The next morning, the Emperor left Jingren Palace feeling refreshed and in high spirits.

Judging by his demeanor, he was evidently very pleased with Jianqiu’s performance the previous night.

As Jianqiu recalled everything she had done with the Emperor, a look of bliss and satisfaction crossed her face.

For so many years, she had served by the Empress’s side, and now, she had finally seized the opportunity to rise in status!

At last, she was a proper consort!

She could finally experience the pleasure of being served by others instead of serving them.

The more she thought about it, the more delighted she became, to the point where she nearly laughed out loud.

But she had to be mindful of the Empress.

Thinking of the Empress, Jianqiu felt troubled.

She knew that, given the Empress’s usual way of handling matters, she would never allow her to bear a child.

However, for the sake of her own future, she had to start planning carefully.

Once she solidified her thoughts, Jianqiu hurried to the main hall to pay her respects to the Empress.

Noticing the dark circles under the Empress’s eyes, Jianqiu immediately understood that the Empress had likely been awake all night.

She quickly knelt down and saluted, saying,

“Your servant pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”

“May Your Majesty not be angry with me.”

By saying this, she was making it clear to the Empress that she had not forgotten where her true allegiance lay.

The Empress’s lips curved into a smile, but it did not reach her eyes.

“Jianqiu, what are you saying? You are now, just like me, someone who serves His Majesty.”

“I should be calling you ‘sister’ instead.”

“How could I possibly be angry?”

There was an underlying hint of probing in the Empress’s words.

Jianqiu understood immediately.

“I would not dare,” she responded, lowering her body even further in a display of submission and respect.

The Empress forced a small smile and said,

“Now that you are officially a consort, there is no need for such hesitation.”

“No matter what my status may be, I will never forget that I came from Your Majesty’s palace,” Jianqiu assured her, still kneeling.

She repeatedly expressed her loyalty:

“If it weren’t for Your Majesty’s support, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress’s expression finally softened, a genuine smile appearing on her lips.

Leaning on Xiu Xia for support, she rose and walked over to Jianqiu, personally helping her up.

“Jianqiu, for all these years, you have been the one I trusted the most.”

“You know the rules of this palace.”

As she spoke, Yan Dong approached, carrying a bowl of herbal soup.

Jianqiu was well-versed in medicine; with just a light sniff, she immediately discerned what had been added to the soup.

The Empress fixed her gaze on Jianqiu without blinking.

Jianqiu cast the Empress a fleeting glance out of the corner of her eye, then, without hesitation, took up the bowl and drank it all in one go.

She knew that this concoction alone was not enough to completely prevent pregnancy.

But if she refused to drink it now, her future would become far more difficult.

For the time being, the only viable course of action was to convince the Empress of her obedience.

Once she was assigned her own residence, she could slowly start laying out her plans.

“Good!”

The Empress sat down, smiling.

“Jianqiu, you truly are someone from my palace. The way you handle things—so decisively—pleases me greatly.”

“Do not worry. As long as you serve me well, I will not treat you unfairly.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty…”

Jianqiu lowered her gaze and replied humbly.

“You are now one of His Majesty’s concubines,” the Empress said with a smile.

“You must no longer refer to yourself as a servant.”

“Otherwise, if others hear it, they may think I am mistreating you!”

“I—”

Jianqiu had just begun to say “servant” but swiftly corrected herself:

“Your Majesty has always treated this concubine well.”

“This concubine is deeply grateful, so how could anyone claim that Your Majesty has been unkind?”

Every word she spoke was designed to cater to the Empress’s heart.

Though the Empress was furious deep inside, she could not allow herself to be accused of jealousy.

Thus, she had to maintain the outward appearance of treating Jianqiu well.

That way, she could uphold her reputation as a virtuous and magnanimous Empress.

She had originally intended to have Jianqiu stay in Qixiang Palace.

But then she reconsidered.

Li Pin and Cao Qinmo had once lived in Qixiang Palace.

One had been banished to the Cold Palace, while the other had died by smashing her head against a wall.

The place seemed to carry a terrible omen.

If word got out, people might start gossiping about her as an Empress who deliberately placed women in misfortune.

There was another reason as well—Qixiang Palace was unoccupied.

If Jianqiu lived there alone, she wouldn’t be useful as a spy.

After much deliberation, the Empress decided to place Jianqiu in Zhongcui Palace with Yu Ying’er.

She claimed it was to prevent Jianqiu from being bullied since Yu Ying’er held a lower rank.

She even promised that, in time, she would help Jianqiu become the mistress of Zhongcui Palace.

Her words sounded pleasant and kind, but in reality, she was planting Jianqiu as a spy near Zhen Huan.

After all, everyone in the harem knew that Yu Ying’er and Zhen Huan were close.

Jianqiu understood the Empress’s intentions.

However, she also had her own thoughts:

As long as she stepped out of Jingren Palace,

She would no longer be a mere pawn of the Empress!

From now on, everything she did would be solely for her own benefit.

Whether it was the Empress or Zhen Huan, they were nothing more than tools to help her achieve her goals.

Jianqiu’s ambition had fully surfaced the moment she became the Emperor’s woman.

She simply kept it deeply hidden.

Thinking about the contraceptive soup the Empress had made her drink, Jianqiu felt that she ought to return the favor—just to be fair.

So she brought up something left behind when Chun Yuan had passed—certain secret medicinal formulas.

Yi Xiu’s biological mother, Chun Yuan’s birth mother,

Was the great-granddaughter of Aisin Gioro Chu Ying.

In other words, she was of true imperial blood.

Thus, she possessed numerous secret formulas handed down within the imperial family.

When Chun Yuan was married off, she had received all these formulas from her mother.

Jianqiu had once seen them, and among them was a potent fertility-boosting formula.

However, its effects were extremely intense.

Jianqiu thought that one day, the Empress might find it useful.

So she “helpfully” reminded her of it.

“You reminded me of something I had forgotten,” the Empress mused darkly.

“Ever since my sister passed away…”

Her expression turned cold.

“Because I feared dwelling on the past, aside from a few garments His Majesty cherished, I never touched any of my sister’s belongings.”

“All these years have passed, and I had entirely forgotten about these formulas.”

She turned her gaze toward Jianqiu.

“You were the one keeping them. Go fetch them for me.”

A flicker of mockery flashed in Jianqiu’s heart.

The Empress’s reluctance to recall Chun Yuan’s belongings had nothing to do with grief—

She simply didn’t want to be reminded of how Chun Yuan had once monopolized the Emperor’s love.

Jianqiu, however, only mentioned the formulas, never that she had read them before.

As for the fertility formula…

She was certain that the Empress, with her deep knowledge of medicine, would notice the hidden dangers within it.

Whether or not the Empress chose to use it—

Was entirely her decision.

That was something Jianqiu had no intention of interfering with.

The moment the Empress laid eyes on the formulas, Jianqiu saw a brief flash of joy on her face.

But as her gaze continued downward, that joy quickly turned into hesitation.

She looked up at Jianqiu and asked,

“Have you read these formulas before?”

Jianqiu immediately shook her head.

“This concubine has never read them.”

“This concubine merely thought that, since I can no longer serve Your Majesty closely,”

“I should make sure to pass along anything that might be useful.”