"Your Majesty, Concubine Shugui is here," Tingzhu hurried into the room and saw Zhuang Yuyan reading a book, so she lowered her voice, "Concubine Shugui is sitting in the main hall right now. I heard you were still asleep, but she just doesn't want to leave."

Yun Xi frowned and looked at Zhuang Yuyan worriedly, "Your Majesty, is Concubine Shu Gui here because of family matters?" In the past, Your Majesty and Concubine Shu Gui had no contact.

Zhuang Yuyan put down the book, raised her eyebrows and said, "Why else could it be other than this? I have never seen her set foot in my Xihe Palace before. Let's go and meet her."

"Do you want me to do your makeup for you?" Yun Xi saw that Zhuang Yuyan was dressed simply with only two white jade hairpins in her hair, and couldn't help but ask, "I don't know what Concubine Shugui is going to do."

"No need," Zhuang Luoyan touched her temples, took the soup from Tingzhu and held it in her hands, "This is good."

In the main hall of Xihe Palace, Concubine Shugui sat on a carved chair, looking at the various decorations in the hall, with a haggard expression. She had no intention of drinking the tea served by the palace maid, so she could only lean back on the chair and look at the door. Having come to this point in Xihe Palace, she was helpless, but she just tried her best.

The emperor didn't want to see her, and even the empress looked like the harem couldn't interfere in government affairs. Who else in the harem could see the emperor? Only Zhuang Yuyan. She smiled bitterly, not expecting that she would end up in such a situation. The imperial concubine, who was favored by all the concubines, actually had to beg a concubine in a humble manner. Tomorrow, this joke would spread throughout the harem.

But what could she do? If something really happened to her father and brother, what would happen to her mother and brother? The uncles and aunts who used to be dependent on her father now wanted to get rid of them completely and were not willing to stand up and plead for mercy. Even Su Wenqian, that brainless woman, was unwilling to come near her.

At this moment, she thought more clearly than ever. She had known that the emperor was ruthless, but she had never expected that he would be so ruthless. She had served the emperor for so many years, and even if she had no merit, she had worked hard. But when the emperor was judging his father and brother, did he ever consider her at all?

After waiting for a long time, Zhuang Yuyan did not show up. Concubine Shu Gui looked at the palace maid serving tea and asked, "Is your queen still resting now?"

It's not even lunch time yet, and breakfast has been an hour past. I'm afraid that my sleepiness is fake, and my real wish to not see her is real.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I didn't know," the palace maid bowed and answered in a low voice.

Concubine Shugui sneered, picked up the cup of warm tea, looked at the green grape vine pattern on the cup, and suddenly thought of the child in Zhuang Weiyan's belly. If she had a child now, perhaps she would not be so vicious.

"Empress Zhao is here!"

Concubine Shugui turned her head with some surprise and saw Zhuang Yuyan walking in holding the hand of a palace maid. She was wearing a loose wide-sleeved skirt and was dressed more casually than the average talent. It was obvious that she came out without changing her clothes.

"I was so sleepy when I came in that I didn't know the royal concubine had arrived. Please forgive me, royal concubine." Zhuang Yuyan bent her knees slightly, but of course she didn't really squat down.

Concubine Shugui said, "Please don't be so polite, Concubine Zhao. I am sorry to bother you." After Zhuang Yuyan sat down, she said, "I came here today to ask for a favor. I hope Concubine Zhao can help me."

Unexpectedly, the usually tactful Concubine Shu Gui would be so straightforward. Zhuang Yuyan sat on the chair in a daze for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, you are too serious. If even you can't do it, how can I help you? Your Highness, please stop joking."

"I guess you don't want to do that either." Concubine Shu Gui's face was calm, but Zhuang Yuyan felt that she seemed to be in despair.

"Since you regained favor, I have always thought that women like you are just a temporary novelty of the emperor. However, more than two years have passed. Many people have lost favor and lost their lives, but you have risen from a little Wanyi to Zhaofei," Shugui Concubine smiled bitterly, "Even I am no longer favored by you. I come to your palace more and more frequently. I even arranged a lot of people for your unborn child. I don't know how many people have plotted against you."

When Zhuang Yuyan heard these words, she felt that Concubine Shu Gui was not coming to beg her for mercy, but to vent her emotions. However, listening to Concubine Shu Gui speaking in such a calm tone, she inexplicably felt a little shy.

"Your Highness, your words are too serious," the smile on Zhuang Yuyan's face gradually faded, "How do you know that I have never envied you? When I entered the palace, I was less than seventeen years old. The Emperor doted on me for a few days, and I thought he understood my feelings. I was so happy that I forgot myself. Later I found out that the Emperor was just envying me."

"At that time, I always saw the emperor doting on you and loving you, and I thought in my heart, if I were half as good as you, I would be satisfied," Zhuang Luoyan showed a bitter smile, "Later, I learned to conceal my feelings, and the emperor gradually treated me better, but I was always afraid at night. What should I do when the emperor stops doting on me?"

Concubine Shugui was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed softly, even crying out her tears: "So that's how it is, so that's how it is, no wonder you, the only legitimate daughter of the Zhuang family, entered the palace for this reason." She looked at Zhuang Yuyan with a look of regret and sympathy, "I hope you won't regret entering this place one day."

Concubine Shu Gui looked at the woman in front of her in disbelief. How could there be a woman stupid enough to enter the palace for the emperor? If she married an ordinary person, she could become a legitimate wife and the mistress of the backyard. Why would she come to such a place for a man she didn't know?

At that time, the Su family was in decline. She was sent to the palace after learning to dance since she was young. She used all means to gain the emperor's favor, and then unconsciously regarded that man as her salvation. When did she give up? Was it after Zhuang Yuyan became more and more favored, or after Zhuang Yuyan became pregnant, or has she not given up yet?

Who of the two of them is more pitiful? Maybe she, who has already lost, is already a pitiful person, but no one knows whether Zhuang Yuyan will be herself tomorrow, and she is no longer interested.

At the main hall gate, Feng Jin stood with his hands behind his back, and behind him knelt several eunuchs and palace maids. They were trembling with fear at this moment. They did not want to listen to the concubines' private words, but no one dared to make the slightest movement at this moment. They only hoped that the emperor would not take their heads when he remembered it later.

"If I didn't ask for so much, I would be more easily satisfied and would not regret it," Zhuang Yuyan was silent for a moment, "I entered the palace to be closer to the emperor. Now... it is a blessing from heaven to me."

This was the first time that Zhuang Yuyan called herself "I" in front of Concubine Shu Gui, but Concubine Shu Gui didn't care. She looked at the hidden friendship in her eyes and smiled bitterly. Even though she was just a concubine, she was still a person and wanted more. She wanted the emperor to treat her well and to be sincere to her. Could it be that this was just wishful thinking? How unfair was God to women? !

"Forget it, just pretend that I have never been to the palace today," Concubine Shugui stood up. She knew that this woman would not beg the emperor, and she could not really beg.

Zhuang Yuyan watched Shu Guifei stand up, and then she slowly stood up as well. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Hello, Madam Guifei."

Concubine Shugui looked back at her, raised her chin, and seemed to have returned to her usual proud yet reserved self, then turned and walked out.

Zhuang Yuyan silently watched her back disappear at the door and sighed. Perhaps when Minister Su impeached her brother, the emperor was already unhappy. The people of the Su family relied on Concubine Shu Gui to do too many evil things. The emperor might know these things in his heart, but he has been forbearing. This time, he had an outburst at the end of the year, and he didn't even show any mercy. He even ignored Concubine Shu Gui's several requests for an audience. Could it be that the emperor no longer wants to support the high-ranking Concubine Shu Gui?

Zhuang Luoyan's expression suddenly changed. She turned to look at Yun Xi and whispered in Yun Xi's ear, "Find a way to let someone inquire about the Zhao family." She suspected that the emperor wanted to take action against the Zhao family.

After leaving the hall, she found that the palace maid at the door looked a little strange. She knew what was going on, so she held Yunxi's hand and smiled.

It seems that the Emperor has just been here. Recently he has been accustomed to not letting anyone pass on his information. I wonder how much of what was said just now he listened to.

In Yu's study, Feng Jin picked up a memorial, looked at it for a few seconds and put it down: "Gao Dezhong, I remember that Concubine Zhao's mother was born into a famous family?"

Gao Dezhong was stunned for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, this servant really doesn't know."

Feng Jin nodded, hesitated for a moment and said: "In a few days, summon Madam Zhuang to the palace to meet Concubine Zhao. After Concubine Zhao gives birth to the prince, confer the title of First-Rank Lady on Madam Zhuang."

Gao Dezhong silently took note of what he heard, knowing that the emperor was promoting Concubine Zhao. Otherwise, given Lord Zhuang's rank, how could Madam Zhuang be granted a first-class imperial edict?

"Distribute these memorials," he pushed a few red memorials aside, "and if someone takes this opportunity to ask you about something in the future, just say that I am in a bad mood because some officials in the court are bullying the people."

The Su family has been liquidated, and the emperor also mentioned certain officials... Gao Dezhong's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head and said, "I've made a note of it." Has the emperor finally decided to liquidate them all?

Gao Dezhong first thought of the Empress' Zhao family and the Empress Dowager's Ye family. The Ye family had been suppressed in the past two years and was no longer a big deal. The only possible one was the Zhao family.

It seems that from now on, the harem will be ruled by Concubine Zhao.