You take on two husbands, I'll turn around and marry the tyrant and rule the world.

Chu Nianci pondered silently along the way.

The Empress knew this, but given her personality, she wouldn't react immediately. She would only try to deal with him in secret. These secret methods wouldn't be implemented immediately, so he had plenty of time to plan ahead and had nothing to fear.

When they returned to Nuanqing Pavilion, Tuanyuan was already waiting outside with palace servants.

Upon seeing her return, everyone quickly bowed and offered their congratulations.

"Get up, everyone," Chu Nianci said gently, then gestured for Tuanyuan to hand a purse to Jingxi. "Eunuch Jingxi, thank you for your hard work. Here's a small token of my appreciation. Have some tea."

Jingxi is now favored by the Emperor and has become the most popular eunuch in the Emperor's court. There are many people who want to curry favor with him, and his status is rising steadily. He may not accept ordinary rewards.

However, because Chu Nianci had become familiar with him when she served in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and because she knew that His Majesty was actually the first person to serve him in bed, she was the first person His Majesty had ever served.

Thinking of this, a sly smile appeared on his face. He accepted the gift and bowed with a smile, saying, "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness. You've gone to great lengths."

He weighed the rather heavy object in his hand, and before leaving, he took a small step closer and said quickly in a very low voice, "My lady, the Empress just sent someone to retrieve your record of serving the Emperor. Don't worry, the record only shows your service to the Emperor, nothing else."

Chu Nianci remained calm, only nodding slightly: "Thank you for your guidance."

This seemingly casual reminder actually carried considerable weight and confirmed her suspicions.

This matter could no longer be kept secret.

Once the Empress found out, the other concubines could no longer keep it a secret either.

Once inside the room, as Tuanyuan helped her change, he immediately noticed several faint bruises on her neck and shoulders.

Tuanyuan's eyes widened immediately: "My lord, why did His Majesty hit you...?"

Chu Nianci was drinking a cup of tea when she heard this and spat out a mouthful of water onto the ground.

Knowing that she was still a virgin, he could only twitch his lips twice.

"It's alright," Chu Nianci waved her hand and said, "Bring that box of special ointment and apply it."

She didn't want to go to Kunning Palace tomorrow with all these marks on her body; those concubines would surely eat her alive.

"Oh..." Tuanyuan pouted and went to get the ointment. He felt sorry for her while massaging her.

Chu Nianci lay on the chaise longue, thinking to herself, "Duanmu Qingyu is such a tyrant. He has no self-control. I need to set some rules for him in the future."

After a cup of tea, the ointment was applied, and Chu Nianci called Manbao over, asking, "Has there been any news outside these past two days?"

With a candy ball still in her mouth and her cheeks bulging, Manbao mumbled, "The news of Your Highness's bestowal of a bath at the Tangquan Palace hasn't spread yet, but I heard that the 'Bodhisattva' at Kunning Palace got really angry this evening, smashed a teacup, and even punished a little eunuch... I'm guessing this matter is probably related to you. When I go to pay my respects tomorrow morning, things probably won't be peaceful."

Tuanyuan couldn't help but frown: "Whom His Majesty favors is not something outsiders can control. If Her Majesty the Empress makes things difficult for you because of this, wouldn't that be unreasonable..."

Chu Nianci smiled faintly: "When have you ever thought she was a reasonable person?"

"What can we do?" Tuanyuan asked worriedly. "You are only a concubine now, how can you contend with the Empress?"

"She won't get involved herself," Chu Nianci said calmly. "Given her personality, she's best at using others to do her dirty work."

"She will most likely direct this anger towards Consort Shu."

Consort Shu, how could I have almost forgotten her?

Chu Nianci's palms broke out in a cold sweat whenever he thought of her.

Given her domineering nature, she would never tolerate this if she knew about it, and might even lash out immediately.

She clenched her fists tightly and hurriedly asked, "What's Consort Shu doing?"

"Consort Shu is currently focused on protecting her pregnancy, and she takes her medicine every single day without fail," Manbao said, snapping a sugar ball in half with a "crunch." "However, I've heard that she has recently developed a great fondness for the scent of lilies, and the flower shop sends many fresh lilies to her palace every day."

lily?

Chu Nianci's heart stirred slightly.

The preference itself is nothing special, but it sounds a bit strange at this moment.

"Manbao," she instructed, "find a way to secretly obtain some lily pollen from the flowers that have been removed from her palace. Remember to be careful and collect several different kinds at different times of day."

"Yes." Manbao was quick-witted and accepted the order, then left.

Chu Nianci sat quietly by himself for a while.

Given the current situation, the Empress will not do anything, but Consort Shu's danger is imminent. She frowned and pondered the difficulties that were about to come.

What should I do?

Go and beg the young emperor.

No, I remember what he said that day: he wouldn't keep a fragile little flower by his side. If I were to ask him for something like this, it would make me look useless.

Suddenly, she thought of Lü Qiao, the first-class palace maid by Consort Shu's side. She coldly observed that this woman was Consort Shu's claw, a shrewd and experienced person who would not let her master act recklessly.

"Reunion, immediately go to Yukun Palace and spread the word that the Empress sent me gifts."

The Empress will spread the word about the bestowed bath. If Lü Qiao also learns about the gift-giving, she will definitely think that the Empress is trying to win her over while handing a knife to Consort Shu, wanting to see the two sides fight each other. Therefore, she will try her best to dissuade Consort Shu.

Tuanyuan nodded and went about his business. Chu Nianci gradually calmed down and took down the "Winter Plum Blossom" painting that the emperor had bestowed upon her a few days ago. She spread out a sheet of shading paper, ground ink, dipped her brush, and quietly began to copy it.

As the plum blossoms gradually took shape under her brush, her heart also calmed down amidst the repeated sketching, and a plan slowly began to take shape in her mind.

Inside the Kunning Palace, all was silent.

Empress Lin sat upright, holding a teacup adorned with gold and famille rose decorations in her hands, her eyes lowered as she slowly skimmed off the foam.

The subtle sound of the cup lid lightly scraping the rim of the cup was exceptionally clear in the empty hall, one sound after another, making one's heart tighten.

Qin Li, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, knelt below, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Speak, what did Your Majesty and Consort Hui do at the Hot Spring Palace?" After a long silence, the Empress finally spoke, her voice devoid of emotion.

Qin Li nearly choked to death.

What can a man and a woman, alone in a room, possibly do?

Do you even need to ask?

But he dared not say it, and only said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has summoned Consort Hui to serve him in bed."

"I know that," Empress Lin glanced at him, thinking that he was incredibly stupid and couldn't even understand his tone of voice.

After a long pause, he asked helplessly, "Look at the records, His Majesty only served the emperor once during the two-day break from court?"

Qin Li's shoulders trembled, but he steadied himself and replied, "If I have to block it once, then it will only be once. This servant... only knows this much. There was a major purge in the Imperial Palace some time ago, and one of my informants was transferred to the Laundry Department. Now I can't get involved."

The Empress raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over him: "So, it was just His Majesty's whim, and not someone's recommendation?"

"Yes..." Qin Li bowed his head, not daring to say more.

"I understand," the Empress said calmly. "Make arrangements for those twenty capable eunuchs and palace maids who have recently joined the Imperial Household Department to be assigned to Tangdi Palace."

"Yes." Qin Li quickly replied, and seeing the Empress wave her hand, he bowed and withdrew.

Only after turning a corner beyond the palace wall where no one was around did he wipe his brow with his sleeve and spit angrily: "What bad luck! They really think they're proper masters, but they don't receive a single reward and live in constant fear..."

He glanced at the list and saw several former servants who had served Consort Qiao. He spat and said, "So they're all hypocrites. They're stuffing errant servants into the new concubines' palace. They have no good intentions."

Inside the palace, Xia Dong saw that the Empress looked tired and gently advised, "Your Majesty, please don't get angry."

Empress Lin sighed, set down her teacup, and a shadow crossed her beautiful face: "How could I be jealous? The Empress has no son, so this position is ultimately insecure. His Majesty only visits the harem a few times a month, so his favor is already meager. Now she's taking away some of it. When will I be able to conceive a royal heir?"

"Perhaps His Majesty is just looking for something new..."

"I know," the Empress interrupted her, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes, "but what the harem fears most is this kind of 'novelty.' If she gets pregnant with the imperial heir first... she may seem innocent, but she may not be simple inside. Fine, let's 'add icing on the cake' for now. Have someone mix pepper paste into the paint on her palace walls."

Xia Dong understood: "Yes, Your Majesty, shall we just end it all now..."

"No need. As long as she has no offspring, I don't even consider her a mere noblewoman," the Empress said, rubbing her temples and showing signs of fatigue. "Just let that person in Yu Kun Palace know about this. If they can fight each other, then all this planning won't have been in vain."

Xia Dong immediately understood... Her Majesty was not planning to take action personally for the time being, but was going to use Consort Shu as a tool.