Chapter 2894 Rescue

"Even if she is favored now, what does it matter? Will she still be able to live in the harem in the future?"

As she was speaking, Aunt Tongyun walked in from outside.

Seeing her like this, he shook his head and said, "Ruoshui, stop bothering Her Majesty with your little gossip. It's so hard to have nothing serious happen now, can't you let Her Majesty rest for a while?"

"oh."

Ruoshui stood up obediently and pursed her lips.

Nan Yan smiled and said, "Don't scold her, we were just chatting. I heard that Concubine Yao is not popular in the palace. Is that true?"

Aunt Tongyun put the collected clothes into the closet. When she heard her question, she smiled bitterly and said, "Is this true?"

“…”

"My Lady, just look at the daytime, and you'll know when so many people are complaining about her alone."

“…”

"Really? Even Concubine Xi back then wasn't as ugly as her. How strange..."

Nan Yan looked at her: "What's strange?"

Aunt Tongyun glanced at her, thought for a moment, and then whispered, "I heard before that when Concubine Yao and Concubine Ling came to the palace to be selected as concubines, apart from Zhao Nanfeng, Concubine Yao was the most outstanding."

When Zhao Nanfeng was mentioned, Nan Yan smiled.

That was the first time she used the imperial concubine's money to punish palace maids in the harem, earning her a great "bad reputation". It is said that until now, some people in the harem are still afraid of her when they mention what happened, and they even tiptoe when passing by Yonghe Palace.

This time, the emperor was seriously injured and unconscious, and she controlled the court and the harem, making everyone even more afraid of her.

She said, "I still remember Zhao Nanfeng, but this Yao Ying—is she outstanding? If it weren't for this incident, I would have almost forgotten her. She's been in the palace for almost a year, and she's still just a noble lady."

Aunt Tongyun smiled and said, "She stands out among her group of people."

"What's the meaning?"

"That's right. She knows the palace rules like the back of her hand, as if she had inquired about them beforehand. I heard that before she and Zhao Nanfeng went to see the Empress, she even specifically inquired about the color and pattern of her clothes, so as not to bump into her and upset you. Everyone around her listens to her."

"oh?"

Nan Yan thought about it for a moment, then laughed and said, "No wonder when a large group of them came to pay their respects to me, Zhao Nanfeng was the only one wearing red. She stood out to me, so I just found a reason to punish her. It turns out it was these people who were behind this."

Ruoshui said, "She's quite careful then."

Aunt Tongyun said, "They look at the Empress as if she were a deity in heaven. If a deity sneezes, it's like the sky is falling and the earth is cracking for them. How can they not be careful?"

Nan Yan smiled.

Ruoshui pouted and said, "Wasn't it good to be so cautious all the time? Now that you've entered the harem and become a noble, you've become more unrestrained."

Aunt Tongyun shook her head and said, "I don't know what she's thinking. During the day, anyone with a discerning eye would have known that this was an offense against the Empress. She knew all of this back then, but now she doesn't know it and seems to be going out of her way to provoke others."

Nan Yan was still smiling.

There was a subtle glint in his eyes: "How could such a cautious person be so unpopular now?"

Aunt Tongyun and Ruoshui looked at each other, then looked at her.

Nan Yan sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned back on the couch to rest.

No words were spoken that night.

The next morning, as if an invitation had been sent, the concubines in the harem gathered again at the Yonghe Palace in Nanyan.

Of course, this time, the noble lady Yao Ying also came along.

However, no one paid much attention to her, except for the nobleman Ling Shansi who lived with her. The two of them came together and sat together. Although Nan Yan had nothing to say to them, since everyone was gathered together, she could only imitate Xu Miaoyin's behavior back then and try to be gentle and perfunctory and talk to them.

However, the topics they talked about were naturally boring ones like who got the better fabrics and who bought the better looks.

Nan Yan felt like dozing off after listening to it.

Yao Ying, who was sitting at the very end, yawned unconsciously and immediately covered her mouth with her hands.

However, she was the focus of everyone's attention. As soon as she yawned, someone said coldly, "Oh, Lady Yao, how tired are you?"

When Yao Ying heard this, she quickly stood up and said, "No, no."

"No? Yawning while sitting in Yonghe Palace, do you think what the Imperial Concubine said is nonsense and makes you sleepy?"

Yao Ying was so frightened that her face turned pale.

She hurriedly said to Nan Yan, "My Lady, I have absolutely no such intention."

Nan Yan looked at her, but before she could say anything, Concubine Yi said coldly, "I guess you don't dislike the Imperial Concubine. Maybe you're tired from serving the Emperor last night."

This sentence was like stirring up a hornet's nest, and the concubines around started to clamor.

"What? Serving the Emperor?"

"Did the Emperor go to Jingyixuan last night?"

"How come we don't know?"

Yao Ying's expression turned even uglier, and she whispered, "The Emperor dined at Jingyixuan last night. I was with him."

Concubine Xi's pretty face immediately fell.

He said coldly, "You are so lucky. The rest of us can't even see the Emperor more often than usual, but you, Lady Yao, are so capable! The Imperial Concubine just passed away a few days ago, and no one can eat, yet you are able to serve the Emperor dinner. What's so useful? Teach us."

Just when Yao Ying was speechless and her face turned purple, Zhu Feng's low voice came from outside the door.

"What method? What do you want to learn?"

When everyone heard his voice, they immediately stood up.

Several concubines looked at each other. Although they lowered their heads, they couldn't help but reveal resentment in their eyes.

It was like this yesterday and it was like this today. Every time they made things difficult for Yao Ying, His Majesty the Emperor would rush over, as if he had come specially to save the situation.

Why is he so concerned about this Concubine Yao?

If it is said that in the past the Imperial Concubine was the only one favored by the harem, it would be fine. After all, the Imperial Concubine has been with the Emperor for so many years and has been through thick and thin with him. But what ability does this Concubine Yao have, and why is she so powerful?

When Zhu Feng walked in from outside with his hands behind his back, the atmosphere in the entire Yonghe Palace was so tense that it seemed as if it was suffocating.

Nan Yan still stepped forward and led everyone to kowtow to him.

Zhu Feng glanced at them and said calmly, "Everyone, please stand. You are all here—are you here in full force? Are you here to pay your respects to the Imperial Concubine?"

Everyone stood up, feeling awkward and unsure of what to say. Nan Yan said softly, "No, it's not that. We were just gathered together to chat. Why is the Emperor here again?"

Zhu Feng sat down, brushed off the corner of his clothes, and then said, "I remembered something and came here specifically to tell you something."

Nan Yan asked, "What are your instructions, His Majesty?"

Zhu Feng glanced at Yao Ying, who was huddled in the crowd, and then said, "Didn't the maidservant by Concubine Yao's side disappear? Imperial Concubine, please find two suitable people to serve her."