As soon as she opened her eyes, she was forcibly carried back to the East Palace by the paranoid pri

When Ning Rushong walked out of the west pavilion, the sky was already covered with dark clouds and the rain was blown sideways by the wind.

Xiao Guanzi ran over to hold an umbrella for Ning Rusong, lowered his head and whispered, "Your Majesty, do you want to go to the study? Prince Nan is waiting there."

His Majesty was in an unexpected mood. After all, Xiao Guanzi had served him for many years, so he came to this conclusion immediately.

It shouldn't be like that! Your Majesty has just left the Queen's West Chamber, and should be in a good mood as usual.

"Go to the study." Ning Rushong glanced at Xiao Guanzi and spoke in a calm voice.

Ning Rushong forcefully suppressed the sinister emotions in his heart and walked towards the study, his back looking cold and chilly.

Xiao Guanzi's legs were not as long as Ning Rushong's, so he had to jog behind him and make sure the umbrella in his hand didn't shake too much. It was extremely difficult.

He cried out in his heart, "Ouch! Your Majesty, please slow down!"

After Ning Rushong and Xiao Guanzi walked away, He Yue slowly sat up and opened the window. A damp smell of grass and trees smelled pleasant but a little stuffy.

She picked up a round fan with a gold peony pattern from the table and fanned herself gently, saying in a lazy and gentle voice, "What's wrong? I didn't provoke him, so is it okay to praise his beautiful eyebrows and eyes?"

It was strange, maybe Ning Rushong would come here every few months, just like he tested her birthday two months ago. Until now, she didn't know why Ning Rushong cared so much about her birthday.

The wind gently blew He Yue's hair. She leaned lazily against the window, her brows soft and plump as if she was pregnant.

He Yue didn't want to sort out everything. It was too difficult and too complicated.

First, there is no one around her who is suitable and can be completely loyal to her and be at her disposal.

Second, there is no need. What if she knew the truth? It would not change anything. Instead, it would only add to her troubles and distress.

I have already accepted my fate, so why bother to get to the bottom of it? It's good to live in confusion, otherwise everything will be too cruel.

Some memories flashed through He Yue's mind, including Xia Suling's apology to her before her death and the words she wanted to say but never said in the end.

Huiqing has recently been mysteriously injured and has an expression of guilt from time to time.

"Some things are most beautiful when covered with a veil. There is no need to lift it up." He Yue said softly.

…………

In the afternoon, Princess Yongshan entered the palace, intending to cultivate a relationship with the Queen.

A "big battle" was going on in the West Pavilion. He Yue, Empress Dowager He, He Xiaocainv, and Yongshan, who had just entered the palace, were playing leaf games together, and the battle was very tense.

Since Empress Dowager He was no longer obsessed with Emperor Jingmu and Empress Dowager, except for He Xiaocai, she has been quite carefree and not taking anything to heart. Gradually, her relationship with the emperor and the empress has eased and is no longer tense. Occasionally, they can sit down and chat for a while and play chess with He Yue.

"I won again." He Yue looked at the cards in his hand with a slight smile in his voice.

Princess Yongshan smiled and pushed the gold beside her to He Yue. Her nail polish was rosy and beautiful. She half-supported her head and looked at He Xiaocai, "He Xiaocai has never won once. Don't just feed us cards. The allowance for a cai is pitifully small. Don't be too wasteful."

She was indeed hostile to He Xiaocainv, and there had been a lot of conflicts between the two of them. When He Xiaocainv was young, she would often visit the Empress Dowager He in the palace. She appeared to be well-behaved on the surface, but in private she was used to bullying princesses like her who had no power or influence.

What a pity! Yongshan looked at He Xiaocainv maliciously. Now that she herself had made it through, He Xiaocainv's life would be hard. Tsk, an eighth-rank concubine was such a lowly position. Before her biological mother died, she was at least a fourth-rank beauty.

Before He Xiaocai spoke, Empress Dowager He glanced at Yongshan coldly, "Okay, what nonsense are you talking about? This leaf play is just for killing time. Are you really taking it too seriously?"

"Your son dare not." Yongshan immediately suppressed his malicious intent and spoke in a respectful tone.

"Come to think of it..." He Yue spoke up, attracting the attention of several people. She looked at He Xiaocainv, who was acting like a quail, with an ambiguous expression, "Your rank is indeed low. Do you want to raise it?"

Empress Dowager He brought He Xiaocainv to see her many times. Although she did not express her thoughts clearly, He Yue could see some of it.

He Xiaocainv quickly stood up from her chair. Xiuwan looked at a loss, half-crouching, maintaining a semi-courting posture, "My concubine... My concubine dare not covet a high position!"

Yongshan knew at this moment that her words had become a problem and she was extremely upset. She couldn't really let her get promoted!

She turned to face He Yue and forced a smile, her voice filled with admiration from the bottom of her heart, "What does it matter if you are in a high position or not? Under the jurisdiction of the Queen, who can bully or humiliate He Xiaocai?"

With a thud, He Xiaocai knelt down, shook her head vigorously, and said anxiously, "No one has ever bullied or humiliated me. I am grateful to you, Madam, and I am sincerely convinced!"

"Alright." Empress Dowager He casually piled all the lost gold and silver chips on He Yue's side and told He Xiaocai to stand up. "Get up. You were the same when you were young. You were frightened to your knees at the slightest noise. It shows that you have always been a person who cannot be on the stage."

The handkerchief in his hand clenched tightly, Yongshan's eyes darkened, what a veiled criticism!

Empress Dowager He had a helpless look on her slightly tired face. She pointed at He Xiaocai and spoke softly to He Yue, "Now that you mention it, I would like to give her a promotion. I have been feeling much better recently, so she has done a great job in taking care of me."

"Oh." He Yue felt that she couldn't continue playing the leaf game today, so she gave Hui Qing a look, signaling her to clean up the 'spoils'.

What I won is different, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I am grateful to the three boys who brought me wealth.

Huiqing quickly put the silver and money on the table into the lacquer tray and asked the palace servant to keep it.

"Mother, I'm about to give birth soon. I'm very tired and don't want to care about these things." He Yue raised her hand, and Hui Qing bent down to help her stand up.

The hanging emerald gold chain floated on the ancient peony pattern, majestic and elegant. He Yue sat on the soft couch beside her, and the palace maid placed a pillow behind her waist, which was just right for her to lean on comfortably.

He Yue's jade-like face was calm and indifferent as she looked at Empress Dowager He. "Besides, I can't take care of this matter. If you don't want to ask Chi Jue in person, it's the same if I tell him on your behalf."

"Queen is just a false title. He Xiaocainv will not be an eyesore to you and your wife." Empress Dowager He sighed. She no longer expected the emperor to favor He Xiaocainv, nor did she want to ruin the harmony between the emperor and the empress.

Although He Yue sits on the throne of Queen and has indeed never experienced any palace fighting, it does not mean that she knows nothing.

At the critical moment when the queen was pregnant, one of the concubines in the harem was suddenly promoted. It was like a hole in the airtight curtain, and both the harem and the court were discussing it endlessly.

"Even the fake name needs Chi Jue's consent, mother. I'm sorry I can't do anything about it." He Yue refused moral blackmail and put the blame on Ning Rushong.