"Whatever the reason, I know you won't hurt me," Ye Miaoyun said with a gentle blink and a smile.

As long as those women aren't chosen for Qi Jiu, it's fine.

She didn't care that the choice was given to someone else.

Of course, she has been in the palace for several days, and apart from the East Palace and Liuyun Palace where her daughter is currently staying, she has not gone anywhere else.

She knew nothing about the palace and didn't manage anything. After Consort Yi, that vixen, escaped, everything in the palace was in charge of Consort Shu, the birth mother of the Fifth Prince.

The Emperor said that he would pass the throne to Qi Jiu next year. Logically and emotionally, Qi Jiu would no longer let Consort Shu manage these affairs in the palace. It would definitely be handed over to Ye Miaoyun. She understood this.

Letting her manage next year's draft might be the beginning of a power shift.

Ye Miaoyun had also experienced hardship and weathered storms, so she was not afraid of what was about to happen.

"The Consort Shu is in charge of all the big and small matters in the palace now. Logically speaking, after you become the Crown Princess, she should hand these matters over to you. But..." Qi Jiu shook his head as he spoke: "She is the Fifth Prince's birth mother. I know exactly what she is thinking."

In short, he was unwilling to accept Qi Jiu's position and had ulterior motives.

“If you hadn’t protected the fifth and seventh princes that day, they would have been dead long ago.” Ye Miaoyun said, frowning slightly. “This person is indeed ungrateful. He’s saved his life, and now he wants to compete with you for the throne.”

"These things were within my expectations. It's not bad to have such a threat; consider it a whetstone," Qi Jiu said with a smile.

Ye Miaoyun said somewhat irritably, "Just sharpen the knife, as long as you don't wear it down."

Qi Jiu burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"The old man said that he will pass the throne to me after the New Year. At that time, I will make you empress. All the big and small affairs in the palace will naturally be handed over to you. It is impossible to let an old concubine manage them anymore. Don't worry, I will arrange it. There will be someone to help you."

He wouldn't let his wife suffer.

“Okay.” Ye Miaoyun nodded: “I’m an educated person, I know all the principles I should know, and I will learn what I don’t know, so don’t worry.”

Since she had agreed to go to the palace with Qi Jiu, she was already mentally prepared. She would do her job well and not let Qi Jiu worry about her all the time.

He'll be ruling the entire world from now on, so he'll definitely be very busy every day.

She managed the harem perfectly, which put his mind at ease. They were husband and wife, and should naturally look out for and help each other.

...

The next morning, Qi Jiu went to court.

After having breakfast, Ye Miaoyun had nothing to do, so she decided to go and take a look at Liuyun Palace.

She didn't go in to disturb her daughter; she just stood at the door for a while and then left.

"Your Highness, Consort Shu requests your presence at Ningde Palace, where she resides," said Granny Hong as she entered.

"The Consort Shu said that the New Year is just over a month away, and preparations for this year's family banquet and state banquet need to begin. The Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites have already put forward their plans and would like to invite the Crown Princess to come and discuss them."

"In the past, Consort Yi made all these decisions?" Ye Miaoyun turned her head and asked.

"In response to the Crown Princess, when Her Majesty the Empress was alive, everything was done according to Her Majesty's will. Later, it was Consort Yi who took charge. In the past month or so, Consort Shu has been in charge of things in the palace, which is also with His Majesty's tacit approval."

As she spoke, Granny Hong looked at Ye Miaoyun and said, "Originally... it should have been you in charge, but the Emperor was worried that you wouldn't know how, so he handed it over to Consort Shu."

"The scale and procedures for this family banquet and the state banquet should be roughly the same every year, right?" Ye Miaoyun said.

“Yes!” Granny Hong nodded quickly: “They are largely the same.”

"Then there's nothing to discuss. Send someone to tell Consort Shu that since she's now in charge of the inner palace by imperial decree, she can make all the decisions. I won't interfere," Ye Miaoyun said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Granny Hong glanced at her with some surprise, then quickly nodded: "Yes, this servant will send someone to inform Consort Shu immediately."

Their master, though from the countryside, is no ordinary man; at least he's capable of maintaining composure.

The Crown Prince thought that the Crown Princess was ignorant, so he had been giving her and the other nannies and head eunuchs instructions every day for the past few days, telling them to assist the Crown Princess well and protect her well.

If they fail to protect their master, they will all suffer misfortune.

But the Crown Princess doesn't seem to need her guidance.

They handled that matter very well.

"Let's go to Liuyun Palace." Ye Miaoyun said as she got up and walked out.

Granny Hong quickly led her people to follow.

The Crown Princess doted on her daughter with her previous husband, and so did the Crown Prince, who even instructed everyone in the Eastern Palace to address Miss Ye as Princess.

This princess always rode a spirit beast when she came to the palace, which was both impressive and powerful, making her someone not to be underestimated.

As soon as Ye Miaoyun and Granny Hong arrived outside Liuyun Palace, they found a lot of people standing at the entrance.

"Who is making such a racket here?" Seeing that Ye Miaoyun's face looked rather unpleasant, Granny Hong quickly stepped forward and asked.

Seeing the woman at the head turn around, Granny Hong quickly said to Ye Miaoyun, "Your Highness, this is a princess from the Prince An's family. She's been staying in the palace recently to accompany Consort Shu."

"Why are you at Liuyun Palace instead of accompanying Consort Shu at Ningde Palace?" Ye Miaoyun stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

This is where her daughter lives; everyone in the palace already knows, so it's impossible for this little girl not to know.

What is her purpose in suddenly appearing here, accompanied by her servants making a loud commotion at the door?

"Greetings, Ninth Aunt!" Qi Yu curtsied and said softly, "I was out for a walk just now. When I got to the outside of Liuyun Palace, I suddenly ran out while holding the kitten and ran into Liuyun Palace. I wanted to go in to look for it, but the guards wouldn't allow it, so I argued with them for a bit."

"Go in and help her look for it!" Ye Miaoyun pointed to a guard, frowned, and said, "But be quiet and don't make any noise."

After hearing Ye Miaoyun's instructions, the guard quickly and gently pushed open the small door and went inside.

“If it were just an ordinary cat or dog, it wouldn’t be a big deal if it got lost, but that cat was my grandmother’s beloved pet. She’s had it for five or six years, and she can’t live without it. If it really gets lost, I don’t know how heartbroken she will be,” Qi Yu said, looking at Ye Miaoyun with feigned helplessness.

“Since the princess knows that this kitten is Consort Shu’s beloved pet, she shouldn’t be carrying it around. Doesn’t the princess know that cats are different from dogs? No matter how well you raise it, if it really runs away, it will most likely never come back,” Ye Miaoyun said calmly.

Qi Yu was taken aback when she heard her speak like that, showing no respect whatsoever.

“Since the princess brought it out, she should hold it well and not let it run away so easily.” As soon as Ye Miaoyun finished speaking, she saw the guard come out.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, there are no cats in the courtyard."