Jian Yang remembers a famous scene in "Empresses in the Palace" where the emperor was scolded by the empress for drinking two extra bowls of old duck soup, which led to a falling out between the two.
This scene also made Jian Yang realize that there were so many royal rules.
While ordinary people can eat whatever they want, it's different for royalty.
They strictly followed etiquette and regulations in everything they did, from eating and drinking to relieving themselves.
Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Anyone would feel uncomfortable being constrained by these ridiculous rules every day.
This is also one of the reasons why the emperor and empress turn against each other in TV dramas.
So Jian Yang decided to follow suit.
Seeing the emperor reach for the braised beef brisket with his chopsticks for the third time, she seized the opportunity and, mimicking Ulanara's tone, said:
"Your Majesty, according to the old rules, one should not eat more than three times. This beef brisket is delicious, but you have already eaten the third piece. If you eat any more, I'm afraid you won't be able to eat this dish for ten days or half a month!"
The emperor put down his chopsticks, a slightly surprised expression on his face.
Jian Yang was overjoyed at this and pressed her advantage, saying, "Your Majesty, only by knowing restraint and not showing favoritism can one last long."
After saying that, she immediately sat up obediently, ready to face the emperor's furious accusations.
She waited for a long time, but the person on the other end didn't react at all.
Hmm, could it be that her acting was a bit too exaggerated just now?
Just as she was pondering which link in the chain had gone wrong, the emperor spoke quietly.
"Your Majesty, our ancestors never had a rule about not eating more than three times a day. You must be mistaken."
Jian Yang wished she could die on the spot.
TV dramas are harmful!
But she knew that she couldn't panic in situations like this.
She gently touched her forehead and parted her lips slightly: "Since I was poisoned, my memory has deteriorated considerably. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
The emperor smiled but said nothing.
In the end, she failed to provoke him, nor did she succeed in persuading him to visit the concubines.
She felt deeply frustrated!
People tend to lose their fighting spirit once they fail.
Seeing that he had failed to fool the emperor, he lost all interest in causing trouble.
He continued to live a sparsely populated, lazy, and unproductive life.
But in the silent battlefield of the imperial harem, she couldn't simply give up and do nothing.
When the ladies of the six palaces saw that she was no longer doing anything for them, they immediately turned against her and began to hate her.
The concubines, who often huddled together, would get together and complain wildly, becoming increasingly dissatisfied with her monopolizing the emperor's favor.
Since they could neither see the emperor nor the empress, they could only vent their mischief to each other and find some solace in their banter.
Jian Yang, however, seemed indifferent upon learning of this.
"Let them curse if they want. Anyway, it won't hurt me to curse a few times."
Helpless, Lianxia and Xiqiu had no choice but to be more vigilant about food to prevent any further poisoning incidents.
Life went on like this, neither exciting nor dull.
The weather is getting colder day by day.
Jian Yang, who is always afraid of the cold, simply stayed in bed.
In the past, everyone was very tactful and did not disturb her, waiting for her to get up and pay her respects to the Empress Dowager after she had slept enough.
But today, just as she was about to take a nap, Lianxia suddenly burst in, startling her awake.
"You got chased by a dog again?" Jian Yang asked, still a little grumpy from waking up.
Lianxia said anxiously, "Your Majesty, the Han family has sent someone to the palace!"
"The Han family?"
She was stunned for a moment before she remembered.
The four major families in Beijing were the Jiang, Shen, Han, and Yang families.
Now that the Shen family has fallen, only three families remain.
This Han family must be one of the three major families.
"Who are you sending it to?" Jian Yang asked, yawning.
After Lianxia stirred things up, she couldn't sleep anymore, so she got up to listen to the gossip.
"She was a woman of unparalleled beauty. As soon as she entered the palace, she was made a concubine and given the residence of the Liuli Palace."
Lianxia spoke faster and faster, and her urgency was palpable.
"Hmm? That's it? Never mind, I'll go back to sleep."
"Your Highness, you can't sleep!" Lianxia pulled her back. "The Han family said that now that Consort Wan's position is vacant, they naturally need to find someone to fill it."
"Well, logically speaking, it makes sense."
"But I've heard that before this newly appointed Consort Li even entered the palace, she relied on her beauty to act recklessly and had an extremely domineering and arrogant temper. If she joins forces with Consort Yu, the harem will never have a peaceful day again."
As sleepiness gradually crept in, Jian Yang wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, her speech becoming somewhat slurred.
"Don't worry, Consort Yu, she wouldn't even look at... her..."
Before she could finish speaking, her head lolled to the side, and she fell fast asleep again.
Lianxia sighed helplessly as she looked at her master, who seemed completely oblivious to any potential crisis.
Xiqiu pulled her aside and whispered, "Don't sigh and complain by the Empress's bedside so early in the morning."
Lianxia looked worried. "The Emperor does favor our Empress right now, but men are all fickle. What if this Consort Li steals the Emperor's favor? Given our Empress's personality, how will she survive in this harem?"
"Pah, pah, pah, stop worrying unnecessarily. The Emperor is not such a vulgar person."
Lianxia thought to herself, "I hope so."
...
Consort Li entered the palace early in the morning.
After completing the investiture ceremony, it was already past noon.
As the Empress, Jian Yang should have been present to attend the ceremony.
However, the Empress Dowager suddenly suffered a headache today, so she stayed at Fuxi Palace to take care of her.
This was not originally a big deal, but in Consort Li's eyes, it was a different matter altogether.
"Sister Lifei, that woman from Weiyang Palace is trying to intimidate you."
"Yes, the Empress has always been arrogant and domineering because of her favor with the Emperor, and she loves to manipulate us concubines."
"Consort Li, you're new here and probably don't know yet, but the Empress is a wicked person. Let us tell you about it."
Consort Li's stunningly beautiful face gradually became distorted with anger due to everyone's "kind sharing"!
She was originally the eldest daughter of the Han family, who was pampered and loved by everyone.
She's always the one in control; how could she let others take her place?
Before she entered the palace, her elders repeatedly told her not to clash with the Empress, since the Empress's father, Prime Minister Jian, had considerable influence.
She had actually taken his advice to heart.
As long as the Empress doesn't cause her trouble, she naturally won't easily go out and provoke her.
But right now, she was already annoyed by being slighted, and with the "helpful" concubines in the other palaces stirring things up, Consort Li was completely enraged.
Empress, since you are so ruthless, don't blame me for being ruthless!
Seeing that their instigation had worked, the concubines exchanged knowing glances and left the Glass Palace.
"Why didn't Consort Yu come today?"
"I heard that the Buddha statue has recently started to imitate the Empress, staying indoors all day long."
"How come I heard that Consort Yu and Consort Li didn't get along even before Consort Yu entered the palace?"
"Who knows? Let's just wait and see."
The concubines, each with their own thoughts, departed together.
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