It takes time for the emperor to leave the palace, and both the court and the harem are busy.

Except for the Empress Dowager, the Empress and Concubine Chun were sure to accompany him. The other concubines all tried their best to show their talents, hoping to follow him out of the palace. There were few concubines outside the palace, so maybe it would be their turn to be favored.

At the court meeting the next day, Prime Minister Liu donated 100,000 taels of silver to the court for disaster relief. All the ministers in the court said that Prime Minister Liu was a wise prime minister who worked hard for the country and the people.

Prime Minister Liu straightened his body and knelt in the Golden Palace, tears streaming down his face. "I feel guilty. I only regret that I cannot stabilize the country and the people and share your majesty's worries."

"I was born in my old age, and I was reluctant to discipline her harshly. Now that I have angered Your Majesty, it is my fault. However, my mother is old and has become ill with longing for her granddaughter. As a son, I must ask Your Majesty for mercy."

On that day, the emperor lifted the confinement order on Concubine Liu. The old lady of the Liu family came to the palace to visit Concubine Liu. Concubine Liu knelt for a long time at the gate of the Qianqing Palace and performed the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows to express her gratitude for the emperor's great grace.

The emperor did not meet Concubine Liu, but rewarded Old Lady Liu as a consolation.

After that, Concubine Liu changed her arrogant and domineering attitude and became extremely low-key.

The disaster relief work of the previous dynasty finally made progress. The Liu family won a great victory and placed many of their own people there.

The Ministry of Revenue arranged several officials to accompany him to manage silver, money and grain, and Ji Gongming was among them.

The emperor stared at the memorial for a long time, and finally wrote his comments in red without changing a single word.

After the imperial edict came down, the major event was settled, and both the court and the harem felt much more relaxed.

Jingren Palace.

The concubines from all the palaces came to pay their respects to the Queen. Concubine Liu arrived neither too early nor too late, with a humble attitude, and sat quietly opposite Ji Yunhuan.

But the look she gave Ji Yunhuan was not very friendly, and it was obvious that her acting skills were not up to par yet.

"The Queen has arrived~"

The concubines all stood up and saluted. Before Ji Yunhuan could bow, she was helped up by Chunfeng who was beside the queen.

The Queen took Ji Yunhuan's hand and smiled kindly, "It's enough that the intention is there. Please sit down."

"You are in poor health, so His Majesty and I have exempted you from the formalities of paying respects, yet you still come every time. No wonder the Empress Dowager often praises you for being sensible. No one else can be as indifferent to praise or criticism as Concubine Chun."

Naturally, everyone followed the queen's words and praised her.

Liu Fei clenched the handkerchief in her hand, trying her best to suppress the hatred boiling in her heart. If looks could kill, Ji Yunhuan would have been riddled with wounds.

Ji Yonglian stood behind Concubine Liu. She was originally assigned to Changchun Palace. When Concubine Liu was under house arrest, she became even more attentive to her because she knew that with the support of the Liu family, Concubine Liu would be released sooner or later.

Now, Concubine Liu had a sense of friendship with her, a sense of sharing weal and woe, and trusted her even more.

"I think your belly seems to be getting bigger. Considering the month, it shouldn't be this big. Could it be twins? You have to be careful. Twins are not easy to deliver."

Ji Yunhuan touched her belly. Her actual pregnancy was more than two months larger than the actual pregnancy, so it was normal for her belly to be a little bigger.

"How could Ji Ying'en, a virgin, know about the pregnancy? The imperial physician said that my pregnancy is very stable, and whether it is twins or not, I will be able to give birth smoothly."

Huipin immediately responded, "If your Majesty hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Ji Yingying hasn't even been favored yet. Someone who didn't know would have thought you'd have given birth to so many children that you could help your Majesty predict the baby's appearance."

The concubines around all laughed, and they talked one after another, making Ji Yonglian unable to raise her head.

When it comes to insulting others, all the women in the palace are masters.

Ji Yonglian wanted to try a few more times, but now she couldn't say a word.

"Okay, enough laughing and joking, it's time to get down to business. His Majesty is going to the temporary palace, and I really can't decide who goes and who doesn't."

"I have discussed this with Imperial Concubine Chun, and it is decided that the heads of each palace should go together, and each of them should bring along one or two favored concubines of lower rank. This will make things more lively."

As soon as the queen said this, everyone stood up to express their gratitude.

Concubine Liu was also happy. She was worried that she couldn't bring Ji Yonglian with her, and this was exactly what she wanted.

********

Inside Changchun Palace.

There was a table full of delicious food in front of Concubine Liu, but she had no appetite.

Ji Yonglian came forward to serve, and Concubine Liu waved her hand, "Sit down and eat together. You don't have to stand and serve anymore."

Shi Liu came to serve food to Concubine Liu. The previous Shi Liu had died, but Concubine Liu was grateful for her loyalty, so the senior palace maid beside her was still called Shi Liu.

Ji Yonglian tried her best to persuade her, "Your Majesty, this trip to the palace to escape the summer heat is our best chance. If this succeeds, Ji Yunhuan will surely die!"

Concubine Liu looked at the bowl of soup in front of her and threw her chopsticks down in annoyance. "How stupid! I don't like pigeon soup. Are you dead?"

Shi Liu fell to his knees with a thud, his body trembling, but he didn't dare to beg for mercy.

"Get out!" Concubine Liu kicked her, and Shi Liu rolled and crawled out.

Ji Yonglian replaced a bowl of soup for Concubine Liu and sighed, "Ever since Sister Pomegranate passed away, the people serving her have always been unsatisfactory to the Empress."

"My Lady, Sister Shi Liu's death was unjust. Ji Yunhuan is a ruthless and ambitious person, and she will never give up. She is so cruel that she even drove her own father out of the house. Is there anything else she can't do?"

"Will Your Majesty be able to escape unscathed next time? If we don't take the initiative, we'll only end up dead!"

Concubine Liu was still a little hesitant. "But right now is a time of great turmoil. Father said he won a game in the previous dynasty and that everything should be done in moderation. He told me not to act rashly."

"Grandmother also came in specifically to tell me to keep a low profile. As long as the Liu family still exists, I will be the queen sooner or later. There is no need to fight for the moment. At worst, I can leave the mother behind and keep the son. I have many ways to deal with it."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!