The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

After Liuli went outside, she saw Lürui sweeping the floor. She pretended to be puzzled and muttered, "How strange. Just now I overheard the young mistress and Sister Qiule talking about something suspicious about the miscarriage..."

Green Bud's hand, gripping the broom, paused slightly. She looked up and asked urgently, "What else did they say?"

Liuli had anticipated her agitation, and she shook her head calmly, "I didn't hear anything else. What's wrong?"

"Oh, no... nothing." Green Bud's eyes were drooping, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Night fell, and the moonlight was as clear as water.

Liuli hurriedly entered and informed Ning Shuyan, "My lady, Lürui has gone out."

Ning Shuyan gave Qiu Le a wink, and Qiu Le immediately nodded and quickly walked out.

"Do you know that Green Bud will go out? Is it to find the master behind her?" Liuli asked.

Ning Shuyan nodded: "Yes, she knows about this and will definitely tell her master. I must say, she's quite loyal."

She slightly curved her thin lips. She had calculated that Lü Rui would go to the master behind her. After all, Chief Steward Wang of the Imperial Household Department had fallen from power and there was no one left to deliver messages. She had waited for a long time for Lü Rui to go to the person behind her, but she did not expect her to be so calm.

Or rather, it should be said that the person behind it is cautious and careful.

A short while later, Qiu Le returned first, her expression somewhat grave: "Your Highness, you guessed right, Lü Rui went to Yi He Palace. She didn't go in, but instead sent a message to the eunuch at the gate."

Ning Shuyan nodded slowly, her eyes half-closed, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the table. After a while, she beckoned Liuli over, only to find Liuli with her eyes downcast, lost in thought, a faint sadness on her face.

"What's wrong, Liuli? Is something on your mind?"

Liuli quickly snapped out of her daze, looked up with a smile on her face, and said, "No, this servant has nothing on her mind."

Ning Shuyan solemnly said, "You are not allowed to hide it from me."

Liuli gripped her skirt tightly and whispered, "This servant... There's an eunuch in the Imperial Household Department who's from my hometown. He said my mother is sick, and I'm a little worried."

"That's true. You can't be by your sick mother's side to fulfill your filial duties while you're in the palace. How about this, I'll report back to Her Majesty the Empress tomorrow, and you can leave the palace to spend time with your mother. Just come back on time."

Ning Shuyan's gentle words deeply moved Liuli. With tears of gratitude in her eyes, she knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "This servant thanks Your Highness for your great kindness and virtue. Thank you, Your Highness."

Ning Shuyan smiled gently and helped her up: "You are loyal to me, so I will definitely help you if you are in trouble."

As she spoke, she quickly had Ziying take out ten taels of silver to give to Liuli, but Liuli declined, saying, "This servant does not want it. The fact that Your Highness allowed this servant to leave the palace to visit my mother is already the greatest favor to me."

She knew that Ning Shuyan was currently a beauty with a low salary, and she also had to give rewards to the imperial physicians and eunuchs on a daily basis. These ten taels of silver were equivalent to three months' salary for her.

Ning Shuyan's brows were full of tenderness as she said gently, "Keep this and use it to buy some tonics for your mother. This is my heartfelt gift, and you are not allowed to refuse."

As she spoke, Ziying stuffed the silver into Liuli's hand. Liuli's eyes welled up slightly, and she said sincerely, "Thank you, my lady. I will definitely do my best to fulfill the tasks you assign me in the future."

Ning Shuyan smiled slightly and said gently, "Tomorrow you should spend quality time with your mother. After you return..."

She beckoned Liuli to come to her side, and Ning Shuyan whispered something in her ear.

Liuli nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "This servant knows what to do, please rest assured, Your Highness."

Meanwhile, Consort Zhuang changed into her nightgown but couldn't fall asleep at all, feeling a vague unease in her heart.

"Yulan, do you think Consort Ning knows something? I find it a bit strange; she's not pregnant, yet her pulse suggests a miscarriage." Consort Zhuang said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand.

She returned to the palace and thought about it for several days, and the conclusion she came to was: maybe it really has turned into reality, and Ning Shuyan is really pregnant... She was happy for several days after thinking about this.

Yulan advised, "Now that this matter has been settled and so much time has passed, even if she has suspicions, she couldn't possibly suspect Your Majesty."

Consort Zhuang nodded slowly. Yes, she had done it so discreetly.

"It seems the Emperor hasn't visited Yihe Palace for six or seven days, has he? Those two wretches, so what if they lost their child? What's so strange about that the Emperor keeps running to their palace?"

For the past two weeks, Xiao Yu had mostly stayed in Zhaochen Palace. She knew the Emperor was unhappy about losing his two children, which she could understand. However, the Emperor seemed to be showing excessive concern for these two concubines.

She truly hated that she hadn't been able to get rid of Ning Shuyan; it was truly a blessing from heaven.

A few days later, a major event occurred.

On the way, Consort Xi ran into Ning Shuyan. She quickly stepped forward with a cold face and said, "Have you heard? Consort Rong has been released."

Ning Shuyan heard from the palace servants when she woke up that the eldest prince had fallen when he went out yesterday. When Consort Rong found out, she cried and felt sorry for him, regretting that she could not stay by the eldest prince's side all the time.

When the eldest prince woke up, he pleaded for Consort Rong. The emperor, out of consideration for the child, softened his heart and lifted Consort Rong's confinement.

Ning Shuyan's clear, calm eyes remained undisturbed: "It was expected, it just happened a little earlier."

A cold glint appeared in Xi Jieyu's eyes, and her face darkened considerably: "How can I swallow this anger when I see her sitting there unharmed? Consort Rong and Consort Zhuang are both murderers who killed my child. I'm afraid I won't be able to resist going up to them and slapping them across the face."

"How could I not hate Consort Rong and Consort Zhuang? I have to endure it even if I can't help it; I'll have plenty of time to take my revenge later!"

Consort Xi took a deep breath, her face tense, and the two entered Phoenix Palace together.

Consort Rong arrived very early today, wearing a bright red dress that she often wore. She held her head high, looking superior, and played with the lid of her teacup.

The moment Consort Rong raised her eyes and met Consort Xi's gaze, both of them shot out two cold glints, revealing an undisguised hatred.

Xi Jieyu gave a slight curtsy and then got up and sat down.

A mocking smile flashed across Consort Rong's lips: "I heard that Consort Xi and Consort Ning lost their child, which I find very regrettable. It's a pity that I couldn't visit my two younger sisters in person, so I brought some tonics for you today."

As she spoke, the palace servants behind her hurriedly presented the tonics. Ning Shuyan glanced at the tonics lightly. These were probably sent to celebrate. She thought that when Consort Rong heard that she and Consort Xi had lost their child, she would clapp and cheer, wishing she could see it with her own eyes.

Consort Xi gripped the handkerchief tightly in her hand, gritted her teeth, and couldn't hold back any longer. She said coldly, "Consort Rong has finally been released, so she should learn her lesson. I advise Consort Rong to go back to the palace and cleanse her eyes properly, and see the maids and servants around her clearly. If there are such treacherous servants next time, then Consort Rong will not be punished as simply by being confined to her quarters."