After Chu Wan returned from serving the emperor, she was promoted to the rank of Noble Lady, which shows that the emperor still had some fondness for the simple porridge and side dishes she had in mind, and was quite satisfied with Chu Wan's performance.

The new concubines began to serve the emperor one after another, but Su Yun was suffering from a cold and stayed in bed all day, with no one paying any attention to her.

Women who are not favored in the palace live a life that is not even human; their lives are worse than those of palace maids, and they are even bullied.

Su Yun had always been healthy and had been pampered since childhood. This time, she knelt in the rain for two hours, and her body couldn't take it anymore. She caught a cold, but it didn't get better.

Initially, out of consideration for her reputation and a sense of guilt, Consort Zhao ordered the imperial physicians to cure Su Yun's illness, as she did not want to be reprimanded by the Emperor for being jealous and bullying a lower-ranking concubine.

But things didn't improve, and Consort Zhao gradually lost patience, treating Su Yun as if she were invisible. She spent her days vying for the Emperor's favor with Bai Yiran and the new concubines, secretly thinking to herself, "The Empress is almost 30 years old, how dare she compete with her for the Emperor's favor? She's shameless!"

Doesn't she even look in the mirror and see the wrinkles around her eyes? The Emperor, out of consideration for their past relationship, doesn't say anything. Does she really think she's young and beautiful?

Emperor Liang Yuan was deeply infatuated with Bai Yiran. He used to love her tenderness and affection, but now he found it utterly repulsive. After all, Bai Yiran was no longer the young woman of sixteen or eighteen, but a thirty-year-old woman.

Having seen so many young and delicate girls, although their looks and talents cannot compare to Bai Yiran's, their fair and delicate skin and youthful and lively spirit are things that Bai Yiran absolutely lacks.

Being with those young women made Emperor Liang Yuan feel as if he had become more than ten years younger.

New love is hard to part with, old love is hard to let go of. How could Emperor Liang Yuan still remember the woman he once admired? He was no longer the naive young man who was once infatuated with someone. Now he was more like a master of love, a passionate emperor.

Su Yun, the once-famous newcomer and the first to steal the spotlight, was gradually forgotten.

A faint smell of bitter medicine permeated the Caili Pavilion, a side hall of Chengqian Palace, and suppressed coughs could be heard intermittently, penetrating through layers of gauze curtains.

Xiao Die, a pretty girl in a long emerald green dress, listened to the voice inside and her face was full of worry, her brows furrowed. "Your Highness has been sick on and off for three months now. This can't go on forever! The weather is getting colder and those people aren't even providing us with charcoal for heating. Even Consort Zhao doesn't care."

As he spoke, Xiaodie's eyes reddened, and he almost shed tears. He had grown up with Su Yun since he was a child, and the bond between master and servant was deep. Naturally, he was wholeheartedly devoted to his master.

"Alas, we are just palace maids, with little influence. Consort Zhao ignores our mistress, and those servants follow suit, flattering the powerful and belittling the weak, cutting back on our food, clothing, and other necessities. What can we do?"

Wearing the same emerald green dress, with delicate and beautiful features and a red flower in her hair, Bilan pouted and spoke angrily, her eyes filled with worry but even more so with resentment. Back in the Vice Minister's residence, they had never been treated like this.

The young master has only been ill for a few days, but these servants are already making sarcastic remarks. The servants of Cai Li Pavilion are leaving one after another, and the food is getting worse day by day. With winter approaching, there is not even any charcoal for heating. How are we going to survive?

"Cough cough, Bilan, Xiaodie." Lying in the bedroom, Su Yun heard the maids' conversation and felt grief and resentment in her heart.

He was pampered and spoiled since childhood. He endured such poverty, being looked down upon and trampled on by others. He was determined to recover, regain favor, and make those who looked down on him pay the price.

"My lady, you're awake. This is the medicine the imperial physician prescribed for you. Please drink it quickly! You'll feel better after drinking it." Xiao Die held a bowl of medicine to Su Yun's lips, carefully serving her the soup, her eyes filled with expectation.

"I heard what you all said. Our situation is not optimistic. No one can help us; we can only save ourselves." After drinking the medicine, Su Yun sat down in front of the bed, pondered for a moment, and then continued.

"Go to Chaoyang Palace later to see the Noble Consort and ask her for my help. She is in charge of managing the six palaces and will not stand idly by while the concubines are bullied."

Although he had been ill, he was fully aware of the situation in the palace. Objectively speaking, the Virtuous Consort was fair in her dealings and always kept to herself, handling matters flawlessly; she was essentially an invisible empress. If things escalated, it wouldn't benefit him either.

“My lady, it’s been three months already, and Consort Xian hasn’t intervened. Perhaps she’s partly responsible for the cold treatment we’ve received. With your talent and beauty, it’s only natural that people are jealous of you.” Bilan said with concern, her tone filled with pride for her mistress.

"Impossible. Consort Xian is of high rank and power, and it would be easy for her to deal with me. There's no need for her to go through such a roundabout way. It can only be Consort Zhao. She is the head of Chengqian Palace, and it would be very easy for her to order her servants to take action against us."

Su Yun shook his head firmly. He was very confident in his intelligence and never considered the possibility of being wrong. Only Consort Zhao could pull off such a petty trick.

"My lady, since Consort Zhao is targeting us so much, why don't we go and beg the Empress or Consort Xian to let us move out of Chengqian Palace?" Xiaodie was so scared that her face turned pale. Consort Zhao's status and position were higher than yours in every way. It would be easy for her to deal with them. If she couldn't afford to offend them, she could only hide.

"Bilan, go to Chaoyang Palace now and do as I say." If it weren't for maintaining her composure, Su Yun would have rolled her eyes on the spot, her disgust for Xiaodie growing stronger. This stupid girl, she can hide for a while, but she can't hide forever. If Consort Zhao wants to deal with her, why would she care about the location?

"Yes, Your Highness." Azure bowed respectfully, giving Xiaodie a smug look. See? The Master still values ​​me the most. Xiaodie lowered her eyes, somewhat saddened. He truly cared for his master!

At the end of the long passageway outside Zhaoyang Palace, two palace servants carried a sedan chair slowly, as if afraid of bumping the master inside and making him unhappy.

Dressed in a light purple palace gown with a white cloak, Wuyou, resting her chin on her hand, was being rocked until she was drowsy. Lately, Bai Yiran had developed a penchant for showing off, frequently ordering the palace concubines to pay their respects morning and evening, which was rather unusual for them, as they were used to being lazy.

Listening to a group of women chattering and spouting sarcastic remarks every day, Wuyou almost memorized all of them.

"Your Highness, Imperial Concubine—" A woman's voice suddenly rang out, and she rushed to the front of the sedan chair, kneeling on the ground with a thud.

The eunuchs responsible for carrying the sedan chair were startled and almost overturned it. He Wuyou was also jolted by the inertia, and her drowsy feeling instantly vanished, startling her awake.

"Your Highness, this servant is Bilan, the head maid of Consort Rou in Caili Pavilion of Chengqian Palace. I have something to ask Your Highness."