This was not because Tan Yun disrespected the Empress, but because the status of the palace maids who served the Emperor was far too low. The Emperor had favored quite a few palace maids every year, but most of them did not even have the right to be known by the Empress.

Because these palace maids who served the emperor either disappeared without a trace or were sent to a temporary palace to live out their days in peace and quiet, fading away in some unknown corner.

Tan Yun's attitude towards these palace maids meant that she wouldn't value Wu Ya Cheng Lin, and naturally, He She Li Fang Yi was also persuaded by Tan Yun's reasoning.

"Your Majesty should not have mentioned this person to the Emperor, thus wasting a concubine's position."

Tan Yun tried to persuade Hesheli Fangyi to calm down. In her opinion, the best outcome for Wuya Chenglin was to retire in a palace, which would be neither painful nor pleasant.

"Well, let's not talk about that."

Hesheli Fangyi was also afraid that she would cause trouble and mess things up. She did not understand these historical events of the Qing Dynasty and only thought that Wuya Chenglin was a tool for Tongjia Rongyue to produce offspring (in fact, Wuya Chenglin was a palace maid in Qianqing Palace until she became pregnant and was promoted to concubine and moved into Yonghe Palace. However, because her status was not high enough, Yinzhen was handed over to Consort Tong in Jingren Palace to be raised).

Seeing that Wuya Chenglin has already rewritten the fate she thought it would take, and that she has no connection with Tong Jia Rongyue, if she were to send her into the harem again, it might just fulfill Tong Jia Rongyue's wishes.

Tong Jiarong has been in the palace for five years, and there has indeed been no news of her pregnancy, which has rapidly increased the credibility of the surrogacy issue.

"However, we still can't let our guard down at the Qianqing Palace. The incident with Wuya Chenglin has served as a reminder to us. In the future, we should pay more attention to who the Emperor favors. Putting aside everything else, it's good to be prepared in advance."

Then there's Yinzhi's birth mother, Consort Liang, née Juechan Wei, who came from the Xin Zhe Ku (a place for imperial concubines). Who would believe that she was not favored by the emperor at all, given that she was able to climb out of such a place?

Seeing her mistress's serious expression, Tan Yun nodded and said, "Yes, this servant understands."

...

"Spring Rain, how many days has it been since you delivered the message to Kunning Palace?"

One early morning, after returning from paying her respects at Kunning Palace, Xiuning asked Chunyu, who was standing beside her, about her before even entering the room.

Chunyu was taken aback, then looked down and counted the days. "My lady, it has been more than half a month."

Upon hearing this, Xiu Ning turned her gaze to the potted plant in the center of the room. "Is Wu Ya Cheng Lin still serving in the tea room of the Qianqing Palace?"

“That’s right, there’s still no movement from the Emperor,” Chunyu said, remembering what her mistress had instructed her to do half a month ago. She quickly pledged her loyalty to her mistress. “My lady, I have indeed sent the message in. As for why the Empress has not responded, I do not know.”

Xiuning walked to the tatami mat and sat down. "Perhaps it's because she doesn't care."

She thought that the Empress, being a recluse, would be wary of Wuya Chenglin, but it turns out that this woman, like Consort Shu, was a complete novice.

"Your Highness, aside from the Empress, in the Qianqing Palace, this servant had someone instigate Wuya Chenglin's thoughts."

"No need. The fact that she's been able to persist for so long shows that she's quite ambitious. Your little tricks won't work on her," and they'll only waste their connections, leading to a thankless situation.

Xiuning interrupted Chunyu and waved her hand, asking Chunyu to bring her a cup of tea.

Holding the steaming teacup in her hands, Xiuning lowered her head and took a small sip. "Do you know where His Majesty went today?"

“According to the rules, it should be Yongshou Palace,” Chunyu replied.

“Hmm, Niohuru has been performing exceptionally well lately, and the Emperor has bestowed many gifts upon Yongshou Palace,” she said, turning her head slightly so that she could see the scenery outside the window out of the corner of her eye. “Spread the news throughout the inner palace and see how the Emperor reacts.”

Chunyu was a little worried, "What if the Emperor finds out?"

Xiu Ning smiled and said, "We don't need our people to spread the word. There are so many palace maids in front of the emperor. Are there none who have a bad relationship with Wu Ya Cheng Lin?"

She didn't believe it; Wuya Chenglin wasn't a Mary Sue who everyone loved.

Moreover, being able to serve the emperor is something that would be envied and envied in this era. Even if Wuya Chenglin keeps a low profile, she is still a thorn in the side of those with ulterior motives, and there will definitely be a lot of gossip about her.

Chunyu understood Xiuning's words and nodded with a relaxed expression. This kind of style of causing trouble under a guise was her forte.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for news about Wuya Chenglin to spread throughout the entire harem.

It wasn't public knowledge, but everyone knew a thing or two about it in secret.

Some concubines didn't understand that the emperor was just favoring a palace maid, so what was the big deal? But Consort Shu of Yongshou Palace could use this to make connections to Wuya Chenglin's future achievements.

This person is a formidable enemy!

Whether from the perspective of being able to give birth or from the perspective of being able to give birth, Consort Shu harbored hostility towards Wuya Chenglin.

Right now, she's clutching the handkerchief in her hand, so tightly she doesn't even realize she's torn it into a snag.

Caiyue watched with trepidation, caught in a dilemma where she wanted to offer advice but dared not speak up.

At the same time, Caiyue was also somewhat resentful of Consort Shu. After all, the other party had promised to help her rise to power, but there had been no progress so far. Could it be that all her words were false, and that Consort Shu just wanted to take advantage of the Wanliuha clan's influence in the Imperial Household Department without any intention of cooperating with them seriously?

Lost in her own thoughts, Caiyue didn't notice that the way she looked at Consort Shu was no longer as reserved as before.

...

Tea Room of the Qianqing Palace

Compared to when she first arrived last year, Wu Yachenglin is noticeably more mature.

Perhaps because she had served Emperor Kangxi, Wuya Chenglin had developed a more alluring demeanor, and while her appearance wasn't exceptionally outstanding, she had grown quite a bit.

"Cheng Lin, your nanny is calling you."

A palace maid's voice came from the doorway. Wu Yachenglin walked briskly to the door. "Granny, has His Majesty given any instructions?"

During this period, the Emperor frequently summoned her, and although she would take a contraceptive soup after each encounter, Wuya Chenglin still felt happy.

She figured that if she tried harder, the Emperor's attitude towards her would soften further. She preferred her current life to living in the outskirts of the palace or in the inner palace.

The old woman had a strange expression. She looked up and sized up Wu Yachenglin, then smiled politely. "It's good news. Congratulations, Miss. You will be a concubine in the harem from now on."

Wu Yachenglin was stunned. "Granny, what does this mean?"

What concubine? Isn't she just a tea-serving maid?

The old woman explained, "Miss, you probably don't know yet, but your affair has already spread throughout the palace. The Emperor has heard about it, and your good days are yet to come."

Wu Yachenglin: ...?!

Wu Yachenglin's eyes widened, feeling caught off guard.

The nanny urged, "Miss, please come with me quickly. The Emperor is waiting for you in the main hall." The implication was that she shouldn't keep the Emperor waiting too long.