After the Empress De Fei finished her postpartum confinement, Lady Xiahou was also preparing to leave the palace.
She was concerned about the affairs of Lady Jia Zhen and specifically instructed the Empress De Fei:
“Don’t slight her. The closer we are to parting, the more generous we should be. I’ll handle the matters outside the palace, but you must have a clear idea in your mind about what happens inside.”
Money is like scrap metal before it is spent; what use is it if it’s not used?
The Empress De Fei had as many flaws as there are stars in the sky, but she had one sun-like virtue that overshadowed them all: she was generous and willing to spend money, and she treated her own people warmly.
She had already made up her mind about how to reward Lady Jia Zhen.
On the evening of the full moon banquet, when she was heading to the Pianxiang Hall, the Empress De Fei specifically asked the Emperor:
“Sister Jia Zhen has done so much for me; she must be very tired. She also served the Empress Dowager very diligently in the past. There should be two Shangyi positions in the palace, but one is still vacant. Sister Jia Zhen is currently a sixth-rank Siji; why don’t we promote her to fill that position?”
Shangyi is a fifth-rank position, which is the pinnacle for an inner court female official.
Money is nothing; how many favored people in the palace are short of money?
Position is what truly matters!
The Emperor hesitated for a moment and replied: “She is still too young, isn’t she……”
The Empress De Fei, holding her son, chirped in his ear like a frenzied oriole:
“Ahhhhhh I don’t care! I’ve already boasted about it; if it can’t be done, how can I face people in the future?! I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care!!!”
She then began to shake the Emperor’s shoulders by saying:
“It’s not a big deal; you can just say a few words and it will be done! Please help!”
Ruan Ren Sui stared into space, thinking: Sometimes my mother can be a bit abstract……………..
The Emperor was amused by her antics and actually nodded in agreement:
“Alright, the position of Shangyi, she is indeed capable of handling it.”
And so, the matter was settled.
The next day, when the news was announced, Lady Jia Zhen had already bid farewell to the Empress De Fei.
Upon hearing it, she knew that this was likely due to the Empress De Fei’s influence.
She quietly asked the Empress De Fei:
“Did Your Majesty speak on my behalf?”
The Empress De Fei raised her chin and snorted haughtily.
Seeing her smug expression, as if her tail was about to reach the sky, Lady Jia Zhen felt a mix of emotions.
She was touched, but also found it amusing and said:
“Why didn’t you say it yesterday? Why wait until I’m leaving to mention it?”
After hearing this, the Empress De Fei’s pride deflated.
She regretted it and felt a bit wronged: “I didn’t want to use this as a favor to keep you by my side. I thought I could use my personal charm to make you stay with me!”
Lady Jia Zhen: “….”
The Empress De Fei eagerly said: “If I had known, I would have told you that I specifically asked for the position of Shangyi for you………………”
Lady Jia Zhen calmly replied: “Even if I had known, I probably wouldn’t have stayed.”
The Empress De Fei:”….”
The Empress De Fei glared at her: “You heartless woman!”
Lady Jia Zhen gazed at her for a few moments, then suddenly smiled warmly.
“Take good care of yourself, Your Majesty.”
She reached out and gently stroked the Empress De Fei’s cloud-like long hair, and finally said:
“I will miss you.”
Lady Jia Zhen concluded her duties at the Pianxiang Hall and, as usual, went to report to the Chief Lady-in-Waiting.
Firstly, it was to signify that the previous phase of work had been thoroughly completed.
Secondly, it was also to naturally transition into the new period of work.
Upon seeing her, the Chief Lady-in-Waiting’s usually calm and gentle face couldn’t help but show a flicker of surprise.
She didn’t hide it, but looked at Lady Jia Zhen with a smile and said slightly astonished:
“I heard from His Majesty that you are to be promoted to Shangyi. I thought you would stay at the Pianxiang Hall. I heard that you have been getting along very well with the Empress De Fei lately, haven’t you?”
Lady Jia Zhen solemnly bowed to her without speaking.
The Chief Lady-in-Waiting understood the unspoken words and immediately exclaimed in admiration:
“Young people these days are truly remarkable. I only figured it out when I was in my thirties, and you, in your early twenties, have already grasped it!”
Women are too easily bound by trivial emotions and morals.
Living like a man would be much easier.
The Chief Lady-in-Waiting is not heartless either.
When she first entered the palace, there were moments when she looked at the young Emperor and was reminded of her own flesh and blood.
Some people, with the intention of flattering her, and others, with the dark motive of making fun of her, gradually passed on to her the news of what happened to her family after she arrived in the capital.
Her husband was very angry, and her family was ashamed of her.
Her son, who was around the same age as the Emperor, was filled with shame and anger at his mother’s abandonment and scheming.
He threw the books she had copied, along with the ancient zither she had left for him, into the courtyard and burned them…
Upon hearing this, the Chief Lady-in-Waiting was briefly silent, then quickly laughed again:
“Children have big tempers, but they will get over it in a few days.”
The Empress Dowager, to some extent, must have felt a sense of shared suffering with her-in terms of the relationship with her son.
Although this mother and son carefully concealed it.
When the news came, the Empress Dowager privately asked her: “Do you regret it?”
The Chief Lady-in-Waiting truthfully told her: “It does hurt a bit, but I do not regret it.”
She knew men all too well.
Her husband was a man, and her son, although not yet, would eventually become one.
Men are creatures that instinctively pursue interests.
If abandoning a wife and children could be exchanged for an opportunity to be close to the Son of Heaven, would her husband have spared her?
Now her son is still young and doesn’t understand what it means for his mother to be a lady-in-waiting close to the Emperor.
When he grows up and becomes a man, driven by interests, he will come to the capital like the most filial son in the world.
He will kneel on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and tell her: Mother, ever since you left, I have been thinking of you day and night!
It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t come, because there will be many people willing to take his place and be the Chief Lady-in-Waiting’s closest and most filial son.
Lady Jia Zhen had feelings for the Empress De Fei, but these feelings were not enough to surpass her ambitions and aspirations.
The Empress De Fei, or rather the Crown Prince, would find it hard to be the ultimate victor.
Binding herself to him out of feelings would sever the efforts of the past dozen years.
She is still so young, so intelligent, and not lacking in the decisiveness to make tough decisions.
The Chief Lady-in-Waiting looked at this young lady and thought: Perhaps after me, she will be the next Chief Lady-in-Waiting.
After Lady Jia Zhen left the Pianxiang Hall, the Empress De Fei was initially a bit unaccustomed.
However, as the child grew day by day, she gradually shifted her focus back.
The Lady Yi, recommended by Lady Jia Zhen, had now arrived at the Pianxiang Hall, taking over the position previously held by Lady Jia Zhen and managing all the affairs around the Empress De Fei.
How to put it, speaking solely of intelligence, the Empress De Fei is certainly not clever.
Yet, in some aspects, she has a keen intuition like a small animal.
If it were the Consort Xian, accepting a new person to handle affairs and oversee everything, she would definitely investigate this person thoroughly and observe for a while before daring to use them.
This is a normal reaction for most people.
But the Empress De Fei is different.
After the Emperor came to the Pianxiang Hall, the Empress De Fei asked him without any guard:
“Sister Jia Zhen recommended a Lady Yi to me, saying she is a very reliable person. Can I use her?”
When she asked this, she didn’t intend to clarify the relationship between Lady Yi and Lady Jia Zhen to the Emperor in advance, nor did she have any specific purpose.
She just thought the Emperor was smarter than her and better at judging people, so she wanted to ask his opinion – after all, the reliable Sister Jia Zhen was sent by him!
The Emperor saw her sitting on the couch with her long hair loose, without any makeup, looking up at him with eyes so clear they could reflect a person’s image, and thought she was as lovely as an innocent and naive fawn.
He couldn’t help but reach out and pinch the Empress De Fei’s face, then laughed and said:
“How could a person recommended by Lady Jia Zhen be unreliable?”
He also ordered rewards for the soon-to-be-appointed Lady Yi.
And so, the matter was settled.
Outside the imperial city.
The news of Scholar Wu seeking a son-in-law position through advertisements had not yet subsided when it was overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of the Cheng’en Marquis’ mansion.
In the afternoon, after Ruan Ren Sui woke up from his nap and had his milk, he was carried by Lady Qian to the Empress De Fei.
The Empress De Fei held his two little hands, smiling brightly like a mother cat in the sun licking her kitten:
“Let’s see, who is so cute? Mmm-mmm-mmm —— It’s our little Sui Sui!”
Then, she lowered her head and touched her son’s nose with her own: “Wow!”
Ruan Ren Sui lay in the cradle, giggling foolishly.
At this moment, Lady Yi came in from outside, dismissed the wet nurse and attendants, and quietly told the Empress De Fei:
“The marriage of Lady Liu from the Cheng’en Marquis’ mansion might be in doubt.”
The Empress De Fei was taken aback for a moment, then realized —— after the spring examination ended, the sister of Consort Xian got engaged, and the groom was a newly-minted Jinshi of this year.
She didn’t care much about it and just casually asked:
“What unexpected event occurred?”
Lady Yi frowned slightly and whispered to her:
“It turns out that the Jinshi was engaged back in his hometown, to a girl from a family of old friends, but the girl’s family has fallen on hard times. Once he passed the exam and was chosen by the Cheng’en Marquis’ mansion, he had the idea of breaking off the engagement.”
“The young lady was extremely angry and came all the way to the capital to accuse him!”
The Empress De Fei snorted and said: “It’s not a bad thing that this marriage won’t go through.”
“Yes,” Lady Yi sighed softly in agreement.
She also added, “This person is fawning on power, ungrateful, and lacks integrity; he is by no means a good son-in-law.”
The Empress De Fei, however, said: “His parents must be very foolish and stingy!”
Lady Yi was puzzled: “Ah? Why do you say that, Your Majesty?”
The Empress De Fei particularly enjoyed the feeling of teaching others how to behave and said triumphantly:
“This newly-minted Jinshi is still in the divine capital, and you said he was engaged back in his hometown, which means the young lady he was engaged to must also be in his hometown, right?”