Early in the morning, in Fengzao Palace.
The queen was sitting in front of an exquisitely carved rosewood dressing table with hollow dragon and phoenix patterns.
Her personal maid Yuping was dressing her.
"Your Majesty looks wonderful today. Your skin is as white as snow and rosy. In my opinion, Your Majesty doesn't even need to put on any powder or rouge today."
Yuping is the most trusted by the Queen and knows her thoughts very well.
She knew that the Queen was happy and had slept well in the past two days, so she sweetly praised the Queen's good complexion.
Her words were very helpful to the queen, and she looked at herself in the mirror.
In the intricate and gorgeous bronze mirror with phoenix pattern, a dignified and beautiful face is full of energy.
Her eyebrows are green without any makeup, and her lips are red without any lipstick. It is indeed a rare good complexion.
Just looking at her current appearance, who would have thought,
Two days ago, she still had dark circles under her eyes, and her face was full of fatigue and resentment that was inconsistent with her age?
Yuping leaned close to the Queen's ear, suppressed the joy in her heart, and whispered:
"The day before yesterday, the imperial concubine was reprimanded by the emperor, who even said he wanted to cut off her tongue."
The queen raised the corners of her mouth, her eyes full of smiles did not leave the mirror, and she snorted disdainfully.
"My Queen Mother is right. The Imperial Concubine is indeed shallow and arrogant. How dare she interfere with the Emperor's decision? She is so audacious and ignorant!"
In the entire palace, only the empress dowager dared to give the emperor some advice. Who else would dare?
This imperial concubine has really lost her own weight after being favored for just a few days!
Yuping knew that the Queen had long been dissatisfied with the Imperial Concubine.
His hands were busy, and he said:
"This servant is watching. This imperial concubine is really too bold!"
"I heard that her food, clothing, and other expenses are all in accordance with your standards, the Empress. The patterns on her clothes and jewelry are not peony or phoenix."
"Who doesn't know what she's thinking? And yet the emperor indulges him."
The queen sneered, but was not angry. She just lowered her eyes to look at her nails.
Yuping continued:
"The day before yesterday, the emperor was in her palace and made the young maid she wanted to kill a talented person. Isn't this a slap in her face?"
"I heard that the Imperial Concubine's face was as grim as a dead person. She was so angry that she slapped Bai Lan so hard that blood came out. She didn't dare to come to the Empress Dowager, so she went to the Empress Dowager."
The smile on Yuping's lips became even more intense.
While putting jewelry on the queen, he lightly told her what to do next.
The Queen Mother hated coquettish women the most, and she didn't like the Imperial Concubine in the first place.
That day, the imperial concubine went to ask the empress dowager for help, but the empress dowager refused to see her and made her stand outside the Cining Palace until late at night before letting her go back.
The imperial concubine suffered two setbacks in a row. She was furious when she returned home and smashed many of the things given by the emperor.
She had pretended to be sick yesterday, saying she had caught a cold, and asked Bai Lan to go and invite the emperor. Bai Lan ran no less than ten times, but didn't even see the emperor.
"From the look of her, I see she has completely fallen from grace!"
When Yuping finished speaking, her tone relaxed, as if the resentment suppressed in her heart was completely expressed.
The Queen's eyes moved slightly, as if she was thinking about something, and she asked softly, "Did she hit Bai Lan?"
"Yes."
"Poor girl, she's quite clever and well-behaved. I'm sure she's suffered a lot following me. Go see her when you have time."
The queen looked at herself in the mirror, her head swaying slightly from side to side, but the tassels of her hairpins did not move at all.
"By the way, the emperor and that..." She paused.
Yuping hurriedly reminded, "It's Concubine Su."
The Queen narrowed her eyes slightly, "Yes, it's Concubine Su. The Emperor and Concubine Su have been staying in the Ganxiao Palace for two days and two nights, right?"
"Yes, today is the third day." Yuping answered politely.
The queen took the new tea brought by the maid, took a sip, and sneered, "Another coquettish slut."
Yuping came closer and whispered:
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has never brought any other concubines to live in the Ganxiao Palace. Will this Concubine Su become the next one?"
The queen's eyes were calm. She put down the teacup and snorted softly.
"Let's wait until she goes to bed first, but——"
A smile curved her lips,
"She's just a little palace maid, her background is even lower than that of a royal concubine. I guess in a few days she will be disliked and forgotten by the emperor."
Everyone in the former and harem thought that the emperor liked beautiful and charming women the most.
Only she saw it most clearly. The emperor was using them as tools!
"Okay, the concubines are all here, it's time for me to go out and meet the sisters. I guess they have a lot to say to me."
The queen put on gilded phoenix-patterned armor, and with her soft white hands, she gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a silk handkerchief embroidered with phoenix and peony patterns.
Then he put his hand on Yuping's arm and walked towards the front hall with great grace.
————
In the inner hall of Ganxiao Palace, there was silence.
The only sound that can be heard in the spacious inner hall is the gurgling sound of the hot spring water.
Su Wanti has been locked up here for two days and two nights, and Leng Hong doesn't care about her.
She learned through the system that the harem had been going crazy these past two days.
It is said that the emperor got an extremely beautiful woman, and the two of them were intimate in the palace day and night.
It is said that the beauty was so charming that the emperor did not leave the palace for two days and two nights, and did not even attend court.
Su Wanti felt bitter and felt wronged!
For the past two days, she couldn't even enter Leng Hong's bedroom. During these two nights, she slept on the soft couch outside the bedroom.
Leng Hong didn't let her enter the bedroom, and only let her move around in the space outside the bedroom, and be quiet and not make any noise.
During these two days, he did not leave the inner hall, nor did he allow the palace servants to enter the inner hall to serve him. He only asked the palace servants to place three meals a day in front of the inner hall door and then let Su Wanti bring them in.
Su Wanti observed and found that Leng Hong's life was extremely regular.
He got up at the hour of Mao, washed himself, and went to the back garden to watch the wild animals. After returning and having breakfast, he went to review memorials until noon.
After a short rest and lunch, he would review memorials for another hour, then take a nap for half an hour, get up and go to the back garden, and after coming back, he would review memorials or read books until dinner time.
After dinner, he would continue reading or go to the back garden until midnight when he returned to his bedroom to rest.
He looks like a diligent and self-disciplined monarch.
This is different from the image of the emperor who is rumored to be bloodthirsty, murderous and violent.
However, after Su Wanti learned about his experience through the system, she understood why the world called him a cold-blooded, ruthless and cruel tyrant.
Leng Hong was the only son of the late emperor. He had ten uncles, all of whom were killed by his order after he ascended the throne, and all of them were tortured.
He killed them all, completely eradicating the entire clan, and even spared no one from the families of his uncles.
The regent who helped him ascend to the throne was also killed by him, and his body was never found.
Not to mention his political enemies, the stirring forces of foreign races and the corrupt officials he found out.
These people would only die more miserably if they fell into his hands—
Su Wanti knew what he was doing, so she served him carefully for the past two days, listened to his words, and quietly acted like an invisible person in this inner hall.
Until the evening of this day——
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