Meanwhile, at Yongshou Palace, Consort Wan was so excited last night that she slept until late morning.

"Tianxiang's cooking is getting better and better." It's a pity that she still harbors resentment towards her, otherwise, with her intelligence, she wouldn't be a second-class palace maid.

"If you like it, then eat more. If it's not enough, I'll get more!"

Although Furong didn't know why Wanyi disliked Tianxiang, she still seemed to trust her. Furong respectfully called Tianxiang "Sister Tianxiang," after all, Tianxiang was an old friend of Wanyi, and perhaps she would be given an important position someday!

"That's enough, we're all stuffed. Has Granny Kong returned?"

As soon as Wanyi got up, she asked that Granny Kong had gone to Cining Palace to visit the Empress Dowager. Wanyi had said last night that if anyone asked, she should say that she was unwell and could not go in person, so she asked Granny Kong to go in her place as a sign of respect.

"Not yet, but it should be soon!" Furong guessed.

"Your Highness, which clothes will you be wearing later? Should we prepare clothes and other necessities for your outing?"

At this moment, Hongxiu led several second-class palace maids into the side room. Because there was a charcoal fire burning in the hall, it was warm and cozy, and Wanyi was still wearing a thicker undergarment.

"Let's get that warm dress! And let's prepare clothes for going out too! Even if we don't necessarily go out, it's good to be prepared. Prepare something simple, since Consort Chun has just passed away and the Empress Dowager is ill, so we shouldn't dress too brightly!"

As Wanyi spoke of Consort Chun and the others, a smile graced her face, showing no trace of the heartbroken demeanor she had displayed the day before. Her complexion was flushed from the glow of the charcoal fire, and her words were a subtle reminder to Hongxiu.

"Yes, this servant will go prepare right away!" Hongxiu had been quite reluctant to take on the affairs of clothing and money before, and she had been displeased with Furong for a while because of her taking over her position. In the end, she didn't know what Granny Kong said to her, but she was quite happy to do it.

"Your Majesty!" Not long after Wanyi changed into her warm satin, Granny Kong walked in from outside, bowed from a distance, then took off her coat and put it aside to ward off the chill before tightening it around Wanyi's body.

"Have some tea first to warm yourself up, then we can talk slowly!" Wanyi personally poured tea for Granny Kong; it was jujube tea.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Granny Kong hurriedly reported, not refusing, and drank it all in one gulp.

"When I arrived at Cining Palace, most of the ladies of the harem had already arrived, and the Empress Dowager had also woken up..."

Granny Kong recounted in detail everything she had seen and heard in Cining Palace. Although the Empress Dowager was her former master, she was not very popular in Cining Palace and was suppressed by Su Ma La Gu. How could she not resent it? Especially in Yongshou Palace, where she was almost the only one in power, she even resented the Empress Dowager.

"To be worse than death is the greatest punishment for her, but she cannot die now, for I am still pregnant!"

The Empress Dowager has passed away, but it is a time of national mourning. Even if she was favored by Emperor Kangxi, it was impossible for her not to perform the mourning rites. So let her live!

"Yes! With Physician Lu around, the Empress Dowager will surely live to be a hundred years old." Granny Kong, being an old fox, could easily understand the meaning behind Wan Yi's words.

"If only I could see the Empress Dowager, I wonder how happy she would be!"

They must be overjoyed! Only now does Wanyi understand what it means to starve the timid and overeat the bold, and what it means to be ruthless and live a long life.

"Your Majesty, you'd better behave yourself!" Kong quickly stopped Wanyi's reckless actions, but sometimes what comes out of the mouth is the opposite of what is meant to be.

"I was just thinking about it, hehe!" Wanyi and the entire Yongshou Palace knew how much Granny Kong cared about this child. She had a child before who was rejected by her father's family because she was a girl, and was suffocated to death. Therefore, she was particularly kind to pregnant women, but only if they were harmless to her.

"This servant will go down and check if Her Majesty's tonic is ready. If Her Majesty feels tired, she can embroider some flowers, but not for too long," Granny Kong instructed with some concern.

"Granny, you're busy, you're busy!" Wanyi respected Granny Kong, who was like a mentor in the harem, very much. If it weren't for Granny Kong, she wouldn't have grown up so quickly.

"She's really tough; she didn't die even after all that!" As soon as Consort Tongjia returned to Chengqian Palace, she dismissed everyone except for Granny Tong.

"Your Highness, please keep your voice down. Even though we are in your own palace, we can't be unaware of who is behind these maids."

After discovering Qingmei's treachery, Granny Tong conducted a thorough investigation for a period of time but found no one suspicious. However, she no longer trusted them.

"I know, but I'm still furious!" In her heart, she was viciously cursing the old hag, the Empress Dowager, for her to die soon.

“Living is more painful than dying now. I’ll be just like that commoner Wuya. I won’t live much longer!” The Cold Palace didn’t collapse during the earthquake, but everyone was busy escaping and no one cared about her. She starved to death.

"The same? It seems that Uya is also paralyzed. Could there be any connection?" Consort Tongjia suddenly thought.

"It shouldn't be! Who has the ability to reach into the Cining Palace territory!" Granny Tong thought it was unlikely. That was the most prestigious and secure place in the world. Who would be so foolish as to try to get in there?

"I was overthinking it, but it is indeed very gratifying. It's just that Consort Wan is hiding in her shell again, just as unlucky as Consort Chun."

Consort Tongjia felt resentful when she thought about how Wanyi had won over Emperor Kangxi's heart. She knew that Kangxi's favor towards her was merely a way to make up for the lack of affection from Empress Xiaokangzhang.

"Consort Wan has suffered repeated miscarriages. Even if she is born, she will be weak and sickly. Why should Your Majesty care about a child who is dispensable? Even if she is lucky enough to survive, it will be a fleeting thing."

With a sly smile, Granny Tong said that as a palace maid by Empress Xiaokangzhang's side, she had done these things many times. Otherwise, how could Empress Xiaokangzhang, a concubine of the Han Banner, have given birth to a prince safely!

"Since she can hardly survive, then I will mercifully let her go now. To gain something and then lose it again is extremely painful!"

She had experienced the pain of losing her daughter, but in the end, someone told her that it was all a scam from beginning to end.

"Your Majesty is wise! She is the only pregnant woman in the harem right now, and countless people are eyeing her! We won't even need to lift a finger; the matter will be accomplished."

Granny Tong knew all too well how deep the waters were in the inner palace. The most important thing was that Consort Tong listened to her advice; otherwise, it would all be in vain.

"Let's rest for a bit! I'll be attending to the Empress Dowager in the middle of the night tonight, so I need to think about how to best serve our Empress Dowager!"

Consort Tongjia said angrily, but since Su Mala Gu was there, she could only serve her obediently, though she felt somewhat resentful.

Meanwhile, Granny Tong remained silent. She knew that Consort Tongjia wouldn't act recklessly; she would only act foolishly when she encountered Emperor Kangxi.