As Aunt Wang used to gripe, life in the harem was dreary and boring, and whether one could survive within the palace walls or not depended entirely on oneself.
Fortunately, Noble Lady Rong and Noble Lady Hui weren't idiots. They knew better than to take after Consort Zhao's ingratiating manner—this would only serve to annoy the Emperor and drive him away.
Xuanye finally had some free time after the imperial court meeting which lasted all morning. Indeed, the excitement of gaining a new, favored concubine had not been enough to dilute his enthusiasm for the political court. However, the moment he stepped into the back palaces, he thought of Lanqi immediately. The fatigue vanished from his body instantly, and he ordered Head Eunuch Li to get Lanqi to come along with him to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
Head Eunuch Li smiled and said, "She could hardly wait till you ended the meeting with the Imperial Court today, Your Majesty. It's already noon now, and First-Class Female Attendant Wu has already made her way to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility a while ago. I'm sure they'll be having lunch there soon."
Xuanye looked delighted. Jumping into the palanquin, he declared, "Well, let's go there quickly! I'm hungry, too."
The chariot pulled up at the gates of the palace after a short while. As Head Eunuch Li had guessed, lunch had already been served. When Xuanye stepped in through the door, he immediately noticed Lanqi and Aunt Sumala setting the table for lunch. He smiled surreptitiously at her before heading straight for the Grand Empress Dowager.
Lanqi had caught Xuanye's eye, and her face turned red from embarrassment immediately. Aunt Sumala felt very pleased, but she lowered her voice to warn Lanqi, "Don't do that in front of the Grand Empress Dowager, alright? She'll think you're too undependable."
"Thanks for your advice, Aunt Sumala." Lanqi bowed her head guiltily and replied. She quickly busied herself with laying out the plates and chopsticks again.
A while later, Xuanye helped the Grand Empress Dowager to the main hall. Aunt Sumala went and took her arm. "The Empress Dowager sends you her greetings. She ate too much for supper yesterday and felt extremely bloated, and the doctor ordered her not to eat for the rest of today. Hence, she won't be coming over for lunch."
The Grand Empress Dowager sent one of her palace maids to pay the Empress Dowager a visit before telling the Emperor to join them for lunch. When she saw Lanqi standing quietly behind Aunt Sumala, she couldn't help but note how steady and unreliable Lanqi looked despite her young age.
Noticing that the Emperor was staring at Lanqi, the Grand Empress Dowager laughed and said, "Let the First-Class Female Attendant sit down beside the Emperor. If he continues looking at her like this, will he be able to eat at all?"
Aunt Sumala took the bowl from Lanqi's hand and sat her down next to the Emperor. She smiled and said, "I told First-Class Female Attendant Wu to rest for a bit, but she absolutely refused! She wanted to serve the both of you, too."
As Lanqi settled down next to him, Xuanye felt a rush of warmth in his heart. Cheerfully, he said, "Don't stand on ceremony. The Grand Empress Dowager is kind and benevolent."
However, the Grand Empress Dowager replied blandly, "Yes, and you decided to take advantage of that, didn't you? You've been stirring up quite a lot of trouble for me recently."
Xuanye knew at once what she was talking about. His face clouding over, he said in a low voice, "I understand where you're coming from, Grandmother. I won't let them continue fooling around like this."
As it turned out, the officials in the imperial court had been pressuring the Grand Empress Dowager recently, hoping that she could influence Xuanye to select a new Empress soon. This had caused a huge stir in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. After yesterday's incident at the feast, the Niohuru clan had been complaining about the lack of respect shown to their clansmen.
Lanqi understood little about the political court, but she knew that she had offended the Palace of Earthly Honor, and she was bound to pay the price for it. She shivered as she wondered how she and First-Class Female Attendant Bu were going to survive in the palace in the future.
"Let's not talk about these matters during lunchtime! Mistress, look how well First-Class Female Attendant Wu has plated those dishes! I'm afraid they might turn cold soon if we keep talking like this."
Aunt Sumala changed the topic hastily and sent the palace maids and eunuchs to deliver the dishes. Thankfully, this dispelled the unhappiness at the dining table a little, and the rest of lunch went uneventfully.
After lunch, the Grand Empress Dowager insisted on taking a walk. Xuanye helped her out to the courtyard, shooting a look at Lanqi to come forward and take her other hand. Lanqi froze instantaneously, but Aunt Sumala gave her a little push, and she hurried forward to take the Grand Empress Dowager's arm.
The older woman took her hand and gazed intently at her face. Then, she said kindly, "Serve the Emperor the same conscientious way you used to serve First-Class Female Attendant Bu. I don't care for girls who are ambitious and talented, but those who are thoughtful and kind will have my blessings."
Lanqi looked up at her, startled. The Grand Empress Dowager gazed back at her imperiously, but Lanqi wasn't afraid. She promised sincerely, "I'll take your words to heart, Your Highness."