Zhuang Wanqing's demotion was not a big deal in the eyes of the concubines. She was not favored, was born a concubine, and had an old grudge with the favored concubine. Let alone being demoted, even if she lost her life, it would not be surprising.

She took off the pomegranate flowers in her hair, and casually plucked off her golden swing and earrings. Zhuang Luoyan let her long black hair fall down. Looking at her blurry face in the bronze mirror, she stood up and, with the help of Tingzhu and Yunxi, she changed into a loose skirt that was 90% new.

In this harem, if you don't want others to use your weaknesses to criticize you, you should expose your weaknesses in front of the emperor as early as possible. She had long been on guard against someone using the so-called sisterhood to plot against her, so she had already concealed the fact that the sisterhood was not good in front of the emperor, cutting off this path.

Isn't it normal for a legitimate daughter to have a bad relationship with a concubine's daughter? Moreover, the emperor was a legitimate daughter, and suffered a lot from the evil prince when he was young. Maybe he could empathize with her poor relationship between legitimate and concubine's daughters.

"Your Majesty, do you want to rest now?" Ting Zhu glanced at the sky. It was still early and not the time to sleep. But seeing her master in such a state, she couldn't say anything else.

"I'm so tired, there's no need to bring dinner," Zhuang Yuyan said as she walked towards the bed, yawning with her hands covering her mouth. "If anyone comes, just tell them I'm resting and won't see anyone."

"Yes," Tingzhu went forward to make the bed for Zhuang Yuyan, closed the gauze curtains, and stepped back a few steps to stand still.

Yun Xi looked at him and stood on the other side.

When Feng Jian arrived at Xihe Palace, he found it very quiet. The eunuch guarding the gate saw him and was about to report it, but was stopped by Feng Jian, "Is your queen resting? No need to report it, I'll go see her and leave."

The eunuch guarding the gate did not dare to say anything more. He bowed and stepped aside. Seeing the emperor walk in, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. He hoped that his master did not say anything he shouldn't say or do anything he shouldn't do.

The further in, the quieter it got. Feng Jin walked outside the main hall and saw the palace maids and eunuchs guarding the door, so she was sure that Zhuang Yuyan had gone to bed. Thinking about what happened today, Feng Jin frowned.

He understood Zhuang Yuyan's intentions, and also understood why the Zhuang sisters had conflicts. Although he could not remember what Zhuang Yuyan was like when she entered the palace, he had fallen in love with her now, and would not allow Zhuang Wanqing, a concubine's daughter, to bully her.

He had seen a lot of the shady tactics used in the harem. Zhuang Wanqing fell down for no apparent reason. Wasn't that a trick to frame her? The queen was still smart and didn't take the opportunity to make any wrong decisions.

Without asking the palace maids standing outside the door to pay their respects, Feng Jin went straight into the palace quietly, passed through Duobao Pavilion and reached the inner chamber. Feng Jin waved to the two palace maids who silently paid their respects to him, walked quietly to the bedside, lifted the gauze curtain, and saw the fair face under the brocade quilt with lotus flowers reflecting the sun.

Tingzhu and Yunxi exchanged glances. Yunxi quickly took the carved wooden stool and placed it beside the bed, then bowed and stepped back. The teacup presented by Tingzhu was put aside by Feng Jin.

However, in the past two months, the woman in bed had lost a lot of weight, and even though she smiled naturally in front of him, she couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes. As an emperor, he didn't have to care too much about the joys and sorrows of his concubines. To the royal family, concubines were just the emperor's toys and reproductive tools, so he felt sorry for the woman's forced smile, but he didn't know how to compensate her.

Perhaps as a man, he always feels guilty when facing a woman who treats him wholeheartedly, so he cares more about Zhuang Yuyan.

People are completely defenseless when they are asleep. Zhuang Yuyan's brows were slightly wrinkled, which showed that she was not as relaxed as usual.

With a soft sigh, Feng Jin reached out his hand and gently touched the brow. The soft touch made his fingertips tremble slightly. He slowly withdrew his hand. Looking at this face, his heart softened. She was still an eighteen-year-old girl.

After sitting quietly for a while, Feng Jin walked out again silently. After leaving the main hall, Feng Jin glanced at the door behind him and said, "Go to Anqing Palace."

Gao Dezhong, who was following the emperor, immediately realized that the emperor was going to stay at Concubine Shugui's place today.

After Feng Jin left, Zhuang Luoyan, who was lying on the bed, slowly opened her eyes. Before she lay down, she was guessing whether the emperor would come, and it seemed that she won the bet.

Sometimes being weak does not necessarily elicit sympathy. On the contrary, being weak while pretending to be strong makes people feel even more rare and distressed.

Yun Xi saw Zhuang Yuyan wake up and stepped forward and said, "Master, are you awake?"

Zhuang Yuyan sat up, rubbed her forehead and asked, "How long have I slept?"

"My Lord, you didn't sleep for long. The Emperor came just now, but he saw you sleeping, so he didn't have the heart to wake you up." Yun Xi put a cushion behind Zhuang Yuyan, "I asked the kitchen to make you a pot of black chicken and bird's nest porridge. Would you like some?"

"Has the Emperor been here?" Zhuang Yuyan's eyes lit up slightly, and then her tone became calm again, "Didn't the Emperor turn over the sign of Anqing Palace today?"

Yun Xi opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. Today was the Flower Festival, and the Emperor didn't care about the Empress's face, but went to Concubine Shu Gui, which showed how much Concubine Shu Gui was favored. Why should the master compare with Concubine Shu Gui, and why should he give his heart to her?

Zhuang Yuyan sighed, "You all should leave. I am not hungry and do not want to use you."

Seeing her like this, Yun Xi wanted to persuade her again, but Ting Zhu gave her a look and the two of them retreated in silence.

"Tingzhu, why don't you let me persuade the master?" Yunxi glanced at the inner room with some worry, "The master is in a bad mood right now."

"Will your persuasion be of any use?" Ting Zhu sighed. "There are some things that are useless even if we, as servants, persuade you. We can only wait for you to figure it out yourself. There is no room for... no room for deep affection in this harem."

In Anqing Palace, Feng Jian and Concubine Shu Gui were lying on the bed. Concubine Shu Gui was staring at the man lying beside her with a smile on her face.

"What are you looking at me for, Rui Zi?" Feng Jin slept on his side, staring at Concubine Shu Gui.

"Your Majesty is so handsome," Concubine Shugui smiled sweetly, "I can never get enough of looking at you."

"I think my beloved concubine is very pretty," Feng Jin retracted his gaze and lay flat on the bed, "Do you blame me for not giving you a flower to wear today?"

"Sister Zhao is new to the palace and younger than me, so it's only right for the emperor to take care of her. As long as the emperor has me in his heart, I'll be satisfied," Concubine Shu Gui carefully leaned towards the emperor. "Today, someone destroyed the official attire that Sister Zhao wore when she was crowned. That's not good."

"What's wrong with that? Didn't I ask the Clothing Bureau to give her a few sets of clothes?" Feng Jin stretched out his hand and pinched the back of her hand. "It's getting late. Why bother talking about other concubines? Let's go to bed early."

"Yes," Concubine Shu Gui smiled even sweeter. After hearing what the emperor said, Zhuang Yuyan was just a higher-level thing than Concubine Yan Gui.

However, the emperor still has some interest in her now, so she should just watch. As for other people wanting to take action against Zhuang Weiyan, it is none of her business.

In Shubenzhai, Zhuang Wanqing, wearing a half-worn silk dress, stood blankly under a banyan tree, staring in the direction of Qianzheng Palace. The Shubenzhai behind her was shabby and gloomy.

This place is truly a cold palace. No one comes here and no one cares about it. It is so far away from the Emperor's main palace that it seems as if this is not the Emperor's harem.

"Master, please have your meal," Xie Yu walked forward carefully.

"Food?" Zhuang Wanqing laughed self-deprecatingly, "I'm afraid even the cats and dogs raised by the other concubines in the palace wouldn't like to eat those things."

Xie Yu glanced at her worriedly and said, "Master, as long as you have the green mountains, you will never worry about lack of firewood. Please don't be too hard on yourself."

"Who cares about my health?" Zhuang Wanqing's expression suddenly became distorted. "If it weren't for that bitch Zhuang Yuyan, I wouldn't have fallen to this point. I have paid so much to climb from a small eighth-rank concubine to a fourth-rank concubine. Now she has made me lose everything again?!"

"If it weren't for you, how could I be abandoned by the Emperor and bullied by the people in the harem?"

The door of Duanbenzhai creaked open. Zhuang Wanqing and Xie Yu turned around and saw Zhuang Luoyan, in a pink silk skirt, standing at the door with two palace maids, looking at him expressionlessly.

"You know everything?" Zhuang Wanqing smiled sarcastically. "It's really funny. I thought I was smarter than you, but who knew you were actually a pig pretending to be a tiger. That day at the altar, you deliberately let the palace maids trip me, and you happened to be standing in a position where I could catch you. Who would believe that it was really you who pushed me down? They would only laugh at me for being stupid and overestimating my own abilities, and using this method to frame you."

Zhuang Yuyan walked into the door and tilted her head to look at Zhuang Wanqing with a pure face, "What are you saying, sister? Why can't I understand?"

"Tsk," Zhuang Wanqing sneered when he saw her like this, "Yes, you are always so innocent, ignorant and willful, which makes Dad focus on you. Now you use the same method to seduce the emperor. It's really disgusting."

"Didn't my sister also use her gentle and charming appearance to attract the emperor's attention?" Zhuang Luyan smiled faintly and glanced at the shabby Duanbenzhai. "It's quiet here, which suits your personality very well. Correcting your original intention is the best policy. When you calculated that I would lose favor, you should have thought that if I regained favor one day, I would definitely repay your calculations that day."

"You say this today, but how can you know that I won't be able to make a comeback?" Zhuang Wanqing looked at her hatefully.

"Of course not," Zhuang Luyan said with a smile, "Have you forgotten what the emperor went through when he was young? The emperor is the legitimate son, and you are the illegitimate daughter."

After saying this, he stopped looking at Zhuang Wanqing and walked out, saying, "Tingzhu, go to the Palace Department and tell them that my sister always likes old times. Tell them not to come to Duanbenzhai to bother my sister unless they have something to do."

"Yes, your majesty." Ting Zhu bowed and smiled as harmlessly as Zhuang Yuyan.

After leaving Duanbenzhai, Zhuang Luoyan looked up at the blue sky. It was a tit-for-tat. Zhuang Wanqing had caused the original owner of this body to lose favor and die. Today, she made him lose everything. This could be considered as a way of repaying the original owner for occupying his body.

"Zhuang Yuyan, you will not die well!"

A mournful curse was heard from behind. Zhuang Luyan turned around to look at the dilapidated palace gate. Seeing the worried looks of Tingzhu and Yunxi, she suddenly revealed a subtle smile.

Zhuang Yuyan died because of the high fever caused by the troubles caused by the useless people in the harem. If she were not Zhuang Yuyan, why would she be afraid of a bad death?

"Master, do you want Mr. Zhuang to talk less?" Ting Zhu asked.

"Forget it, she is my sister after all," Zhuang Yuyan sighed, "Let's go back to the palace and leave it at that."

In March, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, in the Jingyang Palace, the queen twirled a sunspot and looked at the emperor sitting opposite her with a smile, "The emperor's chess skills are getting better and better, and I am almost unable to resist."

"Why does Caifu have to be so self-deprecating?" Feng Jin blocked the black piece's path with the white piece. "I remember when I was young, Caifu was already a very good chess player. I am far inferior to her."

"The emperor has made progress in these years, but I have remained stagnant, so I can no longer defeat the emperor," the queen said, her smile fading a little.

"People always have to make progress," Feng Jin glanced at the chessboard. The black piece had no chance of winning. He looked away with some boredom. "If I don't make progress, won't I still be the same child as before?"

The queen smiled, but she felt bitter in her heart. When she was the Crown Princess, she was the only woman by the emperor's side. Later, there were more and more women in the palace, and the emperor came to her less and less. Later, her little princess died, and then she became pregnant and had a miscarriage. Unknowingly, the emperor had a group of beautiful concubines by his side.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the palace department has reported that Mr. Zhuang, the nobleman of Duanbenzhai, has passed away." He Yu walked in and reported in a low voice.

"Mr. Zhuang?" Feng Jian couldn't remember who it was for a moment.

"Your Majesty, Noblewoman Zhuang is So Hyun-yong's sister," the Queen said, "You demoted her to Duanbenjae during the Flower Festival because she offended So Hyun-yong."

Feng Jian nodded, "In that case, let's bury him according to the custom."