Sister Qing jumped in fright. "Empress Dowager, you mustn’t speak like that!" "What if... what if someone is framing the Noble Consort?" "In a place like the Harem, when is it ever clean?!" The Empress Dowager took a handkerchief, wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye, and gave a cold laugh. "Do you distrust me, or do you distrust the Emperor?" Sister Qing hastened to say she dared not. The Empress Dowager continued, "Even a vicious tiger will not eat its cubs; my son, the Emperor, would never do such an absurd thing!" "As for the Empress... I have spent a lifetime in this Harem. No matter what, my roots run deeper than hers! The Empress’s petty tricks are hardly worth a glance in her eyes." After the incident with Honored Lady Hu came out, the Empress Dowager had spoken about it several times, both openly and covertly, and the Empress hadn’t dared to make another move. "It shouldn’t be her!" The Empress Dowager still shook her head. Sister Qing thought again. "That day the Noble Consort fell..." The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes in thought and then sighed. "In the palace, how could there ever be a peaceful day! This matter was too long ago; it’s truly not easy to investigate now." The Empress Dowager gave another cold laugh. "Those women are only capable of such schemes!" "Then, Empress Dowager, you..." The Empress Dowager sighed deeply once more. "It’s hard to keep the palace entirely clean, so let this matter rest! The Imperial Physician said that even without the fall and without a premature birth, the child would have been born this way!" The Empress Dowager pondered for a long time, as if making a very deliberate decision. "Later, find a way to send a message out. Next year is the imperial selection... Select all the suitable girls of age from our clan!" Sister Qing naturally understood the Empress Dowager’s meaning. Uneasy, she ventured, "Regarding the Noble Consort..." The Empress Dowager huffed softly. "She only has herself to blame for not being ambitious enough. I’ve certainly helped her enough! If it weren’t for me, her child would have long been harmed by the Empress!" Sister Qing sighed and said no more. The Little Prince had died young, so his funeral was not grand. He wasn’t even given an official ranking. Meaning, he wasn’t even granted the title of Eldest Imperial Son. What’s more, he didn’t even have a name; it was as if he had never existed in this world. To the Harem, this was undoubtedly tremendous news. Whoever gave birth to a son next would still have the eldest son—how wonderful. The Emperor’s many consorts probably wished they could close their doors and laugh heartily three times over! Especially the Empress. Her heart was already resounding with gongs and drums. She felt as if she had joyfully strolled through the Jade Pool in the Ninth Heaven, then ridden a seven-colored auspicious cloud around the world, before finally spiraling back and settling within herself. Of course, the Empress was the Noble Consort’s nemesis; this was no surprise. However, Consort Yun, who should have been the least happy, even she, behind closed doors while pretending to secretly shed tears, couldn’t suppress a few hidden snickers. Heh, fortunes turn every thirty years. Fresh chapters posted on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽 Sometimes, that’s just how people are. One moment you’re flourishing like brocade, the next, the guests have left and the tea has grown cold. Those so-called "good sisters" from before suddenly vanished. Of course, the Noble Consort had no real good sisters to begin with. Among the many concubines in the Harem, one person became the ultimate winner in this war without smoke. She stood before the window, her expression both triumphant and sinister. "Empress, Noble Consort, your methods are still too naive. I am the one most suited for this Harem!" The weather gradually cooled. By mid-October, most people had started using charcoal fires. At the Empress’s residence, the Ground Dragon heating system had even been lit. It was unclear if it was due to excessive joy or something else, but the Empress had caught a chill in early October and hadn’t recovered since. It had dragged on until now, and she was still coughing. Sister Ji was extremely anxious. "This is terrible, Your Majesty! You must have the Imperial Physician see you!" "As the saying goes, autumn is the time to build up one’s strength, yet Your Majesty, you’ve lost a great deal of weight!" The Empress coughed twice, sipped some tea to soothe her throat, and then said, "The Emperor... he hasn’t come for so long. He must still be angry with me..." Sister Ji said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is wise. He will eventually understand it wasn’t you. You must try not to dwell on it so much!" The Empress gave a bitter smile. "How could I possibly not dwell on it!" "Even though things have cooled down with the Noble Consort, it isn’t exactly lively here either!" "Who has been favored recently? Is it still Lady Xia?" Sister Ji nodded and added, "There have been several. He has visited Consort Ning, Consort Hui Pin, and... Honored Lady Xi has also been summoned to attend him!" The Empress let out a cold laugh. "The Emperor, ah, he still prefers the clever ones! He only visits Consort Ning and Consort Hui Pin because of the Princess!" To still be summoned to attend him in bed without having children—*that* is true favor! It was truly vexing. In this situation, it seemed Consort Ning and Consort Hui Pin wouldn’t be able to speak up for her. The Empress thought for a moment, then instructed, "The weather is getting colder. Tell the Ministry of Internal Affairs to be more diligent! Don’t let them get up to any tricks or offer superficial courtesies. I don’t want to hear that anyone has been neglected!" The Empress huffed coldly and muttered to herself, "Lest they say behind my back that I’m being harsh with them! As if I’m short of the little charcoal they use! Yu Lan brought a bowl of bird’s nest soup with milk. The Empress took it but didn’t drink immediately, slowly stirring it instead. Suddenly, she asked, "By the way, how is Lady Hu in the Cold Palace?" Yu Lan and Sister Ji exchanged a glance before reporting, "That eunuch, Xiao Chengzi, is always there, so they don’t dare go too far. He’s keeping her alive." The Empress pondered for a moment, then scoffed. "What’s the use of her being alive? Her life is already useless to me!" The Noble Consort’s child is dead. So, there’s no need for Lady Hu to remain alive. "Don’t bother with her anymore. Whether she lives or dies will be up to her own fortune! Someone in the Cold Palace isn’t worth me scheming against, is she? If it were found out, it would just be more trouble. Better to let her live or die on her own." The Empress nodded in satisfaction. The bird’s nest soup in her hand was just the right temperature, and she sipped it slowly, spoonful by spoonful. This Harem, in the end, was still her domain. She had to get back on her feet quickly. October sixteenth was the Empress’s birthday. However, as the mother of the nation, a model for all under Heaven, and with the Little Prince having recently met with misfortune and her own health being poor, she personally went to the Imperial Study Room to make a request. She stated that she would not celebrate her birthday this year, using the occasion instead to pray for the Little Prince. Zhao Junyao glanced at the kneeling Empress and a slight smile touched his lips. "Rise. The Empress is considerate." "Your servant wouldn’t dare!" she replied, rising, her heart pounding with trepidation. In reality, Zhao Junyao couldn’t be bothered whether the Empress celebrated her birthday or not. If she wanted to, fine. If not, that was also fine. It wasn’t a big deal! What truly irked him was this: if she wasn’t going to celebrate her birthday, fine, but why drag the deceased Little Prince into it, constantly reminding the Emperor: ’You had an unfortunate son, and he’s already dead!’ Zhao Junyao truly felt... utterly exasperated!