Chu Susu understood the meaning behind Chu Nian's words and said, "Suhe, go and tell them that I am taking a nap and to ask them to come back tomorrow!"

"Your Majesty!" Suhe exclaimed in surprise. Why was their Empress listening to Consort Lian?

Chu Nian: "You wouldn't want them to see that the Empress has so much delicious food here, would you? I specially prepared it for my sister the Empress, and I don't want to share it with the two of them."

Stop talking! Suhe wanted to rush over and cover his mouth. Weren't those "delicious foods" the fault of yours?

Thinking of the pile of hot items in the inner palace cabinet, Suhe decided to listen to the Empress. She quickly went out, put on a kind and gentle smile, bowed to the two concubines, apologized, and told them that the Empress was taking a midday rest and asked them to go back first.

However, Consort Dong and Consort Xiao could see the Imperial Concubine's entourage in the courtyard through the open gate of Kunning Palace, as well as several servants of Xukun Palace standing outside waiting.

These two could figure it out with their bare hands: Chu Nian was currently in Kunning Palace. Seriously? With Consort Lian in Kunning Palace, how could Her Majesty the Empress possibly take a nap?

Consort Xiao was a shrewd woman; although she harbored resentment, she remained silent.

Consort Dong, however, could not contain her impatience and said, "It seems that Consort Lian's entourage is here. Since Her Majesty the Empress is taking a nap, how is Consort Lian being entertained?"

Suhe, who had been smiling obsequiously, immediately turned serious upon hearing this, but still maintained her composure and said, "As for Her Majesty the Empress's arrangements, this servant is but a servant and dares not presume to make any assumptions. Besides, even if Consort Lian were here, she wouldn't be someone Her Majesty the Empress needs to entertain; rather, she would be here to pay her respects or apologize!"

When she said the last two words, "apologize," her tone became noticeably stronger.

Although the Empress treated all the concubines with courtesy, it didn't mean she was someone to be trifled with. Whether the Empress took a midday rest or not, and who she received or not, was none of the Emperor's business in the palace. Although Suhe also disliked Consort Lian, she had to uphold the Empress's dignity.

Consort Dong sensed the hidden meaning in his words, and her lips twitched slightly.

Seeing that Suhe had adopted the attitude of Kunning Palace, Consort Xiao quickly pulled Consort Dong aside and said to Suhe with a smile, "Then, please ask Sister Suhe to tell Her Majesty the Empress after her afternoon nap that the two of us came to pay our respects."

Suhe quickly put on a smile and bowed, saying, "Of course."

The two consorts left, but their expressions weren't good. The Empress had always been on their side, though she didn't openly clash with Consort Lian; that was the Empress's demeanor and methods. Wasn't Consort Lian nearly driven to suicide by the Empress?

Speaking of which, what's wrong with the Empress today? Judging from the demeanor and attitude of those people from Xukun Palace, they don't seem to be questioning Xukun Palace at all!

Inside Kunning Palace, the Empress had already ordered another trusted palace maid to take out the dried and fresh fruits and fine wines that were placed in the cabinet.

Looking at the pile of bags and jars, she felt a headache coming on. She asked Chu Nian, "Sister, if you want to eat these things, you can just order the Imperial Kitchen to send some. Why did you have to steal them from the Imperial Kitchen and put them in my inner palace cabinet? Even if you're not framing me, you're trying to drag me down with you!"

Chu Nian had already instructed Lian Xi to open a bag of rare dried fruit and place it on the table to eat, saying, "Your Majesty, have you never asked the Imperial Kitchen for fruits or similar things before?"

The Empress said, "Of course I will have them, but I don't like these snacks and don't ask for them often." She would only send palace servants to the imperial kitchen to get some when other concubines came.

Chu Nian said, "I often send palace servants to ask for these things, but they are always turned away by the Imperial Kitchen."

The Empress was surprised, but quickly understood: most of the people in the palace were now the Regent's men. Even though Consort Lian was favored by the Emperor, her family and she herself were royalists, so the Imperial Kitchen would not serve her with utmost care.

Suhe had just finished answering Consort Dong and Consort Xiao's questions and hurriedly returned when she heard the Empress instruct: "Suhe, go to the Imperial Kitchen and tell the steward there that I wanted to eat these fruit wines, so I sent someone to bring some over, and they don't need to look for any more. I don't want to hear about thieves in the palace again."

As soon as Suhe entered, she saw Chu Nian sitting there eating and drinking. Everyone in Kunning Palace looked grim—except for her Empress; but everyone in Xukun Palace was beaming with pride. Look at how their eyebrows were practically flying off their foreheads, they were so smug!

Suhe was furious at the sight, but she never expected her mistress to give such an order. Thinking of Zhao Susu's methods during this period, which had even driven this Lian family master to the brink of drowning, she wondered: Could it be that Her Majesty the Empress has other plans?

So she respectfully replied "Yes," and hurried off to the imperial kitchen to deliver the message.

After giving her instructions, Zhao Susu turned around and saw Chu Nian tilt her head back and down a glass of wine. Startled, she quickly came over and advised, "Sister, you may not feel anything when you drink this wine, but it's very strong. Be careful not to get drunk."

Chu Nian said helplessly, "Sister doesn't know, I've been searching for a long time, but I haven't found many things I like to eat, except for this peach wine..."

Zhao Susu chuckled and corrected, "It's peach blossom wine. Only our palace has it. Even the Regent's Palace doesn't have it. If he wants to drink it, he has to come to the Imperial Kitchen to get it."

Chu Nian: "Anyway, this wine suits my taste the best." The alcohol content is much lower than in the modern world, and besides, she has strong mental power now, so drinking a few glasses won't hurt her.

She poured herself another cup, then filled Zhao Susu's cup as well, saying, "Sister, having died once, I've finally figured it out. What do the men's squabbles over this and that have to do with us women? No matter who we are, we women are destined to be treated like objects, passed around by these men, their only goal being to seize power. So why should we women make things difficult for each other? It's better for us two sisters to get along well and let the men fight over what they want!"

Upon hearing her words, Chu Susu immediately thought of herself in her past life. Even as a grand eunuch, only the emperor dared to show her any disrespect in the palace. Even this favored Consort Lian, backed by the powerful Lian family who controlled the military, was greeted with smiles. But what was the result? She was forced to fight for power between the emperor and the regent, unable to survive, and died by the emperor's sword.

Even though she had actually died once, she had never understood things as clearly as Consort Lian. Now, after hearing Consort Lian's words, she felt enlightened and suddenly realized that her mind was much clearer than before.

She smiled bitterly and said, "Who says it isn't?"

Chu Nian continued, "What's the point of all this fighting?! Take the Emperor, for example. Even though the Regent controls the court, outsiders say he's practically ruling half the country..."