Gu Chengzuo didn't expect that even after he said that he didn't care whether a woman was chaste or not, and that he was willing to remarry her, Danruo still shook her head in fear.
Her big, watery eyes were filled with fear but determination, and she spoke with deep affection:
"I have fallen in love with the man from yesterday, so I cannot serve the emperor."
Gu Chengzuo didn't expect that he would shoot himself in the foot. She actually refused to let her current self touch her for the sake of her yesterday self.
He frowned in thought. He wanted to confess, but the emperor was suspicious. Minister Su was loyal now, but if he knew about this, would he still be loyal?
Moreover, King Jing was still so infatuated with his eldest daughter, even though she was already married.
He had indeed wanted to pass the throne to King Jing's child, but now that he had hope himself, why should he give up the throne to others?
He held Danruo's shoulders and said coldly, "Give me a child, and I will help you find that person and make you two happy. If you don't cooperate, I will kill that person and your entire family."
Feeling Danruo trembling all over, he kissed his neck with tears in his eyes, and his tears flowed across the red mole and into his hair.
This made him feel pity, and his movements became gentler.
The next morning, Dan Ruo woke up and found herself still in Gu Chengzuo's bedroom.
Nanny Wang, who helped her wash and dress yesterday, hurried into the hall when she heard the noise. She heard a lot of noise in the hall yesterday and thought that Concubine Su had violated the emperor's taboo. Unexpectedly, the emperor not only did not let her take Concubine Su away in the middle of the night, but also let her sleep peacefully until dawn. It seems that she bet on the right horse.
After she took care of Danruo and finished washing up, she returned to Qingyi Palace, and then the emperor's reward arrived.
When Jia Hui came over and saw the gorgeous and exquisite jewelry and colorful silks, she was overwhelmed. They were all top-quality products that she had never been able to touch before. She concealed the jealousy in her eyes and smiled widely, as if she was sincerely congratulating Dan Ruo.
Seeing that Danruo didn't take out a few things to give to her, she thought he was stingy, but put on a flattering look.
"Now, sister and Rong Baolin have both served in the emperor's bedchamber. Only sister has received the emperor's reward. Hui'er is really happy for sister. Rong Baolin can't even compare to sister's."
When Rong Si entered the palace and heard Jia Hui say this, she immediately slapped Jia Hui in the face:
"Bitch, how dare you say that about me behind my back."
Jia Hui didn't expect that someone would hear her saying bad things about someone in person, but since she and Rong Si were both sixth-rank Baolin, what right did she have to hit her?
She looked at Danruo for help. She had offended Rong Si just to please her. As a fourth-rank beauty, it was only natural for her to teach Rong Si a lesson. Why didn't she stand up for herself?
Rong Si thought Dan was going to stand up for Jia Hui, so she spoke quickly:
"Sister Su, since you have received the favor today, why don't you go and pay your respects to the Concubine Shu? Don't you think that Concubine Shu is important to you?"
Shufei was neither the Empress Dowager nor the Vice Empress, but she had the highest rank and would temporarily take over the palace affairs when the Empress Dowager was out of the palace.
The other concubines were headed by Concubine Shu, so they would usually have a small gathering at Concubine Shu's place, but it was not a matter of paying respects.
The concubines would pay their respects to the Empress Dowager on the first and fifteenth day of every month.
Yesterday, Rong Si paid a visit to Concubine Shu because Concubine Shu was the main queen.
Today, Rong Si said a few sarcastic words in front of Concubine Shu, so Concubine Shu asked Rong Si to come over for questioning, actually asking her to be the vanguard.
Seeing this, Dan Ruo looked at the palace servant beside him and asked:
"The newcomer to the bedchamber has to pay his respects to Consort Shu the next day. Is this a custom?"
The palace servants of Qingyi Palace all shook their heads, "The Emperor never stated this rule."
They were sent by the emperor to protect Su Meiren, so naturally they could not let Su Meiren suffer any injustice.
Nanny Qin, who was beside the Queen Mother, came in with a bunch of gifts.
"The Queen Mother has never heard of this rule."
After saying this, she bowed to Lady Su and said, "I apologize for interrupting you earlier. After the Empress Dowager finished her morning prayers, she asked me to find some jewelry from her youth and give it to you. So you can rest easy and not run around."
After thanking the Queen Mother for her kindness, Dan Ruo said to Rong Si innocently:
"Since the Emperor and the Empress Dowager don't know this rule, then I can't go to pay my respects to the Concubine Shu. I also ask Rong Baolin to convey my meaning clearly to the Concubine Shu, so that she won't misunderstand my intentions."
Seeing that Nanny Qin beside the Queen Mother was frightened, Rong Si quickly left.
Nanny Qin didn't stay long and went back to report to the empress dowager.
Jia Hui covered her face and asked resentfully:
"Sister Su, why didn't you stand up for me just now?"
"People need to be independent. I can help you once, but can I help you ten times? You can fight back on your own and I'll stand up for you. You don't dare to fight back and want to borrow my help, but have you ever thought about why I should dirty my hands?
I just want to live my life in peace and not get involved in such a complicated fight. Don't mess with your little thoughts in front of me in the future."
Jia Hui cried and told Danruo about her pity and grievances. Danruo waved her hand and went back to the room to catch up on her sleep.
Gu Chengzuo learned from Zhao Quan what had just happened and felt that Concubine Su was very different and did not form cliques like those in the harem.
Other concubines might just do Jia Baolin a favor and make him their follower, letting him take over when needed. Of course, they might also be used against them by Jia Baolin.
When Rong Si returned, she was stopped by Shu Fei's men as soon as she arrived in the courtyard. Shu Fei knew that the Queen Mother had also given her rewards, and she also happened to see Rong Si asking her to pay her respects.
Her long-term vigilance made her feel that something was wrong, so it would be better for her to show weakness first.
She first went to the Queen Mother to admit her mistake, saying that Rong Si had misunderstood her meaning and that it was all a misunderstanding.
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