Quick Transmigration: The Female Supporting Character's Counterattack, A Guide to Cunning Strat

A few more days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already late winter and early spring.

Liu Shuwan rode in a sedan chair alone to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers.

Although she was alone, she was actually accompanied by at least a dozen palace maids and eunuchs, forming a very long procession.

However, in this era, eunuchs and palace maids were both servants.

A servant can be considered a pleasing object, or a pet that amuses its master, but it cannot be considered a person.

So even though the group accompanying Liu Shuwan to enjoy the scenery was large and impressive, it was still considered that she went alone.

Li Shangxun was originally supposed to go with them, but he suddenly had something important to discuss before leaving, so he sent Liu Quan along instead.

The original intention was to simply surround the Imperial Garden to prevent others from disturbing Liu Shuwan's enjoyment.

However, Liu Shuwan felt that this was making a mountain out of a molehill, since she wasn't the only one who could enjoy the flowers in the Imperial Garden, so she didn't agree.

Li Shangxun didn't insist, but simply asked Liu Quan to accompany him.

With Liu Quan by her side, at least the other people in the palace wouldn't be too tactless when they saw Liu Shuwan.

In fact, Liu Shuwan is now the highest-ranking person in the palace besides the emperor and empress dowager, and everyone else must be very polite to her.

However, politeness can be genuine or feigned. There are always some clueless concubines who like to speak with hidden meanings and make a few sarcastic or jealous remarks.

But if Liu Quan were there, even if this politeness was fake, he would probably pretend to be genuine on the surface.

After all, he was Li Shangxun's direct subordinate, and the concubines would worry that he might relay what they said to Li Shangxun.

Losing face is a minor matter; offending the emperor and leaving a bad impression could mean they lose favor before they even begin to compete for his affections.

Therefore, in order to make Liu Shuwan's trip more comfortable, Li Shangxun assigned Liu Quan to her.

And so, the sedan chair swayed and wobbled all the way to the Imperial Garden.

Liu Shuwan's simple itinerary today has once again stirred up the harem.

Not long after leaving the Qianqing Palace, news spread throughout the palaces that Consort Chen, who had been staying in the Qianqing Palace for nearly half a month, had gone to the Imperial Garden.

When Consort De heard the news from the palace maid, she was looking at the accounts of the internal affairs. After hearing it, she didn't react much and waved her hand to dismiss her.

Consort Chen (Song Meiren) was personally selected by her to enter the palace, originally intended to annoy Consort Shu.

Unexpectedly, the goal was achieved, but now it has become annoyed with oneself. It can be said that the enemy suffered a thousand losses while the enemy suffered eight hundred.

She didn't have a deep impression of this person, only remembering that she was probably more beautiful than Consort Shu, otherwise she wouldn't have been sent to the Cold Palace by Consort Shu not long after entering the palace.

Aside from that, I have no other impressions.

Therefore, she was actually quite curious about this Consort Chen.

But she wasn't in a hurry; the two of them were bound to clash eventually.

Just like when she fought with Consort Shu, now she's fighting with Consort Chen. It's all the same, since there can only be one Empress.

Of course, it's good to let others test the waters before the official confrontation, since there will always be some people below who can't sit still.

If she can't even handle the other concubines, then there's no need for her to take action.

Conversely, she didn't lose anything and even learned more about the other person.

On the contrary, if she really rushed over there, that would be a real mistake.

But deep down she still felt a little uneasy. After all, at home, as the eldest daughter of the prime minister, even if she was less beautiful, she was still treated with great respect.

From the moment she entered the palace, she was Consort De, holding the highest position among the concubines in the harem. Even when Consort Shu was still alive, she had to be subordinate to her.

Now that a concubine has suddenly appeared with such an undeniable title, she feels quite aggrieved.

Moreover, before Consort Chen arrived, she and Consort Shu jointly managed the internal affairs of the harem. After Consort Shu fell from grace, that part of the authority indirectly fell to her.

In this situation, she seems to be somewhat illegitimate, but she is unwilling to relinquish power voluntarily.

However, since Consort Chen is currently enjoying great popularity, she has no choice but to temporarily avoid the limelight.

After all, her father was the prime minister, and most of her brothers were capable and upright, unlike the unreliable family of Consort Shu.

As long as she can stay calm and her family can stay calm, and observe the situation, those who rely on temporary favor will never last as long as she does.

Thinking about it this way, my mind really calmed down.

Of course, there were also those in the harem who were impatient.

Consort Qiao's palace was closest to the Imperial Garden, so after receiving the news, she quickly dressed and hurried to the Imperial Garden.

When she finally saw Liu Shuwan from afar, she was actually quite surprised.

Liu Shuwan's appearance was not the disastrous beauty that was rumored to have brought ruin to the country. On the contrary, she was gentle and kind, somewhat similar to the fallen Consort Shu, but even more beautiful.

Consort Shu was beautiful, but she was pampered from a young age and always preferred luxurious and extravagant items when dressing up.

Therefore, she always appears meticulously dressed, which is beautiful but also a bit too artificial.

Liu Shuwan, on the other hand, is a gentle and tender person, both inside and out.

Her beauty is understated; when her clear, bright eyes look at someone, they are both lively and gentle, calming the viewer down.

She didn't dress up deliberately; a simple hairpin complemented her perfectly, creating a natural and harmonious look.

In addition, she has been nourished with bird's nest and donkey-hide gelatin in the Qianqing Palace these days, which has replenished her qi and blood, making her look even more beautiful.

As she got closer, Consort Qiao noticed that Eunuch Liu, who often accompanied the Emperor, was also there.

Regardless of her inner turmoil, she maintained a composed demeanor and performed an extremely proper bow: "This concubine is Consort Qiao of Zhiyue Palace, paying her respects to Her Highness Consort Chen."

"No gifts."

Perhaps because she had been spending too much time with Li Shangxun lately, Liu Shuwan's tone had taken on some of his imposing manner, sounding quite dignified, at least enough to intimidate Consort Qiao.

"I heard that the plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden were in very good condition, so I came to see them. It was a pleasant surprise to meet Consort Chen here. Your Highness is more beautiful than the flowers, outshining all the pink plum blossoms in the forest. This trip was truly worthwhile."

Regardless of her true intentions, Consort Qiao's words were like honey, showering Liu Shuwan with compliments. Liu Shuwan felt quite embarrassed by the praise and returned the compliment, saying, "You are beautiful too."

Having made a good start, the subsequent conversation naturally proceeded smoothly.

After several conversations, Consort Qiao was somewhat confused.

She was the first to arrive at the Imperial Garden after receiving news that Liu Shuwan had left the Qianqing Palace, but she was not as reckless as she appeared.

She had also experienced the power struggles within the family. She managed to stand out from her father's dozen or so daughters, gain their attention, and enter the palace through the imperial concubine selection. After entering the palace, she managed to avoid offending either Consort Shu or Consort De, and she lived a relatively good life in the palace. This alone is enough to show her shrewdness.

But at this moment, she felt that her cunning was not enough.

She felt that Liu Shuwan was not a scheming person; in fact, she could be described as simple-minded and even kind-hearted in an inappropriate way.

But if she were truly innocent and kind, how could she have attracted the Emperor in the Cold Palace, easily escaped when the Song family was exiled, and then comfortably become the high-ranking Consort Chen in the palace after quickly changing her identity?

Therefore, her intuition must have been wrong. By extension, Consort Chen was so cunning that even she was almost fooled!

Consort Qiao was certain of her guess and was just about to chat with Liu Shuwan a little longer to verify it when she saw a palace maid from the Empress Dowager's palace rush over and respectfully say:

"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager requests your presence."