In the early morning, just as the first rays of sunlight entered the palace, Chen Xiaoru was awakened by the sound of hurried footsteps. From outside the palace came the eunuch's shrill voice: "Empress Chen, the Emperor has issued an order!"
Chen Xiaoru hurriedly tidied herself up and put on a simple palace dress when Eunuch Li, accompanied by a procession of eunuchs and palace maids, filed in. He stood in the hall with a solemn expression, holding a bright yellow imperial edict in his hand.
"The Emperor, by the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: I believe the harem should be occupied by those of virtue. As for Chen, whose virtue and virtuous character exemplify her, I hereby appoint her the title of Consort Chen and grant her the residence of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. I decree this!"
Chen Xiaoru froze in place, unsure how to react. Consort Chen? This position was above Consort Li, second only to the Empress. She subconsciously glanced at the system: "What's going on?"
The system's voice was somewhat teasing: "Congratulations, host. This is a pleasant surprise. It seems that last night's play was very effective."
Chen Xiaoru absentmindedly knelt and kowtowed before accepting the imperial edict. Xuanyuan Che's sneer from last night was still echoing in her mind. Was this sudden award a reward or a punishment?
At the same moment, the sound of shattering porcelain echoed from Fengyi Palace. Empress Su Wanwan slammed the blue and white porcelain cup in her hand to the ground, sending shards flying everywhere. Her face contorted, her eyes blazing with fire. "What a bastard, Chen Xiaoru! You're such a slut of unknown origin! How dare you get so high up over me!"
"Your Majesty, calm down."
The personal maid cautiously consoled him, "This Chen family's origins are unknown, so there must be something they can use against her."
Su Wanwan smiled coldly: "Go, check her again! Check her background, check her origins, check everyone around her! I want to see who she is!"
The Huayang Palace was in a mess. Concubine Li Huang Shuangshuang overturned the dressing table, and the pearl hairpins and jewelry scattered all over the floor with a crisp clatter. She gritted her teeth and said:
"Bitch! Bitch! I have served the emperor in the palace for so many years. Why should she, a wild girl, be given a higher title than me?"
The maids were silent, not daring to utter a word. A young maid stepped forward bravely and reported in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Emperor went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity last night and seemed to have had an argument with Chen."
Huang Shuangshuang stopped throwing things and slowly walked to the bronze mirror and sat down. She fiddled with her rouge box nonchalantly and asked calmly, "Has Ningxiang been sent in?"
Hongyu stood aside with her head bowed and answered respectfully:
"Your Majesty, we can't get it in. The Palace of Heavenly Purity is heavily guarded, and there's no chance to even pass on a message."
"oh?"
Huang Shuangshuang's slender fingers paused on the rouge box, her brows slightly furrowed, "I underestimated her."
"yes."
Hongyu carefully considered her words, "I heard that everything Chen Xiaoru uses was prepared by the Imperial Household Department at the order of His Majesty himself. Even the needlework had to go through layers of scrutiny."
Huang Shuangshuang chuckled at the bronze mirror, a sharp glint in her eyes: "Your Majesty really cares about her."
She turned to look at Hongyu, "Do you know what she usually uses?"
"This...I can't find out."
Hongyu rubbed her hands nervously, "Everyone in the Palace of Heavenly Purity is keeping their mouths shut. Not even a shadow of them can be seen."
"No problem."
Huang Shuangshuang turned back to the bronze mirror, her tone lazy, her fingers gently stroking the edge of the bronze mirror, "There is still a long time to go, there will always be a chance."
She suddenly stood up and straightened her dress, "Let's go to the Palace of Heavenly Purity."
There was an undeniable arrogance in Li Fei's tone. Hong Yu hurriedly followed, holding the gift that had been prepared long ago, and followed Li Fei's steps to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
The evening sun shone on the glazed tiles of the palace, reflecting a dazzling light. Concubine Li and her entourage arrived at the gate of the Palace of Heavenly Purity in a grand procession, but were stopped by the guards at the gate.
"Empress Li, the Emperor has ordered that no one is allowed to disturb Empress Chen's rest without his permission." The guard said respectfully, but his tone was very firm.
Concubine Li's smile froze instantly, and her eyes became sharp and cold, like a sword drawn from its sheath. She snorted disdainfully, her tone filled with threats and contempt:
"I want to see who gave you the courage to stop me! Do you know who I am? I am the Concubine Li. Who dares to disrespect me in this palace?"
The guard trembled slightly, but still bowed his head and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is an order from the Emperor himself."
Despite this, he still stood firmly in front of the door and did not dare to give in at all.
"Oh, a mere ordinary peasant girl is worthy of the Emperor's personal order?"
Concubine Li sneered, "I just came to visit her, is this not okay?"
"Your Majesty, the Concubine Chen is resting, and the Emperor has specifically ordered that no one be disturbed."
"I'm here to give her a gift."
Concubine Li raised the gift box in Hongyu's hand, and her tone suddenly turned gentle. "You can't let the emperor think that we sisters don't even dare to express our concern, right?"
The guard looked embarrassed and said, "I will definitely convey your Majesty's wishes to the Empress Chen. But you really can't be allowed in right now."
"you!"
Concubine Li gritted her teeth. "Very good, very good. Today, I want to see what Chen Xiaoru is capable of that deserves the Emperor's protection. Remember, I will redeem this favor sooner or later!"
The guard replied calmly, "The emperor's order, I dare not disobey."
Concubine Li was so angry that she was shaking all over. She glared at the guard fiercely, but finally left unwillingly. Hongyu followed behind her cautiously, not daring to make a sound.
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