Jingyang Palace · East Side Hall
“Damn it!”
Ruan Zhenyun cursed inwardly. Sitting hidden in the shadows of the bedchamber, she exerted a slight force, and the exquisite handkerchief in her hand tore into two halves, instantly turning to powder as she muttered angrily:
“How could this be? Shouldn’t Fu Lingxi have died long ago?!”
If Lady Yi truly succeeded in serving the emperor tonight… then her current “retirement mission” would immediately jump from normal difficulty past hard difficulty and advance into nightmare difficulty—
“That damned bitch!”
She had clearly absorbed the merit and fortune from Fu Lingxi. Because of that faintly violet merit aura, her own special martial womb physique had leapt from a low-grade Martial Bone Physique to a Luan Bone Physique in one stroke!
Just as she was overjoyed inwardly, she had not expected Emperor Taiyong to appear!
Fortunately, she had always been cautious and stayed on the periphery, otherwise she would have incurred His Majesty’s disgust as well! That fool Wen Congwu—utterly useless, accomplishing nothing and ruining everything!
Now that she had been exposed on the spot by His Majesty, there was no need to ask about her fate—she was already a dead piece.
What she had not expected was that Fu Lingxi, whose merit and fortune she had drained dry, had not died but instead come back to life!
Moreover, her merit and fortune seemed to have grown even stronger. From someone destined to die, she had suddenly risen to become Lady Yi—
The sheer magnitude of this merit and fortune made it impossible for her to take it lightly.
Yet after seeing Fu Lingxi again, she discovered that she could no longer perceive even the slightest trace of her merit and fortune…
“Where exactly… did things go wrong?”
She clenched her fist in anger, veins bulging along her slender arm. Her eyes were filled with gloom and resentment, twisting away her previous gentle and refined expression, revealing instead a ferocious and sinister face.
Her main mission in this retirement world was to support a villainous supporting character in rising to power—
And the one she had chosen was Prince Huai!
If she had known there would be an anomaly like “Lady Yi,” she would never have been so reckless as to select her target before even entering the palace…
Clearly, the extraordinary individuals around Emperor Taiyong had already noticed this anomaly in Lady Yi. If she still wanted to complete her mission smoothly, she would have to eliminate her as soon as possible!
But her current identity was merely that of a low-ranking concubine, while Fu Lingxi had become Lady Yi and was now feigning illness behind the tightly shut gates of Yikun Palace. At present, she did not even have the qualification to force an audience with her—let alone assassinate her again!
Now, because of Lady Yi’s sudden rise—
She could no longer discern the emperor’s Purple Star fortune. Originally, Prince Huai, as a member of the imperial bloodline, had already begun to display auspicious purple qi, but now it was fading day by day, let alone manifesting the brilliance of the Purple Star behind him!
Even if she continued to receive favor, she would gain no benefit…
“Everything has fallen into chaos.”
If the emperor’s Purple Star did not fall, Prince Huai would have no chance of ascending the throne!
Then her mission would only end in failure—
That was unacceptable!
She quite liked Prince Huai’s handsome face. Though flawed, that gloomy and obsessive temperament was rather charming… Such an interesting “prey”—she would not allow anyone to destroy something she liked~
Especially if that prey died, causing her to suffer backlash from mission failure—such an “accident” was absolutely unacceptable!
Moreover, before she had prepared a backup option, Prince Huai must not come to harm!
She had no intention of being erased by the main system in this backward world.
Thus, she could not reveal even the slightest killing intent that might alert Emperor Taiyong or Lady Yi…
Of course, before identifying a new “backup,” Prince Huai could still be used to manipulate certain resources. Even if she could not kill Emperor Taiyong, she should at least be able to weaken him by thirty to fifty percent.
Otherwise, how would she proceed to the next stage? The mission still had to be completed…
…
…
Yanxi Palace · Main Hall
“Mistress Rou, if Lady Yi gains His Majesty’s favor…”
While attending her mistress at rest, Biyan finally could not help but ask softly.
“It does not matter. I am, after all, one of His Majesty’s former consorts from his princely residence and have the merit of bearing a child. Lady Yi does not seem foolish—she would not openly make an enemy of me.”
Dantai Huairou spoke softly, as if reassuring her loyal maid and comforting herself. In just a moment, a thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead…
Everything showed how extremely frail her body was.
“We understand.”
Seeing this, Biyan felt heartache and quickly reassured her, “Mistress, rest assured. This servant and the others will keep a close watch on Zhongcui Palace. We will not let the First Prince suffer again. Please rest well.”
“Mm… I’m sorry. Following me has burdened all of you…” and Tonghuan as well!
Her child—
Thinking of the son she had endured countless hardships to bear, only for him to fall into Consort Qi’s hands to be raised, Dantai Huairou wished she could perish together with Consort Qi—
Yet she was terminally ill, powerless to act!
She could only hope to live one more day, hoping that His Majesty, out of pity, would grant her child a bit more protection…
…
…
Jingren Palace · Main Hall
“Quickly take Princess Tongyi back inside and care for her properly.”
In the inner garden, Noble Consort Zhen saw that her daughter had finally grown tired from playing and was drenched in sweat. She immediately ordered the wet nurse to take her away to bathe and feed her, lest she catch a chill from the evening breeze and fall ill again.
She had just finished attending to the Second Princess when a senior eunuch hurried over to report:
His Majesty had just selected Lady Yi’s green plaque and had summoned her to Qianqing Palace.
“Lady Yi again!”
At once, Noble Consort Zhen’s expression darkened slightly. Her clear gaze met that of Consort Liang as she asked, unable to conceal her irritation:
“Sister Liang, do you think this Lady Yi will truly catch His Majesty’s eye?”
“Zhen, you are overthinking again. Whether Lady Yi gains favor has nothing to do with us. You should worry less about His Majesty’s preferences and simply take good care of our Princess Tongyi. Why concern yourself with so much? It only brings unnecessary distress.”
Consort Liang reluctantly watched as the Second Princess was carried away. Hearing this, she turned and cast a reproachful glance at her close companion, her graceful bearing speaking volumes without words—
The sight stirred Noble Consort Zhen’s heart, and the jealousy that had just flared up was instantly extinguished by Consort Liang’s gentle beauty—
Even someone as beautiful as Consort Liang had not captivated His Majesty. With her own plain appearance, what right did she have to feel jealous?
“Sister Liang, I spoke wrongly.”
Seeing Consort Liang’s lingering, reluctant gaze toward her child, Noble Consort Zhen felt a tightening in her chest. Forcing a smile, she apologized sincerely.
“Tch, stop pretending. I won’t mock you for longing for His Majesty. If one could gain his favor, who would willingly remain lonely behind cold walls? If only—”
As she spoke, Consort Liang placed a hand over her abdomen, her expression turning sorrowful and resentful:
Once, she had been pregnant with an imperial heir, but before she could even confirm it, the child had died in her womb!
And not just once—
Twice in total. Both times, she had barely begun to hope for the joy of bearing a child, yet before the imperial physician could even confirm the pregnancy, she suffered miscarriages one after another…
“Sister Liang, don’t be sad. Your health has improved now. Once this group of new concubines finishes receiving favor, His Majesty will naturally remember us older ones. Take heart—you will have another child.”
Seeing Consort Liang’s despair gave Noble Consort Zhen a deep sense of alarm—
The new concubines had only just entered the palace, yet both the First Princess and her own Second Princess had already nearly drowned. If not for Lady Yi and Ruan Ji risking their lives to save them in time, the chances of the two princesses surviving would not have been so high!
Who in the palace did not understand this?
Behind it all—who possessed such overwhelming power, able to manipulate the high-ranking consorts of the harem, the only two imperial heirs, and even the newly arrived concubines as if they were pieces in the palm of their hand—
Was it Consort Qi, or the Empress Dowager Que?