After Lihua announced her pregnancy to the emperor, a Garden Party was held to celebrate this development. But the festivities ended abruptly when Maomao detected poison within Gyokuyou's food. One of the dignitaries foolishly ingested the soup and became sick as a result. While this is not the first time someone attempted to poison the Precious Consort, knowing that it nearly happened again made her feel ill.
The next day, Lihua came to the Jade Pavillion to check in on her friend.
"How are you feeling?" Lihua asked as they sat in the garden for some fresh air.
"Funny, I was about to ask you that question." Gyokuyou said with a smile before her face morphed into concern, "Are you sure you should be moving about in your state?"
Lihua rubbed her belly with a smile, "I'm actually quite energetic all things considered." Her smile waned as she watched Gyokuyou's face, "How is Maomao doing?"
"I let her have some extra sleep. Given what happened at the Garden Party yesterday, I thought it best for her body to recover after such an ordeal." Gyokuyou frowned and sighed, "As for me, I thought I was used to the constant danger of being poisoned."
Lihua nodded as her expression mirrored Gyokuyou's, "It comes with the occupation of being a High Consort unfortunately."
"Someone tried to poison me while I was pregnant with Lingli." Gyokuyou stated as she remembered what happened to the food taster at the time and how it cost the woman mobility in her hands and feet.
"Yes, I heard rumors that it was Jin, a Middle Consort and a daughter of a court official." Lihua said as she looked at the flowers, "Do you believe it was her again?"
"I don't believe so. I wasn't actually the target." Gyokuyou informed Lihua who turned to her in surprise. "The dish was switched with Concubine Lishu's before it was served."
"Lishu." Lihua whispered as she remembered that young girl not yet a woman at the Garden Party. Her dress looked similar to Gyokuyou's and it didn't suit her at all. What's more, she looked very discomforted when she ate her food.
"Yes, by her food taster to be exact." Gyokuyou added with a look of distaste, "From what Maomao and Jinshi told me, it was a form of harassment. Lishu can't eat fish, otherwise, her body breaks out into hives and will cause her throat to swell. Maomao has the same reaction to buckwheat no matter how small. Had it gotten any further, her life would be in danger."
"But the action saved her life in the end." Lihua stated as she frowned at the thought of that young girl being forced to eat something her body can't take.
"Yes, that's one good thing that came from the ordeal. Thankfully, Maomao gave Lishu's food taster a very strict warning of what would happen should they fail to be vigilant with Lishu's health." Gyokuyou assured her friend who looked ready to slap the woman who is supposed to care for her mistress.
"By 'warning', I assume she frightened the food taster." Lihua guessed as she recalled during her sick days how the girl slapped one of her servants for the face powder and terrified the rest of her ladies-in-waiting for their incompetence.
"Yes, Maomao has a gift to be terrifying when it comes to a person's well-being." Gyokuyou said with a fond smile.
"What of Lishu's other ladies-in-waiting? Surely, they have enough sense to stop this kind of harassment." Lihua could not help but ask as she heard how Lishu's and Ah-Duo's servants are at war with each other.
Gyokuyou's face turned sad, "That's another thing Maomao made me aware of. They are also bullying Lishu. The poor girl doesn't even realize it."
Lihua's eyes widened, "Then that dress at the party was their idea?"
"Yes, they did that as a way to humiliate her. Even though she's still a child, her servants should have known better than to put her through that." Gyokuyou stated as that familiar maternal instinct sprang forth. Having a daughter of her own, she can't imagine how her baby would feel if she were subjected to such treatment.
Lihua held a contemplative look as she thought of the young girl. "Lady Lishu was once the previous emperor's concubine. She was barely nine at the time yet was forced to marry such a man with gruesome tastes. For her to become the current emperor's concubine soon after the last one's death, many consider it scandalous."
Gyokuyou nodded in agreement, "Yet the emperor refuses to touch her. With good reason too." She sighed sadly, "Lishu has no one, and she has no idea that she's being abused by the people who are supposed to care and protect her."
Lihua frowned as she rubbed her belly tenderly, "You fear your daughter may one day be in the same situation as her."
Gyokuyou bowed her head and released a quiet sigh, "It's inevitable, she is a princess, and one day she will be sent off to another place with little say in the matter. No mother wants their daughter to ever feel alone with no one to trust."
"There's still time to teach her Gyokuyou. If she's anything like you, I know she'll thrive no matter where she goes." Lihua assured her friend as she imagined her own daughter. Though she hopes for a boy, she knows the chances are fifty-fifty at best. But either way, she'll still be a mother who will love her child no matter what.
"Lady Gyokuyou." Ailan approached her mistress with a parchment in her hands.
Gyokuyou received the parchment and opened it up to read its contents. Surprised colored her face as she finished reading.
"What happened?" Lihua asked her friend who lowered the letter.
"It's a message from Concubine Ah-Duo, she invited me to have tea with her at the Garnet Pavillion." Gyokuyou informed her friend with a look of surprise then added, "In fact, she wishes to speak with us both."
A couple days later, the Precious and Wise Consorts ladies-in-waiting sat in the parlor with Pure Consort Ah-Duo around the table. Their ladies-in-waiting stood stationary behind their mistresses.
The servants could not tear their eyes off of Ah-Duo, though she wasn't voluptuous or flaunts her looks, she carries an androgynous beauty that makes her appealing to both men and women. Had she worn men's clothes, the ladies would not even know the difference.
"Thank you both for coming on such short notice." Ah-Duo told them as the tea was served.
"The pleasure is all ours Lady Ah-Duo. We're honored to meet you." Gyokuyou cordially responded to the woman who has been the emperor's Concubine the longest out of all of them, this in turn makes her their senior.
Ah-Duo turned to Lihua with a welcoming smile, "How are you feeling Lady Lihua? Any discomforts?"
Lihua smiled, "None so far, aside from the nausea, I'm doing quite well."
"That is relieving to hear. I'm sorry for your first son." She said with sadness as she stirred her tea, "I myself know what it's like to say goodbye to your firstborn. Thankfully the heavens saw fit to grant you a second chance."
Everyone in the parlor felt a twinge of sadness when they heard those words. They knew what happened to Ah-Duo. The birth of her child coincided with the Empress Dowager's who was deemed more important than the Concubine. Ignored by the doctors with only her ladies-in-waiting at her side, she gave birth but lost her womb in the process due to negligence. Tragedy followed as her only son died shortly after he was born.
"You are too kind Lady Ah-Duo. While we can't anticipate the will of the heavens, we can learn from the pain to help better ourselves for the future." Lihua said as she touched her belly as she understood the pain Ah-Duo endured, how unfair it was for the woman who was robbed of her chance at motherhood.
"My thoughts exact." Ah-Duo then frowned and bowed her head, "Actually, the future is the reason why I called you both here." She folded her hands in her lap and spoke in a serious tone, "Very soon, I will be leaving the Rear Palace, my position as Pure Consort will soon pass onto another."
This caught everyone by surprise, but Ah-Duo was not finished, "As you are aware, I am unable to bear any more children for the emperor. As such, my presence is no longer of value in the Inner Court." A rueful and melancholy smile graced her beautiful face, "I've long expected this to happen. Afterall, I'm just a Concubine in name."
Gyokuyou frowned as she watched the slight tremble in the woman's shoulders. "Are you sure this is what you want? Surely there are other options."
Ah-Duo turned to Gyokuyou, "The decision has already been made, one I've already accepted." She sighed through her nose, "But it's not me I'm worried about. It's Concubine Lishu."
"The Virtuous Consort." Lihua said as the topic of hers and Gyokuyou's conversation from a couple days ago returned.
"As you know, she was once the previous ruler's Concubine, but the emperor and I ran many interferences to protect Lishu's innocence from that man." Ah-Duo said with what sounded like contempt for the most hated emperor who took little girls for his pleasure. Seeing that sweet and helpless child being forced to become that pedophile's toy urged them to protect Lishu.
Gyokuyou and Lihua heard from the emperor of how he and Ah-Duo kept Lishu safe from his father. The lengths they both went to protect that child who was sold by her family to curry favor.
Ah-Duo took a moment to compose herself before speaking again, "Lishu, for all intents and purposes, is like a daughter to the emperor and me. When his father died and Lishu was sent away, we knew her father would use her as a way to climb the ranks. So, we made the decision we believed would protect her, we brought her back to become a Concubine, but only in name like me." At their shock for her admittance, she explained further, "We did this to protect our daughter, to give her a better life than what her family had done." She sighed with resignation, "I had hoped to be around a little longer, to find her a good husband that will treat her with the utmost care and respect. But once I'm gone, Lishu will have no one who will help her, which is why I called for your help."
Now it made sense to the two consorts. This meeting was for the purpose of ensuring a mother of their child's well-being before they depart. Since Ah-Duo can't have children, Lishu is the closest to a daughter she could ever have. Lishu, who was taken from her family, saw Ah-Duo as her mother. Their codependency stemmed from a hole in each of their hearts that only they could fill. With Ah-Duo's impending departure, Lishu will be separated from her only mother again.
"You wish for us to take your place and find Lady Lishu a husband." Gyokuyou stated as she stared at the woman with understanding and compassion.
Ah-Duo nodded, "Yes. She's still so young and innocent of the world and the people in it. My ladies informed me about how Lishu's servants treat and manipulate her. She needs better guidance and people she trusts. You are both mothers, and you had more preparations for this life than Lishu. I know I'm asking a lot from you, but I want what is best for my daughter, and you two are the only hope I have that can protect her in my stead." She said in what she hoped was a strong tone, yet everyone heard a mother's plea with her voice.
Gyokuyou and Lihua turned to each other, a wordless conversation passed between them before they nodded at each other.
Lihua spoke in a warm and gentle tone, "If that is your only request, Lady Gyokuyou and I shall grant it. From one mother to another, we will take on Lady Lishu as our student." She declared, surprising and making the servants from all sides stare at her with awe. "We won't replace you as her mother, but we will treat as our younger sister and find her a proper husband."
A relieved and grateful smile came over Ah-Duo's face. "Thank you." The tension in her shoulders eased as a weight left her body. She knew these women would be good leaders and mothers to the emperor's offspring. She knew for a while that her time in the Rear Palace is limited, and Lishu needs proper guidance to help her grow into the woman she's meant to be. When news of the Precious and Wise Consorts' friendship reached her ears, she felt in her heart that they can protect her daughter as their new sister.
Gyokuyou smiled back at their senior, "Leave everything to us Lady Ah-Duo. We'll watch over her." She knew people will talk, that it is considered odd for High Consorts to interact in an intimate manner when they are supposed to be rivals for the throne. But in all honesty, she's looking forward to it as it will cause a stir among the Rear Palace. Seeing their reaction to their new unit is her cup of tea.
Lihua sighed at her friend's thirst for drama. When all you have to look forward to is the emperor's visits, new hobbies tend to occur, and this is one of them. Still, it can't hurt to just come along for the ride.
Sorry for the wait, a lot has happened, and I can't keep my focus on just one story. I have a soft spot for Lishu as she is the most innocent Concubine in the Rear Palace and deserves better. Luckily, her mother Ah-Duo is leaving her with two older sisters to help her. Their little family will soon expand with this new addition. Thanks for reading, leave a review down below.