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

Granny Gui really did keep her guard against Yunxi.

For the next few days, she was unable to serve in the palace, and even her three meals a day were personally delivered by Granny Gui.

She couldn't leave Yaoguang Palace even for a moment; all her activities were under the watchful eye of Granny Gui.

But she didn't sit idle; she reviewed and reflected on her actions every day, trying to figure out which step she had gone wrong.

Did the other party notice something, or did they actually find something to use against them?

These past few days have felt like an eternity, until the fifth day when Yunxi finally got the chance to go out.

Granny Gui didn't do anything, but Li Ruolan still preferred her to do her hair, and finally let her return to the palace.

Yunxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went forward to serve.

"Your Majesty is in a good mood today, but something has happened?"

"Yunxi, what are you saying? When have I ever been in a bad mood?"

Li Ruolan admired her beauty in the mirror, slowly selecting the jewelry in front of her, a smile never fading from her lips.

After a while, Li Ruolan saw that Granny Gui had left the room, and then she turned to Yunxi and spoke quietly.

"The Empress Dowager is returning today."

"There's one more thing. The chrysanthemums started to wither after only a few days. Consort Su is furious in Zhaoyang Palace. It's really satisfying."

"You must keep this a secret, or Granny Gui will be angry."

Li Ruolan finally poured out her heart in one breath, which was truly exhilarating.

She never imagined that Granny Gui could extend her reach into Zhaoyang Palace.

But knowing that Granny Gui was one of his own made him feel even more at ease and reliable, and he even thought about going to pay his respects earlier today.

Consort Su certainly wouldn't give Li Ruolan the opportunity to show off in front of her. Before the time for paying respects had even arrived, someone came to inform her that the greetings were exempted.

"The Imperial Concubine is not feeling well today, so her morning greetings are cancelled."

The person who came was Fuqu. She spoke with a stern face and an extremely cold voice.

However, it wasn't a random visit; I mainly wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Yunxi.

At this moment, Yunxi finally understood what she had done to arouse Gui Mama's suspicion.

It turned out to be like this...

Granny Gui couldn't have been unaware of this, and she even suspected that she might be having an affair with someone from Zhaoyang Palace at other times. That's why she's forbidden from appearing these days, and she's not allowed to have any contact with the outside world whatsoever.

The purpose was to sabotage things so that Chrysanthemum would die in Zhaoyang Palace.

Now, she faces two choices.

One option was to seek refuge with Consort Su and start anew, while the other was to stick to the original plan and patiently wait for the right opportunity.

Both paths are fraught with danger, and she needs to provide an answer immediately.

The imperial harem is a trap that can devour people; one wrong step and you'll fall straight into hell.

Fortunately, she had dealt with Fuqu before and had a fairly good understanding of Consort Su's temperament.

"I am deeply grateful for the Consort's life-saving grace that day. I am a servant girl sent to the palace by the Li family to serve Consort Lan, and I would never do anything to betray my mistress."

After saying this, she bowed slightly to Fuqu and turned to leave.

But she left something behind. Fuqu stepped on the paper on the ground and watched her leave.

Fuqu winked at the maid beside her, and the maid immediately got into character.

"Aunt, Yunxi is truly ungrateful! Our Consort Su saved her life that day, and today she actually refused us!"

"She's a loyal dog, and if she hadn't handled things well that day, I wouldn't have been able to save her."

"Then we..."

"Go back and tell the Imperial Concubine that we failed to win her over."

As soon as Fuqu finished speaking, the little palace maid snorted, used the tip of her shoe to hook the paper on the ground, and picked up the news that Yunxi had dropped.

The two didn't linger and turned to leave.

This spot was the best place to talk privately near Yaoguang Palace. About an incense stick later, after they left, Granny Gui finally emerged from the shadows.

"Yunxi, oh Yunxi, are you truly loyal or not?"

"That day, Consort Su saved your life. Don't you feel any gratitude?"

Granny Gui thought about it carefully again, but still couldn't find any other flaws.

She did have doubts about Yunxi.

Ever since that day she served Yunxi in bed, she noticed that something was wrong with Yunxi, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

It was my sixth sense that I felt the other person was no longer as easily fooled as before, and even their docile demeanor seemed suspicious.

Could it be that I'm just overthinking things?

Granny Gui looked up at the sky enclosed by high walls and gently shook her head.

-

Eggshells, tea leaves, ash... mixed and ground into powder, sprinkled on the soil, along with several other ingredients of unknown quantity, listed below.

This is what Yunxi wrote on the note. There was also some fertilizer wrapped in the note, waiting for Consort Su to investigate.

Unable to travel these days, she could only stay in Yaoguang Palace, taking care of the potted plants that Li Ruolan had brought in from outside the palace.

In a hidden corner, she saw this bag of fertilizer.

The thing was mixed in there, inconspicuous, and even emitted a slightly foul odor, making people unwilling to look at it for more than a few seconds.

She studied it carefully and began to have some guesses.

Later, I asked another eunuch, who said that it was brought back by Granny Gui when she left the palace that day, and that it was fertilizer to be used for fertilizing in the winter.

At that moment, she understood completely.

For a flower bud to bloom, it definitely needs sufficient nutrients.

No wonder Granny Gui was so certain that the Zhaoyang Palace wouldn't be able to cultivate them properly, because the fertilizer needed for the two-stemmed chrysanthemums with different colors was right in her hands. Consort Su didn't have time to prepare the correct amount, so the chrysanthemums would only have one outcome.

dead.

But if she dies, Li Ruolan can run to the Emperor and Empress Dowager and complain that Consort Su took her away to take care of her, and even if she knew how to save Chrysanthemum, she couldn't do anything about it.

In the imperial harem, overstepping boundaries and transgressing rules was a serious crime.

Consort Su certainly wouldn't allow such a thing to happen to her. This hot potato needed someone to take it over. She had saved Yunxi that day and was just waiting for her to show her loyalty.

Yunxi neither accepted nor refused.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. She currently lacks the ability to fall out with Li Ruolan, and she doesn't think Consort Su is a new master she can trust.

In the entire harem, she could only trust herself.

Every step must be taken without leaving a trace, and no one should be suspicious.

She originally only knew a few characters, but couldn't write them at all.

In my past life, I accompanied Yan Yu in her studies, and that's how I learned some things from scratch.

Now, even Granny Gui doesn't believe she can read, let alone that she could tip off Consort Su by passing notes.

Back inside the palace, Li Ruolan was having breakfast. When she saw her come in, she beckoned her to come and serve her some food.

"Let Yunxi serve you."

"Your Majesty."

Yunxi didn't dare to be negligent, so she went up to take the seat and served Li Ruolan the food she usually liked.

The Li family required Li Ruolan to keep her preferences hidden in the palace, and not to eat too much of what she liked. Granny Gui also warned her to be careful in everything she did.

But she felt tired and could only relax a little in front of Yunxi.

Li Ruolan was used to being waited on hand and foot, and even the food was practically handed to her and fed to her by hand. When Yunxi came to serve her, she naturally took good care of her.

At times like these, she always felt that Yunxi would be a good maid.

With such meticulous care, who knows, the children will naturally be well cared for in the future as well.

But the child cannot live with Yunxi.

Spineless, destined to serve others.

Naturally, Li Ruolan looked down on Yunxi's background, but since she herself was infertile, she had no choice but to rely on Yunxi's womb to turn things around.

When Granny Gui came in, she saw how Yunxi was taking care of her. She had some doubts at first, but seeing how humbly and attentively she served her, her doubts lessened considerably.

What kind of perspective can the children of sinners have?

A fool who can be easily fooled with a few words should be put to work elsewhere, and we should see what to do next.

Unfortunately, Granny Gui's happiness didn't last long.

The next day, Consort Su invited the most skilled flower expert in the capital to the palace to cultivate the chrysanthemums and also spread the news of the two chrysanthemums of different colors.

This was tantamount to announcing to the world that she had cultivated a new variety of chrysanthemum, and that when the chrysanthemum was on its last legs, she ordered people to enter the palace to take care of it, so that it could be presented to the Empress Dowager on the day she returned to the palace.

Li Ruolan's wishful thinking has been thwarted; she will likely have to search for other things to celebrate the Empress Dowager's return to the palace.

In addition, it was the Empress Dowager's birthday.

The Empress Dowager, who had been devoted to Buddhism for many years, was originally unwilling to return to the palace. However, the Emperor personally organized the celebration for her birthday and wrote countless letters, begging her to come back.

Filial piety is of paramount importance, and the Emperor is a role model for all people, so he dares not be negligent in this regard.

Granny Gui told Li Ruolan that although the Empress Dowager was not the Emperor's biological mother, she had raised him. Their relationship was delicate, and pleasing the Empress Dowager was one of her tasks.

"The deposition of an empress is unprecedented. If you want to climb higher, it's not enough to just have the emperor's favor. You also need to win over the empress dowager and gain her favor."

This news wasn't just known to Granny Gui; it was known to all the concubines in the harem.

Since the Emperor ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager has been practicing vegetarianism and reciting Buddhist scriptures, leaving the palace to rest in temples.

Everyone says that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are at odds, and that her departure was only to allow the Emperor to focus on governing the country.

She was gone for two years. Last year, the emperor personally went to the temple to celebrate her birthday. Now that she has returned, the emperor will not let her leave the palace.

The concubines in the harem were not familiar with the Empress Dowager. Now, whoever could please the Empress Dowager would be remembered by the Emperor.

Yunxi was also aware of this news.

But she remained unmoved, knowing full well that the Empress Dowager's heart was not so easily pleased.

Xiju?

Even Granny Gui taught Li Ruolan to hide her preferences, so why do you think the Empress Dowager wouldn't hide hers?

Even she, no matter how hard she tried in her previous life, couldn't help Li Ruolan in the slightest. It wasn't until the year the Empress Dowager passed away that the Emperor, heartbroken, sent Li Ruolan to take care of him personally and win his heart.

There's no rush regarding the Empress Dowager's affairs; she has plenty of time to investigate slowly.

A birthday banquet is a rare occasion, so there should be some fun things to make it interesting.

She's had enough rest these past few days.