‘No matter how much the Emperor and Imperial Consort Zhao fussed, in the end, the Emperor always doted on Imperial Consort Zhao more.’
‘Did Imperial Consort Zhao feed the Emperor some kind of love potion?’
Consort Hui, Consort Yi, and Consort Rong were unsurprised.
Actually, from the beginning when Fang He had ‘argued’ and even fought with the Emperor, they had been skeptical, leaning more toward disbelief.
Since Fang He returned from Jiangnan, Consort Hui, Consort Yi, and Consort Rong knew one thing: the Emperor had fallen for Fang He.
The Emperor’s affections did not belong to these long-standing consorts.
They felt bitterness and sadness but that was all.
Their ongoing friction with Fang He was ultimately a struggle over palace power and the status of the imperial heirs in the Emperor’s eyes.
Consort Hui now controlled the palace power.
She knew the Emperor would soon grant Fang He the rank of Noble Consort.
At that time, palace power would no longer be in her hands.
So she wanted to make Fang He share palace affairs with Consort Yi, Consort Rong, and Consort Hui beforehand.
Once Fang He took over, Consort Hui had her own ways to make Fang He make mistakes, blocking her promotion path.
If not, she could still firmly hold palace power herself.
Unexpectedly, Fang He didn’t fall for it.
When Consort Hui, Consort Yi, and Consort Rong reported palace affairs, Consort Hui vaguely hinted:
“Look, Imperial Consort Zhao is regaining favor… no, she never lost it. Now she’s favored even more. Soon, we might be paying her homage.”
“Then the palace affairs you sisters manage, along with the golden seals and jade stamps, might all be handed over to her.”
“Afterward, we’ll likely live at Imperial Consort Zhao’s mercy. I don’t mind—I at least have taken care of my health to stay with Yin’e for some years. Sisters, you’d better prepare early.”
Consort Yi had already allied with Fang He.
She understood why Consort Hui said this but pretended not to.
Consort Rong wanted palace power because Yin Zhi was still young.
Without palace power and favor, his days might be worse than the Fourth and Eighth Princes.
Another way was to have Yin Zhi rely on the Crown Prince.
With the Crown Prince’s protection and Ma Jia’s family base from the previous dynasty, Yin Zhi’s life wouldn’t be so hard.
Consort Rong wasn’t very clever but had a strong intuition: since she failed to kill Fang He on the grasslands, they had no chance left.
Encouraging others to take action and mocking Fang He was okay; but if they directly opposed Fang He, they might lose more than they gained.
She hesitated all night.
The next day, she claimed she needed to fast and isolate herself in Zhongcui Palace.
Consort Hui was different.
She couldn’t give up palace power.
Nalan Mingzhu was only a clerk in Nanshufang and hadn’t returned to court.
Yinzhi had less support.
Without palace power to assist, and with the Crown Prince pressuring Yinzhi increasingly, who knew if the Crown Prince would take advantage of Ling Pu to harm Yinzhi?
That said, Consort Hui knew better than Consort Rong the consequences of provoking Fang He.
Concubine Jing, no matter how much she urged, always appeared timid and never confronted Fang He.
Consort Hui clearly stood on the sidelines and wouldn’t make a move lightly.
Faki’s future was still in the Emperor’s hands; Yin’e had also entered Shang Shufang.
The Niuhulu Clan did not want to anger the Emperor.
Consort Hui pondered deeply but found no solid plan, growing increasingly frustrated.
Nalan Fujin came to pay respects, reminding Consort Hui of the two blooming beauties in A Ge Suo, which only added to her vexation.
She took Fuqin to the Imperial Garden to cool down.
Coincidentally, Fang He, thinking that Jiujiu had missed the full moon and hundred-day celebrations, planned to throw a unique catch-the-zodiac birthday feast.
Hearing that many flowers had bloomed in the Imperial Garden and the weather was warmer, Fang He brought Jiujiu to the garden for some fresh air and to pick flowers for decorating Yanxi Palace.
Two groups entered the garden from the right and left gates of the Jade Garden, initially unaware of each other.
When Consort Hui and the Fuqin rested , they soon spotted Fang He and the Nine Princess laughing and playing among the flowers.
Her temper flared immediately.
Imperial Consort Zhao was like a persistent ghost; no matter where she went, they ran into her.
She stood to leave.
The usually meek Fuqin hurried to follow but bumped into Consort Hui, who had stopped.
Fuqin stumbled and exclaimed, “…!”
Consort Hui snapped loudly, “What nonsense! Reckless! Do you know where this is? Are you running wild? Have you memorized the rules?”
Why should she dodge Imperial Consort Zhao?
Since she entered the Imperial Garden first and served the Emperor longer, she wanted to suppress Imperial Consort Zhao’s momentum, no matter how favored she was.
Otherwise, when Fang He took over palace power, they might not even get a sip of soup.
Fuqin was scolded until her face turned red and apologized helplessly.
“It’s my fault. I will be more careful from now on…”
Fang He, holding Jiujiu and admiring flowers, heard the commotion and turned around to see Consort Hui scolding Fuqin.
She clicked her tongue impatiently and covered Jiujiu’s ears.
Consort Hui was already unhappy and seeing her meek daughter-in-law only reminded her of the stubborn Concubine Jing.
Seeing Fang He turn around, she raised her voice at Fuqin.
“You can only make promises, but I don’t see any remorse. It’s my misfortune to have such a daughter-in-law!
“You gave birth to two grils who don’t count. You still selfishly cling to Yinzhi. Is that how your family raised you?”
Cui Wei and Chunlai’s faces instantly changed as they looked at Fang He.
Chunlai was about to ask if Master wanted to intervene; Cui Wei had a sudden thought and hurried forward.
“Master, didn’t you say the Emperor wouldn’t visit Chengqian Palace to avoid trouble for the Empress Dowager?”
“Now Consort Hui is indirectly criticizing you. You only need to leave the Imperial Garden with red eyes. When the Empress Dowager and Emperor return, you can use that opportunity to strike, to become Noble Consort.”
“Cui Wei.” Fang He cut her off coldly.
She handed Jiujiu to Chunlai and seriously looked at Cui Wei.
“You always forget, I’m no longer Xu Fang He, and you’re no longer a little palace maid in the Imperial Teahouse. You are the mistress of Yanxi Palace.”
There were some words Fang He had been unwilling to say, but now she could no longer hold back.
Jiujiu was growing.
She wouldn’t allow anyone to leave the impression that only tolerance leads to broad skies.
“If when trouble comes, your first thought is how to justify yourself or step back, I won’t treat you unfairly, but I can’t have you serving by my side anymore.”
Cui Wei was stunned, her face paling, realizing her long-standing misconception.
She always thought Master was like the last daughter of the Xu family, with no support, like herself.
So no matter how much the Emperor doted on Master, Cui Wei always feared Master’s quarrels would go too far.
When other consorts gave trouble, Cui Wei worried Master would make too much noise.
The others had family backing; only Master had none.
Cui Wei feared Master relied too much on the Emperor and would one day have no one to turn to.
She touched her chest, guilt growing.
She hadn’t shaken off the shadow from her mother’s death and her father’s harsh blow.
But she forgot that even if she didn’t believe the Emperor, she should believe in Master.
Fang He rolled up her sleeves, full of enthusiasm, and entered .
“Consort Hui, who exactly are you scolding? Louder! Let the entire Forbidden City know!”
Consort Hui coldly looked at Fang He.
“I, as mother-in-law, am reprimanding how much you despise Fuqin given by the Emperor’s marriage!”
“How dare you?”
Fang He laughed and cut her off.
“Consort Hui, you’re wrong. Let me wake you up: you’re only a stepmother. The real mother-in-law of Fuqin is actually the two Empresses.”
Before Consort Hui could speak, Fang He snapped coldly, “Wei Zhu! Go summon the Eldest Prince. I have questions for him!”
“You’re just a consort. What right do you have to summon my son—”
Fang He lost patience, grabbed a tea cup, and smashed it to pieces.
The shattering sound startled Consort Hui into standing and shouting that Imperial Consort Zhao was mad.
“Stop her!” Fang He calmly ordered, looking at Chunlai.
“Today, if anyone leaves , I’ll hold you responsible!”
Chunlai took curious Jiujiu from Xinke and ignored the distraught Cui Wei, stepping forward resolutely.
“Yes, I understand. Not one can leave!”
Consort Hui was furious and frantic inside.
Since the clash in Qianqing Palace against Concubine Xuan and the slap to Concubine Xi, Imperial Consort Zhao rarely had direct conflicts with other consorts.
Why did she suddenly become like a rabid dog, biting everyone she saw?
Consort Hui clenched her anger and asked, “What exactly do you want?”
Fang He sneered, “You call them ‘grils’ uselessly, looking down on women? Then you only need to look down on yourself.
“Dare to criticize behind my back in front of me and the Nine Princess? Do you think the Eldest Prince is dead?”
The approaching Yinzhi: “….”
Is this any of his business?
When Wei Zhu came forward, Yinzhi was in Shang Shufang tutoring his brothers and arrived quickly, followed by a group of nosy brats.
The most annoying one, in an apricot-yellow robe, was hiding half his body behind Yinzhi and Fourth Prince Yin Zhen, making Yinzhi’s expression darken.
Yinzhi entered the Jade Garden, saw the handprint on his mother’s face and the nearly fainted Fuqin, then looked at the domineering Fang He.
The situation was clear: Imperial Consort Zhao was bullying his mother and Fuqin.
His gaze instantly turned cold.
“Imperial Consort Zhao summoned me to see how you bully my mother and Fuqin?”
“No, I called you here to help the Emperor teach his unfilial, disobedient, and disloyal son a lesson.” Fang He smiled at Yinzhi.
To win over her boss’s heart, she hadn’t put on airs for over a year, and her big blade had long been eager.
Now with romance and promotion both progressing well, not giving the ancestors a proper birthday tribute would be ungrateful to the treasures they bestowed.
While Yinzhi was baffled, Fang He abruptly stopped smiling and barked sharply—
“You scoundrel, kneel!”
Consort Hui, nearly fainting with anger, the soft-sitting Fuqin, and the irritated Yinzhi were all stunned.
Even the Crown Prince, Third Prince, and newly arrived Yin Tao standing aside with mouths agape couldn’t help but think—
‘Has Imperial Consort Zhao suddenly gone mad?’
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