The maidservant is too charming. I want to help her become the queen.

"Erxi, who is the third-class maid from our palace who was selected for the night shift this time?"

"My lord, it's Xiao Tao."

The maids in the concubines' palace are divided into three grades.

First-class palace maids are usually the personal maids of concubines, such as Erxi and Xu Yueer.

The second-class palace maids are mainly responsible for all matters within the palace where the concubines live, and they do not serve closely on weekdays.

The third-class palace maids had the lowest status and could only do rough work such as sweeping outside the palace.

On weekdays, Lu Qingqing's food and daily life are taken care of by Erxi.

With Erxi around, Lu Qingqing gave Erxi full authority to manage the maids, and rarely delegated personal matters to others. She was also always on guard, fearing that there might be spies from other concubines in her palace.

Therefore, she didn't know much about the other palace maids in Yinglan Pavilion. As for Xiaotao, she was just an impression in her mind.

She asked Xiang Erxi, "Are you familiar with this Xiao Tao?"

Erxi had been serving Lu Qingqing for some time, and she immediately understood that she wanted to find out Xiaotao's background, so she confidently promised Lu Qingqing.

"Don't worry, my lady. Xiao Tao is from the same hometown as me. She is a very honest person and we can trust her."

Lu Qingqing smiled knowingly and gave Erxi a trusting look. At this moment, she was secretly planning in her mind and vaguely formed a preliminary plan.

Xiaotao - she remembered this name.

……

One morning.

In Fengyi Palace.

Concubine Xian and Concubine Zhuang were arguing fiercely over the preparations for the Wanshou Festival.

Both of them were concubines with similar qualifications. Since they both got the task of preparing for the Wanshou Festival, they would definitely take this opportunity to compete with each other. It was not enough for the two of them to argue in their own palace, they also went to the Queen's palace to ask her to make the final decision.

At this time, the morning dew had not yet completely dissipated, and the clear and soft sunlight shone through the carvings on the windows and projected into the Fengyi Palace.

The queen sat in the palace, the sunlight shining on her body, adorning her originally ordinary face with sparkling golden light, unexpectedly highlighting her temperament as the mother of the country.

Originally, in order to protect her pregnancy, the Queen exempted the concubines from the daily routine of paying respects. She wanted to enjoy the early morning time, but today her plans were ruined by Concubines Zhuang and Xian early in the morning.

"I ordered you to jointly organize the Longevity Festival because I trusted you. I didn't expect that, with the Longevity Festival approaching, not only did you not make good preparations, but you even came here to quarrel with me. How disgraceful!"

The queen patiently listened to their quarrel for two quarters of an hour, but finally she could not hold back any longer and reprimanded them both in person for their incompetence.

In the palace, Concubine Xian had always been praised for her tolerance and wisdom. How could she tolerate such anger? When she was about to explain, Concubine Zhuang beat her to it.

Concubine Zhuang quickly stood up, bowed to the queen, and said respectfully:

"Please forgive me, Queen. You have always been in charge of the preparations for the Wanshou Festival. You have always advocated frugality, which not only reflects your integrity and love for the people, but also maintains the royal etiquette. I am willing to follow your consistent style."

Having said that, Concubine Zhuang glanced at Concubine Xian, with a smug look in her proud eyes.

She had already made up her mind. Since she and Concubine Xian had caused trouble in front of the Queen, it would not be wrong for her to follow the Queen's usual style. The Queen would not overthrow her past self.

In fact, Concubine Zhuang didn't mind whether the preparations for the Wanshou Festival were frugal or lavish.

Preparing for the Wanshou Festival was a small matter. Her real purpose was to take this opportunity to stand on the side of the Queen. She slowly sat down and waited quietly for the good show of Concubine Xian to begin.

The Queen, who was sitting in the throne, saw through Concubine Zhuang's thoughts clearly. She remained silent and said nothing.

If she had to step in every time to judge the fights between concubines, wouldn't it be very boring?

What's more, there is no fixed standard for the preparation of the Wanshou Festival. No matter whether it is simple or luxurious, she will naturally support whoever can make the most appropriate judgment and whoever can do it most in line with the emperor's wishes.

When Concubine Xian saw that the Queen was silent, she knew that she was waiting for her answer.

She stood up and saluted calmly, her peaceful voice echoing in Fengyi Palace.

"Your Majesty, the recent flood disaster in the south has cost the national treasury a huge amount. I also think that this Wanshou Festival should not cost too much and should be frugal. This can also reflect the royal family's willingness to work together with the people."

Concubine Xian's answer surprised Concubine Zhuang.

what happened?

Just now she was advocating that this birthday celebration should be extra grand and lavish, how come she changed her mind in the blink of an eye? What is she up to?

However, Concubine Xian's subsequent explanation shocked Concubine Zhuang even more. She immediately realized that this Concubine Xian, who seemed to be on equal footing with her, was actually much more scheming than herself.

——is a formidable opponent.

The answer of Concubine Xian also aroused the interest of the Queen. "Oh? Concubine Xian, since you also agree that the Wanshou Festival should be frugal, then what were you arguing about with Concubine Zhuang just now?"

It seemed that Concubine Xian had anticipated the current scene, and she spoke calmly and leisurely.

"The royal family's sympathy for the people in times of adversity is touching. I believe that all the civil and military officials and concubines in the palaces can appreciate the emperor's benevolence."

"So I suggest that the expenses of this Wanshou Festival be borne by all the attendees. This way, it can be held in a grand manner without spending money on the national treasury, and it also gives everyone the opportunity to express their feelings to the emperor. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"

The virtuous concubine's plan not only preserves the dignity of the royal family, but also saves treasury expenditures. It also serves as an opportunity to test the loyalty of court officials and concubines - a strategy that kills three birds with one stone!

After hearing Concubine Xian's suggestion, the Queen was very satisfied. She wanted to make the Emperor's birthday celebration a success, so she would accept any suggestions from Concubine Zhuang, Concubine Xian, or any other concubines as long as they were beneficial to the birthday celebration.

"Xianfei, your suggestion is very good. I will report it to the emperor and ask him to make the decision. Concubine Zhuang, you must wholeheartedly assist Xianfei in preparing for the Wanshou Festival. Don't have a quarrel like today again. Do you understand?"

With the support of the Queen, Concubine Xian looked down on Concubine Zhuang even more in her heart.

Concubine Liu Huining was born into a family of generals. Her father was the general who protected the country and had made great military achievements. Her mother, Zhu, was born into a family of civil officials and was well-read. She also had a young and promising brother who was brave and good at fighting when he first entered the battlefield and was newly appointed as the general of Jiangnan.

Such a wealthy family would raise their only legitimate daughter, the virtuous concubine, to be well-educated and well-mannered.

Therefore, ever since Concubine Xian entered the palace, she has been highly praised for her outstanding virtue and talent, and was even praised by the emperor as a model for concubines.

However, Concubine Zhuang did not buy her account. Not only did she imitate Concubine Xian's dressing style, but she was also always keen to compete with Concubine Xian in various matters.

The virtuous concubine has always been troubled by having such an opponent who imitates her in every way. Today, she finally got the chance to vent her anger.

After the Queen left, Concubine Xian walked up to Concubine Zhuang with a smile on her face, her lips curled up, and her tone was full of the contempt of a victor.

"Sister Zhuang Fei, it seems that you still haven't mastered the skill of understanding the emperor's intentions."

Concubine Zhuang hit a snag with the Queen. She suppressed her anger and didn't want to show her weakness in front of her. Even though she was ridiculed, she still didn't give in to Concubine Xian in the slightest.

"Sister Xianfei, your idea is good. But in the end, whether this good idea can be accomplished depends on whether you have the ability to do it!"

After all, walk away.