The princess regretted it.

It turned out that Concubine Zhang had come with Qiu Wen again, saying that she had made some soup for the Emperor and was sending it to him. Usually, Concubine Zhang would send food from time to time, but the Emperor had not summoned her very often recently, and most of the time, Eunuch Fuquan would bring it in.

Today, Eunuch Fuquan was about to step forward to take the food box from Qiuwen as usual, but Concubine Zhang stopped him with a smile and said, "Eunuch, I'll take it in myself." After that, she took the food box from Qiuwen and was about to go in herself.

Eunuch Fuquan bowed and stepped aside to block her way. "Please stay, Your Majesty. His Majesty has not summoned you." Concubine Zhang's face darkened, and she was furious. She cursed Eunuch Fuquan for taking advantage of his power. Then she forced a smile and said, "Then please let Eunuch Fu pass on the message."

Eunuch Fuquan didn't say much and turned to go into the imperial study. Concubine Zhang closed her eyes, took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, and then slowly opened her eyes, maintaining an elegant posture and standing at the door.

After a while, Eunuch Fuquan came out. Just as Concubine Zhang was about to approach him, he said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty said he's too busy with government affairs to be distracted. Your Majesty appreciates your kindness. I'll let this old servant present this soup to Your Majesty. His Majesty also said that Your Majesty has been working hard recently and asked you to rest well in the palace and not to overwork yourself."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Zhang's face almost collapsed. She gritted her teeth, suppressed the grievance and unwillingness in her heart, and handed the food box to Eunuch Fuquan, "Since Your Majesty said so, then I'll trouble you." After saying this, she didn't look at Eunuch Fuquan again, and turned around with Qiuwen, maintaining a decent demeanor and leaving the imperial study.

Eunuch Fuquan watched Concubine Zhang and the others leave with indifference, secretly shaking his head. This was too impatient. He turned and took the food box into the imperial study. As expected, the emperor took one look at the soup and gave it to Eunuch Fuquan. After thanking him, Eunuch Fuquan retreated to a side hall and drank the soup. He rubbed his stomach, thinking that if he continued like this, he would gain weight.

After Concubine Zhang returned to Wuqiu Palace, she became more and more angry as she thought about it. The porcelain in the house was once again damaged. As a result, not long after, she heard that Fuquan brought people to give Concubine Cen a lot of rewards. This almost made Concubine Zhang faint. She felt dizzy and dizzy. Qiuwen quickly helped her to lie down on the bed to rest. She thought about it and asked Qiuwen to immediately pass the message to her father and brother, asking them to find a way to nominate the crown prince. She was really afraid that as Jiaoyu said, the emperor was going to alienate the Zhang family and give up her Ji'er. She was afraid that the emperor really wanted other women to give birth to royal heirs for training. She would never allow such a thing to happen.

At night, the sight at the gates of the various palaces was different than usual. There were a few more eunuchs or palace maids waiting to watch the entrance. The lights in the palaces were also brighter than usual, and stayed on longer. Of course, a few others remained as usual. Concubine Cen's palace had turned off the lights early, as Eunuch Fu had warned him when he delivered the reward that His Majesty would be unavailable that evening. So, she had received a firm warning and would not be coming. She happily retired to bed.

The other was Concubine Chun. She and Gan Cao also went to bed early. She thought that since His Majesty would accompany her for dinner and give her rewards, he would definitely go to Concubine Cen's place that night. So she also went to bed early with peace of mind.

Concubine Zhang's spies secretly noted down those watching from the doorway and reported it to her. She was so angry that her heart ached and she cursed non-stop. It was just as Jiaoyu had said; the harem was about to come alive again. However, the informant guarding the Imperial Study reported that the Emperor had not yet left the room. He presumably would be staying in the Health Preservation Palace tonight. This thought eased her mood slightly.

As the stars and moon rose, Changsun Hongze pinched his brows and put down the memorial in his hand. Seeing this, Eunuch Fuquan hurriedly picked up a cup of steaming hot tea and walked forward, asking softly, "Your Majesty, you have been tired all day. Do you want to rest? Have a cup of hot tea first." Changsun Hongze nodded slightly, picked up the teacup, and took a sip. The warm tea made him feel a little more relaxed.

"Light the lanterns!" Changsun Hongze put down his teacup, slowly stood up, and walked out of the imperial study. Eunuch Fuquan responded quickly, quickly lighting a lantern, holding it steadily in his hand, and quickly walked to Changsun Hongze's side, following the emperor towards the Health Preservation Hall.

After walking for a while, Changsun Hongze suddenly stopped. Eunuch Fuquan also hurriedly stopped, raised his eyes slightly, and looked at the emperor cautiously, his heart full of doubts. Changsun Hongze looked quietly towards the harem, his eyes deep, and after a moment of silence, he turned and walked towards the harem.

Eunuch Fuquan was startled and followed without a second thought. He was still feeling a bit uneasy, wondering which empress the emperor was going to see. He had only just informed Concubine Cen that afternoon that he wouldn't be going that evening. Was he going to appease the Imperial Concubine? But the direction he was heading didn't seem right.

Changsun Hongze walked silently, his steps steady. Soon, Eunuch Fuquan understood His Majesty's intentions: the road was getting further and further off track. He muttered to himself, "Looks like he wants to visit Concubine Chun again." "It's so late, and he has to be back soon. The Emperor is truly tireless." Despite his inner complaints, his steps didn't falter, his lantern held steady, illuminating the path ahead.

Soon, they arrived at the quiet courtyard, now darkened just like last time. Changsun Hongze couldn't help but smile at the scene. He had visited Concubine Cen at noon today, and the harem had become quite lively. On the way here, he could see from afar that several palaces were still ablaze with lights, a scene of ablaze illumination. He had deliberately avoided them all the way here, and behold, everyone had turned off the lights and rested, as usual.

This time, Eunuch Fuquan was particularly conscious and entered the courtyard first. He shouted at the door, "The Emperor has arrived!" His voice was not too loud. He had seen the Emperor deliberately avoiding the public on his way here, so he understood that the Emperor did not want others to know. The lights in the house came on, and there were rustling sounds. After a while, the door opened, and Concubine Chun and Gancao knelt down hurriedly to greet them. The Emperor stepped in, helped Concubine Chun up, and said in a gentle voice, "My beloved concubine, there is no need to be so polite." He winked at Fuquan, who quickly pulled Gancao over and said softly, "Go and prepare some hot water." Gancao understood and hurriedly retreated to prepare.