Repeatedly broken branches

Upon receiving news that Zhou Tingxi had dismissed his soldiers and defected to Chaoyang Kingdom, Yin Fu'an was furious and even refused to eat or drink for a whole day.

Chen Lanhe couldn't contain her joy. "So this is what happens," she thought. "His right-hand man, who once had only his left hand, has now lost his right too. He's finally facing betrayal and isolation."

This is absolutely gratifying.

Yuan Yuan brought over a pot of hot tea, steaming hot, and Chen Lanhe's heart immediately brightened. Not only was the tea hot, but her heart was also gradually warming up.

She must escape this awful place.

Liang Yuxue and Song Xinning would occasionally come over for a visit. Anyway, the palace was currently only favored by Consort Qing, while the rest were left alone in their rooms. They didn't care what others said. Consort Xian had been confined to her quarters for several months, and Ruo'er had been banished to the Cold Palace for offending Consort Qing. Favor was a matter of fortune, and being favored one day and losing it the next was just a matter of a word from Yin Fu'an.

Trying to please him is less worthwhile than trying to please a cat or dog. At least pleasing a cat or dog can bring you joy, while trying to please him will inevitably make you feel disgusted.

It's strange, really. He's been doting on Consort Qing for over a year now, and he doesn't seem to have any interest in the other concubines at all. What could be the reason for that?

He treated Chen Lanhe differently from the other concubines. He always treated the others with courtesy, but when he spoke to Chen Lanhe, he was always sarcastic, harsh, and even humiliating. Everyone thought he despised her, but only he knew that he loved Chen Lanhe to death.

Only Consort Qing resembled Chen Lanhe the most; even her arched eyebrows were exactly the same as Chen Lanhe's. If you covered her mouth, you really couldn't tell the two apart. Of course, no one had ever noticed this; only Yin Fu'an knew it.

When Chen Lanhe first served the emperor, she called out Deng Yizhi's name. If she hadn't been drunk, how could she have been so confused and dared not have called out his name?

Yin Fu'an had always known this, but kept it to himself. Whenever Deng Yizhi was around, he could always see Chen Lanhe's gaze on him.

Yin Fu'an had heard the rumors, but he never expected to see it with his own eyes. He was extremely jealous, but Deng Yizhi himself was unaware of this. They were brothers who grew up together, so what could he do?

Once a person is in a high position, they will no longer care about their former brothers and comrades. Which emperor has not stained his hands with blood? He rose to power by stepping on his father-in-law's head.

If Chen Lanhe ever makes him unhappy, he will make Deng Yizhi unhappy in return.

"I really miss Xiaozhi. She must be free now, married to the emperor of Chaoyang Kingdom. No one will be able to hold her back anymore." Song Xinning's eyes shone with envy.

Liang Yuxue chimed in, "Yes, she's the happiest among us now. If only I could go to Chaoyang too. I don't want to be here anymore. It's a pity that Father and Mother are here. If I run away, that scoundrel Yin will never let them go." She sighed deeply, mentally crushing Yin the scoundrel under her feet.

Chen Lanhe was free of any ties. With a father like that, who conspired with outsiders to kill her sister and brother-in-law, she didn't need to care about his life or death.

As for her brother, sister-in-law, and nephews, she felt a little guilty, but there was nothing she could do; she was just herself.

Deng Yizhi is safe and sound, and Siwan is safe and sound. No matter how much she suffers here, she is willing to accept it, even though she is no longer herself.

"My lady, Consort Qing, the Imperial Concubine Qing has summoned you to the Dongli Palace to watch a play."

Xiao Yin, who was beside Liang Yuxue, ran over in a panic.

"Heh, what show to watch?" Song Xinning sensed that the visitor had ill intentions. She would never do this; she always kept to herself and even kept sycophantic concubines out of the door. When would she ever invite everyone to watch a show?

Chen Lanhe parted her lips slightly and said, "Who cares? Let's go. Yuanyuan, go prepare the sedan chair."

……

The Dongli Palace was the late emperor's favorite place to listen to operas. He was used to being free and unrestrained, and he would often listen to operas, compose poems, paint, and drink wine when he had nothing to do, enjoying his carefree life.

Yin Fu'an had no interest in this area, so Dongli Palace was usually empty. Consort Qing loved to listen to operas when she was in Xueyu Kingdom, and since she came to Jiuguang, Yin Fu'an had granted her special permission to use Dongli Palace at will.

Consort Qing grew up in luxury, being the eldest princess of the Snow Kingdom. She was adored by everyone, and people treated her gold and silver jewelry like playthings. She never paid any attention to anyone in the Snow Kingdom, and naturally, she was the only one who mattered here.

She sat on the high platform, giving the concubines present a disdainful look. She naturally didn't care about them. Inviting them to watch the play was just a favor, a favor they were tired of hearing.

It's also because I've been incredibly bored lately.

"I'm almost asleep, what about you, sister?" Chen Lanhe whispered to Liang Yuxue as she turned to the side.

Liang Yuxue yawned, "I can't listen to that, I'm going to take a nap."

After saying that, she slowly closed her eyes and dozed off.

Consort Qing's gaze fell on Liang Yuxue, and in an instant, coldness filled the air. "Consort Liang, are you disrespecting me? I summoned you to watch the opera, and you were sleeping downstairs?"

Liang Yuxue remained motionless, clearly fast asleep.

Chen Lanhe gently pushed her. She was dreaming about eating her mother's braised lion's head meatballs at home, and she was almost about to take a bite when Chen Lanhe pushed her, startling her so much that she immediately stood up.

She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, rubbed her eyes with lingering satisfaction, and looked up at Consort Qing, who sat on the high platform with anger in her eyes, looking completely bewildered.

"What's wrong, Your Highness? I just don't like listening to opera by nature. I came to listen to the opera out of respect for you, and I accidentally fell asleep."

Consort Qing narrowed her eyes slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips, and said, "You really don't know the rules. The Emperor told me to manage the harem properly, and now... I'll use you as an example!"

Liang Yuxue showed no fear whatsoever, pursing her lips and quietly watching what Consort Qing was up to.

Consort Qing's maid, Chang'er, brought over an iron basin of ice and placed it directly in front of Liang Yuxue. She looked down at the basin of ice, which was still emitting cold air, and felt extremely cool up close.

"Why is it so hot?" Consort Qing fanned herself with her hand, her gaze falling on the basin of ice on the ground. She smiled slightly and continued, "Consort Liang, why don't you help me carry the ice? That way, the ice will be higher and I won't be so hot."

Liang Yuxue hesitated for a moment, then chuckled, "Is I hearing you right, Consort? You want me to serve you? Aren't there so many palace maids and servants here? Do you really want me to do it myself?"

"Yes, I'll repeat myself, you, go and get the ice." Consort Qing pointed sternly at the basin of ice, her expression becoming much more indifferent.

Liang Yuxue found it ridiculous. Who did she think she was? Why should she serve her? They were both concubines in the harem, so why should one serve the other?

Besides, with so many palace maids present, why should the mistress personally carry the basin? If word gets out, won't she lose face?

"I dont go."

Consort Qing retorted angrily, "I am now in charge of the harem, just like the Empress. If you do not comply, I can send you to the Cold Palace at any time!"

Liang Yuxue remained unconvinced. Who do you think you are? Do you think I'll just go to the Cold Palace because you tell me to? The Emperor hasn't even given the word. Why should I listen to you just because you say something?

At this moment, an old nanny who had been in the palace for a long time stepped forward and said, "Now Consort Qing is just like the Empress. The Emperor said that all matters in the harem are to be handled by the Consort. Even the matter of sending Consort Gui to the Cold Palace does not need to be reported to the Emperor. Consort Gui should follow the Consort's wishes and not make a big fuss so that everyone will lose face!"

Seeing that the old woman's words sounded convincing, and noticing that the other concubines were all looking at her with tense expressions, Liang Yuxue realized that what she said was seven parts true and three parts false. She had no choice but to believe it. However, she was also a mistress. If the servants saw this scene, who would still treat her as a mistress in the future?

She was torn between obeying and disobeying, her heart filled with anxiety.

"Consort Liang, it's up to you whether you choose to serve me or go to the Cold Palace to wield power!" Consort Qing's expression was already very impatient.

Liang Yuxue had no choice but to pick up the iron basin. The basin was extremely heavy, and her slender arms could not support it for long. Her arms began to tremble. She gritted her teeth and tried her best not to drop the basin, but she was too weak to support the heavy iron basin.

"Sigh, you really think highly of yourself... There's nothing I can do, without the emperor's favor in the harem, you're nothing!" Consort Qing smiled smugly.

Liang Yuxue felt extremely wronged. She had never been humiliated like this before, especially by a woman who was also a concubine in the harem. She wanted to cry, but she tried her best to hold back her tears. It would be truly shameful to cry at this moment.

"Your Highness, Consort Liang already knows she was wrong. Please let her get up. She's too frail to bear this." Chen Lanhe forced herself to speak kindly to her, only doing so because of Liang Yuxue; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so obsequious.

Consort Qing seemed to have achieved her goal; she wanted to see Chen Lanhe humble and submissive, and she felt inexplicably pleased.

"Oh? Why can't you accept it? Palace maids are human beings too, and Consort Liang is also a human being. Why can palace maids accept it, but Consort Liang can't?"

Liang Yuxue was furious that someone would compare her to a palace maid. Although they were both human, she was the mistress, while palace maids were there to serve others. By comparing a mistress to a palace maid, wasn't she belittling herself?

She suppressed her anger.

Chen Lanhe smiled faintly, "Your Highness knows they are all human, so why make people carry things that can be placed on the ground? Human strength is limited. Is Your Highness deliberately making things difficult for Consort Liang?"

Consort Qing smiled sweetly and said coquettishly, "Yes, I was just deliberately making things difficult for myself. The Emperor didn't say I couldn't make things difficult for others... Could it be that Consort Chen thinks she's the Empress and wants to teach me a lesson? I'm quite apprehensive." Then she put on a apprehensive expression and looked at Chen Lanhe innocently.

Chen Lanhe was speechless. She knew that in the palace, favor was the deciding factor, but she did not expect Consort Qing to be so unreasonable. If it weren't for the Emperor's favor, it would be really difficult to stand up to her.

Liang Yuxue felt extremely guilty because, because of her, Chen Lanhe had been humiliated by Consort Qing for no reason.

"Consort Qing, that's enough. Nobody wants to see you throwing your weight around here. We have things to do, so we won't keep you company any longer!" Song Xinning stood up to leave, pushing the iron basin in Liang Yuxue's hand to the ground, shattering ice cubes everywhere.

Liang Yuxue was startled and almost lost her balance and fell.

Song Xinning was more principled; the others also stood up and walked out, completely unaware that the Imperial Concubine's face had turned ashen.

"Stop right there!" Consort Qing roared, but no one paid any attention to her. It was probably because everyone had long disliked her, and this incident was just the trigger.

Chen Lanhe glanced at Consort Qing hurriedly, then quickly pulled Song Xinning and Liang Yuxue out of Dongli Palace. Consort Qing's people couldn't stop them. If this were reported to that scoundrel Yin, the harem would be plunged into another bloodbath.

……

"You, what time is it now? Why am I only just waking up?"

Xiao Mu lay on the couch, rubbing her eyes hard. She still felt very weak all over and her head was spinning. She had been like this lately, not getting enough sleep and feeling listless all day long.

She's been too tired lately, busy with Xiao Shao's wedding and settling Xue Shi and Ouyang Meixi. She doesn't like Ouyang Meixi, but for Xue Shi's sake, she can only smile and let it go.

"It's already afternoon. His Majesty came to see you once, and he should be discussing matters with Young Master Deng now."

You helped Xiao Mu get up, wash, and dress, while reporting to her what had happened that morning.

Ouyang Meixi's darling was very arrogant and domineering. As for who she was relying on, it was unclear. She bullied the new palace maids and made a lot of noise at the entrance of Yueming Palace.

Yueming Palace was the place that Xiao Mu arranged for her and Xue Shi to stay temporarily. Jiao'er complained that the place was too small and too remote. Ouyang Meixi had never stayed in such a small courtyard before.

They had never lived in a palace. It's just that Yueming Palace had never been inhabited. It was originally intended for the late emperor's princess, but the princess died before she was a year old, so it had been empty ever since. It was indeed not as big as other palaces, but it was still bigger than Ouyang Meixi's former courtyard in the Zhou family. I wonder what Jiao'er meant by this.

As for whether it's remote or not, what difference does it make? They're not imperial concubines, and they don't need to see the emperor. What difference does it make where they live? If they were imperial concubines, it would be acceptable to say it's remote, since if they lived in a remote place, the emperor wouldn't come and they wouldn't receive his favor. But they're just temporarily staying there, so why should they be so picky?

Xiao Mu believed that everything You said was true, because she had seen Jiao'er's verbal skills and personality, and she certainly had such an arrogant attitude.

However, it would be making a mountain out of a molehill for the Empress to deal with a mere palace maid, so she decided to wait and see and then let You handle it.

"I always feel dizzy. You can ask Physician Wu to take a look at me later." Xiao Mu sat weakly in front of the dressing table. Her reflection in the mirror was pale and thin. Her once round face had become a V-shaped face. Although she was still pretty, she looked less lively.

Xiao Shao and Ruan Cifeng have been married for three days, and the day for Xiao Shao to return to her parents' home after three days is their wedding day.

Xiao Mu felt that Xiao Shao didn't seem happy, completely different from the Xiao Shao who was overjoyed on her wedding day. She wanted to ask, but felt that it was a matter between husband and wife, and she shouldn't ask.

"Princess Qin, is something on your mind? Why aren't you saying a word?"

You looked at Xiaoshao with some worry.

Xiao Shao shook her head. "No, how could that be? I just feel a little nostalgic for Her Majesty the Empress."

"But you've seen him now, so why are you still looking so down?" Xiao Mu glanced at her with a hint of curiosity.

"I am okay."

The farce of their wedding night flashed through her mind. She helped the drunken Ruan Cifeng toward the bed. She could clearly see the indifference in Ruan Cifeng's eyes. He showed her no warmth whatsoever, and he coldly pushed her away.

Ruan Cifeng spread the quilt on the ground and said coldly, "I'll sleep on the ground. You should rest too. We're all tired today."

The little spoon remained rooted to the spot, but the things that a husband and wife should do hadn't been done yet, and they hadn't even drunk the nuptial wine.

So he was still sober; he wasn't drunk after all. But what happened next required two people to accomplish.

How should she bring it up? Isn't this the kind of thing that men do? Does the woman have to take the initiative?

"But..." Xiao Shao had many words stuck in her throat, but she just couldn't say them.

Ruan Cifeng glanced at her sideways and said in a cold tone, "Go to sleep. I'm tired. We'll talk about the future later."

He said, "The future proves there is a future, and there's plenty of time... Why rush things? What if Ruan Cifeng gets upset?"

However, for three whole days, they had barely spoken a word. Ruan Cifeng would go out all day and then sleep on the floor with his blanket at night. They hadn't even eaten a single meal together...

Are they really a married couple?

Xiao Shao kept looking for reasons within herself, thinking that she must have done something wrong to make Ruan Cifeng stay outside all day and refuse to come back.

But they hadn't exchanged a single word, so how could she possibly have made a mistake?