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

Is there still plenty of time in the future?
It seemed that the struggles and infighting in the harem would continue for a long time. Consort Rong looked at Yao Jinse, who was standing not far away with her head bowed and eyes downcast, and couldn't help but feel tired.

The longer one stays in the palace, the more anxious one becomes about these power struggles. But it's impossible to stop. The concubines in the harem never live for themselves alone. Even if they want to escape the world, they absolutely cannot.

Consort Jing has been claiming to be ill for years and has never even left her home. But does that mean she is living a happy life?
Because she had experienced it herself, Consort Rong naturally knew that every word Yao Jinse said was true.

There's no escaping these things, you can only deal with them, so as long as you're alive, there's always tomorrow.

"Get up. If I wanted to punish you, I wouldn't have said so much to you."

Now that things have come to this point, it's time to think about how to live from now on. I myself am in dire straits, so I'm afraid I'll have to be careful every day from now on.

If you have the ability to gain the Empress's favor and make her disregard your past background, then I naturally won't stop you. A good future is always a good thing, but I hope you won't forget the bond between us.

"Your Majesty is too kind. I will never forget Your Majesty's kindness over the years. If Your Majesty needs anything, I will do my utmost for you!"

When expressing her loyalty, Yao Jinse naturally spoke faster than she thought. She would think about some things several times before saying them aloud.

Seeing her like this, Consort Rong nodded in approval in her heart, and even the old nanny Kang standing next to her softened her expression.

Upon closer examination, it turns out that Consort Rong hadn't really taken Yao Jinse seriously before.

After all, back in the Prince's mansion, although Yao Jinse was promoted to Xie Yun'an's side, her appearance was not very good.

Putting everything else aside, just being next to Consort Yi made her almost completely overshadowed by the latter. After entering the palace, Consort Yi could be promoted to the rank of Consort even without having children, while she only managed to become a Jieyu while pregnant. This shows just how much favor she received.

But as things change, the one who survived is the one with less outstanding talent.

Moreover, not only did he receive a title, but he also gained female companionship, demonstrating that in this world, it's never true that whoever comes first is better.

What good are the best things if you can't live? You're nothing but a handful of dust.

In the past, Consort Rong would never have tolerated Yao Jinse's two-faced behavior.

There were no overt conflicts between her and the Empress, but they inevitably had some jealousy and rivalry.

When women get angry, they inevitably bring up past grievances, and once those grievances are discussed, things become more complicated.

But things are different now.

At this time, Consort Rong must be careful and cautious. She must act in a way that pleases the Emperor.

For no other reason than to ensure that the newborn princess would be favored by her father, Consort Rong had no choice but to endure this humiliation.

She used to not care about the petty squabbles and jealousies in the palace, because all the favor bestowed upon her combined was less than that of the Empress. Even as the principal wife, she received almost no love from her husband.

At that time, although there was an element of acting involved, Consort Rong knew very well that the reason her family was able to retain the remaining power was entirely because the emperor still held onto those old feelings for her.

She was always frank with the Emperor, so she dared to say things that should have been kept hidden. Surprisingly, Xie Yun'an wasn't angry at all; instead, he felt even more sorry for the Consort's understanding. The constant stream of gifts sent to Chengqian Palace since the Consort gave birth all reflected this.

Therefore, none of the concubines in the harem dared to underestimate Consort Rong. After losing her maternal family, she was still able to maintain her position as a consort in the harem, which was entirely due to her relationship with the emperor.

For the women in the imperial harem, this was the most terrifying thing.

No one would be afraid of a concubine's powerful maternal family.

Wealth and status, power and fame—everyone has seen and experienced them; they are all ultimately fleeting things.

However, for the emperor, who is the ruler of the world, to truly love a woman is the most dangerous thing.

Whether the affection is strong or weak, this sentiment can ultimately influence people's hearts. What the harem is fighting over is just the emperor's slightest exception to someone.

With this, maternal lineage, family background, and so on become irrelevant. With this exception for the emperor, they will have room to intervene in the harem and even the entire country.

Now, Yao Jinse instantly guessed that Consort Rong probably also had the idea of ​​interfering in palace affairs.

She wasn't very interested in palace affairs before because she looked down on those trivial matters in the harem.

With the Duke's mansion around, even if there's a lack of material comforts, they can be made up for outside.

However, the Duke's mansion is currently unable to cope with the situation, so it is natural that this portion needs to be transferred from the palace. But at this time, even if Consort Rong were to ask the Emperor to share the power over the palace, the Emperor might not grant it.

Having slept in the same bed for so many years, Chen Yimiao knew her partner's personality better than anyone.

Just like the Eastern and Western Six Palaces, which were originally meant to be the residences of concubines, not to mention that so many of them were empty.

Even so, the new concubines who entered the palace last year were not able to move into the empty palaces of the East and West Six Palaces, but instead lived in the pavilions and towers scattered throughout the Imperial Garden.

Of course, the Imperial Garden is large enough that it was not built specifically for sightseeing.

If you want to enjoy the scenery, there are small gardens all over the palace, and the Imperial Garden is even connected to a mountain forest. There are also many gardens and lakes to enjoy.

Even so, the actual residence of the concubines should be the inner palace city, such as the East and West Six Palaces. Although the Imperial Garden was more comfortable, it was very close to the outer city where the servants lived, which made many things inconvenient.

Unfortunately, Xie Yun'an's arrangement was quite strange. The newcomers were divided into two groups. One group was placed in the East and West Six Palaces to live under the roof of others, while the other group was placed in the garden to make their own decisions. This arrangement was nothing more than a way to incite infighting among the newcomers.

Unfortunately, most of the concubines thought it was the Empress and Empress Dowager's arrangement and knew very little about the Emperor's thoughts. Moreover, Xie Yun'an had entered the harem far too few times in the past two years, so the expected effect did not materialize.

Now, the affairs of the previous dynasty have been largely settled. The days of "the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked" are over, and many things are finally getting back on track.

Just like herself, no matter how much she didn't want to fight, didn't she eventually end up on this path? (End of Chapter)