"Cui Ling, tell me, am I beautiful?" Sitting in front of the dressing mirror, Lady Nian stroked her own face and her slightly aged features, letting out a plaintive sigh.

Last night, the Emperor stayed at Changchun Palace and did not visit her at Yikun Palace, which made Lady Nian very uneasy.

Behind her, Cui Ling subconsciously glanced at the person in the mirror. The face that was once so beautiful now looked tired and sickly. Beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows were a pair of captivating fox eyes. It was the pointed chin on her face that made Cui Ling stare blankly.

“Your Majesty, of course you are beautiful. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen…” Cui Ling said quickly.

"Crack!" The mirror in her hand shattered. "You lied to me! If I were the most beautiful, why doesn't the Emperor come to see me? Ah... tell me!" As she spoke, she overturned the things on the table to the ground, making a "rumble" sound.

Cuiling immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, trembling, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please forgive me! Cuiling was wrong! Cuiling shouldn't have spoken so carelessly! Please, Your Majesty, have mercy!"

Ever since the wet nurse was beaten to death by Madam Nian, and ever since Hongfu died young, Madam Nian's mental state has been deteriorating. She often punishes the people serving her, including even her trusted maids like Cuiling and Baizhi.

"You're wrong?! Where are you wrong? Huh?! I'm not good-looking? I'm not beautiful? You deserve to die, you deserve to die!" Mrs. Nian shouted somewhat frantically.

Upon hearing this, Cui Ling knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing and begging for mercy until a trace of blood seeped from her clear forehead.

Meanwhile, in Jingren Palace, the Empress looked relaxed and happy. Since Lady Nian's sons had all died, she was naturally pleased.

"Your Highness, someone outside requests an audience!" a maidservant announced as she entered.

"Let him in," the Queen said slowly, sniffing the delicate snuff bottle she was holding.

A short while later, a man who looked like a eunuch was led into the main hall of Jingren Palace.

"Wei Tong greets Your Majesty the Empress," the eunuch hurriedly bowed and paid his respects.

The Empress was puzzled when she saw that she did not recognize the eunuch kneeling on the ground.

"Who are you?" the Queen asked, puzzled but coldly.

“Your Majesty has indeed never met me before, but I have always remembered Your Majesty’s kindness. I overheard something and wanted to report it to Your Majesty. I have come to tell Your Majesty that the Emperor intends to arrange a marriage for Prince Hongli,” the eunuch said.

"Why did you come to tell me this? And why should I believe you?" the Empress asked, suppressing her surprise.

Why does Niohuru receive so much of the Emperor's love, and now she's trying to seize the throne from her?

"Your Majesty, I am but a eunuch, and I would never dare to deceive you. Moreover, Your Majesty once did me a favor, but Your Majesty was unaware of it." The eunuch continued, and then recounted an event from his childhood.

The Empress gradually remembered this matter and began to believe the eunuch's words to some extent. In any case, whether it was true or not, it was always good to know in advance and be prepared.

Therefore, the Empress immediately ordered her trusted palace maid Lingxiu to leave the palace and deliver her letter to her younger brother, the Duke of Yingguo. In the letter, she instructed him to secretly go to Sun Jiacheng, the Minister of Rites, to verify whether the Emperor had indeed moved up the date of Hongli's wedding.

Because Sun Jiacheng had received favors from the British government's philanthropist Yang Gu in his early years, the two families had some private dealings. When the Fourth Prince promoted Lanqin, Sun Jiacheng had also vehemently opposed it.