Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 539: Puppet

Qing Ya’s eyes flickered with a shade of sadness. She did not respond, silently arranging Consort Liu comfortably, skillfully helping her lie down and covering her with a thick blanket, flattening the corners and lowering the curtains.

Before leaving, she squatted down to pick up a handkerchief that had fallen to the floor, placed a clean one by the pillow, and after one final check that everything was correct, she stood up, intending to take the blood-stained handkerchief out.

Before she stepped out, she heard the person on the bed muttering, "They are all vile creatures, death is too good for them..."

It was like a delirious dream, yet it seemed to come from deep within her soul.

Qing Ya’s throat choked up. She knew her master’s heart harbored only hatred now, devoid of any vitality, and she dared not advise her master to let go of that hatred. If she did, her master might not hold on much longer...

How long can such days last?

The master must be referring to Huaning Palace, the people of the Noble Consort, it must be Consort Zhen...

She let the heavy curtain fall, concealing everything, and with all emotion wiped from her face, she asked coldly to those guarding outside, "Where is Qing Ping?"

Inside the locked doors of Huaning Palace, the room lay in disarray, a sign of a recent search.

Consort Zhen, clad in plain everyday attire, looked peaceful and at ease, softly humming a tune, she straightened a fallen chair and a screen, utterly indifferent to the state of the room.

In her joy, she even began to dance to the music.

It had been so many years, she had forgotten how to dance. Back when she was a maiden, she loved dancing, and foot-tapping dance was her favorite, the steps lively and spontaneous, commonly performed by folks to celebrate a good harvest, expressing inner joy and happiness.

If Pang Ya saw her like this, she would surely think she had seen a ghost. Could this singing and dancing person really be the same timid Consort Zhen who was once so frightened she nearly wet herself?

"What a relief..." she murmured softly, tapping her feet lightly. It had been so many years since she last danced, and perhaps she was not performing well, but it didn’t matter as long as she was happy.

All the servants in her palace had been taken away, including Cai Hua and Nanny Wen.

Right now, two people still guarded outside her door, specifically tasked with ensuring she did not leave.

The Punishment Bureau’s agents had just swept through her palace like a raging storm, conducting a thorough search without any regard for her dignity.

Was she afraid?

Ha, why would she be afraid? This was the outcome she had desired. She had awaited this opportunity for so long – waited and waited until she almost forgot and thought she might have to live that way for the rest of her life.

Cai Hua would not return, nor would Nanny Wen. That was wonderful.

The feeling of no one watching over her was truly marvelous, eight years, nine, she could barely remember. Under the surveillance of the Noble Consort, she had lived like this for so many years.

Cai Hua, originally named Cai Hua, belonged to Huaqing Palace and was specifically dispatched by the Noble Consort to serve her.

Nanny Wen was assigned to her after her original nanny died, also directed by Noble Consort Xue to watch over her.

Perhaps in this palace, no other consort was as stifled as she was, even though she was one of the top four consorts.

Unless these people were eliminated, she would forever remain a pawn of the Noble Consort, unable to escape from being controlled.

She harbored a secret deep within, a secret that made the Noble Consort uneasy, necessitating her constant surveillance, keeping her guard up against her, and even though so many years had passed and all traces had vanished, and the person was near death, the Noble Consort still could not rest assured.

In those days, she was not very courageous, but she was not as faint-hearted as she appeared now. All the timidity and cowardice were merely to lower the alertness of the Noble Consort, to protect herself, and to survive in this palace.

Indeed, due to the years of covert oppression by the Noble Consort, her timid disposition was actually cured.

Consort Liu hated her for her timidity and incompetence, but she really had no other option. Having stumbled upon that affair, she could either join the Noble Consort or die alongside Consort Liu. With such choices, anyone would know how to choose; she merely made the ordinary person’s choice.

It was exactly her "timidity" that had allowed her to survive until today. The Noble Consort found her incompetent and guarded against her, also not daring to entrust her with any significant "affairs."

In the palace, what she admired most was the way Consort Xu De lived—bold and carefree, embodying the life she desired. However, she also knew Consort Xu De came from a distinguished family and had her own capabilities, something she could not envy, nor did she have the talent to live like that.

And regarding Beauty Lian from the Canglan Court, although she had expressed her stance to the Noble Consort by sending a blood-invigorating incense burner during the congratulations ceremony,

she did not dislike Beauty Lian at all; in fact, she even admired her.

Beyond admiration, she envied Beauty Lian, not because of the favor Beauty Lian received from His Majesty. She was self-aware enough to know she could not sway His Majesty’s heart, as firm as rock.

What she envied was Beauty Lian’s courage, which she did not possess.

Beauty Lian, despite her humble origins, had the courage to resist the all-powerful Noble Consort in the harem and even had the bravery to reject the Emperor face-to-face when she was not yet favored—a courage she was most lacking, perhaps never to possess in her lifetime.

It was from that time that she started paying attention to Beauty Lian.

Once, Noble Consort Xue had the opportunity to eliminate Beauty Lian when no one was paying attention.

Back then, Beauty Lian was still relatively unknown, and almost no one in the harem knew His Majesty frequently visited Canglan Court, but she knew. She had once seen it from afar near the Green Bamboo Garden, she saw His Majesty walking with then-Daying Beauty Lian—a scene that flashed by but was captured by her.

Only she had seen it inadvertently, and had not spread the word to anyone, not even to Cai Hua who followed her.

She kept this matter to herself, told no one, and even then she had a vague sense that Beauty Lian was her opportunity to break free of Noble Consort Xue’s control over the entire harem and to eliminate those who spied on her.

However, she hadn’t anticipated that Beauty Lian’s rise to power would be so swift, much faster than she had imagined. With a sudden rise, she became the sole beloved of the harem, held in the palm of His Majesty, even suppressing Noble Consort Xue, truly a delightful turn of events.

This time, by involving Imperial Doctor Huang, she was merely taking advantage of the situation, simply to eliminate Cai Hua and others in one go. Indeed, she succeeded, for this moment, she had been scheming with the tiger, waiting for nearly ten years.

Now, Noble Consort Xue probably has no chance to spy on her anymore.

This is truly wonderful!

"After the overnight rain clears the imperial surroundings,

The morning sun glorifies the imperial city.

In the prosperous year, people enjoy their work,

On the ridges, they step and sing..."

Consort Zhen, filled with joy, hummed the tune gently, stepping lightly to the rhythm of the song and dance, enjoying a moment of freedom alone within Huaning Palace...

In the harem, a storm rages.

Within Canglan Court, all is calm.

"So, sister, did you come here because you heard the rumors that I was in trouble?" Lian Hua grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and passed them over.

Could the news really spread so widely?

Indeed, Nanny Qi is experienced and extraordinary in her actions.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺