Traveling through the Tang Dynasty: The Concubine Goes to War

Yunxi led the thousand-year-old ginseng and came to the gate of Yongshou Palace surrounded by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.

Before Yunxi was officially canonized, he once lived in Yongshou Palace. The eunuchs and maids in Yongshou Palace knew Yunxi quite well, and someone had already gone in to pass on the message.

Following the palace servant's shout of "Empress Xi is here," Yunxi entered the inner hall with Xiaohong, who was holding a tray.

The Queen Mother was seen sitting on a couch with a serious look on her face, with Nanny Liu serving beside her.

"Your servant pays homage to the Queen Mother!" Yunxi and Xiaohong bowed at the same time.

"Get up." The Queen Mother said, her tone very cold.

Yunxi stood up and greeted the Queen Mother with a smile: "Greetings to the Queen Mother, how are you feeling recently?"

The Queen Mother replied indifferently, "I am fine. Thank you for your concern, Concubine Xi."

"That's good." Yunxi nodded, and then handed the thousand-year-old ginseng in her hand to the Queen Mother, "This is the thousand-year-old ginseng that the Emperor gave to me. I dare not take it, so I personally delivered it to the Queen Mother for her health."

The Queen Mother looked at the thousand-year-old ginseng that Yunxi handed over, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face, but she soon regained her composure. She took the ginseng, put it aside, and said lightly: "Princess Xi is thoughtful."

Yunxi smiled and continued, "Empress Dowager, I know that you have always loved the Emperor and have always been concerned about the affairs of the harem. I hope to get your guidance and learn how to better manage the harem and help the Emperor solve his problems."

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at Yunxi, and a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth: "Xi Fei is quite good at talking. However, the affairs of the harem have always been complicated, and they cannot be solved with just a few empty words. Since Xi Fei is so confident, then show your confidence."

Yunxi heard the sarcasm in the Queen Mother's words, but she didn't care. Instead, she smiled and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Queen Mother. I will definitely work hard."

The Queen Mother nodded and waved her hand to signal Yunxi to leave: "Okay, I'm tired, you guys can go down."

Yunxi and Xiaohong knelt down to pay their respects and were about to leave, but the empress dowager spoke again, "Wait!"

Yunxi and Xiaohong turned around and looked at the Queen Mother in confusion. "Take the ginseng back with you! Since it is a gift from the Emperor, you can enjoy it. You have just recovered from a serious illness and you should take good care of yourself. I am already old and should not take too much." The Queen Mother said, motioning to Aunt Liu beside her to hand the thousand-year-old ginseng and the tray to Xiaohong.

Seeing this, Yunxi no longer refused and bowed, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for thinking of me!"

After Yunxi and Xiaohong finished their greetings, they slowly stood up, bowed to the Queen Mother, and then turned and left Yongshou Palace. Although she looked calm on the surface, she was full of determination and resolve in her heart. She knew that it would not be easy to get the Queen Mother's approval, but she would never give up easily. After all, the road ahead was long and rugged, and she needed to carefully plan for the future of the prince...

The moment he walked out of Yongshou Palace, the smile on Yunxi's face disappeared without a trace.

"Miss, this Queen Mother is so difficult to deal with!" Xiaohong couldn't help but mutter, with a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.

Yunxi knew how difficult it was for the Queen Mother, but she had to win her support. She sighed softly and whispered, "I need to be more careful in the future..."

As the two of them walked forward silently, Yunxi suddenly caught a glimpse of two figures looming behind a rockery not far ahead. She looked closely and found that it was Ye Ling'er and her maid Xiao Cui. They were hiding behind the rockery, and seemed to be doing something secretly.

"Isn't that Ye Ling'er and her maid Xiao Cui? What are they doing there stealthily?" Yunxi frowned and muttered to himself in confusion.

Yunxi was suspicious, so she sent the maids and eunuchs back first, and then she and Xiaohong quietly walked forward. Yunxi and Xiaohong hid behind the rockery and heard the conversation between Ye Ling'er and Xiaocui.

"Your Majesty, why do we have to eavesdrop on the conversation between Concubine Xi and the Queen Mother?" Xiao Cui asked curiously.

"I suspect that Concubine Xi wants to win favor and deliberately try to please the Queen Mother. Maybe she has some conspiracy." Ye Ling'er said gritting her teeth.

"But the Queen Mother seems to be quite cold towards Concubine Xi." Xiao Cui said.

"This is just a surface phenomenon. The Queen Mother is very smart. Maybe she also wants to use Concubine Xi to check and balance me." Ye Ling'er analyzed.

"Then what should we do?" Xiao Cui said anxiously.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death. We have to find a way to destroy their relationship." Ye Ling'er said viciously.

Yunxi was shocked when she heard this. She didn't expect Ye Ling'er to be so cunning. She didn't care about the sisterhood and the kindness she had helped her deliver the prince with. She actually wanted to sow discord between her and the Queen Mother. She decided to wait and see what Ye Ling'er would do. At the same time, she also realized that the struggle in the harem was getting more and more intense, and she had to be more cautious. Yunxi turned around and left quietly. She knew that now was not the time to confront Ye Ling'er head-on.

After returning to the palace, Yunxi instructed Xiaohong: "Pay close attention to Xiuzhen Palace's every move, and report anything unusual to me immediately."

After Xiaohong received the order, Yunxi sat in front of the bronze mirror, thinking about how to deal with the situation.

"It seems that if I want to gain a foothold in this harem, it is not enough to rely on the support of the Queen Mother. I also need to cultivate my own power." Yunxi thought to himself.

Yunxi thought of the thousand-year-old ginseng given by the emperor, and suddenly an idea came to her mind. She thought, since this ginseng is so precious, why not use it to entertain other concubines in the palace, which can not only enhance the relationship between them, but also show her generosity and friendliness. Thinking of this, Yunxi couldn't help but reveal a smug smile.

The next day, Yunxi asked Xiaohong to go to each palace to invite the concubines to come to Changle Palace for a gathering. After receiving the invitation, the concubines were very surprised, but they all came. They secretly wondered what the purpose of Concubine Xi's banquet was.

After all the concubines were seated in Changle Palace, Yunxi ordered the servants to bring the carefully prepared ginseng soup and said with a smile: "I have recently been fortunate enough to receive the thousand-year-old ginseng rewarded by the emperor. I dare not enjoy it alone, so I specially invite all the sisters to come and taste it together. I hope you don't mind."

Hearing this, all the concubines stood up and bowed to express their gratitude. They all knew that the emperor's favor for Concubine Xi was unmatched, and now that Concubine Xi was willing to share this honor with them, they were naturally grateful.

Yunxi looked at the concubines in front of her with a friendly smile on her face, and continued: "We are all the emperor's concubines. We should take care of each other and be like sisters. There is no need to be too restrained."

Then, Yunxi started chatting with the concubines, and the topic was nothing more than some polite words in the palace. She skillfully guided the direction of the conversation, making the atmosphere gradually become relaxed and happy. The concubines gradually let go of their guard and began to communicate with Yunxi.

Yunxi invited other concubines to taste ginseng soup together to enhance their relationship. These actions not only won the favor of everyone, but also established her image as a smart, kind and resourceful person in the palace.

As time went by, Yunxi gradually emerged in the palace with her new identity - Yang Mengxi. Her power grew and she became a highly-regarded figure. But she did not become complacent because of this. Instead, she handled everything more carefully. Because she knew that the road to the palace was full of thorns, and if she was not careful, she would fall into an irretrievable situation.