Ever since Consort Hua learned about the Huan Yi Xiang (欢宜香) and fell seriously ill, her treatment of Consort Li and Noble Lady Cao remained largely unchanged.
However, he no longer discussed with them every few days how to harm other favored concubines, as he had done before.
Consort Li, being naive and oblivious, did not notice anything amiss.
At first, Consort Cao was happy to be leisurely, but the longer it went on, the more anxious and uneasy she felt.
The mother and daughter were able to live peacefully in the palace entirely thanks to Consort Hua's power and influence. Moreover, over the years, she had been by Consort Hua's side, offering her advice and strategies, and knew too many of her secrets.
If Consort Hua no longer trusts her, the lives of both she and her daughter will be in imminent danger.
Therefore, Consort Cao was eager to know what Consort Hua was thinking. And Consort Wan, who was currently enjoying great favor, was the perfect excuse.
So she invited Consort Li to come along. Given Consort Li's personality, she had long been dissatisfied with Consort Wan's favor and would definitely not be able to hold back in front of Consort Hua.
Sure enough, not long after she came in, Consort Li's mouth never stopped.
"Having just gained favor, he has forgotten his place. A mere noblewoman dares to openly plot against the servants in my palace."
"The Emperor even took her to the hot spring palace, and the rewards have been continuous these past few days. You are in charge of the harem and worry about money every day, and the Emperor also emphasizes the need to be frugal every few days."
"So this is how you live frugally? The Empress is eating coarse food and wild vegetables, while a mere noblewoman is treated like royalty. What kind of logic is this!"
Consort Hua glared at Consort Li, who was too preoccupied with her resentment to notice Consort Hua's displeasure.
She continued to ramble on about the emperor's favored concubines, comparing them to Consort Hua, which angered Consort Hua.
How could she have taken such a clueless and incompetent person under her command back then!
The one who ate coarse food and wild vegetables was Consort Duan, who had always been pampered and treated with great care by Nian Shilan.
"She's only just gained favor, why are you in such a hurry? She's not flustered, but you've already lost your composure."
"Someone as fickle as Kang Luhai, would you dare to ask him for help and use him? Even without this Consort Guan, there would have been a Consort Hua or Consort Cao sooner or later."
Consort Li said, "Consort Cao just said the same thing, and I also saw him serve her before..."
Kang Luhai had previously served Consort Duan, and Consort Li almost blurted out this. Although she wasn't very clever, she knew she couldn't mention that person from Yanqing Palace in front of Consort Hua.
Consort Li said, "She has only recently gained favor, yet she's already following the example of Your Majesty back then. I'm worried that once her position is secure, it will be inconvenient for Your Majesty to intervene."
Consort Cao spoke only after seeing that Consort Li had finished speaking.
"Your Majesty, although Consort Li's temper is a bit hasty, some of what she says is indeed reasonable."
"I heard that she had been ill ever since she entered the palace, and I thought she was just a pretty face. Who knew that she would suddenly gain the Emperor's favor without making a sound?"
"When Consort Li was talking to her, I was watching from the side. This Noble Lady Wan is very measured in her actions and her words are tight and shrewd. She is not easy to deal with."
"Especially this Consort Guan, whose relationship with Consort Shen and Consort Jing is also extremely close."
"The Emperor has also promised Consort Shen a position to help the Empress manage the harem. This way, they can form cliques and compete for the Emperor's favor together."
"It's nothing now, but I'm afraid that one day a prince might be born. A single imperial garden might not be enough to keep them occupied."
Prince?
Consort Hua said dismissively, "You're overthinking it. Do you really think those few can have a child?"
"If they can really give birth to a prince, I will admire them."
Consort Cao asked in confusion, "Your Highness, what do you mean by that?"
Consort Hua realized she had almost let something slip, so she quickly replied casually, "It's nothing. I just think those young maids don't look like they're easy to bear children."
"However, since it involves palace power, we should be wary. Let's wait and see; right now, he's the new favorite."
"If we take action against them now, it's fine if the Emperor doesn't find out. But if he does, he will definitely blame me. We need to come up with a foolproof plan."
Seeing that she was unwilling to elaborate, Consort Cao swallowed her questions.
Whether or not one can conceive depends half on luck and half on the emperor's favor. With Consort Wan's youthful body and the emperor's affection, it was only a matter of time before she became pregnant.
Judging from Consort Hua's tone, it seemed as if she was certain that none of them could have children.
Consort Cao clenched her fists. Even when she was still in the Prince's mansion, there had been repeated miscarriages among the women.
After entering the palace, Consort Fang and Consort Xin both encountered accidents one after another. These things originally had nothing to do with them, and they ridiculed each other in private afterward before forgetting about them.
However, there were always rumors that Consort Hua was responsible for the lost children. The most prominent one was Consort Fang, who firmly believed this and ultimately brought herself to be banished to the Cold Palace.
Consort Cao pondered to herself, "Did Consort Hua find out something, or was it really Consort Hua who did all this?"
But then she thought again that it couldn't possibly be Consort Hua.
She considered herself to have some ability to judge people; if Consort Hua's scheming was so profound, why would she need to offer advice?
However, from Consort Hua's words, Consort Cao could tell that Consort Hua still harbored suspicion towards Shen Meizhuang and the others.
Indeed, Consort Shen comes from a distinguished family and is favored by the Empress Dowager. The Emperor both dotes on her and trusts her, and is eager to have her learn how to handle palace affairs.
Consort Wan's favor was extraordinary, and Consort Hua certainly couldn't treat them as casually as she treated others.
Even those concubines who were harmed by them in the past, Consort Hua mostly waited until the Emperor's interest in them waned before taking drastic measures.
Consort Cao felt a little more at ease and automatically found a reason for Consort Hua to stay by her side. As long as she was still useful, Wen Yi could remain by her side.
*
For the next ten days, Zhen Huan served the emperor every day, just as Bai Juyi wrote in the Song of Everlasting Regret.
She was constantly entertaining guests and attending banquets, spending her days in spring outings and her nights in exclusive company. Of the three thousand beauties in the harem, all the emperor's favor was bestowed upon her alone.
Such favor caused many in the harem to lose sleep. While Consort Hua and Noble Lady Cao remained calm, Consort Li went to Shou Kang Palace first.
However, the Empress Dowager is only concerned about her youngest son and doesn't care about her eldest son's harem.
After the fourteenth prince was brought back, the chubby orange-haired prince arranged for him to stay in the Shouhuang Palace. There were guards inside and out, just like in an imperial tomb, and no one was allowed to go in to visit.
Fortunately, Zhu Xi went with him and took care of him day and night in the Shouhuang Palace for so many days. He only returned to the palace to report back after the fourteenth prince had fully recovered.
The Empress Dowager kept asking about the fourteenth prince's condition and had no time to see anyone else, so Consort Li had no choice but to leave empty-handed.
The Empress, preoccupied with vegetarianism and Buddhist chanting, no longer subtly advised the chubby orange to exercise restraint, unlike before.
Sun Miaoqing was so focused on her career that the entire harem seemed to exist in name only.
One afternoon, while the chubby orange was playing chess with Zhen Huan, a large amount of blood suddenly gushed from its nose, causing it to faint and startling everyone in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
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