This is too much!" Hu Liangyi complained in a low voice through gritted teeth, her eyes red with anger, the bloodshot eyes made her look haggard.

"My lady, please don't be angry," the maid Yuzhu poured her a cup of hot tea. "The Second Prince is now in the care of the virtuous concubine. You can't be angry anymore. You're wasting your energy."

Hu Liangyi covered his mouth with his handkerchief to suppress the cough and drank two sips of tea. Finally, he stopped coughing so much. "Although the Second Prince is a bit straightforward, he would not do such an impulsive and thoughtless thing. If there were no ulterior motives behind him, how could he have caused these incidents?"

"Could it be Consort Xian Gui..." Yuzhu said hesitantly, "She doesn't seem to like the Second Prince very much."

"Although she is not the smartest person in the palace, she is always smart and would not use such stupid means. After all, the Second Prince is still under her care, so it is not good for her if something like this happens." Hu Liangyi sneered, "Who is the biggest beneficiary at this time?"

"It's... So Hyun-yong." Yuzhu exclaimed, and quickly covered her mouth, "Why would So Hyun-yong do this?"

"There is no shortage of vengeful women in the harem," Hu Liangyi said with a sly smile, "I schemed against her when I was a concubine, and now that I'm down and out, it's only natural that she schemes against me. She's been patient and has never openly caused trouble for me. She's even been so careful in her schemes against me. I'm afraid that in the emperor's mind, she's the one who's been hurt."

As the master and servant were talking, they heard a knock on the door. Yuzhu hurried to open the door, only to see a blue-robed eunuch standing at the door with a food box and an impatient look on his face. When he saw her open the door, he said, "This is Master Hu's lunch."

Yuzhu took the lunch box, opened the lid and looked inside. She only saw two overcooked side dishes and a bowl of stale rice. She couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, why are there only these?"

"Do you think your master is still the former Concubine Ning?" the eunuch glanced at her with disdain. "She is just a guilty concubine, and she thinks she is a favored concubine." After saying that, he turned around and left without even looking at Yuzhu's expression.

Yuzhu looked at the eunuch's back, feeling choked. She was also worried that Hu Liangyi had heard what the eunuch had said, so she had no choice but to carry the food box and go inside the house.

Hu Liangyi heard the noise outside clearly and couldn't help but smile bitterly. This was how it was in the harem, the victor became the king and the loser would end up being bullied even by the servants.

It's a pity that she had underestimated Zhuang Yuyan in the past. With such a tolerant character and first-class means, she would naturally have a place in this harem.

"Today's lamb tripe and bamboo shoots seem a little old," Zhuang Yuyan put down her chopsticks and said with some regret, "It's a pity to have such fresh bamboo shoots."

"This dish was sent by the Imperial Food Bureau," Tingzhu scooped a bowl of pigeon soup for Zhuang Luyan, "Although the taste is average, I thought that the Majesty would like these bamboo shoots, so I kept it."

Because Xihe Palace had a small kitchen, people from the Shangshi Bureau were not required to be in charge of meals. However, the Shanggong in the Shangshi Bureau was a smart person and often prepared fresh dishes as tribute, and occasionally there would be dishes that Zhuang Yuyan particularly liked.

"Go and thank the people at Shangshiju for their trouble and tell them that I like it very much." Zhuang Luyan picked up the bowl and drank the soup, looking at the bright sunshine outside. The sunshine after the rain always seemed to be especially bright.

"I have already thanked them," Tingzhu said with a smile, "It was originally a gift from the servant. Your Majesty's thanks must have made them very happy."

It's just that there's no gain without pain. If she wasn't favored, who would care about this thank you?

"In a few days, the emperor will go to the fields to demonstrate rice planting. I wonder which ladies in the palace will be able to accompany him, besides the empress." Ting Zhu suddenly remembered an important event in the next few days and couldn't help but say, "I heard that this road to the suburbs of Beijing is very prosperous."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yuyan curled the corners of her mouth. This demonstration of rice planting was just a way to rally the people. On that day, the emperor and the empress dressed like ordinary people and planted rice in person in the summer to show the royal family's attention to food and the people.

"Even if the queen can go, we can only sit in the car and see nothing." Yun Xi came in with a tray with a bowl of green stem porridge on it.

"Is it worth it for you to say so much about something that has nothing to do with your life?" Zhuang Yuyan blew on the green stem porridge that Yun Xi placed in front of her, then scooped up a silver spoon and said, "Hurry up and serve your master for dinner."

The masters of the various palaces were eagerly waiting for the list to come out. The list of names in that room had already been sent to Jingyang Palace. The queen looked at the list of names and asked, "Is that all?"

Gao Dezhong replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Emperor said that this is a major matter concerning the people's livelihood, so there is no need to go to too many masters."

"Your Majesty is wise, I understand," the Queen put down the list and said with a smile, "Thank you, eunuch."

After Gao Dezhong left, the smile on the queen's face faded. "Heyu, go to Anqing Palace, Hele Palace, Xihe Palace, and Changtian Tower to send a message to Shuguifei, Roufei, Zhaoxianrong, and Qianguiren to prepare to accompany the emperor."

When the news came out that the noble lady Qian was the escort in Changtian Tower instead of Xu Zhaorong, all the concubines were waiting to see Xu Zhaorong's joke. When Xu Zhaorong was favored, she often acted pretentiously in front of other concubines. Now that she has lost her power, many people are waiting to see her joke.

Zhuang Yuyan's interest was not in watching the excitement, but she was more curious about why the emperor would bring Concubine Qian among all the high-ranking concubines. It was not likely that the emperor loved Concubine Qian very much, after all, the emperor's interest in Concubine Qian cooled down after a period of time. Now that he suddenly brought Concubine Qian, could it be that he was suddenly interested in Concubine Qian again?

That night, the emperor turned over the ivory card of Concubine Rou of Hele Palace, which disappointed the concubines who thought that the emperor was going to Changtian Tower to find Concubine Qian. It was a pity that they didn't get to watch a good show.

When paying respects the next day, Zhuang Luoyan saw the beaming Concubine Rou and the haggard Xu Zhaorong. She was happy to watch the show, but she observed the expressions of many people. The calmest one was Concubine Shugui.

After greeting the emperor and returning to the palace, Zhuang Yuyan sighed with a smile, "I never thought that the emperor would keep Concubine Xian Gui to manage the palace affairs. I wonder if Concubine Xian Gui is happy or disappointed."

"I think Concubine Xian should be happier," Tingzhu put a few flowers in a high-necked vase. "The emperor's favor towards Concubine Xian has gradually decreased over the years. Even if Concubine Xian can accompany the emperor this time, she won't get much attention from the emperor. It's better for her to stay in the harem and grab the real power."

Zhuang Yuyan smiled upon hearing this, but did not refute Tingzhu's words. This matter was indeed more beneficial than harmful to Concubine Xian Gui.

The most patient concubine in the harem might not be Hu Caixuan, but Consort Xian Guifei. She had been by the emperor's side for a long time, but she had no children over the years, and she was not the most favored person in the harem. However, she was able to endure to the position of Consort Xian Guifei, which showed her character and patience.

In the harem, Concubine Xian and Concubine Gui always measure each other against each other. Concubine Xian's performance is always less prominent, but she gets all the benefits she deserves.

Just when everyone thought that the emperor might go back to Concubine Qian after turning over Concubine Rou's ivory card, the eunuchs reported that the emperor had turned over the ivory card of Concubine Zhao Xianrong of Xihe Palace.