The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

The Emperor was very pleased. He told the Empress about bestowing the title of Consort Bai Ruiji upon her, praising her for her excellent teaching. He then summoned the children and inquired about the eldest and second princes' studies. Seeing that they were proficient in their studies, with the eldest prince even reciting a poem for Laba Festival, and that the princess was lively and adorable, the Emperor was delighted and rewarded each of the three children with a piece of silk-wrapped tiger-eye candy. Rongyin led the children in thanking them for the reward, creating a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.

At this moment, Jinzhong entered, looking somewhat troubled. Rongyin, seeing this, said, "Your Majesty must be tired after a long day. I will take the children away first and not disturb Your Majesty any longer." With that, she and Yingluo left with the three children.

After the Empress and her entourage left, Jinzhong whispered to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department has reported that the Accounting Department ordered the eunuch Wufu, the cleaning maids Da Niu, Er Niu, and the eldest maid Ze Zhi to confront them. Unexpectedly, Ze Zhi was assigned to Consort Hai by Consort Xian, and thus some things about Consort Xian's time at Shou Kang Palace were revealed. The eunuchs in the Accounting Department are hesitant to make a decision, so they have come to ask Your Majesty for instructions." As he spoke, he presented two documents.

The emperor took it, glanced at it a few times, and his expression grew increasingly gloomy.

Upon reading the last document, he couldn't help but slam it on the table and roared, "Summon the Imperial Household Department to bring that lowly servant girl to me immediately!"

Upon hearing the emperor's angry roar, Rongyin, worried that he might frighten the children, quickly brought Yingluo back to persuade him, "Your Majesty, no matter what, please take care of your health and don't upset yourself. It's already evening, so whatever happens shouldn't disturb Your Majesty's rest."

The Emperor took a deep breath and handed the two documents to Rongyin: "Empress, take a look. See how this lowly servant girl is talking about her master behind his back!"

Rongyin took it and first opened the first document, which contained a complete record of the conversation between the people during their confrontation.

Zezhi's words were particularly striking.

“You lot, including Ye Xin, are all spineless and short-sighted. The master is loyal to the Xian master, how can she tolerate you turning against her when you get a little favor!”

"Xianzhu'er comes from a noble family and is the Emperor's darling. She was a concubine in the Prince's mansion before, and she will have a bright future! You lot think of abandoning her when she is in trouble, but she went to switch her with the Emperor when Xianzhu was observing mourning in the Prince's mansion so that Xianzhu could meet the Emperor. Even when Xianzhu was framed and went to Shou Kang Palace, she often secretly visited her. You have not learned Xianzhu'er's loyalty and righteousness at all!"

Rongyin was speechless and choked with emotion. She paused for a few seconds until Yingluo behind her reminded her in her mind that she still had to pretend to be confused: "Consort Xian clearly received the Emperor's decree to attend to the sick Consort Jingren after observing mourning for her. How could Zezhi say that Consort Xian secretly came out to see the Emperor while observing mourning? Isn't this using previous rumors to slander the Emperor and Consort Xian for disregarding etiquette? This is simply absurd!"

The emperor was extremely embarrassed: "Well... that's true, this Zezhi has actually tried to frame me!"

After saying that, in order to change the subject, he urged Rongyin to open the second document.

The second document states that during the confrontation, Zezhi spoke recklessly, revealing that Consort Hai and Consort Xian had a secret meeting at Shou Kang Palace. Knowing that the truth had come out, he was willing to confess honestly, only asking for leniency.

Ze Zhi confessed that when Consort Xian was attending to the Empress Dowager at Shou Kang Palace, Consort Hai, out of concern, secretly slipped silver to the eunuchs and guards of Shou Kang Palace so that she could meet with Consort Xian in her bedchamber. Ze Zhi, who had served Consort Xian at Prince Bao's residence, naturally went to Shou Kang Palace with her and thus overheard their conversation.

On one occasion, Zezhi overheard Consort Xian saying, "The Emperor and I have always been of one mind with each other. Even if he was angry that day, I believe he will understand afterward."

Consort Hai said, “Sister, this cannot continue. Do you have any clue why the Emperor suddenly became angry? I was unable to help last time, but if I can help this time, I will make sure you leave Shou Kang Palace as soon as possible.”

Consort Xian said, "These past few days, everyone has been busy moving to their respective palaces. It seems that only Her Majesty the Empress is often with the Emperor, discussing various matters."

Consort Hai said, "Sister is wise. Does she mean... Your Majesty the Empress?"

Consort Xian said, "After all, the Emperor almost chose me back then... But Hailan, your rank is low, you are only a Noble Lady. If you anger the Empress because of this, wouldn't that harm you?"

Consort Hai said, "What are you saying, sister? If it weren't for your help back then, I wouldn't have the position of consort I am today. Now that you are trapped in Shou Kang Palace, it is ultimately my fault. Of course, I will go through fire and water for you. Sister, wait for me, I will go and beg the Empress right away!"

……

After reading the two documents, Rongyin fell silent once again.

She and Yingluo looked at each other, and after a long time of deliberation, she said, "Noble Lady Hai did come to me before, begging me to release Consort Xian from Shou Kang Palace. I thought she was just being anxious because she was on good terms with Consort Xian, and I thought it was just a small matter, so there was no need to inform Your Majesty."

The emperor angrily said, "What? Empress Keliye really came to Changchun Palace to confront the Empress because she suspected the Empress of personal revenge?"

Rongyin said, "I'm afraid we can't completely believe what Zezhi said. Consort Hai didn't mention anything about me being jealous of Consort Xian; she just came to plead with me."

Yingluo said, "That day, Consort Hai rushed into Changchun Palace without waiting for an announcement. As soon as she entered, she knelt down and begged the Empress. The Empress was kind and thought that she had forgotten her manners in her haste, so she told her to go back and learn the court etiquette properly."

The Emperor seemed to recall something and asked, "Did the Empress come to discuss the matter of Consort Xian's palace with me because of this?"

Rongyin thought to herself, "Actually, it was because of the requests of several imperial concubines. Reminded by Yingluo, I didn't say it aloud. Instead, following Yingluo's mental guidance, I said, 'This... it's not that. It's just that Consort Hai came and reminded me. I thought that Consort Xian is, after all, one of the Emperor's concubines, and her relationship with the Emperor is different from others. Although she should fulfill her filial duties, ultimately the Emperor's wishes are more important, so...'"

The emperor felt both embarrassed and touched, and sighed, "The empress is virtuous and kind, but that narrow-minded woman, like Lady Keliye, is truly hateful for trampling on the empress's good intentions!"

Rongyin said, "These are all old stories. If I hadn't mentioned them today, I would have almost forgotten them. Your Majesty need not worry so much. However, Shou Kang Palace is the residence of the Empress Dowager and the many imperial concubines. Yet the guards there are so dishonest... This..."

The emperor, reminded of this, suddenly realized that this was indeed a good opportunity to purge the Empress Dowager's spies. He immediately said, "The Empress's concerns are very valid. The servants serving in Shou Kang Palace do indeed need to be reorganized."

He calmed down and thought for a moment, then said, "In that case, let the Empress handle this matter as well. Take this opportunity to transfer out that little eunuch who delivered the message to Consort Bai last time, and let him serve Consort Bai. As for Lady Keliye... leave her to me. I will give the Empress an explanation."

So you're transferring Xiao Miao to Bai Ruiji's side to keep them in check, huh? Yingluo sighed inwardly. You could say this emperor is incompetent, since he can use these political tricks from time to time; but you could also say he's competent, since he can only use this kind of method in his own harem!

In the accounting office, Zezhi sat nervously, but a sense of peace settled over her.

She originally thought that as Consort Xian's person, she would no longer be suppressed by Su Xin and A Ruo when she got to Noble Lady Hai's side. She could also gain Noble Lady Hai's trust by relying on her relationship with Consort Xian, and it would be just around the corner for her to take control of Noble Lady Hai's courtyard. However, she did not expect that Ye Xin would be above her.

Ye Xin was straightforward and didn't flatter her at all just because she was sent by Consort Xian. On the contrary, she was very wary of her. Ze Zhi secretly resented Ye Xin and regarded her as an obstacle on her path to power. She finally managed to find an opportunity to stir up trouble between Ye Xin and Hai Lan because of Consort Xian. She said that Ye Xin was clearly on the side of the Empress and not Consort Xian.

Just as she expected, Consort Hai punished Ye Xin and even expelled her from Yanxi Palace, which was a pleasant surprise for her!

It's just that I didn't expect Ye Xin to be so frail and unable to withstand punishment, which allowed the Empress to find fault with Consort Hai. Wu Fu and those two sweeping maids are also despicable; they actually betrayed their mistress at this critical juncture and even kicked her while she was down, accusing her of instigating their mistress. They were practically pushing her into a fire pit.

She knew that when concubines made mistakes, those below them would often suffer the consequences, especially those who were at the forefront. Shuangxi, who was demoted to the Cold Palace by the Empress, was an example of this.

Now that the Empress has personally intervened in this matter after the Emperor relinquished power, if she wants to use Consort Hai as an example to establish her authority, she will likely deal with the matter severely. If she is accused of instigation, her fate may not be much better than Shuangxi's. Being sent to the Cold Palace or the Laundry Bureau would be better than being punished by being sent to the Laundry Department as a slave for life.

Consort Hai is weak, and Consort Xian is unreliable; after all, Consort Xian didn't stand up for A'Ruo when she bullied Sui Xin, and she certainly won't help her now. In crucial moments, only you can save yourself.

After some deliberation, she came up with a plan: it wouldn't work to honestly confess and wait for the Empress to punish her severely. However, if she revealed what she knew about Consort Hai's disrespect towards the Empress, she could firstly divert the Empress's attention, and secondly, she would be credited for her report. In order to win over the people, the Empress would not punish her too harshly.

After all, a master should care more about his reputation, prestige, and winning people's hearts than about the affairs of his servants.

However, if one actively reports it, it may be seen as an attempt to implicate others. Therefore, the only way to gain people's trust is to pretend to accidentally let something slip and then reluctantly confess.

When people are in a state of despair, their desires diminish. Zezhi originally wanted to become the head maid under Consort Hai, but now, being expelled from the palace is the most satisfactory outcome for her.

Ze Zhi sneered, thinking to herself: "Consort Hai, don't blame me for being heartless. Originally, I just didn't want to spend my days under A'Ruo Ruixin's command, so I wanted to be the most powerful head maid under the Empress. As for who the master is, what do I care? Blame yourself for driving out Ye Xin, who truly cared about you and shared your hardships, and lifting me up, the one who used you to turn my life around."