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

"Xiao Linzi, you've been busy running around for my illness these days. Thank you for your hard work."

afternoon.

A sultry wind blew in through the ice-gauze window, accompanied by the chirping of cicadas.

Feiwan's house has nothing to do with the summer heat.

She leaned on the pearwood bench with magnolia blossoms, and talked with a smile to the young eunuch in front of the emperor.

Xiao Linzi bowed and saluted: "My lady, I am so sorry for the trouble I have made. I have only delivered a few things to you. It is not a hardship at all. I am very happy that you do not mind my clumsiness!"

He stood in the hall, not far away from him was a wind-turned ice wheel carved with landscapes and figures. The bottom box was filled with white ice cubes. Shaking the armrest would make the wooden wheel turn, and the several fan blades on the wheel would blow cool breeze into the house.

Feeling the cool breeze, Xiao Linzi thought to himself that this was not the treatment one would get as a talented person.

According to the rules, only concubines above Ronghua could be provided with a foot-square block of ice daily during the height of summer. But here in Guanlan Courtyard, all three main rooms had ice wheels, so they consumed as many as five or six blocks of ice a day!

It's no different from what happened with the virtuous concubine!

"I wonder what instructions the young master has for me?"

He asked respectfully.

Fei Wan smiled and said, "I just wanted to ask if Your Majesty has been eating well and sleeping well recently. When Your Majesty came this morning, you were upset about Lord Yu's matter, so I forgot to ask."

Xiao Linzi quickly smiled and praised: "Young Master, your concern for His Majesty is unmatched in the entire harem."

He briefly talked about the emperor's daily life in recent days.

This is a big taboo for people in front of the emperor.

The emperor's daily life cannot be disclosed to anyone at will.

But he actually said it.

Fei Wan was therefore certain that tonight's plan would most likely succeed.

But you can only judge a person by his appearance, not his heart. She didn't know Xiao Linzi in her previous life, so even if he showed goodwill, she had to be cautious.

After carefully listening to the emperor's daily routine, Fei Wan nodded: "Your Majesty is indeed very busy, yet you still bother yourself with my trivial matters. I feel very sorry for it."

Xiao Linzi cleverly interjected, "My lord, what do you need from me? I'm willing to serve you."

Fei Wan hesitated: "I really have something to ask, I wonder if you can do it..."

Xiao Linzi's eyes lit up, "Master, just give me your orders!"

It was evening.

Royal Garden.

In clear weather, dusk is also charming.

The sunset fills the sky with brilliant colors, and a few stars twinkle.

Beneath several Albizia Julibrissin trees, clusters of peonies blossomed beautifully. The Albizia Julibrissin blossomed gently like clouds, while the peonies shone brightly, creating a dazzling scene against the backdrop of the rosy clouds in the sky, like a breathtaking painting that left one lingering.

"You, a slave, do have some vision."

Xiao Yu stood under the Albizia julibrissin tree with his hands behind his back, quite satisfied with the beautiful scenery before him.

After a tiring day of state affairs and the turmoil in the harem, taking a walk in the fragrant imperial garden and looking at the scenery in the rare free time after dinner can indeed relieve fatigue.

This small forest is a good place to enjoy the sunset.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment. I am just trying to find ways to help you relax and not strain your body."

Xiao Linzi bent down and lowered his head.

While secretly thinking, when Miss Zhao comes soon, you can relax.

Cao Bin was not around, and while serving dinner, he felt a little unwell and took an early leave to rest. Xiao Linzi took over his master's shift, and after dinner, he persuaded the emperor to go to the Imperial Garden.

As for why the master suddenly felt stomach discomfort, Xiao Linzi would never tell him even if he was beaten to death.

It's getting darker.

Xiao Yu only brought Xiao Linzi and two guards, and they walked slowly in the garden.

A quarter of an hour passed and Fei Wan was still nowhere to be seen. Xiao Linzi became a little anxious.

But she still had to persuade the emperor: "Your Majesty, why don't you just take a walk and go back? You must be very tired after walking for so long, and you even asked Yuan Ronghua to sleep with you today!"

The emperor would choose the concubines' green-head cards at dinner every day.

Today, the emperor casually glanced at the tray and saw Yuan Ronghua's name. He remembered that she was turned away when she was delivering midnight snacks last night, so he ordered her.

After all, she is a concubine of some rank in the palace, so she is just giving him some face.

However, Xiao Yu was not interested in this person. After listening to Xiao Linzi's words, he did not comment and continued to walk and enjoy the scenery.

"Oh, be careful! Go slower, don't spill the water."

"Yeah... I understand, sister..."

"You're so clumsy, no wonder the young master always laughs at you."

"Why does my sister also say I'm stupid, wuuuu..."

"Okay, okay, I won't bother you anymore. Hurry up and help me pick up the petals. Put the basin over there first."

Suddenly, a few light and flirtatious voices of young girls came from the other side of the lush flowers and trees. In the gradually darkening night, they seemed particularly delicate and bright.

"Eh?"

Xiao Linzi immediately wanted to yell.

Xiao Yu raised his hand to stop him.

Dusk is hazy.

The flowers are lush and shadowy.

Beyond the barrier of lush green vegetation, the girl's laughter and chatter never stopped.

It turned out that two little palace maids took advantage of the fact that there were few people in the garden at night to pick up fresh fallen flowers.

"After picking them up, soak the petals in a clear soup mixed with alum and poria water overnight. The next day, crush them and rinse them to make the flower juice. Repeat the steaming process several times. The final dew is used to dye your nails. The color is the brightest and looks much more beautiful than the ordinary method. What's more, it doesn't fade easily."

The girl's clear voice came out slowly, one sentence at a time.

Xiao Yu felt that the voice sounded familiar.

But I can't remember who it was.

I couldn't help but take a few steps closer and look over there through the gaps between the flowers.

I saw a small palace lantern placed on the ground. In the dim light, a woman in a green dress, with her long black hair casually tied up, picked up the fallen flowers on the ground one by one and carefully placed them on the spread handkerchief.

The posture of bending over is soft and charming.

Xiao Yu watched over him for a while.

Xiao Linzi next to him was even more anxious.

Why didn’t Lady Zhao come, and other beauties got here first?

The women in the palace are vying for favor with all kinds of tricks, so who would believe that this encounter was just an accident?

Just as I was getting anxious, I suddenly heard a "Oh!" from the other side.

This was followed by the clang of a copper basin falling to the ground.

"You stinky girl!"

"Sister! I didn't mean to...Oh my god, your clothes are all wet!"

It turned out that another clumsy little palace maid was careless and approached the woman in green with a basin of water to catch the fallen flowers she had picked up. As a result, she tripped and the whole basin of water spilled on the woman in green.

The two of them were in a panic, and the woman in green was in a mess, but there was nothing she could do.

"Ah! Ahh!"

The woman sneezed lightly a few times.

She had to take off her wet skirt at the suggestion of the little palace maid.

“If you walk along the palace path in wet clothes and are seen by the palace administrator, you’ll be punished. It’s better to take them off and change them.

Sister, wait a minute, I'll go back and get you some clean clothes..."

The little maid looked around in panic and said, "There's no one here. Hide in the bushes over there first. Don't let anyone see you. I'll be back soon!"

She ran away quickly with the basin.

The woman in green, wearing a bellyband and petticoat, shivered and covered her shoulders as she came to the bushes where Xiao Yu was hiding.

Her arms are as white as snow, with exquisite curves.

The gracefully curved neck was still stained with a few moist petals of julibrissin.

Dazzlingly beautiful.

While looking around vigilantly, she went into the bushes, stood still, and looked out cautiously, as if afraid of being seen.

But there was a sudden low laugh behind him.

But she was frightened and looked back in surprise.

"Who?!"

His body tilted, but he didn't fall, and instead crashed into the warm chest.

"Why, you don't even recognize me?"

Xiao Yu chuckled softly, "I remember you now. You were the maid of Yanyun Palace, and your name was Zhishu."

The beauty was carried into the Nanxun Palace, and a jade onion strip was hung on the curtain hook.

This night.

Time is long.

*

"Sister Zhao, have you heard this? It's really strange!"

At the second watch, someone knocked on the door of Guanlan Courtyard.

Concubine Wu came in hurriedly, waving the round fan in her hand rapidly.

"What's wrong? Sister Wu is so anxious?"

Fei Wan had already changed into her pajamas. The ivory chiffon dress embroidered with magnolia flowers made her look gentle and elegant.

There was a flash of surprise in Concubine Wu's eyes.

He first praised her, "No wonder you are so favored," and then explained his purpose:

"Yuan Ronghua was chosen tonight and was about to sleep with the emperor, but someone else snatched her away. She was so angry that she smashed her favorite tea set to pieces. Sister Zhao, do you know who that person was?"

Unable to wait for Fei Wan to ask, she leaned in closer and whispered, "It's the cold palace maid who worshipped Buddha with you that night and returned your umbrella. What was her name? She's accompanying the emperor in Chenqian Palace now! The decree of enthronement should be issued tomorrow morning."

Fei Wan just pretended not to know.

After a moment of surprise, she was delighted: "Her name is Zhishu. She had a hard time in the cold palace. Now she's fine. I'm so happy for her!"

Concubine Wu looked straight at Fei Wan, and after a while, she sighed with heartfelt emotion:

"Sister is such a good person."

She came to report the news not only to share the latest news, but also to inform Fei Wan in advance and inform her that the palace maid who had been friends with Fei Wan had also found a new love.

Should we exclude and suppress or win over, so that Fei Wan can make preparations in advance.

Unexpectedly, Fei Wan's first reaction was to be happy for the other person.

This Zhao Cairen is so kind that he is a little stupid!

While Concubine Wu was feeling emotional, she was also more grateful to Fei Wan.

If Fei Wan had not been so kind, she would have been severely tortured by the group of Concubine Xian, and there would be no peace now.

"Sister Zhao, if Yuan Ronghua had even a fraction of your kindness, she wouldn't be so angry." Concubine Wu felt relieved. "Don't you think she's funny? There are so many women in this palace, but there's only one Majesty. Everyone competes for favor based on their own abilities. If someone else snatched her away, it's just bad luck and she's not as skilled as others. How can she still be so angry? Smashing things? If she's brave enough, just smash everything in her own room and see if the Imperial Household Department is willing to repair it for her!"

These days, Concubine Wu has been tortured by Concubine Jian and others, and Yuan Ronghua, who lives nearby, has seen a lot of fun.

When we met, he was quite sarcastic and mocking.

Now, Concubine Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

We chatted for a long time in Guanlan Courtyard before happily going back to sleep.

Fei Wan saw that she had just escaped from the clutches of the devil, and the scattered palace servants in the yard had not yet been replenished, but she was busy watching others laugh at her. How heartless she was.

Privately, Fei Wan quietly praised Xiao Hui: "Well done."

Xiaohui smiled shyly.

She is the silly little palace maid who picked flower petals with Zhishu.

I happened to meet Zhishu, an acquaintance today, and we just had fun together.

Later, she made a special trip back to deliver the clothes, but there was no one in the Imperial Garden, so she had to come back by herself. No matter who asked her about other things, she knew nothing about them.

"My lady, I don't understand. Even if you want to avoid the limelight, why do you insist on pushing Sister Zhishu forward?"

Having one more person as a concubine means having one more person to share the emperor's favor.

Fei Wan taught his unqualified confidant: "I may avoid favors, but I cannot be without my own people in the imperial court."

Otherwise, if no one reminds the emperor from time to time while she is avoiding his favor, her connection with him will become weaker.

"Besides, having more friends means having more paths. If you want to remain in favor, you can't do it alone."

As for the women who share his favor, one Zhishu is not enough. But the more friends he has, the better.

Fei Wan gave Zhishu a chance, and will give Concubine Wu a chance in the future, and even give more people a chance.

As long as none of them can surpass her, she will lead this group of sisters and move forward steadily.

"Oh……"

Xiaohui nodded, not quite understanding.

The young lady is very thoughtful, and it is difficult for her to understand her thoughts at once. She just needs to study hard and do her work diligently!

Fei Wan has big ideas, but there are many people with small minds in the deep palace.

For example, Yuan Ronghua, whose opportunity was snatched away tonight.

She had been ridiculed when she was turned away when she went to deliver midnight snacks to the emperor.

Today, even the card she flipped was snatched away by someone else. She felt that she had become the laughing stock of the harem, and there were probably many people laughing at her behind her back.

"Your Majesty, I have lost all my dignity. How can I live in the palace from now on?"

After Yuan Ronghua had a tantrum in her room, she went to Fengyi Palace crying.

"Now everyone knows that His Majesty doesn't care about me. He clearly called my name card, but suddenly favored a palace maid, and she's even a maid in the cold palace. People will say that I'm not even as good as a lowly maid in the cold palace!"

The empress sat leisurely beside a carved lacquer phoenix chair, fiddling with a newly presented screen with a pillow inlaid with peonies and pearls.

Dressed casually, with a warm smile.

"You've been in the palace for over a year, why are you still so impatient? If you lose your composure like Concubine Chun, I will be worried if I promote you."

Yuan Ronghua realized she had overdone her crying scene and quickly stopped crying to apologize: "I was just angry for a moment. Thank you for your reminder, Your Majesty. I will definitely be more careful in the future."

The queen nodded and gave her some advice.

"That maidservant belongs to Madam Lu of Yanyun Palace. Your Majesty may not even remember Madam Lu, so why would he suddenly care about her? Have you ever thought about why?"

Yuan Ronghua blinked a few times and thought, "... Could it be, Zhao Cairen? That night, she and Zhao Cairen were worshipping Buddha together, and I felt it was strange..."

The Queen smiled.

Children can be taught.

Yuan Ronghua gritted her teeth. "Your Majesty, why have you been so obsessed with these maids lately? Each one is more flirtatious than the other! If this gets out, where will we, the daughters of respectable families, be able to maintain our dignity?"

"Besides, isn't it enough that Zhao Cairen has been in the spotlight recently? She's even trying to pull in people of her own kind. Isn't she trying to turn the harem into a world of servants?"

The Queen lowered her eyebrows and rebuked: "Be careful with your words."

Yuan Ronghua quickly bowed and apologized.

"...But, my lady, are we just going to watch them run rampant?"

The Queen lowered the pillow screen and spoke calmly, "There are rules of propriety in the world, and our ancestors have established rules. If the hierarchy is reversed, it is truly unacceptable. If Your Majesty favors the palace maids too much, you will also be criticized. For the sake of the stability of the palace and Your Majesty's reputation, you concubines cannot stand idly by."

Yuan Ronghua understood what the Queen meant.

She immediately expressed her loyalty: "Your Majesty, I will definitely think of a way to suppress the arrogance of Zhao Cairen and relieve your worries!"

The Queen smiled and said, "I hope that the sisters in the harem will live in harmony. If anyone steps out of line, you can advise each other."

After saying that, he said he was tired and asked Bai Lu to take Yuan Ronghua out.

Bai Lu smiled and accompanied Yuan Ronghua, sending her all the way out of Fengyi Palace.

The red-lacquered door with colorful phoenix carvings slowly closed.

Yuan Ronghua walked forward for a while, then suddenly stopped and couldn't help looking back.

Under the starry sky, the walls of Fengyi Palace are towering and the shadows are deep.

She clutched a packet of powder in her sleeve tightly, her heart pounding.

After accepting the packet of powder handed down by Bai Lu, she would truly be the queen's person.

Very dangerous.

It is also a great opportunity.

Find wealth in danger!

Yuan Ronghua bit his lips hard and smiled slowly.

Grace is so limited, how can she get it without snatching it away or destroying others?

First, get rid of Zhao Bizi and become the Queen's trusted general. Then one day she will rise to the top and be the most favored in the six palaces!