The autumn rain fell all night. When Zhuang Yuyan got up, she felt that the weather had become a little cooler. She put on the cloak that Tingzhu had presented to her. She took a deep breath and asked, "When did the emperor leave?"

"Your Majesty, the Emperor left half an hour ago. Seeing that you were sleeping soundly, he did not let the servants wake you up." Tingzhu hesitated for a moment, and when he saw that Zhuang Luoyan's face was rosy and she did not look unwell, he spoke again: "Your Majesty has not asked the imperial physician to greet you recently. Why not call the imperial physician to greet you."

Zhuang Yuyan frowned slightly, then said, "Let's talk about it after I pay my respects to the Empress." She did sleep a lot in the morning and didn't even know that the Emperor had gotten up, but she still needed to be extremely careful with the imperial physician.

"Don't worry, madam. I know you don't like taking medicine, but Tingzhu means well," Yunxi came in with a bowl of hot milk soup and said with a smile, "You haven't eaten anything since you got up. Drink some hot milk soup to warm your stomach."

She took the milk soup and drank a few sips. The taste of the preserved fruits covered the fishy smell of the milk, which made her drink a few more sips.

Putting down the bowl in her hand, Zhuang Yuyan yawned, and sat in front of the mirror, letting several palace maids braid her hair. In front of her were many boxes filled with various jewelry. Her eyes swept across several boxes, and finally landed on a flowing cloud butterfly hairpin. She reached out and picked it up and handed it to the palace maid behind her, "This hairpin is perfect for today's clothes."

After tying her hair, Zhuang Yuyan stood up, looked at the magnificent Qianzheng Palace, and handed her hand to Yunxi: "Let's go and pay respects to the Empress. I'm afraid we'll be late today."

In the Queen's Jingyang Palace, the Queen sat on the Golden Phoenix Chair, with many concubines sitting or standing below her. Only the three seats on the left and right were vacant. No one dared to look at the empty seats. Perhaps because the atmosphere was too tense, the Queen's smile looked a little ugly.

Everyone knows that this position represents status. There are only four concubines above the rank of concubine in the harem, but today three of these four have not yet paid their respects to the empress.

Consort Xian Gui took one more look at the three empty seats and said, "It rained all night yesterday and the weather is getting cooler. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."

The Queen smiled upon hearing this and said, "I have always been in good health, so the sisters present here should be more careful."

"My three younger sisters, Concubine Shugui, Concubine Rou, and Concubine Zhao, are all weak people. I wonder if they caught a cold last night," Concubine Xiangui dared to say this, but no one else dared to say it.

The queen smiled and looked at Consort Xian Gui for a moment, "Consort Zhao served the emperor in the Qianzheng Palace last night, so she must have been tired."

When Concubine Xian Guifei heard this, she also smiled, but her eyes gradually shifted to other people.

Outside Jingyang Palace, Zhuang Wuyan and Concubine Rou rushed towards Jingyang Palace from the left and right, and they both stopped at the palace gate at the same time.

The two looked at each other, and Zhuang Yuyan got off the sedan chair and walked forward to Concubine Rou and bowed slightly, "Good morning, sister."

"It's getting late now," Concubine Rou returned the greeting, looked up at the sky, and said lazily, "Sister, you have always been diligent in paying respects to me in the past. Why are you so lazy today?"

"I slept too deeply at night, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, sister," Zhuang Yuyan smiled slightly and followed Concubine Rou into the palace, just half a step behind her.

"Whether I laugh at you or not is not important to you," Concubine Rou stopped and turned to look at Zhuang Weiyan, "What others think of you is the most important." After saying that, she continued to walk forward.

With a slight twitch of her eyebrows, Zhuang Luoyan paused and lagged behind Concubine Rou for several steps. Looking at Concubine Rou's back, Zhuang Luoyan smiled and said, "Sister, you think too much."

Concubine Rou looked back at her and stopped talking, but her pace slowed down. After Zhuang Yuyan caught up, the two of them entered the main hall of Jingyang Palace together.

"Empress Rou is here, Empress Zhao is here!"

The eunuch's call paused the conversation between the Empress and Consort Xiangui. They smiled and looked towards the door, and saw Consort Rou and Consort Zhao walk in together.

The queen kept smiling, but her eyes were a little cold.

"What a good day today is! It's a rare opportunity to see my two sisters coming together to pay respects to the Empress," Concubine Xiangui smiled as she looked at Zhuang Yuyan and Concubine Rou.

"It was just that I happened to run into Concubine Zhao outside," Concubine Rou smiled nonchalantly and bowed to the empress, "I'm late today. I apologize to the empress."

"I am also guilty," Zhuang Yuyan apologized.

"It's not too late now, there's no need for you two to do this," the queen smiled and asked them to sit down, "I am not a person who is fussy about details."

Zhuang Yuyan performed the greetings again before sitting down. She glanced at the women in the room and finally fixed her sight on Concubine Shugui's seat, because it was the only empty seat in the entire room.

Paying respects every day was extremely boring and painful for Zhuang Yuyan. Perhaps for the empress, the only consolation was to watch a room full of women, favored or not, come to her to pay respects. This was what they meant by finding joy in suffering.

I listened carelessly to the women flattering each other for another half an incense stick of time before I heard the eunuch outside calling out the name of Concubine Shugui.

Zhuang Yuyan's hand that was reaching for the teacup paused slightly, then she put the cup back on the small table and resumed her dignified sitting posture.

"Greetings, Her Majesty," after entering the room, Concubine Shugui bowed to the Empress, but her eyes swept towards Zhuang Yuyan. Zhuang Yuyan showed no other expression from beginning to end except a smile.

"Concubine Shu Guifei doesn't look well. Is she feeling unwell?" Concubine Xian Guifei was holding a teacup, with a hint of sarcasm on her face.

This hint of sarcasm was the greatest insult to Consort Yu Shugui. She smiled faintly and then said, "I caught a cold last night. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you sisters."

"It rained after midnight last night. I don't know how my sister caught a cold. You must take good care of yourself in the future." Concubine Xian looked at Concubine Shu with a half-smile, and the mockery in her eyes became more and more obvious.

Concubine Shu Gui's expression was slightly cold, but her voice was as gentle as usual, "Sister Xian must have not slept well, otherwise how would you know when the rain would start."

"Not to mention that the virtuous concubine didn't sleep well last night, even my sister was woken up by the sound of rain," Zhuang Yuyan took over the conversation at this time, "but I remember it more clearly. It rained at 3:30 last night."

Concubine Xian, who had been bullied by Concubine Shu, suddenly looked better.

Concubine Shu Gui looked at Zhuang Yuyan and said, "Sister, your perception at night is quite shallow."

"Sister, you are too kind. I dare not be careless when serving the emperor," Zhuang Luyan smiled, as if with infinite spring in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu Gui smiled even more clearly, "Sister, you are right."

Zhuang Yuyan looked at the smile on Concubine Shu Gui's face and couldn't help but wonder how Concubine Shu Gui was scolding herself in her heart at this moment?

After the concubines who had paid their respects left, He Yu knelt beside the empress and tapped her legs, saying in confusion, "Your Majesty, I don't understand. Your Majesty Zhao Fei has always been low-key, why is she secretly opposing Shu Fei today?"

"If she keeps giving in, how can she secure the position of concubine?" the queen sneered. "We all underestimated Zhuang Yuyan. I'm afraid the one who regrets the most right now is not me, but the concubine who thinks she is the most important in the emperor's heart."

When He Yu saw the look on her master's face, she hurriedly lowered her head. She knew that the Empress disliked Concubine Shugui, but she never thought that the Empress would hate Concubine Shugui to this extent.

Outside the gate of Jingyang Palace, concubines of all ranks bowed and saw off Concubine Shugui in an orderly manner. Zhuang Luoyan watched Concubine Shugui leave before she took Yunxi's hand and stepped onto the sedan chair. She heard the sound of people kneeling down to greet her from behind and her head swayed slightly, as if she was feeling a little dizzy.

With a slight frown on her face, Zhuang Yuyan felt a little uneasy. After leaving the Jingyang Palace, she lowered her head and whispered to Yunxi who was following the sedan chair, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and ask Doctor Mao, who usually takes my pulse, to come."

Seeing that his master looked serious, Yun Xi did not dare to slack off. After answering, he hurried to the Imperial Hospital.

"You said you saw the Xihe Palace's maid Yunxi heading to the Imperial Hospital?" Concubine Shugui was sitting on the sedan chair. After hearing the eunuch's report, her face changed slightly, and then she smiled, "My cousin has been feeling unwell these days, so I should go and see her."

Lingsha smiled when she heard this, "Master, you are right. Yesterday, I heard from Shuxing, who served Su Xiuyi, that Su Xiuyi missed the queen very much."

"I miss my sister too, so I'll go to Su Xiuyi instead." After Shu Guifei finished speaking, she lowered her voice and said, "Ask someone to keep an eye on the Imperial Hospital."