Li Yueyao sighed and said, "Aunt Qin, I have just returned to the palace and need people by my side. Go and tidy up first, then follow me from now on. There are many matters in the palace that will require your assistance."
Qin Momo rose and bowed to Li Yueyao. "Yes, this servant obeys."
"Aunt, what about Qian Lou?" Li Yueyao asked again.
"He is sweeping in Yeyou Court," Qin Momo replied respectfully.
Upon hearing this, Li Yueyao was instantly infuriated to the point of laughter:
"The placements for the two of you are truly eye-opening. One, a senior momo who served by the late Empress's side, is in the Laundry Bureau; the other, a capable eunuch left to the Emperor by the late Emperor, is in Yeyou Court. Wonderful, truly wonderful. This palace is really something."
Li Yueyao then turned and asked, "And why was Qian Lou banished to Yeyou Court?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, the Emperor is kind-hearted and could not bear Qian Lou's methods, so he demoted him to sweeping in Yuhua Yuan. Later, because he offended Princess Zhaoging, Princess Zhaoging had the Emperor banish him to Yeyou Court to sweep."
Li Yueyao's temples throbbed with anger as she listened. "It's Zhao Qing again—utterly useless and only capable of causing trouble."
She then turned to Qin Momo and said, "Go to Yeting and see if Qian Lou is dead. If not, tell him to hurry over here."
"Yes."
Qin Momo accepted the order and left the hall, heading toward Yeting.
In Yeting, a eunuch in his thirties or forties was holding a cloth, meticulously wiping the floor in front of him with great care, as if the floor were his beloved, deserving of his utmost attention.
Qin Momo stood at the end of the corridor, watching the eunuch wipe the floor inch by inch. She did not speak or disturb him.
The eunuch wiped his way to Qin Momo's feet, then, without looking up, moved to another spot to continue.
Qin Momo sighed softly and said, "It seems you are quite content staying here."
The eunuch threw the coarse cloth in his hand into a nearby basin of water and remained silent.
"Tidy up and come with me. Princess Jin Yang summons you."
After saying this, Qin Momo walked straight away.
The eunuch stood up, walked to the side, put on his shoes, and followed Qin Momo with his head bowed, moving forward silently.
Half an hour later, Li Yueyao finished reviewing the Emperor's meal records and the harem's nightly attendance logs. She found no issues in the meal records.
As expected, the nightly attendance logs showed that the Emperor spent most of his time with the Imperial Consort, with the remaining half divided among Consort Xiang, Consort Rong, Zhaoyi Guo, and Beauty Qi.
Only on the fifteenth of each month would he briefly visit the Empress's palace, but he never stayed overnight.
Li Yueyao still noticed a problem: among the four consorts, aside from the Imperial Consort, the other three consorts—Consort Shu, Consort De, and Consort Xian—had not received the Emperor's favor at all.
The Empress was personally chosen by that foolish nephew of hers, but the remaining three consorts were selected by the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
After that foolish nephew ascended the throne, these old retainers from the Eastern Palace were promoted to consorts.
At that time, there was no Imperial Consort, only Consort Shu, Consort De, and Consort Xian.
Over the years, Consort Shu had been frail and ill, recuperating in Changchun Palace. The Second Prince often visited her.
Consort De had given birth to the First Prince and the Third Prince and occasionally managed to see the Emperor, exchanging a few words and chatting about daily matters.
Consort Xian, however, had confined herself in Yong'an Palace and had not stepped out for five years. Even the Fourth Prince could not see her regularly.
Li Yueyao grew angry as she read. "The Emperor has eight sons, four of whom are adults, all born to these three consorts. Yet not one of them has earned the Emperor's favor. What a waste."
Just as they were speaking, Wu Le entered from outside to announce: "Your Highness, Qian Lou has arrived."
"Let him in."
Qian Lou followed Qin Momo inside and immediately knelt down, not rising, his head deeply bowed to the ground.
"I pay my respects to Princess Jin Yang."
"You haven't had your face painted over as well, have you? Look up." Li Yueyao said upon seeing this.
Qian Lou raised his head and looked at Li Yueyao, his expression calm, his eyes serene.
After observing him for a while, Li Yueyao nodded and said, "Hmm, not bad. These years in the Yeyou Court have indeed smoothed out the sharp edges you once had. That's good too. How could someone serving by the Emperor's side be full of hostility? This calm and quiet demeanor is much better."
"Your Highness flatters me. Over these years in the Yeting, I have reflected day and night. I did not commit any grave mistakes, so why did I end up in such a situation? It must be because I was too sharp in the past and did not know how to conceal my abilities. Moreover, the current Emperor is a benevolent man; he does not approve of my methods."
Li Yueyao laughed upon hearing this. "To have realized this much shows you have some sense. From now on, be someone who is gentle yet firm."
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."
Qian Lou kowtowed heavily twice on the ground.
"Rise. Now, tell me about the situation with the four consorts and the Empress in the palace."
"Yes."
Qian Lou stood up and stood to the side, answering quietly with his head bowed. "His Majesty has been on the throne for seven years. In the first two years, before the Imperial Consort entered the palace, everything in the palace was harmonious. But ever since the Imperial Consort entered the palace, Consort Shu's health gradually weakened, and she has been recuperating in Changchun Palace, never leaving. Later, for some unknown reason, Consort Xian had a major argument with His Majesty and then confined herself in Yong'an Palace, not emerging for five years. Consort De's family has shallow roots; for the sake of her family and her two princes, she occasionally meets with His Majesty, but the Emperor never stays overnight in Xianfu Palace. In the first two years, the Empress was the same as when she was in the Eastern Palace, and the harem remained relatively harmonious. But a year after the Imperial Consort entered the palace, as the three consorts gradually withdrew, the Empress and the Imperial Consort became rivals. Over the years, they have been locked in a fierce struggle, but the results have been largely one-sided. The Imperial Consort has advanced triumphantly, and now she is the foremost figure in the harem."
After listening for a long time, Li Yueyao was very puzzled. Consort Xian was someone she and her elder brother had chosen together back then; she had both skill and temperament. How could she have done something like confining herself in the palace? And Consort Shu—her mind was not something ordinary people could match. How could she have ended up in such a state? This was all too strange.
Li Yueyao then asked, "What is the Imperial Consort's background? Has it been investigated?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, I have investigated it," Qin Momo replied. "Over the years, the Imperial Consort has repeatedly sent people to kill me, so I had her investigated long ago. She is the illegitimate daughter of Anping Bo. Because of her weak health, she was raised in a country villa from a young age and was only brought back at the age of fourteen. Her elder sister was once as beautiful as a flower and famous throughout the capital. Originally, it was her elder sister who was to be selected to enter the palace. But for some reason, her elder sister suddenly contracted smallpox, leaving her face covered in scars and ruining her appearance. In the end, Anping Bo's family had no choice but to send the Imperial Consort to the palace in place of her elder sister."
Cuiwei sneered, "Momo, could it be that the smallpox was given to her elder sister by the Imperial Consort?"
"Exactly. Her elder sister's appearance was ruined, and she ended up hastily marrying a poor newly appointed scholar. I sent someone to approach her elder sister, and according to her maid, her sister curses the Imperial Consort every day at home."
Qian Lou pondered briefly before turning to Qin Momo and saying, "Before the age of fourteen, the Imperial Consort was raised on a manor estate, and few people ever saw her. After returning to the capital, she remained obscure and unnoticed. Yet once she entered the palace, she became exceptionally skilled in poetry, literature, and etiquette. Something about this doesn’t quite add up."
Li Yueyao smiled upon hearing this. This was precisely why the late emperor had assigned Qian Lou to assist the Emperor—he always pinpointed the heart of the matter.
"Perhaps she had a highly skilled master teaching her in the countryside," Cuiwei suggested.
Qian Lou shook his head. "Young lady, you are mistaken. A master could teach the Imperial Consort poetry and literature, but palace etiquette is another matter entirely. Yet after entering the palace, her etiquette and demeanor were outstanding, not at all like someone who had just learned it."
Li Yueyao nodded in agreement. "Momo, you mentioned that night you overheard the Imperial Consort and that man in black saying the child must be removed, or it would be obvious once born. What kind of child would reveal its nature the moment it was born?"
Qian Lou thought for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "A child of foreign descent—a Hu person. With golden hair and blue eyes, it would be impossible to conceal."