Seeing Yú Yīng’ér’s reaction, Zhēn Huán smiled:

“Sister, where are your thoughts wandering off to? These are the medicines I specifically prepared to regulate your body. You just need to take them regularly, and as for their benefits, you’ll understand them later.”

Yú Yīng’ér nodded. “I understand, sister. In this palace, you are the only one I can trust.”

Zhēn Huán thought to herself that Yú Yīng’ér often visited Huá Fēi’s palace. If she kept inhaling that “huānyí” fragrance every day, it would be difficult for her to conceive in the future. So, she secretly asked Wēn Shìchū to prepare some medicine to help regulate her body.

This could be considered a blessing in her current life!

Yú Yīng’ér had abandoned the recklessness of her past life, and there were no more incidents like sending Xīn Cháng Zài to the Shènxíng Sī or stopping Shěn Méi Zhuāng on the road to make her leave first.

After some time, Yú Yīng’ér was promoted from an official lady to a concubine, and the emperor granted her the title “Miàoyīn Niángzi.”

Although she didn’t sing every night this time, she still managed to attract the Empress Dowager’s displeasure.

The Empress wanted Yú Yīng’ér to deal with Zhēn Huán, but she feared that with Yú Yīng’ér’s support, Huá Fēi would become even more arrogant and disregard her further.

So, the Empress secretly spoke to the Empress Dowager, mentioning that Yú Yīng’ér had always been friendly with Huá Fēi. In order to protect the Empress’s status, the Empress Dowager decided to strip Yú Yīng’ér of the “Miàoyīn Niángzi” title as a warning to Huá Fēi.

The Empress Dowager rarely involved herself in harem matters, but she had always disliked anyone becoming too dominant, so she asked Zhú Xī, “Who was the well-mannered lady during the palace selection?”

Zhú Xī replied, “Your Majesty, that was Shěn Guìrén. I observed that she has a gentle and mild temperament.”

“The emperor should have someone of proper demeanor by his side. Shěn Guìrén seems quite suitable,” the Empress Dowager commented.

The next day, the Empress Dowager summoned the emperor, saying she had something to discuss.

She first brought up Yú Yīng’ér, who spent her days trying to entertain the emperor with singing and dancing, and felt that it was undignified. Then she mentioned how Huá Fēi was too domineering and that no one could keep her in check. She suggested promoting new people to learn to manage the affairs of the six palaces.

The emperor immediately understood the Empress Dowager’s intention: “Is there someone you have in mind, Emperor Mother?”

“I think Shěn Guìrén is dignified and steady. She has the poise of a respected concubine,” the Empress Dowager said, observing the emperor’s reaction. When he remained silent, she continued, “If there were more people like her by the emperor’s side, I would feel much more at ease.”

“Mother, you worry too much. It’s all my fault,” the emperor said, twisting the green bead pouch in his hand. “Méi’ér has a steady temperament, and I appreciate her very much. Since you have said so, I will make arrangements when I return.”

After leaving Shòu Kāng Palace, the emperor went directly to Xián Fú Palace.

The emperor told Shěn Méi Zhuāng that she should start learning how to manage the six palaces.

Shěn Méi Zhuāng initially wanted to refuse, but the emperor said so much that she couldn’t turn him down. She felt that refusing again would be ungrateful, so she reluctantly accepted the task.

Zhēn Huán originally thought that since the emperor hadn’t mentioned anything about letting Shěn Méi Zhuāng assist with the management of the six palaces, this matter was over.

But to her surprise, it kept coming back to Méi Jiějiě.

Jǐn Xī told Zhēn Huán that the emperor had only mentioned it after returning from Shòu Kāng Palace, so it seemed that the Empress Dowager had secretly instructed this move to promote a new face, intending to suppress Huá Fēi’s arrogance. To put it bluntly, she was using someone as a pawn, sending them to fight on the frontlines.

The Empress Dowager was so determined to look out for her dear niece that she even used Méi Jiějiě!

Zhēn Huán really wanted to know how the emperor would feel if he knew that beneath the Empress’s kind exterior, she harbored a heart that only wished to harm his heir.

And if the emperor knew that the Empress Dowager was aware of everything but chose to ignore it to preserve the so-called glory of the Wūlā Nàlā clan, how would he feel then?

Thinking about it now, the emperor was truly pitiful. Not only was he schemed against by the concubines in the harem, but even his own mother wasn’t on the same page with him!

Looking back, it seemed that, except for Huá Fēi, who was constantly scheming against him, the other women in the harem seemed to care more about their own interests than about him.

But the woman who cared for him the most was the one he hurt the deepest!

Zhēn Huán was curious—if it were Huá Fēi who had been reborn with memories instead of her, how would Huá Fēi treat the emperor?

Perhaps, with Huá Fēi’s temperament, she wouldn’t love the emperor anymore.

But this was just curiosity in Zhēn Huán’s heart.

Honestly speaking, although Huá Fēi was domineering, she was much better than the Empress—at least she never thought of harming anyone’s child. The ones she wanted to kill were always the women competing for favor.

But in the palace, which woman didn’t want to compete?

Zhēn Huán thought back to her past life, when to win over Cáo Qín Mò, she had used the story of the “human pig” to drive Fù Chā Guìrén mad!

As long as you’re in a high position, eliminating rivals is inevitable, and fighting is inevitable.

Thinking about it now, Huá Fēi wasn’t as hateful as she once thought.

If one day Huá Fēi was willing to reconcile with her, Zhēn Huán secretly thought that it wouldn’t be impossible.

But for now, she and Huá Fēi were enemies who had to fight it out.

Zhēn Huán wouldn’t let her emotions from the past life affect her actions in this life, or else that would be sheer stupidity!

As for Shěn Méi Zhuāng managing the six palaces, Zhēn Huán felt that in her past life, Méi Jiějiě had been too high-profile and too eager, which led her to be used by the Empress as a pawn without realizing it.

Like the matter of reducing the green bean soup to silver or cutting half of the dishes—it was just a surefire way to offend everyone in the harem.

This had also contributed to Shěn Méi Zhuāng’s downfall, where she was bullied by palace maids and eunuchs.

Meanwhile, the Empress, the one who had quietly guided Méi Zhuāng into making these mistakes, gained the reputation of being frugal and thrifty!

Zhēn Huán thought back to when the emperor had asked about these things in her past life, and she was present too—why didn’t she remind Méi Jiějiě?

Perhaps back then, she was too focused on the emperor and overlooked Méi Jiějiě’s situation.

This time, she couldn’t let Méi Jiějiě make the same mistakes again!

Anyway, since she was learning to manage the six palaces, it would be completely normal if she couldn’t think of a solution when the emperor asked. If she didn’t speak, no one would blame her.

Zhēn Huán planned to find a time to have a good talk with Méi Jiějiě about these things.

Yú Yīng’ér had been stripped of her title, and the emperor, mindful of the Empress Dowager’s face, refused to meet her. She first pretended to be upset and cried at Yì Kūn Palace.

Then, she went to Suì Yù Xuán and told Zhēn Huán that Huá Fēi had advised her to go to the emperor and cry, asking for mercy.

Zhēn Huán thought back to her past life, where Yú Yīng’ér had knelt outside Yǎngxīn Diàn and sang all night, which softened the emperor’s heart and made him favor her.

But this was clearly going against the Empress Dowager, and such a strategy was risky. It would be better for Yú Yīng’ér to take care of herself and wait for a better opportunity.

So Zhēn Huán told Yú Yīng’ér to think it over herself. Yú Yīng’ér felt that what Zhēn Huán said made sense and decided not to go to Yǎngxīn Diàn to cry and beg.