Lin Wanyi was enjoying a truly lazy stretch of time.
There was no need to rise early to pay respects, nor could she even get out of bed to eat. Chunqi and Xia An had her firmly "detained" under the quilt like a piece of decorative waste.
If the task at hand hadn't been assigned by the Emperor himself, they might as well have raised Lin Wanyi like a pampered pig.
Eat, sleep, sleep, eat—such was the rhythm of her days.
With time so free, it was no surprise that the pajamas were sewn in record speed. Lin Wanyi finished well before the three-day deadline.
Unfolding the unique garment and examining it, Lin Wanyi was quite pleased with her own handiwork.
Xiao Luzi, who had never seen her embroidery before, was full of praise.
"My Lady, even the best embroiderers in the palace couldn't hold a candle to you!"
Chunqi, more familiar with Lin Wanyi's talents, wasn't as surprised, but she still smiled.
"My Lady, I can't seem to embroider the center of the green plum blossom on my handkerchief properly. Why don't you try it?"
Her eyes sparkled with expectation.
Since she had nothing else to do, Lin Wanyi told her to bring it over.
It was only a handkerchief. With a few casual strokes of the needle, the green plum blossom seemed to bloom off the fabric—vivid and lifelike.
"It's alive—it's really alive!" Xiao Luzi exclaimed in wonder.
His naïve expression made both Lin Wanyi and her maids burst into laughter.
While joy and laughter filled the left hall, the back hall was cloaked in oppressive silence.
Yue Jian and the others knelt on the floor, trembling in fear, not daring to speak for fear of provoking their mistress's wrath.
Shards of porcelain were scattered before Concubine Chu, and Yue Bai—who had been closest when the tea was flung—now bore a scalded, red arm. She clenched her jaw and bit back the pain, not daring to make a sound.
"Hmph! That vixen! Seducing His Majesty with that face of hers. She dares act so arrogantly the moment she enters the palace? Does she think she can do whatever she wants? Does she take the rest of us for fools?"
There was no need to ask who Concubine Chu was cursing—anyone with eyes could tell.
Though they lived under the same roof, Concubine Chu couldn't compete with Lin Wanyi.
At first, she had simply looked down on her. But she was then suppressed by Consort Yi, and later covertly confined by Consort Lin, leaving her completely sidelined. Now, with news that Lin Wanyi had accompanied the Emperor, she could no longer remain still.
Why should someone who entered the palace later than her already enjoy His Majesty's favor?
In the end, it all came down to that face, and the Lin family standing behind it.
What irked her even more was Lin Wanyi's constant air of aloof detachment, as if none of it mattered. That indifference enraged Concubine Chu the most.
She had made up her mind—Lin Wanyi needed to be put in her place.
With that thought, she stood up and smiled coldly.
"Since I entered the palace, I've never properly greeted the two sisters in the side halls. Today seems like a fine day to pay them a visit."
Yue Jian dared not stop her. She simply exchanged a quick glance with Yue Bai and nodded. Then she stepped forward to murmur respectfully.
"My Lady, Yue Bai's clothes are soaked. It may be inappropriate for her to accompany you in this state. Why not allow her to return and change, and let me and Yue Pei accompany you instead?"
Concubine Chu barely glanced at her. "She's just a maid. Fine. But next time you're so clumsy on duty, you'll pay for it."
Yue Bai, called out by name, swallowed her pain and grievance, bowing low.
"Thank you, My Lady. Thank you."
Concubine Chu frowned, casting another impatient glance at Yue Bai before turning on her heel. "Let's go. Time to pay our visit."
"Yes, My Lady."
Only after Concubine Chu and her entourage were far gone did Yue Bai finally relax her tense posture.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she lifted her sleeve with great effort. A large portion of her arm was red and swollen, with several spots beginning to blister.
This would surely leave scars.
But Yue Bai dared not cry out in pain. She had grown up by her mistress's side—being beaten, scolded, and punished were common occurrences. She wasn't even sure she'd live long enough to leave the palace. Even if she could… who would release her?
There is no greater sorrow than a heart that has died.
She could only sit on the ground and weep silently as the mess around her reflected her despair.
The moon gate between the side hall and the back hall had always remained shut. Concubine Chu, arriving unannounced, found herself blocked at the gate.
Her fury erupted.
"Knock!" she ordered, seething. "Who does she think she is—locking the moon gate without permission? Does she take me for nothing?!"
Strictly speaking, with her current rank, Concubine Chu had no right to refer to herself as "this palace"—a title reserved for noble consorts and above.
But now, to assert authority, she repeatedly used it. The attendants dared not correct her.
In truth, the moon gate wasn't locked—just latched. Naturally, it couldn't withstand the force of her frustration.
It burst open within seconds.
Hearing the commotion, Xiao Luzi immediately set down the bonsai he was tending and rushed out, only to be met by a vicious kick to the chest from Concubine Chu, sending him crashing to the floor.
"Where did this dog servant come from? How dare you block my path!"
Before he could even cry out, she stepped on his chest and crushed him beneath her heel.
"My Lady… My Lady…" Xiao Luzi gasped, struggling to speak.
But Concubine Chu wasn't done. She kicked him again in the back.
A former martial artist, she knew exactly where to strike for maximum pain.
After two brutal blows, Xiao Luzi could no longer rise. He crawled along the corridor, groaning, his limbs weak with pain.
Inside, Lin Wanyi had been napping when she was half-woken by the noise outside.
Xia An had just stepped out from the inner room when she caught sight of Concubine Chu approaching, clearly with ill intentions.
Steeling herself, she moved forward.
"I didn't know My Lady was coming. Please forgive our lack of preparation."
"Oh?" Concubine Chu sneered. "Lady Lin is truly haughty. She sends out a mere maid to greet me. Does she think I'm beneath her?"
Her voice rang clearly into the inner room, loud enough for Lin Wanyi to hear even in her half-sleep. Chunqi, who had been busy in the small kitchen, heard it as well.
She immediately put down her work and hurried out, only to find Xia An kneeling, and a noble lady standing there, her manner proud and imposing.
Chunqi frowned and quickly stepped forward.
"I pay my respects to My Lady."
"Another maid?" Concubine Chu scoffed. "So this is what the left hall has become—nothing but a nest of servants?"
Her words, full of sarcasm, deliberately twisted the truth—portraying Lin Wanyi as evasive and disrespectful.