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Facing a palace intrigue for the first time, it was far more stimulating than the quickly-skipped text in a game. Yun Jiao, still in shock, devoured three pieces of cake, then heard her roommate, Servant Consort Xin, instructing her palace maid to fetch the dried bedding later. The palace maid, while altering clothes for her, only hummed in response.
Logically, if she delayed her visit, she wouldn't be blamed.
But since she held a golden finger for reloading, how could she let evil go unpunished?!
Yun Jiao thought to herself, one can steal a thousand days, but one cannot guard against thieves for a thousand days. Today, Detective Jiao will bring the one who can afford fancy porcelain yet plots evil to justice! Evil with money!
"Then I'll go get it first."
Yun Jiao got up and went to the room with the dried bedding. Each concubine's bedding was next to labeled rods; anyone with eyes wouldn't take the wrong one. After taking her own bedding, she went straight to Consort Ji's room and knocked on the door: "I'm Servant Consort Yun."
"Servant Consort Yun? Come in then."
Consort Ji's voice carried a hint of nonchalance.
About to soar to great heights, why waste effort on a pretty little Servant Consort, probably here to curry favor.
So when Servant Consort Yun entered, Consort Ji, with a cold demeanor, gave a deterrent warning: "Though my sister has some favor, not just anyone can meet the Emperor."
Yun Jiao: "The Emperor? That's not important."
Consort Ji was slightly surprised.
Yun Jiao: "What's important is, when I was getting the bedding just now, I smelled your quilt."
Consort Ji's face changed dramatically, her cheeks flushed, both from shame and anger: "Why... are you smelling my quilt?"
Who would've thought Servant Consort Yun was targeting her!
"My sense of smell is sharper than most. I smelled a strong scent of tulips on the quilt. If it was just washed and dried, it shouldn't have this fragrance — mine doesn't."
Yun Jiao didn't want to take the blame nor let someone else bear it.
She's just a pitiful person who even needs to fetch her dried bedding herself; it's better to leave deducing and identifying the culprit to the powerful and influential victim!
This is risk outsourcing.
"I'm allergic to tulip pollen, and I break out in rashes upon contact."
Now Consort Ji's face wasn't red, but rather a pretty face clouded with gloom: "I should thank you for the reminder, but... tulips don't have a fragrance, how did you smell a strong scent?"
"You don't believe me? Why not roll on the quilt later to find out?"
"I don't disbelieve you," Consort Ji calmed herself, "I will verify it, but don't spread this matter around to avoid alerting the culprit."
Consort Ji didn't ask why Yun Jiao was helping her.
She must be here to pledge allegiance or to express good will, Consort Ji thought, seeing that she was still sitting and not daring to leave, magnanimously said: "You may go back now."
"No,"
Yun Jiao leaned forward, lightly rubbed her thumb and index finger together: "Sister Ji also doesn't want the news of your tulip pollen allergy to spread, right?"
She wouldn't use information to secretly harm others.
She intended to use the information gap face-to-face, rob from the rich to benefit the poor.
...
Consort Ji's eyes widened almost out of her head, her cold demeanor shattered, incredulously she asked: "Are you actually extorting money from me?"
"Extortion sounds so harsh; it's just that I have an ailment that causes me to talk in my sleep while walking. If Sister Ji can spare some money for medication, I won't have an episode."
"What medicine do you need? I'll have Qing Mei fetch it for you."
"Very simple, fifty taels of silver for a decoction lasting an hour."
When Qing Mei returned with the bedding, she was instructed by her master to place it far away, then told: "Bring out that small box... no need for the large one."
Then, Consort Ji gave Servant Consort Yun fifty taels.
Yun Jiao went empty-handed but returned laden.
Consort Ji didn't make a fuss, while Yun Jiao checked her room daily, waiting for the appearance of a porcelain bottle.
Concubines had to learn etiquette and weren't in their rooms all the time.
If a villain intended harm, there were plenty of opportunities to act. Indeed, by the afternoon of the next day, Yun Jiao found the porcelain bottle under the bed. She disguised it slightly and knocked on Consort Ji's door again.
This time, she also departed with fifty taels.
Due to Consort Ji's precautions, she hadn't had a large-scale exposure to the allergen, only some red spots on her wrist. This affected her meeting with Lady but unfortunately didn't see the Emperor. Disappointed, Consort Ji returned and caught Servant Consort Xin, uncovering the whole story.
It turned out that before entering the palace, Servant Consort Xin had old grudges with Consort Ji and knew of her rival's weakness. She hadn't planned to use it lightly but Lady's invitation ignited her jealousy and malicious intent.
When Yun Jiao was enjoying fresh melons, Servant Consort Xin was already expelled from the palace.
Bad news: Her ideal starting roommate she painstakingly got was actually a villain.
Good news: She would enjoy a luxury single room for the remaining half month.
"The Xin Family has always been quiet and behaved, who would've thought she was such a fierce character,"
Attendant Lady He exclaimed, then suspiciously gazed at Yun Jiao's face: "Why do I feel like your face has gotten rounder? Indeed, these days you've been eating nonstop, looks like the stingy rooster finally spent some Warm Stove Silver."
Warm Stove Silver is a tip for the Kitchen.
Without giving Warm Stove Silver, one would only eat cold meals, Yun Jiao wasn't stingy before, she was truly broke and had to constantly reload to refresh better dishes: "Not easy to eat well either!"
And in Weiyang Palace, the Dragon Pants, infuriated by dissatisfaction with night snacks, were taken off and put on repeatedly, forcibly shutting off the Dragon Vein.
Back and forth, many times.
This left the Emperor truly disinterested in the harem.
A few days later, with complaints in the harem, the Empress Dowager displeased, thinking the Emperor was tired of the old, decided to suddenly test the concubines in Chuxiu Palace — as long as they pass basic etiquette, they'll be brought into the harem. Anyone who can win the Emperor's affection and keep him will be richly rewarded!