These are not things that Huo Qinghe can figure out in a short time.
Just like Huo Qinghe hadn't expected the Emperor to suddenly go to Consort Lin's place.
The hoarseness she displayed in front of the official today was mostly an act.
Huo Qinghe knew one thing very well: there were plenty of women out there who would do anything for the emperor; after all, who wouldn't want to please the emperor?
Constantly trying to please the emperor is useless and may not even make him remember her.
Playing the victim at the right time can elicit pity from those in power, and then gradually the facade of weakness and pitifulness will be removed.
Today, after arriving at the Funing Palace, in addition to presenting the Emperor with a calming sachet, she also placed a matching peace charm on the bonsai tree at the entrance of the Funing Palace.
This was naturally Huo Qinghe's little secret.
But the fact that the Emperor didn't come left Huo Qinghe wondering whether it was because he was thinking of Consort Lin, or because he pitied her and felt sorry for her still catching a cold.
This is something even Huo Qinghe couldn't fathom.
However, in the two months since the new concubines entered the palace, the Emperor has indeed favored them more often, although he spends most of his time in the Funing Palace.
Among the new concubines, Huo Qinghe and Consort Xie were favored quite a bit, although in reality, they were summoned to the emperor's bedchamber only a handful of times.
Huo Qinghe thought for a moment. She didn't know much about the new and old concubines in the harem, but there were still quite a few people in the palace who rarely went out.
This also shows that those who stand out in the palace may not necessarily survive to the end.
Knowing that the Emperor wouldn't go anywhere else that night, Huo Qinghe went back to her room to read after dinner.
When you don't know what to do, reading is the only thing that can calm your mind and focus you.
However, halfway through the book, Huo Qinghe suddenly remembered that she seemed to have forgotten something.
But it's not too late to think about it now.
...
The Emperor has not summoned his former concubines for a long time, and the few times he has visited them recently are only to see Consort Ming and Consort Cao, who are both pregnant.
Today is quite unusual; it's rare for me to enter the inner palace, and I'm going to see Consort Lin, who has always been relatively unknown.
In addition, the inside story of Consort Lin's affair was well known to high-ranking concubines such as Xue Yinjia and Chi Xiexiang.
When the news reached Chengqian Palace, Chi Xiexiang was lazily stroking the sandalwood in her arms, and she was still somewhat surprised.
"I thought the Emperor had forgotten about Lin Shi. I never expected that even with a new bride in his arms, he would still remember that slut Lin Shi."
Chi Xiexiang felt even more disgusted with Lin Jieyu than with Huo Yiyun when she mentioned her.
When she was a concubine of the emperor in the prince's residence, she suffered a lot of trouble from Lady Lin, who was then serving as the emperor's head maid.
Because her mother was the official's wet nurse, Lin was gentle and considerate towards the official, not to mention how two-faced she was towards others.
Lin is a ungrateful person who takes advantage of kindness; Chi Xiexiang looks down on her in the slightest.
Before the new concubine entered the palace, Lin suffered a miscarriage, and she showed no sympathy whatsoever.
The Lin family brought this upon themselves, and even caused the emperor to grieve for a while; they are truly despicable.
Changchun Palace is now a place of bad luck. Although Consort Chang is still alive, it is no different from being dead.
If Consort Chang were to direct her attention toward the child, she would be equally guilty of heinous crimes.
Thinking of her child, Chi Xiexiang had some thoughts.
"By the way, I'm not worried about Consort Ming's pregnancy. She's a steady person, and now that she's seven months pregnant, she's even less inclined to go out. But Consort Cao, even while pregnant, loves to go out. If she doesn't take good care of this pregnancy, I'll end up with a bad reputation. I'll send a nanny to give her a good talking-to."
The girl quickly agreed.
"The Empress Dowager's birthday is coming up soon. The Empress is someone who doesn't care about anything, and she wants to dump all these potentially offensive tasks on me. Have you asked the Empress Dowager what she thinks?"
Chi Xiexiang is now assisting in managing the six palaces, which is indeed a very complex and demanding task.
She would only listen to the whispers of the concubines vying for the emperor's favor, and as long as things didn't go too far, she wouldn't interfere.
"After all, it's not a big birthday celebration for the Empress Dowager, so there's really no need to be too extravagant. A simple family banquet will suffice. Inviting some close relatives from the imperial clan will be enough."
Chi Xiexiang understood: "Then we should have the Imperial Household Department draft the regulations, as well as the menus for the Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Tea Kitchen, and have the Music Hall choreograph a birthday dance. Everything should be prepared. I expect to see results in half a month."
Since their own concubine had always acted in this way, the maids were no exception and all cautiously agreed.
"Also, did Qin Lin go to the palace today? That brat sneaked into the palace again. And he did it without my knowledge. Who knows where he'll go drinking after he leaves the palace. At his age, he's still unmarried. Let's see which girl will take a liking to him in the future."
When Chi Xiexiang said this, she sounded like an older sister who was worried sick about her younger brother.
The maids laughed upon hearing this: "General Chi is handsome and dashing, and countless young ladies in the capital are captivated by him. Your Highness is really overthinking it. There's no need to worry about such things."
Chi Xiexiang rubbed her forehead, her hand covered in cat hair: "He's just a troublemaker who doesn't care about anything. I hope so, so that my parents won't have to worry about him."
What Consort Chi didn't expect was that her words of concern at this time would come true.
The day after the Emperor visited Consort Lin, he went to Changchun Palace again.
That is, he went to see Lin Jieyu for two consecutive days.
This is a very strange thing, but according to the records of the Imperial Household Department, the Emperor did not summon Shui Zhaoxing.
However, considering that Lin Jieyu had just finished her postpartum confinement, it was understandable.
However, Huo Qinghe was worried the following night after learning about it.
"Does the Emperor like Consort Lin very much?"
If Huo Qinghe wanted to become a favored concubine and climb the social ladder, she naturally needed to secure a place in the emperor's heart, which meant winning his heart was the key.
The maids all looked hesitant.
"If His Majesty is fond of Consort Lin, it's just that after Consort Lin miscarried, His Majesty didn't visit her much."
“However, Consort Lin is an old hand after all. Given her status, if it weren’t for the Emperor’s favor, how could she have reached her current position?” said Lüyun.
Huo Qinghe glanced at her again but didn't say anything more.
We can't tell much from just one or two days; let's wait and see.
On the third day, the Emperor went to Changchun Palace again.
This time they didn't stay overnight, but it was still quite eye-catching.
The Emperor visited for three consecutive days, which is unprecedented even considering the time spent in the Prince's residence.
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