A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

"That Lady Zhou is utterly useless! Isn't she favored? How come she can't even keep His Majesty in check!"

Enraged, Consort Chen began to take her anger out on Consort Zhou.

"That Zhou woman is truly foolish! His Majesty has openly shown her favor, yet she still dares to act arrogantly, letting Consort Lan reap the benefits!"

"How awful!"

Granny Chen: ...

You were laughing at Consort Zhen for being stupid the other day, weren't you?

She was just a lowly concubine, yet she dared to give the Emperor a hard time and act coy, refusing to serve him in bed!

His Majesty is the Son of Heaven. If he is repeatedly rejected by a mere concubine, he will eventually grow tired of Lady Zhou and think that she is ungrateful.

Just like that Liu family.

Wasn't it because Liu Shi had the unrealistic idea of ​​wanting to be with His Majesty for life that she was rejected by him and then started rejecting him, eventually falling out of favor?

Granny Chen really didn't know what to say.

It can only be said that Consort Zhen was simply Consort Gui's punching bag.

She acted coy and refused to serve the emperor, which made the imperial concubine extremely jealous.

Now that Consort Lan has regained favor, the Imperial Concubine has started blaming Consort Zhen for being useless...

But what's the point of saying all this now?

Time heals all wounds.

The child that Consort Gui was carrying was His Majesty's hope.

The Empress Dowager and His Majesty both placed high hopes on this child, wishing for a son.

It was precisely because of this that Consort Lan was banished to the Cold Palace for "harming" the imperial fetus.

But Princess Chaoyang was born long ago.

Although His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have always doted on her, she was, after all, just a princess. What Consort Lan did back then did not result in the princess being miscarried.

So many years have passed, and those old grudges have long since faded away.

If Your Majesty continues to dwell on the past, it will only displease His Majesty.

Isn't this deliberately going against His Majesty and causing a rift in their father-daughter relationship?

But Consort Chen didn't care about all that. She was jealous and naturally set her sights on Princess Chaoyang.

On this day, after the princess entered the palace, Consort Chen inadvertently mentioned Consort Lan.

Sure enough, Princess Chaoyang immediately asked, "Father, have you found another beauty?"

Princess Chaoyang didn't really feel much about her father's favoritism towards his concubines.

As long as you don't get pregnant.

Since her father had no heir, she didn't care which concubines he favored.

In addition, the woman her father favored most was not one she disliked, such as that Zhou woman.

However, she usually cherished her freedom and was not in the palace, nor could she find someone to keep an eye on her father.

Princess Chaoyang, as Emperor Qianwu's only princess, was able to raise a private army and had a fiefdom and estate, thus wielding real power.

She was fascinated by the benefits of this power.

She has gradually forgotten her own gender.

She can simply abduct a handsome man if she wants to.

She fully enjoyed the benefits of being in a position of power, looking down on others and regarding human life as worthless.

So to some extent, although she was a woman, as that special woman at that time, she was able to empathize with Emperor Qianwu.

Everyone lives for their own benefit.

Princess Chaoyang was also one of them.

She and her father, the emperor, should enjoy the best of everything in the world.

Do whatever you want.

What's the big deal about having a few more women/men?

Therefore, Princess Chaoyang felt that her mother was making a fuss over nothing and was definitely jealous, which was why she deliberately said these things to her.

Princess Chaoyang was not stupid. Her two faces, one in front of the Empress Dowager and Emperor Qianwu and the other behind closed doors, were enough to show that she was cunning.

She knew that her own birth mother, Consort Chen, was using her.

But this is her mother, and her interests and fate are intertwined with hers.

Therefore, she was also willing to stand up for her mother.

But she would naturally reveal her attitude.

Consort Chen said, "That's not some beauty; she's the one who almost killed you!"

Princess Chaoyang indeed showed some interest. "Oh?"

Consort Chen then embellished the story and recounted the past events.

In her account, Consort Lan was a jealous and ruthless woman who tried to harm a pregnant woman and almost prevented Chaoyang from being born.

Princess Chaoyang: ...

"How could Father Emperor tolerate such a person living? And even allow her to regain favor?"

This is simply unbelievable!

"I'm going to find my father!"

Consort Chen resorted to her old tricks again, "Forget it, since your father has released her from the Cold Palace, perhaps there was some misunderstanding back then."

Princess Chaoyang: ...

"If there really was some misunderstanding, then she wouldn't have been banished to the cold palace back then."

"That vile woman clearly seduced Father Emperor on purpose!"

……

Everyone in the harem was curious about Consort Lan.

The concubines either knew Consort Lan or had entered the palace after Consort Lan fell out of favor and was banished to the Cold Palace, so they did not recognize her.

Consort Lan has now regained her former glory, but she is already twenty-eight years old and no longer young.

Not only were the other concubines curious about her, but she also wanted to take the opportunity to see who was in the harem now.

And whether her mortal enemies from her past life have entered the palace yet...

……

Consort Liu was making paper, but she only did the easiest tasks; the physically demanding work like pulping was left to the palace maids around her.

Han Shu and Han Ying were originally delicate girls with fair hands, but now they are forced to follow Consort Liu in making paper.

Not only did my hands become covered in calluses, but in winter, when my hands were soaked in icy water, they developed chilblains and swelled up to look like radishes.

A gust of wind blew by, and Liu Zhaoyi, draped in a moon-white cloak, stared blankly at the white paper fluttering in the wind throughout the palace. Suddenly, she was overcome with grief, and tears streamed down her face.

"My production of this paper is a great service to the nation, but His Majesty doesn't care at all. What am I to him?"

Han Shu and Han Ying exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat numb.

They had told Consort Zhaoyi many times.

Papermaking was widespread in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and scholars could buy high-quality paper at low prices.

Besides, the paper that the Empress made wasn't particularly good in terms of quality; at best, it was below average...

But the Empress refused to believe it no matter what.

The two palace maids had just finished slurrying when Han Shu's hand was cut by tree bark, and blood was flowing freely.

Han Ying hurriedly helped her bandage her wound.

After it was bandaged, the bleeding finally stopped.

Liu Zhaoyi then said, "Let's continue making paper. One day, I will make sure that all scholars in the world can use cheap and affordable paper!"

Han Shu: ...

Han Ying: ...

"Your Majesty, it is said that Weiyang Palace has always been unwilling to accept the Emperor's favor. His Majesty went to the Cold Palace by chance, and it was the Consort Lan in the Cold Palace who regained the Emperor's favor."

Han Shu also said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty actually came to see you several times back then. If you hadn't kept refusing, His Majesty wouldn't have stopped coming."

Consort Liu gazed at the piles of papers covering the palace.

"One day, I will make him understand that I am the one who is worth it."

"Perhaps, I won't live to see that day, and he'll regret it later?"

"The fact that Weiyang Palace was able to wake up in time and let him do whatever he wanted without showing him any goodwill shows that they are people with integrity."

She pointed at Han Shu, "You can help me send some paper that I made myself to Weiyang Palace."

Han Shu: ...

It's clear that she and Han Ying completed most of the steps involved in making these papers.

Perhaps this is a good thing.

In the future, when they reach the age to leave the palace, they will still have a skill to make a living.

Although the paper made by the empress was of average quality, if it could be sold at a lower price, it would still be considered a skill...

After giving her instructions, Consort Liu did not care whether the two acted immediately.

She was still immersed in her own emotions.

The thought of a dramatic "wife-chasing-after-the-cremation" scenario actually happening to Liu Zhaoyi caused her heart to ache.

By the time Emperor Qianwu realized her value and rarity, she had already died alone and tragically in the palace, leaving him with a palace full of papers that would benefit the Great Zhou Dynasty!

This is simply perfect BE aesthetics!

Liu Zhaoyi was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.

Han Shu and Han Ying exchanged a glance: ...

Weiyang Palace.

Zhou Mingyi received a piece of paper that was supposedly made by Liu Zhaoyi herself.

It must be said that the paper feels somewhat rough to the touch; it's neither soft nor thin enough.

It was far inferior to the paper used by ordinary scholars in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When my elder brother was studying, Mingyi would always do her best to provide him with the best paper.

Paper of this quality is not worthy of being on my brother's desk.

However, Mingyi herself bought a lot of this quality paper, specifically for drawing embroidery patterns.

Just then, Zhou Mingyi remembered the Ruyi Purple plant that the dog emperor had given her, and she was inspired. She immediately ordered Shiliu to grind the powder so that she could draw an embroidery pattern.

Zhou Mingyi leaned over the desk, a few strands of her hair drifting playfully onto the paper.

Shiliu couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, what does it mean that Consort Liu gave you paper she made herself?"

"This paper doesn't look like anything special."

As Zhou Mingyi drew, she said, "It's a small gift but a big sentiment. Since she made this paper herself, its significance goes beyond just paper."

Shi Liu suddenly realized, "Oh! Just like the Ruyi Purple Tree by our door, it represents His Majesty's wishes!"

When Emperor Qianwu was mentioned, Shiliu's face couldn't help but darken.

She said sullenly, "Your Majesty, His Majesty hasn't come for a while."

"His Majesty has been staying in Consort Lan's palace all this time. People in the palace say that you have completely fallen out of favor and are now a thing of the past."

Shiliu was very worried that her daughter had really fallen out of favor.

During her time in the palace, Shiliu deeply felt the difference between her master being favored and not being favored.

Zhou Mingyi paused for a moment.

"No rush."

Shi Liu immediately replied, "How can we not be in a hurry?"

"Now that Consort Lan has regained favor, gifts are being sent to her palace like a flowing river. What about our palace? It hasn't been lively for a long time, and even the palace servants are lazy in their work."

"When you were in favor, they were all very attentive."

Zhou Mingyi laughed, "Since we're not of one mind, what's there to regret?"

She felt that Consort Lan's appearance was very timely.

After all, it was through comparison that Emperor Qianwu came to realize her value.

Every time Emperor Qianwu saw her, he was like a hungry wolf.

It is clear that he was very repressed in matters of the bedroom.

The women in the harem performed poorly.

That's why he indulged himself so much with her.

Mingyi believed that she had outstanding qualities and, after systematic adjustments, was perfect in every aspect.

If she is wrong, she can still take the initiative again.

After all, no man can resist a stunningly beautiful woman who comes to him willingly.

To put it bluntly, men are all dogs. If a bone is offered to them, even if it's rotten, they'll take a bite.

Even if you don't bite, you should still take a sniff.

"It is said that the Empress Dowager set up a Buddhist shrine in the Cining Palace?"