“Ben Gong also congratulates Consort Xian. Not only have you been released from confinement, but last night His Majesty even mentioned you to this palace. He said your brother performed meritorious service in this drought relief effort in the northern regions, and when he returns to the capital, he will surely be rewarded according to his achievements.”
Lin Anran was speaking complete nonsense with open eyes, but her tone was firm and convincing.
Having been fed enough “big promises” by her bosses in her previous life, she had secretly picked up the skill of making empty assurances—and now it came in handy.
Last night, she had been too busy “fighting demons” in bed with Guo Yichen to discuss state affairs at all. She had certainly said plenty of flirtatious nonsense, but nothing about official business.
However, as Empress, she was naturally aware of the northern drought. Consort Xian’s brother having made contributions during the disaster relief was not a secret; it was certain he would be promoted upon returning to the capital.
This was something everyone tacitly understood, just unspoken.
Lin Anran merely stated an already-inevitable outcome in a different way, making it sound like a confirmed fact.
She had come here for a peaceful retirement life—she would not be foolish enough to confront Consort Xian head-on.
Rather than arguing, it was better to “praise-kill” her, letting other consorts of similar rank fight Consort Xian while she simply watched the show.
As expected, once those words were spoken, Consort Xian’s resentment vanished, and her face could not hide her joy.
Meanwhile, Consort Gui and Consort De—who had originally been watching the drama—had their expressions change drastically, their eyes filled with concern as they looked at Consort Xian with caution.
People were like this: they admired those far stronger than themselves, envied those slightly stronger, and resented those who were originally on equal footing but suddenly surpassed them.
The other consorts reacted in different ways.
Those aligned with Consort Xian were all visibly pleased, as though the one being rewarded was their own brother.
The harem worked exactly like this—when one rises, all rise; when one falls, all fall. Who wouldn’t want their backing to grow stronger?
After morning greetings at Fengyi Palace concluded, Lin Anran proceeded to Cining Palace as usual with the consorts to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.
Because Lin Anran had, during the past period, been taking Princess Shengshi with her to greet the Empress Dowager every morning as agreed, the Empress Dowager had been very satisfied. So starting today, she no longer needed to bring the princess along.
Thus, Lin Anran had specifically instructed Steward Nanny Jian last night not to wake Luo Li early today, allowing her to sleep a little longer.
A three-year-old child was still in the stage of growing; sleeping more was only natural.
At Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager had already heard early in the morning that the Emperor had spent the night in Fengyi Palace and that things had gone on until late into the night.
So as soon as the consorts entered, she immediately gave Lin Anran a warning.
“Empress, as the mistress of the six palaces, you should set an example. You must properly guide the consorts, show consideration for the Emperor’s health, and take good care of him. Do you understand?”
Although she did not say it directly, everyone present knew she was referring to the Empress keeping the Emperor in Fengyi Palace until late the previous night.
In truth, this kind of remark would have been perfectly polite if said privately.
But she deliberately said it in front of everyone to embarrass the Empress.
The consorts all assumed, based on the Empress’s temperament, that she would surely argue back.
Unexpectedly, the Empress not only did not cause a scene, but instead lowered her eyes and obediently apologized.
“Mother is right. It was this child’s lack of consideration.”
Everyone was surprised.
The Empress had actually been emotionally stable for a full month—something that had never happened before.
Could it be that the imperial physicians had cured her mental instability?
The Empress Dowager was also slightly surprised, but she was quite satisfied with the attitude.
It showed that the Empress was yielding to her.
Having spent her entire life fighting, competing, and struggling—finally outliving the former emperor and the grand empress dowager to become Empress Dowager through her son—how could she tolerate anyone disobeying her in the harem?
There could only be one ruler of the harem—and that person had to be her.
However, her satisfaction did not last long.
Lin Anran’s next sentence nearly made her lose her breath on the spot.