Shu Mulu Yixuan was so disrespectful to Xiu Ning that she couldn't keep her smile, and her face looked stiff.
The other three were also startled by Xiu Ning's words, but Dong E Jingxin, the person in question, was overjoyed after she came to her senses. She looked at Xiu Ning with bright eyes and then said lightly, "Let's go inside."
With the steps leading up, the five of them tacitly stopped talking and instead headed towards the room.
The atmosphere at the door was a bit awkward, and the five of them had only just met and weren't very familiar with each other yet, so they could only nod to each other and go back to their own rooms.
'Tch, trying to play the innocent, manipulative girl with me. Doesn't she even know if her little schemes are enough?'
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Xiu Ning poured herself a cup of tea while complaining to the system in her mind about Shu Mu Lu Yi Xuan's actions. "She's so tacky! Please, we're all girls. She doesn't think what she said was cute or witty, does she?"
'Host, this person has harbored great ill will towards you since the initial selection. Now that you're living together, be careful.'
The system reminded everyone of this again, because if the re-selection process had truly been manipulated, even it was powerless to reverse the situation.
"Don't worry, I understand. You don't need to do anything else lately; just keep an eye on everything at Chuxiu Palace. I want to see how many people will be unable to resist making a move."
The other palaces in the harem, such as Kunning Palace or Yongshou Palace, were not mentioned. The reason is simple: the selection of concubines was orchestrated by the Empress Dowager, and it was impossible for the Empress and Consort Shu to interfere without being noticed (mainly because the power in the harem was in the hands of the Empress Dowager).
While they were talking, Xiuning got up again to continue packing her luggage.
She finally had a day to arrange her own activities, so she had to prepare everything in advance.
While Xiuning and the other young ladies-in-waiting were busy, other palaces in the harem also experienced tremors of varying degrees due to their arrival.
Kunning Palace
Empress Hesheli Fangyi was pacing anxiously back and forth in the main hall.
What does it mean to add insult to injury? It means that right now, Consort Shu's pregnancy is still going strong, but the imperial concubine selection has suddenly come rushing in again.
“Everything is piling up, and the clan keeps urging me to hurry up,” Her delicate brows furrowed unconsciously, and Hesheli Fangyi’s aura exploded, completely abandoning her usual calm and composure.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. The people of the clan are only thinking of Your Majesty's situation."
"Consort Shu is pregnant, and we can't interfere. If she really gives birth to a prince, the threat she poses will be far more serious than that of Consort Ma's eldest son."
A kind-looking middle-aged woman gently supported Hesheli Fangyi's arm, talking as she led her to her bedside to rest.
This person's surname is Li. She was the wet nurse of Hesheli Fangyi. She had served the Hesheli family since she was a child, and when Hesheli Fangyi entered the palace and became the empress, she chose to follow her without hesitation.
It could be said that Hesheli Fangyi's relationship with her own mother was not as deep as her relationship with her wet nurse.
"Granny, I know of Consort Shu's threat, but what can I do?"
Hesheli Fangyi's voice carried a hint of urgency. Niohuru was at the height of her power in the court, and Consort Shu in the harem had repeatedly defied her and disrespected her as the Empress.
She understood better than anyone else that she absolutely could not let Consort Shu rise to power, otherwise her reign as Empress would be over.
“Your Highness, don’t be afraid,” seeing her breastfed child so at a loss, Granny Li quickly reached out and gently patted the child’s wrist. “The threat brought by Consort Shu is not something Your Highness alone will worry about.”
The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and all the concubines in the harem will not stand idly by and watch her rise to power.
The certainty in what Granny Li said gradually calmed Hesheli Fangyi down.
Blinking her slightly sore eyes, Hesheli Fangyi looked at the earnest-looking wet nurse and asked, "Does the wet nurse mean we should wait?"
Granny Li nodded, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, 'A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan.'"
"Your Majesty's most important task now is to win over the Emperor's heart and bear him an heir as soon as possible."
Once the Empress has a legitimate son, what chance do illegitimate sons have? The inherent power of her status is enough to keep them at a distance.
"I understand what you mean, Madam," Hesheli Fangyi took a deep breath, realizing that she had been too hasty, especially since Consort Shu had suddenly come up with this, and she hadn't been able to react for a long time.
"As for my pregnancy, all I can do is try my best and leave the rest to fate." She drinks the fertility medicine without fail and has consummation with the Emperor whenever he visits Kunning Palace. I suppose the child she longs for will arrive soon.
With that thought in mind, Hesheli Fangyi's eyes lit up, and she smiled as she brought up the newly arrived ladies-in-waiting, "How did they perform?"
It is said that one of them was exceptionally beautiful, and Lady Niohuru even used some underhanded tactics to seduce her.
As things turned out, the young woman was not harmed, but instead, the Empress Dowager gained control over the selection process. It was a classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.
Seeing that her mistress had changed the subject, Granny Li chuckled and replied, "They're all very well-behaved since they first entered the palace."
The nannies appointed by the Empress Dowager are in charge of all matters; if any of them still act recklessly, they will likely be sent home early.
Although the wet nurse was somewhat dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager's insistence on holding onto power in the palace, she was still very afraid of this legendary woman. Not everyone could become like Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
“Sending her back ahead of time was her own fault,” Hesheli Fangyi said, annoyed by every woman who would try to steal the Emperor from her, but powerless to stop them. “Have all the arrangements been made with the servants in the Imperial Household Department?”
Li Mama nodded, "It's all arranged. But I'm afraid the Cining Palace might notice, so I've chosen a few people to run errands and help out."
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