His Majesty And I ✔️

Being a Hougong Woman

I once posted on my announcements that chapter 25 will be on Li Lian and the emperor. So sorry because this is not the case. I moved their scene to next week Friday because of reasons concerning the flow of the plot, plot holes and structure. Wait patiently till then, please :)

Chapter 25

Second Class Female Attendant Wei
Lady Wei Li Lian
The Palace

"Li'er." Grand Consort Shu was in her bed. "I am depressed. I can't eat, I can't sleep and I don't have the strength to go relieve myself even if I wanted to."

Grand Consort Shu looked like her normal self in her sleepwear garments, nothing like someone who lacked sleep. Li Lian knew she was being excessive and feigning her state of depression for attention. But she went along with it. "Your Highness, what has displeased you this much? Tell Li'er."

Court Lady Park called for Li Lian after she returned from the Inner Court morning meeting, with the message that the Grand Consort wished to see her.

"I keep dreaming of me surrounded by grandchildren. Many of them." Grand Consort Shu kicked the blankets childishly, showing her frustrations.

"Isn't that a good thing, Your Highness?"

"No, no, no. How is that a good thing? None of those children is from a woman that is from my clan. So how is that a good thing? Look at Concubine Pi, that frog does not respect me and she is pregnant now."

Li Lian was fed up with the mention of Concubine Pi in all conversations. In the morning meeting, the topic was on how the servants should treat the concubine well and look after her during pregnancy. Currently, since Dowager Empress Wang was exiled to the Cold Palace, the Grand Dowager Empress led the harem. On the matter of grandchildren, the Grand Dowager was quite delighted with the news, unlike Grand Consort Shu.

"Li'er, hurry and get pregnant. Make this lonely woman happy. I will have face when they say, Grand Consort Shu's palace maid bore the emperor an heir." The emperor's mother took Li Lian's hands into hers. "Heh, Li'er? Please get pregnant."

"Méiyǒu(no). How could I, if they will take away my child? I'm just an attendant, Your Highness."

"I will adopt him and raise him for you. We already spend a lot of time together. I will be his grandmother and you will raise him as the rightful mother." Grand Consort Shu rubbed her hands as a plea. "Please, Li'er. This will save me from being disrespected by the Wang snakes. And in the case Concubine Pi has a princess and you then provide a prince, this will give Yu'er relief and the empire much jubilation."

This was the conversation Li Lian had with Grand Consort Shu days ago when Concubine Pi's news set foot in the harem.

Li Lian's hard work had paid off. Grand Consort Shu was solely on her side, supporting and relying on her in the harem. It was good for her mission in becoming empress. However, for now, she didn't feel ready to be with child, not when she and Yuwen Hong were still walking on thin ice.

On this day Li Lian sat with Grand Consort Shu among the rest of the harem women, settled under the shades of their parasols handheld by their attendants. In total, over a hundred women of the harem haunched on the grass of Hougong gardens. Laughter, jokes and teasing exchanges were shared to pass time as all of them sew chunks of garments passed to them by the Fashion and Fabrics department.

The emperor's birthday was fast approaching and on this year he declared he would not celebrate his birthday but rather use the day to uplift the poor. Further on, it was decreed the palace must eat basic food like plain rice to save wealth to be donated on this day. Instead of his women preparing a gift for him as in other years, they were each supposed to sew more than five tunics, trousers, dresses and robes.