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

After a night of strong winds, the sky was unusually clear that day. There were many fallen leaves on the ground, and palace servants in various places were busy sweeping them up.

Concubine Yue, wrapped in a thick cloak, was helped out of Changle Palace and stood in the corridor watching the young palace maids sweep the yard.

There was a rustling sound, and soon, it was swept into a pile. After a while, there was another pile.

Concubine Yue watched boredly.

After looking at it for a while, he said, "Well done, give her two taels of silver as a reward."

The maid Linglong gave out the reward, and the palace maid who was sweeping the floor quickly put down her broom and ran over to kowtow to her master.

Concubine Yue yawned lazily and raised her hand to straighten the pearl hairpin on her temples: "No need to thank me, just continue sweeping. I love to see it."

The little palace maid put the silver in her pocket and went on to sweep the floor.

Concubine Yue watched for a long time, then played with her pet cat, becoming increasingly bored.

Feeling a little tired, he was about to go back to his room to lie down when someone reported that Concubine Lan had arrived.

After being demoted two levels, Concubine Yue was reluctant to see anyone. She just said "no" and went back to her room.

But Lan Zhaoyi ignored the gatekeeper's obstruction and walked into the palace with a smile.

The palace maid guarding the gate chased after her and immediately knelt down to apologize when she saw Concubine Yue. Concubine Yue was too lazy to care about it and waved her away.

Lan Zhaoyi walked up to Concubine Yue and bowed. "It's not that I want to disturb Your Majesty, but there was a terrible storm last night, and I couldn't sleep most of the night. I've been thinking about the past, and I miss You terribly. Your Majesty, please let me in and have a chat. Let's talk for a while, just like before."

Lan Zhaoyi was wearing a casual jacket that was neither new nor worn. Her face was lightly made up, but it couldn't hide the dark circles under her eyes. There were even some bloodshot eyes, and she looked like she hadn't slept well the night before.

Her tone was full of pleading. Concubine Yue looked at her for a moment, moved her lips, and said indifferently, "Then come in."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

Lan Zhaoyi rushed forward to open the curtain, respectfully invited Concubine Yue in, and then followed her in.

Linglong and others helped Concubine Yue change her clothes and she leaned on the couch to rest. Concubine Lan also lent a hand to help and was very attentive.

Concubine Yue drank the sweet soup that replenished her qi and blood, and teased lazily, "You haven't been here to pay your respects for a long time. I've been demoted, and you're here."

Lan Zhaoyi's smile paused, and she was silent for a moment before she slowly sighed.

"Speaking of which, I dare not ask any more questions, but... Your Majesty, why did you ask to be demoted?"

Glancing around, she saw only Linglong and another maid in the room, both of whom were Concubine Yue's confidants. Then she continued, "...You were originally the most qualified person to be the new queen!"

Concubine Yue drank the soup slowly.

He raised his eyes slightly and looked at her.

With a half-smile, he said, "You didn't come here today just to tell me this, did you?"

Lan Zhaoyi smiled sadly, pinching her handkerchief as she spoke, "I shouldn't have said these things to upset Your Majesty, but in my heart I feel for You. The Duke worked so hard to protect the capital, and if the result wasn't what we expected, we shouldn't blame him entirely. The incident happened so suddenly, who else could have defended the city? Besides, even if the Duke was wrong, Your Majesty was also not wrong in the palace. You never gave in to the enemy, and you set an example for the entire harem. Even if you don't receive a reward, you don't deserve to be demoted!"

"Thunder, rain, and dew are all God's grace. How can there be any right or wrong?" Concubine Yue put down the silver spoon, her face darkening. "I have requested to be demoted, and His Majesty has agreed. Are you saying this now because you are dissatisfied with me or with His Majesty?"

Lan Zhaoyi quickly bowed and apologized: "I spoke out of turn. I didn't mean anything else, it's just... it's just..."

Concubine Yue looked at her unfriendlyly, and seeing that she seemed to be hesitant to speak, she did not ask any questions.

In the end, it was Lan Zhaoyi who said "just" for a long time before she finally said it.

"It's just that after this war, Imperial Concubine Qing, Imperial Concubine Hui, Imperial Concubine Zhao, and even Imperial Concubine Yu were all praised by His Majesty and promoted to Imperial Concubine, but you...

Forgive my rudeness, but I dare to say that with your demotion, it will be difficult for you to become the Queen. But if you are not in charge of this harem, who would be suitable to take over?"

"Lan Zhaoyi!"

Concubine Yue scolded her in a deep voice, "How dare you speak nonsense in front of me? I will expel you immediately and report to His Majesty that you are making false comments about the empress's appointment!"

"Your Majesty, forgive me!"

Lan Zhaoyi shuddered and quickly knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, I haven't been here to accompany you often recently, but my heart is with you. It's just that the Queen Mother was suppressing you at that time, and I wanted to stay away from you a little, not attracting her attention, waiting for an opportunity to help you at a critical moment. I have been with you for so long, you should know my loyalty. Everything I said today was said sincerely for you. Your Majesty, if you don't think about yourself, you should also think about me and others who are loyal to you, and for all the concubines in the harem. If someone else became the queen, this palace would be as chaotic as it was when the previous queen was here. Because only you can manage the palace in an orderly manner, and only you are loved by all the sisters!"

"How dare you! Throw her out!"

At Yue Fei's command, Ling Long immediately called people in and dragged Lan Zhaoyi out.

When Lan Zhaoyi reached the main hall entrance, she clung to the door frame and refused to leave.

He cried and shouted inside, begging Concubine Yue for forgiveness.

"Your Majesty! It was my fault! I shouldn't have said anything careless! Please forgive me!"

The shouting made Concubine Yue frown: "It's too noisy, let her go back."

Lan Zhaoyi broke free and returned to the inner hall. Before she could even open her mouth, Concubine Yue pointed at her and shouted, "Stop making noises and saying those nonsense. I'm so annoyed."

"Yes, I dare not."

Lan Zhaoyi sobbed, wiped her tears, and calmed down for a while.

Seeing that Concubine Yue's expression had eased a little, he tentatively spoke again.

But that's another story.

"I was reckless just now. Since Your Majesty has no interest in the throne, I will naturally follow Your Majesty's wishes..."

"After experiencing a war, I feel that living well is the most important thing."

"Your Majesty, then, from now on, we can continue as before, admiring flowers, playing with cats, and playing cards in our spare time. If you don't want to be the Queen, then don't be. Speaking of which, what's so good about the Phoenix Throne? Sitting on it will only make you tired. Your Majesty Zhao Fei is lucky, so let her sit on it."

Concubine Yue raised her eyes slightly.

"Stop talking about this. If you don't want to be driven away by me, just tell me something happy and cheer me up."

Lan Zhaoyi smiled apologetically in response.

After a moment's thought, she said, "Just now, as I was walking along, I passed by the Xinzheku and happened to see those criminal women working. Two of them were carrying a huge bucket of water, stumbling from exhaustion. If they spilled the water, they would be scolded and beaten. It was quite pitiful to see them, but it also made me feel better."

The criminal women she was talking about were a group of concubines in Fengyi Palace who chose to stand on the side of the Empress Dowager when the Tartar soldiers entered the palace.

After the war, the emperor ordered them all to be demoted to commoners, thrown into the Xinzheku to do hard labor for a month, and then moved to the cold palace to fend for themselves.

After hearing this, Concubine Yue frowned and said, "There's nothing to be happy about."

Lan Zhaoyi looked embarrassed, "...I can't think of anything to be happy about right now. After the rebellion, the palace was in a mess and hasn't recovered yet. How can there be anything happy to say?"

She paused here and asked tentatively, "My Lady, how about we find some fun ourselves?"

"What fun?"

"Like we used to do, find some close sisters, get together for a drink, chat, and play cards?"

Concubine Yue raised her eyebrows again.

He stared at her and asked, "Do you really think so?"

Lan Zhaoyi nodded and said, "I only want to entertain Your Majesty. As long as Your Majesty can cheer up, I am willing to host a banquet and entertain everyone."

She looked awed and sincere.

Concubine Yue narrowed her eyes and smiled, her slightly upturned eyes carrying a subtle charm, "Then you take charge."

An elusive deep meaning is hidden in the sparkling eyes.

Lan Zhaoyi nodded, not noticing.

That night, Fei Wan received an invitation from Lan Zhaoyi, inviting her to attend lunch at Changle Palace the next day.

At this time, Yu Sujin was in front of Fei Wan.

Seeing this, he frowned: "The war has just ended, the dead are still cold, the previous dynasty is in constant conflict, and the palace is still in chaos. Why hold a banquet at this time? Sister, let's not go, so as not to be criticized."