Traveling through the Tang Dynasty: The Concubine Goes to War

Last time, Yunxi went to visit Ye Ling'er, but she unexpectedly ran into Concubine Mei. At this time, Concubine Mei was in the prime of the emperor's favor, and she no longer had the gentle and humble demeanor she had when she participated in the talent show.

Yunxi was deeply confused by this. She knew that the Empress Dowager had always been very concerned about the emperor's successor, so she decided to report this to the Empress Dowager. Then, she returned to Yongshou Palace.

Yunxi told the Queen Mother everything Mei Yingluo had done today without hesitation. After hearing this, the Queen Mother was furious and said in a deep voice, "There are no rules in the harem anymore!"

The Queen Mother made a prompt decision and decided to summon Concubine Mei to give her a lesson in person so that she could understand the rules and etiquette of the harem.

Not long after, Mei Yingluo arrived at Yongshou Palace in a proud manner, surrounded by a group of palace maids.

She looked very proud. As soon as she entered the palace, she bowed to the Queen Mother and shouted loudly, "Yingluo greets my cousin aunt. I wonder what the matter is that my cousin aunt summoned Yingluo to come here this time?"

The Queen Mother frowned slightly and said earnestly: "Yingluo, now you have become the Emperor's concubine, your status is noble, you need to be extra careful with your words and actions, and you must not be disrespectful. From now on, in front of me, you should call yourself your concubine and address me as the Queen Mother."

Mei Yingluo felt a chill in her heart and showed a hint of displeasure on her face, but she still replied respectfully, "I understand."

Her gaze inadvertently swept over Yunxi who was standing beside her, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

The Queen Mother seemed to sense her thoughts, and she coughed softly, then continued, "Yingluo, I summoned you to Yongshou Palace today. Actually, there is nothing important. I just want to chat with you. Since you participated in the selection, you were canonized as a concubine to accompany the emperor. You have been busy and have never been to Yongshou Palace again."

She waved her hand, motioning Mei Yingluo to sit down, and also asked Yunxi to sit down as well.

"I heard that you went to Xiuzhen Palace today? And spoke disrespectfully to the palace maid who was once the emperor's concubine and is now pregnant with the emperor's heir?" The empress dowager's eyes were fixed on Mei Yingluo, and her tone became serious. "Concubine Mei, although you are deeply favored by the emperor, you cannot be so arrogant and rude. In this harem, the most important thing is rules." The empress dowager's voice was a little harsh.

Mei Yingluo relied on the emperor's favor and dared not take the empress dowager seriously.

She responded nonchalantly, "Your Highness, I am only stating the facts. Have I lost my right to speak?"

Seeing Mei Yingluo being so arrogant, the Queen Mother said angrily: "You should learn more from Yunxi. She has made contributions to the country and the emperor, but she has never been proud of her achievements. She is respectful to the emperor and me. She is also approachable to the palace maids and eunuchs, and gets along well with the concubines. Even in this respect, I am not as good as her."

Although Mei Yingluo was not convinced in her heart, she pretended to be obedient on the surface and answered: "Yes, I understand." The Queen Mother breathed a sigh of relief and said meaningfully: "When you are in this harem, you must be careful about your words and deeds, and never rely on favor to be arrogant and domineering. I hope you can remember the lesson of today." After speaking, she looked at Mei Yingluo, and then looked at Yunxi, "You all leave."

After the two of them left the palace, the nanny beside the Queen Mother asked in a low voice: "Queen Mother, why did you praise Yunxi in front of Concubine Mei? Aren't you afraid of arousing Concubine Mei's jealousy?"

The Queen Mother smiled slightly and replied calmly, "Of course I know that doing this may cause Mei Fei's dissatisfaction, but I want her to understand that in this harem full of power struggles, relying on the emperor's temporary favor is far from enough. If a person wants to gain a foothold for a long time, he must also have noble character and a broad mind. Yunxi is kind-hearted and humble, and is deeply loved by everyone. I hope she can become a role model for the women in the harem and lead other concubines to emulate and learn. Moreover, Mei Fei is my cousin's niece. I had a deep relationship with her mother when I was a child. Since Queen Wang was banished to the cold palace, the position of the central palace has been vacant. It's time to make some plans..."

After hearing this, the nanny suddenly realized and couldn't help but sigh: "The Queen Mother is wise! This way, it can not only encourage Yunxi to continue to maintain good behavior, but also encourage Mei Fei to reflect on herself and improve her cultivation. I just don't know if Mei Fei can understand your good intentions..."

However, Mei Yingluo, who had already stepped out of Yongshou Palace, felt an inexplicable estrangement towards Yunxi. She secretly speculated that Yunxi must have been gossiping and saying bad things about her in front of the Queen Mother, otherwise why would the Queen Mother be so harsh on her today? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Mei Fei decided to find an opportunity to take revenge on this "scheming" woman in the future. After leaving Yongshou Palace, Mei Fei returned to her bedroom full of resentment.

"Bitch, you dare to complain about me in front of the Queen Mother! You are really tired of living!" Mei Fei gnashed her teeth and cursed, her face twisted and ferocious, as if she wanted to cut the person in front of her into pieces. As the voice fell, she suddenly stretched out her hand and threw the teacup on the table to the ground. The teacup instantly shattered, and porcelain pieces flew everywhere.

Seeing this, the personal maid beside her hurried forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, calm down and don't get yourself hurt by anger. We must vent our anger, so why not find an opportunity to punish Yang Mengxi..."

Hearing this, Mei Fei's eyes flashed with cunning, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a barely perceptible smile. She was secretly calculating in her heart, and a vicious plan gradually emerged in her mind.

A few days later, one morning, the sun shone through the window into the palace, but Concubine Mei used the excuse of feeling unwell to not go to pay respects to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother became worried when she learned about it, so she sent Yunxi to visit her.

Yunxi followed the order and came to the door of Concubine Mei's bedroom, gently opened the door and walked in. However, after entering the room, she was surprised to find that there was no one in the room. Just as she was puzzled, suddenly, a maid of Concubine Mei rushed out from behind and stuffed a jade bracelet into Yunxi's hand at lightning speed.

Before Yunxi could react, the palace maid shouted at the top of her voice: "Someone come! There's a thief! Come and catch her!" The voice was sharp and piercing, echoing throughout the entire bedroom.

Soon, a group of guards rushed over after hearing the noise, surrounded Yunxi without saying a word, and quickly took her down. Yunxi was shocked, she had no idea what was going on, and could only watch herself being taken away by the guards.