The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Upon entering the palace gates, men and women separated, and the noblewomen headed in large groups towards the inner palace.

This was Ning Nishang's first time visiting the palace.

Although she was curious, she dared not look around too much because there were strangers all around, lest people think that the girl from the Grand Tutor's mansion was unsophisticated.

As I walked along the long palace path and gazed at the square sky, a strange feeling suddenly arose in my heart.

It seems... she was trapped here and lived here for many years.

Just then, a maidservant approached them and curtsied. "Are you Lady Qi and Miss Ning? Her Highness the Imperial Concubine said that Lady Qi is not feeling well and that walking is tiring, so she instructed me to come and fetch you both."

"Thank you for your trouble, Granny."

Ning Wanrong and Ning Nishang were helped onto the palanquin.

Many unmarried young women watched this scene with envy.

No matter how illustrious one's status, once inside the Forbidden City, everyone is the same; they all have to walk.

It's summer now, and it's already hot. The court robes for entering the palace for an audience are layered on top of each other. After walking through the palace, one must ensure that one's hair and makeup don't come undone and that one doesn't behave improperly in front of the palace. It's quite a hardship.

But what about others? They had a favored concubine's daughter, so they were spared this suffering.

It's great to be the emperor's favorite; your family benefits as well.

"I've heard that Consort Qi is a beauty that could topple kingdoms and whose looks are unparalleled in the world. I hope I will have the honor of seeing her today."

"Of course, she almost caused Prince Gong and His Majesty to turn against each other. We don't have such good fortune."

"That's something that could cost me my head, I won't say it."

On the other side, Qin Xinxi followed behind Yang Lanru, the wife of General Fuyuan.

She didn't care about the gossip; she had been pampered since childhood, and her legs were sore and tired from walking. Plus, her clothes weren't breathable, and she felt so stuffy that her vision was going black.

"Auntie, will Cousin Li send someone to pick us up too?"

The daughter was demoted and confined to her quarters, while Consort Qi continued to receive the emperor's favor, and the Qi family became increasingly arrogant.

As the wife of the Grand General of Fuyuan, she offered her cousin to be her son's concubine, but the offer was politely declined.

Yang Lanru was seething with anger and ignored Qin Xinxi.

Just then, an elderly woman dressed in unusual attire appeared. "Greetings, General's wife. The Empress Dowager has sent me to fetch you to Cining Palace."

……

Ning Wanrong and Ning Nishang were taken directly to Yaotang Palace.

"Your humble servant greets Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine."

Qi Yitang disliked these formalities. She and Xie Ling never paid attention to them, but the palace had many rules and many people, so it was unavoidable.

"Get up! Get up!"

Yunzhu and Yunying helped the two of them up.

Qi Yitang took Ning Wanrong's arm and looked her up and down. "Mother, is Father not feeding you at home? You look thinner."

Of course, it was all for the sake of looking good in the imperial robes; he skipped several meals.

Ning Wanrong raised an eyebrow. "Does your father dare?"

That seems to be true; her father was henpecked, and he wouldn't dare go against his mother's wishes.

When mother and daughter reunited, they should have been having a heart-to-heart talk, but looking at her radiant daughter, Ning Wanrong couldn't bring herself to say that she had also lost weight.

All I could do was sigh, "Tangtang... has grown taller again."

Qi Yitang: "..." How old is she and she's still growing taller? She's not the third prince of some dynasty. She has no other skills besides growing taller.

If there's nothing to say that's emotional, then you don't have to be.

She gave a soft hum and reached out to take Ning Nishang's hand. "Cousin, come and sit down."

Ning Nishang smiled faintly, "Tangtang."

The comments section immediately exploded: 【I'm here! I'm here! We love you, heroine!】

[Just arrived, what's going on? The female supporting character and the female lead are holding hands?]

"Are you hungry?" There was still an hour or so before the birthday banquet started, and Qi Yitang pointed to the snacks on the table. "I've prepared some pastries for you to have a little something to eat."

Ning Wanrong looked around Yaotang Palace.

It felt sweltering outside the hall, but inside it was cool and pleasant, with an ice mirror placed in the corner.

She had to admit that this emperor son-in-law was genuinely good to her daughter.

"Mom, stop looking!" Qi Yitang couldn't wait to get straight to the point, "How's my cousin's marriage going? Have you made your choice yet? Which family is her fiancé from? I'd like to help you decide."

Ning Wanrong sighed helplessly. This girl used to dislike them putting Xuan Niang's affairs first.

If they buy two different items, she'll accuse them of favoritism, giving her favorite to someone else; if they buy her a single item, she'll complain that it was leftover from someone else's selection and that she doesn't care about it at all.

But things have been very different since I last went home.

After returning to the palace, she would send people to ask her every few days why she was so concerned about Xuan Niang's marriage.

Could it be that spending so much time in the palace has made him more mature and composed?

Ning Wanrong: "For now, I have chosen Tan Xiuyuan, the son of the Marquis of Jianning, and Shen Xingci, the top scholar of the previous year."

The son of the Marquis of Jianning should be the brother of Consort Xian.

Qi Yitang had a decent impression of Tan Yuanshuang; she hadn't caused any trouble since entering the palace, so her family must be quite well-behaved.

However, Tan Yuanshuang suffers from a heart condition and is often sickly. It's unknown whether her brother is physically strong or will live a long life.

As for Shen Xingci... Qi Yitang isn't familiar with him, but she can ask Xie Lingren about him later.

Qi Yitang felt that either choice was better than Xie Jingyu.

Ultimately, however, it depends on Ning Nishang's own decision. "Cousin, which one do you like?"

[The female supporting character's mother shouldn't be trying to play matchmaker, okay? The female lead is the male lead's boyfriend! Even without the male lead, there's always the second male lead. Where did this cannon fodder come from? How could she possibly be worthy of the female lead?]

[Forget about the second male lead; he's from the Qin family, his fate is destined to be scattered and dismembered.]

[The male lead is also mediocre; I will always hate rotten cucumbers! Forever!!]

[I just used my financial resources to check on these two cannon fodder characters. Shen Xingci was alright, a good person and a good official, just a bit short-lived, dying before he was forty. The female lead is supposed to live to her eighties, so is she just going to spend the rest of her life as a widow?]

[Tan Xiuyuan won't do. He has a crush on a distant cousin, and they're mutually in love. His mother disapproves, which is why he's still unmarried at such an advanced age.]

Qi Yitang was shocked.

One died young, the other had a devoted admirer; neither was a good match.

Leaving aside those who die young, what's the difference between someone with a "white moonlight" (idealized love interest) and Xie Jingyu?

"Tangtang, I don't want to yet..." Ning Nishang didn't finish her sentence.

Qi Yitang grasped her hand firmly, "No, you can't agree to that! Neither of them!"

Her strong reaction startled both of them.

Ning Wanrong asked in confusion, "Why won't it work?"

Qi Yitang was speechless for a moment. Should she tell them that she found out through spoilers in the live chat?

That would make it a monster.

"I only heard about it... Anyway, they each have their own flaws. Mother, please trust me this once and go back and investigate properly. Look at Tan Xiuyuan, Consort Xian has been in the palace for two years, and her brother is quite old and still unmarried. Who knows if he has someone else in his life? You can't push your cousin into a fire pit."

[Is the female supporting character so well-informed? How did she know Tan Xiuyuan has a lover?]

Why do I feel like she can see the comments?

[Same feeling, otherwise how could the villainous female supporting character's persona have been so inexplicably ruined?]

Regardless, the male lead is still the better choice.

[The female lead is in love with the male lead; Xie Jingyu hasn't won her heart yet, so male lead shippers shouldn't try to get close.]

Ning Wanrong pondered for a moment, "What you said makes sense. I'll inquire about it carefully when I get back."

"That's right." Qi Yitang breathed a sigh of relief.

The female lead is an innocent and naive girl; she absolutely cannot be allowed to be harmed by these shady men.

Qi Yitang felt that her mentality was a bit strange - she used to hate Ning Nishang to death, but now that she had awakened, she treated the female lead as her own daughter.

Wait, I suddenly remembered someone who would be a good match for the female lead.

Who is it?

[Prince Anning, Lu Linbai.]