Yu Shu stayed in Zhongcui Palace for less than an hour. When she came out, she only had an extra honey-colored pouch hanging on her waist, so she didn't attract much attention.
After seeing Noble Consort Xue, she next went to Consort Shu, who lived in Yongle Palace. When Yu Shu was sent to the palace gate by Song Lan, a young eunuch came forward to recognize her. He first politely called, "Older Sister Song Lan", and then bowed to Yu Shu.
"Is this the Miaoling Messenger? This servant Little Qingzi was summoned by Empress Shu to lead the way for you. Please follow this servant. "
Yu Shu looked at Song Lan, who smiled and said, "Since Consort Shu sent someone to take me, this servant will save a few steps. Official Yu, please take care."
Yu Shu confirmed that this eunuch was one of Consort Shu's people, so she followed her with ease.
Song Lan stood under the doorsill and watched them walk through the passageway before turning back.
.....
In Yongle Palace, there was a tea table. Smoke curled up from the tea. Consort Shu held a cup of fragrant tea and spoke with Yu Shu, who was sitting on the futon below, with an indifferent expression.
"Do you know why I summoned you into the palace today?"
On this hot day, Yu Shu had drunk a bowl of iced snow toad dew at Zhongcui Palace. Now that she smelled the top-grade bitter tea, she didn't feel good at all. When she heard Consort Shu's pretentious attitude, she felt it was ridiculous.
It was no wonder that the Yin Family was more powerful than the Xue family, but this Consort Shu was inferior to Consort Xue.
"This female subject is slow-witted. Please speak clearly, Your Highness."
Consort Shu said, "As the female imperial consort of the Kunling Bureau, you have the right to investigate the secrets of the palace. I need to remind you — be careful with your words and actions."
Yu Shu understood Consort Shu's warning. This was a disguised warning not to use her power for personal gain.
As expected, Honored Consort Shu then talked about her predecessor and former superior, "Previously, the two female officers in charge of the Kunling Bureau were Madam Lu and Madam Qin. Later on, the two of them had a disagreement. One of them actually dared to accept bribes and changed the list of attendants without permission. However, the truth could not be concealed. She was exposed and is still in prison."
Yu Shu had long heard of this matter from others. Now that Honored Consort Shu mentioned it in front of her, the meaning was self-evident.
"This consort sees that you've accomplished so much at such a young age, and you're also loyal and filial. I can't bear to see you go astray in the future, so it's inevitable that my words won't be pleasant to hear. You must not learn from your predecessors and commit more unjust acts. In the future, if someone reports this to this consort, no one will be able to protect you. You must remember this."
Empress Shu's eyes were filled with coldness as she stared at Yu Shu. Her straight face was extremely dignified.
Yu Shu's expression did not change, a smile still hanging on her lips. She waited until she finished speaking before continuing, "This subject will definitely remember niangniang's teachings."
She was still sitting on that praying mat, not moving at all. There was no fear and trepidation, nor did she become angry out of humiliation.
Honored Consort Shu frowned, not very satisfied with her reaction. Thus, she gave her a few more reminders. Yu Shu listened to them one by one, waiting for her to finish before responding respectfully.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Yu Shu came out of Yongle Palace. In addition to the smell of tea, there was also a hint of ridicule at the corner of her mouth.
Should she say that this Honored Consort Shu was smart, or that she was inflexible?
One and a half months ago at the Hibiscus Gentlemen's Banquet, this Honored Consort Shu was one of the people who had thrown stones at her while she was down. She had almost given her the name of being heartless and unjust. In the end, she had obtained the Gold and Jade Hibiscus, but she had not given her a good face.
Today, she had even given her a threatening warning, not having the slightest intention of currying favor with her. She must have known that it was useless to say good words to her, so she had simply put on a good face.
What she had done was not wrong. If it had been someone with less guts, perhaps their hands and feet would have been tied. However, how could Yu Shu be frightened by a few words?
If she was really a good-for-nothing, she would not have gotten to where she was now.
After leaving Yongle Palace without looking back, Yu Shu was taken away by a eunuch of Yuhua Palace who had been waiting outside the door and brought to Consort Shu.
.....
This was the first time that Yu Shu had seen Consort Shu, so she was a little surprised. She had seen the graceful beauty of Noble Consort Xue and the dignified and demure Honored Consort Shu. She had thought that Consort Shu was also a beauty. However, in reality, this Consort Shu, who was the birth mother of the Eleventh Prince, Liu Yi, had a very ordinary appearance.
Unlike Noble Consort Xue, who didn't resort to insinuations, and Consort Yin, who was pretentious, Consort Xian's attitude towards Yu Shu couldn't be more normal. It was so normal that Yu Shu couldn't figure it out.
"I have heard of Official Yu's reputation and was curious. I wanted to take this opportunity to meet you and have a chat. I have no other intentions."
Consort Xian gave an opening remark and naturally began to chat with Yu Shu. They talked about everything from the Dayan Examination to the Water and Land Conference. She was originally a daughter of the Yi Xue family, so before entering the palace for the selection, she had a lot of knowledge and had many common topics with Yu Shu.
This chat lasted for two hours. The sun had risen high in the sky, and it was noon.
Consort Xian asked Yu Shu to stay for lunch, and the latter took the opportunity to agree. After the meal, Consort Xian had the chief palace maid beside her send Yu Shu out of the palace.
When she was about to reach the door, the chief palace maid asked Yu Shu to stop. She squatted down and bowed to Yu Shu. She said kindly, "This servant thanks Official Yu. Master hasn't chatted so happily with someone for a long time. Ever since Lord Eleven's accident …"
She paused and didn't continue. Instead, she lowered her voice and said, "Master doesn't ask for much. She will be satisfied if she can serve His Majesty for two days every month. Please do this for Official Yu."
As she said this, she took out a banana-shaped jade talisman from her sleeve and stuffed it into Yu Shu's hand, "This is a token of appreciation from Your Highness. With this jade talisman, you can go to the Lu's Great Exchange Shop. If you have any needs, you can look for Lü Ning."
Yu Shu looked at the thing that was stuffed into her hand. Her eyes flashed, but she didn't refuse. Instead, she put it into her bosom and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness."
As one of the four consorts, Consort Lu's position was only below that of the empress and Noble Consort Xue. Normally, she could be on equal footing with Consort Shu. However, she was implicated by the case of the imperial envoy without a head and was ignored by Emperor Zhao Qing. There were many vile people in the palace who stepped on the high and flattered the low. It was expected that she had received a lot of cold treatment these days.
Yu Shu had seen the bedtime schedule of the Kunling Bureau in recent years. The consorts almost had three days of bedtime every month. If Consort Lu wanted three days, Yu Shu might have hesitated. However, Consort Lu only asked for two days. Judging the situation, Yu Shu couldn't help but praise her cleverness.
To put it bluntly, bedtime for consorts was to increase their intimacy with the emperor and to ensure their status in the imperial harem. Consort Lu knew that Emperor Zhao Qing didn't like her, so she didn't get close to him. She took the initiative to ask for one day. Those two days could ensure that she could get along with Emperor Zhao Qing and protect her reputation.
Yu Shu had seen the three consorts. As she walked out of the inner palace, she thought about it and made a conclusion — Noble Consort Xue was asking for help, Consort Shu was seeking stability, and Consort Xian was seeking peace.
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