"What's wrong?" Dayuer was puzzled. She had no grudge against Yan Zhaqiurong, nor had she been persecuted by him. She once thought he was a kind person.
Hailanzhu said, "People who speak their minds will offend others to some extent. So why is it that she got along so well with her sisters in the harem for so many years, even you think so?"
“This…” Da Yu’er couldn’t help but frown.
Hailanzhu continued, "This kind of person is the most terrifying. The biggest reason why Yunxian went from being the Grand Consort to a deposed concubine is because of her."
"Sister, how did you know?" Dayuer asked in confusion.
Hailanzhu turned her dark eyes and replied, "Yan Zha Qingcheng told me."
Da Yu'er nodded firmly, "Although Yan Zha Qingcheng isn't very bright, there's still some truth to what she says."
"Hmm." Hailanzhu agreed, then solemnly instructed, "The women in the harem are very unpredictable. Yu'er, you must remain vigilant and not trust anyone else."
Da Yu'er solemnly replied, "Yes, sister, you must be careful too." Then, as if remembering something, her body trembled involuntarily. "If she really is that kind of person, then it's terrifying! Sister, what should you do? They're planning to gang up on you now!"
Hailanzhu chuckled lightly, "It doesn't matter. They are in the shadows, but I am in the shadows of the shadows. They may not be able to defeat me."
Seeing Hailanzhu's confident demeanor, Dayuer felt somewhat relieved and said nothing more.
As night fell and the moon rose above the willow branches, Da Yu'er realized it was already late. As she walked on, she explained, "Sister, I have to go back now. Atu must be looking for me around now."
"Okay, be careful on the road." Hailanzhu nodded and watched her disappear from sight.
Hailanzhu slowly walked out of the palace, looked up at the dark sky, and said, "Do you think I should go to Chengxi Palace to listen to what Yan Zhaqiurong and Yunxian are plotting?"
Upon hearing this, Qingluan, who was following closely behind, was greatly shocked. "Your Highness, you mustn't do that! If they find out, they might kill you."
"I was just going to listen, I didn't do anything," Hailanzhu said dismissively, and strode forward.
Qingluan paced anxiously, "Your Majesty, are you really sure? This is a very dangerous thing."
"I know what I'm doing," Hailanzhu said confidently as she walked to Chengxi Palace.
If she could bring Qingluan there, she would naturally go in openly and honestly. She needed to know the layout of Chengxi Palace and its guards so that she could sneak in safely in the dead of night.
Inside Chengxi Palace, the lights were on, and Hailanzhu quietly approached the outside of the palace.
"Your Highness, Consort Chen, what brings you here?" the young eunuch exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this.
Hailanzhu waved her hand to signal him to shut up. "I was just strolling around and unknowingly came here. Seeing that the concubine's palace was brightly lit, I figured I had nothing to do, so I thought I'd go in and chat to pass the time."
"twitter."
The young eunuch bowed his head, about to go in and report, but was stopped by Hailanzhu.
"No need for a grand display, I'll go in myself," Hailanzhu said indifferently.
"Yes, sir." Since it was Hailanzhu's order, how could the little eunuch dare to disobey?
The palace doors opened, and Hailanzhu stepped inside.
She surveyed her surroundings and quickly memorized the terrain before finally entering the main hall.
The candlelight flickered in the hall, and Hailanzhu immediately spotted Yan Zhaqiurong sitting on the throne. At that moment, Yan Zhaqiurong had a petite palace maid kneeling on the ground with a basin of boiling oil on her head.
The palace maid trembled and shivered, her lips turned purple, and her whole face flushed red. She was extremely careful, afraid that the oil would spill on her.
Yan Zhaqiu Rong sat in the chair, looking relaxed, as if she didn't take the palace maid's fear seriously.
Upon seeing this, Hailanzhu felt a chill run down her spine. She thought that Yan Zha Qingcheng often beat her servants, and Yan Zha Qiurong was no exception.
Seeing the oil begin to tilt, Hailanzhu's heart leaped, and she quickly went into the palace.
At her signal, Qingluan immediately took the oil basin from the palace maid's head.
Yan Zhaqiu was about to get angry, but seeing that it was Hailanzhu who had arrived, she suppressed her anger and reluctantly stepped down from the main seat, curtsied and said, "Your Highness Consort Chen has arrived. I am sorry for not being able to greet you properly. Please forgive me."
Hailanzhu glanced at her with a faint smile, and instead of telling him to get up, she pointed at the palace maid and asked curiously, "What is the concubine doing?"
Yan Zhaqiu's expression changed slightly, and she quickly explained, "This servant girl stole my hairpin, so I punished her." After saying that, she was afraid that Hailanzhu would not believe her, so she asked other palace maids to testify.
The palace maids had long been aware of Yan Zhaqiurong's methods, so they could only nod in obedience to her wishes.
Hailanzhu could see through it all, but she didn't say anything. She just smiled and said, "A servant who has committed a crime should be punished."
Yan Zhaqiurong's legs had gone numb from squatting for so long. Seeing that Hailanzhu hadn't told her to rise, she put on her usual outspoken self and said, "Rules make the world go round. I'm naturally happy that Your Highness agrees with this. But I haven't done anything wrong, so why hasn't Your Highness told me to get up?" She looked up and met Hailanzhu's gaze. "I've always been outspoken, or did I inadvertently offend you, which is why you're punishing me like this?"
Upon hearing this, Hailanzhu chuckled, "As I grow older, I tend to forget things. This was unintentional. How could a concubine think of so much? Thinking too much is not good." From the first word to the last, she still did not mention the matter of getting up.
Yan Zhaqiu's chest heaved with anger, but there was nothing she could do. "Your Highness Consort Chen is right to reprimand me. I have learned my lesson."
Hailanzhu looked on with satisfaction, and then said, "Consort, please rise. If I make the same mistake again, you may rise. I will not blame you."
Yan Zhaqiu's expression softened slightly, and she stood up straight.
She wanted to ask Hailanzhu why she was here, but Hailanzhu interrupted her, saying, "Has the concubine asked this palace maid why she stole your hairpin?"
Yan Zhaqiu didn't take it seriously, saying, "Stealing is wrong, regardless of any reason."
Hailanzhu disagreed with her point of view, "There are always such people in every palace, including Guanju Palace. At first, I was just like you, so angry that my chest ached. But when I asked them why, I hesitated to take action."
What is the reason?
Hailanzhu sighed, "Most of them are children from poor families who have no choice but to serve in the palace. They risk losing their heads for a few taels of silver. This amount of silver can provide enough for their families to eat and wear, but if one of them falls seriously ill, this amount of silver is undoubtedly a drop in the ocean. So, when they have no other choice, they resort to this desperate measure."
She spoke with a pained look in her eyes, as if it were real, and Yan Zha Qiurong couldn't tell that she was lying at all.
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