At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

The Imperial Harem of the Great Qian Dynasty, Fanghua Palace.

The palace is adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, and embroidered with brocade. Fragrant breezes waft through the air, creating a scene of luxury and splendor everywhere.

For two whole years, Consort Xu held the most favored position in the harem, enjoying unparalleled favor and monopolizing all the emperor's affections. No one in the six palaces could surpass her.

At this moment, Fanghua Palace is filled with warmth and coziness.

Consort Xu wore a newly woven brocade dress with flowing clouds and begonias, the hem of which was embroidered with intertwined gold begonia branches, shimmering and dazzling.

She stood before the gilded bronze mirror, her slender fingers gently tracing the patterns on her hem, carefully examining her stunningly beautiful face in the mirror, repeatedly adjusting her posture and hairstyle, her eyes and brows filled with noble arrogance.

Having been in the palace for two years, she has firmly captured the emperor's heart with her stunning beauty and clever mind, keeping his gaze fixed on Fanghua Palace, making all the other concubines pale in comparison. She can even influence the emperor's mind on matters of state by whispering in his ear. She has always been arrogant and disdainful of others.

Several close palace maids stood behind him, bowing down to praise him, their words extremely flattering.

"Your Majesty's new dress is absolutely stunning! The shimmering gold threads accentuate your snow-white skin and breathtaking beauty; you are truly a celestial being descended to earth!"

"Such elegance and charm are unmatched in the harem. If His Majesty were to see her, he would surely be amazed by her once again and favor her even more!"

"Ordinary women and common concubines aren't even worthy of carrying the Empress's shoes!"

As the flattering words reached her ears, Consort Xu's lips curled into a smug smile, her eyes gleaming with even greater pride. She spoke calmly, "Then take a look, which golden hairpin would suit this dress best? The crimson begonia, or the pearl and jade flowing cloud?"

The palace maids quickly stepped forward, carefully comparing the details and flattering Consort Xu with every word, making her even happier.

Just as the atmosphere inside the hall was warm and lively, a palace maid on duty quickly entered the hall, bowed and whispered, "Your Highness, Eunuch Wu from the Imperial Kitchen is outside requesting an audience. He says he has some urgent matters to attend to in the palace and will report to Your Highness immediately."

Upon hearing this, Consort Xu's smile faded slightly, and she nodded gently: "Let him in."

Before long, Eunuch Wu, the head of the imperial kitchen, bowed and carefully entered the luxurious hall.

He had spent years navigating the inner palace, and was adept at reading people and currying favor. He knew that Consort Xu was extremely favored and ruthless, and was the true power behind the throne in the inner palace, so he dared not be negligent in the slightest.

After bowing, Eunuch Wu lowered his voice and recounted in detail the secrets that had occurred in the imperial court and the inner palace that day.

"Your Majesty, this afternoon His Majesty suddenly moved to Qingrou Palace and personally dined at Consort Rou's bedchamber!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Xu, who had been looking languid, suddenly stiffened, and the smile on her face instantly froze!

She whirled around, her eyes filled with disbelief, shock, and anger, and demanded sharply, "What did you say? His Majesty went to Qingrou Palace?"

Qingrou Palace, that is the bedroom of Consort Rou, Lin Wanqing!

A neglected, abandoned palace that has been ignored by His Majesty for years!

For two whole years, His Majesty stayed at Fanghua Palace every day, ignoring the other concubines and never setting foot in any of their palaces. Not to mention Qingrou Palace, which had long been forgotten!

Eunuch Wu bowed deeply and hurriedly replied, "It's absolutely true! This servant wouldn't dare to deceive Your Majesty! His Majesty not only personally visited Qingrou Palace but also dined there. Upon seeing that Consort Rou's daily meals were coarse and bland, he was furious and severely reprimanded the servants on duty in the imperial kitchen!"

"His Majesty has personally decreed that henceforth, the dietary standards of Qingrou Palace shall be raised to the highest level of a Noble Consort, with specially prepared nourishing medicinal meals exclusively for Consort Rou's health maintenance. No one is permitted to withhold or neglect these provisions!"

Boom!

The two pieces of news struck Consort Xu like a thunderbolt!

Her face instantly darkened, and the arrogance nurtured by her favored status transformed into intense jealousy and resentment. Her voice became incredulously sharp:

"You haven't set foot here for two whole years! Why are you suddenly going to Qingrou Palace today?"

"That Lin Wanqing is sickly and melancholy all year round, with a haggard appearance and not a trace of charm. Why has she suddenly gained His Majesty's favor? And dares to eat at the same level as me!"

The atmosphere inside the hall froze instantly, and the originally warm, fragrant breeze became oppressive and cold.

The shrewd eunuch Wu, who was standing nearby, knew that the Imperial Concubine harbored suspicion and jealousy. Now was the perfect opportunity to sow discord. He immediately pretended to hesitate and spoke in a low, obsequious voice: "Your Majesty, there is something I am not sure if I should say."

"Speak!" Consort Xu shouted coldly.

Eunuch Wu raised his eyes slightly and said cautiously, "His Majesty has neglected Qingrou Palace for two years and never inquired about it. Yet today he suddenly came to visit and bestowed this extraordinary favor. There must be another reason for this."

"Your Majesty must have heard that the Sixth Prince, Xiao Yunchuan, followed General Su Mu on his eastern expedition and made outstanding contributions."

"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty's actions today are likely due to the merits of the Sixth Prince and Su Mu, a deliberate show of favoritism towards Consort Rou and her son to make up for years of neglect and elevate the status of Qingrou Palace!"

These words precisely struck at the very spot where Consort Xu was most afraid and jealous.

Upon hearing this, she immediately snorted coldly, her eyes filled with disdain and resentment, her face full of arrogance and unwillingness: "Just because of her, Lin Wanqing?"

"An old woman nearing forty, with a fading appearance and chronic illness, lacking both talent and looks, what makes her comparable to me?"

"I am in the prime of my life, enjoying His Majesty's favor for two years, the sole ruler of the six palaces! How could a mere deposed concubine, long out of favor, possibly climb back above me with the help of her son? That's utterly delusional!"

Eunuch Wu quickly seized the opportunity to flatter, nodding and bowing repeatedly: "Of course! Your Majesty is of unparalleled beauty and enjoys the Emperor's favor; how could Consort Rou possibly compare in the slightest!"

"This servant is only worried that His Majesty's decree has been issued, and the Imperial Kitchen dares not disobey. If the dietary standards of Qingrou Palace are now on par with those of Her Highness, it might damage Her Highness's dignity and prestige!"

Consort Xu glanced at him coldly, instantly seeing through the old fox's thoughts, and said sarcastically, "You dog servant, there's no need to beat around the bush in front of me."

"Rest assured, I know that His Majesty's decree is difficult to disobey, and I will not allow you to openly defy the decree and seek your own death."

"I will not stop His Majesty from bestowing the favor he desires. Just carry out the decree and leave."

Eunuch Wu understood immediately and instantly realized the hidden meaning in the Consort's words.

He dared not say more, and quickly bowed and carefully retreated from the main hall.

Once everyone had completely left, there were no more outsiders in Fanghua Palace.

Consort Xu's face darkened completely. Her jade-like hands clenched tightly, her fingertips turning white, and jealousy surged in her eyes, filled with resentment.

"Lin Wanqing, you half-dead old woman, after two years of silence, you dare to come out and steal my favor?"

"A mere deposed concubine who basked in the glory of her son and outsiders, dares to stand on equal footing with me? I will remember this favor!"

She harbored a deep-seated hatred and had already made up her mind that she would never allow Qingrou Palace to rise to power. She would definitely suppress it in every way possible in the future and quietly break this sudden imperial favor.

Just as she was filled with gloom and secretly plotting, a palace maid rushed in again to report:

"Your Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived outside Fanghua Palace and requests an audience!"

"The Crown Prince?"

Consort Xu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, her eyes filled with surprise.

She had been in the palace for two years, enjoying the emperor's favor and living alone in the inner palace. The crown prince, as the heir apparent, always adhered to etiquette and kept his distance from the inner palace. He never took the initiative to set foot in Fanghua Palace, let alone made a special trip to visit her.

Her sudden visit today must not be for idle chatter; there must be some earth-shattering upheaval in the previous dynasty, leaving the Crown Prince with nowhere to turn, and he has come to the inner palace to seek her help!

A thought flashed through her mind, and Consort Xu instantly grasped the situation. She immediately ordered in a deep voice, "All palace maids, withdraw! Stand guard outside the hall. No one is allowed to approach or eavesdrop. Summon the Crown Prince to the hall!"

All the palace servants had left, leaving the main hall empty and quiet.

A moment later, Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng strode into the hall, his expression somber, his eyes filled with deep resentment and anxiety.

Before the Imperial Concubine could speak, the Crown Prince cut straight to the point, his tone steady: "Your Highness must have already heard about Father Emperor's sudden visit to Qingrou Palace today?"

Consort Xu raised her eyes to look at him and nodded slightly: "I just heard that the Crown Prince came here today specifically to discuss this matter, surely it wasn't just to talk about this?"

The Crown Prince sneered and went straight to the point: "Your Majesty is intelligent and insightful; you will surely see through the clues."

"Just now, news of a great victory from the East Sea arrived in the capital! Our Great Qian Dynasty launched a twenty-day expedition across the sea and pacified the entire Eastern Barbarian lands in five days!"

These words were like a thunderclap, once again shocking Consort Xu's mind!

She abruptly stood up, her face filled with disbelief: "What?! The Eastern Barbarians were wiped out in five days?"

The Dongyi were the hegemons of the East China Sea for a century, with a powerful navy and deep roots. They had been entrenched overseas for many years, and no one dared to invade them!

Su Mu led his army on an expedition for only twenty days, yet he managed to achieve such an incredible victory!

After a brief moment of shock, a surge of overwhelming hatred welled up in Consort Xu's eyes. She gritted her teeth and whispered, her tone chilling and biting:

"That old bastard Su Mu! He's incredibly resilient! And his methods are astounding! He went all the way to the East China Sea to fight, yet he didn't suffer a single loss, and instead achieved such an unparalleled feat!"

"My brother was imprisoned and died tragically in prison, all because of him! This blood feud is something I grieve for day and night! Why didn't he die on the battlefield in the East China Sea!"

Seeing the hatred on her face, the Crown Prince understood and continued to drop bombshells to crush the Consort's composure: "Not only that, today, Father Emperor publicly issued an edict in the Golden Palace, bestowing upon Su Mu the title of God of War Who Guards the Nation, a supreme honor that surpasses all civil and military officials!"

"My sixth brother, Xiao Yunchuan, distinguished himself in the army and was exceptionally granted the title of General Dingyuan. He held military power, was favored by the emperor, and rose to prominence overnight!"

With these two bombshell announcements, Consort Xu's face turned ashen, and her heart was filled with gloom.

God of War Who Protects the Nation!

General Dingyuan!

An old man and a young man, a commander and a general, with immense achievements, military power and popular support, their favor with the emperor was unmatched!

In an instant, she saw through all the connections.

The Emperor had neglected Qingrou Palace for two years, but today he suddenly visited and bestowed extraordinary favors upon Consort Rou. This was by no means a spur-of-the-moment decision!

It was entirely because of Xiao Yunchuan's rise to power and Su Mu's great achievements that the emperor deliberately promoted the lineage of the sixth prince and favored the mother and son of Qingrou Palace!

The power dynamics surrounding the crown prince and the harem are both changing.

Consort Xu took a deep breath, suppressing the jealousy and resentment surging in her heart, and looked up at the Crown Prince, instantly understanding the purpose of his special visit.

The Crown Prince was wary of Su Mu's high achievements and Xiao Yunchuan's rise to power and potential covetousness of the throne. He wanted to use her favor in the harem to influence the Emperor and keep him in check.

She hated Su Mu to the bone and feared the rise of Consort Rou, which coincided with her reaching a consensus and having aligned interests with the Crown Prince.

Their eyes met, and without a word, they understood each other perfectly.

Consort Xu raised her cold eyes slightly, her tone firm: "I fully understand the Crown Prince's purpose in coming."

"Rest assured, this sudden favor, this supreme glory of being a national war god and general who pacifies the world, will not be easily enjoyed by them!"

"I am by Your Majesty's side every day."

"I know what to say and how to be tactful."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's gloomy expression eased slightly. He bowed slightly and smiled with relief, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness. I will await your good news in the future. I will take my leave now."

Having said that, the crown prince did not linger any longer and turned to leave in a hurry.

Inside the spacious and luxurious Fanghua Palace, only Consort Xu stood by the window.

The evening breeze outside the window stirred the curtains, her eyes were filled with a deep-seated hostility, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

Su Mu, Xiao Yunchuan, Lin Wanqing...

You suddenly rose to prominence and enjoyed boundless glory?

Then I'll give it a try!

So what if he's a war god? So what if he's a general? So what if he's favored by the emperor?

In the inner palace and imperial court, the power struggles and underhanded tactics employed in bed are often more effective at destroying hearts and ruining achievements than the swords on the battlefield!