After Shen Yi left, Rong Ling fanned himself and asked, "What do you think Her Majesty the Empress could possibly want from the Imperial Concubine?"

"My sister-in-law has never argued or quarreled, and she doesn't have many complaints about the Imperial Concubine. He's leaving for war tomorrow, so it's understandable that she came to visit him today."

Dugu Qianchen also agreed with this statement.

——

When Shang Xian and Shen Yi came out, she naturally had to maintain a dignified demeanor in front of the palace maids and led Shen Yi away.

Upon entering his Changning Palace, Shang Xian regained his composure: "I won't visit you tomorrow; I'll wait for you to return anyway."

"The weather will have changed by the time I get back." Shen Yi raised his head slightly and looked at the gray-pink sky, feeling a little melancholy. He then looked at Shang Xian, feeling a real headache. What if she got hurt?

"Remember to take care of yourself." Shen Yi realized that saying it a thousand times was useless. The harem was really scary. Although Shang Xian was clever, he was worried about her being all alone.

"Have you forgotten someone?" Shang Xian reminded him with a smile.

Shen Yi suddenly remembered that there was the Moxi system, which made him feel a little more at ease.

In truth, Shang Xian had no intention of making enemies of the women in the harem. Yin Xuan'er was bound to be impatient and want to engage in a battle of wits with those women. Dugu Qianchen wanted to see them fight like the snipe and the clam, so don't blame her for putting her learning to use, hiding in the shadows and watching the woman Dugu Qianchen wanted to protect fight against the wolves in the harem.

As expected, as soon as Consort Shenyi left, Yin Xuan'er started acting recklessly.

Dugu Qianchen fulfilled her every wish, but he changed the subject every time she brought up the matter of wanting the empress's position.

Every day, the four concubines would come to her Jinning Palace to pay their respects, usually subtly hinting that she should keep an eye on Yin Xuan'er. Shang Xian had always advised them to be more magnanimous, but she herself despised what she had said. If she didn't have this task, she would definitely have killed Yin Xuan'er.

Today, she dressed up early and waited for the four concubines to come and pay their respects, because she had thought of something fun.

When the four virtuous and kind consorts arrived, Shangxian had already instructed Mushi to pour them tea, which made the four consorts a little flustered.

"Today I have something to ask you," Shang Xian said, beckoning them closer.

They moved chairs and sat down in front of Shangxian, listening to her ask, "Do you really like the Emperor?"

The four concubines looked at each other in bewilderment. After thinking for a moment, Shang Xian said, "Anyway, I don't like it. How many of you are willing to marry into this family?"

All four of them shook their heads.

"Your Majesty, it hasn't been easy for us to get to where we are today, so we must stay in this palace no matter what."

Shang Xian waved his hand: "Then let it be. The affairs of the harem should be handled with equal favor. If a favorite becomes the only one to gain special favor, then it is the emperor's own loss."

In fact, she had clearly reminded Dugu Qianchen last time, but he simply wouldn't listen.

"The four of you are not unreasonable people. You will know what kind of person I am from now on. Although I am in this high position, I am not used to sitting in this position. When the time comes, I will naturally step down. I don't need you to drag me down." She got straight to the point to reassure them that she did not want to get involved in the affairs of the harem.

The four concubines looked at each other, then finally curtsied to the Imperial Concubine Shang, saying, "This humble servant understands."

Shang Xian nodded in satisfaction. Although she didn't know whether they were telling the truth or not, they had at least taken this step.