Chapter 19 – If You Can Speak, Then Speak More.

A person burst out laughing.

Immediately after, the rest of the consorts and concubines surrounding the scene began to laugh one after another. Their erupting laughter even drew the attention of Noble Consort Tong and the other consorts.

Noble Consort Tong raised her brows slightly. When she noticed that the ones surrounded in the center were Noble Lady Wuyala and Attendant Wan, a flicker of intrigue crossed her heart. She stood up. As the highest-ranking consort in the hall, the moment Noble Consort Tong rose, all the seated concubines and consorts immediately followed suit and stepped forward toward where Attendant Wan and Noble Lady Wuyala were.

Consort Xuan was initially a bit worried, but when she saw that Attendant Wan appeared calm and composed, and that Noble Lady Nara couldn’t hide her smile, her hanging heart finally settled. It looked like those two weren’t the ones being taken advantage of?

And as for whether others were at a disadvantage—what did that have to do with her?

Unaware that Noble Consort Tong and her entourage were approaching, Noble Lady Wuyala bit her lip, trying to calm Wan Anran. She forced a stiff smile and gently coaxed, “Today is New Year’s Eve. It’s hardly a day for fighting or conflict. Don’t be anxious, little sister. Once the sixth day of the New Year passes, I will definitely handle this matter properly and set your mind at ease.”

Wan Anran nodded.

Her face was full of innocent confusion, her eyes brimming with trust. “Of course I trust you, Sister!”

Noble Lady Wuyala subtly breathed a sigh of relief.

But before she could feel reassured, Wan Anran suddenly changed the topic and sighed, “The problem is, Sister is so gentle and considerate, so tolerant and kind toward subordinates. I’m afraid you’ll be swayed by the words of those servants who made mistakes! I couldn’t possibly let you play the villain in this—I’ll do it instead!”

Noble Lady Wuyala’s face was practically cracking.

She could barely maintain her gentle smile, a flicker of anger flashing in her eyes. Her hands clutched her handkerchief tightly as she gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, little sister. I will absolutely not show mercy. I will severely punish those disobedient palace maids.”

Of course, that’s what she said out loud.

But those maids were carefully selected by Noble Lady Wuyala herself—how could she bear to get rid of them so easily? Since the maids weren’t present right now, she figured she’d just smooth things over later, tell them to stay out of Attendant Wan’s way and the Salt Harmony Palace’s people…

Before Noble Lady Wuyala could finish her train of thought, a sudden voice from behind made her shudder involuntarily.

Noble Consort Tong was staring coldly at her, her voice calm and flat: “Punish palace maids? What happened here?”

Noble Lady Wuyala could no longer maintain her expression.

She forced down her inner panic and turned to give a deep curtsey. “Replying to Your Ladyship, this concubine was merely chatting with Attendant Wan about trivial matters—just discussing how to educate the palace maids.”

Trivial matters? Education?

Noble Consort Tong let out a cold snort. “Why does it not look like that to me?”

Moreover, she had clearly overheard some of the conversation.

“No mercy”? “Severely punish”? Was Noble Lady Wuyala doing something behind her back? Noble Consort Tong, who had been promoting Wuyala quite a bit recently, had a flash of cold light in her eyes. Her gaze, sharp as a blade, swept past Noble Lady Wuyala and finally landed on Attendant Wan.

Wan Anran lowered her hands and reined in her expression.

Noble Consort Tong stared at her deeply: there was no longer the fear, shrinking demeanor, or hesitation she used to show when seeing her. Her back was straight and upright—she looked… more pleasing to the eye than before, and seemed healthier and more spirited.

Noble Consort Tong’s gaze darkened slightly.

She forcibly suppressed the vague irritation rising in her heart and turned her attention to another concubine. “Answering Lady Miao, did you hear the conversation between Noble Lady Wuyala and Attendant Wan?”

Lady Miao took a step forward and respectfully responded yes.

Noble Lady Wuyala’s heart instantly sank to the bottom of a lake, a chill shooting straight up from her feet to the top of her head.

Lady Miao was also a member of Chengqian Palace.

She was originally a third-rank palace maid serving under Noble Consort Tong. Only after being promoted by the Noble Consort did she become an Attendant. Unfortunately, she was merely delicately pretty at best and couldn’t read a single character. After receiving little favor, she was soon forgotten. Then the previous Attendant and Noble Lady Wuyala emerged, and Lady Miao was swiftly cast aside.

Was Lady Miao content?

Of course not—but she simply had no opportunity. After all, out of thirty days in a month, the Emperor spent at least ten in Chengqian Palace. Take out the Empress’s share, then Concubine Yi’s—there would be maybe ten days left for anyone else to compete.

This clearly showed how favored Noble Consort Tong was.

Receiving her promotion might mean one could suddenly rise through the ranks—Attendants and Noble Ladies needn’t worry, and might even hope to become a Consort. Countless palace women longed to cling to Noble Consort Tong’s golden thigh.

Especially within Chengqian Palace.

Someone like Attendant Wan was clearly a failure, while the most powerful figure was undoubtedly Noble Lady Wuyala. Rising from an ordinary palace woman to a Noble Lady, Lady Miao had long envied and resented her.

So how could she possibly let such an opportunity slip by?

Unable to conceal the excitement in her eyes, Lady Miao immediately recounted the entire sequence of events in crystal-clear detail.

Once she finished speaking, a flush of red rose on Noble Consort Tong’s fair cheeks, her eyes glinting with faint sparks. Her expression remained unchanged as she nodded with a smile and said, “What Attendant Wan said makes a lot of sense. I’ll make a note of this matter. On the seventh, Noble Lady Wuyala is to send the offending maids to the Office of Careful Punishment. As for who will serve you in the future—I’ll make sure to select them carefully and meticulously.”

The emphasis on “carefully and meticulously” was especially heavy.

Noble Lady Wuyala’s face turned pale. She subconsciously muttered, “Your Ladyship… and these few days…”

Noble Consort Tong didn’t even glance at her.

After leaving those parting words, she gave Attendant Wan a long, meaningful look, then flicked her sleeve and returned to her original seat.

Noble Lady Wuyala stood frozen in place.

Wan Anran feigned innocence, gently clapping her hands. “How wonderful! Sister Wuyala, with Her Ladyship speaking up for you, you’re sure to have good days ahead!”

Noble Lady Wuyala stared at Wan Anran, her beautiful eyes practically spitting fire!

The surrounding concubines couldn’t hide their schadenfreude.

Good days? If you asked them, Attendant Wan was clearly playing psychological warfare! From today to the sixth are all festive days, with countless banquets. Would resentful palace maids still serve Noble Lady Wuyala properly? She was definitely in for a rough time in the coming days!

Moreover, Noble Lady Wuyala herself was quite concerning.

Thinking back to all those rumors in the palace about her being kind, generous, gentle, and easygoing—then recalling how she just now blurted out asking what to do about the coming days—the concubines couldn’t help but shake their heads.

Clearly, palace gossip was not to be trusted!

Nara Guiren held back her laughter so hard that her stomach hurt. Seeing that Wan Changzai was still about to nag, she quickly pulled Wan Anran aside. “You really don’t know when to stop!”

Wan Anran let out a humph.

After venting the frustration of her predecessor, she felt an indescribable lightness throughout her entire body. Even her steps were brisker than usual.

Pulling her back from her thoughts was Nara Guiren’s nagging voice: “You’re still humming? That Wuyashi woman is definitely holding a grudge against you now. You’d better keep your distance next time, got it? You’re usually so good at keeping a low profile—what got into you today to act so high-profile…”

Wan Anran reached out and tugged Nara Guiren’s hand. “I know already.”

Lowering her gaze, Wan Anran said softly, “It’s just that it was the first time I saw her, and I couldn’t help myself. Sister, do you know? Back in those days when you and Consort Xuan stood up for me, Haitao used to bring it up all the time…”

From Consort Xuan to Nara Guiren, from Zisu to Jubai—no matter who it was, if they did even a small good deed for Wan Changzai, Haitao would enthusiastically praise them and talk about it in detail two or three times.

But even though Wuyashi claimed she and the predecessor had both come from the same palace chamber, had risen together to become consorts, and even lived across the hall like sisters—Haitao had never once mentioned her. Most likely, Wuyashi’s palace maids had not shown Haitao the slightest kindness. In fact, they were probably the very ones who had bullied her before!

Her predecessor had truly been blind.

In Wan Anran’s view, that was genuine sincerity thrown to wolves. No wonder the predecessor had eventually chosen to turn dark in the novel, unwilling to ever show her heart to another again.

Nara Guiren sensed Wan Changzai’s gloom.

Unaware that Wan Anran was mourning for her predecessor, she mistakenly believed Wan Anran was simply upset about misjudging someone in the past. Nara Guiren gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and just as Wan Anran looked up at her, Nara Guiren raised her voice slightly and declared:

“Don’t worry, Sister Wan! With the Noble Consort supporting you, those two-faced hypocrites won’t get another chance to stir up trouble. Just relax and wait for good news!”

Two-faced hypocrites.

Wasn’t that exactly describing Wuyashi? The other consorts could hardly hold in their laughter, using all their strength to keep from bursting into giggles. They leaned left and right, their shoulders trembling, and some even broke out in a light sweat at the temples.

Of course, Wuyashi wasn’t among them.

Her face flushed red in an instant. She bit her lip tightly, yet she couldn’t step forward to retort. If she did, Nara Guiren might just say, “I wasn’t talking about you, I meant those palace maids!”

Wuyashi glared furiously at Nara Guiren and Wan Changzai, then stalked off to the side, eyes filled with anxiety and unease.

Wan Anran gaped. “…Huh?”

Nara Guiren curved her lips into a small smile, then led Wan Anran to stand behind Consort Xuan, appearing perfectly composed. If the others hadn’t clearly heard those words come from her mouth, they might’ve been fooled by this tight-lipped demeanor of Nara Guiren’s!

Wan Anran’s mood instantly brightened.

She shook Nara Guiren’s hand and said with a grin, “Sister Nara, Sister Nara!”

“Hmm?”

“You’re so good with words—you should speak up more often!” Wan Anran was visibly delighted.

Sitting nearby and curious to hear more of Nara Guiren and Wan Changzai’s banter, Consort Rong couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing. “Who would’ve thought that Consort Xuan’s palace hides two little treasures!”

Consort Xuan: ………

In her view, clearly Nara Guiren had been led astray by Wan Changzai.

Consort Rong was quite intrigued.

She was just about to ask Consort Xuan a few questions, but at that moment, two palace maids lifted the curtain and announced, “The Empress has arrived.”

With that, all conversations came to an end.

The consorts all rose and performed a formal curtsy. “Greetings to the Empress. Wishing the Empress boundless blessings.”