"Qingqing, don't worry. I'm here to take care of everything. I know everything." Dongfang Jin looked nonchalant.

His behavior made An Qingran feel uneasy. He always said this, but she never saw how he fought back, or was he secretly making some moves?

"That's great." An Qingran felt excluded. He never told her anything he did. Was he afraid that she wouldn't understand and would become a burden to him?

Finally seeing An Qingran's expression, Dongfang Jin spoke again: "Father did not hand over all state affairs to Dongfang Yan. He only gave him half, and the rest was done by Dongfang Ye and I. I think Father made this decision because he was worried about my health."

When he said this, An Qingran understood. Obviously, what he meant was that her prince was not deposed, but it was because her father took care of her.

"Oh, you should take care of your health. I'm afraid the whole country is paying attention to your health now." An Qingran said meaningfully.

Dongfang Jin seemed to be thinking about something when she heard this. She put her arms around An Qingran's waist and didn't say anything for a long time.

The two were still very optimistic about the changes in the situation in the palace.

Dongfang Ye obviously couldn't figure it out. He walked back and forth in front of Concubine Shu: "Mother, if things continue like this, father will probably ask Prince Ning to review all the memorials. How is he better than me?"

Concubine Shu looked at him and sighed: "Why don't you understand? Now that your father treats you like this, he has changed his mind. You don't have to think about anything, just do your job well..."

"Mother, didn't you say before that it wouldn't be long before Concubine Xian took power and something would happen in the harem? But I heard that Father went to Concubine Xian's palace a few times recently. Apart from her palace, Father has never been to anyone else's palace in the harem."

Hearing this, Concubine Shu finally lost her composure: "Humph, how could I not know about this matter? You don't need to say more, I know it in my heart."

Seeing that his mother was angry, Dongfang Ye did not dare to say anything else, but just changed the subject and said, "An Yanran's belly has grown recently. She can eat and drink well, but her temper has also become much worse. She asks the people in the palace where I have been every day."

"You should go back more often. After all, she is your own flesh and blood. You should be more cautious." Concubine Shu sighed and said, "She is a trouble-free person. Didn't she have any problems in Prince Kang's mansion?"

"The cloak you gave her really made her proud. She wears it all day and flaunts it around the house. Fortunately, she is the only woman now, otherwise who knows what kind of news would come out."

"Who cares? As long as her belly is doing well, it's fine. By the way, have you received any news about the prince recently?"

"The prince goes out early and comes back late, investigating a case. There's nothing else like that. But when we met, he still acted like the prince to me. Most of the time, he had a sullen face, which was a little different from his previous nonchalant look. Maybe he was thinking about revenge in his heart." Dongfang Ye said disdainfully.

Concubine Shu became even angrier when she heard this. Just at this time, Concubine Xian came, and Dongfang Ye greeted her and left.

Xian Fei looked at the decoration in Shu Guifei's room and smiled: "Sister's room is the most exquisite. As soon as you come in, you can see the New Year atmosphere. In previous years, Sister didn't decorate it so early."

Concubine Shu sighed: "I have nothing to do all day, so I can kill time. But you have been very busy recently, I wonder if you have adapted to it?"

The virtuous concubine shook her head. "It's not that bad, but some things are hard to handle. I have to discuss it with the emperor. Sometimes, the emperor is in a bad mood, but I dare not disturb him. For this reason, I have to spend a little more time and energy. I think if the harem is managed by my sister, it will definitely be different..."

"No, you did a great job."

"By the way, sister, the New Year is coming soon, and the six palaces are buying New Year's goods. I will prepare something for you if you want." Concubine Xian looked respectful.

Concubine Shu shook her head: "Look at my palace, what is missing? It's just a little less popular. The whole harem is the same. The New Year is coming soon. Sister, you should think about the sisters. I don't mind, but don't let the other sisters think that you are monopolizing the emperor."

Xian Fei was stunned. She thought about it and wanted to say that the emperor just sat for a while when he came to her place and did not do anything else. However, looking at Shu Guifei's expression, she smiled instead: "This... I have also advised the emperor, but the emperor is in a bad mood now and has no intention of going to other palaces. It is not good to force the emperor to go. I thought that although my sister does not have any great ability, it would be good if she could comfort the emperor a little."

When Concubine Shu heard this, she got angry and said coldly, "It snowed so heavily this winter. If it snows any more, I'm afraid the palace won't have enough money to pay for it. You should save some money and don't use the money from the government. If the emperor hears what you said just now, he will probably be suspicious."

"Just now? You just said you were going to buy some New Year's goods for my sister. How could that money be used from the government? I can still afford to buy New Year's goods for my sister."

The two of them exchanged a few awkward words, and then Concubine Xian left. When she left, her face was not very good.

Concubine Shu was not much better off. The cousins ​​were completely alienated from each other, and the war between them seemed to be just a matter of time.

Dongfang Ye and Dongfang Yan became enemies because of this. Although they got along well on the surface, how could Dongfang Ye not see the smugness in Dongfang Yan's face? Moreover, all the people who had tried to curry favor with him changed teams, so Dongfang Ye realized that people were indifferent to him. But precisely because of this, he felt that he had to obtain the supreme power, otherwise, he would never be able to raise his head in this life.

No matter whether the people in the palace are sad or happy, proud or disappointed, the new year has arrived.

On this day, the concubines and princes and princesses in the harem gathered together. The women who had not seen the emperor for a long time were extremely excited and dressed up beautifully, and so did the children.

An Qingran was not one to show off, but she still wore a festive red for this occasion. Her brows and eyes were relaxed, and her face was even more beautiful and charming. As soon as Dongfang Ye saw her, the fire in his eyes began to burn, but fortunately he knew the occasion and was not discovered by Dongfang Jin. However, it was enough to make An Qingran feel sick.

Because it was New Year's Eve, the emperor tried to be in high spirits, but the seat next to him was empty, which was reserved for Queen Yun.

Dongfang Jin was particularly silent today. He was still depressed when he returned to the East Palace. An Qingran knew why he was sad. She didn't know what to say, so she stayed by his side quietly. That night, Dongfang Jin's head was buried in her arms until dawn...

The festivities in the palace were not as festive as in previous years, but red lanterns were still hung everywhere. No matter who left, life had to go on, especially in this palace where imperial power was supreme. Everything was for the royal family and for the living.

After the Chinese New Year, everything went according to plan and there is no need to say more.

Of course, although Dongfang Jin and An Qingran are not actually husband and wife, after spending some time together, the two have already understood each other and are just waiting for An Qingran to come of age.

As for An Yanran, her life now is neither good nor bad, which makes her feel uneasy. Dongfang Ye has come back often recently, but when he comes back, he either asks her for flowers or drinks alone, saying that marrying a wife or concubine is useless and it is suffocating.

An Yanran felt sad.

He really doesn't care about the life or death of me and my child. Even though he doesn't love me at all, I'm still hoping for a miracle.

However, sometimes Dongfang Ye gave her gifts, which made her feel unsure. Maybe her cousin also loved her, but he left her alone in Prince Kang's Mansion on New Year's Eve. It was the first time in so many years that she spent the New Year alone. No matter how bad it was to stay in the General's Mansion, there were many people there and everyone gathered together, and she, a concubine's daughter, would receive the same treatment.

If An Yanran had not been afraid of bad luck, she would have burned paper for her mother on New Year's Eve. After she got married, she had suffered so many grievances and had no one to talk to. These days, she had increasingly realized how difficult it was to be a mother, and understood how forbearing her mother was in the general's mansion. She also knew that her mother must have suffered a lot of grievances for her, so she made up her mind that her children would never follow this old path again.

The lives of other people went on as usual, with nothing new, but Shen Zhiyun was looking forward to some party prepared by the palace so that she could see Dongfang Ye again. Sometimes she thought, maybe she should go visit An Yanran. In Prince Kang's Mansion, her chances of meeting Dongfang Ye would be greater, right?

But I just thought about it and didn't do it.

Lian Jinyu has been living a very comfortable life recently. There have been constant small incidents at home, but they are nothing more than jealousy among the concubines. It is much quieter than when Lian Jinrong was here. They just take turns to come to her and complain a few words.

Because An Mingxuan had no mother to take care of him, Banxia was very strict with him. Fortunately, nothing serious happened.

An Mingchen could say most of the words, but sometimes when she thought of it, she would call her sister once or twice, which made Lian Jinyu happy and sad.

My daughter is married and is a member of the royal family. She can't just go see him whenever she wants.

Although the prince had arranged for people to send a lot of gifts during the New Year, and the New Year's goods alone were enough for them to eat until the end of the first month of the lunar year, Lian Jinyu still secretly wiped away tears on New Year's Eve.

On this day, An Qingran was sitting stupidly in the room. She had just sent Murong Lanxin away, and she felt exhausted both physically and mentally. This Princess Lanxin really didn't let her go. She came to sit with her every few days. Most of the time, Dongfang Jin was not at home, so she talked about this and that. But fortunately, she was able to get some news. Recently, the empress dowager started to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures again, saying that she didn't care about the affairs of the harem and she only practiced on her own.