The Noble Consort is the most favored in the harem

Chapter 40 - Qiu Ming's Teachings

"It's time for the young lady to take her medicine, Miss Qinhe. You should leave for now," Qiu Ming said calmly as Xia An entered with a bowl of medicine, his expression growing stern as he looked at Qinhe.

Even with her thick skin, Qinhe couldn't linger any longer. She had no choice but to leave with Cui Momo in tow, feeling rather dejected.

Lin Wanyi took the medicine in one swift motion, downing it without hesitation. She had been accustomed to drinking medicine since childhood, so this bowl was nothing to her.

Qiu Ming, observing this, felt that this young lady must be straightforward and efficient. She was different from the other concubines in the palace, who often made a big fuss over taking medicine, either requesting the emperor's company or putting on an act. Those concubines were bothersome.

Since the medicine had sedatives, and now that Qiu Ming had arrived, Lin Wanyi had no concerns weighing on her mind, so she decided to rest.

Once she had fallen asleep, Qiu Ming and Xia An left the inner chamber.

"You've served by the young lady's side for a long time, so her daily needs will still rely heavily on you," Qiu Ming said.

"You don't have to tell me, I'm already aware of that," Xia An replied.

"Good. Moving forward, any matters regarding the Left Side Hall can be discussed with me. I've been in the palace longer than anyone here, and there are certain things that can and cannot be done. We need to establish some proper rules," Qiu Ming explained, and Xia An nodded in agreement, finding his reasoning sound.

"I'll follow your instructions, Eunuch Qiu."

"One thing to remember from the outset—whether anyone seeks an audience or not, the young lady's wishes should always take precedence. If she wants to see them, then they may enter. But if she doesn't, then you must find an appropriate reason to turn them away. Do you understand?"

Xia An's mouth hung open, surprised by Qiu Ming's first order of business.

"But, Eunuch Qiu, our young lady holds a low rank. Like today, for example, Miss Qinhe is a senior maidservant from Lin Guifei's palace. If we block her entry, wouldn't that bring trouble to the young lady?"

"There are rules and ways to refuse someone. Being servants, if we cannot relieve our master of burdens, then what use is there for us here?" Qiu Ming's words were like a wake-up call for Xia An.

"Take today's situation, for example. The young lady did not want to see Miss Qinhe, who came here clearly with ill intentions. It would've been best to keep her outside, out of earshot of the young lady. That way, any grievances wouldn't reach her, and she wouldn't bear the brunt of their resentment. Do you understand?"

Xia An had never realized that a servant could handle higher-ranking individuals like this. She couldn't help but admire Qiu Ming's confidence. He truly was someone who had served close to the emperor!

"Though our young lady is just a Daying now, a mistress is still a mistress, and a servant is still a servant. Qinhe was so brazen and threatening because of the power behind her, but she violated proper conduct. We must show proper respect where it is due, but we should also suppress their arrogance when necessary. Understood?"

Xia An nodded vigorously, feeling more reassured than she had since entering the palace. Before they had entered the palace, she had been taught to be cautious, to be especially respectful, and to always lower her status. But this was the palace, and here, people trampled on the weak and revered the powerful every day. If you wanted others to respect you, you first had to stand upright and behave impeccably, giving no one an excuse to look down on you.

Constant submission and retreat would only make people think you were easy to manipulate.

There was the issue with Chu Guiren and the situation with Lin Guifei.

"Of course, I'm not saying you should be confrontational or reckless. That would be foolish! People have two tongues, one for pleasant words and one for sharp retorts. You need to find the balance, where the young lady won't be troubled, and others won't find fault."

By now, Xia An understood the theory, though she realized putting it into practice would be more challenging. Qiu Ming's words were wise, but time would tell how well they could be applied. After all, there was a long road ahead to master these palace dynamics.

With Qiu Ming now managing the Left Side Hall, everything had to be reorganized.

Previously, only Chunqi, Xia An, and the newly arrived Xiao Luzi served the young lady, and Lin Wanyi hadn't enforced strict rules, focusing more on loyalty. But with Qiu Ming's arrival, things would be different. Rules were rules, and if anyone overstepped, whether they were new or long-standing, punishment would be swift and impartial.

This clear distinction between reward and punishment quickly brought order to the Left Side Hall.

Even Lin Wanyi was impressed, thinking that Qiu Ming was truly capable.

The two people Qiu Ming had selected from the Inner Palace Bureau were both reliable and diligent. The maid was called Yan'er, and the eunuch was Xiao Hezi. They worked diligently, swiftly, and quietly. During the days Chunqi was bedridden, Yan'er even took care of applying medicine to her wounds. Thoughtful and meticulous, she had quickly formed a close bond with Chunqi.

"Yan'er, how much of those palace rules Eunuch Qiu mentioned have you memorized?" Chunqi asked.

Yan'er tilted her head, thinking for a moment before responding honestly. "I've memorized about seventy to eighty percent of them. Eunuch Qiu said he would test us, so I didn't dare slack off!"

Chunqi groaned in distress. She had always been terrible at memorizing things, and the thought of learning all these rules made her feel worse than being beaten with bamboo rods.

"Oh no..."

Chunqi was now even more annoyed at Chu Guiren. If only she had hit her harder, at least enough to keep up her act of being sick!