It was very lively on the street. From time to time, one could see the carriages passing by slowly. It was the time of crisp autumn. Most of the carriages had gauze curtains hanging on them. The doors were opened in front and the window curtains were slightly lifted up. People outside could occasionally see the half-covered image of a beauty in the carriage. The figure was vague, but had an unusual charm.
The horse carriage of King Xuan’s Manor came in and out from the side door. The side door was close to the back courtyard, but it still belonged to the front yard. It was normal for the horse carriage to come in and out. When the carriage reached the side door, a maidservant got out and took out a token. The old maidservant in charge took the token and looked at it carefully. Then, she tilted her head and looked into the carriage while asking curiously.
“Miss Hong’er, where is Concubine Yun going? Why does she have time to go out today?”
“Custodian Han, you’ve made a mistake. It’s not Concubine Yun. It’s me who wants to go out. Concubine Yun is not in good health and needs to take medicine from time to time. This is a token given by His Highness. Do you not allow me to go out?” Hong’er put her hands on her hips, raised her head, and said disdainfully.
“Miss Hong’er, I don’t have such great power. It’s rare to see a token given by His Highness, so I asked you the question. Miss Hong’er, please forgive me, an old woman, for being ignorant.” Custodian Han seemed to have a good tongue. She put away the token in her hand, bowed her head, and said with a smile.
“Well, I don’t talk to you anymore. I have to go to the pharmacy for our concubine. Give the token back to me!” Hong’er stretched out her hand and said proudly. Concubine Yun was one of the first batch of concubines who were sent to the manor, and she was from the palace, so she had been very popular for about one month in the back courtyard. Hong’er was her personal maidservant, and was also brought from the palace. She naturally looked down on a lowly old maidservant who guarded the side door of the manor.
“Oh, Miss Hong’er, I can’t give it back to you. I’ll keep it for you.” Custodian Han smiled.
“What? Don’t tell me that you won’t allow me to go out today?” There was already some anger on Hong’er’s face, as she straightened her eyebrow and raised her eyes.
“What are you talking about, Miss Hong’er? How dare I not allow you to go out? Miss Hong’er, you haven’t gone out recently, so you don’t know that King Xuan’s Manor has changed the rules. Her Lady has ordered that those who go out must show the token. Of course, you naturally have it.” Seeing that Hong’er was about to lose her temper, the smile on Custodian Han’s face became bigger. “After seeing the token, I have to keep it.”
The management of King Xuan’s Manor’s back courtyard had been very lax previously. It was quite convenient to enter and exit. There was no need for one to enter or exit the side door of the front courtyard. Concubine Yun often left secretly and it did not need to inform anyone. However, it was different now. Since something like that had happened at the back door, Feng Yuran had closed the door. The closest door for Concubine Yun to enter and exit was the side door that was close to the back courtyard.
It was normal for the entire King Xuan’s Manor to be under strict rules since the concubines in the back courtyard had behaved improperly, which caused something bad to happen.
The concubines in the back courtyard had sneaked out from the closed door before, but now no one could walk through it. This was also the reason why Concubine Yun had to encourage Concubine Qin and Concubine Wen to ask Mo Xuetong to allow them to leave using Mid-Autumn Festival as an excuse. However, they did not expect that not only did they not make Mo Xuetong soft-hearted to let them go out of the manor, but Mo Xuetong also had argued with Concubine Qin.
Thinking that she had lost face and had been humiliated, Concubine Qin vented all her anger on Concubine Yun. When she went back, she directly smashed the door. No matter how hard Concubine Yun knocked on the door, there was no answer. Concubine Yun was so anxious that the corners of her mouth were blistered. She really wanted to go out because she had something to do. Otherwise, she would not have offended Mo Xuetong at this time.
As for Concubine Wen, she had no temper and was gentle all day long, just like her surname’s meaning. This time, she went to see Mo Xuetong with Concubine Yun and Concubine Qin because both of them had gone there, and if she refused to go with them, she would be a bit of a loner. At this time, when she saw that Concubine Yun and Concubine Qin didn’t get along with each other, she had already shut the door timidly and didn’t dare to make a sound.
She was really a person whom Concubine Yun couldn’t count on!
It was impossible to expect her to make trouble for Mo Xuetong!
Concubine Yun had not slept well all night. She had intended to take Concubine Qin as a scapegoat. This time, Concubine Qin was unwilling to see her. Even though she wanted to pick Concubine Qin against Mo Xuetong, she could not do it. After being snapped and suppressed by Mo Xuetong, Concubine Qin felt ashamed and angry. She vented all her anger on Concubine Yun.
Concubine Yun had no choice but to take out the token that she had hidden secretly in the past. It was supposed to be for a rainy day. She had thought that it was not a big deal to ask a maidservant to go out secretly. The old maidservant guarding the door would not report such a small matter to Mo Xuetong.
If she could go out in such an open and aboveboard manner, and Mo Xuetong did not know about it, it could be said that she had done it without attracting attention.
However, she didn’t expect that the old maidservant guarding the door would keep this token, which shocked Concubine Yun who was dressed as a maidservant in the carriage.
Once the token was handed to Mo Xuetong, the fact that Concubine Yun had sent someone out of the manor would be exposed!
In the past, she only needed to show the token when she was going to leave the manor, and the token would not be taken away. Could it be that she had not gone out for a long time and the rules had been changed a long time ago without her knowing? Concubine Yun became restless in the carriage and listened to what the two servants outside were talking about.
“Custodian Han, how can I come in after you have taken the token away? Don’t tell me that you won’t allow me to enter the manor later.” Hong’er was eloquent. At this time, she put on a long face and pretended to be angry while questioning the old maidservant.
“Miss Hong’er, don’t say that. After I took away your token, I’ll give you a going-out token. Later, you can just give me the token when you come back,” Custodian Han said, beaming. She reached out to take out a piece of bamboo from her arms, on which was written “Going out”.
“Hey, Custodian Han, are you bullying our concubine? Why did you exchange our token for a going-out token? Is this the equivalent of our token?” Hong’er was furious.
In charge of the back courtyard, the concubines used the token when they ordered each supervisor to do something. What a token was used for would be recorded. It could be said that the servants received orders because of the token instead of the one who ordered. Those who held the token could exert great power in the back courtyard, so an ordinary going-out token could not compete with this token at all.
“Miss Hong’er, aren’t you going out? Is there something important?” Custodian Han blinked her eyes and asked in confusion.
“I’m going out today to get medicine for Concubine Yun. Isn’t this something important?” Hong’er replied with a sharp tongue.
“Yes, of course, this is an important thing. So when you want to go out, you need a ‘going-out’ token. What’s wrong with trading your token for a going-out token? Isn’t your purpose to go out of the manor?” Custodian Han asked with a smile, but she came to the same result and was implacable.
Her words were so roundabout that Hong’er was a little dizzy. Although she was smart, she felt that what Custodian Han said made sense. She knew that this token was important to her mistress, but she could not find a reason to ask for it back at the moment. She became so anxious that there was a lot of sweat on her head.
“Miss Hong’er, I’m not blaming you. But since Concubine Yun is not feeling well now, Miss Hong’er, you’d better go and get the medicine first. Exchange your token for a ‘going-out’ token. This is the rule in the manor now. Concubine Yun won’t suffer any losses.” Custodian Han smiled and put the ‘going-out’ token in her hand into Hong’er’s hand.
Looking at the attentive and warm smile on Custodian Han’s face, Hong’er was angry and anxious. Suddenly, she had an idea. She put her hands on her hips and said angrily to Custodian Han.
“Custodian Han, now that you say that, I won’t go out. I won’t go out today, and I’ll ask His Highness’s guard to bring some medicine for Concubine Yun in a while, so that I won’t have to come here.”
It was easy for Feng Yuran’s guards to enter and leave King Xuan’s Manor. This also meant that Feng Yuran’s guards had a high status in the manor and were Feng Yuran’s trusted subordinates. How would other servants in King Xuan’s Manor dare to offend the people around Feng Yuran? As such, when she heard Hong’er’s words, Custodian Han started to hesitate.
“Miss Hong’er… which one of His Highness’s guards do you know?”
“His Highness has always been very nice to our concubine. He comes to our concubine’s room to visit her when he is free. Of course, I am familiar with the guard beside His Highness, Feng Yue. I didn’t go out the last few times because I asked Feng Yue to bring the medicine for me. But it’s not good to trouble him all the time. This time, Concubine Yun asked me to take out His Highness’s token, but I didn’t expect that you would dare to keep the token.”
Seeing that Custodian Han was a little weak, Hong’er immediately became belligerent. She pointed at Custodian Han and grew more arrogant.
“It’s… Don’t be angry, Miss Hong’er. I just listened to Her Lady’s arrangement!” Noticing that Hong’er was angry, Custodian Han quickly smiled obsequiously.
“If Her Lady grows angry, it’s because of you. Did Her Lady ask you to keep Concubine Yun’s token?”
“No… no!” How could Consort Xuan say such targeted words? Custodian Han stammered. They had been talking for a long time, and a few old maidservants standing not far away all looked over. And two of them seemed to be coming.
Concubine Yun, who was in the carriage, could not help but be anxious. She had intended to sneak out. If someone came over, pulled up the curtain and saw her in it, it would be terrible!
She knocked on the carriage with her hand, indicating Hong’er to hurry up!
“Since Her Lady hasn’t said it, then you can’t keep the token. Her Lady uses the rule to manage you unruly servants. Our concubine is not a servant. Besides, the token was given by His Highness. Since our concubine got it from His Highness, she will naturally return it to His Highness. Otherwise, if His Highness comes to our concubine’s house later, what should our concubine return to His Highness?”
A good idea occurred to Hong’er’s mind at the crucial moment. The more she spoke, the more fluent she became. She pointed at Custodian Han and sputtered.
She was also anxious at this point. Just now, Concubine Yun knocked on the carriage, and then she noticed a few old maidservants seemed to be coming. If they made a big deal out of this matter, and Consort Xuan and King Xuan knew about it, they would be in big trouble.
Seeing that Custodian Han was a little confused by her scolding, she stepped forward and grabbed the token from her hand. Then she turned around, walked to her own carriage and shouted angrily, “Open the door now. If you delay concubine’s treatment, you’ll be beaten.”
At this point, Custodian Han didn’t dare to stop her. Since the token was given to Concubine Yun by King Xuan himself, and Concubine Yun would give it back to him later, Custodian Han didn’t have the courage to keep it. She could only open the door with a bitter face. Watching the carriage leaving through the side door, she didn’t dare to say anything more.
Everyone in King Xuan’s Manor knew that Concubine Yun had come from the palace!
There were so many beautiful concubines in the manor in the past, but now there were only three concubines left. It could be seen that Concubine Yun was favored, so Custodian Han did not dare to offend her.
“My Lady, Concubine Yun has indeed gone out!” On the tall building, Mo Yu opened her eyes wide and said to Mo Xuetong with admiration.
“Then, let’s go out as well!” Mo Xuetong raised her watery eyes and smiled slightly. Then she lifted her long dress, held on to Mo Lan and went downstairs.
It was good that she left a little later than Concubine Yun did!
