The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

Whose girl is that?

The emperor looked at Madam Yu beside the girl and didn't recognize her.

Judging from Madam Yu's court dress, the girl must be the daughter of a third or fourth rank official.

She is good-looking, dignified and generous, and is an outstanding person.

But the virtuous concubine was still sobbing, and the empress dowager also joined in. The emperor had no time to pay attention to anyone else.

Then he looked away.

It happened in a split second and no one noticed.

Yu Sujin's heart skipped a beat.

The fleeting moment of eye contact is unforgettable.

This is enough for my first time entering the palace.

Her father was the Minister of War, and there were two women in the palace, so she would have many opportunities in the future to have further contact with the king.

Not urgent.

Yu Sujin lowered her eyes slightly and sat beside her stepmother with an elegant posture.

He remained calm and paid close attention to the changing situation in the palace.

Seeing that Concubine Xian was pleading guilty, the Empress Dowager suppressed her. Several concubines expressed their opinions, and some court officials interjected to persuade and remonstrate. The Emperor watched with hidden anger.

She secretly made a preliminary assessment of the situation in the palace.

"It was my idea to recommend the Fu Clan to the Concubine Xian. I was hoping to please the Empress Dowager, but who knew this would happen? I am to blame, and I beg the Empress Dowager to punish me."

Seeing that the Queen Mother's face was still not good, Princess Qinghe stood up during the banquet.

She is the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo and the mother of the virtuous concubine.

When her father, Prince Si, was young, he often took the young emperor out for horseback riding and archery, and they had a close relationship.

Therefore, the late emperor always treated Princess Qinghe very well.

Now that the late emperor is gone, the empress dowager has to give the princess even more face to show her respect for the royal family.

"Your Highness, your words are too serious. I didn't take it to heart because it was just a trivial matter. Why are you crying, Concubine Xian? If you don't return to your seat, it will seem like I am making things difficult for you."

The Queen Mother's expression softened a little. Although her words were unpleasant, she gave Concubine Xian a way out.

The virtuous concubine thanked her and sat down, but the queen mother added:

"The troupe is not good, so we will not use them in the future. Something went wrong at the banquet, but we cleaned it up in time and continued the feast. The virtuous concubine is still not experienced enough. When the queen recovers from her illness, let her take care of the harem with you. Your Majesty, do you think this is not presumptuous?"

What happened just now is not over yet.

At the banquet for her fiftieth birthday, the Empress Dowager was accused by officials in court of usurping power and interfering in government affairs.

How could she swallow this?

If she swallowed it, how would people inside and outside the palace look at her in the future?

It doesn’t matter who takes care of the harem between the virtuous concubine and the queen. What matters is that the emperor let the queen recuperate in order to fight against her, so she wants to bring the queen back.

"The Empress Dowager loves Consort Xian. Your kindness towards her is a blessing to the entire harem. Consort Xian, why don't you thank me?"

The emperor smiled faintly and did not confront the empress dowager.

Today, Lu Guinian has publicly pointed out the word "politically involved", which is enough.

The emperor has a broad mind and is not in a hurry. He can slowly suppress the empress dowager's power in the future.

"Thank you, Queen Mother, for your consideration!"

The virtuous concubine quickly expressed her opinion.

Princess Qinghe also thanked the Queen Mother for her love on behalf of her daughter.

The mother and daughter looked at each other secretly, and tacitly agreed not to argue with the Queen Mother at this time.

When the Empress Dowager saw that the Emperor had stopped arguing, her expression eased slightly.

But after all, things were not going well and I had no mood to chat or laugh.

Lan Zhaoyi and several clever concubines, as well as some court officials, helped to liven up the atmosphere, and the birthday banquet was able to go on despite the "political" turmoil and the infighting within the Fu family.

The concubines came on stage one by one to perform, singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, reciting poems and competing in tea-drinking competitions. It was a very lively scene.

It’s just that the emperor had no interest in appreciating their kindness, and all their efforts went to waste.

Everyone feels lost.

Even though Zhao Guiren was a minor palace concubine who was not present, His Majesty still remembered her and sent someone to deliver wine and food.

They sang and danced on the spot, but with little effect.

People are more mad than people.

Lady Zhao is so lucky!

"Your Majesty, I offer you a toast, wishing you eternal youth and longevity!"

After several relatives' wives toasted, Madam Yu also stood up and raised her glass to salute the Empress Dowager from afar.

In fact, she was only a fourth-rank concubine. In such an occasion, with so many princesses, daughters of the first rank and ladies sitting in the hall, she should not have stepped forward to offer a toast given her rank.

But the Queen Mother actually gave her face, nodded slightly, and raised the wine glass slightly towards her.

She didn't drink it, but it made Madam Yu happy.

Madam Yu quickly drank a glass of wine and bowed again.

She ignored the warning look from her husband Yu Zhong.

She walked directly to the Empress Dowager's table and pleaded, "Your Majesty is so happy today, and I, your humble servant, have a humble request. Yu Gengyi is seriously ill and unattended in Yanyun Palace. I beg Your Majesty to show her mercy by sending for a royal physician and moving her to a clean room. I am willing to remain a vegetarian for the rest of my life. I pray for Your Majesty's blessings and thank you for your grace!"

She spoke in a low voice.

The singing and dancing in the hall were loud, but not many people heard them.

But the concubines and ladies nearby could hear it clearly.

Everyone thinks she has no vision.

The previous storm had just subsided, and the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were both unhappy. Why did she mention Yu Gengyi at this time?

Even if you love your daughter dearly, this is not the time!

Yu Zhong stood up from the table over there, walked over with an apologetic smile, bowed and apologized.

"My humble concubine drank too much and lost her composure. I will ask her to leave the palace immediately."

"Don't go out yet!"

Yu Zhong lowered his voice and scolded his wife.

Madam Yu was so brave in saving her daughter that she was not afraid of offending her husband and the emperor.

She pleaded tearfully, "Please have mercy on me, Your Majesty! I just went to see Yu Gengyi. She has had a high fever for a long time and can't even get a sip of hot water... Her room is infested with rats, insects and ants. It's really uninhabitable."

Your Majesty, she has served you after all. Although she has been convicted, I beg you to show mercy for our past friendship..."

Yu Zhong glared at his wife.

I wish I could drag her away with my own hands.

But he didn't dare to act recklessly in front of the emperor.

"Is Yu Gengyi having a good time in Yanyun Palace?"

The emperor tilted his head and asked Cao Bin indifferently.

After Cao Bin went to Guanlan Courtyard to deliver food, he deliberately hung around outside for a while to avoid the competition in the palace. He just came back a while ago.

This is trouble again.

Inwardly cursing Madam Yu for her tactlessness, he replied respectfully, "Yanyun Palace has established rules for food, clothing, and expenses. There are also ancestral rules for punishments for crimes. Madam Yu, out of her love for her daughter, may have exaggerated. I'll send someone to investigate."

"I am not exaggerating. I saw with my own eyes a mouse crawling across the changing bed." Madam Yu refuted on the spot.

Yu Zhong shouted, "Shut up!"

The emperor ignored what the couple said and only ordered Cao Bin to send someone to deal with it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! My wife has been disrespectful. I will teach her a lesson when I return!"

Yu Zhong quickly took his wife downstairs.

Madam Yu refused to leave and looked at the Queen Mother with tears in her eyes.

The Queen Mother promised herself this morning that she would take care of Yu Tingjin for her.

"Emperor, today is my family's happy day. Please pardon Yu Gengyi. Move her out of Yanyun Palace and give her a courtyard to recuperate. After all, she is still a concubine, and the dignity of the royal family must be taken into consideration."

The Queen Mother spoke.

Madam Yu was surprised and knelt down to kowtow.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at Yu Zhong.

He said slowly, "The Queen Mother will give your family honor. I approve."

Yu Zhong fell to his knees, sweating profusely.

He worked diligently in the Ministry of War to make achievements, but now, all of it was ruined by his stupid wife and Yu Tingjin!

Not far away, Concubine Xian watched the couple annoy the emperor.

He secretly laughed that even if Yu Tingjin was released from the cold palace, he would not have a good life in the future.

However, she didn't care whether Yu Tingjin was okay or not.

"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, I will be back soon."

She stood up, said hello, and pretended to change her clothes.

In fact, after leaving the main hall, he took a small path away from people and hurried back to Changle Palace.

Lu Guan, whose face was burned, was moved here for treatment.

The medical officer had just treated the wound and applied medicine.

Lu Guan had a thick gauze wrapped around his head and was lying on the bed, screaming in pain.

"How are you?"

The virtuous concubine walked quickly to the bedside and held Lu Guan's hand.

Although Lu Guan was an actor, he had saved her life when he worked in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

Back then, she was playful and secretly went to the pond to skate in winter. The ice broke and she fell in.

If Lu Guan had not happened to pass by, jumped into the icy water without hesitation, and lifted her up, she would not be where she is now.

The virtuous concubine promoted Lu Guan and the Fu family in order to please the empress dowager and to make Lu Guan a popular celebrity in the capital.

But who knew that something happened on the stage and even injured Lu Guan’s face!

"My lady, please don't worry. It's all my fault. Don't blame others."

Lu Guan sat up and held Concubine Xian's hand.

Although the two men had different statuses, they had a deep friendship when they were young.

Seeing that Lu Guan was very sad but pretending to be strong, Concubine Xian gritted her teeth:

"It was my fault..."

The medical officer from the Imperial Hospital had not left yet. Seeing this, he bowed and was about to leave.

The virtuous concubine stopped him and asked if Lu Guan's burns were serious.

The medical officer respectfully replied that the burns were severe and if not properly cared for, significant scarring would likely occur.

"She must be carefully cared for and no scars are allowed to remain on her body!" the virtuous concubine ordered sternly.

The medical officer quickly agreed and retreated reluctantly.

Linglong was guarding outside the door. Only Concubine Xian and Lu Guan were in the room. Only then did Concubine Xian speak freely.

"Didn't you already know about the stage incident? How did you get caught?"

The eldest brother Jiang Liuhong wanted to do something to embarrass Lu Guan, but Lu Guan had already reported it to Concubine Xian.

The virtuous concubine asked her to take advantage of the situation and if anything went wrong she could just point the finger at Jiang Liuhong, thus cutting off the opponent who would inherit the Fu family troupe.

The virtuous concubine thought she could protect Lu Guan from punishment.

Moreover, Jiang Liuhong had been summoned privately by the Queen, and Concubine Xian was prepared to take the opportunity to bite the Queen, which was a selfish motive.

But today the emperor and the empress dowager confronted each other and the situation got out of control.

If something happens on the stage again, it will be bad.

What's more, Lu Guan's face was injured, and Concubine Xian felt very regretful.

If I had known this earlier, I should have stopped this matter in advance.

"My Lady, when I was doing a somersault, that fire-breathing junior fellow took my footing. He was sprained there, and I had no choice but to change direction mid-air... I barely managed to stand when I landed, so I didn't dodge the flames."

Lu Guan said in annoyance.

"So Junior Brother and your Senior Brother are in cahoots?"

Lu Guan shook his head: "Not necessarily. He's not very skilled in martial arts to begin with, and he makes mistakes all the time."

"Then why does he even need to go on stage!"

"The fire-breathing kid who was originally scheduled to go on stage had diarrhea early in the morning and couldn't make it on stage."

The virtuous concubine frowned, feeling something was amiss.

Linglong walked in.

"Your Majesty, the Palace Justice Department has sent word that Jiang Liuhong's body has been fished out of the Taiye Lake. She's dead, clutching a purse in her hand."

The virtuous concubine asked knowingly, "What kind of purse?"

"The purse often worn by Bai Lu, the maid in charge of Fengyi Palace."

The virtuous concubine smiled slightly.

The deer official was surprised: "What's going on?"