"She really said that?"

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true."

"What arrogance!" Inside Xingqing Palace, Consort Zhuang slammed her hand on the table, her expression disdainful. "The duties of the eldest son of the legitimate wife? Does he really think that just because he holds such a position, he can actually inherit the throne?"

"Your Majesty, be careful what you say."

Consort Zhuang took a deep breath: "It seems our new Empress has great ambitions!"

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"

"What should we do? First, let's make our Empress realize who's in charge of this harem!" Consort Zhuang squinted, leaning back leisurely on the soft pillows. "Caixia, isn't it almost time for envoys from all over the country to come to the capital to pay tribute?"

"I heard that the envoy has arrived in the capital and is waiting for His Majesty to summon him."

"Alright, remember to tell the Shanggong Bureau that the expenses among the concubines are customary, and if the Fengyi Palace is lacking anything, please forgive the Empress."

"Your Majesty, what should we do if the Empress complains to His Majesty?"

"His Majesty didn't even go to her palace on the night of the investiture, so how could he have had time to listen to her complaints? Does he really think that by making her Empress, His Majesty values ​​her? Go ahead and give the order, and see what kind of joke she can make."

The palace servants were also very much looking forward to it. After the late empress passed away, only the Empress, Consort Xian, and Consort Shu were in the palace and managed the harem together. The appointment of a new empress meant that there was another person above them, so how could they be happy?

Now is the perfect time to test the new empress by taking advantage of the tribute from the envoys. If the new empress flies into a rage over this small amount of tribute, it means she lacks magnanimity and is incapable of managing the harem. But if she swallows her anger and suffers this injustice, it proves that she is not capable of holding her position in the Phoenix Palace and can be bullied by other palaces.

At the same time, what Song Xia said to the eldest prince also reached the ears of the other concubines. Consort Xian and Consort Li were equally furious. They were the birth mothers of the fourth and third princes, respectively, and with the support of powerful figures in the court, they had long coveted that position.

Therefore, upon hearing of Song Xia's undisguised ambition, he began to devise a plan.

"Go and have someone intimidate the First Prince's wet nurse again, making sure she realizes that the First Prince's impulsive act of stepping forward will only bring endless danger." Consort Xian lightly tapped the chess piece, her face showing no ruthlessness like Consort Zhuang's, but rather more worry.

Although their new empress is rash, it must be said that the most basic thing is to get the eldest prince to pull himself together. An eldest son who lacks responsibility will only make the court officials doubt whether he can shoulder the heavy burden in the future. But if he really has the courage and ability of the eldest son, the originally wavering court officials will probably lean towards his side.

Picking up the black piece again, she hesitated, feeling like no move would be right.

Consort Li's method of dealing with Song Xia was much simpler. She bribed Wuweizi, the sorcerer whom the Emperor trusted most recently, to persuade the Emperor to avoid consummating the marriage and to neglect their new Empress.

"An empress without any favor, I'll see how long she can be so arrogant." Consort Li clenched her fist. How dare they look down on her? She was His Majesty's most favored concubine! Moreover, she was rich, and she didn't believe those ministers wouldn't be tempted by money. She had to pave a path to heaven for her son.

"Your Majesty, there aren't many treasures left in the treasury. That Wuweizi asked for a whole box of gems last time."

Consort Li gritted her teeth in heartache: "Contact my brother's people to send some more. Only when my son ascends the throne will Cui Di have autonomy in the future."

Having already spent so much, she absolutely cannot lose her voice at this crucial moment. The more His Majesty trusts these sorcerers, the more opportunities she will have to speak before His Majesty. After all, the important officials of the court are not as easy to bribe as these two sorcerers. After all these years of maneuvering, only a few have turned to her side.

The eldest prince holds the position of the legitimate heir, and only by eliminating him can the ministers choose the prince. Otherwise, those cunning old foxes will never take sides unless they see the signs.

After eliminating the eldest prince, the first thing to do is to get rid of the empress and overthrow the prime minister. The prime minister is the head of the literati, and she doesn't have the ability to interfere in the court for the time being. The only one she can deal with is this new empress.

Originally, after the late Empress passed away, it was thought that the eldest prince would not survive a year. Who would have thought that no one in the entire harem would have the courage to do so? Consort Zhuang, Consort Xian, and Consort Shu occupied their positions as consorts and held the power to assist in managing the harem, but I don't know what they were doing.

She didn't consider that the late Empress had just passed away. If the eldest prince were to follow her immediately, how could Consort Zhuang, Consort Xian, and Consort Shu, who were in charge of managing the inner palace, not bear responsibility? Besides, although the late Empress had left, she had left some people behind, and with the Prime Minister looking after them, they were not so easy to kill.

Why doesn't she act when others do it? Isn't it because she's afraid of being caught red-handed?

Furthermore, although His Majesty is obsessed with cultivating immortality and refining elixirs, he was a diligent and hardworking ruler before this. Why did the court officials dare not say anything even though they knew that the two sorcerers he trusted were not good people? It was because His Majesty still had absolute control over the court and the harem.

He could despise the late empress, and he could suppress the eldest prince, but he might not be able to tolerate others killing the eldest prince. After all, the prime minister was still the head of the literati. If the eldest prince were gone, who knew what the prime minister might do? At that time, the balance he had been trying to maintain would be broken.

So although Consort Li complained that the three lacked courage, she could even bribe a sorcerer, so how could she not bribe a few palace servants? In the end, she herself didn't have that kind of courage.

In Changning Palace, the palace servants relayed Song Xia's words to Consort Shu. Her hand, which was embroidering a purse, paused, and she sighed helplessly. She feared that the new empress would soon face a lot of trouble.

Judging from her words, she seems to be a woman of principle, hoping to outlive the late empress. She has no desire to manage this filthy and dilapidated harem.

Even her aunt, who is now the Empress Dowager, is unwilling to return, so how could she possibly like it?

Everyone assumed that she was the Empress Dowager's niece, His Majesty's cousin, and had given birth to a prince, so she must have great ambitions for the position of Crown Prince. But if she really had a choice, she would rather her son be a prince who could do nothing in the future.

That position is not so easy to hold. His Majesty was once honest and upright, but how many years has he been so diligent in his duties? He seems to have been bewitched, as if he has completely changed into a different person.

She didn't want her son to turn out like this, but everyone thought she was going to fight for him, and everyone was pushing her to fight for him, as if there was no other way out if she didn't fight for him.

She genuinely hoped that the new empress and the eldest prince could pull themselves together, so that she would have an excuse not to fight for power.

As for Consort Zhen of Yong'an Palace, she was the calmest one after hearing the news. Originally, she and her son had the least hope for that position. Her son was the youngest in the family, and her father's power was in the two lakes. She hoped that the current conflict would not affect her. As for the future... well, we'll talk about that later.