After dismissing the others, only Qingyin and Song An remained in the room.
"Your Majesty?"
Qingyin raised an eyebrow, looked at the composed Song An, and asked, "Why aren't you afraid?"
Song An shook his head: "With my sister here, I'm not afraid."
Qingyin patted the little girl's head. "Alright, these next few days you'll go to the Cold Palace from time to time to keep an eye on Alan and the others."
"Uh-huh."
"Hurry up and get ready for bed."
The people in Qiming Palace slept soundly that night, but many others in the harem had a sleepless night.
The first to be affected were Consort Li and Consort Dong'e, who had poisoned and framed Qingyin back then. It's unknown how many more fragments were added to the palace before things finally calmed down.
The abandoned Consort Wan, who had been confined to the Cold Palace, was released, and His Majesty was particularly fond of her, visiting her every day and even neglecting Consort Dong'e... All these rumors ignited a huge fuse in the palace.
All these signs indicate that Consort Dong'e has fallen out of favor, and Consort Wan, who has just been released from the Cold Palace, is the Emperor's new favorite.
The servants in the palace have always been opportunists, and upon hearing the news that Consort Dong'e had fallen out of favor, their attitude towards Chengqian Palace changed.
Miaozhu stood in the imperial kitchen, coldly staring at the smiling, obsequious cook before her: "Did my lady order the white jewel crab soup?"
“Miss Miaozhu, it’s not that I’m being negligent, but the Second Prince wanted some of the soup Her Highness had ordered, so he took it first. The rest is still in the pot. Would you like to wait a bit, Miss?”
"You! When has Her Majesty ever waited for anyone?!" Baozhu, the little palace maid standing behind Miaozhu, couldn't hold back any longer and said angrily.
"This servant has no choice," the steward said with a fawning smile, though his words and outward respect were quite the opposite.
"A precious pearl!"
Miaozhu stopped the little palace maid's anger and gave the head chef a cold look. "The Emperor and the Empress have had a relationship for so many years. Ha, some people should be careful not to ruin their future fortune by looking at this now!"
Mentioning Consort Dong'e, the chef's impatience lessened somewhat. This Consort Dong'e had received special honors as soon as she entered the palace, and it was hard to guarantee that she wouldn't regain favor later. Thinking of this, the chef's attitude became obsequious again: "Hehe, Miss Miaozhu, this servant guarantees that the soup will be ready and will be brought to you right away."
"Alright, Baozhu, let's go."
Before leaving, Baozhu didn't forget to give the chef a "humph".
Back at Chengqian Palace, the two looked at the somewhat melancholy empress sitting in front of the mirror table and felt a pang of sympathy. "Your Majesty, don't be sad. The Emperor cares about you. He will come to see you in a few days. Don't ruin your health."
Dong E Mingyue: "Miaozhu, you said the Emperor has me in his heart, so why doesn't he come to see me?"
Only now does she understand how those women felt when she was the only one they loved, even though it had only been three days.
That's all.
"Miaozhu, is my white jewel crab soup ready?"
Miaozhu looked embarrassed. "Your Majesty, the head of the Imperial Kitchen just said that the soup is not ready yet, but it will be sent over in a while."
"I never expected that the palace's policy of 'the high-ranking and the low-ranking' would fall on me."
"I refuse to believe that the Emperor doesn't care about me and would be willing to ignore me for so many days." The more she felt the difference from before, the more stubborn Dong'e Mingyue became, and she said with a simmering anger.
Miao Zhu swallowed back the words she wanted to say to the Empress to take the initiative to curry favor with the Emperor.
However, on the first day, Dong E Mingyue was able to sit still.
The next day, she became somewhat flustered.
On the third day, she couldn't hold back any longer.
"Miaozhu, get yourself ready properly. Put on my peach blossom makeup; we're going to meet that Wanpin sister who's back." Dong'e Mingyue, harboring her own selfish desire to compare, applied her most exquisite makeup and put on a new, beautiful dress. She refused to believe that a woman who had just been confined to the Cold Palace for two years could be more beautiful than her, a stunning beauty!
In Qiming Palace, Qingyin had gotten used to the Emperor's daily harassment these past few days. However, it seemed that the Emperor had become smarter these days, as he brought Xiao Cuiyue with him every day. Qingyin's attitude towards him or Xiao Cuiyue had obviously softened considerably.
Therefore, the person who became familiar with Qingyin the fastest after returning to the palace was Consort Yang. Since Cuiyue would come to play with her every day, Consort Yang couldn't resist her daughter's request and came as well. This was Qingyin's first meeting after returning to the palace.
Inside the palace, Consort Yang held her tea in a daze, her eyes filled with amazement as she watched Consort Wan coaxing her daughter to play with the Nine-Linked Rings. Wasn't this supposed to be the Cold Palace, some kind of auspicious place? How come Consort Wan returned as a fairy after just one trip there!
No wonder the Emperor wanted to bring her back; no wonder he hasn't been visiting Consort Dong'e these past few days.
Thinking of Consort Dong'e, Consort Yang felt a pang of disgust. It was her pleasure to be hated by her enemies. Just thinking of that woman who called Cuiyue stupid in front of her made Consort Yang want to slap her. At that time, the Emperor favored her, so she had no choice, and besides, she didn't like to cause trouble. But now, as she caught a glimpse of the gentle and charming Consort Wan, Consort Yang's lips curled slightly.
It seems the power dynamics within the imperial harem are about to change.
Qingyin and Yangfei got along fairly well, chatting casually with the talkative Xiaocuiyue.
Consort Yang: "Cuiyue is such a troublemaker. If you're annoyed by her, just give her some snacks to shut her up. It'll work."
Qingyin smiled and said, "Princess Cuiyue is lovely and lively. She is at the age where she should talk more. As for snacks, Qiming Palace has plenty."
Seeing that Qingyin genuinely praised Cuiyue, Consort Yang's smile became even more genuine. She laughed and said, "Indeed, the Emperor sends my sister sweets every day, which makes me very fortunate."
...
Just as the two were chatting happily, and Xiao Cuiyue was engrossed in the explanation, a palace maid walked in. She looked at Qingyin respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Dong'e requests an audience."
Speak of the devil and he appears; Consort Yang never expected that the person she had just thought of would actually come to her so readily.
That makes sense. Consort Yang glanced at Qingyin discreetly. Given the Emperor's recent attitude towards Consort Wan, someone was probably going crazy with worry.
Qingyin didn't miss the intense desire of the person beside her to watch the show, and smiled gently: "Please invite Consort Dong'e in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Standing at the door, Dong E Mingyue, who had deliberately dressed up, held her head high and paid no attention to the gazes of the palace servants.
Unbeknownst to her, after finishing court and hearing that Consort Dong'e had gone to find Qingyin, Emperor Fulin immediately headed towards Qiming Palace.
As Dong'e Mingyue entered the palace, she carefully compared the differences between Qiming Palace and Chengqian Palace. Qiming Palace was larger, but it didn't have as many things as her palace, and the furnishings weren't as stylish as those in her Chengqian Palace... After scrutinizing everything, Dong'e Mingyue finally arrived at the inner hall.
She also met the person who caused the change in her mindset.
Overwhelmed with indescribable shock and humiliation, Dong'e Mingyue looked at Wanpin, who outshone her even in simple white clothes, and found no outlet for her resentment.
She felt like a clown in the Qiming Palace, despite her elaborate makeup, especially with her old rival, Consort Yang, watching her with sarcasm. This made her feel even worse.
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