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

The so-called cousin is actually a very distant relative.

However, since I live in Kyoto, I do know that such a person exists.

If it weren't for this connection with her relatives, Consort Wan would probably never have been able to meet Mu Xiaoci in her entire life.

That year, she had just come of age and at a banquet, she shielded Mu Xiao from an arrow, earning the gratitude of the late emperor and empress dowager, which led to her entry into the palace today.

She rose to the rank of concubine in less than a year, not because of her beauty or her courage, but because she feigned illness.

Every time she appeared, it reminded the emperor of the day he was assassinated, when a frail girl saved him from losing his life.

Even after several years, the gratitude for saving his life still felt like a shackle weighing on him.

Even if she was faking illness, even if she used despicable tricks, Mu Xiaoci could only endure it or pretend he didn't see it.

This was one of the reasons he hated appearing in the harem; he didn't want to see Consort Wan, and even less did he want to talk to her about those old, stale stories.

How could the Empress Dowager not know? But she couldn't make the decision. After all, it was a tragic fate, and the Emperor himself had to get over it.

All she could do was not protect Consort Wan and have less contact with this cousin.

The Empress Dowager was quite straightforward; she disliked women and that was that. In her early years, she was decisive and ruthless in the harem. Even though her maternal family had declined, all the women in the harem were afraid of her.

Even though she is now the Empress Dowager and has grown old, she is unwilling to participate in these trivial matters. However, that does not mean she is unaware of the intricacies involved or the thoughts of these women.

If Li Ruolan is arrogant, she does have some merit. Not only is she pregnant, but the Li family has also provided considerable assistance to the Emperor.

As for a fallen concubine like Wan Pin, she shouldn't ask for anything more than the life-saving grace she received that day.

If it weren't for this life-saving grace, my mother's family would have been wiped out in Kyoto long ago, and they wouldn't still be able to eke out a living, hold one or two idle positions, and maintain their former glory.

Mu Xiaoci felt he had done everything he could to be kind and righteous, but Consort Wan still felt it wasn't enough.

She hadn't seen the Empress Dowager for a long time, and hadn't been able to exchange more than a few words at the last banquet. Now that she saw her again, she couldn't help but blurt out "Aunt."

"It's your aunt." Granny Li interrupted her directly, her voice becoming stern. "Consort Wan, this is the palace. Even if the Empress Dowager is related to you by blood, that's not a reason to indulge you."

Concubines naturally had to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, and even the Empress had to observe the proper etiquette.

Consort Wan had forgotten everything else; all she remembered now was that blood relation, and she thought the Empress Dowager would change her attitude towards her because of it.

In fact, Consort Wan knew that the Empress Dowager disliked her. She only called her "aunt" to Li Ruolan to let her know that her identity was not simple.

Unexpectedly, he also suffered a setback with the Empress Dowager and did not get any credit at all.

Li Ruolan smiled faintly as she looked at his reluctant bowing.

The sound was very soft and was quickly masked.

Even if Consort Wan realized what was happening and wanted to complain, she couldn't catch them in the act, which made her even angrier.

They still live in the same palace, so they see each other all the time, but unexpectedly, they really broke up today, showing no respect for each other at all.

Li Ruolan was indeed arrogant, so arrogant that she thought she could be an enemy of all the concubines in the harem.

Consort Wan's visit today was definitely not just to see the Empress Dowager; she made a special trip knowing that Li Ruolan was coming, all for the sake of unfolding her plans.

The first three months of pregnancy are the most unstable time for a fetus. Women in the harem who are pregnant try to keep it a secret and would never flaunt it like Li Ruolan, who made a special trip to the palace so far away.

Since the other party is so restless, they can't blame anyone else if something happens on the road.

Consort Wan had a fight with Li Ruolan. If something happens to Li Ruolan, suspicion will definitely fall on her.

I came here specifically to find an alibi.

Now that we've formed an alliance with Consort Su, we must act immediately to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Before Li Ruolan moves out of Yaoguang Palace, we should seize the opportunity to make a move, so that we won't have such a good chance to strike again after she moves out.

Nothing could go wrong with the Empress Dowager, but Li Ruolan couldn't speak to the Empress Dowager in front of Consort Wan, so she went to the side hall and accompanied the Empress Dowager to cultivate her mind and character.

Copying Buddhist scriptures isn't exactly tiring, but it does give people a good impression.

Li Ruolan's initiative to copy the text truly showed her composure and magnanimity.

A person who has done countless bad things will be considered bad by others, but if such a person does just one good thing, it will give people a huge sense of change, as if they have laid down their weapons and turned over a new leaf.

That's exactly what Li Ruolan is like now.

She took such a proactive step to leave a good impression on the Empress Dowager so that the Empress Dowager would feel that she had come with sincerity.

Sincerity needs to be demonstrated through actions.

Who is the Empress Dowager? With just a word, she can send you whatever you want.

Li Ruolan couldn't offer a better gift, but she could express her attitude.

Copying scriptures made the Empress Dowager much more pleasing to the eye.

After all, there was Consort Wan standing nearby for comparison, which could dilute half of the dislike.

Consort Wan didn't care about these things.

She knew from her first day in the palace that the Empress Dowager disliked being close to her to avoid suspicion. Now, seeing that the Empress Dowager seemed to prefer Li Ruolan, she felt a surge of anger for some reason, and even cursed the Empress Dowager countless times in her heart.

What is this if not favoritism?

Instead of siding with their own people, they side with this woman who's causing trouble in the harem; it's infuriating to see.

Consort Wan was even angrier when she saw this, and vowed that she would not let Li Ruolan get away with it this time.

Since Li Ruolan was staying here, she didn't leave either.

"I remember that the Empress Dowager's favorite tea is chrysanthemum tea, so I brought some chrysanthemum tea that my father sent to present to the Empress Dowager today."

Nowadays, most people prefer tea made from tea leaves. The Empress Dowager loved chrysanthemums and drank chrysanthemum tea, which was specially made and presented as tribute every year. However, before she entered the palace, her maternal family specially arranged for someone to make it.

Consort Wan said that she had brought it with her, but she probably couldn't think of any other way and was using this as an excuse to stay here.

What are you doing here?

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Consort Wan before finally settling on Consort Lan.

Neither of these two are easy to deal with; they treated her Shou Kang Palace like a battlefield.

She hadn't participated in palace intrigue for a long time and wanted to see what new tricks the harem could come up with now.

"Very well, it's been a long time since I've tasted the tea from home. I remember Consort Wan's tea-making skills were quite good. You can make me some tea today."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Consort Wan, upon receiving the order, spoke much more cheerfully.

Making tea is truly a great excuse to delay as long as you want.

Consort Wan has finally found an excuse to stay; now it's up to Li Ruolan to decide what to do.

This unusual behavior caught Li Ruolan's attention.

Just then, Yunxi brought over the herbal medicine. Before taking the medicine, Li Ruolan asked Yunxi to go and investigate.

"This Consort Wan is being unusually attentive; she must have ulterior motives. I'm afraid she's hiding some scheme to deal with me. She wouldn't be foolish enough to do it in Shou Kang Palace; she's probably on the way..."

Li Ruolan communicated using voices that only the two of them could hear, and even asked Yunxi to go find Granny Gui and let her handle the situation.

"Granny Gui is an old hand in the palace. As long as we talk to her, the other party's schemes will be exposed immediately."

Li Ruolan laughed, completely unconcerned about how bitter the medicine in her hand was, and drank it all in one gulp.

As far as she was concerned, since it wasn't her who was pregnant, these herbal soups had long been replaced by nourishing medicines by Granny Gui, all for the purpose of beautifying the skin.

Yunxi had already taken the medicine prescribed by Physician Fang when she went to pick it up.

No one would suspect Yunxi, much less believe that the pregnant woman is this insignificant palace maid beside Li Ruolan.

Is she trying to hide from the public?

Even Consort Wan doesn't know Yunxi's name now. She originally wanted to remember her appearance, but once she doesn't see her face, she can't figure out who this person is at all.

This is the plaster made by a Taoist priest from the Jianghu that the Li family found for Yunxi. It can ensure that she can walk around the harem without anyone noticing her true appearance.

Yunxi's body is not suited for much activity right now, and she can't accompany Li Ruolan on the adventures ahead. After serving her the medicine, she will return to Yaoguang Palace.

Her replacement is Granny Gui, who is already waiting outside the hall.

Upon receiving the order, Yunxi bowed her head and withdrew. She immediately went out to meet with Granny Gui, told her about the situation inside, and repeated what Li Ruolan had said.

Granny Gui nodded, her gaze still sharp.

"After you return to the palace, do not come out. If anyone asks you why you came back, say that you are not feeling well and that I told you to come back to rest."

"Yes, Granny."

She kept her head down, responding meekly and submissively.

With Granny Gui around, Li Ruolan will definitely be alright.

In addition, Li Ruolan was not pregnant to begin with, so this trip would at most cause her some physical discomfort, but the baby would be perfectly fine.

But she still couldn't help being curious about what exactly Wanpin's methods were.

In her previous life, Li Ruolan was already under house arrest at this time. During this period, she stayed in Yaoguang Palace and could not go anywhere, so this kind of thing did not happen.

Since her rebirth, too many things have deviated from the original plan, and even Yunxi doesn't know if what she's doing is right or wrong.

"I'm simply changing my own future, God. This is the power you gave me, and the right you bestowed upon me!"

She looked up at the sky and said these words.

Whatever Wanpin's plan is, it will definitely target Li Ruolan's belly.

Since she's going back to Yaoguang Palace anyway, let's wait and see what kind of pipes they're selling here.

How could Consort Wan be so arrogant as to expose herself?

Isn't she afraid of getting herself into trouble?