Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable-Chapter 897 - 808: Unwilling to Be a Servant 28
The Empress couldn’t help but admire Gao Gao Pin’s cleverness and composure, seeing through the Emperor’s indifferent and decorous nature, and wisely refraining from using such a good opportunity to curry favor with the Emperor.
Therefore, she continued to say to Nuoxiang, "Now that Gao Gao Pin has reported this matter to me, she has given me a chance to shine in front of the Emperor, thus pleasing me, and I naturally appreciate her gesture.
The Emperor will also think highly of her for not using such matters to seek favor, but instead understanding the rules to report to me. She need not offend the entire palace of concubines. I won’t mention it, the Emperor won’t mention it, and she will quietly gain benefits. Isn’t she smart in achieving multiple gains in one move?"
Gao Gao Pin, praised by the Empress for her intelligence, was counting the various rewards the Emperor had just ordered to be sent: a set of jade tea sets, a golden jade chessboard with a can each of black and white jade chess pieces, an ancient famous zither, and several boxes of exquisite jewelry.
Among them, there was an extraordinarily exquisite hairpin with a Phoenix holding a pearl, and Gao Gao Pin recognized at a glance that the large pearl held by the Phoenix was the largest pearl from a hairpin donated earlier by Lady Xuan.
Because this pearl was uniquely born, when exposed to the sun, it appeared as if a long-sleeved beauty was dancing inside, making it exceptionally precious.
Back then, Lady Xuan’s hairpin made the entire harem green with envy, and when Lady Xuan donated it, she felt heartache for several days. Now, it had been remade into this Phoenix with Pearl hairpin and had fallen into her hands, making Gao Gao Pin especially proud.
To tell the truth, in the harem, Lady Xuan was also the Emperor’s favored concubine, and even more favored than Gao Gao Pin. Among the few high-ranking concubines in the harem, in the group of four top-ranked ladies: Noble, Lady, Wise, and Virtuous, besides the sickly and invisible Lady Zhi, the other three positions were vacant without any concubine.
Below them, among the junior first-rank ladies, there was only one Lady Xuan, who even had a title. Xuan means Forget-Worry Grass, a very good title, and more importantly, this title was personally chosen by the Emperor for Lady Xuan, demonstrating the Emperor’s favor towards her.
Below Lady Xuan, there were no second-rank princess consorts or junior second-rank concubines. In the third-rank noble consort position, there was only one Gao Gao Pin. In the junior third-rank concubines, there was the harem’s only completely title-holding concubine, Lianpin, who was also favored.
Among the middle-ranking concubines, there was a fourth-rank Bai Ronghua, a junior fourth-rank Ruan Zhaoyi, later in the fifth rank Wanyi, and no one in the junior fifth-rank Little儀.
The remaining were the sixth-rank Noble, junior sixth-rank Beauty, seventh-rank Talented, junior seventh-rank Chosen Maid, eighth-rank concubine, junior eighth-rank Attendant, these low-ranking concubines were countless, because there were too many to count.
The lower-ranking concubines, needless to say, one more today and one less tomorrow, no one cares at all. Among the few high-ranking concubines, none were not favored concubines by the Emperor. However, even among favored concubines, there are distinctions, for example, Lady Xuan and Lianpin were the most favored among high-ranking concubines.
The invisible Lady Zhi, although holding the highest rank, was the least favored. Once, the Emperor used to particularly favor Lady Zhi even more than Lady Xuan, otherwise, Lady Zhi would not have become a first-rank concubine.
Later, when Lady Zhi gave birth to a princess, she almost died during a difficult labor. Although she survived, her body was damaged, her complexion sallow, her appearance haggard, and her beauty significantly lessened. Knowing her situation, Lady Zhi understood that if she stayed around the Emperor too long, she would eventually fall out of favor, so she voluntarily avoided receiving favor.
Therefore, although the Emperor no longer favored Lady Zhi, the affection between them still existed, and the Emperor would occasionally bestow gifts upon her as a sign of regard.
Lady Zhi’s rank ensured that even without favor, no servant would dare to disrespect her, and having a princess under her care, she had something to rely on in her later years, making her indifferent to whether or not she had the Emperor’s favor.
Gao Gao Pin was originally in a not-so-high, not-so-low position among the high-ranking concubines, not particularly favored but not lacking in favor either. Later, the middle-ranking concubines Bai Ronghua and Ruan Zhaoyi also received some favor, but even less than her.
Relations between Gao Gao Pin and Lianpin, Lady Zhi, Bai Ronghua, and Ruan Zhaoyi were ordinary, but Gao Gao Pin particularly hated Lady Xuan to the point of gritting her teeth.
Lady Xuan’s father was a Marquis, and she came from a noble family, quickly climbing ranks in the harem, advancing from eighth-rank Attendant to Beauty in a month, then to Lady in less than four years.
Although family background contributed, much of it was because Lady Xuan was exceedingly beautiful and deeply favored by the Emperor. After gaining favor, for some reason, she disliked Gao Gao Pin, even punishing her, who was only a Ronghua back then, to kneel in the snow for an hour.
Gao Gao Pin always believed her chronic cold constitution and its difficulty in healing were related to that punishment by Lady Xuan, maintaining a resentment and attempting several times to retaliate, but with the Emperor’s fondness for Lady Xuan, nothing could be done to her.
Now able to wear Lady Xuan’s once-cherished treasure and flaunt it before her to irritate her, Gao Gao Pin felt particularly pleased. Hence, she cherished the Phoenix with Pearl hairpin, playing with it in her hand for a long time, finding it hard to part with.
Before Gao Gao Pin could take the hairpin to flaunt it before Lady Xuan, good news arrived. Earlier in the morning, the Chief Eunuch serving the Emperor, Song Lin, led a procession of eunuchs and palace maids holding trays filled with various clothing and ornaments, grandly coming to Yingyue Palace to proclaim the Holy Decree.
Gao Gao Pin didn’t expect to actually receive the Holy Decree, hurriedly washed and changed her clothes, and the whole Yingyue Palace, including the low-ranking concubines residing in the side halls, had to come out and kneel to receive the decree. The decree was for Gao Gao Pin, appointing her as a concubine.
From then on, Gao Gao Pin became a concubine. After gratefully receiving the decree, Gao Jieyu held the decree with both hands. Lan Ying immediately stepped forward and gave Song Lin a large purse, while Chun Sheng distributed purses to the eunuchs and palace maids who accompanied Song Lin, each containing a silver ingot.
Song Lin squeezed the purse from Lan Ying’s hand lightly, feeling seven or eight round, pearl-like objects inside, and his smile became genuine. "The servant thanks Lady Jieyu for the reward. Rest well, Lady. I will not disturb you any longer."
"Mr. Song, take care. Chun Sheng, see Mr. Song out." Gao Jieyu was also beaming, very warmly instructing her trusted follower Chun Sheng to escort the guests out.
Chun Sheng was the Chief Eunuch of Yingyue Palace, the most qualified to send people off on behalf of Gao Jieyu, and promptly agreed, dutifully seeing Song Lin out of Yingyue Palace, flattering with pleasantries along the way, to which Song Lin responded kindly.
After leaving Yingyue Palace, Song Lin opened the purse casually and took a look inside, finding seven or eight dazzlingly bright, large pearls of excellent quality glistening in the sunlight.
The value of these pearls was far greater than silver or gold, and for someone like Song Lin who had no shortage of money, the silver and gold rewards seemed small-minded. Such a gift pleased him more and left him satisfied, realizing that this Lady Jieyu was not only exceptionally smart but also very generous.
