Sun Miaoqing stared at Consort Hua, her gaze blank and innocent like that of a naive child. She blinked twice and asked in confusion,

"Why does Consort Hua ask me this question?"

Whether General Nian is a civil or military official depends solely on His Majesty's will, aside from his talent.

"We are in the inner palace, how could we know what is happening in the court?"

Sun Miaoqing picked up an almond from the table, put it in her mouth and chewed it. This matter of Nian Gengyao cannot be resolved simply by handing over military power.

Otherwise, why would Longkodo and Zhen Yuandao, who had no military power and no understanding of military affairs, have ended up in such a state?

If Nian Gengyao wanted to preserve his position, besides voluntarily relinquishing power, he also had to relinquish his post as Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi.

[He accepts a hollow title, feigns illness and decree of enjoying his retirement, and then shuts himself off from his former associates.]

The power vacuum needs to be filled, and as a not-so-incompetent emperor, the fat orange-haired emperor will likely seize the vast majority of power.

[Of the remaining portion, Longkodo, Prince Dun, and others will receive a portion. Once the Emperor has dealt with them and completely consolidated his power, for the sake of his reputation, as long as Nian Gengyao behaves himself, the Emperor will treat the Nian family well.]

[Be cautious and bide your time. When the time comes to use your military force a few years later, it will naturally prove useful.]

But could Nian Gengyao, with his temperament, endure such humiliation?

[The brother and sister aren't actually stupid, but they're both hopelessly in love. They enjoy hearing the big fat orange cat's sweet talk, but don't take it seriously.]

If this isn't corrected soon, there's no hope!

The silk handkerchief in Consort Hua's hand was twisted into a pretzel; weren't she and her brother both fools?

They took a few kind words from the Emperor to heart. They thought he valued and trusted the Nian family highly, but it turned out to be nothing more than a ploy to kill them with flattery.

She, Nian Shilan, wasn't born so fierce and quick to kill. Half of the reason she's become like this is thanks to the Emperor.

Consort Hua had been angry, hurt, sad, and resentful...

My biggest obsession now is to see the Nian family safe and sound, and for the emperor to be punished.

Now that retribution has come, she just needs to wait patiently.

May the Nian family be safe and sound...

Consort Hua was somewhat discouraged. Nian Gengyao's temper was not something that could be reasoned with in a few words.

Besides, she lived deep in the inner palace and couldn't be seen by others. Everything she did was relayed through messengers, so how could she explain it clearly?

Consort Hua glanced at Songzhi and Zhou Ninghai, and had some ideas in mind, but then felt it was inappropriate.

Sun Miaoqing was right just now; they were in the inner palace and shouldn't know about the affairs of the imperial court.

The Emperor is so wary of them. If he knew that she and her brother were having secret dealings, he would definitely suspect that they were plotting against him.

This matter requires careful consideration and we need to come up with a good solution...

Consort Hua snapped out of her reverie and, seeing Sun Miaoqing intently eating almonds, said in an annoyed tone,

"Is this stuff really that delicious? If porcelain were edible, this whole plate wouldn't be enough for you to chew on."

She was so worried that her hair was falling out in clumps, while Sun Miaoqing, on the other hand, only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun every day, her heart was wider than the moat outside the city gate.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. Aren't they afraid the Sun family will also suffer the consequences...?

No, the Sun family!

Consort Hua narrowed her eyes slightly, and the anxiety in her heart immediately lessened by half.

She knew Sun Zhuhe all too well. No one who had ever held such a lucrative position as the Suzhou Textile Commissioner was innocent.

The emperor hates corruption the most. If Sun Zhuhe could get away with it, and the Nian family followed suit, they wouldn't have ended up in ruins.

She refused to believe that Sun Miaoqing could abandon her brother and sister-in-law who had doted on her for so many years!

Sun Miaoqing had no idea that she had a piece of chewing gum stuck to her body, the kind that she couldn't shake off no matter what she did.

She said playfully, "That's because Consort Hua is so beautiful. I just thought she was a feast for the eyes, and I didn't notice that I ate a few more than I should have."

"Your Majesty, please try it. These almonds taste quite good; they're crisp and sweet."

Consort Hua pouted her little mouth and pouty face, looking chubby and round, which made her look adorable.

"Your little mouth is as sweet as honey; that's how the Emperor was so bewitched by you."

Sun Miaoqing smiled like a camellia in spring. People with sweet words are bound to have good fortune. Who wouldn't like nice words?

"I am merely speaking the truth. Your Majesty's beauty is captivating. All the women in the harem combined cannot match half of your allure."

Consort Hua raised her chin arrogantly, confident that she was second to none in terms of appearance.

Otherwise, even with the Nian family as her backing, the emperor wouldn't have favored her for so many years!

*

With her confidence restored, Consort Hua returned to Yikun Palace and even had the urge to try the candied fruit sent by the Imperial Household Department.

After tasting a candied bayberry, Consort Hua flipped through the records of the Imperial Household Department, and for the first time, she was so calm and composed.

"In the past month or so, His Majesty has visited the inner palace quite often. Especially during the days when I was recuperating, judging from the number of times he served me, Consort Shen can be considered to be the most outstanding."

"Does His Majesty really think so highly of her, believing she can rival me?"

"This is utterly ridiculous!"

Songzhi said, "Since Your Majesty understands the Emperor's intentions, you should just outwardly comply with his wishes."

"Didn't you say before that even if you didn't want to compete for this favor, you had no choice but to compete for it to avoid arousing the Emperor's suspicion?"

Consort Hua closed the Imperial Household Department's records, handed the file to Songzhi, picked up a cup of pre-rain Longjing tea and was about to drink it when she found that the tea had gone cold.

Zhou Ninghai quickly took the teacup away, "This servant will have someone brew another pot."

After saying that, Zhou Linhai turned and went out, gave a few instructions to Lingzhi who was on duty outside, and soon brought in a pot of hot tea and poured it for Consort Hua.

"Please have some, Your Highness."

Consort Hua took the tea and continued, "We must fight for the Emperor's favor, but not like before."

Songzhi asked, "What does Your Majesty mean by that? This servant does not understand."

Consort Hua said, "In the past, I hated every concubine who competed with me for the Emperor's favor."

"Anyone who gets even a fraction of the emperor's favor wishes for their own death, and I have always done the same."

“In the past, if Consort Shen had been so smug, I would have found a way to take her life long ago.”

"But times have changed, and I am no longer their rival, nor do I harbor any resentment towards them."

"Even if we are openly enemies, we don't need to make a blood feud and fight to the death, so that others can reap the benefits."

Zhou Ninghai and Songzhi thought about it and realized that was indeed the case, but even if they were just pretending, they couldn't help but make things difficult for each other.

Consort Shen and the others are unaware of the inside story, and the Empress is unlikely to reveal everything to them. Is this really the right thing to do?