Chapter 80:

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor had not seen each other for over ten days, so naturally they wanted to dine together. Layue had no intention of being a nuisance and quietly arranged for servants from her own quarters to move things around.

Her manner once again earned approving nods from the nursemaid Gui. When the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were together, naturally they would want to exchange some private words. If others were inconsiderate, it would indeed be annoying.

Upon returning to Tingyu Pavilion, Layue met Guo’er. As expected, Bai Xiaodie had come requesting an audience, but Guo’er was no pushover. Although usually silent, she was not easily bullied when it mattered.

Upon hearing Guo’er’s report, Tao’er curtsied and chimed in, “My Lady, in my humble opinion, Bai Xiaodie certainly has ulterior motives. Should we report this to the Empress Dowager?”

Layue smiled, “No need. Whether or not the Emperor and the Empress Dowager are aware, some matters cannot entirely rely on others. Otherwise, they will think I’m easy to bully. I had originally intended to keep to myself, serve the Emperor well, and attend to the Empress Dowager. But these people keep provoking me again and again. Even a clay figure has its limits—how can I always be accommodating?”

Guo’er was somewhat surprised by Layue’s words and even raised her head.

“How is my cousin’s health?”

These days, Layue had not left her quarters, and her senior palace maids had also been confined, so naturally, she didn’t know what was happening outside. She had her own calculations and had not sent anyone to investigate. However, she knew that Guo’er must be aware of the situation.

Guo’er replied, “My Lady, Concubine Chen lost her child and was extremely grief-stricken at first, crying and making a scene, even demanding to accompany the child. However, after Nursemaid Gui from the Empress Dowager’s palace visited Concubine Chen the next day, she became quiet, as if she had transformed into a different person.”

Layue looked at Guo’er with a smile, “No other suspicious points?”

Guo’er thought for a moment and hesitated, “I’m not sure if this counts, but I heard that after Concubine Chen’s incident, Bai Xiaodie once visited her, but she was driven away by Concubine Chen. However, this is uncertain—it’s just a vague rumor circulating in the palace.”

Layue stood up, and Jinxin, who was beside her, immediately understood her intention and quickly handed her the scissors.

Layue took the scissors and began carefully trimming the potted plants.

“Even if Chen Yulan is not good to me, she is still my cousin. Even if we are not on good terms, others shouldn’t interfere.”

When she said this, even Jinxin looked puzzled. But upon closer observation, she noticed that her mistress’s expression betrayed no emotion. Thinking again, she realized that perhaps her mistress had deliberately spoken this way in front of Guo’er. She adjusted her mindset and stood silently aside.

For a while, the room fell silent.

After a long time, Layue looked at the potted plant she had trimmed and seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

“Look at my skills—they’re really mediocre. It’s truly frustrating.”

Jinxin, knowing this was her mistress’s only hobby and that it wasn’t going well, quickly spoke up, “Why don’t I go to the palace administration and ask for a skilled young maid? My Lady is so clever—if she watches someone trim for a few days, she’ll surely get the hang of it.”

Many people in the palace knew that Noble Consort Chun disliked raising flowers and plants but had a peculiar fondness for trimming them, which was quite unusual.

Layue frowned slightly, “Do you know who in the palace is particularly skilled at this?”

Generally, such tasks were handled by eunuchs in the palace. It was rare to find a palace maid skilled in trimming plants.

Layue usually did not like to interact too much with eunuchs, and her senior maids were well aware of this.

Actually, in Layue’s heart, even if they were eunuchs, they were still men. It was inconvenient to have them around in the inner chambers. Trimming plants required close proximity, which she disliked. This was also why she had never sought help before.

Tao’er thought for a moment and spoke up, “My Lady, I know a young maid named Cuiwen in the Yeting Bureau. Because of her unattractive appearance and unlikable personality, she has been assigned to do tasks usually handled by eunuchs. She is also one of the few palace maids skilled in trimming plants. I’ve heard her skills are quite good.”

Indeed, upon hearing this, Layue’s eyes lit up, “In that case, Jinxin, go and speak with the supervisor of Yeting Bureau and have this young maid transferred here.”

Such matters of acquiring a palace maid did not require much explanation.

Jinxin agreed.

Jinxin was efficient and brought the young maid Cuiwen back that very evening. Although called a “young maid,” it was only in terms of rank. In terms of age, she was about the same as Jinxin.

After carefully observing Cuiwen, Layue had her trim the potted plants. Not long after, Layue was delighted and promoted Cuiwen to the rank of second-class palace maid.

Cuiwen was somewhat timid. After receiving Layue’s instructions, she left to find Jinxin.

Jinxin arranged accommodation for her.

This was merely a minor incident. Noble Consort Chun’s actions did not attract undue attention, as it was not a significant matter and aligned with her usual character.

The Emperor had just returned and had not summoned anyone to attend him for the night. Layue was well aware that even if he did summon someone, it would not be her. She was quite content with the situation.

After bathing, Layue loosely tied her hair into a bun. Her pale white undergarments accentuated her fair and delicate complexion.

Jinxin whispered beside her, “My Lady, since Cuiwen has moved in, it will be much more convenient for us in the future.”

“Cuiwen is like my senior apprentice. Treat her carefully.”

Jinxin chuckled, “My Lady thinks too much. We will naturally treat her well. Besides, if I show too much care for her, others might become suspicious.”

Layue rolled her eyes and glared at her, “I just told you to be careful, and you end up saying so much.”

Jinxin laughed, “My Lady is still a young lady. Thinking too much and not showing a genuine smile won’t do you any good. I’m just trying to cheer you up.”

Seeing her like this, Layue also smiled.

Speaking of Cuiwen, she was someone Layue could trust. In her childhood, Cuiwen had lived next door to Lady Wan. Since Lady Wan had no daughter of her own, she had taken a liking to Cuiwen and wanted to adopt her as an apprentice. However, various circumstances prevented this from happening. Nevertheless, Lady Wan had taught her a great deal of medical knowledge.

According to Lady Wan’s opinion, many of the imperial physicians in the Grand Physician Bureau were not as skilled as Cuiwen.

Later, when Cuiwen’s family encountered misfortune, she became dependent on others, and eventually, under her uncle’s request, she took her cousin’s place and entered the palace as a palace maid. Due to her reserved nature and unremarkable appearance, she was assigned to menial tasks.

Fortunately, Imperial Physician Wan had occasionally taken care of her. Without this, her life would have been even more difficult.

Coincidentally, at this time, Layue entered the palace, and Lady Wan contacted Cuiwen. Imperial Physician Wan could not always offer assistance, so placing the two together would benefit both parties. Layue would gain someone skilled in medicine, and Cuiwen’s life would become easier.

However, Layue also had her own considerations. If she had done this immediately upon entering the palace, it would have attracted attention. Therefore, she decided to proceed gradually.

Initially, she suspected that someone had tampered with the incense she used, so she had lit the red lantern and summoned Cuiwen for help.

Now that she had reached this point, she felt her plans were well in place, and naturally, she could confidently bring Cuiwen to her side.

A hobby for trimming potted plants? Layue smiled.

In her previous life, she certainly did not have such a hobby.

Thinking about her current situation, she felt much more at ease. With helpers like Jinxin, Qiaoning, and Cuiwen by her side, and with the advantage of her memories from her past life, she would live well.

“Jinxin, tomorrow I plan to visit Yulan. What do you think is the most appropriate time to go?” Actually, Layue also felt that since her near-drowning incident, Jinxin had become more cautious and was not as carefree as before. This was a test of Jinxin’s thoughts.

Likely, it was because in the past, she had always been aware of the difficulties and had taken precautions. However, the drowning incident was completely unexpected—an accident she had not anticipated. Perhaps precisely for this reason, Jinxin had been genuinely frightened.

Jinxin thought for a moment and shook her head, “My Lady, in my humble opinion, regardless of the time, it would be better not to visit her at all.” Seeing Layue about to speak, she quickly increased her pace and continued, “Not that I’m thinking too much, but she is indeed not someone easy to deal with. If we show her kindness, others may inevitably associate us with her. If that happens, should she do anything inappropriate again, we may find ourselves unable to explain.”

Seeing her speak this way, Layue nodded. In her heart, she had always known this point well.

She was also aware of these things. She asked Jinxin this question to gauge her thoughts.

Although the Emperor might already know, it was impossible for him to immediately deal with Bai Xiaodie. Moreover, she was also puzzled. Perhaps Xu Lianyun had been careless and thus met her fate, but Chen Yulan should not have been so easily deceived.

How had she managed to lower Yulan’s guard, and what kind of drug had she used?

“I suspect that Nursemaid Gui must have told her about Bai Xiaodie, otherwise she would not have driven Bai away. Compared to my cousin, I am more wary of Bai Xiaodie.” Layue spoke frankly.

Jinxin was puzzled, “My Lady wants to use someone else’s hands to deal with Bai Xiaodie?”

Layue shook her head, “If I do too much, the Emperor might grow tired of me. The Emperor may tolerate his women having some small schemes, but he certainly won’t be pleased if they are malicious.”

“Then won’t the Emperor and the Empress Dowager handle this matter?”

“Handle it? Of course, they will. But how they handle it is another matter. I nearly drowned for no reason, and I won’t let the person who harmed me go unpunished. This matter still requires careful planning.”

She couldn’t be certain that the Emperor would definitely deal with Bai Xiaodie, but if she wasn’t completely removed, Bai Xiaodie, with her nature, would certainly continue to harm others. Layue would never give her another chance.

Could this be considered adding old grudges to new ones?