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

Chapter 216 has been launched.

"Speaking of which, Sister He is usually very busy and rarely has time to stay and talk with Her Majesty the Empress."

Consort Chen has always been outspoken, a fact known to everyone in the palace. Everyone knows she has no ill intentions, so she doesn't offend anyone by saying anything.

Sometimes, however, her words do not always make people feel comfortable. For example, as soon as she said those words, before the words had even finished, He Yunqing's face stiffened slightly.

"Where can you be this busy?"

He Yunqing was well-mannered, and even though she was a little unhappy with what she heard, she quickly hid her emotions and said with a smile, "Accompanying Her Majesty the Empress is the duty of us concubines. Even if we have to turn down palace duties, it is still our duty."

Sister Chen has never been involved in these palace affairs, so she may not know the details—the matters under my sister's jurisdiction are always complicated and trivial, mostly involving back-and-forth between subordinates, and cannot be resolved in a short time, but it won't cause any real delay.

After she finished speaking, her gaze did not fall on Chen Meiren, but instead lingered on Yao Jinse's face.

The meaning was quite clear: when it came to palace affairs, Yao Jinse was in charge of more than she was, but she also spent a considerable amount of time by the Empress's side.

The friendship between Consort Chen and Yao Jinse began in the Prince's residence, and it was common knowledge in the palace. He Yunqing would not be petty or hold a grudge over Consort Chen's words, but at the same time, Yao Jinse also needed some restraint.

A sedan chair is carried by people; dignity is a reciprocal thing.

Yao Jinse naturally understood her unspoken meaning, but at this moment, she was paying attention to something else.

As they walked out of the Empress's palace, they talked as they went. With the group of women and their maids standing side by side, even the relatively wide street was mostly occupied.

Previously, the wide roads had no impact, but the road we were walking on now was not a proper long street with gates, so its width was limited. At this time, it was also the time when the palace servants had finished breakfast and started cleaning the six palaces, so it was crowded with people coming and going.

When the palace servants were doing their work, they would naturally avoid the young ladies walking on the road. Since the young ladies were "numerous and powerful," if they encountered them, the servants could only bow and walk past along the wall.

There has always been a lot of gossip in the palace, especially among the lowly workers.

If it were a regular day and there were large ceremonial processions involving the Emperor and Empress, it would be fine for the servants to stay out of the way, but no one would dare to risk losing their head by discussing the Emperor and Empress.

But today it's just the four of them, who are not of high rank, walking in such a row. If they have to walk in this line, making it inconvenient for the palace servants who are carrying things and cleaning, then it will naturally seem like they, as the concubines, are not considerate.

If this gets out, it will also damage one's reputation.

In places where hierarchy is strictly observed, these seemingly trivial matters are of utmost importance. What might be insignificant to someone of the empress or emperor's status becomes a major issue for those of their position. For a long time, Yao Jinse had been careful to cultivate her reputation among the ordinary palace servants.

Although she doesn't act like a pushover, she is still very careful about these details. She can't agree to everything or show kindness indiscriminately. This is the most basic requirement for self-preservation in the harem. However, her behavior on the surface cannot be criticized. Although a few words that circulate for a short time don't matter, it would be bad if such behavior became a habit.

So as soon as He Yunqing finished speaking, Yao Jinse affectionately grabbed He Yunqing's hand and took two quick steps, forcibly pulling the two of them forward a bit.

Both Chen Meiren and Bai Fengping were intelligent people. Even if they couldn't figure out Yao Jinse's intentions at this moment, they wouldn't force their way in. The two of them, along with their maids, took a step back and walked together, which immediately made up a lot of space.

Before He Yunqing could react to Yao Jinse's actions, Yao Jinse affectionately took her hand. "What you said makes perfect sense, sister. As your older sister, I usually only have time to accompany the ladies, and most of the work is done by everyone else. In fact, you've taken on a lot of things before, but thankfully you've finally had some free time recently. I'll definitely work hard so you can rest too."

Since she had already said that, He Yunqing naturally couldn't dwell on the previous conversation. After saying a few words in response to Yao Jinse's words, he chose a corner and led Bai Fengping and Yao Jinse away.

Bai Fengping, who was beside her, saw clearly that as soon as Yao Jinse and Chen Meiren disappeared in another direction, the smile on He Yunqing's face immediately turned cold.

In fact, she has always been very good at maintaining her composure. The reason she spoke so sharply just now was simply because she had been neglected by the Empress in Kunning Palace today.

But this was inevitable; she had anticipated this situation long before entering the palace.

However, as He Yunqing had originally anticipated, she was being ostracized by the Empress because she herself had gained the Emperor's favor. Now, it was because of Qiao Yanran's favor that she was being neglected out of nowhere. Instead of benefiting herself, she was being implicated. How could she accept this?
Her friendship with Qiao Yanran began when they were very young. Their friendship of more than ten years meant that being able to enter the palace to accompany each other was already a good thing. She would certainly not be jealous of Qiao Yanran because of this.

However, He Yunqing couldn't help but feel a little worried about the Empress's actions today.

Qiao Yanran has been a favorite of the emperor lately. Although everyone outwardly respects the empress, behind the scenes they are vying for the same man's favor with her. How could any woman tolerate this?
In the past, it was Consort Rong who couldn't tolerate them. Now that Consort Rong is staying at home, it can be considered a result of their actions. But no one knows what the situation in the palace will be like after Consort Rong gives birth.

He Yunqing, Qiao Yanran, and Bai Fengping have always been close friends, and when the three of them get together privately recently, they always bring up this matter in their conversations.

Consort Rong's due date is just around the corner. Even with the time for postpartum confinement, they only have two or three months left.

Because of the urgency of time, Qiao Yanran has been paying extra attention to the emperor these days.

Yao Jinse also took this matter to heart.

Speak of the devil, and he appears. She had just told Consort Chen about the Imperial Concubine's due date during the day, and that very night, news of the commotion spread throughout the palace.

Consort Rong has started her treatment.