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

No sooner had Mu Xiaoci left than the imperial physician arrived at Yaoguang Palace.

Also accompanying them was Aunt Rong, who served Consort Su.

The imperial physician took her pulse much faster than expected. After paying his respects, he took her pulse again and prescribed medicine, only saying that Li Ruolan was physically weak.

"Your Majesty, this is a congenital illness. Although the Li family has treated it well, it has still lost its root cause. If you use my method to treat it properly, there may be a chance for a complete cure."

The imperial physician was not good at expressing himself, but this was clearly pointing to one thing:

The woman in front of me is far less healthy than she appears.

Of course, the claim of a congenital illness was just a pretext, and Yunxi knew what deeper meaning lay hidden within it.

She saw through it but didn't say anything, saving it for a fatal blow to Li Ruolan.

On the contrary, Aunt Rong, although she came with a gift from the Imperial Concubine, only had a red coral ornament on her.

After the imperial physician took her pulse and left, Aunt Rong gestured to the maid beside her, instructing her to hand over the prepared items to Li Ruolan.

"When Consort Su heard the news that Lady Lan had been chosen to serve the emperor, she specially ordered us to bring her a reward."

Aunt Rong had been working in the palace for many years, and her speech and manners were impeccable.

Even the smallest gifts are described in glowing terms, conveying the utmost respect.

Li Ruolan was new to the palace and knew how treacherous people could be. Hearing these unfounded compliments did not make her feel comfortable.

She knew, of course, that Consort Su wouldn't be so kind, and she was also well aware that her biggest enemy after entering the palace was Consort Su.

That imperial concubine was also a military officer. She was not only the emperor's childhood sweetheart, but also had a powerful older brother who supported her.

Based on these two points alone, Consort Su could practically do whatever she wanted in the harem.

Even the empress, who was married through proper channels, could not compare to Consort Su's nobility.

The Empress is now practically an empty shell. She suffered a severe blow three years ago from the loss of her child, which subsequently caused her to develop health problems.

All the affairs of the inner palace were entrusted to Consort Su, and she had no time to care about the new concubines.

But Consort Su is jealous and might do something drastic.

As Aunt Rong then took out a pill, what was its meaning? Did we even need to guess?

"Lady Lan, the palace has its own rules. These pills are a gift from the Imperial Concubine. Do not disappoint her kindness."

After saying that, the pill was already placed to Li Ruolan's lips.

This wasn't a discussion; it was forcing her to eat it on the spot.

Li Ruolan had never been threatened like this before, and she couldn't bear such humiliation.

She raised her hand in an attempt to resist, but the moment she did, the palace maid beside her grabbed her wrist and forced her to open her mouth by pinching her chin.

"It's better for a beautiful woman to be obedient."

Aunt Rong approached with a forced smile and forcefully stuffed the pill into her mouth.

In this situation, Li Ruolan struggled desperately and shouted loudly:

"Does Your Majesty know of Consort Su's wicked deeds?"

"This is the power over the six palaces that His Majesty has bestowed upon the Imperial Consort!"

Aunt Rong didn't expect that Li Ruolan was someone who would respond to gentle persuasion but not force, so she simply raised her hand and forcibly stuffed the pill into her throat.

The medicine was extremely bitter. Li Ruolan struggled frantically for a few moments, but finally swallowed it all.

She coughed violently, and only then did Aunt Rong tell the palace maid beside her to let go, and then force-feed her a bowl of water.

Finally, this big problem was solved, and this time he spoke calmly:

"The Imperial Concubine also said that Consort Lan has only just served the Emperor, and there will be many more opportunities in the future. Don't get angry over this and damage your health."

After saying this, Aunt Rong didn't intend to stay any longer and left the house in a large group with her people.

Behind her, Li Ruolan threw the red coral jewelry hard onto the ground.

"Su Ruoruo, don't think you can be so arrogant just because your family background is superior to mine! Wait until the day comes, and I'll see how you compare to me!"

Before Consort Su entered the palace, she had some connection with Li Ruolan.

The biggest incompatibility was that Consort Su was the former number one talented woman in the capital. If she hadn't entered the palace, this title probably wouldn't have fallen to Li Ruolan.

Li Ruolan was not yet of marriageable age at the time. Her mother had arranged for her to win first place at the Spring Banquet, but she heard other people's comments.

"If the eldest daughter of the Su family hadn't entered the palace, the title of talented woman wouldn't have been given to the Li family so quickly."

Therefore, even though he had never met Su Ruoruo, the seeds of hatred had already been sown.

Having just finished serving the emperor, how could he possibly submit to such threats!

Yunxi remained silent, lowering her head and waiting for Li Ruolan to finish venting.

She is now of low status and her voice is weak; her position is far inferior to these people.

As the past replays in my mind, it becomes clearer that if I want revenge, I must remain hidden by Li Ruolan's side.

Now, the person who wants the child to be born even more than she does is Li Ruolan, who wishes she could skip the ten months of pregnancy and just take the child out of her belly.

The red coral jewelry shattered on the ground, and the fierceness on Li Ruolan's face finally subsided a little.

She turned to face Yunxi and held Yunxi's hand tightly.

"Sister, have you seen clearly? None of the women in the harem are easy to deal with. If we want to survive here, we must work together as sisters."

At this moment, Yunxi still had to pretend to be naive, looking up at her with concern, "Sister, what did you eat just now? Should we call the imperial physician...?"

"It's just some dirty tricks; it's not worth bothering the imperial physician."

Li Ruolan spoke casually, her gaze seemingly lingering on Yunxi's stomach. "Consort Su is afraid of me, risking everything to send medicine over. It's a pity she doesn't know how formidable our Li family's daughters are..."

The rest was left unsaid, but Yunxi understood the implication.

Consort Su was afraid that the other concubines would conceive the emperor's child before her.

After all, she was the closest to the throne, and the Empress's health was getting weaker day by day. It was only a matter of time before she was replaced.

In the imperial harem, the most powerful thing is not only to win the emperor's heart, but also to have offspring.

Otherwise, the Li family wouldn't have gone to such lengths to bring Yunxi into the palace, risking the extermination of their entire clan, just to seize this opportunity.

Yunxi remained silent, coldly watching Li Ruolan get dressed.

The greetings for today have not yet begun, and Li Ruolan will certainly not let this opportunity pass.

As luck would have it, the Emperor's reward arrived before the person even left the house.

The fine silks and satins that were just presented as tribute this year were not enough; rare jewels and porcelains also filled the house.

This place was originally just a side hall of Yaoguang Palace, but it looks more exquisite and magnificent than the main hall.

Li Ruolan was still immersed in the joy of being favored, unaware that this was the reason the imperial physician told Mu Xiaoci that her body was unable to conceive.

Also, there was his guilt this morning for suspecting her identity.

In short, this overt favoritism was indeed well given to Li Ruolan.

Li Ruolan immediately took a liking to the gilded Ruyi hairpin that the Emperor had just bestowed upon her.

The word "Ruyi" (meaning "as you wish") is ironic enough, as it is clear that Li Ruolan is unable to conceive, yet they still give her a Ruyi hairpin, making her think that she has received some special honor.

They went to Consort Su's Zhaoyang Palace, and were the last to arrive.

The concubines all watched as Li Ruolan took her seat, and several of them looked at her with vicious eyes.

The most displeased person was Consort Su. Not long ago, she had been given a medicinal soup, but not only did it fail to intimidate Li Ruolan, the other party also arrogantly came to her to show off.

How could this anger be suppressed?

But before Consort Su even had to lift a finger, her admirers had already started making sarcastic remarks.

"Lady Lan arrived so late, the sisters have been waiting for quite a while."

"Exactly, it's like nobody's ever not served the Emperor."

The speakers were Consort Li and Consort Wan, one a servant of Consort Su, and the other, the mistress of Yaoguang Palace, chimed in.

Consort Li spoke to please Consort Su, while Consort Wan was simply unable to swallow the anger she suffered the previous night.

Knowing that the Emperor had recently lost interest in the harem, she devised a plan to bribe a eunuch, claiming that her asthma had flared up badly and that she wanted the Emperor to come and see her.

The Emperor did arrive, but he went to a side hall, to the room of Consort Lan, whom he disliked.

During this time, she tried countless methods, but was blocked by the old palace maid named Granny Gui, and didn't even get to see the emperor.

She recently heard that the Emperor had breakfast with her, and she was so jealous she was practically bursting with envy.

Although Consort Wan and Consort Su didn't have much of a relationship normally, now, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Li Ruolan noticed the jealousy on their faces and sat down with a smug look on her face. She picked up her teacup and slowly took a sip of tea.

"There's nothing I can do. His Majesty even summoned the imperial physician to take my pulse. He said that I had exhausted myself serving him too diligently last night. He had originally even exempted me from paying my respects."

After speaking, she paused deliberately, looking at Consort Su with a smug look in her eyes, "But I had to get up and pack because of the palace rules, which is why I was delayed for a while."

Consort Su was so angry that her face turned green, and she gripped the chair armrests tightly.

"It is the duty of all the concubines in the harem to serve the Emperor. It is even more appropriate for the Emperor to take care of the beauty's health. If Consort Lan feels unwell and is unable to serve the Emperor in the future, I will inform the Emperor and show consideration for the beauty's health."

"There's no need for Your Highness to worry so much; I am perfectly capable of serving His Majesty!"

Consort Su, being from a military family, easily quelled Li Ruolan's arrogance with just a few words, and even forced her to acknowledge the so-called hierarchy of status.

If she were favored, Consort Lan would only have served the Emperor once, while Consort Su would be the one who frequently met with him.

Not to mention that the situation has been unstable these days, and it's an open secret in the harem that the Emperor would want the Su family to take action and get close to Consort Su.

Here, inside and out, where is there any right for Lan Meiren to speak?

Li Ruolan was completely out of control today. She was thinking of showing off her reward to Consort Su, but she didn't expect to come back covered in dust.

On the way back, she was mocked by Consort Wan, who even imitated Li Ruolan's tone in a sarcastic manner, coldly sneering at her in the palace road.

"Oh, isn't this the frail Consort Lan? Serving the Emperor must have worn you out. Be careful not to fall or bump into anything outside, or the imperial physician will have to make several more trips and cause the Emperor worry."

After Consort Wan finished speaking, several concubines around her laughed and cheered, and finally they left together.

Li Ruolan was behind, her handkerchief almost deformed from being twisted in her hands. When only she and Yunxi were left, her anger could no longer be contained.

"Heh, my father is at least a fourth-rank official, and he even helped the Emperor resolve the famine in the southwest a few days ago. How come he's not as useful as Consort Su's brother!"

"Let's see if they're still laughing after a while!"

Li Ruolan took a deep breath and glanced back at Yunxi.

"Sister, come back with me to prepare. Tonight, I need the Emperor to come to my palace!"