Quick Transmigration: Leisure

In May, the newlyweds entered the palace.

Xia Youmi didn't join in the fun; she was determined to be forgotten, except by the Imperial Household Department.

The rations had to be given in full, along with fresh fruits, vegetables, and cloth. Anyone who dared to neglect them would be dealt with by the Jinzhu Palace squad. Over time, the stewards came to know that Consort Xian not only came from a wealthy family but also had quite a temper. If they angered her and were punished, there was nowhere to complain! His Majesty wouldn't care, and the Consort would punish them even more severely.

Isn't this just asking for trouble?

The servants below became obedient and dared not tamper with anything. When rare and precious items were obtained, they were presented to His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress, and then to the Noble Consort and the Virtuous Consort. Other favored concubines had to take a backseat.

Xia Youmi quietly made contact with Empress Qi Xuan and became good friends without ever meeting in person. Xia Youmi painted the landscapes she had seen in this world, the northern desert of her memories, and the small bridges and flowing water of her maternal grandparents' home.

They would often select a few paintings to send to the Phoenix Palace, and they would receive many gifts in return. These included gold, silver, and jade artifacts, jewelry, headdresses, as well as some exquisite embroidery and medicinal herbs. Later, perhaps having figured out Xia Youmi's sore spot, they would regularly send her some rare pigments and ingredients.

They're practically "perfect match"!

Outsiders were not surprised by this; they simply saw it as two lonely people who never saw the emperor comforting each other.

Back in March, the Imperial Concubine announced her pregnancy and divided palace power among Consort Zhuang and Noble Lady Lu. However, this became the first major conflict among the newcomers after they entered the palace, ignited by Consort Shu, Xu Feiwei.

She was not only the first person His Majesty would sleep with, but he also stayed with her for five consecutive nights.

Now that he had confidence, he naturally disregarded the two people who shared power. He went directly to Ye Ruilan, wanting to help her share the burden. Ye Ruilan, of course, refused, and wanted to divert his attention and stall for time.

As a result, Consort Shu bypassed everyone else and went directly to His Majesty to demand palace authority. Without the slightest fear or feeling that she was overstepping her bounds, she successfully took over two-thirds of the palace affairs.

Ye Ruilan was so angry that she went into labor, but she quickly calmed down.

He started directing people to trip him up.

The first person that came to mind was Consort Liang, who lived in the same palace. But that little troublemaker submitted instantly when she saw the big troublemaker. She even became the other's pawn, doing whatever she was told, and was extremely arrogant.

The other new concubines, although they all served the emperor one after another, none of them made a high profile. They all adopted a strategy of lying low, waiting to be the one who stalked the cicada.

By the time she was six months pregnant, Consort Shu had become so arrogant that she wanted to take away the remaining third of her palace power, claiming that pregnant women were not energetic enough and that something might go wrong.

Ye Ruilan was furious and felt powerless. Her personal maids came up with a plan for her: to have Consort Shu confront Consort Xian.

Although Consort Xian rarely appeared in public, her palace servants were still frequently seen around her. Therefore, most of the lower-class people knew that Consort Xian was not someone to be trifled with. If they could get her to take action, perhaps they could physically curb Consort Shu's arrogance.

After much deliberation, Ye Ruilan agreed.

They decided to use Consort Liang as a starting point and instigate her to cause trouble.

As a result, Xia Youmi was provoked again!

She was unaware of the first small test; it was because this year's tribute peaches had been intercepted. Consort Shu was persuaded by Noble Lady Liang that a concubine without favor or powerful backing should not receive the best allowance; she could simply go through the motions.

Therefore, he ordered his men to confiscate her peaches. The person in charge dared not offend either side, so he could only say that the yield was low this year. The eunuch who went to collect the peaches believed him, thinking that the other party would not dare to play any tricks.

Consort Shu and the others grew bolder and began to skimp on everything, gradually becoming more and more excessive. Consort Ye pretended not to see anything, as she was focused on nourishing her pregnancy.

Consort Liang went even further, spreading out audacious rumors. She claimed that Consort Xian was nothing but a figurehead, essentially someone who had been abandoned. She asserted that General Xia and other military commanders were already under His Majesty's control and forbidden from returning to the capital, making Consort Xian no threat whatsoever. These words were a mixture of truth and falsehood, containing subjective inferences from some high-ranking civil officials.

But Xia Youmi still didn't respond. Mainly, she genuinely didn't know.

She was currently in seclusion completing a painting, a birthday gift for Qi Xuan. It was based on a landscape poem written by Qi Xuan, and was created from her imagination. This was a first for her; she rarely painted anything that didn't depict reality, and even when she did, it was usually by copying the works of masters.

Therefore, I attach great importance to this creation, and since the recipient is someone who understands painting, I am even more focused.

Shi Yi and Shi Rong were certainly aware of the rumors circulating outside, but they didn't bother Xia Youmi, nor would they rashly confront Consort Shu. Instead, they had the palace servants of Jinzhu Palace investigate privately to find out the source of the information and the attitudes of the various palaces, and then compile the information before preparing to report it.

The situation remained calm on the surface until the other party cut off her vital artery and actually deprived her of her paint!

Even if the rare pigments were sourced by the Xia family through intermediaries, and the Empress herself provided occasional subsidies, the regular pigments were specially provided for her by the Imperial Household Department—it was all part of the prescribed service! They were obtained by exchanging spices and jewelry; after all, the other palaces didn't need much pigment, so this was an optimal allocation of resources!

After listening to Shi Yi's report, he barely managed to keep up with the current situation in the palace.

Xia Youmi made the arrangements.

The other party wanted to use her to establish their authority, and she used this incident to secure future peace. As for Ye Ruilan using her to make a move, there was no need to hold a grudge; she would have plenty of time to endure the storms the female lead would face in the future!

Consort Shu appears to be very powerful.

Behind her is not only the Minister of Revenue, the highest-ranking civil official after the Prime Minister, wielding immense power over land and finances, but also another, yet unrevealed, identity: the daughter of the Imperial Censor's wife's younger sister. This relationship is highly secretive, currently unknown even to the Emperor. Therefore, Imperial Censor Zhou appears to have compromised and gone into hiding. In reality, he is colluding with Minister Xu to bet on Consort Shu.

The larger the mountain, the easier it is to collapse.

Leaving aside internal matters, the very fact that His Majesty would be wary of this matter once it came to light would be a major concern for him.

Therefore, Xia Youmi only needed to act recklessly without any worries. She first ordered her men to control several stewards, and then threatened them by accusing them of embezzling her share of the allowance. After a few threats, she obtained the testimony instructed by Consort Shu.

Xu Feiwei was careless and didn't give any orders to keep quiet. It was obvious that she wanted to provoke and suppress Consort Xian's prestige, so the evidence was easily obtained.

Then, evidence was found.

Consort Shu arbitrarily distributed her rations to the palace servants, leaving food nowhere to be found. However, the large quantity of pigments was not easily consumed. Furthermore, witnesses and evidence of an attempt to smuggle goods out of the palace were apprehended, and Xia Youmi swiftly secured the evidence.

All of this happened at night, without disturbing many people. The next day, it was just a few palace servants who were late for their shifts, and a eunuch even went to help them ask for leave!

So, while the concubines were paying their respects at Yunlan Palace, Xia Youmi arrived uninvited with her palace servants.

Ye Ruilan was naturally delighted. She had heard the commotion that evening and knew it was Consort Xian who had made the move; she couldn't wait to get up and applaud her. But she hadn't expected that after Xia Youmi finished her greetings, she would throw the problem back at her.

She stood motionless in front of the Consort Shu's position, not looking directly into that piercing gaze, but waiting for Ye Ruilan to take charge of the ceremony.

The implication is: if you want me to deal with Consort Shu, then you must first make a statement. Confirm who owns the first seat on the left, and acknowledge the hierarchy before I begin.

The meaning was quite clear, and the few clever ones present had already figured it out.

Ye Ruilan was secretly annoyed, but she had no choice but to speak up for Xia Youmi.

After all, she was a part of it.