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

As night deepened, the sounds outside gradually subsided, with only the occasional sound of the night watchman's gong breaking the silence.

Winter days are long and cold, and no one would go out at night unless they had something absolutely necessary to do.

But that's how the imperial harem is; when you're in it, there are always many things you can't control.

Tonight, Yao Jinse wore only a dark cloak, removed her conspicuous gold and silver jewelry, and left Yuxiu Palace through a small gate with Bai Tan. She avoided being seen along the way and then entered Chengqian Palace through another small gate.

It might seem like they're burying their heads in the sand, but it's best to avoid it if possible, otherwise such actions are always too suspicious.

Coming out at this time is naturally different from usual.

Nowadays, Yao Jinse appears frequently in front of the Empress. During the period when the Consort was out of the public eye, those who were close to Yao Jinse had been in close contact with the Empress.

Even if the Imperial Concubine didn't show it outwardly, she must have had some thoughts in her heart.

Consort Rong might not care much about Consort Chen and Consort Zhao. Even if the two were tied together, they wouldn't be as important as Consort Rong in the palace. However, it's a different story when it comes to the Empress.

From the time she entered the Prince's residence, Consort Rong had to give way to the Empress in every way. After all, there was a clear distinction between wives and concubines, and even if she was favored at that time, if she had a dispute with the Empress, she would always be the one to apologize first.

Xie Yun'an liked her, and at that time he probably liked her family background even more. His relationship with the old Duke was one of mutual exploitation.

In the eyes of the late emperor, the Duke's Mansion's willingness to marry Xie Yun'an, a prince who had always been well-behaved, was a statement that they had no interest in the struggle for the throne. This way, they could avoid the situation of "the cunning rabbit dies and the hunting dog is cooked."
Xie Yun'an has always hidden his mistakes very well from his father and brothers, and it is better for him to establish this relationship with the Duke's Mansion than for his other brothers to be involved in the marriage.

The Duke and Xie Yun'an, one old and one young, were two cunning and shrewd individuals who put on a spectacular show in front of the aging emperor and the various princesses who were constantly fighting, and in the end, they did indeed have the last laugh.

Unfortunately, in this game, Chen Yimiao, the noble lady who appeared as another "bargaining chip" for the Duke, was truly caught up in the role.

In the end, the Duke's mansion could not escape the fate of collapsing when the tree falls. However, while the old Duke was alive, he enjoyed wealth and glory. Now, thanks to the presence of the Empress in the palace, it was not completely eradicated and still retains a glimmer of hope for survival.

In the end, it wasn't a bad outcome.

As for those who died or were exiled, they cannot be equated with the rest.

When Yao Jinse slowly entered the inner palace of Chengqian Palace, Consort Rong was taking a nap behind the gauze curtain, covered with a quilt.

Before Consort Rong resided in Chengqian Palace, it was specially renovated by order of the emperor. During the renovation, many precious tributes were added.

Consort Rong, born into wealth, naturally had high standards for her residence. She asked for nothing more than that Chengqian Palace be exactly the same as the house she had lived in during her time in the Prince's Mansion. However, this very request proved quite difficult to fulfill. Before Xie Yun'an ascended the throne, he was not highly regarded by the emperor, and his Prince's Mansion was merely average in size and not particularly large.

The courtyard where Consort Rong lived was small in size, which allowed her to meet many of her requirements. However, Chengqian Palace was almost two or three times the size of Consort Rong's former residence, making it much more difficult to satisfy her needs.

So the craftsmen went to great lengths and begged the emperor's permission to take a lot of tribute gauze from the imperial treasury. This allowed the inner palace of Chengqian Palace to be kept in a constant brightness. During the day, the sunlight outside would shine through, but the brightness would be like moonlight. At night, a fixed number of candles would be lit, and the candlelight would swirl on the gauze, making it look like flowing water.

In any case, the sleeping quarters are for sleeping. Xie Yun'an used to like Consort Rong's little trick. It only used up some tributes from the imperial treasury. The items were left over from the previous dynasty, so it didn't take him much effort. He was naturally happy to see it happen.

At this moment, Yao Jinse looked at Consort Rong lying on the bed through the almost transparent gauze curtain and couldn't help but admire her stunning beauty.

Under the candlelight, Consort Rong appeared much gentler than usual. Perhaps it was because having given birth had added a maternal glow to her face, which seemed to radiate a kind and gentle aura.

The little princess was not with the imperial concubine; she was probably taken away by her wet nurse.

The Imperial Concubine chose to summon Yao Jinse at this time for two reasons. Firstly, she had recovered about 70-80% of her postpartum period and had enough energy to do this. Secondly, the little princess's health had gradually stabilized, so as her birth mother, the Imperial Concubine no longer needed to worry about her.

Yao Jinse was well aware of all this.

"You are clever. In fact, the reason why the princess and I are safe and sound is because of you."

The room was silent for a while. After Yao Jinse paid her respects, she did not speak. Consort Rong also did not speak. Instead, Nuandong brought a soft stool for Yao Jinse to sit on. Although her expression was indifferent, she did not seem to be hostile.

Yao Jinse glanced at Nuandong's expression and felt more confident about tonight's conversation. She wasn't worried that the Consort would be harsh, but maintaining a good relationship was not easy, especially since she had put a lot of effort into the Consort since waking up.

Now is the time to reap the rewards.

"Your Majesty flatters me. You know me well. I've always been just a little clever, and I don't deserve such high praise from Your Majesty."

"Suit yourself, but if it weren't for you, it wouldn't have been so easy for me to save the Duke's Mansion this time. Fortunately, when Consort Yi left, you reminded me to clean up the mess, otherwise I don't know how much trouble would have happened."

In fact, for the Imperial Concubine, those things were nothing. They were just a matter of a decision-maker's word. When the emperor favored the Imperial Concubine, those things were insignificant. When the emperor stopped favoring the Imperial Concubine, those things would become the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Yao Jinse nodded without speaking, continuing to listen to Consort Rong:

"I know you've been coming and going from Kunning Palace quite often these days. However, as a concubine, serving the Empress is your duty. You are a smart woman, so you naturally know what you should and shouldn't do." (End of Chapter)