Repeatedly broken branches

It was already dusk when Xiao Mu and Xie Huai returned from inspecting the goods outside the palace. Xiao Mu went straight back to Zi Ning Palace. Her strength had declined since she became pregnant. Even though she had been traveling by carriage outside, she was still exhausted when she returned. It seemed she really needed to take good care of her health.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Wei Lan scolding You with a stern expression, while You silently lowered her head and accepted Wei Lan's instruction.

Xiao Mu smiled and raised her voice, asking, "Wei Lan, did You do something wrong again? Why don't you tell me?"

Wei Lan raised her head, the sharpness on her face fading by half. She first bowed respectfully to her, then cleared her throat and said, "Your Majesty, it's not that You did anything wrong. It's just that when I brought the Emperor's pastries to Your Majesty, I was about to leave when I noticed You sneakily opening the pastry box, as if she was about to steal some. So, I scolded You."

You raised her head and looked at Xiao Mu innocently, as if to say, "I didn't, I'm innocent." Xiao Mu also thought it was impossible. You had never been a greedy person. Moreover, it was something that Yu Yanjing had sent. Everyone was afraid of Yu Yanjing, and You was no exception. She would never dare to steal food.

Wei Lan is decisive and efficient. Relying on being Yu Yanjing's confidante, she also scolds other palace maids at will, which Xiao Mu has become accustomed to.

"Oh, that's alright then. I'll talk to her myself. You have other duties to attend to, so you may leave now."

Wei Lan wanted to say something more, but Xiao Mu was the Empress, so she couldn't do anything in front of her. She could only walk out of the courtyard with a dark face.

Xiao Mu glanced at the exquisite pastries laid out on the table and felt a surge of anger. Why send gifts when the person isn't coming? They send gifts every day, but why don't they come?

You walked in with her head down and whispered, "Your Majesty, you... won't scold me?"

Xiao Mu raised her head and said slowly, "Why did I scold you? It's obvious that Wei Lan is causing trouble. I know you're not a glutton. Stay away from her in the future, or she'll keep an eye on you every day."

You stared at her in astonishment. She hadn't asked any questions, yet she stood there for no apparent reason. This was a sign of genuine trust.

She clenched the powder in her hand, her panic intensifying. If Wei Lan caught her red-handed, she wouldn't be able to survive.

She didn't know whether to be happy or sad. She was happy that she hadn't been discovered, but sad that Xiao Mu trusted her so much.

"Your Majesty, are you still not going to pay any attention to the Emperor?" You sighed and turned to ask.

Xiao Mu said, "He ignores me, so why should I? You're not allowed to mention him anymore. We can let him know after the baby is born." Her eyes seemed to be burning with a fierce fire.

It was clear that she was even angrier than before.

“Actually, the Emperor is already paying attention to you. He sends you things every day, isn’t that a way of showing concern? He’s just giving himself a way out,” You said with a smile.

Xiao Mu scoffed and said angrily, "Is he still trying to save face? He made a mistake, does he expect me to bow down and apologize? It's been five days, he's probably already had his fill of women in the palace, does he still need me? I think he's having a great time!"

You stared at her intently, remaining silent.

……

Shen Ruoxuan handed Yu Yanjing a cup of wine, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "Are you just going to keep the Empress so cold?"

Yu Yanjing took the wine glass, looked down at the bright liquid inside, and responded with a soft "Mm".

Shen Ruoxuan exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening as she said, "The Empress is a woman after all, shouldn't you be more accommodating to her?"

Yu Yanjing took a sip of wine and asked in return, "Is indulging her the same as giving in? She should know that I can't let her make mistakes." In reality, he was wondering why she hadn't come to find him. Did he no longer matter to her?

These past few days he has been repeatedly asking himself why he refuses to back down, and if he had, would he not have suffered so much these past few days?

Why is it that even though they're still in a cold war, she can go out with Xie Huai as if nothing happened, while I have to stay in my room and struggle with my inner thoughts?

Shen Ruoxuan couldn't bear to see him so depressed, so she leaned closer and teased him, "How about I arrange for some beautiful women to enter the palace for you, to provoke the Empress?"

Yu Yanjing was suddenly stunned. He glanced at Shen Ruoxuan and said coldly, "Isn't this just making a big misunderstanding? Do you want to die? Instead of helping me solve the problem, you're giving me such terrible advice!"

Shen Ruoxuan looked at him incredulously and retorted, "The best solution is for you to back down. What else do you want to do?"

Yu Yanjing pondered for a moment. Bowing his head wasn't out of the question, but he couldn't think of a reason to do so. He had been frozen in place for five days, and it would be embarrassing to suddenly bow his head.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Shen Ruoxuan continued, "You two should make up quickly, so you won't be so sullen all the time."

As Yu Yanjing's closest brother, whenever he was unhappy, Shen Ruoxuan would be there to help him, even if they were all bad ideas or terrible schemes, he would never leave.

"I know, do you need to tell me?"

Shen Ruoxuan smiled and said, "I won't give you any more advice in the future. It's a waste of effort."

……

"Consort Chen has been receiving a lot of favor lately. The Emperor hasn't summoned any other concubines. It's truly enviable," said Consort Sun, who was on good terms with Consort Qing, sarcastically from the side.

Consort Qing smiled disdainfully, "So what? She used to be the Empress, who fell from her high position. What's this?"

Consort Chun, who was kneeling on the ground massaging Consort Qing's legs, chimed in, "That's right. She used to be so glamorous. Now that Her Majesty is in charge of the harem, she should be humble and serve Her Majesty. But now that she's gained favor, she doesn't even leave the palace. It seems she doesn't respect Her Majesty at all."

Consort Qing's only followers were Consort Sun and Consort Chun. Both of them were taken in by Yin Fu'an from the common people. It was said that they were courtesans, but it was unknown whether this was true or not. When they first entered the palace, Consort Qing had a big fight with him about it. Later, she did not expect that after the two of them had served her in bed, they would come to serve her. They were so humble and subservient in front of her that she regarded them as her cannon fodder.

In reality, both of them were quite cunning. If we're talking about cannon fodder, Consort Qing was the real cannon fodder.

Because they often slandered other concubines in front of Consort Qing, stirring up her emotions, Consort Qing would then get angry and punish those concubines. Many times, the incidents were caused by Consort Sun and Consort Chun's words provoking her.

“That’s true. She didn’t come to pay her respects the other day either. It seems she doesn’t respect the Imperial Concubine at all.” Consort Sun glanced at Imperial Concubine Qing and echoed Consort Chun’s words.

Consort Qing's expression changed instantly, and she even gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly. Now she was the most honored woman in the harem, and no one dared to neglect her. If a deposed empress could be so incompetent in dealing with herself, then more concubines would follow suit.

"Go and fetch Chen Lanhe for me."

Chen Lanhe was resting in the palace at the moment. Yin Fu'an had been staying here recently. As soon as she woke up, she could see Yin Fu'an sitting in front of her bed. It was as if she was Yin Fu'an's outlet. She could feel all of Yin Fu'an's emotions radiating from her.

She endured it, suppressing her disgust and pain, all for the sake of rising to prominence. She didn't know if it was right or wrong; she only felt that her body was about to collapse, like a broken frame.

"Consort Chen, Consort Qing requests your presence." It was Xiao Cao, Consort Qing's attendant. Although they had only met once, the memory was vivid.

Chen Lanhe pondered this repeatedly in her heart. She hadn't gone out recently and hadn't contacted anyone, so she probably hadn't offended this troublesome imperial concubine. She wondered why the concubine wanted to see her.

"I don't think I have a deep relationship with the Imperial Concubine. If she wants to see me, I have a reason to refuse." Chen Lanhe leaned against the couch, pulling the light pink feather robe draped over her body tighter. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked very tired.

“The Imperial Concubine is now like an Empress. You asked why I wanted to see you, so naturally there must be something. You look very tired, so I will wait outside. I hope you will hurry so as not to make the Imperial Concubine even angrier.” Xiao Cao glanced at her, hiding the contempt in her eyes, and withdrew from the hall, standing at the doorway.

Chen Lanhe sneered. Yin Fu'an had only said that she was in charge of the harem, not that she was like an empress. The fact that the people around her were saying this would only make the suspicious Yin Fu'an even more wary of her.

There's no other way now; rest is out of the question. Perhaps we should go and see what she's up to.

As soon as I entered the inner palace of the Imperial Concubine, I saw two rows of concubines sitting on the left and right. Except for Song Xinning, I didn't recognize the others. They were the new concubines that Yin Fu'an had taken in during the period when he was confined to his quarters.

"Consort Chen, do you know your mistake? Why don't you kneel down?" Consort Qing glanced at her coldly, taking in her appearance in a quick glance, her eyes full of disgust and disdain.

Chen Lanhe looked at her calmly and said in a low voice, "I don't know what mistake I made. Please tell me."

"Do you know how long it's been since you last paid your respects to me? Now that you've regained favor, you've become arrogant and disrespectful? Don't you even remember where you came from before?"

She didn't know why Consort Qing always looked at her with such disgust. She hadn't done anything to harm her, nor had she had any grudges against her, so how could it have turned out like this?

Chen Lanhe said calmly, "His Majesty told me not to go. If you want to blame him, go find His Majesty. It's no use talking to me like this." She nodded slightly, meeting Consort Qing's eyes, which looked at her with disgust no matter what, without the slightest fear.

Consort Qing's lips trembled with anger. Since Chen Lanhe had already brought up the Emperor, she was certain that Consort Qing wouldn't do anything to her. She glanced at the concubines present, all of whom seemed to be watching the show. If Consort Qing didn't show some authority to intimidate Chen Lanhe, her influence in the harem would probably diminish even further.

She was the eldest princess of the Snow Kingdom, and was deeply loved. In addition, she was also the cousin of the Emperor of Chaoyang Kingdom. Therefore, Yin Fu'an doted on her without reservation. But he could also neglect her at any time. At first, she was the emperor's favorite when she entered the palace, but now Chen Lanhe had stolen her favor. She was the rightful empress before, so she regarded her as a thorn in her side.

Consort Qing said in shock and anger, "Don't keep bringing up the Emperor. The Emperor can't possibly let you not come to pay your respects. I'm punishing you to kneel in front of all the concubines and apologize to me for two hours."

"This is not my fault, why should I kneel!"

Consort Qing gave a wink to Xiao Cao beside her, who then led the other two palace maids down the steps and stood in front of Chen Lanhe, saying softly, "Consort Chen, you'd better not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

Chen Lanhe raised an eyebrow and said, "What do you want? You're just a palace maid. You think you can mess with me?"

"Xiao Cao, make your move!" Consort Qing shouted impatiently at Xiao Cao, who was standing below.

Xiao Cao and two other palace maids held Chen Lanhe's shoulders down tightly. The three of them were so strong that Chen Lanhe could not move. She struggled desperately and shouted angrily at the three of them, "What are you doing? Don't touch me, get away from me!"

But one person can't fight off three. Someone kicked her in the calf, and she staggered forward and knelt on the ground in pain. She tried desperately to stand up, but the three people behind her were supporting her with all their might, and she couldn't muster any strength at all.

"Consort Qing, what have I done to upset you? I just want to live here peacefully, why do you treat me like this?" Chen Lanhe raised her head and asked the woman sitting high on the consort's throne.

Consort Qing sneered and said with ease, "Who told you to steal the Emperor's favor? You deserve it!"

“Then you should punish me, not him.” Yin Fu’an’s voice rang out, and everyone looked towards the door. He walked in quickly with a stern face.

Consort Qing panicked, stood up from her throne, gave a slight curtsy, and called out, "Your Majesty, what brings you here?"

Yin Fu'an snorted, not even glancing at her, and sat down in her original seat. She could only stand aside, timidly lowering her head. She knew she was in the wrong, so she felt extremely guilty.

"Do you want to die? How dare you be so disrespectful to Consort Chen." Yin Fu'an's gaze fell on Xiao Cao and the other two palace maids, his eyes like knives, ready to tear them to pieces at any moment.

Startled, Xiao Cao and the others loosened their grip, and Chen Lanhe was casually pushed to the ground. She gritted her teeth and prepared to get up, but then she remembered something and began to cough violently while still lying on the ground. When she raised her head again, her beautiful eyes were already filled with tears.

She didn't say a word, yet that was enough to prove her grievances.

"Your Majesty, it was Consort Chen who was disrespectful to me first. She took advantage of the Emperor's favor and acted arrogantly towards me, and she did not pay her respects to me for several days. So I only gave her a slight punishment." Consort Qing's voice was soft, as if she were the one who had been wronged.

"It was out of consideration for Consort Chen's exhaustion from serving you that I told her she didn't need to pay her respects to you. You can come directly to me if you have any questions. Why make things difficult for her?" Yin Fu'an said coldly.

"Yes..." Consort Qing was extremely jealous. She had served the emperor many times before, but the emperor had never been so considerate of her. Instead, he allowed her to interact more with the other concubines, manage the affairs of the six palaces, and handle all sorts of trivial matters. She was extremely jealous.

"Is there anything else, Consort?" Yin Fu'an raised his head and turned to look at the Consort who was still bowing her head.

Consort Qing shook her head and replied softly, "I have nothing else to say."

"That's fine."

Yin Fu'an rose from his throne and walked directly to Chen Lanhe. With eyes full of tenderness, he helped her up, took her soft, delicate hand, and walked out of the Consort's palace in full view of everyone.

Consort Qing was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She loved that man terribly, but he was the emperor of a country and the husband of countless women. What could she do, even though she was the highest-ranking woman by his side?

Only when they reached a secluded spot did Yin Fu'an release her hand. His eyes returned to their former expressionless state, and he said coldly, "Don't provoke the Imperial Concubine unless absolutely necessary. I don't want to hurt her every time."

Chen Lanhe raised her eyes and stared at him blankly. Did he truly love Consort Qing? If he was so afraid of hurting her, why did he come to her rescue?

This time, I still have to thank this scoundrel. What is he really thinking? How can he be so hard to figure out?