Chapter 87 She Still Takes the Lead

Xu Lanshan quickly returned to her own Cuiyinxuan.

Keep a low profile and don't go out and see people for a while.

In Baohe Palace, Concubine Yu sat in front of the dressing table, her delicate hands gently caressing her cheeks. After a long sigh, she said, "When it comes to fair skin and beautiful looks, I am really not as good as Concubine Chen! It is true that beauty is more favored by the Emperor..."

I used to look down on Concubine Chen, but now I have to admit that she has some capital to climb from a palace maid to a noble lady with a title in a short period of time.

I said, if it were inconspicuous, how could the emperor be interested in it?

Unfortunately, I found out too late...

The Queen has given a special warning today. She is in the limelight right now, who dares to touch her?

I'm afraid even a brainless person like Concubine Lian wouldn't dare to do that. She could only vent a few words.

The funny thing is that she can't vent her anger verbally, which is really ridiculous.

Aunt Fang smiled and said, "The Empress, with her fair complexion and beautiful features, is no less impressive. Even if Consort Chen is a bit more impressive, it's only to a limited extent. But the Empress has something else. Besides this, what else does she have? Even the most beautiful flower can only bloom for a hundred days. No matter how beautiful it is when it blooms, it will become ugly and disgusting when it withers and dies. Isn't that right, Empress?"

Concubine Yu smiled and said, "After all, she is my aunt!"

She pondered again, "That being said, I will not give in to her anymore..."

In the past, not arguing with her was the biggest mistake she made.

Emperor Yuan Yong did not enter the harem for five or six days.

That day, when he entered the harem, he first went to Fengwu Palace and had lunch with the Queen. In the evening, he summoned Xu Lanshan to the Ganyuan Palace to sleep with her.

The eunuch in Ganyuan Palace conveyed the emperor's oral order for Xu Lanshan to go there early. After Xu Lanshan had dinner, she went there soon.

The emperor is good to her, so she should return the favor.

Even though he was so busy just after returning to the palace, he did not forget to send Dong Zhi to arrange staff for her Cuiyinxuan.

The new maidservant was named Yujuan. She was tall, round-faced, and calm and capable. Two young maids and two young eunuchs were also assigned to the Cuiyin Pavilion, who would be responsible for cleaning and tidying up the place, among other miscellaneous tasks.

Xu Lanshan named them Xiaotong, Xiaodan, Guihe and Guizhong respectively.

From then on, outsiders could no longer easily enter her Cuiyinxuan.

When Xu Lanshan arrived at Ganyuan Palace, Emperor Yuan Yong was still dealing with memorials.

Xu Lanshan naturally stepped forward, grinding ink for him and handing him things.

Emperor Yuan Yong looked up at her, put down his imperial brush, held her hands, and said with a smile, "I was just saying, I always felt like something was missing these days. It turns out it's Lan'er!"

Xu Lanshan jokingly laughed, "Your Majesty, you're not missing Lan'er, you're missing Lan'er to serve you! Your Majesty, I'm both a concubine and a palace maid. Shouldn't Your Majesty give me a supplementary monthly salary?"

Emperor Yuan Yong laughed heartily, "He is a man who never suffers any loss and knows how to settle accounts."

Xu Lanshan smiled softly and raised her eyebrows: "I thought the emperor would laugh at me for being obsessed with money!"

Emperor Yuan Yong laughed even harder, feeling both amused and annoyed. "Lan'er is quite self-aware!"

Xu Lanshan acted coquettishly and refused to obey: "I am not!"

As the two of them were chatting and joking, Emperor Yuan Yong unconsciously took her in his arms and held her in his arms. They were intimate with each other for a long time, which made the girl in his arms blush and her pretty face flushed. Then he let her go and asked her to stand by and serve him.

Every time Xu Lanshan was there to serve, that was the time when Dong Zhi and others felt most relaxed.

As long as Concubine Chen was around, she could always make the Emperor happy and laugh. When the Emperor was very pleased, the lives of these people naturally became better.

Emperor Yuan Yong had been alone for a long time, and the accumulated state affairs were really stressful. Today, with the beauty in his arms, he could finally relax. The two of them felt like they were newlyweds after a short separation, and they were in high spirits and didn't go to bed until the third watch.

Xu Lanshan was so tired that she didn't even want to move her fingers. She closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.

Emperor Yuan Yong was both angry and amused. Because she was so lovable, he forgave her. He gently pinched her tear-stained face, did not quarrel with her, and contentedly hugged her and fell asleep.

Xu Lanshan woke up, still feeling weak.

Despite this, I feel very relaxed and light-hearted mentally.

This feeling is quite pleasant.

There is still a little bit of aftertaste and peace of mind.

As expected, divine favor makes people feel at ease.

Her status as a favored lady remains unshakable!

Emperor Yuan Yong was diligent and hardworking, and he is long gone. After changing her clothes and tying her hair, Xu Lanshan returned to Cuiyinxuan.

After dressing up carefully and having breakfast, she received rewards from Emperor Yuan Yong.

The eunuch who delivered the reward presented a wooden box over a foot long and said with a smile, "The Emperor has said this is compensation for Concubine Chen. There are also two pots of water lilies in full bloom, which are given to Concubine Chen to enjoy."

Xu Lanshan accepted it with a smile and thanked him, "Your Majesty, I have remembered your kindness. I will do my best to repay your Majesty. Eunuch Ming, please tell the emperor."

"Yes, my lady!"

After Eunuch Ming left, Xu Lanshan opened the box, and as expected, it was a box of gold ingots.

The glittering gold was laid out in two layers, eight on each, making sixteen in total. She weighed it and determined that this one should weigh two taels.

The emperor is really generous. He is going to give her the monthly allowance right away?

You know what, the golden glow makes people feel good just by looking at it!

Two pots of water lilies have been placed in the courtyard, and Xu Lanshan went out to take a look.

A large, round, blue-and-white jar, more than half a person's height, with vibrant red water lilies floating on the surface, is a truly beautiful sight. The jar also houses a dozen finger-sized koi fish, which are lively and adorable.

Xu Lanshan was even more delighted, and smiled as she instructed Xiao Fuzi, "Take good care of these two water lilies. Go get some fish food and feed them a little every day. Don't feed them too much, or these fish will die of overeating."

Xiao Fuzi agreed with a smile.

The master and servant were watching the fish and admiring the flowers when they suddenly saw Noble Lady Bai approaching. Xu Lanshan hurriedly went to greet her with a smile, "Sister Bai!"

After returning to the palace, Concubine Bai and Xu Lanshan still had a good relationship, and they would talk together from time to time.

Concubine Bai had just been to Cuiyinxuan two days ago, so she naturally noticed the two tanks of water lilies and goldfish at a glance. She smiled and said, "Is this a new gift from the Emperor? As expected, my sister is the Emperor's favorite."

Xu Lanshan smiled and said, "It's ok for others to joke about it, but Sister Bai, please don't say that!"

They looked at each other and laughed.

The two of them looked at the water lilies and koi for a while, then went into the house to talk.

When Concubine Bai saw Xu Lanshan's embroidery work that had not been done for who knows how long, she couldn't help but take it over to do. Xu Lanshan smiled and let her do it. She got several regional travel notes from the emperor and took them in her hands to read through them.

After talking for a while, the two of them went about their own business. The room was quiet. One was embroidering and the other was reading. However, both of them were calm and composed, and did not think there was anything wrong or bad about it.