The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant

Ever since Lin Qing was recommended to enter the palace to perform acupuncture and nurse the Empress Dowager’s phoenix body back to health, she would occasionally be summoned into the palace, and by the logic of loving the house and its crow, Empress Dowager Wang also favored her a little.

Thus, Lin Qing had recently been entering the palace more often than Song Ci, this old and feeble one.

”The Empress Dowager is quite all right, only now that summer has set in, her appetite is a bit poorer, though it’s nothing serious. Her body still needs careful conditioning, after all, it has suffered damage.” Lin Qing said this somewhat tactfully.

But Song Ci understood perfectly well what that damage was from—naturally it was that radiation incident.

A body that has been exposed to radiation, and is elderly on top of that—no matter how nicely you dress it up, it’s still just talk.

”You must be conscientious.” Song Ci paused, lowered her voice a little, and said, ”But the palace is full of filth. You must also take care of yourself; don’t make yourself too conspicuous or stand out lightly, lest you fall into someone else’s trap.”

Lin Qing felt a warmth in her heart. ”Rest assured. The Empress Dowager also asked me to convey her regards to you.”

Song Ci said lazily, ”Good. If she is well, naturally I am well too.”

After all, Empress Dowager Wang was her strongest backing.

Lin Qing went on, ”When I entered the palace this time, the Empress Dowager’s palace was quite lively. Besides some concubines bringing a few new young ladies, the princesses also brought their children into the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.”

Song Ci raised an eyebrow. ”The princesses?”

Lin Qing nodded.

Song Ci curled her lip. ”As for these visits of respect, the host’s real intent lies not in the wine. I’m afraid it’s all to gain favor in front of Her Ladyship.”

Lin Qing only smiled and did not speak.

Now the calls in court to establish a crown prince had never ceased, and were instead growing louder. The princes were battling it out in the court, trading blows without end, and the princesses were doing much the same in the harem and the noblewomen’s inner courtyards. All manner of currying favor and forming alliances were merely to add a few more bricks to their own odds of winning.

Song Ci looked toward Nanny Gong and asked, ”I suppose our eldest daughter-in-law has received no small number of invitations to various flower-viewings, tea tastings, and poetry gatherings?”

Nanny Gong smiled and nodded. ”From the start of summer till now, it has hardly stopped. But Madam, thinking of Second Young Madam’s health, declines whatever can be declined, and only attends when it truly cannot be refused.”

”We’re just about the only household in the Prime Minister’s Mansion that hasn’t hosted a banquet.” Song Ci smiled faintly.

Nanny Gong said, ”If we were to host one, I fear that for every invitation we sent, they would come ten out of ten, and there might even be those who show up uninvited.”

With Prime Minister Fan in mourning, the Prime Minister’s Mansion now stood alone in dominance, and at such a critical juncture in the matter of establishing the heir apparent, there were naturally countless people wishing to cozy up and form ties with the Prime Minister’s Mansion. Relationships—once you keep climbing, you eventually climb your way up.

”Common folks run about and toil for nothing more than a couple taels of broken silver; now these Madams and young Madams are running about instead for those two characters: power and influence.” Song Ci said with some mockery, ”The saying that ’all under heaven bustle about for profit’ really isn’t wrong at all.”

Nanny Gong feigned a scold. ”Just listen to yourself. Enjoy the scenery if you’re going to enjoy the scenery; why bother worrying about these matters again?”

Song Ci took a sip of tea and looked out of the pavilion. She could see the heat rising from the ground in wavering waves; the hot air rolled in bursts, and she couldn’t help but frown. ”The heat has come far too early this year.”

Nanny Gong and Lin Qing followed her gaze and also saw those layers of heat waves. ”Indeed. Let’s hope it doesn’t stay hot without rain, or else the fields and crops will likely be facing drought again.”

Song Ci’s brow twitched. If disaster broke out at this time, there would surely be people using the Emperor’s virtue as an excuse to speak out. After all, since the beginning of the year the Emperor had ordered quite a few heads to roll. Some people, when misfortune befalls them and they have nowhere else to lay the blame, simply complain about the one on the throne, believing that it is because the Emperor rules too harshly that Heaven has been provoked into displeasure.