Whether she's disappointed or not, as long as Hongli says what he wants, even if Chen Yuwei is unhappy inside, will she really dare to say it outwardly? She'll definitely have to go along with him.

At the very least, she couldn't openly confront Hongli head-on, because no matter how things were arranged, as long as Hongli held power, Chen Yuwei would always be the one at a disadvantage.

Hongli only came to Yikun Palace once, but he immediately arranged palace affairs for Consort Yu and Consort Ying.

Chen Yuwei also acted very sensibly. After Hongli left for the night, she immediately had Xia He divide the palace accounts in two and send them to Consort Ying and Consort Yu respectively.

"Remember to pick out the lucrative jobs, and don't say I didn't take care of those two."

Chen Yuwei fiddled with her fingernails, thinking to herself that no matter what, she had to take the initiative and prevent Hongli from finding any fault with her.

It's not a problem if Consort Yu and Consort Ying help her manage palace affairs; as long as the two of them fight each other, it's fine.

Hongli still didn't understand women well enough. Although Consort Yu and Consort Ying were both from Mongolia, they were not from the same tribe, so there must have been disputes and conflicts between them.

When everyone is in a low point, they might be able to be considerate of each other and temporarily choose to unite against external threats. But once they have power and influence, they should be willing to fight tooth and nail for their own benefit.

Chen Yuwei didn't exactly set a trap for Consort Yu and Consort Ying, since they wanted to jump into it themselves, so how could Chen Yuwei be blamed for tempting them?

Hongli believed that the combined strength of Consort Yu and Consort Ying would put pressure on Chen Yuwei, thereby easing the balance of the harem.

Unexpectedly, the pressure exerted by the two was not enough, and Chen Yuwei instead seized the opportunity to subdue them both.

The most obvious manifestation of this was that when Hongli summoned Consort Yu and Consort Ying for his pleasure, he often heard them complain.

After a day of dealing with state affairs, Emperor Hongli's main purpose in coming to the inner palace was to relax and make himself feel comfortable.

However, at present, Consort Ying and Consort Yu cannot bring such benefits to Hongli.

Naturally, Hongli was unwilling to go to the palaces of Consort Ying and Consort Yu.

Consort Yu and Consort Ying gained control of the palace, but ended up being neglected by the emperor.

At first, they could barely accept it, but later they couldn't tolerate it.

After all, even if Gong Quanxiang is in charge, she is only helping out temporarily. The main power is still in the hands of the Imperial Noble Consort. Whether or not she can take it back is just a matter of a word.

Once they lose the emperor's favor, their lives in the harem will plummet.

Not only will all the benefits they previously enjoyed be halved, but they also have to consider whether they will be abandoned by the tribe if they can no longer help it.

In essence, there is no difference between Mongolian noblewomen and noblewomen from aristocratic families.

Both of them were tools to contribute to the prosperity of their families.

The first to lose her temper was Consort Yu, who, despite her age, was utterly incompetent.

Having spent many years in the imperial harem, Consort Yu may not have learned much else, but she certainly excels at being loud and boisterous.

In addition, Consort Yu is indeed quite old, and she is even more afraid of life after losing favor. Compared to Consort Ying, who is still young and radiant, Consort Yu would rather keep the Emperor by her side to prove her ability.

"Then you should try to influence the Emperor. What are you doing here?"

To show off to her? Consort Ying looked down on Consort Yu, ever since the latter entered the palace.

"Of course I want to discuss this with you. One person's plan is short-sighted, but two people's plans are long-sighted."

"Consort Ying, you don't think that because I've fallen out of favor, you're the one who'll benefit from this, do you?"

Consort Yu spoke without any politeness; she was not a kind person to begin with.

He used to be very arrogant when he was by the emperor's side and was favored by him, but now he has become much more restrained and well-behaved.

Consort Ying has a typical Mongolian appearance, with a dignified and assertive look that reveals a powerful inner passion at a glance.

Consort Ying glanced sideways at Consort Yu sitting opposite her, a slight smirk playing on her lips, and said dismissively, "Whether it's me or not is none of Consort Yu's concern."

Consort Yu, having fallen out of favor, must be having a much harder time than before.

Consort Yu: ...

Consort Yu was furious; this was precisely why she disliked Consort Ying the most.

That's incredibly harsh!

It was both poisonous and heartbreaking, like a steel knife stabbing into my heart, and even comforting myself was useless.

With a light laugh, Consort Yu retorted, "Not as stubborn as Consort Ying."

I didn't have a very comfortable life, but at least I had a solid foundation, and my family could help me out.

"Consort Ying, your tribe has placed great hopes on you, yet you don't seem to be much better than me now."

Before entering the palace, Consort Yu knew she would have difficulty conceiving, so she simply didn't try to have children.

On the contrary, she was quite willing to go all out and fool around with Hongli in order to win his favor and seek some benefits.

But Consort Ying is different. She is currently at the best age to get pregnant, but her belly shows no signs of pregnancy.

When it comes to stabbing someone in the back, the concubines in the imperial harem are all experts.

Consort Ying enjoyed the care from Consort Yu, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

The verbal sparring temporarily subsided, and the two returned to normal expressions, beginning to discuss how to regain the Emperor's attention.

"We can put the matter of palace power aside. Anyway, with those servants helping us, it'll be fine."

Consort Yu felt that the most urgent matter was the Emperor. "There are more and more concubines in the harem. It will definitely be difficult for us to compete with those young concubines."

However, they were not without their advantages. The young concubines had the advantage of youth, but the older ones were better able to grasp Hongli's interests.

"Tell me, what do you need my help with?" Consort Ying was unwilling to play coy with Consort Yu. "As long as it's not difficult, I will definitely help you get what you want."

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