Early in the morning, Han Yunxi received Empress Dowager Li's verbal summons.
She didn't need to think to know why the empress dowager had summoned her to the palace at this critical juncture. If this was any other time, she'd definitely refuse, but this time was different.
She hadn't left the house for almost a month, so how could she miss such a good chance to go for a stroll? Would Long Fei Ye know when she reported to the empress dowager and left the palace for a stroll?
Han Yunxi was in a good mood and changed into a set of beautiful clothes. But Long Fei Ye arrived before she even left the house.
"Your Highness, the empress dowager has summoned chenqie to the palace. Forgive me for not accompanying you," Han Yunxi spoke first.
But Long Fei Ye only said, "Your lordship wants to go to the palace as well. Let's go together."
Han Yunxi felt stifled. Long Fei Ye must be doing this on purpose, right?
He hated going to the palace. Even when Emperor Tianhui summoned him, he never showed up on time. Why was he so eager today?
"Your Highness, are you going to the palace for business?" Han Yunxi asked deliberately.
"Mhm, Northern Li's Southern City's horse farms have broken out in a large-scale horse plague. There's already news of the Three-Way Battlefield's troops retreating. His Majesty summoned your lordship to the palace to discuss the matter."
Although Long Fei Ye's tone was calm, Han Yunxi was stunned!
She had been wondering why Long Fei Ye was so certain that Northern Li wouldn't attack first, but now she understood! As it turned out, Long Fei Ye's power had infiltrated Northern Li's horse farms!
This was a serious matter!
Northern Li Country had three famous horse farms: Southern City, Great City, and Skypool Horse Farms. All three specialized in raising war horses for the imperial court and held important positions in Northern Li and Cloud Realm Continent.
Although Southern City's horse farms weren't the most important source of horses, it was enough to affect Northern Li's armored cavalry. Moreover, the most frightening thing was that the current outbreak was none other than a horse plague.
In Northern Li, where horses outnumbered people, a large-scale horse plague wouldn't just cause losses to the war horses, but countless herding horses as well! That was directly related to the livelihood of the Northern Li Country!
Han Yunxi looked at Long Fei Ye for a long time before she asked, "Nandu's stud farm had an epidemic for a long time, but it hasn't been publicized, right? The Northern Li emperor's deployment of troops at the Three-Way Battlefield was nothing more than a bluff to scare Tianhui! "
Long Fei Ye nodded.
"So, you have people at Nandu Racecourse?" Han Yunxi asked again.
It was unlikely that the horse plague was man-made. Long Fei Ye was so certain that he must have received the news a long time ago.
Long Fei Ye did not deny it and nodded again.
This was his gift to Emperor Tianhui! Once Northern Li withdrew its troops, the Baili Navy could continue to protect Fishery Island. Emperor Tianhui would have no other reason to mobilize the Baili Navy.
Jun Yi Xie, even if I have to use the entire navy to trap you for the rest of your life, I will not hesitate!
Han Yunxi looked at Long Fei Ye with reverence in her eyes.
After all, Northern Li's three major horse farms were even more strictly guarded than the imperial palace. All of their staff were hereditary and couldn't be recruited from outside. Moreover, it was very difficult for news from the farms to leak out. It took a long time for someone to infiltrate the horse farms and obtain news of the epidemic before it broke out.
In other words, Long Fei Ye had started making plans in Northern Li a long time ago.
Seeing Han Yunxi spacing out, Long Fei Ye stroked her bangs and asked, "Still not leaving?"
Han Yunxi chuckled. "Your Highness, that bet … it looks like I won?"
He'd said that if she won, he'd take her to Tianshan Kenzō to broaden her horizons.
Long Fei Ye's hand stiffened as he held Han Yunxi's hand. "Don't worry, there'll be a day when I take you there."
"Mm, chenqie will remember," Han Yunxi didn't feel guilty at all!
This time, Han Yunxi didn't bring Zhao mama with her to the palace. Instead, she brought Su Xiaoyu with her.
Ever since Han Yunxi had taught her a lesson on the night stand, Su Xiaoyu had become much more taciturn. In front of the Duke of Qin, she was even more timid and silent.
Long Fei Ye wasn't so idle as to pay attention to a servant girl, but Zhao mama spoke up instead. "Esteemed wangfei, why don't this old servant go with you?"
"I'm taking this girl into the palace to meet someone," Han Yunxi said in a low voice.
Su Xiaoyu grew curious. "Who?"
"You'll know when we get there," Han Yunxi pretended to be mysterious.
Actually, Su Xiaoyu knew that the person she was going to meet was none other than Chu Qingge, who had bullied her at the inn.
Her master was Chu Tianyin, but Chu Qingge had no idea. The inn wasn't a coincidence, but an arrangement arranged by her master.
Now that Chu Qingge had married into the palace and her master had long arrived in the capital, she didn't even dare to see him without completing her mission.
What a melancholy!
Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi walked together while Su Xiaoyu carefully followed behind them. Who could read her thoughts?
When they reached the palace, Long Fei Ye headed for the imperial study while Han Yunxi headed for the empress dowager's Palace of Heaven and Earth.
Before they parted, he said, "We'll go back together in a bit." Han Yunxi's hopes of sneaking out to play died just like that.
By the time Han Yunxi arrived at the Palace of Heaven and Earth, all of the concubines and concubines in the imperial harem were already present.
This reminded Han Yunxi of her first visit to the palace. Unfortunately, things had changed, but the people had changed.
The empress dowager sat at the head of the table. To her left was no longer the empress, but the favored Noble Consort Xue. Next to Noble Consort Xue was the crown prince consort, Mu Liuyue. To the empress dowager's right was Noble Consort Ning. The seat behind Noble Consort Ning was empty. Without a doubt, Chu Qingge hadn't arrived yet.
With Han Yunxi's status, she was at least on equal footing with the four noble consorts, but there was no place for her in the room.
Han Yunxi had long gotten used to this sort of show of strength, so she felt uneasy when Empress Dowager Li left her a seat.
After the greetings, Empress Dowager Li granted her a seat while Gui mama placed a chair next to Mu Liuyue. Han Yunxi didn't get angry, but sat there calmly. Her aura didn't lose out to anyone else in the room.
How could Han Yunxi not understand Empress Dowager Li's thoughts?
She glanced at the few people in the upper seats, and everything became clear to her.
Noble Consort Xue by Empress Dowager Li's side was a concubine-born daughter of the Li Clan. Although she was favored, she'd never be able to become empress due to the taint of the Li Clan's corruption. She only had the right to compete with Chu Qingge for favor, not the empress's position.
Now that Chu Qingge was here, Empress Dowager Li's greatest fear was that she'd steal the throne. The empress had gone mad and the Li Clan had fallen, but the empress dowager was still here! The crown prince still needed to solidify his position as crown prince.
As long as there was no empress in the imperial harem, the empress dowager could rule for one more day.
If Chu Qingge really did take the empress's position, then it was only right and proper for the empress to rule the six palaces. Empress Dowager Li might as well learn from Grand Concubine Yi and become vegetarian and pray to Buddha!
Han Yunxi withdrew her gaze and glanced at Mu Liuyue next to her. As the crown prince's consort, Mu Liuyue was very likely to be the future empress. She and Chu Qingge had a "battle for the empress's position" as well. If Chu Qingge became empress and gave birth to a prince, then the crown prince's position would be threatened.
The struggle for power in the imperial harem and the women's struggles for favor were all inextricably linked and complicated! But none of that had anything to do with Han Yunxi. She wasn't an imperial consort of the imperial harem, but the Duke of Qin's only consort.
Empress Dowager Li had invited her here so she could fight with Chu Qingge so she could sit back and reap the benefits.
Han Yunxi could admit that she disliked Chu Qingge very much, but she was only here to watch the show. She had no plans to get involved in the muddy waters of the imperial harem.
Han Yunxi picked up her teacup and slowly tasted it, allowing the empress dowager, Noble Consort Xue, and Mu Liuyue to chat and laugh without a word.
Soon enough, an announcement came from outside. "Noble Consort Chu has arrived!"
Chu Qingge was dressed splendidly as she entered, her long, flowery dress trailing behind her. Two servant girls followed her on her left, while an old eunuch supported her on her right.
She was almost as beautiful as Empress Li in the past.
Needless to say, such a delicate and pretty woman had a different kind of charm in her gorgeous palace robes.
But Chu Qingge probably hadn't been doing well over the past six months, because she'd lost a lot of weight.
Han Yunxi was a very naughty girl. The more she looked at Chu Qingge, the more she felt that Emperor Tianhui would definitely like her.
It was only her second day in the palace, but she'd already put on such airs when paying respects to the empress dowager. Empress Dowager Li only felt displeased in her heart at the sight, but maintained her amiable expression.
"Noble Consort Chu, hurry and rise. Come to me so I can take a good look."
Han Yunxi smiled coldly. Hadn't Empress Dowager Li said the same thing when she'd come to pay respects?
Chu Qingge went to sit next to Empress Dowager Li, but her resentful gaze rested on Han Yunxi. Today's meeting had nothing to do with Han Yunxi, right?
What's she doing here? Is she here to laugh at me?
Empress Dowager Li took her hand and examined her closely. She couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "No wonder His Majesty likes you. There's no other woman in the imperial harem who looks better than you."
Chu Qingge was a proud woman, so she didn't try to be modest. She only smiled slightly.
Han Yunxi smiled as well. The empress dowager's exaggerated words had made Chu Qingge an enemy and offended all the women in the imperial harem.
Noble Consort Xue grinned. "Muhou, there's no other woman in the imperial harem with more dowry than Noble Consort Chu!"
Before Chu Qingge married into the imperial harem, her older brother Chu Tianyin had already analyzed the intricacies of Tianning's imperial harem with her. He'd also made it clear that her mission was to take the position of empress.
She was very clear on the empress dowager and Noble Consort Xue's intentions. She was about to strike back when Mu Liuyue suddenly spoke up. "There's no other woman with no dowry either, is there?"
"No dowry? Is there such a thing? "the empress dowager was puzzled.
"Imperial Grandmother, Qin Wangfei doesn't have a dowry either, right? If you compare people, you'll die. If you compare goods, you'll throw them away. There's no point in comparing things like that. Let's talk about something else. "
Han Yunxi was sitting right next to her, but Mu Liuyue didn't hold back at all. Instead, she laughed out loud, a bit too provocative.
Needless to say, her eloquence had improved quite a bit. Her words had both insulted Han Yunxi and helped Chu Qingge out of her predicament.
Unfortunately, Han Yunxi didn't budge. If she was so easily provoked, she wouldn't be Han Yunxi.
Empress Dowager Li and Noble Consort Xue exchanged meaningful glances without speaking.
Chu Qingge was puzzled. What does Mu Liuyue mean by this? What's her stance? Is she going to help me?
Chu Qingge knew that Han Yunxi had played Mu Liuyue until she was infamous for it.
Although her older brother had told her over and over again not to clash with Han Yunxi, she still couldn't swallow the anger in her heart.
She would cooperate well with her older brother to take the position of empress, but she wouldn't let Han Yunxi off the hook, either!
"No dowry? That can't be, right? "Chu Qingge couldn't help but look towards Han Yunxi.
Han Yunxi was too lazy to pay attention to such a boring topic. She kept drinking her tea and didn't say a word. Let's see how Mu Liuyue keeps up this act!
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