"Your Ladyship—" The moment Yang Shihan left, a bunch of concubines immediately rush towards Mo Qi Qi, surrounding her and swarming her with questions.
"Was that Yang Guifei just now? Did she disrespect you again?"
"Your Ladyship, you are currently pregnant. You have nothing to fear. If she disrepects you again, just report it to His Majesty. He will definitely reprimand her."
"Indeed. Ever since she entered the palace, Yang Guifei rarely attends her morning greeting, and the few times that she did, she would be so arrogant and overbearing. Now that you are pregnant, you must take this chance to teach her a lesson. Since you are carrying his child, His Majesty would cease supporting Yang Guifei."
Mo Qi Qi smiles at them, "The situation is not as grave as you are making it out to be, sisters. Yang Guifei was perfectly respectful just now. You think too much."
The crowd is momentarily stunned and the atmosphere becomes slightly awkward, "Yang Guifei must have become more cautious about offending you now that you are pregnant."
"Correct. If you end up giving birth to a boy, Yang Guifei will not longer be able to get all haughty in front of you. That’s why she decides to be low-key for now; so that you will not have an excuse to get even with her later."
"Yang Guifei is too crafty."
Mo Qi Qi looks at them before laughing, "I have not seen the rest of you for days. Now that we have the chance to meet, let’s stop talking about her. Lret’s sit down and chat."
"Alright! Sure!"
The group head towards a pavilion in the middle of the garden. Under the shade of the pavilion, with light breeze blowing through the hot summer air, chatting with the other concubines in the middle of the beautiful garden is indeed a pleasant thing to do.
"What have you been busy with these days? Why didn’t you visit bengong at Feng Yang Palace?" asks Mo Qi Qi curiously. She suddenly realizes that the concubines had been rather quiet these past few days.
Someone speaks up, "Didn’t you know? After His Majesty found out about your pregnancy, he forbade us from going to Feng Yang Palace unless it’s for an emergency. He said your pregnancy is not yet 3 months old and is still in a very fragile state. If there are too many people and we end up stressing you out, it might hurt the baby. If that happens, His Majesty will hold us accountable. That’s why none of us dared to bother you."
Mo Qi Qi seems a little surprised, "Really? No one told bengong anything."
One of the concubines cover her smile coyly, "It’s because His Majesty cares about you too much. That’s why he didn’t tell you."
"You two are getting more and more loving! We are so envious of you!"
Mo Qi Qi brushes it off, denying it, "Please don’t misunderstand us. We are not how you think we are. In fact, our relationship did not progress at all. We don’t love each other. This child is only conceived by accident and luck. His Majesty could not care less about me. He only cares about the child that I am carrying. He clearly knows I like lively atmosphere and yet he forbade you all from coming. He clearly wants me to die out of boredom. Did you honestly believe he cares about me?" She puts an aggrieved look as she faces the ladies.
The concubines hasten to comfort her, "You cannot look at it that way, Your Ladyship. The child is inside you, so, in a way, caring about the child also means that he cares about you."
"She is right! You are currently with child, you must take care of yourself. Everything that His Majesty did was only for your own good."
"You are close to 3-months pregnant now. Once the 3 months period has passed, we will head over to your palace to play."
"Right! Right!"
Mo Qi Qi laughs as she jokes around with them happily, "In the end, it’s only my sisters who treat me the best. You make bengong so happy. If bengong had not bump into all of you here, bengong would have thought that bengong had offended you somehow."
"Impossible! We like the Empress now! Although we could not see you, we have been practicing all the things that you taught us; yoga, dancing, singing.... If the opportunity arises, we should perform in front of you to make you happy."
Mo Qi Qi claps happily, "Alright, alright! You promised bengong! Once the 3-month period is over, all of you must come to Feng Yang Palace and perform for bengong."
"Definitely!" promised the concubines. Sound of laughters reverberates through the garden as the ladies chat happily.
Gong Ya Xian who happens to walk nearby could hear the sound of laughter. She could not help but inquire a nearby palace maid. When she found out that the sound of laughter comes from the Empress and a couple of concubines, she smiles. The Empress has indeed changed. If this had been in the past, she would never believe that the Empress would be able to sit and chat civilly with the concubines of the back palace.
Gong Ya Xian decides to change her direction; she does not wish to ruin the atmosphere. Even if she joins them, she wouldn’t know what to say. After all, they are the Emperor’s women while she is only an imperial relative, a complete outsider. She sighs and walks away.
As they chat, some of the concubines begin serving pastries and tea.
Mo Qi Qi looks at the assortment of pastries on the table, "Who would have thought that Consort Chun is this talented at cooking? All the pastries you made are exquisite, bengong is reluctant to eat them!"
Consort Chun smiles shyly, "Please do not tease this consort, Your Ladyship. Before entering the palace, this consort was idle and had nothing better to do, so this consort decided to learn how to make pastries. Being able to make pastries for Your Ladyship is an honor. As long as Your Ladyship does not hate them, this consort would be beyond happy."
Mo Qi Qi pretends to be displeased, "If you keep speaking like that, bengong will be unhappy. You have kindly made pastries for bengong, how could bengong ever dislike them? Let’s eat together, sisters."
Mo Qi Qi picks up a piece of pastry.
Seeing her action, Ban Xiang says, "Your Ladyship, it needs to be checked before you can eat them."
Ban Xiang’s words embarrass Consort Chun.
Mo Qi Qi is aware how dangerous the palace can be, but she, who came from the modern time is still not used to living her life walking around eggshells. The way Ban Xiang openly voiced her suspicion and the clear embarrassment on Consort Chun’s face makes her feel embarrassed as well. She looks at Ban Xiang, "We are all sisters, what is there to check for?"
Ban Xiang respectfully replies her, "Your Ladyship, now that you are pregnant, His Majesty ordered us to be careful with what you eat and wear."
Mo Qi Qi feels a little exasperated deep inside: Jun Qian Che sure does a lot of things behind her back! He might as well directly order her to fast!
Consort Chun merely laughs, "Your Ladyship, we are all happy for you. The Emperor really cares for you. What Miss Ban Xiang said is not wrong; you should check all the things that you eat beforehand. It will put both you and chenqie at ease."
The rest agree with her, "Right! Right!"
Mo Qi Qi helplessly shakes her head before sighing, "Alright, then. Check it."
Ban Xiang takes out a silver needle and uses it to check the pastries and tea. Then, she lets a few maids test the food. When nothing out of the ordinary happens, she turns to Mo Qi Qi in relief, "Your Ladyship, the pastries and tea are safe. You can have them."
Mo Qi Qi shakes her head while laughing, "All of you are really—! You are making a mountain out of a molehill. We are all sisters, how could there be anything wrong with this pastry?" She picks up a piece of the pastry with the elegance of a true Empress and covers her mouth with her wide sleeve before eating it.
After taking a bite, Mo Qi Qi cannot help but praise Consort Chun, "The pastry that Consort Chun made is really good! Go and give it a try, sisters."
"Of course! Sure!" the rest of the concubines nod in agreement before taking a piece of the pastries each.
They continue to chat happily until lunch. After the little rendezvous is over, they disperse and return to their respective palaces.
After eating lunch, Mo Qi Qi takes a couple of turns in her courtyard before retreating to her chamber for her afternoon nap. Although the life in the palace can be dangerous, it can also be idyllic and pleasant. At least, someone is taking care of all her needs. Being a parasite is not necessarily a bad thing. She has always been an unambitious person; as long as she can live in peace, she is happy.
Jun Qian Che on the other hand, is busy everyday. Everyone envies him, but no one knows the difficulties that this position offers. He has to deal with national problems everyday. One little mistake can bring fatal consequences, so he dares not neglect anything.
The court is riddled with conflicts lately, so now, he has even less time to rest.
He has been busy inside the Imperial Study the entire day and could only return to Yu Jing Palace by dinnertime. After eating his dinner, he takes a short rest on his dragon chair.
Mo Qi Qi sneakily enters Yu Jing Palace to see what Jun Qian Che is up to. Who knows, perhaps she would hit a jackpot and catch him in the act with a woman or something! She forbids the guards from announcing her arrival. In the end, after entering Yu Jing palace, she becomes a little disappointed. She was hoping to get some juicy gossip about the Emperor and is instead greeted with the sight of him sleeping on his dragon chair. What a boring man!
She stops stooping sneakily and immediately stands up straight before walking over to him.
"Your—" Just as she is about to wake him up, Eunuch Lin stops her with a silent gesture. He motions towards the Emperor, implying that he is too tired and that she should let him rest.
Mo Qi Qi nods before waving him off, gesturing him to leave.
The eunuch quietly leaves.
Mo Qi Qi carefully approaches Jun Qian Che and silently waves her palm in front of his face. He does not even stir. She purses her lips; she thought he was made of iron! Turns out, even he is human and knows how to feel tired!
She quietly sits next to him and looks at him, completely mesmerized by his sleeping face.
Serene: Dang Mo Qi Qi~ *O* Staring at him like a creep....
I also like the fact that she has began questioning the things that Yue Hen told her!
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