The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

Seeing Xiao Yu showing concern for Lü Rui and even personally helping her to her feet, the Empress couldn't fathom what he was thinking. She gently said to Lü Rui, "Lü Cai Nu, you should rest well these next two days. You don't need to come to Fengqi Palace to pay your respects."

Green Bud was flattered and quickly stood up, saying, "Paying respects to Her Majesty the Empress is my duty, and I dare not be disrespectful."

Consort Rong waved her handkerchief: "Lady Lü is so sensible. Not to mention the Emperor likes her, I like her very much too."

Consort Rong had just called Green Maiden a vixen, but now she seemed like a completely different person. It was rare for her to say that she liked anyone, and these empty words were just meant to make Consort Zhuang feel bad.

Consort Zhuang gave her a disdainful look: "She's just a palace maid, doing menial work all day long. Does Consort Rong think that just because she pays her respects, she's being sensible? Are you tired?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu's expression immediately changed: "Consort Zhuang!"

Seeing that Xiao Yu's tone was very displeased and that he was staring at her with a stern expression, Consort Zhuang said in a low voice, "What I said was only the truth. Why is Your Majesty looking at me like that?"

Normally, the Emperor would indulge her as long as she acted coquettishly, but this time Consort Zhuang was wrong.

Xiao Yu said coldly, "Lu Cai Nu is no longer a palace maid, but my concubine. I do not wish for anyone to discuss her identity in the future." His tone was quite serious, making everyone who heard it feel icy.

Consort Zhuang was slightly taken aback, looking at Xiao Yu incredulously. After a long while, she said with a pale face, "Yes... Your Majesty, I understand."

Green Bud sat at the back, nervously twisting her handkerchief. She didn't understand the meaning behind the Emperor's actions.

Xiao Yu's face was as cold as ice. He said solemnly, "I thought I'd come over for a visit today because I'm on leave, but I didn't expect to hear these open and covert attacks, these jealous and quarrelsome words. Your Majesty, you'd better be more strict in managing the harem from now on."

The Empress was inexplicably reprimanded by Xiao Yu. She looked pale and quickly stood up, saying, "It is my fault for failing in my duty and for not managing the inner palace properly."

Xiao Yu felt extremely annoyed and walked away with a flick of his sleeve. When he reached Lü Rui's side, he stopped and said, "Accompany me back to Zhaochen Palace."

Green Bud kept her head down, not daring to look up at the expressions of the other concubines, and quickly got up to follow behind Xiao Yu.

Ning Shuyan looked at Xiao Yu's inexplicable actions and couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration; he was putting on a good show.

Because of General Nangong, Xiao Yu would not punish Consort Zhuang. However, Xiao Yu could not tolerate Consort Zhuang's outrageous actions in the harem, including planting spies for him.

He is using Lü Rui to suppress Consort Zhuang!

That's good, at least I can have some peace and quiet for a while. I'm afraid Consort Zhuang and the other concubines will all be watching Lü Rui.

Consort Zhuang must be filled with deep regret now for placing Green Bud in her palace.

For a moment, the hall was silent. The Empress pondered for a moment, then looked up at Consort Zhuang. Her usually serene face was now shrouded in darkness, inspiring a sense of awe.

"Consort Zhuang, you are a senior member of the palace, yet you remain so impulsive, impatient, and prone to jealousy. I usually turn a blind eye to your behavior and don't want to hold it against you. But today, you have acted so presumptuously in front of the Emperor, so I have no choice but to punish you."

After a pause, she added, "I hereby punish you by making you copy 'Women's Virtues' and 'Women's Instructions' ten times. Give them to me tomorrow."

If it were someone else, it would be fine, but Consort Zhuang was not proficient in poetry and calligraphy, so it would probably take her a long time to copy these ten times.

Consort Zhuang twisted the handkerchief in her hand. No matter how dissatisfied she was, the Emperor had just been angry, so she could only endure it.

She gritted her teeth and said, "I understand."

Consort Rong curled the corners of her lips into a delightful smile, tilting her head as she savored her tea.

Upon leaving Fengqi Palace, Ning Shuyan noticed that Consort Xi had a dark and stiff expression.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Ning Shuyan instinctively pulled her cloak tighter around herself. "What's wrong? Are you angry about what happened with Lü Rui?"

When Consort Xi realized that Ning Shuyan had seen through her, her face immediately darkened, and she said angrily, "I really think the Emperor has lost his mind, suddenly doting on a palace maid like this. Today, he actually left all the concubines in the palace waiting for a palace maid."

When Consort Xi uttered those words, it startled everyone, especially her personal maid.

Ning Shuyan looked around: "We should keep these things to ourselves. It wouldn't be good if someone with ulterior motives heard you speaking in such a loud tone."

Consort Xi said coldly, "I'd love for the Emperor to hear this. Are you saying that neither of us is as good as that palace maid? Especially..." At this point, Consort Xi blushed.

"What is it?" Ning Shuyan asked curiously.

Xi Jieyu leaned close to her ear and whispered, "What circumstances could make her voice hoarse, and even her legs tremble when she bows and greets others?"

She paused, took a deep breath, and her anger was replaced by deep sadness: "I feel sad when I think about it."

As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly, but she still maintained a remarkably strong expression.

When she served the emperor, he would restrain himself, but with Lü Rui's behavior, it's likely that the emperor did more than just take her once or twice.

Ning Shuyan then realized that Xiao Yu had been favoring Lü Rui, and she was secretly heartbroken.

After calming down, Xi Jieyu looked at Ning Shuyan and said, "Aren't you sad?"

Ning Shuyan's eyes held a hint of indifference, her gaze gradually becoming unfocused as she looked ahead: "It's heartbreaking, but what good is heartbreak? Does he think he'll come and favor us?"

"He is the emperor, and the number of women around him will only increase. Today there is a Green Lady, and tomorrow there may be a Blue Lady or a Purple Lady. If it is like this every time, and you are always in pain, then how can you live your life in the future? No matter what, a woman must love herself first before she can have the confidence to love others."

Xi Jieyu listened intently to her words, lost in thought, gazing at Ning Shuyan's beautiful face and scrutinizing her closely.

Ning Shuyan felt a little strange being looked at, and said with a smile, "What's wrong? Do you think what I said is wrong?"

Xi Jieyu smiled gently, like a soft, fine spring rain, tender and comforting: "You're absolutely right, very right."

This was the first time she had shown such a gentle smile, which surprised Ning Shuyan slightly. In fact, if Xi Jieyu were willing to smile gently, she would also be a gentle and quiet woman. However, in the past, she always had a cold and aloof demeanor, keeping people at arm's length.

"You're really special; it's very pleasant to listen to you speak. By the way, what's your name?"

Ning Shuyan smiled and said, "Ning Shuyan."

Xi Jieyu nodded, thinking it was a rather nice name. She smiled and said, "My name is Cheng Yin."

The bright, golden sunlight, shining warmly on the two as winter approached, created a dreamlike scene, resembling a beautiful painting of a woman from afar.