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

Being favored is one thing, but showing off is another.

Consort Wei, as expected of Li Ruolan's lackey, knew exactly how to infuriate people; her very first words were enough to make anyone want to scream.

Consort Su lowered her eyes, quickly composed herself, and cleared her throat.

"Consort Wei, this is my Zhaoyang Palace, not some marketplace. Why such a commotion?"

"Your Highness, I am just happy for Sister Lan. Look how excited you are about this, you have forgotten that you are in Zhaoyang Palace."

Consort Wei smiled faintly, said nothing more, and immediately returned to sit down behind Li Ruolan.

Knowing that the other party was indeed a Noble Consort, Consort Wei was well aware of her own limitations and knew that the most important thing now was to know when to stop while she was ahead.

Li Ruolan was naturally the happiest of them all, and replied with a smile, "Your Highness, please don't be offended. I have a good relationship with Consort Wei, and she's just congratulating me."

Her words were clearly adding insult to injury, becoming increasingly outrageous, truly aiming to drive Consort Su to her death.

On such important occasions, Consort Su needed to remain calm and composed.

The women in the imperial harem feared most being labeled as jealous.

If everyone were to serve the Emperor together, and someone truly harbored such thoughts, not only would they be criticized by the other concubines in the harem, but even by the ministers of the court.

Consort Su had just used the excuse that Consort Wei spoke impulsively and indecently like a common village woman, but now, looking at it from the other side, it's clear that she had tied herself up.

She came from a noble family; she was a girl from the capital and a powerful imperial concubine, so she couldn't afford to be jealous.

I absolutely cannot turn against them here and make a fool of myself in front of others.

Consort Su was speechless, but Aunt Rong, who was beside her, leaned down slightly and whispered a few words in her ear.

After that, Consort Su smiled several times.

"Have all my sisters arrived? I do have something to announce today, and it's a big one."

Li Ruolan and Consort Wei began to sit up straight.

They were too arrogant just now, and now Consort Su will definitely retaliate. The two of them naturally do not intend to be led by the nose and are thinking of turning the tables.

If it really works out, that would be truly gratifying.

But this is the imperial palace, and a noble consort is a noble consort. She can find fault in front of many people, not to mention that Li Ruolan and Consort Wei do not have a strong foundation in the harem, and there are not many concubines on their side.

Consort Su spoke.

"Now that the Empress Dowager has returned to the palace to devote herself to Buddhism, and with the war in the Northwest imminent, we, though in the inner palace, cannot remain unaffected. War requires funds, so I would like to ask you ladies, how much help can we offer the Emperor?"

Not long ago, there was a famine, and the national treasury was already running a deficit.

How can a war be fought under such circumstances?

This was the topic of discussion between Mu Xiaoci and his ministers. One faction demanded increased taxes and the sale of official positions, while the other faction demanded reductions in the expenditures of the royal family and the court.

In short, none of this is a trivial matter.

This matter shouldn't have been brought up now, but seeing that Consort Su was angry with Li Ruolan, she turned her attention to her.

"What does Lady Lan say? My sister is so favored by the Emperor, perhaps she should offer him some advice."

Nobody wants to talk about money.

But now that it's Li Ruolan's turn, they have no choice but to deal with her.

She didn't want anyone to find fault with her, and she especially didn't want the Emperor to know that she had contradicted Consort Su during her audience with the Emperor today.

"Sister is right. I was worried about the Emperor, so I had the palace maids prepare in advance. The Emperor's rewards will be donated, and I will even tighten my belt to help with the war and share the Emperor's burdens."

The words sound nice, but the tone is a bit muffled.

Li Ruolan subconsciously touched the Ruyi hairpin in her hair, thinking that the things the Emperor had given her were quite nice, and now that they were all being donated, it was quite heartbreaking.

But she wasn't so easily bullied. She told her own story and even started talking about Consort Su.

"What does the Imperial Concubine intend to do? Is she going to join me? Or does she have another plan? We sisters can discuss it with her and see what her good ideas are."

This kind of blackmail can be considered moral blackmail, but Li Ruolan is not so easily fooled, and she will not allow the other party to bully her alone.

"Sister, you flatter me. I have already started preparing. Today, the hairpins are all velvet flowers. I have asked Aunt Rong to prepare most of the rewards. I am just waiting for the sisters to come together before I tell the Emperor this good news."

How could Consort Su let such an opportunity to gain the Emperor's favor pass by?

After hearing that Mu Xiao had resigned from Yaoguang Palace last night, she immediately came up with this idea, and even dressed simply today to make the matter more convincing.

It was only then that others noticed Consort Su's attire today.

And what about Lan Meiren?

Dressed like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, she was adorned with colorful flowers, and the gilded tassel on her head was particularly dazzling.

The palace has always been a heavily guarded place. No one dares to make eye contact with Consort Su, let alone open their eyes wide and scrutinize her thoroughly.

If it hadn't been mentioned today, no one would have noticed this.

Since the Imperial Concubine Su has said so, everyone else should naturally start preparing as well, learning from Imperial Concubine Su and practicing thrift and frugality.

You think that's the end of it?

All that was heard was Consort Su saying, "On another note," before shifting the topic to Mu Xiaoci, and finally bringing up the Empress Dowager.

"The Empress Dowager is getting old now, so you sisters should pay more attention to her and stay by her side to fulfill your filial duties and share the Emperor's burdens. Unfortunately, I have been very busy lately and have not been able to spare the time. I implore you sisters to work together."

This tactic is called retreating to advance.

The Empress Dowager's favorite woman was the Empress, and for some reason she just couldn't stand Consort Su. In the beginning, she was the first to oppose Consort Su taking control of the harem.

Later, the Empress proved to be weak-willed and had no choice but to acquiesce to the matter.

Over the years, she has grown increasingly disliked Consort Su, otherwise she wouldn't have left the palace, saying she wanted to go outside to cultivate her character.

And Consort Su's claims of visiting and showing filial piety were all lies.

The Empress Dowager preferred quiet and disliked being disturbed.

All those words I just said were just for show, to make the newcomers take me for granted.

Despite her seemingly kind appearance, how many women in the harem who survived to the end truly had a clean background?

To disturb her without prior notice would be an offense to the Empress Dowager, and could even result in a severe consequence for disrespect.

Even when the emperor went to pay his respects, he had to notify the empress dowager in advance to see if she was willing to see him.

Only a small number of the concubines knew about this. After the Empress Dowager left, the people in the palace changed several times, and the matter faded away and was never mentioned again.

In the past, when the Empress was alive, she could talk to the Empress Dowager, and the atmosphere wouldn't be so tense.

At that time, the Empress was ill, and the harem was leaderless. It was the Empress Dowager who took charge of the situation.

It was around that time that the Empress Dowager's temper began to show its true colors. Even today, when she said she was going to pay her respects, those who knew better had already shut their mouths.

But no one would speak ill of the Empress Dowager at this time, much less say anything bad about her.

Now, it seems some of the concubines are going to be in trouble.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Whoever is the most favored woman in the palace will be the target of everyone's jealousy and will be pushed out to be the first one to stick out.

Li Ruolan was the first to be affected, and Consort Wei fared no better.

With almost no room for negotiation, Consort Su made the final decision, ordering Li Ruolan and Consort Wei to visit the Empress Dowager more often in the future, on behalf of the other concubines, to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.

Such a big compliment was something Li Ruolan couldn't refuse, much less refuse in public.

Once the matter is settled, there is no room for further evasion.

Li Ruolan went back happily, but came back angry.

Still angry.

Consort Wei also followed behind, speaking up for her, but Consort Qiu dared not speak and silently followed behind.

The three of them were newcomers, and their grouping together was out of necessity.

But their biggest mistake was showing off in front of Consort Su; in the end, they did all that work for nothing.

Qiu Changzai dared not only complain in her heart, but also dared not say these words out loud in front of the two people in front of her.

She didn't dare.

None of the three held high positions, except for Li Ruolan, whose palace was larger, and they usually came over to talk together.

They couldn't speak too directly, since Consort Wan was right next to them, so they spoke in roundabout ways and dared not name names.

Wei Cai, on the other hand, is very outspoken, and now that he's started complaining, he doesn't know when to stop.

"To put it bluntly, now that they see us as newcomers, they're trying to pin the blame on us, wanting to show us how we're being bullied."

"This is the palace, and you are the emperor's concubine, so it can't be considered bullying."

Someone was even crazier than herself, but Li Ruolan was much calmer and told Consort Wei to watch her words.

"Sister, are you really able to keep your composure? They've come to bully us right in front of us. If this continues, I'm afraid we won't have any good days ahead."

She became more and more excited as she spoke, wishing she could tell Li Ruolan about her imagined future right now, so that she would also lose her composure.

Granny Gui poured tea for them, and only after she finished did she speak up to explain on Li Ruolan's behalf.

"My lady is looking for an opportunity. After all, Consort Su and the Empress Dowager are not on good terms. If she can gain the Empress Dowager's favor now, it would be a wonderful thing."

In places like this, you have to be ambitious.

If you're timid and hesitant, you'll only face death in the end.

Granny Gui, deeply versed in this art, began by persuading customers.

However, there would be no benefit in going there rashly, and Li Ruolan needs to make preparations first.

"Your Majesty, you must hurry these days. The Emperor must know about this. If you have truly been wronged over there, only the Emperor can save you."

Yes, in this harem, only the Emperor can protect her life.

To avoid Consort Su's revenge, she had to make an appearance before the Emperor.

"Granny Gui, is there any progress on the matter I asked you to inquire about? What did Mother say? Will she share my burden?"

"Your Highness, everything is settled. It's not easy for you in the palace, so the Li family will naturally do everything they can to help you."