Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

"My two elder sisters have no idea how much more unbearable it was for me to spend an hour in the Cining Palace than to be in a frying pan."

Inside Liuchun Pavilion, amidst the deep darkness outside, Bai Fengping, by candlelight, recounted her experiences in Cining Palace during the day with heartfelt sincerity.

He Yunqing was also there. She had arrived earlier than Bai Fengping. To be precise, not long after Bai Fengping entered the Cining Palace, someone had already reached her and Qiao Yanran's ears with the news.

After all, those who entered the Empress Dowager's palace with Bai Fengping were not on the same side as them. Therefore, they had to be more careful. Even if they were like sisters, they were not really sisters.

What if someone stabs you in the back? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?

So when Bai Fengping returned, He Yunqing and Qiao Yanran were still a little worried, but after meeting her and learning the truth, they were somewhat relieved.

After all, what Bai Fengping said was basically true. She was indeed restless in Cining Palace, and it wasn't her idea to go there. Meeting Yao Jinse in the Imperial Garden seemed like a coincidence to everyone.

"As for Consort Lin, she is really hard to figure out. She seems to be keeping a low profile while following Consort Rong, but she is not a kind person. She can give birth to a daughter peacefully in the harem and protect herself so well."

He Yunqing had witnessed these things more often at home, so she was well aware that people's outward appearance and inner thoughts often present two different faces.

“Sister is right. Today, she took Sister Bai to Cining Palace, but she may not really want to befriend her. If Sister Bai embarrasses herself in front of the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace, wouldn’t that be another sin?”

Qiao Yanran had never been one to judge others by one's own standards, but today's situation was so strange that she had to be careful.

It's no wonder they overthink things. Indeed, Bai Fengping wasn't particularly outstanding in the harem. If there was anything special about her, it was that she was on good terms with He Yunqing, so she received some favors as a result.

It's no wonder that Qiao Yanran couldn't understand it. Bai Fengping herself sometimes found it puzzling. They said Yao Jinse was unassuming, but wasn't she the same?

But it was Yao Jinse who approached her, not the other two of the three. Could this be considered a case of birds of a feather flocking together?

It's quite remarkable that two people with similar personalities could walk together in such a vast harem. It seems like such an easy thing to happen, yet it happened so simply that no one would have thought of it that way.

Therefore, for Bai Fengping, her relationship with Yao Jinse was almost risk-free, because even the two people beside her would smile when they met Yao Jinse face to face.

Women in the harem never openly display their animosity towards each other. Only someone of Consort Rong's status would not hide her disdain for others.

Others wouldn't do that.

It is definitely not a good thing for a woman to be known as jealous. The world is already very harsh on women, and it will only be harsher in the deep palace.

Consort Rong is able to act arrogantly and domineeringly in the harem because she has the emperor's favor. But if one day that favor is gone, then her arrogance and domineering nature will completely disappear.

When that time comes, it will naturally be the day when these people rise to power.

"Consort Lin is an old-timer in the harem, and her status is quite different. Moreover, she has a very close relationship with Consort Rong."

He Yunqing and Yao Jinse had more contact. Because of dealing with trivial matters in the harem, the two would inevitably have some ordinary interactions: "In the end, we have different positions from them. Even if they want to target us, it is only natural." With the words "harem infighting" in mind, women don't need to find any reason to suppress each other. No matter how virtuous and kind they appear on the surface, or how close their sisterly affection is, it's all out in the open.

In secret, if they want to fight each other, then they will use ruthless methods that are sure to kill.

As the daughter of a prominent family, He Yunqing had been instructed before entering the palace.

The struggles within the imperial harem are far more ruthless than the battles on the battlefield.

On the battlefield, swords and spears are indiscriminate; if you dodge and defend against both open and hidden attacks, you can still survive in the end.

But in this inner palace, in this bottomless palace city, who doesn't survive by being extremely careful and taking every step with caution?
Upon hearing He Yunqing's words, Bai Fengping nodded as if to agree, while turning her gaze to Qiao Yanran.

Qiao Yanran received the gaze directed at her, cleared her throat, and said:

"Although I didn't have much interaction with Consort Lin, from the few times we met, including what I heard from the Emperor, I felt that she was a kind-hearted person."

It is said that among the servants, many were powerless and insignificant in the palace. If they got into trouble or encountered any emergency, she was willing to help them if they came to her for help.

Therefore, her reputation in the harem was much better than that of Consort Rong.

But the more someone is like that, the more difficult I find them to deal with.

For so many servants in the palace to speak well of her, she must either be a genuinely good person, or she's exceptionally skilled at acting.

What Qiao Yanran said wasn't entirely untrue, and it was even a bit of a direct sarcasm. However, since everyone sitting next to her was one of their own, there was no need to say anything so superficial.

The most important thing for the three sisters now is to divert some of Consort Rong's favor. Whether it's having a child first or gaining some of her favor first, having a child first is more important.

After all, the emperor is in his prime. Even if he selects concubines every five years, there will likely be several waves of young women entering the harem in the future, and their numbers will certainly not be small.

There was only one emperor.

If they cannot secure a stable livelihood for themselves in the next few years, then when new concubines arrive, which of the three present can guarantee that they will enjoy the same enduring favor as Consort Rong?

"Speaking of which, you are quite different in the Emperor's heart. Compared to the two of us, the Emperor ultimately prefers you more."

He Yunqing looked at Qiao Yanran, and some ideas began to circulate in her mind.

"Although Lin Jieyu is a person who is hard to figure out, the news that Ping'er brought back today also revealed that she has a lot of influence in front of the Empress Dowager. If that's the case, then she and Consort Rong may not be a united front. Who would be willing to be subordinate to someone else for their whole life?"

"If you ask me, this might be an opportunity that can be exploited." (End of Chapter)