After the Empress Dowager greeted the two Imperial Princes, she smiled before addressing Lin Nianzhi who was standing aside, “It’s only been a year since I last saw you, but you already seem so much quieter than before. Your complexion doesn’t look that great, however. Are you ill?”
Lin Nianzhi raised her head to glance at her Imperial Grandmother, but she quickly lowered it and said, “Thank Imperial Grandmother for your concern. This granddaughter just hasn’t been resting well recently, but it is not a big deal.”
The Empress Dowager spoke with intent, “Not resting well is no small matter. Consort Hui, you should be more attentive towards the well-being of your daughter. I’ll send an imperial doctor over after this to get her checked up and prescribe some medicine that will calm her nerves and aid her sleep.”
Consort Hui gave an affirmative response politely.
Among the previous four Consorts, the Empress Dowager liked Consort Hui the most. The first reason was because she was the first one in the harem who gave birth to a royal child of the Emperor. Although she was a princess, she was still very likeable. Secondly, the Empress Dowager admired Consort Hui’s indisputable calmness and low-key temperament. She thought that if there were more women in the harem who had Consort Hui’s attitude, the situation in the harem would have turned out a lot more peaceful.
When Consort Xian and Consort Shu excused themselves and left, the Empress Dowager ushered Consort Hui to stay behind.
As soon as Consort Hui sat down, her eyes were a little red as she said in a warm voice, “You should return to the palace more frequently. Mount Wutai is too deserted— no one is there to accompany you.”
The Empress Dowager sat in a cross-legged position on the cushion with a long blanket draped over her legs. As her hands held the Buddhist beaded bracelet, she smiled and replied, “I’m getting old. These days, I love to be in a place of peace and quiet; staying any longer in the palace just makes me anxious and annoyed.”
After exchanging a few more words of pleasantries, the Empress Dowager asked, “The Emperor doesn’t really visit you still, does he?”
Consort Hui looked down and smiled lightly, “His Majesty has been rather busy with political affairs. Hence, he didn’t visit the harem very often throughout the year either. However, he does come over once a month.”
The Empress Dowager said, “That’s not too bad. Although Nianzhi is a princess, she is said to be caring and her attitude is much better compared to that of the 4th Imperial Prince. You should help out sometimes since you entered the East palace early and even spent a few years by His Majesty’s side.”
Consort Hui nodded.
She was aware that the Empress Dowager adored her all this time. That was why she never overstepped the boundaries and selectively spoke of sweet words that were pleasing to the ears.
The Empress Dowager suddenly asked, “Have you seen the Fifth Princess before?”
Consort Hui was taken aback but she nodded, “Yes, I have. The Fifth Princess has a good relationship with Nianzhi and often comes to my palace,” Before the Empress Dowager could say anything else, she smiled and said, “The Fifth Princess always sends items to the Yaohua Palace— mostly all sorts of hand cream and scent sachets. Nianzhi elatedly received the gifts from her sister, so she also gave her a golden jade brocade. The sibling bond between the two sisters runs deep, after all.”
She phrased this wonderfully, but the Empress Dowager could hear the hidden meaning behind it.
The Fifth Princess only gave away small trinkets and items of worthless value.
But Lin Nianzhi in return, showered her with precious items.
It was inevitable for her to suspect that one party was taking advantage of the other.