Chapter 52 – On the Road

When Noble Lady Lin had first appeared before Xuanyuan Ling, she’d managed to leave a good impression, but after that, she hadn’t received even a trace of favor.

Though it had been infrequent before, at least she got summoned once a month. But now, several months had passed without a single word.

She hadn’t been included in this autumn hunt either. Noble Lady Fang was pregnant and couldn’t go. Noble Lady Shen had offended Consort Yu. Beauty Qiao and Beauty Wang were basically discarded. But as for her—whom had she offended?

After thinking it over again and again, she became convinced it had something to do with Shen Qing!

So even before Shen Qing reached Zhaohua Palace, Noble Lady Lin blocked her path.

She stormed forward, glaring fiercely at Shen Qing. “Speak! Did you say something outrageous to His Majesty?”

“What is Noble Lady talking about?” Chunhua had already stepped in front of Shen Qing.

Shen Qing gave her a look.

Chunhua immediately understood and stepped back slightly.

Now wasn’t the right time to get into a public conflict with Noble Lady Lin.

But Noble Lady Lin was so furious her teeth itched. “Tell me clearly! Was it or wasn’t it you?”

“I’m just a lowly Attendant. How could I possibly have the influence to sway His Majesty or Her Majesty the Empress with just a few words? Noble Lady must be mistaken.”

Noble Lady Lin was so angry she almost jumped up. “If it weren’t you speaking ill of me in front of His Majesty, why else would he stop visiting me? It must be you!”

The palace maid beside Noble Lady Lin looked anxious and tried to persuade her, “Noble Lady, please calm down or you’ll harm your health.”

Though Shen Qing’s rank was lower than Noble Lady Lin’s, rank was one thing in the palace—favor was another.

If one hadn’t seen the Emperor for months, and another saw him several times a month, that difference was clear.

But Noble Lady Lin refused to back down. In fact, the more her maid tried to stop her, the more furious she became. She pointed at Shen Qing and snapped, “What do you think you are? Just a lowly Attendant—the lowest rank in the whole palace! With that kind of status, you think you’re fit to attend the autumn hunt?”

Shen Qing responded without joy or sorrow, “If Noble Lady has any doubts about my qualification to attend the hunt, you can turn back now. Her Majesty the Empress should still be in Fengyi Palace. You can ask her to strike my name from the list. I won’t trouble you further.”

With that, she turned and walked away.

Noble Lady Lin shrieked in rage, “You dare to walk away from me?!”

But the palace maid behind her quickly grabbed her.

That maid was truly alarmed. Why wouldn’t she dare to walk away? After all, just look at what happened to Beauty Qiao!

After they had walked some distance, Chunhua asked, “My lady, should this matter be dealt with?”

“No need. Someone like her isn’t worth the effort.”

Deal with what?

Someone like Noble Lady Lin might very well bring about her own downfall without anyone’s help.

At least Beauty Qiao knew how to be cunning—making snide remarks and pretending to be polite while manipulating others.

But Noble Lady Lin? She just exploded with impotent rage. How was that going to help her?

Chunhua paused for a moment. Just now she had also been furious when Noble Lady Lin charged over without rhyme or reason. But after thinking it through, she understood and replied, “Yes.”

Shen Qing quickly put the matter out of her mind. Noble Lady Lin wouldn’t dare confront the Empress. Shen Qing was definitely going on the autumn hunt. Xuanyuan Ling disliked Noble Lady Lin. Unless he suddenly had a change of heart and returned to favor her, she was finished anyway.

So why bother thinking about her? Better to use that spare brainpower to decide what to eat this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Noble Lady Lin flung the maid’s hand off and roared, “Fox-faced seductress!”

The maid, thrown aside, fell hard to the ground, scraping her palm raw. She was deeply frustrated. Her mistress had no favor, yet insisted on offending people. In the end, it was always the servants like her who suffered punishment.

Her disdain for Noble Lady Lin grew even stronger, but she had no choice. This was her fate. She could only get up and persuade her again, “Noble Lady, please don’t be angry. If not this time, there’s always the next. You still have the chance to serve in bed. For now, focus on your health. If you can bear His Majesty a prince, that will matter more than anything.”

Those words finally calmed Noble Lady Lin down.

Yes. She still had to think about how to regain favor, how to get pregnant. She pressed her lips together and etched this incident into her heart, pinning all the blame on Shen Qing. There’s still time ahead, she thought. I don’t believe that I, a Noble Lady, can’t beat a low-born Attendant!

The palace maid didn’t know what Noble Lady Lin was thinking, but seeing her finally calm down, she sighed in relief. Waiting for favor was much safer than provoking others.

Back on Shen Qing’s side, she really did start thinking about food again. Though the hunt had been announced, it wouldn’t begin immediately. Preparations would take more than ten days, so she simply went on with her usual routine.

Time passed quickly, and soon the day to leave the palace arrived. They departed very early in the morning. Shen Qing, still half-asleep, was dragged out of bed by Chunhua.

When she opened her eyes, it was still dark outside…

Whatever excitement she had felt about leaving the palace had already faded a good bit.

But once they had actually left the palace walls, her mood lifted again. The blue sky and white clouds outside were indeed more beautiful than the view from within the palace walls. She boarded the carriage bound for the hunting grounds.

Shen Qing wasn’t riding alone. With her were Beauty Li and Beauty Zhao.

The three of them, being of lower rank, rode in the rear. Behind them were the palace maids serving them, and ahead were Consort Yu and Pure Consort Shun. Further ahead still was the Empress.

Shen Qing had already met Beauty Li before, but Beauty Zhao had always kept a low profile. Shen Qing turned to glance at her and happened to meet her gaze. Beauty Zhao smiled warmly at her, and Shen Qing returned the smile.

The three of them, sharing a carriage, naturally couldn’t stay completely silent. You greet me, I smile at you—eventually someone had to speak. Beauty Zhao looked at her for a moment, then said, “Did you make that outfit yourself, Attendant Shen?”

Shen Qing replied, “I designed it. My maid made it for me.” She added with a smile, “My embroidery skills aren’t very good.”

“The design is quite unique.”

“If Beauty Zhao doesn’t mind, I’ll have someone send you one later.” It was just casual conversation, and she wasn’t stingy. Having someone to chat with on the road helped pass the time.