"Father, the Queen Mother is ill and should be treated by the Imperial Physician. You kept me in the palace and didn't allow me to go to the Imperial Academy, but instead asked me to go to the Purple Star Palace. What is your intention?"

On the morning of February 11th, sunlight bathed every corner of the Imperial Palace. However, the bright sunshine did not brighten the Second Princess, Nalan Wansheng's mood. She had been forced to remain in the palace by her father, the newly appointed Imperial Noble Gu Changqing, and was unable to attend classes at the Imperial Academy.

Nalan Wansheng's heart was filled with anticipation of going to the Imperial College. Rather than staying in the palace and listening to her father Gu Changqing's nagging, she would rather fish in troubled waters in the academy. She also looked forward to going to the brothel with Huangfu Yueshan, Deanie Yip, Xia Qifeng and others after school to relax and have fun.

However, Gu Changqing's decision was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the enthusiasm in her heart. She was extremely dissatisfied with being left to serve Nalan Yunzhi, and the depression in her heart surged like a tide.

"Wansheng, please don't be rude." Gu Changqing's face darkened as he spoke righteously, "Your mother is mysteriously ill, and the imperial physicians are at a loss. Your younger sisters and brothers have been flocking to her chambers since last night to show their filial respect. As the Second Princess, you should set a good example for them. Go to Zichen Palace now to pay your respects to your mother, and then strive to remain there to serve her."

Nalan Wansheng bit her lip, knowing there was no point in resisting her father's orders at this moment. Despite some dissatisfaction, she nodded obediently.

"Wansheng, you should try to fight for your life!" Gu Changqing said with a look of disappointment, "The eldest princess, Nalan Junxue, has been imprisoned in the clan residence and will probably never be able to leave. The third princess, Nalan Qiudi, has been banished to Youzhou. The fifth princess, Nalan Yingping, is obsessed with carpentry and has no intention of vying for the throne. As for the sixth princess, Nalan Fengyue, she is only fourteen years old and still young. Now that your strongest opponent is gone, why don't you try to improve yourself?"

Nalan Wansheng snorted coldly and muttered, "Father, how could you forget about the Fourth Imperial Sister, Nalan Qingcheng? She is the Empress Mother's only legitimate daughter, and now the Crown Princess. Her father's family is from the General's Mansion, and her in-laws are from the Prime Minister's Mansion. She has won over all the civil and military officials, and her position in the court is stable..."

Nalan Wansheng glanced at Gu Changqing's expressionless face and continued, "In my opinion, you should give up on trying to force me to grow. Isn't it good to be an idle prince? High position and wealth, but nothing to do. All you need to do every day is eat, drink and have fun. And as long as you don't make any big mistakes, your family fortune will be enough for your descendants to enjoy for ten lifetimes..."

Seeing Nalan Wansheng looking like a hopeless case, Gu Changqing sighed.

"Alright, alright, I obey your command. I will go and take care of your excrement and urine right away. Is that alright?"

"You..." Nalan Wansheng's words almost made Gu Changqing fall backwards in anger.

Nalan Wansheng, unwilling to listen to Gu Changqing's nagging any longer, quickly turned and headed towards Zichen Palace before her father could scold her. She silently prayed for Nalan Yunzhi's speedy recovery, fearing she would be trapped in the palace forever.

When Nalan Wansheng arrived at the Zichen Palace, she indeed saw her several imperial sisters, as well as her imperial brothers and younger brothers gathered around her mother's bed.

"Your son pays his respects to the Queen Mother." Nalan Wansheng politely saluted Nalan Yunzhi who was sitting on the head of the bed.

"Well, the second one is here. You are thoughtful." Nalan Yunzhi nodded slightly.

Gu Changqing, who arrived shortly after, felt a little relieved when he saw this.

Nalan Yunzhi glanced at Gu Changqing meaningfully, and after a moment's thought, he instructed Guo Dongbing beside him, "Old Guo, pass on my decree. Effective immediately, Xiao Shujun and Qin Xianjun will be promoted to the rank of Second Rank Noble Lords. As for the three vacancies for the Second Rank Lords, they will be promoted from among the Concubines. The same applies to Concubines and below, including Young Masters, Beauties, Good Men, Attendants, Selected Concubines, Assistant Ministers, Companions, and Little Concubines. We will promote from the next rank of male favorites upwards. If there are not enough, we will select a group from outside the palace to enter the Chujun Palace..."

Guo Dongbing then bowed respectfully to Nalan Yunzhi: "Old slave, I obey your order."

Nalan Yunzhi looked at Gu Changqing and smiled a slightly pale smile: "Changqing, you have worked hard to take care of the affairs of the harem. With Qingchuan and Nian Tang assisting you in the future, you can relax a little."

With the deaths of Ouyang Yuming and An Zihao, the situation in the court has changed. In order to maintain the balance of power and prevent one party from dominating, Nalan Yunzhi must make timely adjustments. Whether she loves these men in the harem or not is not important. What matters is that the family power behind these men can be used by her...

Xiao Qingchuan (Xiao Shujun), brother of General Xiao Qianqing and father of the Fifth Princess Nalan Yingping.

Qin Niantang (Qin Xianjun), the younger brother of Qin Huaiyu, the Minister of Works, and the father of the Sixth Princess Nalan Fengyue.

Gu Changqing, who had only been the emperor for one day, suppressed the bitterness in his heart and forced a smile on his face: "Your Majesty is very thoughtful. I will definitely work with my two brothers to take care of the affairs of the harem so that Your Majesty can rest in peace."

"Yes." Nalan Yunzhi nodded slightly. Then, she turned her gaze to Hua Qingcheng beside her and said slowly, "My Lady, although Zuo'an is a servant brought in as a dowry by the General's Mansion (Si Chengfeng), you two are now husband and wife, and you are in love with each other. Therefore, grant him the position of a good concubine. As for his residence... you can arrange it yourself."

Upon hearing this, Hua Qingcheng hurriedly bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness thanks you, Queen Mother."

In reality, it wasn't that Hua Qingcheng was deliberately delaying the process of giving Zuo An his due status; it was simply that Zuo An, too proud and arrogant to care for such empty honors. Hua Qingcheng had originally planned to celebrate the birth of both children, a "double celebration," by granting Zuo An his official status. However, since her mother had already made the arrangements, Hua Qingcheng no longer hesitated and readily agreed.

On the morning of that day, the imperial edict promoting Han Liangce to the rank of the second-rank Princess Xianjun was delivered to the East Palace. In the afternoon, the imperial edict conferring Zuo An to the rank of the fourth-rank Princess Liangce was also delivered to Zuo An. Her courtyard was located next to Si Chengfeng's Yixia Garden and was named Xiaoyaoju.

That night, at the end of the Xu hour, Xiahou Jing, the King of Pingxi, dressed in casual clothes, once again secretly met with the spies of the Lengyue Kingdom at Yaoyue Garden, the largest women's brothel in the city.

"Sixth Prince, the opportunity we have been waiting for has finally arrived..." Xiahou Jing stroked the teacup in her hand, a shrewd smile appearing on the corner of her mouth.

"The Emperor is currently in poor health and seriously ill. News of this has been tightly suppressed, with not a single word leaking out. So what good is a princess acting as regent? She's just a young girl, wet behind the ears. How can she compare to the eldest princess, imprisoned in the clan residence, or the third princess, banished to Youzhou? She only has the title of legitimate daughter, but no foundation at court. What kind of influence can she possibly achieve?"

Gongyang Yuheng, who was sitting opposite Xiahou Jing, twirled the jade flute in his hand and smiled slightly, a smile that seemed mocking, yet also full of anticipation. "I wonder what comprehensive plan the prince has planned?"

Xiahou Jing's gaze wandered toward the Imperial Palace, as if piercing through the layers of palace walls and gazing upon the supreme throne. "At the end of the month, the full moon banquet for the Crown Prince's granddaughter and grandson might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the dynasty..."