Consort Ning turned towards the Empress without hesitation, her chest burning in anxiety as she held onto her armrest for support, lest she is crumbled by the fear that plunged her.
"Y-your Majesty" she answered, stammering.
"Oh?...you still acknowledge me as your Empress"
Empress Huang said, her voice calm, yet bore the weight of the tension in the room.
"Your Majesty is the ruler of the six palaces, the motherly figure of Wu Kingdom." Ning replied quickly, her eyes darting around to find an object of solace, away from the Empress's questioning gaze.
"Consort Ning, I still remember when you first entered the imperial harem, innocent, naive, and well mannered, but it seems that after climbing the ladder of nobility and becoming a fourth-ranking Consort, the rules no longer hold any effect on you." The Empress queried, her tone, grievous and commanding.
Consort Ning froze, she rolled her eyes to other ladies for the slightest pity and then settled on Concubine Jia but the other woman looked away immediately. Instantly, Ning's hands landed on her face, slapping her cheek repeatedly, "I misspoke!, I am guilty, I misspoke,I am guilty!" She repeated continuously whilst slapping herself, a self punishment given to oneself to avoid a greater one.
"Very good!" The empress raised her arm, motioning for Ning to cease."I will be magnanimous and take it that you did speak out of control and not pursue this matter, also on the account of me taking over the affairs of the imperial harem,I do not want an inauspicious day for anyone so I will be lenient.
Consort Ning let out a sigh in relief, the burning sensation in her chest seemed to diminish."Thank you Your Majesty!" She said, as she arose, taking her seat.
"Let this be a warning," the empress continued, her eyes sweeping across the hall. "The imperial harem follows the rules of the imperial harem and as such I will not condone any form of insubordination and arrogance, any dog at all that wants to bark can go ahead and bark, but I doubt if they will have any mouth to bark again" she fell elegantly into her seat, taking a sip from her teacup, as though lubricating her dry vocals.
Eyes ran at each other in silence, it was clear to all that the phoniex has risen and ready for war if time called for it.
To ease the tension in the room, the empress leaned forward, the corner of her lips curling into a smile, "sisters...since we are all gathered today, tell me, what has changed while I was away, what is new, what is bothering any of you." The empress concluded, rolling her buddhist beads calmly, her face still still lit up, waiting for a response.
The opportunity that Concubine Jia was waiting for finally presented itself, her heart beat pulsed as she adjusted her robe, ready to play this by ear, rather than render it as a request.
"Hmmph.. hmmph!" Concubine Jia let out a deliberate cough as she turned towards the empress, "Your Majesty, there's been news."
"News!" The empress raised an eyebrow.
"Yes your Majesty," Jia scanned the room for a glimpse of support from the other ladies, but their expression gave the notion that they were ignorant of the recent development. But regardless, she continued, "the emperor is to select a bride from the princesses to be married off a Queen Consort to Luo State. But.." she hesitated.
"But what?" concubine Hua asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I am worried that the legitimate princess will have to be married off to a foreign land" Jia added, her tone laced with pity but her intentions, only known to her.
Concubine Jia was no child to palace games, she was trying to shift all attention of the selection from her daughter, Princess A'yin the first princess to Princess Xin the second princess birthed by the Empress. This was her strategy and her plan all along.
The empress smirked knowing the game Concubine Jia wanted to play
"Aiyo! Concubine Jia, if there is any one that should be worried then it should be you" Concubine Hua blurted out, the mockery in her tone palpable.
"Me?...oh sister Hua, I am only looking out for the empress, considering Princess Xin is the legitimate princess of Wu" Concubine Jia feigned Ignorance.
"Consort Ning, don't you agree with me?" Jia turned towards Ning for support,but Consort Ning was not ready to worsen her sentence of copying the Rules of Women, and as such, remained silent.
"Your Maje-"
"Concubine Jia , Princess A'yin is the Eldest and thus, she is to be a role model to other younger princesses coming after her" Noble Consort Wei interjected.
Jia fell into her seat helplessly with concealed anger.
*********************
Meanwhile, Ru Lingyi galvanised the streets of the inner court in search of the imperial household department. Her gaze searched her surroundings both near and far as though she would find a signpost that read, 'The Imperial Household Department'.
In her adventurous guest, she mistakenly bumped into the enraged Concubine Jia at a crossroad, dropping the wooden ball before Jia and startling the already angry Concubine, causing her to lose balance and almost trip.
Coupled with her failed mission in the Central Hall, Concubine Jia summed up her frustration and rage and blew them all out on Ru Lingyi.
"How dare you!..you worthless thing, have you no eyes!!?" Concubine Jia cursed, her eyes raging as the sun.
Lingyi instantly fell to her knees, kowtowing as she realised she had just met another overbearing concubine. "This servant is stupid, may your Highness have mercy"
"You sure are stupid, what palace are you from?" Concubine Jia barked with anger.
"Your Highness, this servant is from the Western Palace" Ru Lingyi replied, her hands trembling against her face on the floor.
"Huh!? Western palace." it was then it rang a bell to Concubine Jia that Consort Yang was present in today's morning gathering when she was wailing in her plight of losing her daughter to a far away land. The thought of her defeat before Consort Yang deeply wounded Jia's pride.
"Very good ...that witch!, since Consort Ning couldn't touch her, then her maid must suffer" Jia muttered, as she lifted Ru Lingyi's chin with her nail guard, the disdainful look on her face enough to shatter lingyi's confidence.
"You..remain here, till dawn. You are not to leave no matter what" Jia concluded, flinging off Ru Lingyi's face as she stormed away with her entourage of servants.
"God ...what did I really do Wrong, look at me in this .. Lingyi paused thinking of the best word to fit her condition.
"Should I call this place a realm, world or space ...but why am I this unlucky, why didn't I appear here as a high ranking concubine in the first place? but a maid?an ordinary maid, Ohh!!!" she wailed.
Then a thought hit her "why don't I run off to the Western palace, not like that Concubine will know or is someone monitoring me?" Lingyi looked above her shoulder, scanning around, contemplating what to do.
"I can't possibly kneel here till tomorrow, after all it was a mistake, next time she should watch her step too" Lingyi said to herself, gathering more courage to leave her punishment.
"No, I'm leaving...I just have to avoid that bitter soul" Ru Lingyi stood up, dusting her garment and cursing at the same time.
"Oh goodness...look at how that bitch threw my face away" Língyi ranted to thin air touching her face to see if there was a scratch.
" She is lucky I am just being careful" Lingyi frowned, holding onto her waist, "if only I was a Concubine too ...she kissed her teeth in regrets biting her index finger.
"Why not become a Concubine then...."a voice interrupted from behind.