Tangli Fried Snow

After some deliberation, the emperor decided that it was time to start the struggle anew. The former Grand Tutor Liu, being quite old, succumbed to a cold, and the emperor even feigned grief at his coffin. With Grand Tutor Liu dead, the emperor and the Empress Dowager joined forces to overthrow Consort Liu, clean house, and settle all domestic affairs beforehand.

As for national affairs, they cannot be sorted out overnight. He did work diligently and conscientiously for several years, but the results were minimal.

Ten years ago, he finally made a decision: if he wanted to avoid struggling for twenty years, he might as well find a capable and wealthy family to rely on. This way, he could let the various forces fight it out, and the fisherman would benefit from it, allowing him to avoid some detours.

He simply used some tricks to marry General Jin's daughter, Jin Yuyan, as his empress.

Empress Jin was a formidable woman, kind on the outside but cold on the inside, and ruthless in her methods. As soon as she came to power, she killed the Crown Prince's mother and sent the Second Prince's mother to the Cold Palace. The Emperor, in the prime of his life, never had another child.

Apart from the Empress's eight-year-old third prince, the Emperor has not selected any more concubines in recent years, nor has any of his consorts become pregnant.

Now that the emperor is bedridden, he can no longer care for women and children.

The country is in turmoil again. The previous dynasty is in chaos, and wars have broken out in the south and north. The entire harem lives under the tyranny of the Empress Jin. Whether it is concubines or children, they all tremble in fear and just hope to survive.

Empress Jin was busy with state affairs and didn't care about the lives of the concubines, princes, and princesses in the harem. All the affairs of the harem were handled by Consort Shen, the mother of the second princess. Consort Shen was a fence-sitter and, to put it bluntly, Empress Jin's lackey. Although she was in charge, she couldn't manage anything. She had to act according to Empress Jin's mood in everything she did, and she lived a life of walking on thin ice.

It's been over twenty days since Shirley arrived, and Queen Kim has only visited Gyeongbokgung Palace once to pay her respects to her mother-in-law. I only caught a glimpse of her from afar; she looks a bit like a Hong Kong version of Su Daji, possessing a captivating and alluring beauty, and she even bears some resemblance to Kim Seung. They really are siblings.

The Empress spends her days in the imperial court with Shen Shibai, firmly grasping the reins of power, much like a empress obsessed with politics.

The reward given by Consort Xian was generous, and everyone in both palaces was very happy. Xue Li and Xiang Yun were whispering to each other when suddenly a strange, greasy voice came from behind them.

"Little beauty, are you from the Empress Dowager's palace?"

Sherry and Xiangyun turned around together. The person speaking was an unfamiliar eunuch. Judging from his appearance and attire, he should be the head eunuch serving Empress Jin.

Xiangyun recognized him and greeted him with a smile, saying, "Eunuch Yin."

The eunuch, named Yin Tong, was in his thirties, thin and vigorous. His eyes darted around Xue Li, and when he saw her ordinary appearance, a clear look of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

He was standing behind the two of them, looking at the little palace maid who was curvaceous and had a very alluring figure. A fragrant breeze blew by, and he could smell her unique body fragrance that was very attractive. He leaned closer to the two of them to talk, and deliberately waited for her to turn around. Then he obviously leaned his head forward so that he could smell her fragrance to the maximum extent.

Sherry was startled by his actions; his dog head was practically touching her neck.

She looked him up and down with displeasure. He was just an ordinary-looking man, but what was special about him was that, despite being a eunuch, he looked at her with a lecherous expression.

Excuse me, sir, you have nothing left, so what do you have left for romance and pleasure?

She smiled and greeted him, replying, "Reporting to Your Excellency, we are all from the Empress Dowager's palace."

Hearing her melodious voice and respectful expression, Eunuch Yin was even more pleased. He then gave her a seductive look and whispered, "I am the Empress's chief eunuch. If you need my help, little beauty, please come to me." His eyes practically said, "Brother will take good care of you."

"I'm not some pretty girl anymore, just an ordinary girl. What kind of eyes do you have?" Shirley thought to herself. "You're really something, aren't you? You've lost your 'treasure,' and you can still pick up girls. You're truly amazing. Can you even play around with women?"

If Aunt Bai were here, she could definitely answer Xue Li's questions. Those eunuchs were men too. Even though they didn't have their tools, they still had plenty of ways to play. Male-male romantic affairs were commonplace in the common people, but even more so in the palace, where they were played in more elaborate ways.

This eunuch Yin works under the Empress, so he has some power, some subordinates, and some money. Power and money are the aphrodisiacs of all men, and eunuchs are no exception.

The kind of person he is best at is using others' power to bully others and acting as their henchman. He's full of evil intentions, having done many dirty things for Empress Jin. In private, he's even more cunning, playing with women and men, and he loves to torture beautiful women for his amusement, using all sorts of methods. With his sharp eyes, he could easily tell that Shirley was no ordinary woman. If he just covered her face and enjoyed her beautiful body, he'd have plenty to play with.

Shirley knew he was no good person the moment she saw his lewd eyes and his grumpy expression. She decided to stay away from him. She and Xiangyun quickly exchanged a few perfunctory words and fled.

Back in the Empress Dowager's palace, she and the young maids in the kitchen made some trendy pastries, including hawthorn cakes, red date cakes, osmanthus cakes, and poria cocos paste. Besides sending some to the Empress Dowager, Aunt Zhuxiao, and Aunt Ruyi, she also sent some to the old nanny who tended the fire.

That old nanny was even more talkative than the storyteller on the overpass. She had poor eyesight and couldn't do any delicate work. She was usually lonely and loved telling stories to the young palace maids. Whenever she had free time, Xue Li would bring some treats to talk to her.

The one who asked the old nanny today was the one in the Cold Palace.

The woman in the Cold Palace was also a legendary figure. Her story, even if made into a TV series, would be a large-scale ancient costume palace intrigue tragedy with more than seventy episodes.

Sherry listened as the old woman tending the fire slowly recounted her story.

Her name was Huang Wanqing. She was the daughter of a former imperial censor, her maternal grandfather was a nobleman from Qi, and her parents had a poignant love story.

At the age of sixteen, she became famous throughout the land for her stunning beauty. The emperor was captivated by her beauty at first glance and took her into his harem as a concubine. At that time, the empress was the birth mother of the crown prince. The two women had been vying for power for more than ten years, but in the end, Jin Yuyan brought down one of them and imprisoned the other for life.

It's quite heartbreaking to hear this now.

“Back then I was young and followed the Empress Dowager. Consort Huang was truly beautiful then. She loved to play and laugh. The Emperor adored her so much that he wished he could pluck the stars from the sky and give them to her. You ask me about the Empress before that? Her family had a strong backing, and the Emperor respected her. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have named her son the Crown Prince? Later, Consort Huang also gave birth to a handsome prince, and the Emperor liked her even more. He lived in her palace every day, which made the Empress so angry that she almost cut off her hair. It was quite a mess back then.”