Hao Shumei recently moved to a new palace. It wasn't because she was out of favor and moved to a side hall, but because she was too favored. Emperor Mingde gave her whatever she wanted.
Now that the Empress is in charge of the palace, Hao Shumei still has the ability to share the limelight. Although fewer people are trying to curry favor with her now, her palace gates are still constantly crowded with visitors.
There were many beauties in the palace, but only Hao Shumei received the emperor's favor. She had been in the palace for many years and had no children, but she had always been a favored concubine.
Consort Ning, riding with Huanzi, dismounted from the palanquin and looked up at the three characters 'Chonghua Palace'. The paint on the characters was fresh and still exuded a unique fragrance. Consort Ning only glanced at it before knowing that it was written by Emperor Mingde.
She sighed, "The Emperor's calligraphy is not as good as it was in his youth." Her voice was so soft that even Huanzi couldn't hear it.
A gatekeeper eunuch saw Consort Ning, bowed respectfully from afar, and ran off to report.
Before long, Hao Shumei came out to greet her personally, "Sister is here." She addressed her sister without any hesitation, and it was a mystery how she did it.
Consort Ning knew that Hao Shumei was in love with her son, but she didn't know the extent of it. Now that she needed to rely on Hao Shumei for everything, she pretended not to know.
She suppressed the surging jealousy and displeasure in her heart and put on a smile, "Why did my sister move to such a far away place?"
"I just want some peace and quiet." Hao Shumei spoke to Consort Ning with more sincerity and closeness, leading Consort Ning inside.
The newly renovated palace has everything it should have, and is even more luxurious than before, unmatched anywhere else.
"This is iced tea, sister, have a cup to cool off." She greeted Consort Ning warmly, but Consort Ning stared blankly at the gold-threaded brocade curtain. Such a curtain must cost ten thousand gold pieces, not to mention that it was hung all over the courtyard. It was extremely beautiful when the wind blew, and it felt cool to the touch.
It was truly the epitome of extravagance.
"Sister." Consort Ning called out again, her expression turning somewhat unpleasant. Although Consort Ning was Zhao Bi's mother, she had no right to put on airs in front of her.
Without Hao Shumei, what is Consort Ning?
Consort Ning realized she had lost her composure and quickly apologized, "Look at me, I was so captivated by the scenery here, sister. I'm so sorry."
Hao Shumei gave a faint smile, leaned back on the soft pillow, and admired her delicate hands. "Sister, you wouldn't come here without a reason. So, what is it?" She had originally planned to ask about Zhao Bi, but now she decided against it. After all, Consort Ning had come to her because of Zhao Bi.
Having lived in the palace with Hao Shumei for so many years, Consort Ning knew her temperament well, so she immediately smiled and said, "Sister just came out of Cining Palace."
Speaking of the Empress Dowager, Hao Shumei glanced at her but didn't reply. However, she hated the Empress Dowager so much that she gritted her teeth. It was only because of her son, Prince Yong, and the protection of Emperor Mingde that the Empress Dowager had tolerated her until now. Otherwise, the Empress Dowager would probably have fed her to wild dogs long ago.
"His Majesty has ordered all the princes to stay home and study. With war looming, this is the perfect time to make a name for ourselves. Bi'er is in a difficult situation right now." She refused to ask Hao Shumei directly, even at the cost of her life.
However, Hao Shumei was quite proactive in Zhao Bi's matter. She sat up straight and asked, "The Empress Dowager didn't agree?"
"Yes." Consort Ning felt somewhat embarrassed. She had worked hard all her life, but in the end, she still couldn't win her mother-in-law's favor.
If Hao Shumei knew that this was what she was thinking, she would definitely sneer. A concubine like her actually wants to win her mother-in-law's favor? In other people's eyes, she's just the mother-in-law of the empress. Who does she think she is?
Of course, she didn't care at all. Whether she was a concubine or not, she just wanted to live as she pleased. Look at her, wasn't she a concubine too? What was the Empress compared to her? She was still very polite to her.
"Sister, just tell me what you want me to do," Hao Shumei said with a cold snort. "That old hag, the Empress Dowager."
Hao Shumei is probably the only one who would dare to scold the Empress Dowager like that and oppose her. Consort Ning would never do such a thing.
Consort Ning felt she couldn't stay in this place for even a moment longer, as she was inferior to others in every way. She handed over a letter written by Zhao Bi, saying, "Please take good care of me, sister."
Hao Shumei accepted the letter and nodded. Consort Ning hurriedly returned home. After leaving Chonghua Palace, she was panting heavily, and Huanzi comforted her, trying to help her catch her breath.
"Your Highness, that's just the Consort's temper. Please bear with her. Once our Prince becomes successful, he'll be able to do whatever he wants with her, won't he?" Huanzi comforted her softly.
Consort Ning gave a self-deprecating laugh, "You don't understand. Even if I become Empress Dowager in the future and make her kneel at my feet, I won't be happy."
"Consort Hao is too arrogant. Arrogant people usually don't have a good ending." Huanzi didn't know how to comfort her, so she could only say this.
Consort Ning shook her head, "The Emperor likes her arrogant attitude. Even if she doesn't have a good ending in the future, she will never submit in this life."
"I wonder what His Majesty likes about her." There are plenty of beautiful women in the palace, but Consort Hao has become more plump in recent years and is not as radiant as she was a few years ago.
Consort Ning walked slowly. “The Emperor has a grudge against the Empress Dowager, but no one in the palace dares to do anything to her. Yet she dares to oppose the Empress Dowager and has no children, so the Emperor naturally favors her.”
"In that case, Your Majesty need not worry. Consort Hao has never won the Emperor's heart." Huanzi has served Consort Ning her whole life; how could she not know what Consort Ning desires?
She only wanted to win Emperor Mingde's heart. She came from a noble family, was well-educated and literate, and had a dignified and beautiful appearance, but Emperor Mingde seemed to be blind to her and only visited her a handful of times.
The women in the harem all vied for the same man, but this man was incredibly stingy with his heart, never willing to give it away easily.
"Over the years, have you ever seen the Emperor favor anyone? Even if she didn't win his heart, so what if she was the Emperor's favorite concubine for so many years? She did what no other woman in the harem could do."
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