The next morning, Liu Liu was sleeping soundly when she heard a loud commotion outside the palace. She pulled the thin quilt higher over her head and tried to continue sleeping.
However, the noise grew louder and louder, disturbing her greatly. She frowned, her mind fuzzy, thinking that there weren't many people in Huaqing Palace. Where was all this noise coming from? She lifted the thin quilt and called out.
"Cui'er, Cui'er?"
Cui'er, who was guarding outside, rushed in upon hearing her young lady's call and asked respectfully, "Young lady, you are awake. Do you want this servant to help you get up?"
Liu Liu's eyes were not yet fully open, but her tone was unfriendly, and she coldly huffed, "What are they doing outside? It's so noisy!"
"Replying to young lady, it is Steward Jiang who sent eunuchs to clear the weeds around the palace, so it was a bit noisy and disturbed you," Cui'er thought that Steward Jiang had sent people to clean up the wild flowers and weeds in Huaqing Palace early in the morning, making the place finally clean and refreshing inside and out. She couldn't help but have a better impression of Steward Jiang.
"Oh," Liu Liu nodded. Hearing the noise outside had subsided a bit, she waved her hand, letting Cui'er go out, "Tell those eunuchs to send a message back saying I thank Steward Jiang."
"Okay, this servant will go right away." Seeing that her young lady had gone back to sleep, Cui'er carefully covered her with the thin quilt and tiptoed out. Her young lady always woke up late, so it was better not to disturb her. Since no one came to Huaqing Palace anyway, she might as well let her sleep.
Liu Liu lay down and slept for a while longer before finally waking up completely, refreshed. Qiao'er and Cui'er, two young maids, helped her get up, wash, and eat. Then, the three of them walked out together.
She saw that Huaqing Palace, which had been overgrown with weeds yesterday, was clean and refreshing today, and the air was much fresher. Liu Liu looked at the large open space next to the palace, raising her eyebrows and smiling.
"Later, you two can ask Xiao Anzi to find that Grand Eunuch Afeng, who is under Jiang Cheng, to get some vegetable seeds. We'll plant a plot of fresh vegetables next to it, which we can have the cooks prepare for us to eat."
Cui'er and Qiao'er's mouths fell open upon hearing their young lady's words. After a long while, they closed them and quickly replied, "Grand Eunuch Afeng said he would send some flowers later to turn this area into a small garden, so that the air in Huaqing Palace would be fragrant."
Liu Liu did not agree. Although planting flowers was beautiful, it did not seem fitting for this place. It was considered crude to plant flowers in such a simple place, and it would be more convenient to plant vegetables.
"Alright, you tell Xiao Anzi to tell him it's my wish to ask for some seeds, and we'll plant some vegetables ourselves. There's no need to move in flowers and plants. It's good that he has the intention, but don't you think planting flowers in this kind of place is very out of place?"
Cui'er listened to her young lady's words and looked up at the palace building of Huaqing Palace, its exterior was quite mottled.
If some flowers were planted next to it, it would indeed be inappropriate. The fresh flowers would only make the palace walls look more bleak. Young lady was right, it would be more practical to plant some vegetables, so she nodded, "Okay."
Slightly to the west of the palace, there were two tall iron-leafed pine trees, about six meters high, with thick branches and trunks, and a distance of about two meters between the two trees. Liu Liu led the two maids over, measured them from side to side, and happily instructed Cui'er.
"We'll build a swing frame here. It would be nice to swing on it when we have nothing to do."
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Upon hearing that her young lady wanted to build a swing frame, Cui'er excitedly shouted, "Xiao Anzi, Xiao Nianzi, come over and build a swing frame for the Empress!"
The two young eunuchs immediately ran out of the palace happily, found wooden planks and tools, and helped the Empress build a swing.
Cui'er brought a nanmu chair and waited for Liu Liu to sit down. The three of them watched with great interest as the young eunuchs built the swing frame.
The swing was soon finished. The two young eunuchs excitedly invited the Empress to sit on it and test its effect. Liu Liu immediately became interested. Since people had worked hard to make it, she should at least show her support. She nodded, stood up, and sat on the swing frame.
The two young maids stood on either side of her, happily pushing her. A gentle breeze blew, and looking up, the swinging green pine leaves looked like green fans, filling her vision with fluttering green jade small fans, making her feel suddenly uplifted.
The unhappiness in her heart was swept away, and a clear, bell-like laughter rang out.
"Swing higher, Cui'er, swing even higher. It feels so comfortable."
"Yes, young lady." The two girls pushed with all their might. The swing flew, their white skirts billowing and swaying, connecting with the floating clouds in the sky, beautiful and moving.
Xiao Anzi and Xiao Nianzi stood by watching, their eyes involuntarily welling up with tears. They were very happy to be able to do something for the Empress.
Seeing such a kind person like the Empress treated like this, they felt bad. They hadn't slept well all night. Now that the Empress was happy, that was all that mattered.
Although this place was simpler than others, it was much happier than others.
As a few of them were happily swinging, a group of concubines entered Huaqing Palace in an orderly fashion. Then, the high-pitched voices of the young eunuchs were heard.
"Consort Shu arrives, Consort De arrives, Consort Zhao arrives..."
The young eunuchs shouted a long list of consorts, but Liu Liu only heard the titles of the first few.
However, she did not stop her movements because of their arrival. She continued to let Qiao'er push her with all her might, and while swinging, she said, "Xiao Anzi, Xiao Nianzi, this swing is made well. Tell me what you want, and I, your Empress, will reward you."
Xiao Anzi and Xiao Nianzi smiled and respectfully replied, "Your servants do not want any rewards from Your Empress. We only want Your Empress to be happy."
Jin Jiali and Lou Sijing, two concubines who had walked into Huaqing Palace, looked displeasedly at the woman swinging on the swing, gritting their teeth in hatred.
This ugly woman had not only stolen their positions but was now acting as if she hadn't seen them.
However, don't think she could be happy for long. They would soon send her to the cold palace. Thinking this, they felt a little better and led the concubines behind them to greet Liu Liu gracefully.
"Younger sisters pay respects to older sister."
Liu Liu waved her hand, and the swing stopped steadily. Jin Jiali and Lou Sijing and other concubines lowered their heads and did not see it. Only Xiao Anzi and Xiao Nianzi, the two eunuchs, saw it and felt a little surprised.
The Empress is so amazing! The swing that was swinging so high could stop steadily. They didn't think about anything else.
Liu Liu glanced indifferently at these women who were putting on a show before her.
If they had sincerely come to pay their respects to her, she would naturally be happy. But don't think she, Liu Liu, was a fool. They were just here to watch a joke, weren't they?
The Empress of the Tianfeng Dynasty had been banished to the cold palace before she was even married. They had come to flaunt their status. Why should she be polite to people like them? She said coldly.
"Consort Shu, Consort De, you are too kind. I recall that I am the youngest daughter of the Liu family. There are no other younger sisters below me. Could it be that my muddle-headed father did something to betray my mother?"
As soon as Liu Liu finished speaking, Jin Jiali and Lou Sijing's faces turned red with anger, then green, and finally white with fury. Did this woman have any semblance of empressly etiquette?
How could she say such outrageous and vulgar words, throwing their faces to the ground and stomping on them fiercely.