After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

The palace maid carefully poured a spoonful of soup onto Shen Lingyi's body. Looking at her snow-white attire, she felt a pang of envy. No wonder the Emperor, who was usually indifferent to women, couldn't help but ask, "What do you think, Miss?"

Shen Lingyi nodded slightly, leaning against the carved pearwood tub. Her skin was already fair and tender, and it quickly turned red when she was exposed to hot water. The light pink color on her exquisite body was enviable.

The palace maids were all unmarried and would be released from the palace to marry when they reached a certain age. Their faces were all rosy, and they dared not speak too forcefully when asked questions of the delicate young woman in front of them.

If women are like this, how much more so His Majesty?

She didn't know what was in the water, but it smelled incredibly fragrant. After soaking for a while, Shen Lingyi felt that most of the soreness and weakness had disappeared. The palace maid even brought her some body lotion. She took a little and smelled it; the scent was similar to what she had sold before.

The effect wasn't that great, but it was still quite noticeable; her skin became noticeably smoother after applying it.

That's why people say the palace is a place where people are well taken care of. If there were no intrigue and backstabbing among the concubines, who wouldn't want to enter the palace and be served?

Although Shen Lingyi was not an imperial concubine, her treatment was no different from that of an imperial concubine.

You can tell a lot from the attitude of these palace maids; they all fawn over her and flatter her.

Not many people know about Shen Lingyi's relationship with Pei Heng, presumably because Fuquan had given her instructions.

Indeed, the chief steward is never careless in his work.

After dressing, Shen Lingyi was on her way to Shou Kang Palace to make herself known to the Empress Dowager when she encountered several eunuchs and maids grabbing a disheveled, seemingly insane woman.

Peony quickly shielded herself in front of her, but she was curious about the woman's identity: "How come there's a madwoman in the palace?"

"I heard... that was one of the late emperor's concubines, who went mad in the cold palace a long time ago."

Peony explained in a low voice that she hadn't come to the palace to do nothing; when Shen Lingyi was with His Majesty, she had been inquiring about things in the palace.

This madwoman was just a rumor in the palace. She was originally a palace maid, but she was inexplicably given a rank without ever serving the emperor. Even after the rank was conferred, she received no favor, and her madness was quite bizarre.

Shen Lingyi thought it was Consort Wan's doing again, but Shaoyao said no: "It has nothing to do with Consort Wan. She just went crazy for no reason. The late emperor thought she was unlucky and threw her into the Cold Palace and then never cared about her again. She was lucky."

"Many concubines died during the palace coup, but she survived by staying in the Cold Palace."

Upon hearing that the woman was a mad concubine, Shen Lingyi felt a pang of pity, but her curiosity also subsided.

Pei Heng is very concerned about what happened when the late emperor was in court, so it's best not to touch his whiskers. Although Shen Lingyi is usually quite unrestrained in front of Pei Heng, no one is as bold as her, she really knows what she can and cannot do.

She turned to the side, but the mad concubine, staring at Shen Lingyi, rushed over, knocking over Shaoyao. She grabbed Shen Lingyi with unusual strength, shouting, "Pei Heng! You laid a hand on your own aunt! You'll die a horrible death!"

"Your mother is dead, and your aunt is your only family. How can you be so cruel to your own blood relatives..."

One sentence startled everyone, causing Shen Lingyi to stop her from pushing her away.

Unfortunately, seeing that the woman was talking recklessly, the eunuchs knew they couldn't let her spout any more nonsense, so they quickly swarmed her and dragged her back.

Peony got up, not even bothering to wipe the mud off herself, and asked, "Miss, are you alright?"

Shen Lingyi shook her head, still looking in the direction the crazy woman had left.

"Miss, this is not something we can interfere with," Peony said in a low voice. "The surviving imperial concubines have all been sent out of the palace, either to become nuns or to remarry. She's the only one locked up in the cold palace. It really isn't something we should meddle in!"

Peony was really afraid that Shen Lingyi would act impulsively, and her voice became more and more urgent.

Shen Lingyi only said that she probably didn't know your young lady well enough, and patted Shaoyao: "I haven't thought about it."

Even if you were to ask around, you wouldn't do it in front of everyone.

However, the late emperor's harem holds many secrets, and so far only the tip of the iceberg has been uncovered.

After paying her respects to the Empress Dowager, Shen Lingyi left the palace. The Empress Dowager then entrusted her with a task.

"There is a nanny who serves me outside the palace. I have something to give her." The Empress Dowager said, "I originally asked Rongxin to handle it, but Rongxin has to take care of me and can't go. So I can only ask someone else to go. I only trust you."

The palace was filled with a faint smell of medicine. After the spring, the Empress Dowager fell ill, just like the old lady. It was probably because the elderly could not withstand the sudden change of spring. At this moment, the Empress Dowager looked haggard, coughed from time to time, and her body seemed to have become thin overnight.

Shen Lingyi sat in front of her, her head resting on the Empress Dowager's knees, obediently crawling like a little animal. "Your Majesty, is everything alright? Have you seen the imperial physician?"

The Empress Dowager chuckled and said to Rongxin, "Look at her, she's even trying to tell me what to do."

"Second Miss is also worried about your health." Granny Rongxin smiled, quite pleased. Shen Lingyi's actions were not in vain, as she had not failed the Empress Dowager's good intentions towards her.

"I'm fine, it's just that I'm getting old and my body is weak. You don't need to worry. Now go quickly. That old nanny used to teach palace etiquette, so remember to change into something more appropriate before you go."

After leaving the palace, Shen Lingyi remained in low spirits. Peony noticed this and knew that her mistress had genuine feelings for the Empress Dowager.

On the other hand, the Empress Dowager was kind and gentle, and treated her well. Shen Lingyi's heart wasn't made of stone, so how could she not be moved, especially considering that there was a nitpicking old lady in the family.

It's also heartbreaking that the grandmother treated her own younger generation less well than the empress dowager, who was an outsider.

The old nanny mentioned by the Empress Dowager lived in a family's house in Luoque Lane in the capital. Shen Lingyi specially changed into a more dignified outfit before going there.

Knocking on the door, one sees a woman with her hair neatly combed into a bun, her hands resting in front of her, her gaze carrying a power that would frighten any ordinary young woman.

Shen Lingyi was no ordinary girl. She took out the walnut box given to her by the Empress Dowager and said, "I've come to deliver something to the nanny on behalf of the Empress Dowager."

The woman's hand trembled slightly when she received the box. When she looked at her again, her eyes were much better than before, and she asked gently, "Whose family are you?"

The Empress Dowager was a Mongol, with no relatives in the capital, and no younger generation as beautiful as Shen Lingyi.

Shen Lingyi then truthfully stated, "I am from the General's Mansion, the second daughter of General Hu Ben. I have paid my respects to the Empress Dowager several times before she became familiar with me."

These words were also meant to comfort Lady An, who was neither a junior to the Empress Dowager nor a bad person.

Du Mama invited her in. Shen Lingyi did not see any of her husband's children in the house. In the main hall, there was only a gold-inlaid incense burner, which was obviously an old object, or even an old object from the palace.

Shen Lingyi recalled the mad concubine she had met not long ago and thought to herself, "Isn't this my chance?" This old woman has been in the palace for many years and must know something that others don't.