In the imperial concubine's palace.

Concubine Wu stared at the eunuch who was talking to her with an extremely ugly expression.

"You didn't even know there was a new woman in the harem yesterday. What use do I have for you?"

"What is the identity of that woman? Have you found out?"

The imperial concubine felt uneasy when she thought that the emperor had favored a woman she didn't know last night.

The emperor hasn't summoned any concubines to sleep with him for a long time, but now he favors a woman whose origin is unknown.

"To answer the Imperial Concubine, from what I have learned, Eunuch Wang Yun personally went to the palace gate to pick up the woman."

"No one knows her identity, but we only know that the emperor values this woman very much."

After a pause, Eunuch Futian hesitated whether to say what the palace maid said.

"Stop hesitating and tell me now?!"

"This servant heard something from a palace maid, but it's not confirmed. It's possible that she misheard it."

"explain?!"

"The maid said she heard Eunuch Wang Yun call that woman the Empress Dowager."

The imperial concubine's eyes became cold and cruel, and she stared at Eunuch Futian with wide eyes, her eyes full of terror.

"Your Majesty, please spare me. These are the exact words spoken by the palace maid. I have absolutely no intention of lying."

The imperial concubine clenched her fists, feeling a strong sense of crisis in her heart.

She had always considered the position of queen as her own, and she thought that all she needed was an opportunity.

She had originally planned to ask her father to urge the court to establish a queen on New Year's Eve when her ice skating skills would shine.

By then, she will definitely ascend to the position of queen.

After all, she is the highest-ranking concubine in the harem, and no one can compete with her for the position of queen.

But now, a new woman has appeared beside the emperor.

No, she couldn't just sit there and wait for death.

"The Empress Dowager is in the Cining Palace, right?"

"The Empress Dowager is in the small Buddhist temple." said the personal maid Lu Yi.

In the side hall of Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager knelt devoutly in front of the Bodhisattva and the Goddess of Childbirth, holding a string of Buddhist beads, muttering something.

"Empress Dowager, the imperial concubine is here." said the nanny beside the Empress Dowager.

"Then let her come in and kneel down together."

The imperial concubine lit a stick of incense and knelt down before helping the empress dowager out.

"I haven't seen the Imperial Concubine for a while. How come you look so much thinner?"

"The Emperor hasn't been to the harem recently, so I thought of practicing an ice dance to please him."

The Queen Mother clapped her hands in satisfaction and said, "That's right. If you can persuade the Emperor to go to the harem, you will be a great hero."

Although she felt there was no hope of having an heir, the Queen Mother still had a glimmer of hope deep down in her heart.

What if?

Wouldn’t it be great if I really had my own children?

So the empress dowager was also thinking of ways to get the emperor to go to the harem.

Glancing at the Empress Dowager, the Imperial Concubine said calmly, "I heard that the Emperor brought back a new sister yesterday. I don't know which family she is from."

"The other sisters asked me about it this morning."

There is no queen in the harem now, so the other concubines pay their respects to the imperial concubine every morning.

The Queen Mother's eyes flashed with surprise, obviously she didn't know about this.

She glanced at the nanny, who nodded. She planned to wait until the empress dowager finished praying to Buddha before telling her about this matter, but then the imperial concubine arrived.

In this way, the Queen Mother also understood why the Imperial Concubine came here in the heavy snow.

"It's a good thing that the emperor favors a newcomer. For so many years, the concubines in the harem have either been unable to conceive or have been unable to do so."

"It would be good to get some new blood. If I can conceive a child, then you, the Imperial Concubine, will have someone to rely on."

The Queen Mother was actually quite satisfied with the Imperial Concubine. She managed the harem in an orderly manner and was able to keep the concubines under control.

Of course, sometimes the means are a bit excessive, but that's how the harem is.

The Queen Mother actually knew about many of the little actions, but she could accept them.

However, now that the emperor favors a newcomer, the empress dowager is also happy to see it happen.

It's better than the emperor becoming a monk. Besides, if the emperor starts to have needs, it means that he may soon summon concubines to sleep with him.

The imperial concubine's eyes lit up. She had actually gotten pregnant a few years ago with the help of the imperial physician's prescription.

But when he was two months old, he felt his body was wet in the middle of the night. When he touched it, his hands were covered in blood.

The child still didn't make it past three months.

Three months is like a curse, and no concubine in the harem who has been pregnant can break this curse.

Every miscarriage hurts her body. The imperial physician said that it would be difficult for her to get pregnant again in this life.

The Empress Dowager meant that if someone in the palace could give birth to the Emperor's child, the child would be raised under her name.

This was equivalent to promising her the position of queen.

After coming to see the Empress Dowager, the imperial concubine felt as if she had taken a reassurance pill.

But she was still a little bothered by the fact that the emperor favored a newcomer.

So he told the story without hesitation that the plum blossoms in the plum garden had been picked.

The emperor agreed and was present at the scene, but he did not say anything.

Just as the Queen Mother's face darkened, Eunuch Wang Yun arrived with a bunch of red plums.

"Empress Dowager, these are plum blossoms that the Emperor picked himself and asked me to bring to your palace."

"The Emperor said that the plum blossoms in the Plum Garden are in full bloom, so we should pick some and place them in the Empress Dowager's palace so that she can see them from time to time."

The Queen Mother took the plum blossoms, put them to her nose and sniffed them, then smiled: "Madam Gui, bring two vases and put them in there."

The imperial concubine's face froze. She didn't expect that she would be exposed just now for throwing dirty water on that woman.

Before the Empress Dowager looked over, the Imperial Concubine spoke first: "So the flowers in the plum garden were picked by Your Majesty. I thought someone was so bold as to dare to touch the Empress Dowager's favorite flowers."

The Queen Mother glanced at her. How could she not know what she was thinking?

Whether it was being plotted against or plotting against others, the Queen Mother had seen many such things, otherwise how could she have sat in her current position.

But I also know that it is because the imperial concubine's heart is with the emperor.

If you don't love her, who does it matter who the emperor favors?

"The Emperor is thoughtful. Wang Yun, I heard that His Majesty favored a new lady last night? Why didn't I hear about the enthronement? Whose daughter is this?"

The imperial concubine pricked up her ears.

Wang Yun glanced at the empress dowager in embarrassment and then at the imperial concubine.

"My Lady, please go back first. It's snowing heavily, so be careful."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now."

Nanny Gui was not stupid. She personally sent the imperial concubine out to ensure that she would not eavesdrop.

"Tell me? Which young lady is making things so difficult for you? You also have to consider the Imperial Concubine."

Eunuch Wang Yun smiled awkwardly, "Your Highness, you're joking. I'm just afraid that if the Imperial Concubine finds out, she'll make a scene. If the Emperor blames me, I'll be in a difficult position."

"Could it be that he still has a grudge against the Imperial Concubine?" the Queen Mother wondered.

Eunuch Wang Yun shook his head: "No, it's because the Emperor wants to appoint a queen."

Eunuch Wang Yun has been with the emperor for many years. He was sent here today to deliver plum blossoms. It was obvious that the emperor wanted to inform the empress dowager about the queen's appointment.

The Queen Mother's eyes widened in surprise when she heard this. "Which young lady is so capable? The court officials have talked to me about this countless times, but it's been years without a single approval. Who is so capable that the Emperor could be moved by this?"