn't have known about this matter. Wen Chuyun had just come yesterday, and now Gao had come to cause trouble; it was undoubtedly the handiwork of that woman.
"Beauty Gao, stop acting like a madwoman."
Gao Jingwan lashed out several times, yet failed to land a single blow on Bai Wutong. Instead, she exhausted herself thoroughly, panting like an ox. "You bitch, I'll kill you sooner or later! Even if I was sent back by the Emperor, you are still someone out of your league!"
Outside Lanxin Pavilion.
A group of nearly ten people slowly approached.
The woman in the lead possessed an air of supreme nobility, and her face was striking and magnificent.
She slightly furrowed her brows. "What is going on in there?"
"Reporting to Your Ladyship, this servant hears what sounds like a quarrel."
Jin Weige glanced at the fingernail guards on her hands. "I never expected that the moment I stepped out, I would run into such unruly new maidens. Go, kick the door open! Today, this palace will teach them the rules of the palace!"
"Instead of figuring out how to properly serve the Emperor and conceive a royal heir, they are here bickering endlessly. Everyone in the inner court is like sisters; we cannot let a single rat droop ruin the whole pot of soup."
She had been confined in Yaoguang Palace for over two months. Although she occasionally had the chance to see the Emperor, she never had the opportunity to serve in his bed.
Now that she was finally out, she couldn't wait to see the newly entered maidens and check if any of them posed a threat.
If there were any, she would find every means to eliminate them!
Above Consort Rong's head, there could only be one person: the Emperor!
"Yes." Several palace maids immediately stepped forward, slamming their heavy bodies against the door.
With a loud crash, the door flew open.
Gao Jingwan, her expression ferocious, spun around abruptly.
Bai Wutong looked over at the same time, and upon seeing who had arrived, her fingernails instantly dug into her palms.
It was her!
Noble Imperial Consort Rong!
The one who killed her parents!
Jin Weige radiated arrogance, her contemptuous gaze falling upon the two women.
Gao Jingwan reacted quickly, immediately curtsying. "This concubine pays her respects to Consort Rong."
Bai Wutong made no move.
Jin Weige's brow furrowed. "You see this palace and don't bow? What is this, do you look down on me? A mere Beauty, who gave you the audacity?"
Bai Wutong clenched her palms tighter, a sharp pain shooting from her wounds.
Suppressing the towering rage churning in her heart, she lowered her head and curtsied. "This concubine pays her respects to Consort Rong."
Jin Weige let out a light snort and casually ordered, "Daring to show disrespect to this palace—slap her face."
A nearby palace maid immediately stepped forward and delivered two backhanded slaps across Bai Wutong's face.
The sound was crisp and extremely loud.
A burning pain flared on her face, yet Bai Wutong could only keep her head down, not daring to utter a word.
When a noble consort dealt with a Beauty, she didn't even need to find an excuse.
This was the inner court, a place where status and power proved everything.
"This concubine... this concubine begs Consort Rong to uphold justice for me!" Gao Jingwan shed her previous overbearing demeanor, scurrying forward with a flattering smile. "Your Ladyship, you have no idea how shameless this Bai Wutong is! She actually used a trip to the Empress Dowager's to seduce the Emperor!"
"Only someone like Your Ladyship deserves the Emperor's favor. What on earth is this Bai Wutong? She simply pollutes the Emperor's eyes. I beg Your Ladyship to take charge, properly teach Bai Wutong a lesson, and let her know the consequences of seducing the Emperor!"
Jin Weige was no fool; she sneered coldly, "What, are you trying to borrow this palace's hands?"
Gao Jingwan hastily said, "This concubine wouldn't dare! Consort Rong, this concubine is the daughter of the Left Chancellor; Your Ladyship has even met me before!"
The Left Chancellor's daughter?
Then she could indeed be considered an acquaintance.
The Left Chancellor and her father and brother had always maintained a good relationship.
That being the case, doing her a small favor would do no harm.
Judging by Gao Jingwan's penchant for making a fuss, she might just prove useful.
"So it's you. I do have a vague recollection."
Gao Jingwan wore a pleased smile, casting a triumphant glare at Bai Wutong. "Your Ladyship, this bitch relied on the Empress Dowager's Fubao to go to the Empress Dowager's palace repeatedly, creating opportunities to see the Emperor. I see that Your Ladyship is glowing with radiant health; if the Emperor visits you a few more times, you are bound to conceive. You must not let this bitch ruin things."
Those words struck right at Jin Weige's heart, as she dreamed of having a child. "Well, you have a clever tongue. Beauty Bai, did you use those seductive tricks to seduce the Emperor?"
Changing her tune, she continued, "Looking at you, even if you gained the Emperor's favor, it would be impossible for you to bear a royal heir. Nowadays, everyone in the inner court knows that royal heirs take precedence, yet you still dared to act this way. You deserve to be punished!"
Bai Wutong had remained curtsying the entire time, never rising. "Consort Rong, this concubine did not intentionally seduce the Emperor. Rather, the Empress Dowager summoned this concubine to go. Furthermore, when this concubine saw the Emperor, I only paid my respects and did not dare to look an extra glance."
"Consort Rong possesses eyes like torches and can certainly discern the truth. Beauty Gao held a misunderstanding toward this concubine from the start; even before entering the palace, this concubine heard Beauty Gao say she had a deep and close relationship with Your Ladyship. The other maidens can all testify to this. This concubine wouldn't dare provoke her, let alone cause her trouble."
"The matter of this concubine going to the Empress Dowager's palace was only known to my personal maid. Beauty Gao learned of it from who knows where, yet knew no details, and yet today Beauty Gao specifically intercepted this concubine..."
With that, she stopped speaking.
Yet her words were heavy with implication.
Why did Gao Jingwan happen to intercept her today, right when Noble Imperial Consort Rong came over?
Why did Gao Jingwan know that she went to the Empress Dowager's palace and even saw the Emperor?
Why did Gao Jingwan boast so early on about having a deep relationship with Noble Imperial Consort Rong?
Sure enough, Noble Imperial Consort Rong's expression shifted slightly. Her mind raced through a hundred possibilities as she looked at Gao Jingwan once more. "You were boasting about your relationship with this palace early on?"
Gao Jingwan lacked wits and immediately confirmed, "This concubine holds Consort Rong in high reverence. Before entering the palace, my father even said that if anything ever came up, I could ask Consort Rong for help."
Twisting the white jade ring on her finger, Jin Weige smiled faintly. "Since Beauty Bai is heading to the female physician's quarters, then you shall be punished with the 'peach blossom face', lest you injure your body and waste the physician's medicines."
The so-called peach blossom face meant twenty slaps in total, ten to each cheek.
Once finished, one's face would be swollen and crimson, resembling peach blossoms.
A palace maid stepped forward, staring contemptuously at Bai Wutong. "This is Consort Rong's instruction to you. Remember it well."
With those words, she raised her hand high.
One crisp slap after another echoed through Lanxin Pavilion.
Bai Wutong's face had gone numb, the corners of her split lips leaking fresh blood.
The maid had kept her nails slightly long, leaving several bloody scratches behind.
Bai Wutong bit her lip hard, the hatred in her heart making her want to kill Jin Weige on the spot!
Yet she could not do it. Putting aside the fact that the woman was surrounded by protecting palace maids, if her single strike failed, death would be her only outcome.
Moreover, she did not want to let Jin Weige die so easily.
She wanted the other woman to experience the exact same pain she suffered—having no family, no power, and being treated like a stray dog!
Sometimes, living was far more agonizing than dying.
Gao Jingwan was triumphant. "That'll teach you to seduce the Emperor! Look at that, this is the consequence!"
Jin Weige, standing nearby, cared little. Bai Wutong looked so frail and sickly that she posed no threat in her eyes; the Emperor had always favored magnificent and striking women like herself.
However, this Gao Jingwan was different—plump in figure, with a flourishing lineage at home, and highly favored by the Empress Dowager. She would inevitably be pushed onto the dragon bed in the future.
Since Gao Jingwan still dared to blatantly use her authority, she had to be taught a lesson so she would understand that she, Consort Rong, was not someone to be trifled with casually.
Resting her hand on a maid's arm, Jin Weige said, "Beauty Gao, this is not your Left Chancellor's estate, nor is it a place for you to throw tantrums. Considering your maternal family, this palace won't punish you this time; your personal maid will take your place instead."
Finished speaking, she swayed her hips and walked toward the side. "Call the other maidens out so this palace can take a good look and screen them for the Emperor. The Empress is indisposed, so they are spared from coming to pay morning respects every day, but this palace cannot allow them to cultivate lazy habits."
Dissatisfied, Gao Jingwan wanted to say something more, but the palace attendant didn't hesitate and directly dragged away the maid serving her.
Throughout the spacious Lanxin Pavilion, the miserable cries of the palace maid begging for mercy echoed incessantly.