All palaces were waiting anxiously for the emperor's choice of concubine to favor that night. Although they did not know who it would be exactly, they could guess it would be either the beautiful concubine or the precious concubine.
Who let them be the two most favored ones.
Without favor or hope, they would extinguish their lights early and rest, since the emperor would not come, what's the point of staying up?
The Yinyue Palace of the beauty concubine was brightly lit, yet it could not hide her restless anxiety.
"What time is it now? Why hasn't the edict for the concubine to serve the emperor come yet?"
The beauty concubine frowned and muttered to herself, her eyes occasionally glancing at the hourglass, anxious pacing back and forth in the hall.
Could it be that the emperor has gone to the concubine's palace of the precious one?
With this thought, her face turned very ugly. She lifted her hand and pointed to a small eunuch inside the hall, "Go and find out quickly which concubine the emperor favored tonight, or which palace he went to."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The small eunuch nodded respectfully and left quickly.
Soon, he returned to the hall and knelt on the ground, trembling and saying, "Your Majesty. The emperor did not favor any concubine tonight. Instead, he directly went to the residence of Qin Guiren."
His voice trembled slightly, and after he finished speaking, he quickly bowed his head, clearly sensing the impending anger of the beauty concubine.
"What did you say?"
The beauty concubine turned abruptly, a trace of disbelief and anger flashing in her eyes, "Are you sure that the emperor did not go to the precious concubine's palace but to Qin Guiren's residence?"
"Your Majesty, it is most certainly true. I have learned that after nightfall, the emperor went to Yihe Hall with his people. The Main Consort Zhuang is still there with her people to greet him, but the emperor went to the eastern pavilion of Qin Guiren."
The eunuch dared not conceal it and answered with difficulty.
"It is unreasonable for a concubine to surpass others just because she is a maid. What right does she have? What qualifications does she have?"
The beauty concubine's face turned extremely ugly, angry enough to pick up a teacup on the table and smash it out.
The small eunuch knelt in front of the beauty concubine, and the teacup fell perfectly on his forehead.
He dared not dodge, and his forehead was instantly split open with a large cut, spilling blood all over his face. The ground was covered with shattered teacups.
"Your Majesty, please calm down."
The maid and eunuch in the room immediately knelt on the ground, trembling and not daring to breathe.
Even Li Fei's personal maid, Cuiwei, dared not speak at this moment; she knelt silently on the ground.
Li Fei's anger had not yet subsided. Seeing the blood on the small eunuch's face, she scornfully wrinkled her brow and said, "You useless thing, why don't you hurry and clean it up? Do you want to intimidate me?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The eunuch with the broken head was relieved, said a trembling "Yes, Your Majesty," and then rolled and crawled out.
Ningxiang Palace, the moon shines like water, the silver silk is light, and it is completely different from the bustling and noisy day. It is especially quiet and profound at this moment.
The outside window, a tree of pear blossoms gently swayed in the night wind, casting scattered light and shadow, adding a touch of coldness and elegance to this secluded palace.
The precious concubine sat quietly on the soft sofa, wearing a light purple palace dress embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns, which further highlighted her skin as smooth as cream and her eyes like autumn water.
She gently stroked the pearls in her hand, with a frosty look in her eyes.
"Xiangguo, what do you think is the ability of this Qin Guiren, that she could suddenly gain favor and rise from a palace maid to a concubine, making the emperor go to her so eagerly?"
The voice of the precious concubine was cold and slightly hoarse, with eyes that seemed even colder.
Huanguo heard this and rushed forward, "Your Majesty, this Qin Guiren is not that favored either. The emperor just bestowed her with the title of noble concubine during the day, and it's quite normal for him to visit her in the evening. It's just giving her a little face. It's also a custom in the palace."
Upon hearing this, the precious concubine seemed to feel better, "You're right. It's just that with the emperor's new reign, Qin Guiren has taken the limelight, and I still feel uncomfortable in my heart."
Xiangguo saw that the Lady had slightly calmed down and quickly added, "Your Majesty, Qin Guiren is just enjoying a moment of popularity. The emperor is still fresh and exciting. Once the novelty wears off, he might even forget about her."
The precious concubine nodded slightly, her eyes glancing at Xiangguo with a glint of gossip, "I heard that last night when the emperor went to Yihe Hall, Miaocai ren was eagerly pushing forward. Does the emperor really not know who she is?"
There are never any secrets in the palace, not even a brick can keep silent. The events that happened in Yihe Hall have long been spread throughout the harem.
Xiangguo smiled slightly and became excited when mentioning this.
"That's true, naturally. The clever concubine thought the emperor was going to see her, but little did she know that the emperor couldn't remember her at all. It was only with Zhuang Guiren's introduction that the emperor had some impression of her, but he didn't pay any attention to the clever concubine at all. It's really funny."
"The clever concubine is foolish and arrogant, having relied on her looks before. Losing favor was only a matter of time."
The precious concubine sneered.
Then her expression became melancholic again, and she sighed softly, "The emperor seems to be the most affectionate, but he is also the most indifferent. When he likes someone, he truly loves them, cherishes them as pearls and treasures them with care and tenderness. But when he is indifferent, it's truly indifferent. In an instant, he forgets you completely, even not giving you a glance."
For such a discussion about the emperor, Xiangguo dared not respond, and she just stood still without speaking.
The precious concubine knew that Xiangguo was afraid to respond, so she didn't continue. What she said earlier was just a reflection.
Knowing that the emperor would not come tonight, she didn't continue waiting and went to rest soon.
However, the precious concubine, lying on the bed, turned and tossed restlessly, unable to fall asleep.
Fengyi Palace, the night is like ink, a few exquisite palace lamps emit gentle light, and the candle flames flicker.
Empress sat before the bronze mirror. In the mirror, her face was elegant and magnanimous, but it couldn't hide her fatigue.
The palace maid Jingxuan was carefully removing the intricate headpieces from her, her movements gentle and skilled.
"The emperor did not favor anyone tonight. Instead, he went to Qin Guiren's place. Those two little trash, Li Fei and Zhen Fei, must be furious. I wonder if they can still sleep tonight."
The empress looked at herself in the mirror, thinking about the report she had heard, and her expression was extremely happy.
Jin Xuan furrowed her brow slightly. She would rather the emperor go to Li Fei and Zhen Fei's palaces than to Qin Guiren's place.
She and Qin Guiren had no real hatred towards each other, and they had even said only a few words to each other.
But she just couldn't stand Qin Guiren. How could everyone be maids, and Qin Guiren could soar high and get the emperor's favor?
Although she is a favorite at the empress's side and many people in the palace court her, in the end, she is still a servant.
Jingxuan's heart could not possibly say that she doesn't want to be a concubine. After all, if the emperor doesn't like her, she doesn't have the courage to seduce him.
But it doesn't hinder her from being jealous of Qin Guiren.
Gently removing a hairpin from the empress's head, Jingxuan worriedly said, "Your Majesty, Qin Guiren is extremely beautiful; her appearance is among the top in the palace. She doesn't seem to be a person who will settle down. If she gains favor, there's no guarantee she won't become another Li Fei or Zhen Fei. Your Majesty should be more vigilant."
The empress chuckled and said, "To be vigilant? A small concubine like Qin Guiren is not worth me being vigilant. Even if she has a beautiful appearance, when the emperor's novelty wears off, she will just be like that."
She paused and said again, "If Qin Guiren truly has the skills of Li Fei and Zhen Fei, I will indeed look up to her. I won't mind if she becomes a knife in my hand to completely eliminate those two little trash for myself."
As she spoke, the empress's eyes became sharp and piercing.
Jingxuan's heart trembled, knowing that the empress had her own plans and didn't say anything more. She quietly helped the empress remove her makeup.
The eastern pavilion of Yihe Hall.
After a sumptuous feast, it was already deep into the night.
After the banquet, Jing Emperor's legs felt weak and he got up from the bed. He casually put on an outer garment and called out to the door, "Lu Xih."
"I'm here."
There was movement outside, and as the door was opened, several young eunuchs carried hot water and poured it into the bath tub behind the screen.
Yuyao was lying in bed, still not getting up. She was fully wrapped in the blanket, with a faint red flush on her face.
After the eunuch who brought water went out, he closed the house door.
Jing Emperor chuckled softly, then pulled her out of the blanket and carried her to the bath tub for a wash.
Just as her legs felt even weaker, she almost couldn't stand. This shows how much she was weakened.
"Haha. It seems that the emperor needs to replenish his body properly."
Yuyao covered her mouth and laughed softly, teasingly.
Jing Emperor pretended to be angry and lightly tapped her smooth forehead, "What are you saying? I just had my foot slip. Daring to laugh at me? You'll see how powerful I am tomorrow."
Even if it's true, he won't admit it. It's a blow to his manhood's dignity.
Of course, this also indirectly tells her that he will come back tomorrow.
Yuyao naturally understood and was delighted in her heart.
Who doesn't like to be favored?
Who doesn't like to be favored? But seeing this man act tough, she couldn't help but laugh in her heart. She didn't argue with him either. Although it's a matter of affection, one should know when to stop. Saying too much can hurt one's pride.
The two of them were both exhausted, so they quickly washed and then lied down on the bed.
Jing Emperor did not leave either, staying at Yuyao's place to rest. The two held each other tightly, and soon fell asleep.
