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

Children are always the most important thing.

Li Ruolan has been going to great lengths to nourish Yunxi's body these days. Not to mention the precious bird's nest and donkey-hide gelatin, she has also secretly asked Granny Gui to give a lot of money to the imperial kitchen to send black chicken and white phoenix soup every day.

Even now, when she looks at Yunxi, she thinks that Yunxi's face is as beautiful as a peach blossom and her figure has become much fuller.

If she's still weak, then we'll have to have Physician Fang come and write a prescription himself. We must get Yunxi's health back on track so she can conceive before the other concubines.

This is the only way at the moment, so Granny Gui agreed, saying that she would summon the imperial physician when she returned from the Empress Dowager's palace the next day.

Upon hearing this, Li Ruolan's face darkened even further.

Yes, there's still room for reconciliation regarding the Emperor's matter, but she'll be meeting the Empress Dowager tomorrow, and she still needs to figure out how to make the Empress Dowager like her too.

She was completely unprepared for this, not to mention that Consort Su was still eyeing her covetously, and probably had some tricks up her sleeve that she hadn't used yet.

But being nervous now is useless. The Emperor said that she should dress plainly tomorrow. The Empress Dowager is a Buddhist, and she should not dress up too flamboyantly in front of the Buddha, lest she offend the Empress Dowager.

When Yunxi returned, Granny Gui and Li Ruolan had already finished their conversation.

She could roughly guess the content of the conversation. After all, she knew these two people so well, how could she not know what kind of bad intentions they were hiding?

I never thought that if I were to get to the bottom of things, I would start taking the initiative to do my own thing.

Looking at Yunxi through the bronze mirror, Li Ruolan naturally noticed that her figure was even more alluring than before, and the jealousy in her eyes was hard to hide.

His facial expression contorted into a grimace, yet he still managed to maintain a smile.

"Is your sister feeling any better these days?"

"Your Majesty, I have been greatly grateful for your kindness these past few days, and my usual weariness has lessened considerably."

She answered honestly and told the truth.

She felt much stronger than before. Previously, she always felt cold at night, but now she felt much better. Even when exposed to a cold breeze, she no longer felt a headache like before.

Only a body like this could support a pregnancy, let alone twins; she wished she could be even stronger.

Li Ruolan nodded, her smile deepening.

"Tomorrow I want to dress simply for the Shou Kang Palace. Could you help me think of something I should wear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Yunxi bowed slightly, and the smile on her face deepened the moment she lowered her head.

Consort Su's tricks and tactics aren't that great, so it's a good opportunity for her to make good use of them.

The person who was at odds with the Empress Dowager was Consort Su.

The Su family and the Empress Dowager's maternal family are at odds, and this feud started in the previous generation. No matter how hard Consort Su tries now, the Empress Dowager will not give in.

The reason for pushing Li Ruolan in front of the Empress Dowager this time is because they value Li Ruolan's arrogance and ignorance, and want to send her to the Empress Dowager to suffer.

If you ask Consort Su whether she was afraid that Li Ruolan would gain the Empress Dowager's favor,

The answer is no.

Because Li Ruolan's usual style of dressing is too similar to that of Consort Su, flamboyant and arrogant, and she wants to use the most gorgeous jewelry and accessories to show her nobility.

Such a woman was the kind of woman the Empress Dowager despised most throughout her life.

Even if she dresses simply in the future, she will not win the Empress Dowager's favor.

But would the Empress Dowager really be that stupid?

A woman who has been navigating the inner palace for many years and has managed to sit in the position of Empress Dowager is certainly not a fool. How could she not see through Consort Su's thoughts?

However, the Empress Dowager would not give Li Ruolan any face, because she hated women who were deceitful and dishonest.

The person Li Ruolan wanted to please was the Emperor, not the Empress Dowager.

This time, the Empress Dowager was pleased. What should we do when the Emperor and the Empress Dowager appear together?

Mu Xiaoci, of course, doesn't understand women's thoughts, and Consort Su's calculations were also very accurate.

In her previous life, Li Ruolan dressed simply and elegantly, but when the Emperor appeared, Consort Su also came and said that with her attire, anyone who didn't know better would think it was a funeral procession.

These words spread throughout the entire harem in less than half a day.

This incident became a major stain on Li Ruolan's reputation, and Consort Su would always bring it up to joke about it later, leading to a long stalemate.

Unfortunately, no one dared to speak of such scandals after Li Ruolan became empress; they could only whisper about them behind her back for a while.

In this life, Yunxi felt it was better to make a complete fool of herself.

Otherwise, it would be too unfair to Consort Su's good intentions.

People always feel free and joyful when they do bad things.

Yunxi slept well that night and got up before dawn to start preparing.

By the time Li Ruolan got up, everything was ready.

"Your Majesty, as you said yesterday, I have chosen a plain-colored dress, which is waiting for Your Majesty to select."

These clothes are made of the finest silk, and although they look plain, you can tell at a glance that they are very expensive.

Especially the most expensive shimmering gauze, when worn under moonlight, the skirt reflects sunlight as the wearer moves, revealing shimmering points of light, creating a dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful effect.

Upon seeing this, Li Ruolan's face immediately darkened.

"What I desire is simplicity and elegance. If I go out dressed like this, wouldn't the Empress Dowager be even angrier if she saw me dressed like this?!"

"Your Majesty, but you must see the Emperor today, if..."

"Stop talking! I'll choose my own clothes today, and you can do whatever I say about the jewelry. Just do my hair later."

Li Ruolan is stubborn and won't listen to Yunxi anymore.

She always thought about things superficially. The emperor said to dress simply, but he didn't mean for her to dress like a dead person in the family in all white, nor did he mean for her to dress plainly and lose her status as a concubine.

Clearly, Yunxi was right this time, but her mind was preoccupied with other issues, and she couldn't think straight for the moment.

Even when Granny Gui came later to give her a lecture, Li Ruolan felt that Granny Gui was going against her.

"This is the Emperor's will; can't you understand?"

She was so angry that she threw her pearl necklace on the table, feeling that nothing she did today was going well.

Yunxi kept her head down the whole time, without saying a word or making any other movements.

She was just a lowly personal maid. Even the head maid was rebuked by her master, so what could she say?

This was Li Ruolan's own choice; how could anyone below dare to utter a single word of dissent?

Before leaving, Granny Gui pulled Yunxi aside and gave her a few more words of advice.

"Her Majesty is currently in a bad mood. If anything happens later, have Xiao Shunzi from Shou Kang Palace come out and tell her so I can go to see the Emperor."

"This servant understands."

Yunxi lowered her eyes and memorized it firmly.

She realized that the spy planted by the Li family in the Empress Dowager's palace was actually Xiao Shunzi.

See? It's not unreasonable for the Emperor to be angry. But who is trying to guess His Majesty's thoughts? We'll find out if we try.

The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is noisy, all for gain.

The palace is a cannibalistic place. If it weren't for these things, who would risk their life to come to this filthy place?

Given the size and influence of the Li family, it's clear that they likely have far more informants than she imagined.

Given her status, Granny Gui shouldn't show her face too much, so the only one following behind Li Ruolan now is Yunxi.

They set off after having breakfast. Given Li Ruolan's status, she could no longer be carried in a sedan chair at the palace, and now she had to walk there.

The palace is vast, and the distance between Yaoguang Palace and Shou Kang Palace is even greater.

Before she left, Consort Wan stood in front of the door and mocked her, saying that she got up so early today, did she not sleep well last night?

Seeing Wanpin's face only made Li Ruolan angrier, so she brought the Emperor over again.

"Sister Wanpin, why can't I sleep well? Last night, His Majesty came to comfort me, and I slept very soundly."

Consort Wan's weakness is the Emperor. After being warned by the Emperor last time, she has become much more obedient. Now, Li Ruolan has reopened her wounds, and she is so angry that she has slammed the main hall door shut.

Li Ruolan finally felt relieved.

"That fool, Consort Wan, just wait! Once I've won over the Empress Dowager and gained the Emperor's favor, I'll be able to do whatever I want in the entire harem!"

Although she didn't say much, Yunxi heard it all and felt compelled to add a few more words of praise.

"Your Highness's good fortune is yet to come; Consort Wan will never understand."

Li Ruolan's smile deepened as she looked at her elegant white dress, quite pleased with herself.

"His Majesty specifically told me to dress simply and elegantly; I'm sure everything will go perfectly today!"

The two set off confidently, but when they arrived at the gate of Shou Kang Palace, no one opened the door.

Consort Wei has also arrived, and she is now anxiously looking for Li Ruolan to ask what exactly is going on.

"Sister, I just arrived too. The Shou Kang Palace isn't even open. Consort Su must be trying to embarrass us here!"

Li Ruolan was turned away for the first time, and her face turned red. She had no choice but to ask Yunxi to knock on the door and ask what was going on.

I don't know how much time passed, but the sun rose early and felt hot on my skin. Finally, the heavy iron gate in front of me opened.

The old woman who came out was Li, the nanny beside the Empress Dowager. She had white hair, sharp eyes, and an aura that was even stronger than that of the old woman Gui.

She glanced at Li Ruolan and Consort Wei before speaking.

Their bow was perfunctory, and their tone even more dismissive: "The Empress Dowager is unwell and has only just woken up. Have you two come to pay your respects today?"

"Yes, Your Highness, I was thinking of the Empress Dowager's return to the palace, so I came with Consort Wei to visit her."

Li Ruolan did not back down at this moment, but instead adopted the demeanor befitting a noble lady and responded.

The old woman in front of her, Li, glanced at her again, looked her up and down, and became even more displeased.

"The Empress Dowager is used to getting up at 7 AM and is still resting. Your Highnesses, please come with this old servant."

These words didn't explicitly say "disturb," but their tone clearly implied that they were being disturbed.

If they were truly interested, they would definitely inquire about good news and find out when the Empress Dowager would receive guests.

Rushing here in such a hurry makes them seem like fools being used.

Li Ruolan's expression was not good. Even Wei Cairen, who used to be a troublemaker, sensed something was wrong and obediently followed behind, not daring to utter a single word.

This isn't a visit to pay respects; it's a visit to embarrass us!