Chapter 31 – The Empress Takes Charge

To say it was a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road was a bit of an exaggeration. At most, it was Beauty Qiao who simply felt irritated upon seeing Shen Qing.

The last time Shen Qing encountered her, she found her so smug that she thought: this woman might not have Consort Yu’s luck, but she certainly has all of her faults.

Now that Consort Yu was pregnant and keeping a low profile, this one—who had never experienced being suppressed by Consort Yu—started bouncing around on her own.

Strangely enough, Shen Qing actually missed Consort Yu a little. With someone like Beauty Qiao, if she went up against Consort Yu, she’d definitely end up punished harshly.

Of course, that was just a passing thought. Seriously speaking, who would ever want to see Consort Yu?

Following protocol, Shen Qing had to salute Beauty Qiao when they met.

Beauty Qiao, seeing Shen Qing, instantly recalled the annoyance she felt yesterday. “So Shen Liangren is here too.”

Shen Qing still had a smile on her face, but her eyes didn’t.

Beauty Qiao entered the pavilion and sat down beside her. Seeing the tea still there, she realized Shen Qing had been resting here just moments ago. Sure enough, there was even fish food left unfinished.

As Shen Qing returned to her seat and continued feeding the fish, Beauty Qiao suddenly said, “I’m feeling a bit thirsty. Shen Liangren, pour me some tea.”

Chunhua quickly stepped forward. “This servant will pour tea for the Beauty.”

Beauty Qiao gave Chunhua a sharp glare. Despite this, Chunhua still went and poured the tea.

Though unhappy, Beauty Qiao couldn’t punish her—her status wasn’t high enough to command such authority. Making someone unwilling serve her tea was already enough to make them lose face. So she said, “Minglu, go teach Shen Liangren properly!”

The palace maid, being ordered by Beauty Qiao, had no choice. When the Beauty gave orders, she had to obey—even if it meant offending someone.

She pressed her lips together and stepped forward to grab Shen Qing’s hand.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Chunhua was shocked. Was she really going to force Shen Qing to pour tea?

Shen Qing frowned immediately. Chunhua tried to block Minglu, but seeing that Beauty Qiao was staring her down, Minglu shoved Chunhua aside. Chunhua stumbled and fell, scraping her palm painfully on the ground.

Shen Qing’s expression turned dark. “Beauty Qiao, people still pass through the Imperial Garden. If this gets out of hand, it won’t look good.”

“You—!” Beauty Qiao knew this too, but she just couldn’t swallow her frustration. Seeing Chunhua on the ground, she huffed, curled her lips in disdain, and walked away.

Shen Qing stood there, watching her leave with a terrible expression. She reached out to help Chunhua, but Chunhua got up by herself. Her palm was scraped and already bleeding.

“Liangren, that Beauty Qiao is far too arrogant. We’ll have to avoid her from now on.”

Avoid her? Shen Qing looked at Chunhua’s hand and said, “Take care of the wound later.”

Yes, she always avoided open conflict with those she couldn’t handle—what else could she do? She was the type that everyone saw as easy to step on.

But could she really let every random cat or dog walk all over her? What kind of life would that be?

In the days that followed, Shen Qing carried on as usual. By the end of the month, it was time to pay respects to the Empress. Shen Qing arrived early, looking as proper as always. She habitually sat in the back, quiet and reserved, never speaking unless spoken to. As usual, the gathering neared its end.

Just as she was turning her head, she locked eyes with Beauty Qiao. The latter instantly looked down and quickened her pace as if afraid Beauty Qiao would catch up to her. Seeing her acting like she’d seen a ghost, how could Beauty Qiao not take offense?

Once they stepped out of Fengyi Palace, Beauty Qiao sneered, “What’s Shen Liangren’s problem? Pretending not to see me?”

Shen Qing had no choice but to stop and answer cautiously, “Not at all. This concubine simply didn’t want to offend Your Ladyship’s eyes.”

Beauty Qiao exploded. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Her anger flared at once. She reached out to grab Shen Qing, pulling her so hard that she stumbled and fell. Even after seeing Shen Qing on the ground, Beauty Qiao still spat venomously, “You wench! You may have fooled His Majesty with that delicate, pitiful act, but I’m not falling for it!”

As she spoke, she raised her hand to strike.

Chunhua rushed in and blocked her.

At that moment, a stern voice rang out: “Beauty Qiao, what do you think you’re doing?”

Jinzhi emerged from Fengyi Palace, her expression severe. “You and Shen Liangren are both concubines. If you have any grievances, the Empress is here. You can bring it before her. Come with me.”

Shen Qing had tears in her eyes as Chunhua helped her up.

Now that Jinzhi had spoken, Beauty Qiao started to panic. She regretted acting out in front of Fengyi Palace, but it was too late. Having just left, she now had to return inside.

This time, the Empress was sitting with a cold expression. “What exactly happened?”

Beauty Qiao replied, “Shen Liangren provoked me. I couldn’t stand it, so I decided to teach her a lesson.”

“Oh?” The Empress turned to Shen Qing. “Shen Liangren, is this true?”

Tears welled up in Shen Qing’s eyes. “This concubine absolutely did not provoke Beauty Qiao. I was just afraid of her. How could I dare provoke her?”

The Empress frowned. “If there’s no reason, why would you fear her?”

Shen Qing bit her lower lip, looking at a loss.

The Empress thought to herself that this girl had a timid nature and was really not one to be relied on. She turned to Chunhua instead. “You tell me.”

Chunhua said, “A few days ago, Beauty Qiao and Liangren met in the Imperial Garden. Beauty Qiao ordered Liangren to pour her tea and made some threatening remarks. Liangren has been keeping to herself since then. Today, upon seeing Beauty Qiao again, she wanted to return to Zhaohua Palace quickly out of fear. Who knew Beauty Qiao would come after her again?”

The Empress frowned deeply. “What happened at the palace gates just now? Summon the palace maid who was on guard.”

Jinzhi brought the maid in. She knelt before the Empress and reported honestly, “This servant did not hear Shen Liangren say anything. I only saw Beauty Qiao suddenly step forward and call out to her. Shen Liangren stopped, and then Beauty Qiao grabbed her. Shen Liangren fell to the ground.”

The Empress spoke in a low, serious tone. “Beauty Qiao, what more do you have to say?”

Beauty Qiao had been indignant at first, but now she was frightened. “It—it wasn’t like that, Your Majesty. This little fox spirit doesn’t understand the rules. She passed by me without even saluting—”

“Beauty Qiao,” the Empress interrupted, frowning, “you are merely a Meiren. What, do you think other concubines must all bow to you? Or is it because Shen Liangren’s rank is lower that you think you can beat her?”

Beauty Qiao panicked. “This concubine—that was not my intention.”

How could someone this foolish and arrogant have earned the Emperor’s favor, even if only for a few days?

That temperament… it really reminded her of Consort Yu.