The Empress Dowager was in a great mood and took out a large box of gemstone jewelry from her dowry and bestowed it upon Tong Wanyan.

Fucha Yuxian sat in the courtyard, admiring the flowers with a cold face. From afar, she looked like a beautiful woman, but up close, her face was ferocious as she crushed the petals with her fingertips.

"What's so good about that idiot? Naïve, a honeyed-tongued devil," Fucha Yuxian said sinisterly.

Qiaocui keenly observed her surroundings: "This servant has already taken control of the wet nurse who feeds the eldest prince. Don't worry, Consort Tong won't be happy for long."

"It took more than a month to finish, is it worth you saying that?" Fucha Yuxian was increasingly unable to control her anger and resentment.

She's always had a smooth life, and her so-called forbearance and hiding are just ways of making herself look better.

She spent nearly two months in Yuqing Palace and gained nothing; in fact, she couldn't even touch the hem of Yinreng's clothes.

She could only burn ambergris in the main room day and night, pretending to sleep with Yinreng.

But as the rations of ambergris gradually ran out, the servants in Yuqing Palace, who were so opportunistic in their treatment of her, stopped giving her any more.

“Let’s go see how stunning this Consort Tong is today.” Fucha Yuxian stood up, her red lips bright.

Wearing a full set of red gold inlaid with sapphire blue jade, and matching qipao with exquisite embroidery, Fucha Yuxian personally picked out a gold hairpin and walked proudly towards the south courtyard.

People in the west and north courtyards were watching her closely, and as soon as she stepped out, the others followed suit.

They didn't want to go one by one in turn. Based on their experience dealing with Tong Wanyan many times, they thought that going one by one would be like boiling dumplings in boiling water. It was better to have more people and make it difficult for her to cope.

Consort Tong, who was greatly favored, wanted some peace and quiet, but they wouldn't give her that.

When a group of people set off together, it's inevitable that they'll bump into each other on the road.

Women compare their families when they are at home, and compare their husbands' favor and offspring when they get married. Besides these, appearance is something they compare throughout their lives.

Following the example of Tong Wanyan, Fucha Yuxian entered Yuqing Palace and never left the inner palace, becoming a disheartened person in Yinreng's eyes.

Therefore, today is their first meeting.

Li Jia walked alone, while Tang and Fan walked hand in hand; at first glance, the three appeared to be together.

Four pairs of beautiful eyes met, sparks flew instantly, and fighting spirit soared.

Li Jia adjusted the small phoenix hairpin in her hair, Tang pursed her lips, revealing sweet dimples, and Fan stood tall with her proud figure; they were all breathtakingly beautiful in every way.

Fucha Yuxian suddenly doubted that her information was wrong. Such a beautiful and charming woman, how could the Crown Prince not be interested in any of them?

How beautiful Tong Wanyan, who was the sole recipient of the emperor's favor, must have been.

Fucha Yuxian, who always considered herself to be exceptionally beautiful, began to feel uneasy, but she remained calm.

"This must be Sister Fucha. She's so beautiful; from afar, she looks like a fairy descended from heaven." Li Jia was the only one among them whose status was equal to that of Fucha Yuxian.

She smiled sweetly, as if she and Fucha Yuxian had hit it off immediately.

Fucha Yuxian nodded slightly with a haughty air, exuding the noble air of a cold beauty.

"Sister Li is gentle and dignified; she is a true beauty." Although Fucha Yuxian maintained a composed demeanor, she did not intentionally make enemies.

She called Tong Wanyan foolish precisely because of Tong Wanyan's arrogant nature of not getting involved with anyone.

Li Jia breathed a slight sigh of relief. Ever since she was humiliated by Tong Wanyan, she was really afraid that Fucha Yuxian was the same kind of person.

One took the initiative to befriend the other, while the other passively accepted it; their relationship quickly became inseparable, like twin sisters.

As Tong Wanyan was playing with Tana, teasing her with a wooden pony carving, she saw Su Jixiang approaching, covered in sweat.

"Consort Fucha, Consort Fucha, Consort Li, Princess Tang, and Princess Fan have come to pay their respects to you." Su Jixiang knew her mistress's temperament well, so she was extremely anxious.

Tong Wanyan chuckled softly, and Su Jixiang couldn't help but look up at her, instantly captivated.

What beauty she possessed! Radiant as the morning sun, like a fairy maiden, even the strands of her hair seemed to exude an ethereal aura.

"What's the rush? The Empress Dowager bestowed a generous reward upon me, so it's perfectly normal for them to want to come and see. You've been in the palace for so many years, haven't you seen more of this than I have?" Tong Wanyan joked.

Su Jixiang lowered his head sheepishly: "The concubine is right to reprimand me."

"Alright, I know you're worried about me. They're deliberately trying to provoke me. If I give in to their wishes, wouldn't I fall into their trap? I'm just bored anyway, so let's go see them," Tong Wanyan said nonchalantly.

"Hey, where's Hongzhao's wet nurse?" Tong Wanyan walked out of the side hall and suddenly turned back.

The wet nurse serving Tana quickly knelt down: "Reporting to Consort Wang, Lady Wang suddenly suffered from severe abdominal pain for some reason, so she went out to avoid the situation."

“If that’s the case, then you’ll have to work hard these next few days. Fortunately, Hongzhao isn’t eating much, and Tana has started eating solid foods recently. I personally selected you two, and I trust you both, so you have to be worthy of my trust too. Understand?” Tong Wanyan spread out her hands, and Chunque helped her put on the armor.

The armor was adorned with tiny, shimmering rubies, seemingly unattainable.

The wet nurse was startled; Consort Tong could actually wear red now—this was truly a sign of great favor.

She, who was already completely loyal, replied even more meekly, "It is my blessing to have the trust of the Consort, and I would never dare to disappoint you."

After expressing her loyalty, she stammered, "Consort, this servant is unsure whether I should say something."

Tong Wanyan raised her eyebrows and casually looked her over: "Now that we've come this far, what do you say?"

“Madam Wang seems to be acting a little strange these past few days. I didn’t dare to say anything at first, since we’re both wet nurses, and I was worried you might misunderstand. But the First Prince is so precious and cannot be allowed to make the slightest mistake, so I couldn’t help but report it,” the wet nurse said.

People in the palace always have a way of speaking; with a few roundabout words, they can obscure any selfish motives and make it seem like they are completely loyal to their master.

Tong Wanyan didn't nitpick at her: "You just need to take good care of the eldest prince and the eldest princess's health."

The wet nurse nodded repeatedly in agreement. It was a crime for her to fail to report what she knew, and it was obviously a good thing that Consort Tong was able to let it go.

With the wet nurse left in the room, Tong Wanyan was helped by Su Jixiang to get ready.

When receiving guests, one should not be too plain or unassuming, lest one diminish one's prestige.

The bright red cheongsam is adorned with peonies in full, flamboyant bloom.

The jeweled headdresses bestowed by the Empress Dowager were mostly brightly colored, which was quite inconsistent with her low-key personality, but Tong Wanyan liked them very much.

After putting on the teardrop-shaped earrings, Tong Wanyan stood up and swayed slightly.

"It's been a long time since I've dressed up in my finest attire, and I can't bear the weight of all this jewelry," Tong Wanyan said, supporting her lower back as she wore high-soled platform shoes.

Xia Zhu chimed in, "Your servants are here. Consort, you can simply go out looking elegant, and we'll help you along."

After being reprimanded by Granny Ling, Xia Zhu matured a lot, became more tactful in her speech, and acted with greater discretion.