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

Although Granny Gui was strict, it did not mean that she allowed her subordinates to disregard the law.

She knew that Qingqiu was an impatient person, and having gotten used to staying in the outer palace, she was inevitably a bit lax in the palace.

The only reason I was attracted to her was because of her ruthlessness.

People with desires are the easiest to control, and someone like Qingqiu, who has both desires and hatred, is even easier to manipulate.

But her performance now is much worse than she expected.

If someone can't even maintain basic composure, it's hard to imagine whether they'll cause themselves even bigger trouble in the future.

Granny Gui already had a bad impression of Qingqiu.

On the contrary, Qingqiu, seeing Gui Mama's expression, turned back to look at Yunxi, as if she had discovered something.

"Yunxi, it's you!"

Her voice began to rise, and her pupils dilated accordingly.

Thinking back to that day when Yunxi yelled at him, forcing him to harbor hatred, and then in the ensuing confrontation, she showed weakness in front of Granny Gui and blamed all the conflicts on him.

Yes! That's exactly it!

Having lived too comfortably before, and with Granny Gui saying that Yunxi was quite obedient, now that she's in the palace, she naturally wants to get some benefits for herself.

Unexpectedly, he was tricked by a little girl as soon as he arrived!

It wasn't until now that I realized something was wrong.

It only took a few days to see how formidable the other party was, and now I felt even more terrified.

This girl is something else!

But Qingqiu can't say anything now. Even if she comes to her senses and realizes that she acted impulsively, there's no way to undo the mistakes she's made.

Granny Gui was right in front of her. She was punished for making a mistake, and she was fined three months' salary.

"Considering this is your first offense, I'll use three months' salary to teach you a lesson. If you remain so brainless, then I'll have no choice but to report this to Consort Lan!"

Li Ruolan was unwilling to bother with such trivial matters concerning the palace maids below her, and in the end, she would leave it to Granny Gui to handle.

Every day she was thinking of different ways to become more beautiful, how to win the emperor's favor, and how to become empress as quickly as possible.

As for the rest, there's really nothing fun about it.

This is something everyone knows, even Yunxi knows it, and these matters are handled by Granny Gui.

First, let Granny Gui realize that Qingqiu is untrustworthy, and then gradually erode the trust between them.

Yunxi was outnumbered and outmatched. If everyone started targeting her, Jingyang Palace would become a shackle, making it impossible for her to begin her plans.

Rather than become fish meat, she would rather be the knife that kills fish.

Granny Gui gave her final instructions on how to properly prepare the medicine, and then took one last look at Qingqiu before leaving.

Although Qingqiu was angry about being penalized with a deduction from her salary, she did not stay with Yunxi any longer.

She stamped her foot and left anyway.

Before leaving, he glanced at the pattern on the ground and quickly went to find Granny Gui.

"Granny, don't think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. You once said that Yunxi was just a slave, and even though she was Lanpin's sister, she never received the treatment of a young lady. But today I saw her writing something with a twig."

Don't underestimate these things. If you don't have any education and can't read, how would you know how to hold a pen?

This servant believes that Yunxi is definitely hiding something from everyone; in short, she certainly doesn't have good intentions!

Qingqiu explained her reasons clearly, word by word.

She has a keen eye and is very observant; she can immediately detect even the slightest clues.

Even simple graffiti on the ground may be details that were previously unnoticed.

Upon hearing this, Granny Gui frowned. "You mean, Yunxi can write?"

"That's right! But I haven't found any evidence yet. Once I investigate further and obtain more accurate clues, Granny, you..."

Qingqiu's expression immediately became unfathomable, her eyes filled with the word "interest".

Three months' salary!

She was just a palace maid, even a personal maid, and she only earned a few taels of silver.

The palace is a place where you need to make connections to get around. If you don't have money, how will you survive in the palace?

Although Consort Lan usually gave her quite a few rewards, with Yun Xi standing in front of her now, she couldn't get anything good out of it.

Now, clues can be used to gain some benefits, so it's not really considered a punishment.

Granny Gui knew that the other party was after "profit," but fortunately, the Li family had no shortage of money. As long as the information was accurate enough, the benefits would only increase.

"Take this silver ingot first. If we really find out that that slut has learned something else behind our backs, I'll ask the Empress for a good reward for you."

Everyone knows that Jingyang Palace, where Li Ruolan is now, is the place that gives out the most rewards. Even just coming here to deliver a message will earn you a reward.

Although Consort Lan had a bad temper, she was generous with her rewards. Whenever there was any disturbance in the harem, everyone was willing to come and relay the message and ask for a reward.

Even Qingqiu had heard a lot about it, and the amount of golden melon seeds given by Consort Lan was the most generous.

Apart from Consort Lan, there are few other concubines in the harem who are generous enough to spend money like this.

Being a palace maid is a job with a short life; once you reach a certain age, you have to leave the palace. Everyone wants to save up some money so they can take it back home to retire.

Qingqiu, however, is different. She simply loves money and, more importantly, this extravagant lifestyle.

From the moment she chose to board Consort Lan's ship, her goal was very clear:

Make a killing!

She came here specifically to keep an eye on Yunxi, and from now on, she will monitor Yunxi's every move and will absolutely not let that wretched woman tease her again.

They also need to find a good opportunity to get revenge for being tricked by Yunxi before!

In Jingyang Palace, everyone, from the masters to the servants, has their own hidden agendas.

Li Ruolan and Granny Gui certainly didn't know that they had won people's hearts with benefits, so how could their loyalty be solid?

People may come together for profit, but they are also likely to separate for the same reason.

The current prosperity is only temporary.

Yunxi sat quietly over there, brewing the medicine. After the medicine was ready, she personally brought it to her dear sister and drank the bowl of medicine in front of her.

"Are you feeling much better now?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I can clearly feel that my body is not as heavy, and my energy is also much better than before."

Yunxi kept her head down, and even when answering, she did not forget her status as a servant.

Li Ruolan loved seeing others bow down to her; the more humble they were, the more it satisfied her vanity.

No matter how much Granny Gui reminded her not to trust Yunxi so much, Li Ruolan still felt that Yunxi's timid nature wouldn't cause any big trouble.

For example, right now, he could have drunk the medicine in private, but he insisted on taking it to her and getting her permission before drinking it.

What is this if not a lack of assertiveness?

What great things can such a timid and indecisive person accomplish?

Li Ruolan couldn't believe that Yunxi, a sinner who knew nothing, could harbor thoughts of betrayal!

Does she have that ability?

Or did she find another master and become someone else's dog?

Li Ruolan looked at Yunxi and felt it was absurd again.

In the harem, a place that devours people, what kind of tricks could a stupid and foolish servant like Yunxi possibly play?

Besides, her sickly mother was still waiting for her outside the palace.

The brief greetings didn't last long. After finishing her drink and taking care of other things, Yunxi took the empty bowl and went downstairs.

With the autumn hunt just around the corner, and the Emperor having other important matters to attend to, he hasn't visited the inner palace for several days.

On this rare day off, Li Ruolan is now only thinking about how to go and take a trip to the autumn hunting grounds.

"Granny, I really want to go too! It's a royal hunt. Now that I'm a concubine, I should be able to accompany the emperor."

Although she had entered the palace, the pampered young lady still retained some of the spoiled air she had developed in her mansion.

Now, they start clamoring for whatever they want, even wanting to get involved in things like leaving the palace.

That pregnant woman isn't her, so why can't she go out for a walk?

But Granny Gui wouldn't budge, and wouldn't allow her to take any risks.

"Now that Your Highness is a concubine, you should be more composed. Do you know how many eyes are on you now that you've announced you're pregnant? If something unexpected happens during the autumn hunt, it would be a huge loss."

"Can……"

"The autumn hunt happens every year. Who knows, maybe next year the Empress will be the Empress herself. Wouldn't it be even more prestigious to ride in the same palanquin as the Emperor?"

Granny Gui was good at coaxing people, and this time she brought out an even bigger temptation, which really reduced Li Ruolan's complaints a lot.

She's faking her pregnancy right now. Rather than going out and revealing her identity, it's safer for her to stay put and wait until the pregnancy is over.

Putting everything else aside, Consort Su alone is enough to make people wary.

If the matter is exposed, it might cause other troubles, and then the Li family will be implicated. Forget about becoming empress, I'm afraid none of them can escape the consequences.

Spoiled children don't think that much. Take Li Ruolan, for example. She has no empathy whatsoever; she only thinks about herself.

After hearing what Granny Gui said, her desire to leave diminished considerably, and she began to work on new rouge, thinking of finding an opportunity to meet the Emperor before he left.

The autumn hunt will last for more than half a month, and the two will not see each other. She must do something to make the emperor think of her.

Li Ruolan is now living a sweet and happy life. After the Emperor praised her beauty several times, he already considers her his official wife.

So what if she has three thousand beauties in her harem? As long as she is the most beautiful, she will definitely be able to capture the hearts of men.

The emperor was, after all, one of the men.

But just a few days later, a piece of news came that made Li Ruolan restless!

The usually unassuming Consort Qiu was also on the hunting list. Her father was still being escorted to the capital. What made her so special to the Emperor?

"It is said that yesterday in the garden, the Twelfth Prince was playing there when he was bitten by a poisonous snake, and it was Consort Qiu who gave him the antidote."

"The Twelfth Prince is safe and sound thanks to Consort Qiu. She went to the Emperor and asked him to take her with him on the autumn hunt."