Double Queens GL - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Seeing that Shou’er had been gone for a while and would likely return soon, Yu Changping shifted from lying down to sitting up. However, she remained tightly wrapped in her quilt like a zongzi dumpling. In the bitter cold of winter, she spent most of her time on her couch because she was simply too sensitive to the chill. Still, staying in bed all day was tedious, so she occupied herself by reading or listening to Shou’er’s reports on palace gossip. Shou’er not only cared for her but also served as her scout; being a gossip-lover herself, the maid would hurry back to share any juicy tidbits she unearthed. This was how Yu Changping, despite never showing her face in public, knew all about Zhang Qingyu being nicknamed the “Idiot Beauty.”

Yu Changping was only a Talent—a low rank with almost zero presence. Her entire Anshou Hall was staffed by just two eunuchs and two maids. Aside from Shou’er, the other three saw no future in serving a sickly, unfavored mistress and were quite negligent, doing only the bare minimum. While Yu Changping lay in her bed, they usually retreated to their own quarters to do the same.

Yu Changping didn’t mind much. People naturally gravitate toward power and wealth, and her hall offered neither. The servants assigned here were usually those who had been pushed out of other palaces. As long as they weren’t overly disrespectful and could still be summoned when needed, she turned a blind eye. She considered herself lucky to have Shou’er; the girl had been assigned to her when they both first entered the palace and knew nothing. With no one else to lean on, Shou’er looked to Yu Changping as her true pillar of support.

…

When Zhang Qingyu and Xiao Xuan arrived at Anshou Hall, they found the path from the outer gate to the inner hall buried under high snow. Normally, servants should clear this for their mistress’s passage, but since Yu Changping never went out and had no visitors, the servants hadn’t bothered.

“Is this the Cold Palace?” Zhang Qingyu asked. If it wasn’t, why didn’t she remember a place called Anshou Hall? The desolation made it look like a prison for discarded consorts.

“It’s not the Cold Palace,” Xiao Xuan analyzed. “Prisoners there are locked in and forbidden from moving about. Since the Emperor’s enthronement, no one has been officially banished there. It’s likely just that the mistress is unfavored, so the servants are being lazy.”

“An unfavored little Talent dared to set me up? Does she have the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?” Zhang Qingyu fumed. Even if she wasn’t the most favored, she was easily in the top five. Even the Empress gave her face; she couldn’t fathom why a low-ranking girl would risk everything to offend her.

“It is strange,” Xiao Xuan agreed. It defied logic for Yu Changping to openly insult someone more powerful, which was exactly why the “framing” had worked so well—it was hard to disprove.

“There isn’t even a eunuch at the door. How pathetic,” Zhang Qingyu remarked. She knew life was hard for the unfavored, but she hadn’t realized servants would be this brazenly negligent.

“Call out,” Zhang Qingyu told Xiao Xuan. Though the inner doors were ajar, she didn’t want to just barge in like a thief; she hated sneaky behavior, which was why Yu Changping’s trickery had enraged her so much.

“Lady Zhang has arrived! Why is no one out to receive her?” Xiao Xuan shouted.

Inside, Yu Changping—who was waiting for her chicken soup—heard the shout. Coming faster than expected, she thought. She had hoped to eat and regain some strength before dealing with her. This Zhang Qingyu really has no patience. She braced herself and summoned what little energy she had.

“Please… come in…” Yu Changping’s voice drifted out, sounding so thin and weak that it seemed she might faint at any moment.

Zhang Qingyu thought the voice sounded half-dead, which immediately drained some of her “battle spirit.” She didn’t want to be the person who bullied a dying woman. But then she remembered the girl’s deviousness and wondered if the weakness was just another act. She pushed the door open.

The moment the door opened, a blast of cold air rushed in. Yu Changping pulled her quilt tighter.

Zhang Qingyu scanned the room and found it empty of servants. She led Xiao Xuan around the screen and finally saw Yu Changping huddled on the couch, shivering. For a second, Zhang Qingyu felt a pang of pity—an unfavored consort, neglected by servants, hiding under a blanket to stay warm. But she quickly suppressed it. Don’t let this wench fool you. Pitiful people have hateful traits, she reminded herself.

“Lady Zhang… Changping is unwell and cannot rise to greet you,” Yu Changping whispered.

“Stop acting! Do you know why I’m here?” Zhang Qingyu asked fiercely. She had planned to slap her the moment she saw her, but looking at the frail figure, she feared a slap might actually kill the girl. She settled for verbal aggression.

“I know… but I had a reason!” Yu Changping said soulfully.

“What reason?” Zhang Qingyu was immediately hooked.

“In this lonely palace, I am unfavored and always sick. No one knows I exist. No one cares. I was afraid that one day I would die and no one would even notice…” Yu Changping sighed, sounding profoundly lonely.

Zhang Qingyu actually believed her a little. It was a sad existence. But she caught herself. “And what does that have to do with framing me this morning?”

Yu Changping noticed the slight softening in her tone. Truly a paper tiger, she thought, though her face remained mournful. “I actually like you very much, Lady Zhang. You are so full of life, and so incredibly beautiful!” She began to “brush the cat’s fur” with lavish praise.

Being told she was beautiful and likable made Zhang Qingyu feel much better. She always knew she was charming—after all, the new Empress liked her instantly.

Xiao Xuan noticed her mistress was already being led by the nose. “If you like her so much, why did you frame her?” she cut in, trying to keep Zhang Qingyu from floating away on the compliments.

“If I hadn’t, would you be standing here right now? I just wanted you to come and see me,” Yu Changping said. This was actually partially true.

“You knew this would ruin my mistress’s reputation! Tomorrow the whole palace will say she’s a bully! No one expresses ‘liking’ someone by making them look like a villain. To be blunt, that’s quite malicious,” Xiao Xuan said sharply.

Yu Changping looked at Xiao Xuan. The blockhead has a clever maid, she noted.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Yu Changping smiled gently.

“How is it not bad?” Zhang Qingyu asked, snapping back to attention.

“How do people feel about a ‘stupid’ person?” Yu Changping countered. Zhang Qingyu glared—she’s calling me stupid again! “Talent Yu, watch your words!” Xiao Xuan warned.

“Usually, people feel disdain. They don’t take such a person seriously, right?” Yu Changping looked at them. “But how do people treat a ‘malicious’ person?”

“Go on,” Xiao Xuan said, curious to see where this was going.

“People are wary of a ‘bad’ person. They fear being bullied, so they treat them with caution and stay out of their way, don’t they?”

“That… actually sounds logical,” Zhang Qingyu muttered. She’d rather be feared as a villain than looked down upon as a fool. Her logic failed to see that she would now just be seen as a “malicious fool.”

Xiao Xuan felt it was all twisted logic, but she could see her mistress was being convinced.

“Besides, I have no grudge against you. I have no favor from the Emperor; I wouldn’t dare make an enemy of you! I truly admire you. To prove it, I want to give you the golden hair-pendant the Empress gave me today. Consider it a token of my affection—and my apology.” Yu Changping produced the exquisite wooden box and opened it.

Zhang Qingyu’s eyes widened. She loved it. It was far more delicate than anything she owned. It was a treasure fit for an Empress. She realized Yu Changping must really like her to give up such a treasure when she lived in such “poverty.”

Xiao Xuan was wary. This Talent is deep. She’s using the gift to tether herself to a favored consort. A calculated move. She wanted her mistress to stay away from this woman, but seeing Zhang Qingyu’s greedy eyes, she knew it was a lost cause.

“You’re so poor… are you sure you want to give me this?” Zhang Qingyu asked. She wanted it, but her conscience pricked her slightly looking at the room.

“Yes. It suits you better. I’m always sick and never go out; it would just sit in a box here,” Yu Changping said generously.

“Mistress, you can give her the Restoration Pill in exchange,” Xiao Xuan suggested. “She is weak and needs it more.” This way, they wouldn’t owe a favor.

“Would that be okay?” Zhang Qingyu asked. To her, the pill was worth much less than the gold. She felt she was getting a bargain.

“That would be wonderful! Xiao Xuan is right; I need the medicine more than the gold,” Yu Changping said sincerely. Her mission was accomplished.

“Deal! I’ll have a servant bring the pill tomorrow. Can I have the pendant now?” Zhang Qingyu reached for it, already imagining how she would outshine everyone at the Winter Solstice banquet. She even decided that Yu Changping had framed her out of “concern” for her image.

Xiao Xuan watched her mistress gush over the gold. A good reputation is worth more than jewelry, she thought, but her mistress clearly disagreed. She glanced at Yu Changping, who was watching Zhang Qingyu with a strangely “indulgent” look. It almost looked as if she really did like her.