The emperor nodded and suddenly said, "Crown Princess, please come forward and listen to my order. Because An is so virtuous and steady, she is not panicked by the most important things, and she is careful and responsible. Therefore, I will now hand over the power of managing the harem to you. Take the seal."

An Qingran knelt there with her head in a daze. She was stunned for a moment and said, "Qingran thanks the emperor for his trust, but Qingran is young and not yet qualified to take on such a big responsibility. Please think twice."

The emperor did not regard An Qingran's objection as his will, but instead showed a kind expression: "I trust you, you don't have to be afraid, I will let the chief steward explain everything clearly, if you don't understand, just ask them, as long as you are cautious, nothing serious will happen, so don't refuse anymore."

Countless thoughts flashed through An Qingran's mind. She knew that if she accepted the golden seal, she would become the target of public criticism. But then she changed her mind and realized that if she had such power at the beginning, she would not be easily framed. Moreover, she would be in control of the overall situation and would be in control of all the movements in the palace, which would be extremely beneficial to her.

Furthermore, if she took over the power, she would avoid it falling into the hands of others, especially if it fell into the hands of her enemies. Wouldn't that be foolish of her?

So, she thanked him and took the golden seal.

When Dongfang Jin returned to his palace and learned the news, he didn't say anything, but just said that he believed in her ability and that nothing would go wrong.

There was a lot of discussion in the court about An Qingran taking over the power of the harem, and everyone was guessing the emperor's intention. Before, everyone had not taken this sickly prince seriously because his reputation was not very good. The emperor had reminded him face to face several times. So far, there has not been any major problems, but when it comes to handling memorials and other government affairs, Prince Ning seems to be the pillar.

So, how could the power of Concubine Xian be taken away because of such a small matter?

Logically speaking, when something like this happens in the harem, it should just be investigated and dealt with. There is no reason to seize power.

So everyone thought that the emperor was just taking this opportunity to transfer power to An Qingran. Logically speaking, An Qingran was the Crown Princess and the future Queen, so it was her right to be in power. However, everyone did not realize this before, and are surprised now.

Does the emperor really want the prince to succeed him, even though he doesn't have much time left?

In short, this incident had a significant impact on the court and the harem.

Of course, the news was immediately passed to the General's Mansion. Lian Jinyu was happy but also worried. She asked An Zhongtao to remind An Qingran not to be proud or careless.

An Qingran was very happy when she received a congratulatory letter from her mother's family.

Why didn't she take this power seriously before? Now it seems that having authority is indeed extraordinary.

The two most angry were Concubine Xian and Concubine Shu. Concubine Xian had no idea that she was being framed by Concubine Shu. She only knew that she was really unlucky. She also thought that maybe the power given to her by the Emperor was only temporary and now it was taken back directly. She shouldn't have any illusions.

Concubine Shu never thought that the wedding dress she had worked so hard to make would be worn by An Qingran. This was the last thing she wanted to see.

But the two people did not ease their conflict because of sympathy. Instead, they were angry about their own things and couldn't help thinking about their previous feud. They were too lazy to even walk to each other.

Empress Dowager Murong is ill again.

This is what Murong Lanxin said. The Queen Mother couldn't sleep at night and aged a lot in just a few days.

Murong Lanxin came to congratulate, she called An Qingran sister more intimately. She also sent gifts, of course, just some cakes from the palace. An Qingran found that although Murong Lanxin was deeply loved by the Queen Mother, she personally had no wealth. Her mother was promoted to a co-wife, but she rarely went back to the Murong family. In fact, she was just a high-level servant beside the Queen Mother.

But An Qingran did not underestimate her, because no matter who she is, as long as her destructive power is still there, she should not be underestimated.

************

Prince Kang's Palace.

An Ranyue was eating leisurely. An Yanran was sitting at the bottom. Caiyun served her the dishes. An Ranyue coughed lightly and said, "Logically, we are sisters. There is no need to mention the difference between the high and the low. But I mean well. I want to tell you something. When there are no outsiders here, you can do whatever you want. I can even serve you the dishes myself. If there are outsiders, you'd better follow the rules. Otherwise, if it gets out, people will think that the Kangwang Mansion, a dignified royal family, is not as polite and well-mannered as ordinary people. If the rules are broken, the people will not be a people and the country will not be a country..."

An Yanran's face almost turned green. She gritted her teeth and smiled: "Sister, this hat is too big. My behavior is related to the country. Logically, I am Madam Yan now, but don't forget that we are both concubines. The emperor has issued an order. Besides, the saying that a mother is honored by her son, sister, you may have forgotten it..."

An Yanran straightened her waist in a protesting manner.

An Ranyue said, "Sister, I'm afraid you've only heard that a mother is honored by her son, but haven't you heard that a son is honored by his mother?"

An Yanran was choked and stunned: "What do you mean? I am pregnant now, and even my mother often sends people to take care of me. Since my sister is a concubine, shouldn't she fulfill her responsibilities?"

"Why don't you fulfill your responsibilities? I like this child, too. I was just thinking that things that I thought of are for your own good, so I have to remind you. This is also my duty, isn't it? Just like a few days ago, you went to the palace to see the Crown Princess without telling me. If you had told me, I would definitely remind you to be careful. It's not appropriate for you to show your belly in front of others, and yet something bad happened?" The more An Ranyue spoke, the kinder her expression became. She really looked like a caring older sister.

An Yanran put down her chopsticks and stood up: "I'm done, enjoy your meal, sister."

She suppressed her emotions and returned to her yard. She roared like a wolf a few times before she slowly calmed down her anger.

Although An Ranyue did not hear the roar, she knew that the fight between her and An Yanran had just begun. She was now a concubine, but she could not be too complacent. After all, An Yanran's belly was real, and she should work harder.

Now she doesn't wish for anything else but that the baby in her belly is a girl, then he won't care about her at all.

Dongfang Ye now spends the night in her room quite often, so she also has hope.

An Ranyue thought that she had to hurry up, because Madam Yun was going to enter the mansion soon, and she had to get pregnant before her. Otherwise, she thought that Dongfang Ye was a person who would get bored easily and would be sent to the cold palace, which would be a waste of time.

Thinking of this, she said, "Xiao Nuo, tonight, light the incense sticks and ask the kitchen to prepare some wine and food. I'll take a look at the dishes first."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Nuo immediately went out to work.

If the king smells a little bit of the fragrance of the lotus, he will stay overnight.

***********

The Imperial Palace.

After the Empress Dowager recovered from her illness, the Emperor first sent someone to visit her, but later he came to see her in person.

When the emperor arrived, the queen mother's eyes lit up, and she had someone help her sit up, with her head resting on a brocade pillow: "Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with my body, but I have caught some colds, which is unavoidable for people of my age."

Emperor Yunqi sighed: "The imperial doctors in the palace have been getting weaker and weaker recently. They can't even cure a rash."

"Ah, it's not their fault. It's my own poor health. Your Majesty, you are busy with state affairs, so you have to take care of your health. You should just keep an eye on the things that should be done by the children.

The dragon's health is the most important. Look at how thin you have become. You have lost so much weight compared to when I first returned to the palace. I feel so bad for you, but I can't help you..." the queen mother sighed.

The emperor smiled and said nothing.

The Queen Mother continued, "In fact, I shouldn't have asked about the affairs of the previous dynasty and the harem, but I didn't pay attention some time ago, and something like that happened. Now, Qingran is in charge of the harem, and I feel relieved. Although the child is young, he is a person with his own ideas and is steady..."

"I agree with what the Queen Mother said. The goodness of this child Qingran cannot be felt overnight. She has done a lot of things. Before the Queen Mother returned to the palace, I felt that I owed her..."

"Well, this is a really good thing. It's also a blessing for Jin'er and Dongze. But she is still young. To take on such a big responsibility, she should have someone to help her. She has to take care of the prince and manage the harem all by herself. Although the harem is no less troublesome than the previous dynasty, these little things are annoying enough..."

Hearing this, the emperor thought for a moment and said, "What the Queen Mother said makes sense, but I can't choose the right person."

"In fact, the future of the country is not Jin'er's, and the harem also belongs to Qingran. Although there are not three thousand beauties in the harem, she cannot be the only one. I think that the selection of concubines can be discussed after Jin'er succeeds to the throne. There is no need to be so troublesome in selecting the prince's concubine. If we choose now, we can find out her temperament and character first. It's better to get rid of the cunning ones early. If we choose the ones who look good and have good temper now, won't it help Qingran? And we can also take care of the prince..."

The Queen Mother finished her words in one breath, leaning back to watch the Emperor's reaction.

"What the Queen Mother said is very true. This is something I did not expect. I will find a chance to mention this to the Crown Prince. The Queen Mother should also rest more. Now is the time to enjoy your old age. There is no need to worry about the harem. Your children and grandchildren will have their own blessings."

After the emperor left, Queen Mother Murong sat up, looked at Murong Lanxin and smiled: "I am thinking of you. As long as the prince nods, I will do your business."

Murong Lanxin's face turned shy when she heard this: "It's all up to the Queen Mother."

After serving the empress dowager, Murong Lanxin immediately came to the East Palace. She was wondering whether the emperor had told the prince about this matter, so she tried to test An Qingran's attitude.