The flowers in this palace never fade; if Su Yun is unwilling to serve the emperor, there are plenty of others who are.
Although he was talented and handsome enough to please Emperor Liang Yuan, with so many women in the harem, Su Yun was just one of them. He did not leave a deep impression on Emperor Liang Yuan, nor was he a perfect substitute for his deceased wife.
The problem was that Su Yun overestimated himself and his standing in Emperor Liang Yuan's eyes. He thought that if he was just being petty, the emperor would patiently coax him, but he didn't expect the emperor to have no patience at all and just walk away. But what's done is done, and he could only grit his teeth and move on.
Half a year has passed, and the harem remains a riot of color, with flowers in full bloom. Surrounded by numerous beauties, Emperor Liang Yuan has completely forgotten about Su Yun, whom he once favored.
Changxi Palace was like a cold palace, as desolate and frigid as an ice cellar in winter, chilling even one's heart. Because of Su Yun's loss of her son, Emperor Liang Yuan never set foot in Changxi Palace again.
Bilan had finally gained some favor, but because of Su Yun's fall from grace, she suffered the consequences as well. Emperor Liang Yuan no longer entered Changxi Palace, and consequently, Bilan could no longer see the emperor.
After realizing something was wrong, Bilan immediately went to Wuyou to ask to move away from Changxi Palace, even if it was to a more remote palace. She couldn't gain any benefits from staying by Su Yun's side, and would only be implicated by him. Only a fool would stay.
The most important role of the women in the harem is to serve the emperor. Without this role, they become useless. Wuyou only gave a slight hint, and Consort Zhao and the others couldn't wait to order their servants to cut back on the expenses of Changxi Palace.
In the dead of winter, without even a charcoal stove, the master and servant could only huddle under the covers, shivering, listening to the lively scenes outside, and enjoying their unique winter meal.
Especially after Bai Yiran was released from confinement, she devoted herself to avenging Su Yun, cutting the expenses of Changxi Palace to the bare minimum, almost to the point of starvation and cold. Bai Yiran had no authority to manage palace affairs, but his status was undeniable, and with Wuyou's secret encouragement, everything proceeded very smoothly.
Wuyou deliberately searched outside the palace for a woman who bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Bai Yiran, gave her the identity of a palace maid, arranged an encounter, and thus the palace gained a new concubine named Mei.
Su Yun was forgotten, but Bai still remembered her and would often add a little something extra to her life.
Su Yun's body grew increasingly thin, until she was skin and bones, her face sallow and emaciated, not much different from the other disaster victims outside. Whenever Bai Yiran saw her withered face, she felt a surge of pleasure. So what if you, you vile woman, framed me? In the end, you still ended up like this, willingly degrading yourself.
Su Yun was almost trampled to the lowest point in his life; everyone thought he would never be able to rise again. The so-called Consort Su was just a title, something even the lowest servants could trample on at will.
Perhaps on some unknown night, Consort Su will completely disappear from the palace and turn into a handful of dust.
However, Su Yun was an indomitable cockroach, and he bravely climbed back up despite the difficult and dangerous situation.
On an ordinary snowy night, the heavy snowfall enveloped the palace in a pristine white, bending the branches low with its weight, withering the flowers, and the biting wind howled.
The concubines in the harem received a shocking message: the Emperor had spent the night at Changxi Palace and had even skipped the morning court session.
"This Su Yun, what a skillful man! He's been silent for over a year, almost two years, yet he still managed to steal the Emperor's heart." Consort Duan raised her eyebrows in surprise. Everyone thought Su Yun had no chance of making a comeback, but he turned the tables so well. It seems the Emperor is quite infatuated with him.
"Su Yun's methods are indeed impressive. Judging from this, he has even captured the Emperor's heart. In all these years, the Emperor has never missed the morning court session." Chu Wan, now a proper concubine of the palace, spoke with much more sophistication.
"Su Yun is indeed impressive. He turned the tables beautifully and will probably repeat his former glory. Let's wait and see!" Consort Liu has become less sharp-edged and more mature than before. She is wholeheartedly devoted to taking care of her daughter and living a leisurely life.
“Su Yun has suffered more than a year of torment and hardship, and her temperament has changed a lot compared to before. The Empress must be the person she hates the most. There will be a good show to watch then. This time, he has come with ill intentions, so everyone should be careful.” Wuyou picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and carefully observed the patterns on the teacup.
"Yes." They exchanged glances, and the group became alert and vigilant.
As Wuyou had predicted, Su Yun's arrival was not well-intentioned. In the past, she possessed the pride and reserve of a noble lady, occasionally throwing a tantrum to give Emperor Liang Yuan some small surprises.
Now, she's like a fox spirit in human form, every move she makes exudes charm and allure, making people's hearts itch with desire. She's become even more uninhibited, speaking and acting seductively, speaking without restraint in public, wantonly offending people, and relying on the emperor's favor to act recklessly. She seized palace power from Wuyou and wantonly beat and killed lower-ranking concubines.
The Empress Dowager was extremely dissatisfied with this and could not stand by and watch this wretched outsider wreak havoc in the harem. She had the biggest argument ever with Emperor Liang Yuan, and in the end, even the Empress Dowager was confined to Cining Palace and forbidden to go out.
The palace was thrown into chaos, with even the Empress Dowager unable to control the Emperor. This only emboldened Su Yun to become even more domineering and rude. It was unclear what kind of spell Su Yun had cast on Emperor Liang Yuan, but the emperor was completely obedient to him, even extending his influence to the court, behaving like a tyrant.
The court and the harem were filled with complaints, but Su Yun paid no heed. He promoted his family members, eliminated his rivals, seized all power, and maximized his own interests.
Having spent over a year in the desolate Changxi Palace, she endured endless humiliation and torment. The hatred in her heart was comparable to the most potent poison, thick and viscous, driving her to the brink of madness.
The moment it was liberated from Changxi Palace, it resolved to take revenge on everything, seize power, and eliminate all those who opposed it.
Such blatant and overbearing behavior made everyone feel insecure, with Bai Yiran feeling the most threatened. After all, over the past year, he had frequently visited Su Yun, verbally provoking her and subjecting her to countless forms of torture.
If Su Yun had a hatred list, Bai Yiran would definitely be in the top three.
Bai Yiran had long recognized her true identity. She had no status with Emperor Liang Yuan and could only rely on the empty title of Empress and the protection of the Empress Dowager. Now that even the Empress Dowager had been wronged, how could she, as the Empress, possibly get away with it?
Sometimes the most terrifying thing is scaring yourself. Bai Yiran became more and more frightened as she thought about it, and ended up falling ill from the fright. She hid in Fengyi Palace all day long, afraid that Su Yun would find an excuse to persecute her. But she never expected that disaster would strike from the sky and she could not escape it in the end.
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