If you think about it carefully, it's been a while since anyone in the harem has seen Empress Xue.
When the Emperor caught a cold last time, Empress Xue went to see him as soon as she heard the news. However, the Emperor was worried about Empress Xue and was also unwell himself. By the time the concubines arrived, Empress Xue had already been summoned back to Kunning Palace by the Emperor. After that, Empress Xue did not appear in public again because of her poor health.
Then there's Consort Cao. She's eight months pregnant now, which is a crucial time. She didn't dare go out when the Emperor was sick, and she certainly wouldn't come today with so many people coming and going to pay their respects.
Having learned from Consort Ming's example, Consort Cao, however bold she may be, dared not joke about the child in her womb.
Just kidding, who knows how many people in this palace don't want her unborn child to be born safely?
Consort Ming did not come to pay her respects today. She was greatly frightened, and Princess Fuqing went into premature labor. She has not yet fully recovered. Empress Xue is also considerate and has been letting Consort Ming rest quietly.
Huo Yiyun's confinement has ended, and she dressed up carefully today. While she wouldn't say she outshone everyone else, Huo Yiyun's beauty was certainly noticeable today.
Consort Chi arrived late today as well. She had just sat down when Empress Xue emerged from behind the screen.
Empress Xue looked much better than usual, but she still coughed as she spoke: "No need for formalities. It rained a few days ago, and it's rare that the weather is clear today. Were you all well when you came?"
Everyone naturally responded in unison.
Empress Xue nodded in relief: "Then I am at ease. The Emperor was unwell a few days ago, and with my sisters attending to him, I had much less to worry about. Especially Consort Zhou, you worked so hard attending to him the other day. You should all learn from Consort Zhou."
As soon as Empress Xue spoke, Consort Zhou raised her chin smugly and stood up gracefully: "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. It is only right for a concubine to care about the Emperor."
Consort Chi looked away in annoyance; she couldn't stand Consort Zhou's behavior.
Furthermore, she felt that Xue Yinjia's words just now sounded like a form of flattery intended to kill.
Empress Xue has never shown Zhou Pin any kindness. The Emperor and Empress are in cahoots and have always been of one mind. It is rare for the Emperor to bestow such a grand reward on Zhou Pin. Now that Empress Xue is also praising Zhou Pin in this way, it is clear that something is amiss.
Consort Chi was no fool, and today she was too lazy to bother with Consort Zhou, letting Consort Zhou be smug for a while.
Consort Chi was too lazy to bother with Consort Zhou, which made Consort Zhou even more smug. Originally, Consort Cao could at least put up a fight with Consort Zhou, but now that Consort Zhou was peacefully resting in the palace to prepare for childbirth, she was nowhere to be seen.
Huo Yiyun was also somewhat absent-minded today, and she kept glancing at Huo Qinghe at the very end.
She didn't have time to deal with Consort Zhou, that clown; she should think about Huo Qinghe's belly.
So, the proper greetings quickly turned into a monopoly on Zhou Pin's authority.
Seeing that Consort Zhou's words were becoming increasingly outrageous, Xue Yinjia slowly spoke up to stop her.
"It's getting late, and the weather is nice today, so I won't keep you any longer. You may all leave now. Go your separate ways."
Empress Xue spoke abruptly, and Consort Zhou paused, her words already on the tip of her tongue. She had said a lot today and had shown off enough. As soon as the Empress finished speaking, she was the first to stand up.
"Yes, thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. Please take care of yourself. We concubines will take our leave now."
Consort Chi was a step behind, so she simply didn't rush to stand up: "Consort Zhou's manners are getting better and better. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had no interest in me."
Consort Zhou was a chatterbox, which Chi Xiexiang could tolerate as nothing more than cat pee and dog shit that would blow away in a gust of wind. But if Consort Zhou wanted to get past her, Chi Xiexiang didn't have that much patience.
Empress Xue, sitting at the head of the table, acted as if she hadn't seen anything, and stood up, holding her forehead, heading towards the inner palace of Kunning Palace.
Consort Zhou was speechless. Her arrogance made her want to retort, but when she looked back at the gaze that Consort Chi was casting, Consort Zhou suddenly calmed down.
She gritted her teeth, but her back remained straight, unwilling to back down, though she had already retreated in words.
"Please, Your Highness, proceed first."
Consort Chi gave a soft "hmm," showing no intention of arguing with Consort Zhou: "Alright. Everyone, disperse."
The Emperor's health had finally improved, but everyone still wanted to curry favor with him.
Today, the weather was unusually fine, and the concubines were allowed to disperse, with most heading to the Imperial Garden.
Huo Qinghe didn't get involved. She waited for a while, and when she was sure that Huo Yiyun didn't intend to talk to her, she quietly returned to Yanliang Pavilion.
Today is the first day of the month, and the Emperor is going to the Empress's Kunning Palace. Huo Qinghe did some mental calculations.
Empress Xue, Consort Chi, Consort Zhuang, and Consort Cao—it will probably be a few more days before it's Huo Qinghe's turn.
Oh, and there's also Consort Zhou, who's currently attracting a lot of attention.
After returning to Yanliang Pavilion, Huo Qinghe lay down with even more peace of mind. Feeling that it was not good to be idle like this, she got up to read a book.
No rush. The Emperor has just sent the materials over; he hasn't forgotten her yet. She doesn't need to be too eager to curry favor with him.
Life in the palace was, in the end, easier than it had been in the Huo family.
As expected, the Emperor went to Kunning Palace at night.
During the day, the Emperor has the morning court session, and after the autumn imperial examinations, the Ministry of Rites is busy. The Emperor's plans are finally coming to fruition, so naturally he has no time to go to the Imperial Garden.
As a result, the imperial concubines who went to the Imperial Garden during the day all came up empty-handed.
Empress Xue was in poor health, and the Emperor and Empress usually got along well during the days he stayed at Kunning Palace, and tonight was no exception.
However, the two still chatted for a while.
The two were childhood sweethearts, and while their hearts weren't entirely in sync, Empress Xue could still guess some of their thoughts based on the Emperor's actions.
"Today, Consort Zhou was somewhat disrespectful to the Noble Consort when she paid her respects. Since the Noble Consort didn't take it to heart at the time, I didn't say anything more."
Pei Yuanhui had already closed his eyes. After listening to Xue Yinjia's words, he even impatiently turned to the side: "It's fine for the Empress to discipline Consort Zhou, but don't let her disrupt the rules of the harem."
He wanted to rectify the previous dynasty, and his reward to Consort Zhou was merely to mislead the Empress Dowager; he had no intention of taking his anger out on Consort Zhou.
After listening to the Emperor's words, Empress Xue pondered their meaning for a moment. She paused for a moment, then finally responded softly, "Yes, the rules of the inner palace must not be broken. I understand."
Pei Yuanhui also hummed in agreement: "Your Majesty has worked hard. You should rest early today as well."
After a good night's sleep, she helped Pei Yuanhui get up without disturbing Chunbai and the others, saying, "Let your lady rest well."
Chunbai and the others smiled and agreed. They were pleased to see the Emperor being so considerate of the Empress.
However, when news of the Emperor's visit to Consort Chi's palace that night reached them, Chunbai and the others no longer smiled.
Xue Yinjia wasn't surprised at all; she was quite philosophical about it: "It's Chi Xiexiang's turn too. Let's get her settled."
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