"If only my mother were still here."

Linghu Ning suddenly became somewhat sentimental.

The Emperor of Japan agreed without hesitation: "Your Majesty is magnanimous. I will speak with you and ask you to take care of me."

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

The imperial decree to take care of Linghu Ning was delivered to the Empress. The Empress frowned deeply and almost couldn't stand up straight: "The affairs of the inner palace are very busy. I am too busy to take care of myself. I'm afraid I can't take good care of the Consort."

"His Majesty says that from today onwards, Consort Xian will manage the harem. You only need to take good care of Consort Gui and help her give birth to the little prince as soon as possible."

The words "little prince" reached the Empress's ears. Her breath caught in her throat, and her fists clenched involuntarily. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

"Please inform His Majesty that I am aware of the matter!"

After the messenger left, the Empress angrily threw the teacup on the table to the ground, her heart pounding. She, the Empress, was being asked to take care of a concubine and had been stripped of her power to rule the palace.

Isn't this humiliating her?

This is outrageous!

"I underestimated her." The Empress was furious. "The Consort Xian was already blaming me for shooting myself in the foot, and now she's probably laughing her head off behind my back."

As the Empress had predicted, Consort Xian seized power in the harem and grinned from ear to ear: "Even the Empress has met her match!"

Linghu Ning was frail, and the Empress visited her almost every day, patiently chatting with her and constantly comforting her.

The Empress glanced at Linghu Ning with displeasure.

Linghu Ning turned her head and met the Empress's gaze. The Empress was stunned for a moment: "You...you can see me?"

Linghu Ning's lips curved into a smile: "I can vaguely see a shadow."

Upon hearing this, the Empress breathed a sigh of relief.

The sun was shining brightly that day, and Linghu Ning sat under the eaves basking in the sun. A palace maid told her that the Empress was ill and could not come, and that the Consort should rest well.

Chan'er muttered, "The Empress has been a bit perfunctory these past few days. She's afraid that Consort Xian will seize power, so she's actively trying to win over the newly entered palace ladies."

"I heard that one of the newly entered palace ladies is the Empress's niece. She made a mistake yesterday and was punished by Consort Xian. The Empress was so angry that she went to Consort Xian to reason with her."

"In the end, the matter was brought before the Emperor."

Linghu Ning raised an eyebrow: "And then?"

Chan'er covered her mouth and laughed: "That young lady was punished by kneeling for two hours, and the Empress was furious at the time."

Punishing the Empress's niece is tantamount to indirectly supporting Consort Xian.

"After all, Consort Xian is the daughter of a military family. This young lady, relying on the Empress's influence, has bullied many of her fellow young ladies. She deserved to be in trouble with Consort Xian," Chan'er said gloatingly.

Linghu Ning gave a faint "hmm" and continued basking in the sun with her eyes half-closed.

"The Empress's birthday banquet is in a few days. In previous years, it has been a very grand event. This year, the Imperial Household Department has been preparing for it for a long time."

"Consort Xian's birthday?" Linghu Ning smiled and murmured, "I should send a grand gift."