Want to win the palace fight? Better to be crazy than to be idiotic!

Noon the next day.

Qin Feng'an had just finished his morning court session when he ordered Xiao Lezi to supervise the craftsmen to hang Su Feiran's painting on the painted wall at the entrance of Dali Garden. There were often palace servants coming and going near Dali Garden, and passers-by who paid a little attention would notice that there seemed to be some new decorations in Dali Garden.

Xiao Lezi received the emperor's oral order to supervise the construction, while Qin Fengan, accompanied by Eunuch Zhang, went to Mingde Hall to meet the empress dowager.

As soon as he stepped into the first threshold of Mingde Hall, Qin Feng'an saw Han Shuang standing respectfully in front of the door, as if she had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Your Majesty." Han Shuang greeted softly, with her eyes lowered, and no emotion could be seen on her face.

Qin Feng'an nodded slightly, indicating that he would come as promised and asked Han Shuang to let him in. Han Shuang immediately stood up and respectfully stepped aside to make way for Qin Feng'an.

Qin Feng'an walked straight into the hall and saw the empress dowager sitting in front of the window, holding a scripture in her hand and reading it attentively. She didn't seem to notice the visitor.

"Mother." Qin Feng'an called in a low voice, walked to the Queen Mother and bowed slightly.

The Queen Mother put down the scripture, raised her head, and a complicated look fell on Qin Fengan.

After a while, the Queen Mother said, "Shen Yan, come and sit next to me. I was just thinking about you, and here you are."

Shen Yan... This is Qin Feng'an's nickname. The Queen Mother would only call him this when no one was around.

Qin Feng'an sat down next to the empress dowager as he was told, while Eunuch Zhang tactfully stepped aside and quietly stood guard at the entrance of the palace to make sure no one disturbed him.

"Mother, are you in good health these days?"

Qin Fengan spoke with some embarrassment. After all, the conversation between the two of them yesterday was not very harmonious.

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Everything is fine. I asked you to come here, but I didn't expect you to come as promised. There have been many affairs in the palace recently. I heard that you have been working day and night, so I thought you would postpone it for two days."

Qin Feng'an sighed softly and said, "How can I refuse your invitation, mother? I have done my best in the affairs of the previous dynasty and have not dared to slack off. Please don't worry about me, mother."

The Queen Mother was slightly stunned when she heard this, and there was more helplessness in her eyes. Qin Fengan said that he came for the bond between mother and son, but he didn't know how much affection there was in this bond.

"I just heard that you hung Liu Ronghua's painting at the entrance of Dali Garden. Is that true?" the Queen Mother asked softly.

Qin Feng'an was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "It is true. My mother has excellent hearing, and she knew it as soon as I gave her the order. Her eyesight has also remained sharp for ten years, and she can even understand the scribbled signature under the painting."

The Queen Mother's asking of this question really surprised Qin Feng'an. The Queen Mother was able to get the news so quickly without leaving her house. It seemed that there was something wrong with him.

The Queen Mother did not respond to Qin Feng'an's question, but said earnestly: "I would like to advise His Majesty not to favor one concubine, no matter how much he likes her. Indulgence will make people rebellious. There are countless such cases in the imperial court. Jealousy will also cause a lot of trouble in the imperial court. If you want to rule the world, you must first rule your family. Be careful with your words, you should understand this truth."

"I understand," Qin Feng'an said, "Su Feiran is very talented, and I hope more people can appreciate her work, so I did this, not to show my favor."

"Really?" The Queen Mother almost rolled her eyes, but she managed to maintain her calm image. "There are countless talented and beautiful women in the back garden, but I heard that you summoned Liu Ronghua last night. Do you know that the other concubines have missed you so much in the past half month!"

Qin Feng'an couldn't find a reason to refute. He couldn't say that he and Su Feiran just chatted all night and didn't do anything else.

"Your son will pay attention to this in the future." Qin Feng'an said stiffly.

"Also, Liu Ronghua Su Feiran is not an easy person to get along with. With her unruly personality, she will definitely cause great trouble in the palace in the future! My son thinks her lack of etiquette is novel, but I and others think she is presumptuous." A stern look flashed across the queen mother's eyes. "Speaking of trouble, what happened on the day of the selection, my son, have you forgotten it?"

To be honest, Qin Feng'an really didn't know, but he didn't want to know, so he could only say solemnly but perfunctorily: "Mother, your words come from the bottom of my heart, and I will listen to them with an open mind."

After listening to it, it is not certain whether it will be adopted or not. Qin Feng An said with peace of mind. Anyway, it doesn't cost money to say nice things. As the emperor, he can favor whoever he wants after leaving Mingde Hall, right?

"It's a relief that you haven't forgotten your master's teachings." The Queen Mother said in a deep voice, "Well, seeing that you look impatient, I'm afraid you think I'm nagging again. Let's not talk about Liu Ronghua. I asked you to talk today because I have two important things to tell you."

Qin Feng'an moved his sore buttocks and asked, "What's the matter? Do you need your help?"

"You can decide after listening to me." The Queen Mother did not answer directly. "The first thing is that Concubine Xian's birthday is coming soon. I want to arrange it for her, so I came to seek the emperor's permission."

"Mother, you are kind and caring about the back garden. I will not object."

Qin Fengan agreed without even thinking about it. Is this a big deal?

"When I thought of this, I inquired about it. Concubine Xian is virtuous and frugal. She doesn't want to spend a lot on her birthday, so she plans to keep a low profile." The Queen Mother sighed, her face seemed reluctant, "As one of the four concubines and my blood relative, it is not in accordance with etiquette to do so. I intend to take charge of this matter and plan for Concubine Xian to hold a poetry competition on her birthday. It will not be a waste, nor will it be unfair to her."

Poetry competition? Is it a competition where you have to write poems on the spot?

Qin Feng'an was looking forward to it. He knew that Lin Xiuqing was always reading and her poetry and songwriting skills were the best in the harem. The Queen Mother's idea not only echoed Lin Xiuqing's hobbies, but also allowed her to shine and surpass everyone in the poetry competition.

A person like Su Feiran, who behaves in a rough manner, certainly cannot write good poems. The Queen Mother's move kills three birds with one stone. The third bird is to belittle Su Feiran's talent and lower her value.

Although he understood the Queen Mother's intention to flatter Lin Xiuqing and win her favor, Qin Feng'an did not resist. He had long wanted to see the amazing sight of a man of great literary talent composing a poem in seven steps!

"Excellent! The Queen Mother has thought deeply and I am convinced!" Qin Feng'an praised sincerely.

Although he didn't know the exact date of Lin Xiuqing's birthday, he would know it by asking Eunuch Zhang. Since the Queen Mother asked him for approval now, it must be soon.

"What about the second thing?" Qin Feng'an remembered that the Queen Mother had told him two things. Now that Lin Xiuqing's birthday had been explained, she should also tell him the second thing, right?

Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother sighed, looked out the window, and remained silent for a long time.

"Mother?" Qin Feng'an asked tentatively.

"Be careful what you say," the Queen Mother said solemnly, "I shouldn't have told you this, but I have no choice."