Upon hearing this, Lanqin's face flashed with surprise, and she asked in a low voice, "Sister Zheng, what do you mean? My second sister is a Noble Lady personally appointed by the Emperor, how could anyone dare to humiliate her?"

At this moment, Huanyi brought over two cups of tea. One cup was placed on the high table next to the bamboo couch where Zheng Chunhua was sitting, and the other cup was placed on Lanqin, who was sitting in a high-backed chair inlaid with white jade and painted with landscapes.

"In this palace, those who fawn over the powerful and kick others when they're down are as numerous as carp crossing a river. On the contrary, those who don't harm others are laughed at as fools, destined to be servants for life. When your second sister was favored, she was inevitably a bit arrogant and probably offended quite a few people. Now that she's out of favor, those people remember it, lest they make things difficult for her in terms of food, drink, and daily necessities. Consort Lan has been ill since last winter. Alas, why hasn't she gotten better? Perhaps it's because the charcoal in the palace isn't enough, which is why her delicate body is getting weaker day by day." Although Zheng Chunhua was talking about the Dutch, she felt a pang of sorrow as she thought of the same mistreatment she had suffered.

After hearing Zheng Chunhua's words, Lanqin basically understood that Holland's death was probably not caused by one person, but by the interpersonal relationships and wickedness of people in the palace.

"Thank you for your advice, Sister Zheng." Lanqin understood why Consort De was reluctant to discuss the matter further. It was impossible to determine who was at fault for Holland's death; perhaps even Consort De herself had been involved in the bullying of these childless and lowly noblewomen. This was the so-called way of survival in the palace: when things were going well, there were plenty of people eager to add to the glory; when things were going badly, it was good enough if they didn't kick someone when they were down. Consort De, one of the four consorts, was known for her benevolence, yet she remained indifferent to the plight of a lowly noblewoman like Holland.

Lanqin drank tea with Zheng Chunhua for a while, exchanged a few words, and then took her leave.

Seeing Lanqin walking forward in silence, Cui Niang knew she was feeling distressed and comforted her, "My lady, you are pregnant now, so don't think about things you can't change. Consort Lan is already gone, and no matter how sad you are, you can't bring her back to life."

Lanqin knew that Cui Niang was afraid that she would be too upset and affect her pregnancy, so she said, "Cui Niang, who do you think is in charge of the affairs of the inner palace? The daily expenses of the masters in each palace and hall are distributed by the Imperial Household Department, right?"

Cui Niang nodded and said, "Yes, they are all managed by the servants of the Imperial Household Department. For someone of Lan Guiren's rank, her palace maids should be the ones to collect them themselves; the people from the Imperial Household Department would never deliver them personally."

Lanqin then asked, "So, the reason why Second Sister's silver and charcoal supplies are insufficient is because the people in the Imperial Household Department deliberately didn't provide enough? Without the Emperor's protection, nothing she says will work in this deep palace."

Cui Niang said, "I'm afraid that Consort Lan doesn't know how to behave properly. For a minor consort like her, it's best to rely on a powerful patron at the beginning. Otherwise, once she falls out of favor, having a powerful patron's protection will prevent her from being bullied by those people in the Imperial Household Department. If Consort Lan has offended someone and been tripped up behind her back, then things will be even more complicated."

Lanqin walked under the scorching summer sun, her back covered in sweat. But she felt a chill in her heart, as if the palace, just as Consort Cheng had said, was filled with too much yin energy, and those who lived here, if not physically strong, might not be able to endure it.

When Lanqin arrived at the South Third Palace, Fourth Prince, Seventh Prince, and Xinyi were all waiting for her, because in a little while, the palace gates would be locked, and then she wouldn't be able to leave the palace.

After exchanging a few words with Xinyi, Lanqin was helped into the carriage of the Fourth Prince's residence by the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince did not ride a horse, but accompanied Lanqin in the carriage.

"Feeling unwell?" Fourth Master looked at Lanqin, pulled her close, and hugged her.

"Yes. Actually, my relationship with my second sister wasn't good either. Back when we were still in the Ling family, she often acted arrogantly in front of my fifth sister and me, relying on her birth mother, Lady Yang, being favored by Father. I didn't really like her personality either." Lanqin said, though her soul had transmigrated and she had no sisterly affection for Holland. Her sadness at this moment stemmed from a pity for the fate of women living in the Forbidden City. Perhaps she was thinking about how she would eventually live there herself. When the Fourth Prince became Emperor and she became a concubine in the palace, would she also face the same situation?

"Yes, no matter how bad the relationship is, they are still sisters. Just like Master, he only has the deepest relationship with his thirteenth brother. It's good enough if he can get along peacefully with the other brothers. Some of them have even become sworn enemies," Fourth Master said with emotion.

Lanqin knew which person Fourth Master was referring to, and thinking about the fate of those people in the future, she felt even more desolate.

"Master, Second Sister's death was somewhat unjust. I want to investigate." Lanqin still didn't want to let it go like this. She wanted Holland to die knowing the truth.

The Fourth Prince pondered for a moment and then asked, "You went to pay your respects to Mother. What did you say?"

Lanqin lowered her eyes and said, "Mother seems unwilling to talk about it. I think it's probably related to Consort Yi. Mother has a bad relationship with her, so Mother doesn't want to get involved."

The Fourth Prince said, "What, do you think it's Consort Yi?"

Lanqin looked up at the Fourth Prince and said, "Consort Hui and Consort Rong have been out of the public eye for many years. They are both heads of their own palaces, so they naturally live well. With adult princes protecting them, they probably won't compete with the younger concubines anymore. Mother has also had her green plaque removed, so she probably won't compete with the younger concubines for favor anymore. Besides, Father has always valued Mother highly, and he has entrusted her with most of the affairs in the harem. Only Consort Yi still has some favor with Father. She is the one most likely to clash with the younger concubines, and she looks down on many of them because of her noble birth."

Seeing that Lanqin's analysis was so logical, the Fourth Prince tapped her nose and said, "Even so, it's not appropriate for me to interfere in Father Emperor's harem affairs. They are all Father Emperor's concubines, and only Father Emperor can judge right and wrong."

When Lanqin heard this, she knew that what the Fourth Prince said was true, but she still felt a little uncomfortable. However, she didn't say anything more and just nestled in the Fourth Prince's arms all the way back to the Fourth Prince's mansion.

Holland's body lay in the Chung-Cui Palace, where she had lived, for a day. That evening, the palace officials in charge of the funeral played music and a dozen or so maids and eunuchs saw her off as she left the palace.

It is said that Lady Yang waited at the palace gate, clinging to the coffin to see Holland one last time, which was done after she begged Lingzhu.