Chapter 32: Stirring Up Discord—Mission Failed!

Jixin gasped, looking rather aghast. She quickly turned to Noble Lady Rong and whispered, "Should I get her to leave?"

"Why should we send her away? Tell her to come in immediately—she has a weak constitution, and she's going to fall sick if we let her stand out in the cold like this." Noble Lady Rong replied, looking unperturbed.

Jixin helped her to sit up on the ottoman. A while later, First-Class Female Attendant Dong entered the hall, swaying unsteadily on her flower-pot shoes. As usual, she was dressed very plainly. Her somber attire was against the palace rules (which held that plain dressing was only permitted during sad occasions), but because First-Class Female Attendant Dong made sure to stay out of everyone's sight, nobody bothered to pick a bone with her.

Seeing First-Class Female Attendant Dong dip into a curtsey, Noble Lady Rong got Jixin to help her up immediately. "Why are you curtseying to me, of all people? Have you forgotten that I'm not like the rest?" She pulled First-Class Female Attendant Dong up to sit on the ottoman next to her, and instructed Jixin to bring some honey rose tea.

The palace maids hurried around the hall, bringing tea and snacks and generally fussing about. The hall finally returned to its previous silence after a while. First-Class Female Attendant Dong smiled blandly. "I don't recall being so harried back when we were serving the Emperor in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. My dear sister, your palace is certainly very happening."

Noble Lady Rong ordered the palace maids to leave the hall. Smiling back at First-Class Female Attendant Dong, she replied, "They're only putting in so much effort because they know how close we are. Just a few minutes ago, Jixin was complaining to me about how she much she hates fussing about the others when they come to visit me. No wonder Noble Lady An castigates me for not keeping my maids in check."

"But I don't come and visit you often. If I start coming more frequently, Jixin might come to hate me too." First-Class Female Attendant Dong lay her handkerchief flat on her lap and continued darkly, "My dear sister, your birthday is just around the corner. Is there anything you want? I'm afraid I don't have anything nice to give you, but I hope you'll accept my small token of congratulations."

Something flickered in Noble Lady Rong's eyes. So it was true—Consort Zhao had sent word about the matter to First-Class Female Attendant Dong, too.

"What's so important about my birthday? In the palace, the only thing that matters is the health and prosperity of the Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager and His Majesty," she replied evenly. Taking First-Class Female Attendant Dong's hand, she continued, "And yet all I remember is that your princess passed on this day."

Instantly, First-Class Female Attendant Dong's eyes filled with tears. She bowed her head in silence for a while before she finally said, "Consort Zhao said because of your pregnancy, we'll be celebrating your birthday instead of commemorating the princess's passing. She even instructed me to be more considerate of the other imperial offspring...My dear sister, all I had was that one daughter. Now that she's gone, how will my life in the palace be like in the future?"

"Oh, don't cry." Noble Lady Rong felt rather sorry as First-Class Female Attendant Dong's body shook with silent sobs. Back then, both of them had been selected by the Grand Empress Dowager to become palace maids to Xuanye. The older woman had instructed them to leave it up to fate—if Xuanye took a liking to them, they would become his concubines. If not, they would continue on as palace maids.

However, the girls' lives had taken different turns. Although Noble Lady Rong had lost many more children than First-Class Female Attendant Dong, Xuanye favored her more, and she got pregnant more often too.

The palace maids and eunuchs could leave the palace once they reached a certain age, but a concubine without the favor of the Emperor or children of her own was doomed to a lifetime of loneliness behind these palace walls.

"I knew Consort Zhao's intentions the moment her words reached my ears. I've already told her that I won't be celebrating my birthday because too much luck may be bad for the baby." Noble Lady Rong patted her hand and said in a long-suffering voice, "I could understand if it was somebody else, but is there no shred of trust left between the both of us? How are we to survive in the palace then? I don't care about the rumors in this palace—I know myself best. Even if you hate me, I won't blame you. As long as I'm a favored concubine of His Majesty's, I won't let anyone bully you. However, I can't force His Majesty to go and visit you often. Times are changing in the palace, and younger girls are starting to show their faces—the Emperor might forget me someday soon."

First-Class Female Attendant Dong sobbed into her handkerchief. When she finally caught her breath, she said, "She thinks we're stupid because we came in as palace maids, and keeps trying to stir up conflict between us. But she doesn't know that we've seen through her a long time ago! Back then, she gave you a higher rank than me so she could divide and conquer, and now she's trying to make me have a go at you again! The Emperor must have already known how evil she could be back when he refused to select her as his empress all those years ago."

"Don't say that anymore. You might get yourself into trouble." Noble Lady Rong sighed and said, "Let's just keep a careful eye on the situation and keep out of her way. Since the Emperor already knows these things are going on, we should leave it up to him to settle it one day."