Lanqin nodded, satisfied with her words. "Geng and I share the same thought. We must keep a close eye on Fucha from now on, in case she makes any more moves."

Wu said nonchalantly, "Why? Your Majesty, Fucha is just a minor character. We might as well ignore Fucha and let her fight with others. When they both suffer losses, we can reap the benefits. This way, it will be more beneficial to Changchun Palace than harmful to it."

Geng and Song echoed, "Yes, Your Majesty, this is good for us."

Lanqin shook her head and said, "You're thinking too simply. Empress Fucha is cunning. If we let her do whatever she wants in this harem, who will be next? It will be one of us. Moreover, she's now working with the Empress. You and I both know the Empress's temperament. She's been dissatisfied with us for a long time, but she just hasn't found any fault with us before. If we don't stop her immediately, I'm afraid they will harm others, and even harm ourselves."

The three remained silent, understanding the seriousness of what Lanqin had said.

Madam Song nodded and asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do?"

Lanqin said, "I haven't thought of any good solutions yet, which is why I called you all here so we can discuss countermeasures together."

Song asked in bewilderment, "Since Your Majesty is so wary of the Empress and Lady Fucha, why don't you tell the Emperor what they have done? The Emperor loves Your Majesty so much, he will surely listen to Your Majesty and deal with them."

Lanqin sighed and said, "How could I not want to tell the Emperor? But the Emperor is busy with the affairs of the court. The matter of Nian Gengyao has already troubled the Emperor. How can I trouble the Emperor with matters of the inner palace?"

Wu said anxiously, "If we don't tell the Emperor, how can we stand up to the Empress? Although the Emperor doesn't like the Empress, she is still the head of the harem. If she is determined to help Fucha, there's nothing we can do!"

Lanqin said with a determined look in her eyes, "Therefore, we must unite and find a way to subdue the Fucha clan. The Empress is a smart woman. If we really find evidence of the Fucha clan's crimes, she will definitely stop caring about the Fucha clan and protect herself."

“Once we’ve stripped the Empress of her wings one by one, leaving her all alone, it won’t be too late to deal with her then,” Lanqin said.

The three women, Song, Wu, and Geng, exchanged glances, rose, curtsied to Lanqin, and said in unison, "Your Highness, we will follow your lead and be loyal to you."

Lanqin knew that the alliance was now formed.

Meanwhile, the Empress summoned Lady Fucha to Jingren Palace to discuss how to deal with Lanqin.

Empress Fucha said, "The Emperor favors Consort Xi, and Consort Xi is now in charge of the harem. It would be difficult for us to frame her."

The Empress, her face etched with worry, said, "Yes, I've been fighting with Consort Xi for years. She's not someone you can easily mess with, especially now that she's taken over managing the six palaces from me. Her power is even greater, making her even harder to deal with." Suddenly, Lady Fucha seemed to have an idea. She leaned close to the Empress and said coldly, "Your Majesty, I've thought of a way to deal with Consort Xi: we can start with the Fourth Prince. If something happens to the Fourth Prince, Consort Xi will be completely disoriented. Then, when we strike, it will be a piece of cake!"