The laugh of Yuhuiguifei echoed through the Guanju Palace, and her expression was extremely self-satisfied.
She gently played with the fan in her hand and said to Hongmei, who was kneeling at her feet and tapping her legs, "Hongmei, look, the wind in the palace has changed so quickly. The haughty demeanor of Princess Li has been extinguished to the last trace now."
Hongmei heard these words and also laughed, her hand movements did not stop. "Your majesty is correct, Princess Li has been arrogant and disregards everyone else even the queen. Now that she has lost her favor, the palace has become much more peaceful," she said.
She paused and looked up at the mistress, hesitantly, "However, this month Qin Guiren's time of favor is the most, even surpassing the Jade Consort. Are you not worried about it?" she asked.
Yuhuiguifei sniffed and her expression was extremely disdainful, "A lowly maid who has risen to power, relying on her face to be temporarily favored. To establish a firm footing in the harem is not just about being favored."
"Your majesty, while it is true that what you say, Qin Guiren's appearance is indeed extraordinary. It would be best for you to take precautions, otherwise, if Qin Guiren becomes influential, it will be difficult to deal with her," Hongmei suggested.
While Hongmei was tapping her legs, she also expressed her concern.
Qin Guiren's face is so stunning that even she, a woman, feels a chill run down her spine when she sees it, let alone the Emperor, who is a man.
Yuhuiguifei slightly narrowed her eyes, her hand fan waved lightly, and pondered for a moment before saying, "Even if a lowly maid-born servant gets temporary favor, she can achieve nothing significant. My opponent has always been the Queen. The throne is something I must obtain."
Hongmei wanted to advise the mistress not to underestimate Qin Guiren, but thinking about Qin Guiren being a maid-born, no matter how favored she was, she could not pose a threat to the mistress's position. Therefore, she did not continue to advise.
In the Yingyue Palace, the light gauze danced gracefully, yet it could not conceal the unease and restlessness in Princess Li's heart.
Princess Li sat in front of the bronze mirror, the person in the mirror had empty and vague eyes, as if she had lost all her luster.
"How can I have lost the emperor's favor, Cuiwei?"
She turned her head to look at the side at the demure Cuiwei, her voice tinged with a hint of tears.
Cuiwei walked forward a few steps and knelt down by Princess Li's feet, carefully saying, "Your majesty, maybe it is because of the incident with An Haigong?"
She knew well the temperament of the mistress and dare not speak further, fearing she might upset her luck.
Upon hearing this, Princess Li's brow furrowed tightly. She recalled the day when Qin Guiren was granted the emperor's favor, and she was filled with jealousy. She had then instructed Cuiwei to have the Chief of the Office of Courtesans, An Hai, suppress Qin Guiren's green card.
This is the most common way for high-ranking concubines to suppress lower-ranking concubines in the harem, but something went wrong when it came to herself.
"I originally thought it was just a small maneuver in the palace, but I never expected the emperor to care so much."
Princess Li's expression was filled with regret. "Cuiwei, what should I do now?"
Cuiwei pondered for a moment before saying, "Your majesty, in my opinion, the most important thing now is to find out the emperor's heart. Perhaps, you can personally apologize to the emperor and seek his understanding."
Princess Li's eyes flashed with hesitation. Taking this step would place her at the center of the storm. But if she continued like this, her position in the palace would be precarious.
"All right, I will go to the Imperial Study myself and apologize to the Emperor."
Princess Li made up her mind and stood up. She tidied her clothes and personally cooked a bowl of nourishing soup in the small kitchen. With Cuiwei accompanying her, she headed towards the Imperial Study.
Princess Li, accompanied by Cuiwei, arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Study.
Looking at the Imperial Study before her, Princess Li took a deep breath and said to the eunuch guarding the door, "I have an urgent matter to discuss with the Emperor. Please inform him."
The eunuch saw that it was the Princess Li, although he knew that the wind of the palace had changed, he still dared not neglect his duty, and said, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness."
Then he quickly went in to report.
Soon after, he came out to lead the way, "Princess Li, the Emperor is asking you to enter."
"Thank you, Your Eminence," Princess Li said.
Princess Li spoke softly.
She then instructed Cuiwei to wait at the door and herself carried the health-preserving soup into the Imperial Study.
As soon as she looked up, she saw Jing Emperor sitting at the desk, reviewing the petitions. His expression was indifferent, as if her arrival had caused no change at all.
She curtsied gracefully, her voice was soft and seductive, with a barely noticeable tremble, "Your Majesty, I kneel before you and pray for your health and longevity."
Jing Emperor looked up, his gaze swept over Princess Li, then returned to the documents on the desk. "Get up, what is it that you have?"
Jing Emperor knew well that Princess Li did not need to say it. The reason was simple - she had not been summoned for bed by him lately, causing her to feel slighted.
It was true that he once liked Princess Li, but also because she knew how to please him and was delightful to be around. Her beauty made him happy, and even when she occasionally acted childish, he could tolerate it.
But this woman dared to interfere in his favoring of the concubines, which was rather out of line.
Princess Li slowly stood up, walked to the desk, and placed the health-preserving soup on the table. She spoke softly, "Your Majesty works so hard every day. I have specially cooked this bowl of health-preserving soup to help you alleviate your fatigue."
Jing Emperor didn't move and merely spoke in a calm manner, "You are thoughtful. However, today I have no appetite, so please put it aside for now."
Princess Li felt a knot in her heart, but her expression remained composed. She asked softly, "Daringly, I would like to ask Your Majesty if there is anything I have done lately that has displeased you?"
Jing Emperor put down his pen and looked directly at Princess Li, his expression became cold. "Princess Li, you are wise and charming. You should know that in the harem, the most important thing is not to quarrel over favor, and you should not interfere in my matters."
Princess Li's face turned pale upon hearing this, her heart sank. It turned out that the real reason for the Emperor's displeasure was because she had once instructed An Hai to suppress Qin Guiren's green card.
She quickly knelt down to apologize, "Your Majesty, I know I am wrong. I was confused at the time and hope Your Majesty will have mercy on me."
Jing Emperor sighed lightly, his expression was complex. He stood up and walked to Princess Li, reaching out to help her get up. But at the last moment, he stopped when his hand touched her sleeve.
Ultimately, he gently patted her shoulder, "Get up. Since it is your first offense, I will not pursue it further. But you must remember that women in the harem should get along well with each other and gain respect through virtue, rather than resorting to underhanded methods to suppress lower-ranking concubines."
Princess Li nodded with tears in her eyes, her gratitude overflowing. "Your Majesty, I will adhere to your teachings and strive to reform. I will live in harmony with my sisters in the harem and not cause you any worries again."
In reality, she only grew more resentful towards Qin Guiren.
This was the first time she had suffered such a major setback, how could she not harbor resentment?
Jing Emperor gave her a casual glance, and whether it was from sincerity or insincerity, he did not want to delve deeper.
He nodded slightly, indicating that she should leave.
Princess Li dared not stay any longer. After another respectful bow, she obediently left the Imperial Study.
Cuiwei saw that the lady had come out, but there was no joy on her face, instead, she had tears on her face. She furrowed her brow and went up to ask, "Your majesty, are you okay?"
Princess Li glanced at Cuiwei, then wiped away the tear mark on her cheek. However, she didn't want to talk more, "Let's go back."
Cuiwei knew that this was not the place for conversation, so she did not continue to ask.
The two of them walked in the direction of Yingyue Palace until they reached an empty place.
Cuiwei asked again, "Your majesty, what did the emperor say? Can he forgive you?"
Princess Li sighed lightly, "The emperor did not punish me severely, but he made it clear to me that in the harem, it is forbidden to quarrel over favor and interfere with his favoring of concubines. My actions this time truly crossed a great taboo."
Cuiwei rushed to comfort her, "Your majesty, do not worry. The emperor has already forgiven you. Just be more careful in the future."
Princess Li's brow furrowed, and a glint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes. "It's all that cheap concubine Qin Guiren's fault. How could I have ended up in such a situation if it wasn't for her?"
Cuiwei knew that the lady was extremely angry with Qin Guiren, but she dared not speak much, only following her quietly behind.
Princess Li walked slowly, frowning in deep thought. After a while, she turned to Cuiwei behind her and said, "Cuiwei, does that cheap concubine have anyone of ours around?"
Cuiwei was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized that the lady was referring to Qin Guiren. "Your majesty," she replied hurriedly, "there is a eunuch named Xiao Qingzi around Qin Guiren who is on our side. But since everything with her is normal and there have been no unusual actions, we have not received any messages from him."
Little did she know that all the maidservants and attendants around Yu Yao's had already put on heart-attaching talismans.
No matter who their background was, they would only be loyal to her.
Princess Li did not know this, and she furrowed her brow, feeling a trace of doubt. "Is this cheap concubine truly so obedient? Cuiwei, go and secretly investigate again. See if Xiao Qingzi has any hidden information. If he dares to have any two-mindedness, I will never forgive him."
Cuiwei replied immediately: "Yes, Your Majesty."
