Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 486: Nameless and Undistinguished, An Awkward Identity
Chapter 486: Chapter 486: Nameless and Undistinguished, An Awkward Identity
Murong Jiu had never taught her two children to stay away from Consort Dowager Qi.
Although Consort Dowager Qi was not a likable person, she truly adored the two children as their grandmother and would always save the best things for them.
If Consort Dowager Qi hadn’t been so intent on expanding Jun Yuyan’s harem, he would have long granted her the title of Empress Dowager.
But no matter what, she was the children’s blood-related grandmother. Murong Jiu did not approve of Consort Dowager Qi’s views, yet she never showed it in front of the children.
Therefore, the two children were still very close to Consort Dowager Qi. Though young, they already knew who liked them and who did not, and with Consort Dowager Qi’s affectionate attitude, they reciprocated the closeness.
Consort Dowager Qi wrapped an arm around each child, smiling so broadly that crow’s feet appeared at the corners of her eyes.
The joy between grandmother and grandchildren was palpable. After a while, the two little ones ran off to chase butterflies, and Consort Dowager Qi, feeling a light sweat on her brow, did not follow.
Her gaze followed her two innocent and adorable grandchildren, filled with genuine fondness.
The two little ones had inherited the best traits from their parents. Barely over a year old, they were already unbelievably beautiful. People are naturally drawn to beautiful beings, and Consort Dowager Qi was no exception. Her affection was intensified by the close blood ties.
She turned toward the weary Murong Jiu and said,
"You needn’t worry about Zhijin’s position as the Crown Prince. As long as I am here, no one will surpass him. He is the legitimate eldest son, and with me supporting him, you just need to manage the harem well, assist the Emperor in selecting concubines, and earn both merit and hardship. The Emperor will surely keep it in mind."
Murong Jiu maintained her obedient facade.
Since she couldn’t change Consort Dowager Qi’s views, she might as well let nature take its course, making unnecessary communication pointless.
After returning, Murong Jiu had a good sleep and finally felt less exhausted upon waking, her complexion also much improved.
"Has His Majesty come?"
Murong Jiu asked Chun Tao.
It was getting dark outside. Usually, at this time, Jun Yuyan would come over to dine with her.
Chun Tao said, "His Majesty sent someone to discreetly inform us that he was called away on some matter and that you needn’t wait to have dinner together. Hmph, this servant thinks it must be that Wang Yingluo who summoned His Majesty out of the palace, that bad woman, she’s really something!"
She and Hong Yi had spoken ill of Wang Yingluo behind her back countless times.
Now, the person they loathed the most was none other than Wang Yingluo.
Murong Jiu chuckled lightly, "Why get so angry? His Majesty is insightful and didn’t really go there eagerly."
"Now the whole palace is in the dark. The words Consort Dowager Qi said today were truly humiliating. You and His Majesty have such deep affection, yet she has you selecting concubines for His Majesty! Consort Dowager Qi is a woman herself, but thinks like those backward men, as if her brain were wrapped in foot-binding cloths!"
Chun Tao’s tongue was indeed getting sharper.
Murong Jiu flicked her forehead lightly and said, "You, be careful. If one day you let something slip in front of the person in question, and I’m not by your side, you will suffer for sure."
Chun Tao covered her mouth and laughed, "This servant would never speak recklessly in front of others. Don’t worry."
Having said that, she looked a bit upset:
"This servant is disgusted with those servants who flatter others. You rarely go out so you don’t know, but Hong Yi and I used to have so many people fawning over us. Whether we went to the Imperial Kitchen or somewhere else, people came up to greet us. Now, many of those same people won’t even acknowledge a call and give us a cold shoulder or sneer. Although this servant isn’t vain, it’s truly vexing." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"Alright, Chun Tao, why bother mentioning these to Her Majesty. Once Wang Yingluo falls, these people will naturally realize who the true master is," Hong Yi said, entering with a jug of water.
"This servant doesn’t want to dwell on it, but it’s because those people think you, Her Majesty, have fallen out of favor and can’t rise again, so they’ve become brazen. Their true faces are just too ugly to look at. The other day, I saw the Imperial Kitchen preparing many exquisite dishes to send to Wang Yingluo, while here, they have become increasingly perfunctory towards Your Majesty."
Chun Tao pouted, her lips pursed enough to hang an oil pot on.
Murong Jiu said, "Just change a few imperial chefs, I’ve grown tired of their cooking anyway."
She couldn’t completely hide herself, pretend she didn’t exist. She herself didn’t mind, but for Hong Yi and Chun Tao, who followed her, she didn’t want them to suffer any grievances.
Moreover, if even the palace maids by her side were treated with such coldness, she wondered what kind of treatment the wet nurses and palace maids around Zhijin and Zhiyu were facing.
The palace was filled with numerous personnel, and it was hard to guarantee that none harbored ulterior motives.
If she remained silent all this time, these people would sooner or later start stepping on her head.
Changing the imperial chefs was a trivial matter; now that she was in charge of the Phoenix Seal of the palace, it was just a matter of her word. Say the word, and the change would be immediate, with countless people vying for a chance to come in.
The next day, when Wang Yingluo returned to the palace, she noticed that the food was not as lavish as before.
She had merely said she wanted to try something different, and countless precious ingredients had been delivered to her.
Now, the food was not bad, something she could not have afforded in her previous life, but compared to before, it was a stark difference.
She frowned and said to the palace maid beside her,
"Have the imperial kitchen prepare a few more dishes with bird’s nest and shark’s fin. This lady is overly exhausted from duties outside the palace and needs to nourish her body."
Having grown accustomed to exquisite delicacies, she now found these unimpressive.
She also believed that she had worked hard enough these past days to deserve rewarding herself.
At the same time, she suspected the Empress must have done something, which made the food not to her liking. If she were to swallow this affront, then everyone in the palace would think she was easy to bully.
"This servant will go now."
It wasn’t long before the palace maid returned and reported, "Mistress, the imperial kitchen says that everything in the palace is allocated by portion, and the precious ingredients you received recently exceeded your portion. Moreover..."
"Moreover what?"
"Moreover, you lack a proper title, they don’t know what standard to use for you, even if it is by the Noble Consort’s standard, what you’ve used before has already exceeded it."
Wang Yingluo’s face darkened.
No proper title? Was this a mockery of her?
Noble Consort? She looked down on a mere Noble Consort!
What she wanted was to be the Empress!
"It must have been the Empress’s doing. Everything was fine before, but today it changed, it’s clearly targeting me, isn’t it?" she scoffed.
She thought to herself that Murong Jiu was not conflict-averse. Now that she had started these petty moves, it indicated that her opponent was in a panic.
She wasn’t afraid of Murong Jiu fighting for position; rather, she was afraid she would not fight, not vie, and consequently captivate Yu Yan’s heart. Now these petty actions would likely make Yu Yan loathe her even more.
She said, "Forget it, Her Majesty the Empress is sick, how can this lady argue with her? After all is said and done, it’s just because this lady has no name, no title, and is therefore subject to everyone’s disdain."
She didn’t need to act on her own; with Yu Yan’s affection for her, all she needed to do was to show a little grievance, and Yu Yan would help her.
"Bring a bowl of plain congee. From today on, this lady shall have congee!"
