Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

Consort Hui lowered her eyes, her slender fingers holding the needle, and continued to finish the cloak in her hands.

Seeing that she was unwilling to talk more about Consort Chen, Yunzhi didn't ask any more questions. She just looked at the cloak and smiled, "Your Highness's craftsmanship is exquisite. The stitches on this cloak are so fine and even that even the maids in the Needlework Department can't compare to Your Highness."

Consort Hui finished the last stitch, cut the loose thread with scissors, unfolded the cloak and examined it. A faint smile appeared on her face. "It looks just right. It will get cold in a couple of days, so I'll let Qi Rui wear it to his morning classes."

Yunzhi praised, "Your Majesty's thinking is indeed thorough."

Consort Hui folded the cloak and handed it to her, saying, "I am his mother. If I don't take care of him, who will I take care of?"

Yunzhi took it and said with a smile, "Our prince is also very promising, clever and quick-witted, unlike the dull and slow-witted eldest prince. This servant thinks that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager both prefer our prince. These past few days, both princes have accompanied His Majesty to the ancestral worship ceremony and have been by his side. His Majesty can't help but compare them, and the difference in their abilities is immediately apparent. His Majesty will definitely prefer our prince."

Consort Hui glanced at her, but shook her head and said, "I haven't noticed that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager prefer Qi Rui. Compared to the Crown Prince, has Qi Rui gained any substantial benefits?"

Yunzhi was speechless for a moment: "This..."

Consort Hui's voice was icy: "All the rewards and favors that Qi Rui has, His Highness has too. In fact, His Majesty has chosen a new top scholar as the tutor for His Highness, while Qi Rui is still just one of those old-fashioned teachers who only know how to follow the rules and spout pedantic nonsense. In this respect, Qi Rui is not even as good as His Highness."

Yunzhi thought for a moment and comforted him, "Perhaps His Majesty sees that our prince is still young, so he is not in a hurry. He wants our prince to lay a solid foundation before making any plans."

Consort Hui did not accept these words of comfort. A look of seriousness flashed across her eyes: "Perhaps the situation is worse than I thought."

She was indeed born out of wedlock.

But the Luo family had once been glorious. Although they had fallen on hard times, they were still well-known in the capital. She deserved the title of a lady from a prominent family.

The blood flowing through Qi Rui's veins can be considered a combination of aristocratic family and royal blood.

But what about the eldest prince?

Consort Lan was merely a merchant's daughter, of lowly and humble origins, so the son she gave birth to naturally had inferior bloodlines.

However, when facing the eldest prince, who had a lower bloodline and a dull personality, Qi Rui not only had no advantage, but was even suppressed.

This is what makes Consort Lan and her son so terrifying and troublesome.

This was also what alarmed her.

Consort Hui took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "If Consort Chen's arrogance is on the surface, then Consort Lan's ruthlessness and cunning are lurking in the shadows, like a venomous snake that has been lying in wait for a long time. Think about it carefully, in all these storms this year, which one wasn't she involved in? Yet, she always manages to escape unscathed, and some people don't even notice her existence. Such a person is terrifying, rising from a low position, making no move, and proceeding step by step, making her impossible to guard against."

Yun Zhi paused for a moment, then gasped, "Your Highness, are you saying that Consort Lan was involved in all of these matters?"

Consort Hui pressed her throbbing temples and said firmly, "While I wouldn't say they were all involved, they were certainly aware of the situation and took advantage of it. As for Consort Lan, we should be careful in the future."

Yunzhi felt a chill run down her spine and quickly replied, "Yes."

*

Unexpectedly, the imperial carriage returned at nightfall.

At this time, Shen Jiayu had already gone to bed.

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Bingzhong immediately knocked on the door of the third-floor room and called out softly, "Miss Hongling? Miss Hongling?"

It was Hongling's turn to be on night duty. Hearing the slight noise, she opened the door: "Why is the steward up here so late?"

Zhao Bingzhong said directly, "His Majesty has returned. I was thinking of telling the Empress tomorrow morning, but then I remembered her instructions to report it immediately. So..."

Upon hearing this, Hongling glanced inside the door and lowered her voice, saying, "I'll go ask what Her Majesty's plans are. You go and have someone prepare the sedan chair."

Zhao Bingzhong quickly agreed: "Miss Hongling's arrangement is correct, I'll go and do it right away."

Hongling slightly closed the door, quickly went to the bedside in the inner chamber, and gently shook Shen Jiayu: "Your Majesty? Your Majesty."

Shen Jiayu opened her eyes groggily and asked indistinctly, "What's wrong?"

Hongling said, "His Majesty has returned to the capital."

Startled by those words, Shen Jiayu sat bolt upright, raising an eyebrow: "Information received from the Emperor?"

Hongling nodded: "Steward Zhao specifically mentioned this when he came up earlier, so it must be true."

Shen Jiayu immediately threw off the covers: "Give me a quick wash and we'll go to His Majesty's place."

Seeing that she still looked sleepy, Hongling advised, "Your Highness, it's the same to go tomorrow morning."

Shen Jiayu went straight to the dressing table, waving her hand and saying, "I won't wait."

Hongling sighed, hurriedly went to fetch her some water, put her hair in a simple bun, and without even putting on makeup, helped her down from Wangyue Tower.

Outside the palace, Zhao Bingzhong had already prepared a sedan chair. As soon as she arrived, the group headed towards the Zichen Palace under the cover of night.

Shen Jiayu carried the box the whole way.

When she arrived at the Zichen Palace, Qing'an happened to come out. Upon seeing her, he was surprised and hurriedly came forward: "It's late and the dew is heavy, Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Shen Jiayu smiled slightly: "I heard His Majesty has returned?"

Qing'an nodded and said, "I just got back and haven't rested yet."

Shen Jiayu smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble the steward to inform him."

Qing'an hurriedly said he dared not: "His Majesty has already given instructions that the Empress does not need to be informed when she arrives; she can simply go in."

Shen Jiayu did not go in directly, but instead lowered her eyes to look at the box in her arms, her eyes dark and deep.

The letter sent to the mansion some time ago, the pressure on Consort Zhu to make a move, and the trap set for Consort Zhu—all of this was for this moment tonight.

She said she wanted to offer a pledge of allegiance.

This pledge of allegiance was not simply to prove her ability and competence to assume the position of Consort Chen and even to wield power in the palace; it also served a more important purpose.

Shen Jiayu took a deep breath and stepped into the hall.