That day, Qingyan accompanied Yin to court. Instead of waiting in the carriage, she went directly to Chenggan Palace. Qingyan brought a lot of things with her. Yin had mentioned a couple of days ago that the Imperial Concubine had a lot of business to attend to, and the palace concubines were starting to cause trouble again because of the selection of imperial concubines.

Consort Tong wanted to feign illness and avoid seeing the emperor, but Emperor Kangxi refused to allow her to do so. Two days ago, during the morning court session, he privately mentioned to Yin that Qingyan should come over so that she could try to adapt to the power struggles in the palace. Among her sisters-in-law, Xiao Guai only had a good relationship with the First Consort; the rest of her sisters-in-law were just casual acquaintances.

Qingyan helped Sulan walk step by step toward Chenggan Palace. Along the way, they encountered several low-ranking concubines who were going to pay their respects. Concubines below the rank of concubine were required to pay their respects to Qingyan.

She smiled slightly, gesturing for the concubines to go ahead so they wouldn't be late and cause trouble for the other concubines.

"Have all the concubines gone to Chengqian Palace today?" Qingyan asked, somewhat puzzled. In the past, didn't the concubines only go to Chengqian Palace to pay their respects on the 5th and 10th of each month?

Abnormal behavior is demonic!

Qingyan's little face scrunched up, feeling uneasy, as if she would be harassed when she greeted the guests.

"You found out the details?" Qingyan was somewhat incredulous; these rules could be changed so quickly.

Su Lan nodded, and in an instant, her wishful thinking vanished completely.

She took a deep breath, preparing to devise a plan for how to meet with the concubines!

Upon arriving at the entrance of Chenggan Palace, Qingyan could hear sounds coming from inside. The courtyard was filled with maids from the palace concubines' quarters. Seeing these people, Qingyan couldn't help but feel worried about what kind of encounter she would have once she went inside.

Even her mother couldn't withstand the difficulties caused by so many people. Qingyan took a deep breath at the door before stepping into the palace. With a slight smile, she walked gracefully into the hall.

"Greetings to Mother!" Qingyan bowed respectfully, and then gave a half-bow to the palace concubines.

"Rise and pay your respects!" After the concubines of the rank of Consort rose and bowed to Qingyan, Qingyan called them to their feet.

Consort Rong looked much older. She sat to the left of Consort Hui and saw that Qingyan looked very well, which made her feel even worse.

Since Consort Tong started using the pearl powder sent by Qingyan, her complexion has improved considerably, prompting Consort Hui and Consort Rong to send their families to find pearl powder. However, the results were surprisingly poor.

"Fourth Prince's wife, sit down quickly!" Consort Tong nodded in satisfaction; Xiao Guai's manners were the best.

Qingyan sat to the left of Consort Tong. She looked across at Consort Rong, who seemed hesitant to speak. She wondered what Consort Rong was planning to do.

"Fourth Princess Consort, I heard that the Imperial Concubine used pearl powder and the effect was excellent. The Third Prince's family sent some as a tribute, but we really don't know how to use it." Qingyan, who runs the Linglong Pavilion, is very knowledgeable about dressing and skincare. Many noble ladies who order the exclusive-grade headdresses receive a skincare notebook as a gift.

Qingyan was somewhat surprised. Hadn't Consort Rong long since lost Kangxi's favor? Why would she bring this up?

"ah?!"

"Fourth Prince's wife, it's rare for Consort Rong to make any requests, so please speak." Consort Tong knew that the poor effect was due to the quality of the pearl powder. The pearl powder that Xiao Guai brought in was absolutely top-notch, and the quantity was relatively small each time, which was something that the imperial merchants dared not offer as tribute. It was probably impossible to supply a large quantity of this pearl powder.

"Rong'e's mother, after cleansing your face with pearl powder, apply it as a face mask!" Qingyan said very simply, as it was in this booklet. "You can add some honey or lemon juice to it!"

In the palace and the prince's residence, Qingyan saw lemons, which made her flowers bloom. Every time she made a face mask, she would add a few drops of lemon juice. These all-natural face masks were much better than those bought in modern times.

"Fourth Princess Consort, face mask?!" One of the concubines couldn't help but ask.

Qingyan tilted her head, as if she didn't recognize this person. Why would he suddenly ask her?

"My little darling, this is what His Majesty brought back from his trip to the south. Today, Consort Wang has come in to serve tea!" Consort Tong smiled. Consort Wang posed no threat to her. Even if Emperor Kangxi favored her, it was only for Cao Yin's sake.

This trip to the south of the Yangtze River has affected too many officials in the south. They basically dare not make any further moves, for fear of being dismissed by Emperor Kangxi.

"Consort Wang?!" Qingyan was completely bewildered.

Wasn't Consort Wang the most favored person in the later years of Emperor Kangxi's reign?

This... the timing is clearly wrong!

"Hmm, Consort Wang, do people in the south not use face masks?" Qingyan was stunned. The face masks sold at Linglong Pavilion in the south of Jiangnan were very popular.

"Is it one of the limited editions sold by Linglong Pavilion?" Wang was pampered at home, and her family would buy her any new products that Linglong Pavilion had.

After entering the palace, she brought very few things with her. As a noblewoman, she was not allowed to bring a dowry. Her mother could only exchange all her belongings for silver, hoping that she could be promoted to the rank of concubine as soon as possible, so that they could still have an audience with the emperor.

"Yes, Consort Wang knows?!" Consort Hui was very interested. People in Jiangnan already had Han Chinese beauty preservation methods, so why would they use face masks?

“Your Highness Consort Hui, Linglong Pavilion’s face masks are very popular in Jiangnan, but the quantity is very limited, and ordinary people don’t use them. I was only fortunate enough to receive a few from my aunt!” Consort Wang quickly said.

Whether in the capital or in the Jiangnan region, face masks are consumables sought after by wealthy women, and ordinary families cannot afford them.

Qingyan covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled; her mood improved because the face masks were selling well.

"Little Darling has noticed quite a few things." Consort Tong smiled. "However, this face mask is practically a free gift, unlike the only one given away as a free gift."

Consort Tong would not allow the concubines to reveal their requests for gifts, so Qingyan would definitely suffer losses.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. We were just saying the face mask was good. Little Darling is very clever!" Consort Hui smiled. She knew that Little Darling had specially prepared a dowry for Songkelierha, something that other consorts wouldn't have thought of. In the future, no matter what Yin's status was, Songkelierha would have a secure livelihood.

The concubines were quite envious of Consort Hui for Xiao Guai's generous gift to Songkelierha, especially Consort Rong. Yin Zhi had several children, but none of them had Qing Yan's generosity.

“What Hui-niang says is very true. I just want to supplement the family income. Besides, these exquisite headdresses can also please you, Mother!” Jue Luo’s relationship with her was not good, so she wanted to ease the tension between her mother and her.

Yin had discussed it with her many times. The original intention of Linglong Pavilion could not be said to be in accordance with her wishes. Such an excuse was too weak. Therefore, they used the matter of the Jue Luo clan.

Instantly, the hall fell silent. The concubines couldn't help but feel sorry for her and offer their greetings. Such a good daughter had been abandoned by the Jue Luo clan, who only appeared when trouble arose.

Consort Rong clenched her fists, feeling resentful; she had failed to get rid of Qingyan again. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)