The fleeting glimpse she had captured was indeed impressive: the little emperor had the tender and cool look of fresh, young meat. What a pity, he was not her type.
Pathetically, the spot where she was kneeling was right on a stone-paved path. If she had to kneel there until nightfall, she might well give up on her legs.
She did not know if the Empress Dowager would come to her rescue. Anyway, her aversion to this place only grew deeper. Had she known this would happen, she would never have come out.
Indeed, where there are humans, there is strife. How many hours had she been out before she already went through being scolded and punished?
The brat was young, but he had quite the temper. She wondered how much of imperial power tactics he knew, but his skills in punishing others were frighteningly adept.
What sort of place was the Imperial Garden? It was teeming with watchers; anyone with a bit of wit could spread the news.
The Emperor’s rare visit to the harem brought joy to no one more than the concubines. They all intended to come and enjoy the spectacle, but with the Emperor present, naturally, it was more important to curry favor with him. As for the Empress of Yikun Palace, let her kneel as long as she liked; without the Emperor’s permission, she couldn’t hope to rise.
Upon learning of the situation, the Empress Dowager immediately sent someone to summon the Empress, only to be met with a "kind" reminder from Nanny Liu.
"Empress Dowager," she warned. "Your favoritism towards the Empress has exceeded the limits. These women of the harem gossip nonsense whenever they are idle, with far too much speculation. I believe the Emperor has his own reasons; we cannot bypass him and openly disregard his face. Perhaps we should wait? It might also serve to curb the Empress’s arrogance. After all, no matter how young, she is the only master of this harem."
Just like that, Nanny Liu’s words managed to persuade the Empress Dowager, leaving Yuan Yuan with no one to save her. Yuan Yuan had been stoically kneeling straight, but the multitude of stones on the path soon became unbearable. She longed to collapse on the ground and rest, but the moment she stirred, a figure clad in black appeared and commanded coldly, "Please kneel properly, Empress."
Humiliated, Yuan Yuan obediently resumed her kneeling, resigned to the unyielding posture. Her mind filled with curses, not just towards this wretched society, but she spared Ning Xu no mercy as her insults ran the gamut.
Isn’t there a saying that when you are down on your luck, even drinking water can get stuck between your teeth? Though water didn’t get stuck in her teeth, she seemed to have attracted dark clouds. Soon after, the weather turned, thunder rumbled, and, without warning, a torrential downpour ensued. Yuan Yuan looked up, and as the large raindrops plastered her face, she spewed out a bitter curse, "Brat, I will remember today’s grudge!"
Yuan Yuan’s body was both clumsy and heavy, and having just undergone a three-day detoxification, she was far from recovered. Drenched by the rain, her strength failed her, and she fainted on the wet ground.
The palace maids and eunuchs immediately panicked, wanting to carry their Lady back, but the appearance of the black-clad figure barred their way.
"No," he stated firmly. "Without the Emperor’s decree, you go nowhere. Defy this, and you will be summarily executed!"
Poor Yuan Yuan lay in the rain-soaked ground, through the passing shower, into the dark of night, until midnight when she was burning up with a cold. Still, the Emperor’s orders did not come. It was ultimately the Empress Dowager who could not hold back any longer and had her carried back to Yikun Palace.
Her illness lingered for over half a month, a combination of a cold and a cough so severe she nearly hacked out her lungs. Various murky and bitter medicinal concoctions were her only solace; besides deeply acknowledging the heartless nature of emperors, she found her resolve to leave only strengthened.