Chapter 92 - 75: Offering a Clock (Part 2)
The women of the harem were delicate creatures, seeking only the imperial favor that would grant them security.
"Forget it. I see I’ve frightened you. It was just a casual question, so it’s fine if you can’t answer,"
Because of what Jiang Xian had said, he let Ma Wan Yi off lightly. "Leave the milk cakes here. I will eat them myself. You may leave."
Ma Wan Yi departed uneasily.
After she left, the Emperor began to grumble to Liang Yuyin, "Ma Wan Yi has been in the harem for ages. She’s skilled at fawning and currying favor, yet she can’t even manage to grind ink properly."
"In my opinion, Lady Wan Yi was likely just a bit overeager, having not seen Your Majesty for so long."
"The way I see it, she was hoping I would serve *her* instead!"
The Emperor snorted coldly, his mood worsening.
A moment later, he said, "What about Chen Daying from Yizhu Pavilion? Summon her."
’Mrs. Chen is an honest sort,’ he thought. ’Surely she won’t be single-mindedly trying to throw herself at me.’
Before long, Chen Daying arrived at Qiankun Palace.
She had, after all, learned her etiquette well in Chuxiu Palace. Jiang Xian had even had her review the rules again with a nanny. Thus, despite He Xiang’s worries that she might commit a faux pas before the Emperor, she made no mistakes up until the moment he bade her rise.
The Emperor saw that Chen Daying was dressed in a sky-blue palace dress. Other than some subtle tone-on-tone embroidery, it had no extra embellishments. The only flash of bright color on her person was an emerald green bracelet. The sight of her, so clean and fresh, improved his mood slightly. "Come and grind the ink."
The Emperor’s desk for handling official business was especially long. Chen Daying ground the ink at one end, then carefully carried the inkstone over to the Emperor’s side.
She ground the ink for quite a while. The Emperor glanced at the inkstone, which was filled to the point of overflowing, and felt a wave of exasperation.
"Who taught you to grind ink like this?"
Chen Daying blushed. "I am self-taught, Your Majesty. You flatter me."
"..."
’This woman can’t even tell praise from criticism.’
The Emperor set down his brush and asked her, "You went to Changle Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager today. What did you think?"
She was closer to Jiang Xian than anyone else in the harem. By singling her out, he was essentially giving Jiang Xian an opportunity to convey a message.
Chen Daying replied, "The decorations outside Changle Palace were a study in understated luxury—simple and elegant."
"I was asking about what happened *inside* Changle Palace," he reminded her.
He was surprised she knew enough to be evasive, but her attempt to change the subject was clumsy.
"Your Majesty," Chen Daying said, looking even more embarrassed. "My rank is too low. I could only stand outside the hall while paying my respects to the Empress Dowager. I’m completely unaware of what happened inside."
The Emperor remembered. She was still just a concubine. It had been a pointless question.
He couldn’t help but grow agitated, and he snapped right in front of Chen Daying, "Ma Wan Yi is careless, and Chen Daying is as dense as a block of wood! Can’t any of them do anything right? Liang Yuyin, you do it! How am I supposed to write with this ink!"
He gestured, and the ink almost sloshed out of the inkstone.
Liang Yuyin responded in alarm, stepping forward to swap out the inkstone and grind a fresh batch of ink.
Normally, when the Emperor was in a bad mood, the concubines were the ones who were supposed to defuse the situation.
Liang Yuyin glanced out of the corner of his eye at Chen Daying, who was just standing there like a post. She hadn’t said a single word; she really had come to the imperial court to act like a wooden doll. He shot frantic looks at her until she finally, belatedly, realized she was supposed to say something. ’But what should I say? I don’t even know the Emperor that well.’
After racking her brain, she could only think of one topic they had in common.
"Your Majesty..." Chen Daying began.
"Hm?"
The Emperor pinched the bridge of his nose, his displeasure evident.
"After Your Majesty left this morning, Noble Lady Gu kept talking about you with her palace maids."
"Oh?" His voice rose slightly.
The thunderclouds on his face parted for a moment, letting a ray of dawn peek through.
"She even summoned me to discuss how she could please Your Majesty next time and get back into your good graces."
The Emperor didn’t reply, but with each word she spoke, the storm clouds on his face completely scattered. "And here I thought she was so bold, pleading with me on behalf of another concubine. To think she was this frightened by it all afterward!"
His tone suggested regret, but inwardly he was delighted.
In reality, what had happened that morning was the complete opposite of what Chen Daying understood.
The only ones who were worked up were the palace maids of Yizhu Pavilion.
Jiang Xian herself had been perfectly composed; she’d only summoned Chen Daying because breakfast included some pastries she was fond of. It seemed her natural gifts—a sort of wild, unconventional emotional intelligence—had, by sheer luck, hit the mark perfectly with the Emperor, leaving Liang Yuyin utterly dumbfounded.
’Good heavens. So all it takes to placate the Emperor is to mention Noble Lady Gu over and over again!’
Watching the Emperor’s expression, Chen Daying couldn’t help but think that Sister Jiang’s name really worked like a charm.
It was like a Death Exemption Token, saving her skin.
Just then, a eunuch outside announced that someone had arrived from Yizhu Pavilion with an item that Noble Lady Gu wished to present to the Emperor.
"A gift for me?"
The Emperor shot a glare at Liang Yuyin. "What are you waiting for? Bring it in!"
Liang Yuyin hurriedly complied and went out, thinking to himself: ’Noble Lady Gu is a clever one. Yesterday she angered the Emperor, but today, instead of rushing to appease him, she sequesters herself in the small Buddha hall with the Noble Consort... and still has a gift waiting in the wings. Truly... ah, well. Let’s see what she’s sent. Seeing how worked up the Emperor is, even the most common trinket would be treated like a priceless treasure, displayed on his desk for daily admiration and remembrance.’
With such thoughts, Liang Yuyin went outside and saw a eunuch from Yizhu Pavilion carrying a man-sized chest, drenched in sweat. "Be careful, Chief Liang. My mistress gave instructions that the item inside is fragile."
"No matter how precious, it must be inspected before it can be brought in. An item intended for His Majesty is no trivial matter."
Liang Yuyin rolled his eyes at him and opened the box.
The item inside was quite unusual, but he had seen it before. It was the self-sounding clock presented as tribute from the Western World, the one Noble Lady Gu had requested. Why was she sending it back to the imperial court? ’Is she trying to make a clean break with the Emperor? Returning his gift? Surely not!’
Zhenqiu, who had come along to deliver the gift, slipped a heavy pouch into Liang Yuyin’s hand, then offered him a loose-leaf notebook. "Chief Liang, my mistress instructed that if the Emperor takes a liking to this item, then every day at cock’s crow, the twelve sheets of paper should be taken down and placed inside the mechanism... I can demonstrate the detailed operation. It is admittedly a bit troublesome, so it will all depend on whether His Majesty wishes to keep it."