He asked you to serve him in bed and become his concubine, how did you manage to win his heart and s

Yunxi was quite familiar with Consort Wei, but had little impression of Consort Qiu.

She only remembered that Consort Qiu did not stay in the harem for long. After winter came, the Qiu family was implicated in a corruption case, and she was not spared either. She was stripped of her rank and banished to the cold palace.

Although the Li and Wei families were not affected, they did not contact each other again, and instead cleaned themselves up completely.

Qiu Changzai's presence was already quite low, and if she weren't right in front of Yunxi, she probably would have forgotten about her long ago.

"Your Majesty need not do this, I am perfectly fine."

The other party was a good person, so Yunxi naturally treated him with courtesy.

She had only spilled a bowl of sugar water; she could simply change into clean clothes and get another bowl.

This kind of work isn't too difficult.

Unexpectedly, the other party felt guilty and insisted on going with her.

"This has honey added, so it's not easy to remove if it gets on your clothes. I have some specially made wood ash, so I'll have my maid fetch it to avoid soiling your fine fabric."

"The clothes were a gift from Her Majesty; I didn't expect that Consort Chang could recognize them."

Yunxi knew what the other party wanted to say, so she didn't hide anything and openly told where her clothes came from.

"Yes, I'm very familiar with this material. My father took over the silk that was offered as tribute this year."

Qiu Changzai smiled at her, his tone sincere, making it impossible for her to dislike him.

Yunxi's feelings for her were then refreshed.

Whether in the present or in her past life, Li Ruolan disliked her, simply because she was inarticulate and inflexible.

While the truth is important, few people in the imperial harem actually enjoy hearing it.

She is so sincere, her family must have a good reputation. Could the Qiu family really be involved in embezzlement?

Yunxi was unsure and hesitated for a long time before finally saying these things.

The most urgent thing is to go back and change clothes, so as not to keep Li Ruolan and the others waiting.

When Yunxi and the others came out, Qiu Changzai was still in the corridor and hadn't left.

Upon seeing Yunxi arrive, the other party became somewhat nervous and quickly explained:

"You don't need to be too nervous. I just came out for some fresh air. But I'm not familiar with Yaoguang Palace and I'm afraid of doing something wrong, so I'll just stand here for a while."

"If you don't like it, you don't have to come next time. Your Highness and Consort Wei shouldn't mind."

Of course they didn't mind, and the two of them looked down on Qiu Changzai's background.

Qiu Changzai's father was a commoner, and her mother was a village woman, while Li Ruolan and Wei Cairen were both from the capital.

In Kyoto, the first thing a young lady of a prominent family considers is her birth. Qiu Changzai's background has already put her at a disadvantage. If it weren't for the fact that the Qiu family and the Li family still have some connection, they probably wouldn't even bother with her now.

Yunxi came from an even lower background, so putting herself in Qiu Changzai's shoes, she naturally understood Qiu Changzai's situation.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Changzai could only manage an awkward smile.

"But you can't survive alone in the palace. I can only make my life easier by getting closer to them."

"It seems that Consort Chang also has her own plans. I was just being nosy."

Yunxi nodded, intending to stop there and not to develop a deeper relationship with the other party.

In this harem, no one has a choice, whether it's her or Consort Qiu.

The palace maid, Qiu Changzai, returned late, bringing wood ash and personally handing it to Yunxi. She even taught her how to remove the honey from her clothes.

"These are things they often teach me; I hope they're helpful to you."

Qiu Changzai's little palace maid was named Xiao Jiu. She was quite lively, and before Yunxi could even speak, she started spilling everything out.

"How are you doing at Yaoguang Palace? My mistress is having a terrible time at Weiyang Palace. She's constantly being bullied. The other day, those concubines smeared honey on her face. It was so outrageous and infuriating!"

Yunxi didn't say anything, but started preparing the afternoon pastries.

Xiao Jiu continued, "I still went to the Imperial Hospital to get the wood ash for you. Now that I've given it all to you, if my master is bullied again, can I come to you for more?"

Yunxi initially didn't want to pay any attention, but her eyes lit up when she heard the words "Imperial Hospital".

"The Imperial Medical Academy also gives you wood ash?"

"How could that be? It's just that my wife knows a royal physician, and she got his help. Otherwise, do you think she was always bullied and had so many injuries? How did she heal?"

Consort Qiu was a simple-minded person, and even the palace maids around her couldn't keep her quiet.

Yunxi only said one sentence, but the other party rattled off a whole bunch of things, even revealing all the connections with the Imperial Hospital in one go.

"Which imperial physician was it? Could you introduce me to him next time?"

"Bian Sui, Physician Bian, is from the same hometown as Chang Zai. We've known each other since childhood. After that chance encounter, I've always been asked to get medicine from him. He's very easy to talk to and efficient in his work..."

Xiao Jiu was still talking, but Yun Xi had already closed her ears and stopped listening.

She only remembered two words: Bian Sui.

I don't know him, and I've never heard of him.

However, she lacked a royal physician by her side. If she had some connections there, it would be easier to obtain medicine in the future.

She only knew the basics of using incense, but when it came to treating poisons, she felt more at ease having an imperial physician by her side.

Since Consort Qiu is still of use, she doesn't mind having more contact with her, or even trying to win her over...

Yunxi knew she wasn't some great philanthropist, but she also knew she was no match for Li Ruolan on her own.

We need helpers, but even more so, we need trustworthy people.

If she saves the Qiu family, she might gain Qiu Changzai's trust and get her to help her in the future.

Once the idea was formed, the plan gradually took shape in my mind.

When it was time for a meal, Consort Wei and Consort Qiu left Yaoguang Palace.

In recent days, the Emperor has only visited the inner palace three times.

I went to Consort Su's place twice, and the other time I randomly picked a concubine's nameplate. After that, I heard nothing from her for several days.

At this point, Li Ruolan became angry, as she could neither wait for nor see the Emperor.

I was so eagerly anticipating it that I almost turned into a complaining woman.

Seeing Yunxi right beside him now only made him more upset.

He treated Yunxi well enough, but her belly didn't grow any bigger, and she didn't show any signs of pregnancy, which was really infuriating.

"Little sister, you can eat by yourself today. I don't have much of an appetite."

After saying that, Li Ruolan went straight into the bedroom, intending to avoid seeing it altogether.

Granny Gui was still inside the hall, and with her watching over her, Yunxi had no choice but to eat.

After eating, she had to drink medicine. The herbal soup was very bitter and was meant to help stabilize the pregnancy.

Whether I'm pregnant or not is uncertain, but I must take good care of my health.

She herself knew that if she really got pregnant, it would be twins, a boy and a girl.

With two lives inside her, she needed to get her body in good shape so she could give birth to them smoothly.

Unlike her previous life, where the fetus was so large that she faced a life-threatening situation, she and her child would have lost their lives if she hadn't had the strength gained from the thousand-year-old ginseng.

She doesn't want to die yet, and she would never refuse such a health-promoting supplement now.

Just after we finished eating, Richard, whom we hadn't seen in a long time, actually showed up.

As someone close to the emperor, Richard naturally brought news that Li Ruolan was preparing to serve him in bed.

"His Majesty is on his way now, so Consort Lan should hurry up and make preparations so as not to keep him waiting."

Li Ruolan, who had been feeling rather listless, immediately stood up and seemed like a completely different person. She called out to Yunxi in a gentle voice, asking her to style her hair.

"His Majesty has actually remembered me. It's been almost ten days since the last banquet. He has finally remembered me."

"Yunxi, style my hair. Use the headdress from that banquet. I want to regain my dignity in front of the Emperor."

"Oh, and bring out my new dress too, and get the zither ready..."

……

Every time she faced the Emperor, Li Ruolan seemed like a completely different person.

They would do anything for someone, even give up their best.

Looking at her infatuated expression towards the man, Yunxi felt a surge of disdain.

Keep a low profile, do your job well, and prepare to observe the situation calmly.

It turns out that ten days have already passed since the banquet began; ten days indeed have gone by very quickly.

I wonder what happened to that jade pendant, and how much the Emperor still thinks of her.

Today will finally reveal the answer and let's see if this man can resist her charms.

Both women had their own worries.

A person eagerly awaited Mu Xiaoci's arrival.

Another reason is that people are starting to wonder how capable Mu Xiaoci is of resisting temptation.

When Mu Xiaoci arrived, he was almost stopped by Consort Wan.

Of course, it was the same old trick. Fortunately, Richard was quick-witted and stopped Consort Wan, telling the eunuch to quickly call the imperial physician so as not to delay Consort Wan's condition.

That's how they managed to escape and reach the side hall.

Li Ruolan had been waiting there for a long time.

Dressed in red, she looked alluring and captivating. Her makeup was elegant and sophisticated, and she used a special fragrance. Even her jewelry was carefully chosen.

The moment she saw the Emperor appear, she acted like a charming young girl, disregarding her manners as she ran to him and hugged him with tears in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, I miss you so much..."

In the harem, no other concubine was as carefree and sincere as her, which was something Mu Xiaoci liked.

"These days there are many affairs of the court, so here I am, aren't I?"

"It is wonderful that Your Majesty has me in your heart. I have prepared the zither. I felt guilty for not being able to play for Your Majesty last time, but I will certainly not let Your Majesty off the hook today."

Li Ruolan's voice was sweet and affectionate, and she even took the initiative to hold the other person's hand, her upper body almost sticking to Mu Xiaoci.

The sweet fragrance emanating from her lingered around his nose. The specially made scent wasn't unpleasant, but it still made Mu Xiaoci frown.

Before he could even speak, he had already been led into the bedroom.

Now it was time for Li Ruolan and Mu Xiaoci to be alone together, so Yunxi couldn't go forward and stood with Richard.

The person taking care of them inside was Granny Gui.

Listening to the cheerful laughter inside, Yunxi found herself completely unmoved.

After another incense stick's time, she finally spoke, asking Richard if he wanted a cup of tea.

"The Governor must be tired today. This servant will pour the Governor a cup of tea, and also refill His Majesty and the Empress's cups of hot tea."

She remained humble, making her impossible to dislike.

Richard waved his hand, allowing her to leave.

When she came back, Yunxi brought out a pot of hot tea, as well as some homemade refreshments—

Plum blossom cake.