Gu Jiangli's words instantly extinguished Rong Zhaoyi's arrogance.
Only the Empress can receive the daily greetings and homage from the concubines. If she approves of Gu Jiangli's words, wouldn't that prove that Consort Rou has the ambition to become Empress?
Consort Rou was only a consort, yet she was already thinking about the treatment that came with the position of empress.
If such thoughts were to reach the ears of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, what would become of them?
The gentle smile on Consort Rou's face immediately vanished, and she hurriedly denied Gu Jiangli's words: "Sister, you are overthinking it. I didn't mean that. I just haven't seen you before and am a little curious about your appearance and character. Consort Rong is straightforward, and she hasn't seen His Majesty for a long time. She was feeling upset and said the wrong thing. Please don't take it to heart."
Consort Rong also hurriedly said:
"Yes, don't misunderstand me. Who asked you to visit Consort Rou every day? As a newly entered concubine, isn't it your duty to take the time to see Consort Rou?"
Consort Rong looked nervous and stammered as she spoke.
Gu Jiangli smiled faintly, feeling somewhat bored.
Unexpectedly, just a few words were enough to throw Consort Rong off balance. It seems that Consort Rong would be an easier target.
"Is that so?" Gu Jiangli asked with a smile. "Since Consort Rong and Consort Rou are both interested in me, why don't you come to my palace and visit me yourselves? You two are curious about me, but you are suppressing your curiosity and not coming to see me. Is it because you look down on my status, or do you think I am not good enough for you?"
“You…” Consort Rong’s face turned red with anger.
Gu Jiangli's two choices were both unacceptable, clearly an attempt to embarrass them.
Consort Rou's smile froze. She took Consort Rong's hand and led her to stand directly in front of Gu Jiangli. "Sister, you're being too formal. We are both His Majesty's consorts, so how can there be a difference in our status?"
"Once you enter the palace, you should prioritize His Majesty; your status before entering the palace is no longer important."
"The women in the harem are all sisters; we should be of one mind. Why quarrel over such trivial matters?"
Consort Rou had a kind face, like a good person trying to mediate a dispute.
Gu Jiangli couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Consort Rou was able to win people's hearts in the harem, probably because of her ability to be a good person.
If it weren't for the fact that her palace maids had suffered in front of these two, Gu Jiangli would probably have believed in Consort Rou's kind face today.
But if she continues to pretend like this, the show that follows will not be so interesting.
Gu Jiangli took a half step forward, leaned close to her ear, and said with a smile:
"With His Majesty absent, who is Consort Rou trying to impress with this act? Was it you who wrote the letter to the Empress Dowager, ordering her to return to the palace? If you want to deal with me, why resort to such underhanded tactics?"
Outsiders didn't hear Gu Jiangli's whisper, but they could see the gentle smile on her face.
Everyone guessed that Gu Jiangli had said some flattering and submissive things to Consort Rou.
Unexpectedly, Consort Rou's body visibly stiffened after hearing this. She quickly recovered and laughed, "Sister, you haven't even had a drink yet, why are you already talking nonsense?"
She was eager to distance herself from Gu Jiangli, but Gu Jiangli secretly grabbed her wrist.
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you know in your heart. That day when you came to my palace, you injured all my maids. Don't you intend to make amends?"
Consort Rou laughed out loud, but this time, she was probably laughing out of anger. "What nonsense are you spouting? Sister, don't think that just because you have His Majesty's favor you can talk nonsense. The palace maids in your palace were injured because they disrespected their superiors. It is only reasonable for Consort Rong to punish them slightly. What are you angry about, sister?"
"Just because you asked my palace maids where I was, and they told you I wasn't in Yongning Palace, you beat me for disrespecting your superiors. What? Do I have to invite you into my Yongning Palace and serve you a cup of tea to be considered polite?"
"Shouldn't that be right? Sister, if you come to my palace and I'm not there, and my maids don't treat you well and you suffer, you don't need to punish them. I would be the first to send them to be flogged. Do you think I'm wrong?"
"Yes, absolutely right."
Gu Jiangli's eyes turned slightly cold.
Her hand reached out from her sleeve, placed on Consort Rou's waist, found the softest spot on her waist, and then pinched it hard with all her might.
"Ah—" Consort Rou looked pained and fell backward, clutching her waist. She didn't fall to the ground, but was caught by Consort Rong behind her.
Consort Rong was a person with a fiery temper. When she saw Consort Rou suddenly cry out in pain, she immediately assumed that Gu Jiangli had secretly done something wrong, and she could not hide her anger.
"What are you doing! How dare you lay a hand on Consort Rou in broad daylight!"
She pointed at Gu Jiangli with one hand and put her arm around Consort Rou with the other.
Consort Rou's eyes welled up with tears from the pain, and she didn't even need to pretend to be aggrieved. "Sister, there are reasons why the maids in your palace are punished. Even if you have grievances in your heart, you should at least find out the truth. How could you secretly use such a heavy hand on me?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Rong became even angrier. "You, Consort Yun, just because you have His Majesty's favor and because you are a princess of Yunjiang, you act lawlessly in the harem! Consort Rou is above you in rank, yet you dare to lay a hand on her. It's clear that you won't respect anyone else in the future!"
"No, at least His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are in my heart."
"Stop spouting nonsense! His Majesty dotes on you and is willing to disregard right and wrong for your sake. The Empress Dowager will surely stand up for us! You wait, I'm going to the Empress Dowager right now to expose your misdeeds! I won't let you off the hook then!"
She tried to pull Consort Rou away, but a stern voice immediately came from behind: "What's all the noise about!"
Everyone turned around and saw the Empress Dowager wearing a simple phoenix crown, coming to them with the help of her nanny.
The fierce aura on Consort Rong's face suddenly vanished at this moment.
Consort Rou, seemingly feeling guilty, knelt down along with the other consorts.
"This humble servant greets the Empress Dowager."
The concubines knelt in a group, but the Empress Dowager did not rush to make them get up. Instead, she went directly to Gu Jiangli's side and personally helped her up from the ground.
The Empress Dowager smiled, but her eyes were full of heartache as she said, "The ground is cold, so you don't need to kneel. From now on, you don't need to kneel when you see me."
Gu Jiangli nodded shyly.
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, the concubines kneeling on the ground all showed expressions of surprise, especially Consort Rou and Consort Rong.
The two lowered their heads and stared at each other in fear, completely bewildered as to where the Empress Dowager's favor towards Gu Jiangli came from.
If the emperor was seduced by beauty, what about the empress dowager? She had only been back in the palace for a few days; would she also be bewitched by Gu Jiangli's good looks?
The Empress Dowager actually allowed Gu Jiangli to stop bowing to her from now on?
The emperor bestowed upon her the most favored concubine in the entire harem?
What kind of spell did Gu Jiangli cast on the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?
The concubines kept pondering.
The Empress Dowager had already pulled Gu Jiangli to a seat.
After the two were seated, the Empress Dowager frowned and slowly said, "Consort Rong, who were you going to let off the hook just now?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
