A boring tale 12 - Tea Session

After that incident, the Emperor visited Imperial Consort Lan daily. Although sometimes Imperial Consort Su managed to steal a night or two with the Emperor, he is with Imperial Consort Lan most of the time. Every single woman in the harem knew that the winds have changed to Imperial Consort Lan's favor and it was most likely that she will be pregnant soon enough and that fact is grating on the high-ranking consorts' nerves.

"Mistress!" One of the maidservants cried out as she tried to stop her mistress from destroying everything in the inner chambers of the Fragrant Palace.

The owner of the Fragrant Palace, Imperial Consort Su, glared at the maidservant and pushed her away before she swiped her hands across the makeup table. The maidservant watched in dismay as her mistress continued her tantrum. There is no helping it as she knew the exact reason why her mistress is acting this way.

Imperial Consort Lan has been dominating the Emperor's affection and time recently that even if Imperial Consort Su visits him, she would get turned away without a single glance. This has never happened to the pampered princess before and it drove her mad with jealousy. The only time that the Emperor visits her is when Imperial Consort Lan kicked the Emperor out of her Cloud Palace because the Emperor annoyed her that pissed her off. In the entire harem, only Imperial Consort Lan dared to treat the Emperor this way without getting her head chopped off. Even then, the Emperor is always thinking of her when he was pulled into the Fragrant Palace in the presence of Imperial Consort Su. This made her even angrier at Imperial Consort Lan.

Someone who was not favored the slightest from the day she entered the harem is now the Emperor's most beloved in just a few days after promotion? What tricks did she use? Imperial Consort Su bit her handkerchief with a discontented expression on her face.

Seeing that her mistress has finally calmed down, the maidservant went about cleaning the mess her mistress had made with a heavy heart.

There is also another reason why Imperial Consort Su was thrashing around in her palace today. Today is the day that Imperial Consort Lan visits the Empress Dowager for tea with the Second Princess and the Fourth Princess. Out of all the princesses the previous Emperor had, these two princesses are the most precious and beloved by the Empress Dowager because they are her biological daughters. The other princesses were married to other countries for truces or to gain political advantages while these two princesses were protected by their Imperial Mother from such tragic fates.

As they are the biological sisters of the current Emperor, many people had tried to seek their hand in marriage or to curry their favor but all of them failed because they are not innocent naive little lambs. Being raised by the Empress Dowager from young, they are exceptionally sharp and cunning as their Imperial Mother was. They also enjoy a close relationship with their brother which is one of the main reasons why many people wish to get close to them. None of the women from the harem had gotten close with that pair of sisters and for the Empress Dowager to ask Imperial Consort Lan to a tea session with them is a chance for her to get into their good graces.

Imperial Consort Lan stepped into the Empress Dowager's garden dressed in a pale blue and white dress that complimented her pale skin. She greeted the Empress Dowager and the two princesses that were seated along with their Imperial Mother gracefully as she was taught from young before she sat down with them.

The Second Princess, her Highness Princess Yue, has a more cheerful personality compared to her younger sister. She gave Imperial Consort Lan a warm smile before offering her some tea and pastry as she engaged her in idle chatter.

The Fourth Princess, her Highness Princess Yu, has a calmer personality. She sits there without a word other than a nod of acknowledgment, sipping her tea as she eyed Imperial Consort Lan with mild interest.

"I recently received some good tea and wanted to try it with Imperial Mother." Princess Yu finally spoke during the lull of Imperial Consort Lan and her sister's conversation.

"This Imperial Mother is touched by your thoughtful heart, " the Empress Dowager smiled at her daughter's filial heart. The light in her eyes softened a tad as she faced her darling daughter.

"This is what this Daughter should do." Princess Yu did not show any change in her expression as she signaled her maidservant who bought up a tray of a delicate tea set.

Pouring the tea into the dainty cups, the maidservant handed out the teacups. Imperial Consort Lan held the cup near her nose and gently took a whiff of the steam before breaking out into a small smile.

"Chamomile, how calming." Princess Yu nodded at her words in agreement.

"As expected of Imperial Consort Lan. To be able to identify the tea by smell, you are indeed a child of the Lan house."

"This Consort thanks Princess Yu for her praise. However, this Consort would like to caution your Highness for drinking this tea too often as it has certain side effects." Princess Yu tilted her head to the side.

"I did not hear anything about side effects when I received this tea," Princess Yu frowned a little as she recalled nothing.

"It is not known to many that drinking this tea too often will cause intense vomiting or allergic reactions." Imperial Consort Lan's answer caught the attention of the ladies.

"Vomiting, you said?" Princess Yue asked in an unsure tone.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Sister, who gave you this tea?" Princess Yue glanced at her sister with a worried look on her face.

"The eldest daughter of the Fei household," Princess Yu replied in a confused tone.

Eldest Young Miss Fei is known to be a good friend of the Imperial Princess Yu. They had been friends since childhood and are extremely close. It could be that Young Miss Fei is not aware of the side effects? Not many people know them after all. Princess Yu did not doubt her childhood friend at all and immediately jumped to the conclusion that her friend was unaware.

Ignorance is not a sin.

"Young Miss Fei must have not known about the side effects. Sister, you should inform her immediately so that she does not consume too much of this tea." Princess Yue is familiar with Young Miss Fei as well. Recalling her innocent and cheerful face, she also discarded the thought that it might be her friend scheming against her.

"Yes, I should. Pass along a message to the Fei residence." Princess Yu was about to call for a servant when Imperial Consort Lan stopped her.

"I would caution against that. Things might not be as simple as what you think, Your Highness." Imperial Consort Lan's eyes were narrowed as she frowned in distaste.

"What are you trying to imply, Imperial Consort Lan?" Princess Yu's words were sharp and unforgiving.

"What this Consort is saying is that Young Miss Fei knows about these side effects and gave them to you with malicious intentions." Imperial Consort Lan told her with a calm expression.

"Imprudent, how dare you insult Fei Qing. This Princess grew up with her and is familiar with her character. Imperial Consort Lan had never met with her and is accusing her of trying to poison me?" Princess Yu snapped as she stood up in anger. Turning to her Imperial Mother, she asked.

"Imperial Mother, I-"

The Empress Dowager held up a hand to stop her daughter, her eyes mirthful as she glanced at Imperial Consort Lan.

"Imperial Consort Lan seems to be confident, where is the proof?" Empress Dowager knew that Imperial Consort Lan is a smart person and would not intentionally sour her relationship with the princesses. There has to be something that she knows and they do not and it must have come from a credible source for her to say it out in front of them.

"This Consort does not personally know Young Miss Fei but her father, Lord Fei is good friends with my father. The Fei household is one of our regular customers and would frequently purchase from us. Sometimes Lord Fei would drop by our house and they would chat over tea. This Consort happened to eavesdrop on one of their conversations which is why this Consort is confident of what I had just said about Young Miss Fei."

Back when she was younger and wilder, she would always run away from her servants with Xue and hide out of sight, eavesdropping on what the adults would say. This is the only way she can know about what is happening outside of the Lan Mansion. Although frustrating, it was all that she could do at that time.

"You wouldn't believe what my eldest daughter did recently," Lord Fei held his head in his hands with a troubled expression on his face.

"Your eldest daughter, Fei Qin?" Lord Lan asked his friend as he offered some tea.

Everyone knows that the tea leaves from the Lan household are all extremely delicious and have good health benefits. Taking the tea with both hands gratefully, Lord Fei sighed as he complained to his friend.

"She was recently found out to be abusing the servants for very minor mistakes and her mother was hiding all of that from me," Lord Fei frowned as he recalled what happened a few days ago.

Everyone knows that eldest young miss Fei Qing is an innocent and cheerful lady but behind that facade, she is extremely sadistic and willful. What she wants, she will always get. Her family has a high standing in the capital and as the daughter of the main wife, she is pampered from young. Even Princess Yu and Princess Yue are her good friends, her backing is as high as a mountain and nobody dares to offend her.

There is no need to worry though because she is a kind lady that does good deeds to help the common people when they are in need. In one of the harsh winters, she and the princesses bought along their friends to set up stalls around the capital to hand out some congee and hot soup to the commoners for free. Everyone believed her to be a good person and the people on the streets spread her good name.

That is the Young Miss Fei that everyone knows and what her father, Lord Fei thought she was as well. Until a few days ago, he went over to her courtyard with a gift to surprise her for her upcoming birthday and chanced upon a horrible scene that broke his illusions.

The air was heavy when he entered the courtyard and everyone exchanged glances as they hurried about their work. Lord Fei approached one of the servants and asked what is happening in his daughter's courtyard but the servant was tightlipped. The servant dropped to her knees and bowed for forgiveness saying that the eldest young miss forbade them from saying anything to anyone.

Feeling that something is not right, Lord Fei was about to barge into his daughter's room when the door was pushed open by itself from the inside. Lord Fei widened his eyes at the scene before him.

A male servant laid on the ground as he foamed in his mouth. He was spasming on the ground uncontrollably, clenching his chest with a pained expression on his face. However, he could not make a single sound due to the cloth stuffed in his mouth which soaked up some of the foam. It was a disgusting sight. The man had his upper body bare but it was marred with scars. Whip scars to be exact and when Lord Fei looked up at his daughter who stood before the man, he almost fainted from the blood that was rushing up his head.

The eldest young miss was holding a whip in her hands. The whip was soaked with blood, most likely the servant's blood, with a shocked expression as she saw who intruded into her room. Dropping the whip, she stammered.

"Father... Why are you-"

"Master, please save this servant." Lord Fei glanced down at the source of the voice and saw a female servant lying at his feet. It must have been her who pushed the door when she tried to escape. Her entire clothes were torn into shreds and she was in a pitiful state as well. Her body was also marred with whip scars and Lord Fei could see that some of the wounds were infected. Upon further inspection, it seems like they were rubbed with some powder. It was a hideous sight for Lord Fei.

Immediately, he isolated his daughter and sought medical help for the two servants. The male servant was beyond saving as he was heavily poisoned. The female servant managed to survive but her body will forever be disfigured. Lord Fei was distraught. His precious daughter turned out to be such an evil creature. When he called his main wife to ask her about this, it seemed like his main wife had discovered this earlier but did not stop her.

"It's just a few servants, why punish her over some slaves?" Lady Fei could not understand her husband for empathizing with slaves.

Lord Fei shook his head in response. It is not about the slaves, it is about his daughter's character. She is poisoning people and committing murder. For now, it might be slaves but once she married out, it might be other people and one day, she is going to land herself in big trouble. Furthermore, the doctor that treated the female servant's wounds came back saying that the powder that was rubbed on the wound is a sort of tea leaves grounded into a powder. When applied to a wound, it can cause festering. Lord Fei wanted to apologize to Lord Lan on behalf of his daughter for using his precious tea leaves in such a vile manner.

"Father, are you seriously grounding me for a few low lives?" Fei Qing barged into her parent's discussion abruptly, shocking Lord Fei and his wife.

"You- You were supposed to be-" Lord Fei could not even speak properly in his anger.

"Father, this daughter is just educating herself. In the future when I marry out, you wouldn't want to see your daughter getting bullied, do you? In the inner courtyard, it is either kill or be killed. This daughter is teaching herself so that next time I would not fall into anyone's scheme. I will manage my future husband's family better with this skill." Fei Qing convinced her father with a confident tone and her father could only shake his head weakly.

"Do not experiment on the servants, what do you think will happen if word gets out?" Lord Fei could not fault her logic. It was indeed as she said, the battles fought in the inner courtyard are vicious. If she is familiar with poison then at the very least, she would not be easily schemed against.

"Rest assured, Father. This daughter knows what she is doing," Fei Qing smirked as she exchanged secretive glances with her mother before excusing herself.

Returning to reality, Lord Fei shook his head again as he sips the tea made by his friend. Lord Lan is equally astounded at what he had just heard and understood his friend's anxiousness. After all, he has a daughter as well and when she marries out, he does not wish for her to be bullied either. However, to equip oneself with such skill and experimenting on the servants…

Lord Lan shook his head. He cannot imagine his dear daughter playing with lives this way. Even if they are servants, it is still a life.

"It has been hard on you, my friend." Lord Lan offered some comforting words and hoped that the situation will turn better for him.

After reciting her story, Imperial Consort Lan drank her tea to dampen her throat as she awaits her audience's reaction. The Empress Dowager's lips were thin as she contemplated what she had just heard.

Princess Yue seemed a little pale while Princess Yu shook her head. "Impossible, you must have remembered wrongly. Fei Qing is not such a person," Princess Yu glared at Imperial Consort Lan.

"Whether Your Highness believes me or not, it is up to you to decide. But the fact that the Fei household and the Lan household have a close relationship is known to everyone. Since Princess Yu believes in her friend so much that she will endanger the unborn baby inside your stomach then do you dare to make a bet with me, Your Highness?" Imperial Consort Lan gave an amused smile at the fuming princess.

"Unborn baby?" The Empress Dowager widened her eyes at Imperial Consort Lan before turning to her daughter.

"How do you know that I am pregnant? I only found out yesterday," Princess Yu asked suspiciously.

"I have dabbled in medicine during my free time and I am quite good at it. The way you caress your belly every few seconds, the way your eyes nervously looked at your Imperial Mother every few minutes and the way your eyes go soft the moment you glance at your belly. These signs made me notice that your dress is looser, the way you walk is more cautious and also, how your maidservant tenses up every time you make a move." Imperial Consort Lan glanced at the maidservant behind Princess Yu and gave a smile.

"Princess Yu should be around a few weeks pregnant so even if she does fall, there is no danger. The baby is too small for any mishap to happen," the maidservant blushed a little but thanked Imperial Consort Lan for the advice. It was exactly what the Imperial Physician said yesterday when he diagnosed the pregnancy.

"You are good with medicine," Princess Yue exclaimed in wonder. It was not a question, it was a statement. She was present when the Imperial Physician said the same words to her sister and so she knows what Imperial Consort Lan just said was not nonsense.

"What are we betting on?" Princess Yu asked with a hard face.

"Since Princess trusts her friend this much then we shall bet on that trust. If it turns out that Young Miss Fei is innocent, this Consort shall kowtow to both Princess Yu and Young Miss Fei as an apology along with 50 slaps on my face." Imperial Consort Lan explained.

"50 slaps?" Princess Yu widened her eyes a little at the extreme punishment before she composed herself. "And what if this Princess loses?"

"Nothing, this Consort only wish Your Highness's and the baby's safety. There is nothing this Consort wants in return," Imperial Consort Lan told her.

"So how shall we test it?" Princess Yue asked excitedly. Imperial Consort Lan seemed so confident that somehow, she feels like believing her. After all, she is an Imperial Princess raised by her Imperial Mother. To say that she trusts Fei Qing would be a lie. There have been times where she does not agree with Fei Qing's methods in dealing with matters and the way her eyes turned dark made Princess Yue wary of her. Her sister may have not noticed but she has and if this little bet can open her sister's eyes, then she will have to thank Imperial Consort Lan for that.

"Easy. So what we will do is…" Imperial Consort Lan lowered her volume as she explained her plan to the three women before her. After hearing her plan, the Empress Dowager gave an approving smile. Princess Yu was a little uncomfortable but agreed to go along with her. Either way, she does not lose anything. Princess Yue grinned as she cannot wait for the show to start. It is going to be so much fun!