Life and death are inseparable, palace struggles never end (Part 2)

  The Empress Dowager's head hurts again. The Emperor's birthday is approaching and next month is her own birthday. Although the court banquet has been suspended, don't stir up more trouble.

  One was often present, one was usually noble, but it was just that she couldn't manage the six palaces well. None of the masters of the six palaces throughout history had been able to achieve peace and tranquility, and they were all scolded by the emperor from time to time. But thinking about Ning Pin's plan, which ultimately benefited her, not only did she have a child of her own, but also successfully promoted to the position of imperial concubine, it was like swallowing a fly, feeling uncomfortable.

  Why did he end up being affected like the fish in the moat, while the mastermind behind the scenes not only got away scot-free but also gained a huge advantage? Did this fool just suffer for nothing?

  There is also Ronggui Ren, who had learned from the imperial physician that this child was likely to be a boy, and unexpectedly she really gave birth to one. And as for Shangguan's methods, they became increasingly gentle, and in more than half a year, she couldn't even take her life away at the end, allowing her to successfully become a pin. Heaven should bless Ronggui Ren to lie on the bed for the rest of her life, otherwise, isn't the position of fei or guifei still far from her?

  Gu Consort, Lu Consort, and that silent Rong Gui Ren Ma Jia Shi, are all her own major heart disease. Xi Guifei can now empathize with the anxious mood of Empress Xiaojing who was restless day and night, this is the helplessness of watching people who pose a threat to herself growing up and becoming powerful while she is powerless to do anything about it.

  Fortunately, there is also good news on this side. At the end of September, Emperor Qianlong's daughter-in-law, Lady Su, gave birth to a grandson for him. Although it was not suitable to hold grand celebrations due to the mourning period and the recent scandals involving Consort Hua and Consort Yu, it was still a joyful event. Moreover, in mid-October, another daughter-in-law, Lady Fuca, also gave birth to a granddaughter, making it a perfect pair of one boy and one girl. This not only served as the best birthday gift for Emperor Qianlong's 60th birthday but also an auspicious sign for his own longevity.

  Because both of them had a son and a daughter, Yunzhu treated them with the treatment of Ah Ge's concubine in the name of having children. She even praised her as virtuous and magnanimous. Unexpectedly, Su Shi's daughter was gone! It was still two days before her own birthday, wasn't this a bad omen?!

  The mood swings too fast, Xi Guifei can't accept it, but this time she doesn't dare to declare Ta Yi again, and only lets the people below go to decoct Ning Shen's medicinal soup.

  The emperor's mind is that he doesn't want to leave an impression of being weak and ill, and also feels that he is not broad-minded and benevolent enough. Now it's almost the end of the year, should he give up imperial power again? This is absolutely unacceptable. If this happens three or four times, he will lose his authority in the palace.

  "Huan Huan, my poor Huan Huan, hasn't spoken a word, hasn't taken a step on his own... waaahhh..."

  Qian Xi's two houses, Su Bao Rou cried so hard that she couldn't calm herself down. She only realized the pain in her heart after losing him. At first, it was because of He An that she could quickly establish a foothold here and gain the favor of the Imperial Concubine. She still remembered when she was pregnant with her, she felt as if she was holding onto beautiful hopes, being careful and eagerly anticipating... Although the child born was a daughter, although she was weaker than other children, she was still her own flesh and blood. Now everything is too late, a minor cold took away her fragile life.

  "Master, don't be sad. You must take care of yourself and not forget that there is still Third Brother who needs your care..." Madam Wan's heart was filled with sorrow. Although Big Sister's body was weak and she didn't gain the king's favor, she was the king's eldest daughter. As long as she lived, Master had an invisible special status in both Qianxi and Dishi. What a pity.

  "It's all my fault, Mother. If only I had been more considerate of her, not just focusing on the third son in my belly, and not begrudging He An for having a grand full moon celebration while Third Son could only have a simple ceremony at Qian Xi Er Guan... He An wouldn't be like this... it's all because of me..."

  Unless the master's mind was confused, Granny Wang felt that the master, who usually kept a tight lip, wouldn't have revealed his inner thoughts like this. However, she also couldn't watch the master continue on like this, which wasn't good for either herself or Third Brother. So, after some deliberation, she said: "Master, do you really think Big Sister's death was natural?"

  Su Bao Rou suddenly lifted her head, and a fierce light shot out from her red and swollen eyes. "What do you mean by that, Nanny?"

  It's good to have a fighting spirit. The old lady deliberated, "Actually, this is also the speculation of the slave, Master, you think about it, Da Gege has always been in poor health, and every time Master orders the nurse and palace maid who serve Da Gege, isn't it three warnings and five commands? Every night shift, there are at least two people on duty. How could Da Gege still be frozen? Moreover, no one has ever heard that Da Gege has the habit of kicking off her quilt when sleeping."

  Yes, yes, He An has been in poor health since birth, afraid of cold and heat, sleeping has always been curled up into a ball, how could she kick off the quilt and get frozen?! Someone must have done something sinister... Su Bao Rou's teeth were chattering "ge ge" sound, her heart was bleeding, "Is it suspected that there is an internal traitor among the servants serving Da Ge Ge?"

  The old lady did not answer.

  Su Bao Rou didn't even need to think about it. She was wondering who would have to harm He An, and what He An had done to offend someone's eyes? The Empress Dowager? No, that's impossible. The Empress Dowager has sons and daughters of her own, no grudges or interests conflicting with hers, nor any resentment over losing favor. Besides, if the Empress Dowager could tolerate a big brother like Da A Ge, she wouldn't be unable to tolerate He An, it wasn't her.

  Is it Fucha? It's also impossible, there is no such deep hatred between herself and her that would lead to the death of each other's children. Only Gao, only Gao is possible, she is taking revenge, she thinks it was herself and Fucha who made her miscarry... and as a result, her body was injured too severely to become pregnant again.

  She herself became pregnant with the Third Prince after Fuca's miscarriage and demotion, not only successfully giving birth to him but also being elevated from Consort to Noble Lady by imperial favor. She was consumed by jealousy, so she took action, wanting me to suffer the pain of losing a beloved daughter?!

  How hateful! Gaolü We, you just wait and see, if I don't avenge this grudge, my name is not Su Bao Rou!! "Auntie, go help me investigate, where were those people who served the eldest princess driven to? I want to know everything clearly!"

  The Qing dynasty's system of imperial consorts was not well-established in the early period, and both shu fu jin and gege were general terms for concubines, which caused some confusion. Later, as the Qing dynasty's various systems gradually improved, the palace system of consorts abolished the ranks of shu fu jin and gege, but the imperial princes' residences and the palaces of relatives of the emperor still retained "gege" as a term for concubines. Those "gege" who were selected through the selection process to enter the imperial princes' residences were relatively well-off, after all, they had entered the imperial clan register and had some status. Some "gege", however, were directly sent by subordinates or officials, or were brought in as maidservants, although they had the name of "gege", their names did not actually enter the imperial clan register, and their status was only slightly higher than that of a maidservant.

  Among the princes and nobles, some gege gave birth to children with merit, but due to various reasons (their origin was too low or the position of side fu jin was already full), they could not be granted the title of side fu jin. As a result, the name "shu fu jin" from the early Qing dynasty was revived and used only within the mansion, tacitly acknowledging that their status was lower than that of side fu jin but slightly higher than that of gege. The meaning it represented had already differed somewhat from the original shu fu jin title in the early Qing dynasty.

  Although Shu Fu Jin was not granted a title by the imperial court, she did not enter the register and did not wear a crown or official attire. When she left the mansion, there was no difference between her and other gege, but within the mansion, her status and treatment were slightly higher than those of gege.

  Fu Cha, Fu Linga and Su Bao Rou were still very satisfied, even if they couldn't compare to the two side consorts, but in the future when the Fourth Prince ascended to the throne, the titles they would receive wouldn't be too low either. Moreover, they had children by their side.

  But before I could fully savor the joy, something happened with An.

  This was a bolt from the blue for Su Baozhen, and also an alarm for Fucha Fulina. She had always been cautious, avoiding many of Gao Lümi's secret attacks during her pregnancy. In addition to being aware of Gao Lümi's collaboration with Wulana Nianmiao, she again cleaned up the servants in her courtyard with the help of Ping Xiaoyi, Qiuye and Xiacao, and indeed found several extremely hidden nails.

  "It's indeed true that being cautious avoids big mistakes. If it wasn't for this thorough investigation, I would have still thought Dong Qing was a meticulous and considerate person who was ready to take care of Si Ge Ge."

  Ping's face was expressionless. "Fortunately, it has been investigated. Who would have known that Wu La Na Ra Ce Fu Jin had buried someone in the palace so early on?"

  Fu Ling tightly pursed her lips, "It's just that she borrowed the remaining power of the Empress Dowager to show respect. Unfortunately, the Emperor and the Noble Consort didn't give her a second glance. However, from now on, we must be even more careful. With Gao Shi mixing with her, their influence will certainly not be small... I hope Fu Jun can keep things under control."

  ……

  Two days before the Chong Yang Festival, her granddaughter passed away. Ordinary people might feel heartbroken, but Xi Guifei might find it even more inauspicious. Yunzhu thought so, but had to personally deliver the prepared birthday gifts to Chengqian Palace.

  The Empress Dowager, of course, could not possibly sulk and harm herself. She had spent most of her life enduring hardships and had finally reached the position of being above all others. How could she possibly suppress herself again? She was very dissatisfied with Su Bao Rou, and this displeasure was directly expressed in her reaction to Yun Zhu's birthday gift.

  A top-grade agarwood carving of a longevity and prosperity figurine, along with a string of natural agarwood beads. A similar string was also presented as a birthday gift to Emperor Yongzheng during his Wan Shou Festival, but the one he received had a pure black color and larger beads, each with scriptures engraved on it, forming a complete Heart Sutra. In contrast, this string has a purple-brown color, more suitable for Empress Xi's age and status as a woman.

  In addition to the above two items, there are also Yunzhu and other people who made several pieces of clothing, robes and shoes for Xi Guifei.

  She still liked the Ru Yi and the agarwood bracelet, as the saying goes "a few ounces of agarwood is worth a few ounces of gold". Truly good quality agarwood was extremely hard to come by, let alone this agarwood bracelet that was round and full, with an even color, making it a top-grade item. However, when she saw those intricately embroidered cotton-padded jackets and flag costumes, the joy in her eyes cooled down, and she said lightly: "These clothes were made by the people under the command of Qian Xi and Er Xi, right? I know you are being filial, but Mother only wears a few sets of these clothes every year. I hope you can put your energy into taking care of the children instead..."

  As soon as the words were spoken, Yunzhu knew that she was going to take advantage of the topic, but she had never been a person who would endure humiliation. She immediately cut off her words and said: "Mother said so, so this year's filial piety gifts for the Emperor and Mother were not made by Fucha Gege Sugugu, and others only symbolically did some, most of which were done by people in the needlework department."

  Xi Guifei was blocked by her words, and she felt even more uncomfortable in her heart. Her face sank, and Yunzhu saw that An had also asked for a birthday gift and presented it, so he excused himself and left with Qianxi.

  "Look at her, look at her, what kind of attitude is this?!" Xi Guifei was so angry that she smashed the teacup in her hand to the ground.

  Fourth Lady didn't do anything wrong, why should she bear the brunt of your anger?! Chun Lan hastily stepped forward to pat her back: "Master is angry for no reason, I think the one who should take responsibility is Su Gege. The children of Qian Xi's two branches are all raised by their birth mothers and are lovely and spirited, but only Da Gege was weak from birth, getting sick every now and then... This Fourth Lady is still kind and virtuous, if it were someone else, it would be a problem whether the child could grow up so big." Chun Hua also cleverly stepped forward to help her massage her legs, while Xia He personally picked up the broken porcelain pieces.

  Xigui Fei knew in her mind that it was not proper to vent her anger on Yunzhu, but as a daughter-in-law, how could she use such an attitude towards her mother-in-law? This is the imperial family! Moreover, there was the matter of the child's death in Qianxi's second branch. As the birth mother, didn't she have any fault?!

  She couldn't even take it out on her own servant, let alone scold Su Shi, who had suffered the pain of losing a daughter. "Does she think she's some kind of treasure, that no one can say anything to her?" The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and she slapped the table so hard that her palm stung with pain.

  "The master is not pleased in his heart, and according to the slave's observation, the Fourth Imperial Concubine's heart is also not at ease. When the Fourth Prince returns, she still doesn't know how to explain herself. This palace is not lacking in gossip, and I don't know how many people are watching the Chengqian Palace. The Fourth Imperial Concubine is indeed being cautious."

  "Hmph, must I not be cautious myself? This is her Chongqing Palace, where even cats and dogs can enter. Xi Guifei's heart was unhappy, coldly saying: 'Alright, you all get out.'"

  Chun Lan and Chun Hua exchanged a glance, then retreated in unison.

  "Sister Chunlan, when will our days get better?" Chunhui said in a low voice.

  "I've given up on the idea of leaving the palace." Chun Lan said expressionlessly, in a couple more years she'll be thirty, even if her family members cherish their flesh and blood relationship, can't she herself be willing to marry some shameless person? If she doesn't get married then at best she can only be someone's nanny, it's better to just give up and stay in the palace. "Don't say this kind of thing again in the future, be careful of eavesdroppers."

  Chun Hua's face fell, and she murmured a response. She was two years younger than Chun Lan, and if possible, still hoped to leave the palace...

  The author has something to say: Hehe, went to watch the latest movie blockbuster "Avengers Alliance", just like last time's "Super Battleship", the plot of American soldiers saving the earth... But this time, it's bringing together the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and others in one film, which is a highlight. The special effects and plot feel more satisfying than before.

  Again, went swimming - my pen name is called "Deep Sea Mermaid" but I really can't swim, saying swimming is just soaking in water, feels better than watching a movie. I have many problems, recently writing hasn't been going well, my whole body has been bitten by mosquitoes with many red bumps, soaking in water relieves the itch, haha.

  The following is the main body of the text:

  The Empress Dowager's head hurts again, and the Emperor's birthday is approaching. Next month is also her own birthday. Although the court banquet has been suspended, don't make any more trouble.

  One is often in a high position, one is usually a noble person, but it's just that she can't manage the six palaces well. None of the masters of the six palaces throughout history have been able to achieve peace and tranquility, but being scolded by the emperor twice is nothing. But thinking about Ning Pin's plan, who ultimately benefited from all this, not only did she get a child of her own, but also successfully promoted to the position of imperial concubine, it's like swallowing a fly, feeling uncomfortable.

  Why did he end up being affected like the fish in the same pond, while the mastermind behind the scenes not only got away scot-free but also gained a huge advantage? Did this fool just suffer for nothing?

  There is also Ronggui Ren, who had learned from the imperial physician's mouth that this child was likely to be a boy, and unexpectedly she really gave birth to one. And Gao Yulan's methods became more and more gentle, in half a year's time, she couldn't even take her life away at the last moment, letting her successfully become Pin. Heaven should bless Ronggui Ren to lie on the bed for a lifetime, otherwise, isn't the position of Fei or Guifei still far from her?

  Gu Consort, Lu Consort, and that silent Rong Gui Ren Ma Jia Shi, are all her own major heart disease. Xi Guifei can now empathize with the anxious mood of Empress Xiaojing who was restless day and night in those years, this is the helplessness of watching people who pose a threat to oneself grow up gradually while being powerless to do anything about it.

  Fortunately, there is also good news on this side. At the end of September, Emperor Qianlong's daughter-in-law, Lady Su, gave birth to a grandson for him. Although it was not suitable to hold grand celebrations due to the mourning period and the recent scandals involving Consort Hua and Consort Yu, it was still a joyful event. Moreover, in mid-October, another daughter-in-law, Lady Fuca, also gave birth to a granddaughter, making it a perfect pair of one boy and one girl. This not only served as the best birthday gift for Emperor Qianlong's 80th birthday but also an auspicious sign for his own longevity.

  Because both of them had a son and a daughter, Yunzhu treated them with the treatment of Ah Ge's concubine in the name of having merit for giving birth to children. She even praised her as virtuous and magnanimous. Unexpectedly, Su Shi's daughter was gone! It was still two days before her own birthday, wasn't this a bad omen?!

  The mood swings too fast, Xi Guifei can't accept it, but this time she didn't dare to declare Ta Yi again, and only let the people below go to decoct Ning Shen's medicinal soup.

  The emperor's mind is that he doesn't want to leave an impression of being weak and ill, and also feels that he is not broad-minded and benevolent enough. With the approaching New Year, would he have to give up imperial power again? This is absolutely unacceptable. If this happens three or four times, he will lose all authority in the palace.

  "Huan Huan, my poor Huan Huan, hasn't spoken a word, hasn't taken a step on his own... waaahhh..."

  Qian Xi's two houses, Su Bao Rou cried so hard she couldn't calm herself down. Only after losing her did she realize the pain in her heart. At first, it was precisely because of He An that she could quickly establish a foothold here and gain the favor of the Imperial Concubine. She still remembered when she was pregnant with her, it was as if she was embracing beautiful hopes, carefully and eagerly anticipating... Although the child born was a daughter, although she was weaker than other children, she was still her own flesh and blood. Now everything is too late, a minor cold wind took away her fragile life.

  "Master, don't be sad. You must take care of yourself and not forget that there is still Third Brother who needs your care..." Madam Wan's heart felt gloomy. Although Big Sister was in poor health and didn't gain the king's favor, she was the king's eldest daughter. As long as she lived, Master had an invisible special status in both Qianxi and Xixi. What a pity.

  "It's all my fault, Mother. If only I had been more considerate of her, not just focusing on the third son in my belly, and not begrudging He An a grand full moon celebration while Third Son could only have a perfunctory one at Qian Xi Er Guan... He An wouldn't be like this, it's all because of me..."

  Unless the master's mind was muddled, Granny Wang felt that the normally tight-lipped master wouldn't have revealed his inner thoughts like this. However, she also couldn't just watch as the master continued on like this, which wasn't good for either herself or Third Brother. So, after a moment of contemplation, she said: "Master, do you really think Eldest Princess's death was natural?"

  Su Bao Rou suddenly lifted her head, and a fierce light shot out from her swollen red eyes. "What does this mean, Nanny?"

  It's all right as long as you have the will, said Wang Xi Fang after some deliberation: "Actually, this is also a guess on my part. Think about it, Master. Eldest Young Miss has always been in poor health. You've always instructed the wet nurses and palace maids serving Eldest Young Miss to be extremely careful, with at least two people keeping watch every night. How could Eldest Young Miss have gotten frostbite?! Besides, I've never heard that Eldest Young Miss had a habit of kicking off her covers while sleeping."

  Yes, yes, He An has been in poor health since birth, afraid of cold and heat, sleeping has always been curled up into a ball, how could she kick off the quilt and get frozen?! Someone must have done something sinister... Su Bao Rou's teeth were chattering "ge ge" sound, her heart was bleeding, "Is it suspected that there is an internal traitor among the servants of Da Ge Ge?"

  The old lady did not answer.

  Su Bao Rou didn't even need to think about it. She was wondering who would have to harm He An, and what He An had done to offend someone's eyes? The Empress? No, that's impossible. The Empress has sons and daughters of her own, with no grudges or interests conflicting with hers, nor any resentment over losing favor. Besides, if the Empress could tolerate a big brother like Da A Ge, she wouldn't be unable to tolerate He An, it wasn't her.

  Is it Fucha? It's also impossible, there is no such deep hatred between herself and her that would lead to the death of each other's children. Only Gao, only Gao is possible, she is seeking revenge, she thinks it was herself and Fucha who caused her miscarriage...and as a result, her body was severely injured and unable to conceive again.

  She herself became pregnant with the Third Prince after Fuca's miscarriage and demotion, not only successfully giving birth to him but also being elevated from Consort to Noble Lady. She was jealous, so she took action, wanting her to suffer the pain of losing a beloved daughter?!

  How hateful! Gaolü We, you just wait and see, if I don't avenge this grudge, my name is not Su Bao Rou!! "Auntie, go help me investigate, where were those people who served the eldest princess driven to? I want to know everything clearly!"

  The Qing dynasty's system of imperial consorts was not well-established in the early period, and both shu fu jin and gege were general terms for concubines, which caused some confusion. Later, as the Qing dynasty's various systems gradually improved, the palace system of consorts abolished the ranks of shu fu jin and gege, but the imperial princes' residences and the palaces of relatives still retained "gege" as a title for concubines. Those "gege" who were selected through the selection process to enter the imperial princes' residences were relatively better off, after all, they had entered the imperial clan register and had some status. Some "gege", however, were directly sent by subordinates or officials, or were brought in as maidservants, although they had the title of "gege", their names did not actually enter the imperial clan register, and their status was only slightly higher than that of a maid servant.

  Among the princes and nobles, some gege gave birth to children with merit, but due to various reasons (their origin was too low or the position of side fu jin was already full), they could not be granted the title of side fu jin. As a result, the name "shu fu jin" from the early Qing dynasty was revived and used only within the mansion, tacitly acknowledging that their status was lower than that of side fu jin but slightly higher than that of gege. The meaning it represented had already differed somewhat from the original shu fu jin title in the early Qing dynasty.

  Although the Shu Fu Jin was not granted a court title, she did not enter the register and did not wear a crown, when she left the mansion, she was no different from other Ge Ge, but in the mansion, her status and treatment were slightly higher than those of Ge Ge.

  Fu Cha, Fu Linga and Su Bao Rou were still very satisfied, even if they couldn't compare to the two side consorts, but in the future when the Fourth Prince ascends to the throne, the titles they would receive wouldn't be too low either. Moreover, they had children by their side.

  But before I could fully savor the joy, something happened with An.

  This was a bolt from the blue for Su Baozhen, and also an alarm for Fucha Fulina. She had always been cautious, avoiding many of Gao Lümi's covert attacks during her pregnancy. Moreover, she had some awareness of Gao Lümi's collaboration with Ulanara Nianmiao, so with the help of Ping Xiaoyi, Qiuye and Xiacao, she re-examined the servants in her courtyard and found several extremely hidden nails.

  "It's indeed true that being cautious avoids big mistakes. If it wasn't for this thorough investigation, I would have still thought Dong Qing was a meticulous and considerate person who was ready to take care of Si Ge Ge."

  Ping's face was expressionless. "Fortunately, it has been investigated. Who would have known that Ula Nara, the concubine of Ce Fugui, had buried someone in this palace so long ago."

  Fu Ling tightly pursed her lips, "It's just that she borrowed the remaining power of the Empress Dowager to show respect. Unfortunately, the Emperor and the Noble Consort didn't give her a second glance. However, from now on, we must be even more careful. With Gao Shi getting involved with her, their influence will certainly not be small... I hope Fu Jun can keep things under control."

  ……

  Two days before the Chong Yang Festival, her granddaughter passed away. Ordinary people might feel heartbroken, but Xi Guifei might find it even more inauspicious. Yunzhu thought so, but had to personally deliver the prepared birthday gifts to Chengqian Palace.

  The Empress Dowager, of course, couldn't possibly sulk and harm herself. She had spent most of her life enduring hardships and had finally reached the position of being above all others. How could she possibly suppress herself again? She was very dissatisfied with Su Bao Rou, and this displeasure was directly expressed in her reaction to Yun Zhu's birthday gift.

  A top-grade agarwood carving of a longevity and good fortune Ruyi, along with a string of natural agarwood beads. In the birthday gifts presented to Yongzheng during his Wan Shou Festival, there was also a string of such beads. The difference lies in that Yongzheng's string had a pure black color, larger grains, and each agarwood bead was engraved with scriptures, forming a complete Heart Sutra. This string, however, presents a purple oil color, more suitable for an imperial consort like Xi Guifei to wear at her age.

  In addition to the above two items, there are also Yunzhu and other people who made several pieces of clothing, robes and shoes for Xi Guifei.

  She still liked the Ru Yi and the agarwood bracelet, as the saying goes "a few ounces of agarwood is worth a few ounces of gold". Truly good quality agarwood was extremely hard to come by, let alone this agarwood bracelet that was round and full, with an even color, making it a top-grade item. However, when she saw those intricately embroidered cotton-padded jackets and flag costumes, the joy in her eyes cooled down, and she said lightly: "These clothes were made by the people under the command of Duan Xi and Fu Heng again, I know you are filial, but Mother only wears a few sets of these clothes every year. I hope you can put your energy into taking care of the children instead..."

  As soon as the words came out, Yunzhu knew that she was going to take advantage of the topic, but she had never been a person who would endure humiliation. She immediately cut off her words and said: "Mother said so, so this year's filial piety gifts for the Emperor and Mother were not made by Fucha Gege Su Gege, others just did some symbolic ones, most of them were done by people on the needlework team."

  Xi Guifei was blocked by her words, and she felt even more uncomfortable in her heart. Her face sank, and Yunzhu saw that An had also asked for a birthday gift and presented it, so he excused himself and left with Qianxi.

  "Look at her, look at her, what kind of attitude is this?!" Xi Guifei was so angry that she smashed the teacup in her hand to the ground.

  Fourth Lady didn't do anything wrong, why should she bear the brunt of your anger?! Chun Lan hastily stepped forward to pat her back: "Master is being unreasonable, I think the one who should take responsibility is Su Gege. The children of Qian Xi's two branches are all raised by their birth mothers and they're all lovely and spirited... except for Da Gege, who was weak from birth and fell ill every now and then. Fourth Lady is still a virtuous person, if it were someone else, it would be uncertain whether the child could have been raised this big." Chun Hua also cleverly stepped forward to help massage her legs, while Xia He personally picked up the broken porcelain pieces.

  Xigui knew in her mind that it was not proper to vent her anger on Yunzhu, but as a daughter-in-law, how could she use such an attitude towards her mother-in-law? This is the imperial family! Moreover, there was the matter of the child's death in the Western Palace. As the child's aunt, didn't she have any fault?!

  She couldn't even take it out on her own servant, let alone scold Su Shi, who had suffered the pain of losing a daughter. "Does she think she's some kind of treasure, that no one can say anything to her?" The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and she slapped the table so hard that her palm hurt from the force of the blow.

  "The master is not pleased in his heart, and according to the slave's observation, the Fourth Imperial Concubine's heart is also uneasy. When the Fourth Prince returns, she will be at a loss for what to say. This palace is not lacking in gossip, and I'm sure many people are watching the Chengqian Palace. The Fourth Imperial Concubine is being cautious."

  "Hmph, must I not be cautious myself? This is her Chongqing Palace, where even cats and dogs can enter. Xi Guifei's heart was unhappy, coldly saying: 'Alright, you all get out.'"

  Chunlan and Chunhui exchanged a glance, then retreated in unison.

  "Sister Chunlan, when will our days be better?" Chunhui said in a low voice.

  "I've given up on the idea of leaving the palace." Chunlan said expressionlessly, in a couple more years she'll be thirty, even if her family members cherish their flesh and blood relationship, can't she herself be willing to marry some shameless person? If she doesn't get married, at best she can only be someone's nanny, it's better to just give up and stay in the palace. "Don't say such things again in the future, beware of walls having ears."

  Chun Hua's face fell, and she murmured a response. She was two years younger than Chun Lan, and if possible, still hoped to leave the palace...