Seeing that everyone was surprised by what she heard, Liuli continued to chatter on and on.

"And another thing, I heard that she is also a very good cook. When other concubines go to the imperial kitchen, they just stand there and order the maids and eunuchs to cook."

"This Lady Yun personally took charge of the cooking and even asked the head chef of the Imperial Kitchen for a recipe. In a few days, she would invite someone over to give her instructions."

"His Majesty even had the small kitchen in Chengqian Palace cleaned up for this reason. Now we're having dinner there, which makes Consort Hua very unhappy."

Sun Miaoqing exclaimed, "She not only has to accompany the emperor, but also learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and even learn to cook."

"Not only did they retain their own unique characteristics, but they also tried their best to cater to the emperor's preferences, using this as a spur to their own progress."

"With such drive, he truly is a master of palace intrigue. No wonder he was promoted to the rank of Consort in such a short time, working so diligently."

"If you can't win the emperor's favor even after trying this hard, then there must be something wrong with the emperor's judgment."

Zhen Huan felt that this Consort Yun was indeed extraordinary. She had seen many people vying for favor, but she had never seen anyone so diligent.

However, as imperial concubines, vying for the emperor's favor is only natural. Otherwise, what's the point of staying in the harem? To be a mere decoration during the prime of one's youth?

Even if you want to avoid conflict, it still depends on whether the emperor above prefers this type of person.

An Lingrong said, "Yun Chang has really outshone everyone else in this one."

Sun Miaoqing waved her right hand gently, and Liuli and the other servants in the room silently withdrew.

Zhen Huan felt somewhat saddened. Everyone in the palace said that this Consort Yun resembled her, but when she looked at her from the side, she clearly saw a striking resemblance to the late Empress Chun Yuan.

The emperor's actions showed that he never truly cared about her.

Although she wasn't truly in love with the emperor, she had still put a lot of effort into him. On a daily basis, they appeared to be a loving and harmonious couple.

She never expected the emperor to be so cold-hearted, abandoning her, his old flame, once he had a new one.

Now the entire harem is laughing at her. The greatest humiliation she has ever suffered since childhood was all thanks to him.

"The Emperor's favor does not depend on diligence, but on his own heart. I'm sure it won't be long before everyone in the harem knows the reason why Consort Yun is so favored."

[It's truly heartbreaking to see Huanhuan like this. That fat orange has harmed so many women. All he ever did for her, besides those gorgeous clothes and ornaments, was to take advantage of others.]

[Whenever it involves him personally, all notions of love and romance turn into resentment. Looking at it this way, Prince Guo is better; at least he's young and handsome, and has a good back.]

Prince Guo...

Zhen Huan thought about his handsome and dashing appearance, and realized that he was indeed more likable than the emperor.

But being confined to the inner palace, how could she harbor any other thoughts? If such matters could be kept secret, it would indeed be the cruelest form of revenge against the emperor.

But if they were discovered, the revenge would fall on her own family. Without absolute certainty, she couldn't gamble with the lives of the entire Zhen family...

Sun Miaoqing reached out and grasped Zhen Huan's hand, squeezing it tightly in an attempt to comfort her.

"We're here, so don't worry."

Zhen Huan let out a deep breath and nodded to Sun Miaoqing.

"It was expected. I had long anticipated this day would come, but I didn't expect it to come so soon."

An Lingrong said, "I don't know what Consort Hua is up to. She openly sent Consort Ning to the Emperor, which already shocked everyone."

"Now they've secretly trained Consort Yun, is it just to steal Sister Bo Huan's favor?"

"She's clearly one of her people, yet she pretends to be jealous and makes trouble for Yun Changzai. What's she after?"

"I always felt there was more to this than meets the eye; it wasn't as simple as it seemed."

Zhen Huan pondered upon hearing this, but with only the limited information she currently possessed, she couldn't come up with a solution.

His gaze unconsciously drifted towards Sun Miaoqing; if there were any conspiracies or schemes involved, only she would know.

Seeing that the two of them were looking at her, Sun Miaoqing hurriedly said, "Why are you all looking at me? Consort Hua hasn't mentioned a single word to me."

An Lingrong smiled and said, "Sister Huan and I were just curious. Don't you want to know the reason, Sister?"

"If Consort Hua went to such great lengths just to deal with a mere concubine, it would be a huge waste of her efforts."

"To drive away wolves and tigers is to raise them into trouble. Aren't Empress Wang and Wu Zetian examples enough?"

"If Consort Hua still had the Emperor in her heart, she wouldn't have done this, no matter how foolish she was. If she didn't have the Emperor in her heart, then who was she trying to get rid of by doing all this?"

Zhen Huan said, "Then of course we'll see who Consort Hua hates the most."

[Sandwiched among you clever people, I feel so out of place. Having concubines like you is truly a blessing for Big Fat Orange!]

An Lingrong and Zhen Huan smiled slightly. He had personally chosen them to enter the palace, and he was clearly enjoying it, so they couldn't blame them.

Sun Miaoqing said, "Perhaps we are overthinking it. The matter of Physician Zhao is just a coincidence."

"Others may not know the Emperor's character, but we sisters certainly do. Consort Yun may seem like a newly favored concubine now, but what will happen to her in the future is still uncertain."

Zhen Huan said, "However, if I am fortunate enough to give birth to a prince, given the circumstances of Empress Chun Yuan and the Second Prince, I believe the Emperor will cherish him even more."

An Lingrong gripped the silk handkerchief tightly. She guessed that the emperor was infertile, but out of selfishness, she did not tell Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang.

Otherwise, Zhen Huan and Hongli should have had a mother-son relationship. If they knew the truth, it wouldn't have been so easy for Hongli to return to her.

In this matter, however, she was indeed the one who wronged Zhen Huan.

An Lingrong glanced at Sun Miaoqing; she wasn't the only one who knew about this.

Knowing it was likely impossible to hide any longer, he finally spoke up.

"Among so many concubines in the harem, we few have enjoyed the most favor, yet none of us have been able to conceive."

"The imperial physician has examined us, and we've taken quite a few prescriptions. There's nothing wrong with our health, so does my elder sister think Consort Yun can conceive?"

Suddenly, a thunderbolt struck Zhen Huan, causing her fingers to loosen, and the small spoon used for blending perfume fell to the table with a thud.

Actually, she had her doubts, but she still clung to a sliver of hope.

Suddenly exposed by An Lingrong, it was too late to deceive himself. He asked urgently,

"Lingrong, where did you get this information? Imperial Physician Wen also took the Emperor's pulse, and there was nothing wrong with it at the time!"