"This servant congratulates Your Highness," Lingxiu said.

"No need to congratulate me yet. Lady Nian is just a minor character. I dealt with her with a little trick. The one who gives me the biggest headache is Consort Xi," the Empress said.

"Why don't we poison Consort Xi as well?" the palace maid suggested.

“Consort Xi is not as foolish as Lady Nian. The people around her are very careful. Besides, the same trick might not work if used again.”

The Empress lowered her head and said, "I need to think carefully about how to deal with Consort Xi."

A month has passed since Hongli's wedding. Hongli has already consummated his marriage with both Madam Su and Madam Gao, but he has not gone to Xueying's place.

Xueying has now become the laughingstock of the Prince's mansion. Some servants gossip about Xueying whenever they have free time.

That day, after Xueying got up, she asked Zuying to help her wash and dress. Looking at herself in the mirror, she wondered if she was going to grow old alone in this courtyard. She was aware of the gossip in the Prince's mansion, but she couldn't stop it. After all, she was not favored by the Prince.

Zu Ying combed Xue Ying's hair, giving her a loose, flat hairstyle. She swept her sideburns and forehead hair upwards and braided them into a flat bun, making her look dignified and elegant.

After combing her hair, Zu Ying exclaimed, "Madam, you are so beautiful!"

Xueying said helplessly, "Gao and Su are also very beautiful, and the principal wife is also very beautiful."

Zu Ying knew that Xue Ying was sad because of the Prince's matter, so she quickly changed the subject and said, "Madam, are you hungry? This servant will go to the kitchen to bring you a meal."

Xueying shook her head. "No need, I don't have an appetite right now."

Zu Ying said anxiously, "Madam, I know you're unhappy, but you can't take it out on yourself."

Xueying knew that Zuying genuinely cared for her and didn't want her to worry, so to comfort her, she could only say, "Alright, go ahead."

Zu Ying asked, "What would you like to eat, Madam?"

"Whatever, you decide how to arrange it."

"yes."

Zuying went to the kitchen to serve Xueying her meal. Before she even entered, she heard several cleaning women chatting and laughing together. She vaguely heard the words "concubine". She stopped and listened carefully to their conversation.

Then an old woman inside said, "If you ask me, this concubine is really pitiful. The prince has been married to her for a month, but they haven't consummated their marriage yet. The prince has even visited the two princesses."

Another old woman said, "Everyone in our household knows that the concubine is not favored by the Prince. It's not her fault. In the end, it's all because this concubine is from the Ulanara family. She is a mortal enemy of our Prince's mother, Consort Xi. The Prince didn't want to marry her in the first place, but the Emperor issued an edict, so he had no choice but to marry her. Otherwise, she wouldn't still be a virgin."

The old woman laughed and said, "Do you think this concubine will be ignored by the Prince forever and eventually die of depression?"

"If you ask me, it's possible that she died of depression. However, if she continues to be out of favor, the Prince will eventually divorce her, and she won't even be a concubine anymore."

Zu Ying couldn't stand it anymore. She kicked open the kitchen door and shouted at them, "How dare you talk about your master behind his back? Don't you want to die?"

“Who do we think we are? It’s the truth, and we can’t even say it?” one of the old women said.

Zu Ying slapped the old woman, who covered her face and said, "You dare hit me? Someone, beat her up!"

The kitchen staff grabbed Zuying, and several of them started punching her in the face.