Chapter 94: Double Rewards for One Person

The emperor had many rules for dining.

Moreover, after being emperor for so long, no matter how skilled the Imperial Dining Bureau was, after eating the same dishes repeatedly, the novelty wore off.

Emperor Liang De often lost his appetite halfway through his meals.

However, Xue Qingyin had an excellent appetite.

The imperial cuisine wasn’t anything extraordinary, but the ingredients were of the highest quality.

Unconcerned with formality, she didn’t wait for the palace maids to serve her dishes; instead, she picked up her chopsticks and began eating on her own.

Emperor Liang De watched her for a while and found himself feeling a little peckish as well.

He asked, “How does it taste?”

He expected Xue Qingyin to say she had never tasted anything so delicious.

To his surprise, Xue Qingyin frankly replied, “This dish, Golden Bell Grill, is the tastiest. The others are somewhat inferior.”

Emperor Liang De chuckled, “Could it be that you’ve had better?”

Xue Qingyin nodded, “Yes, the cooks on our family estate prepare better dishes.”

The emperor wasn’t offended and instead commented, “Such bold words.”

“Father Emperor, if you ever try them, you’ll know,” she added.

Her words amused him, “Alright, you’re even trying to do business with the emperor now.”

Xue Qingyin shook her head, “It’s all in the family. Father Emperor, this is what we call ‘keeping wealth within the clan.’”

The emperor found her words pleasing and set down his chopsticks, saying, “Good! I’ll go try them someday.”

After speaking, he added solemnly, “It’s not that the Imperial Dining Bureau’s cooks are inferior to those on your estate. It’s just that those in high positions cannot be indulging in external pleasures.” He pointed at the dishes and said, “These are external pleasures.”

Xue Qingyin thought to herself, So, you’re saying we’re meant to abstain from enjoyment and endure hardship for no reason? No wonder so many people in this palace seem mentally unstable.

Despite this, Emperor Liang De ate a few more bites than usual today.

With Xue Qingyin present, the atmosphere between him and King Xuan was much less tense.

After the meal, the palace servants began clearing away the dishes when Emperor Liang De suddenly said, “I will accompany you to pay respects to the Queen Mother.”

This was a clear show of support for King Xuan and Xue Qingyin.

The Queen Mother hadn’t even had lunch.

She had been stewing in anger.

Grinding her teeth, she complained to her attendant, “How can King Xuan be so close to the emperor? How can he? How dare he…”

“Your Highness, the emperor is highly calculating, and King Xuan’s growing influence likely forces him to draw closer to the emperor,” the attendant consoled her.

The Queen Mother wasn’t comforted; instead, her tone grew heavier. “I’m afraid that if they get too close, the pretense might become reality. And then he’ll completely cast me, his grandmother, aside.”

Before she could continue, a servant interrupted, “Your Highness, King Xuan and His Majesty are here.”

The Queen Mother’s expression stiffened, “Invite them in.”

Xue Qingyin followed the palace’s most powerful figure into the room.

She bowed alongside him, saying, “Qingyin pays her respects to the Queen Mother.”

Emperor Liang De turned and, with a mischievous smile, mimicked King Xuan’s earlier tone to correct her, “Qingyin, it’s not the Queen Mother; it’s ‘Grandmother.’”

The Queen Mother’s face darkened instantly, as if a thorn had lodged in her throat.

Seeing her reaction, Emperor Liang De felt immensely satisfied.

“Aren’t you going to correct yourself?” the emperor urged.

Xue Qingyin: ?

This is all the emperor’s doing, not mine!

“Grandmother, please accept my respects,” Xue Qingyin obediently said.

The Queen Mother retorted, “A mere concubine dares to call me Grandmother?”

King Xuan frowned, but before he could speak, Emperor Liang De cut in, “What are you saying, Mother? Just because King Xuan isn’t born of the Empress doesn’t mean he shouldn’t call you Grandmother.”

The Queen Mother was momentarily at a loss for words.

Her affection for King Xuan far exceeded that for the crown King born of the empress. She wished King Xuan’s sole loyalty was to her.

The emperor’s words left her no grounds to argue, though that didn’t stop her from finding another way to exert her authority.

With a cold tone, the Queen Mother warned, “Calling me ‘Grandmother’ here is one thing, but at the prince’s residence, she must remember her place and not act out of line.”

This was a veiled warning, an attempt to establish dominance.

Emperor Liang De, however, countered by pointing at Xue Qingyin, “I find her quite well-behaved.”

The Queen Mother hadn’t expected the emperor to contradict her every word.

Fuming, she snapped, “Well-behaved? She didn’t visit the palace yesterday and was late today. How is that well-behaved?”

“The whole capital knows she’s frail. Why quibble over this? Didn’t Lady Wei miss an appointment due to her health as well?” Emperor Liang De retorted smoothly.

Lady Wei likely never imagined the emperor would use her as an example to defend Xue Qingyin.

“Yes, Lady Wei was also late once. It seems none of them take me seriously,” the Queen Mother remarked bitterly.

“Who would dare? Haven’t I come to pay respects to you?”

The Queen Mother wished he hadn’t. Now, she couldn’t find a chance to reprimand Xue Qingyin.

“I see her complexion is quite rosy today. She doesn’t look frail. If she’s late again tomorrow…” she began, implying consequences.

But Emperor Liang De sighed, “As a concubine, it’s not her place to visit the Queen Mother every day. That would be improper.”

The Queen Mother was infuriated.

And now you suddenly remember she’s just a concubine?

The Emperor’s standards are truly flexible!

“This widow has a headache. Forget it, everyone disperse.” The Queen Mother turned her head away, trying to feign weakness to soften King Xuan’s heart.

“King Xuan is reserved and has never been one to compete for favor. Even when he has merit, he doesn’t seek rewards. But even if he doesn’t speak up, as his father, I must speak for him,” Emperor Liang De paused slightly and then added, “After all, it’s his new marriage. Yesterday, I already rewarded King Xuan and Qingyin. Mother, you should also give them something.”

The Queen Mother: “……”

She wanted to retort, “She’s just a concubine,” but held back in time.

The Emperor was now willing to tolerate Xue Qingyin just to win over King Xuan. If she refused to reward them, wouldn’t that make the Emperor look like the good guy instead?

The Queen Mother’s face twitched slightly before forcing a benevolent expression. “This widow also considered this matter yesterday but forgot since King Xuan didn’t come to see me.”

After speaking, she suppressed her reluctance and summoned a servant, saying, “Bring me the gold-inlaid agate incense box from my desk. Also, reward them with a malachite stone set and nine gold ingots.”

Nine gold ingots, if converted into silver, would amount to about two thousand taels.

But the Queen Mother didn’t know how much the Emperor had rewarded them and didn’t want to fall too far behind.

Hesitating briefly, she begrudgingly added, “Also, give them an octagonal floral mirror, a pair of jade rings, and a pair of butterfly-patterned golden ornaments…”

Xue Qingyin: ?

She hadn’t done anything, and treasures just fell into her lap!

She immediately smiled sweetly and said, “Thank you for your reward, Grandmother.”

Hearing this “Grandmother,” the Queen Mother felt even more stifled.

“All right, all right, everyone leave.” Supporting her head, she turned away, unwilling to look any longer.

Emperor Liang De then led them out.

After leaving the hall, Emperor Liang De turned to Xue Qingyin and couldn’t help but praise, “You’re quite clever.”

She showed no signs of panic at all.

Adding fuel to the fire, she managed to enrage the Queen Mother thoroughly.

Emperor Liang De said, “Go back and rest.”

“I have something to report to Father,” King Xuan suddenly said in a deep voice.

The Emperor nodded. “Then Qingyin…”

King Xuan lightly stroked Xue Qingyin’s head and said, “Go play at the Qingsi Palace.”

The Emperor nodded and immediately arranged for someone to accompany Xue Qingyin.

Then he turned back and asked, “What is it you wish to report, King Xuan?”

…

The Qingsi Palace was where King Xuan had taken her to play previously.

It was there that the Emperor had caught them in their “private moment.”

To Xue Qingyin, the place felt familiar.

The palace servants at Qingsi Palace dared not slack off when they saw Xue Qingyin escorted by an inner court attendant.

In no time, twenty palace attendants were at her service, keeping her entertained.

They pushed her on a swing, played cards, and even brought in shadow puppeteers for a performance.

She was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Before long, another eunuch arrived with a tray.

On the tray were several gold ingots, even heavier than what the Queen Mother had rewarded.

“His Majesty said that since King Xuan and the noble concubine displayed such filial piety today, he specifically ordered me to deliver these to her.”

The palace servants immediately fell silent, sneaking a few glances.

Though she was a concubine, such a reward was unprecedented!

Xue Qingyin stared blankly for a moment before accepting the tray.

Wow, it was heavy and solid, pressing down on her hands.

King Xuan had indeed figured out the temperaments of the two powerhouses in the harem. Not only did her reward not fall short, but it even surpassed what the Queen Mother had given!

Feeling elated, Xue Qingyin rummaged through her pouch and found some gold melon seeds, which she distributed generously among the attendants who had been playing with her, as well as the eunuch who delivered the ingots.

Her generosity delighted the palace servants, who thanked her profusely.

Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, the atmosphere was tense.

“The Queen Mother dared to collude with remnants of the previous dynasty, attempting to frame Qingyin’s family through bribery?” the Emperor said angrily.

After Xue Qingyin mentioned it to King Xuan, he had investigated thoroughly and chose today to report it to the Emperor.

Hearing this, the Emperor was both enraged at the Queen Mother’s overreach and pleased that King Xuan had come to him for help.

It showed that no matter how powerful King Xuan was, he still relied on his father in times of trouble.

Feeling reassured, the Emperor concealed his delight, patted King Xuan on the shoulder, and said, “Rest assured, this matter was the Queen Mother’s overreach. I will ensure justice is done for Qingyin. Since she is someone you care for, I will naturally look after her.”

He was nothing like the Queen Mother!