“A few days ago, the Emperor rewarded Hua Fei with a barrel of East Pearls and even had Su Peisheng personally deliver them. From this, we can see how much the Emperor dotes on Hua Fei!”

Shen Meizhuang handed the warm stove cover to Caiyue, signaling for her to keep it properly. Then, she turned to Zhen Huan and An Lingrong and said,

Zhen Huan thought back to her previous life, recalling that the reason the Emperor had considered killing Nian Gengyao was because, after Nian Gengyao had pacified the Luo Bozangjin rebellion and returned to the capital to report to the Emperor, he had been disrespectful, which started the whole issue.

Now, it seemed that the Emperor had already been cautious of Nian Gengyao from the very beginning.

The reason the Emperor was promoting Hua Fei was twofold. First, it was to keep Nian Gengyao on edge, making him believe that the Emperor always highly valued him, creating a false sense of security.

Second, it was to stir up jealousy among the concubines in the harem.

By rewarding Hua Fei with the East Pearls, which were meant only for the Empress, it wasn’t just the other concubines who would feel envious; even the Empress herself would have to be wary.

The Emperor’s move was truly a subtle but deadly strategy!

“Isn’t the East Pearl something only the Empress can use?” An Lingrong almost blurted out.

Her words pulled Zhen Huan out of her thoughts.

“Thunder and rain are all the Emperor’s grace. As long as the Emperor permits, who can say anything about it?”

“You’re absolutely right, Huan’er. But considering Hua Fei’s current favor, it’s better for us to be careful.”

Both Zhen Huan and An Lingrong nodded in agreement.

Zhen Huan felt that, so far, this life had been going very well.

At least, the three of them could speak openly with each other now. An Lingrong didn’t have any ulterior motives and only followed Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang closely.

Speaking of which, it was really thanks to Shen Meizhuang’s care during Zhen Huan’s illness.

At this moment, Caiyue had just delivered the items to Suiyuxuan.

Zhen Huan looked at the things Shen Meizhuang had sent and felt a sense of warmth inside.

She and Meizhuang were destined to be lifelong friends, and Zhen Huan accepted this with ease.

She looked forward to when they would grow old together, and Meizhuang could finally enjoy her blessings!

Caiyue had just left Suiyuxuan and headed straight to the Imperial Household Department to collect this month’s allowance.

As soon as she entered, she heard Huang Guiquan’s voice:

“Oh, it’s rare to see Miss Caiyue. Please, have a seat!”

Caiyue politely declined Huang Guiquan’s offer and explained that she had just delivered things to Suiyuxuan and had come here to collect the monthly allowance.

Upon hearing this, Huang Guiquan immediately ordered someone to pack up the allowance for Caiyue.

With Shen Meizhuang’s current level of favor, Huang Guiquan certainly wouldn’t dare to offend her.

Caiyue specifically mentioned the deep friendship between Miss Guan Chang of Suiyuxuan and her family’s noble lady, who had grown up together.

She also mentioned how Suiyuxuan often lacked this or that, and it was thanks to her noble lady that the good things were regularly sent.

Huang Guiquan caught the hint in Caiyue’s words and quickly responded:

“It’s all due to the negligence of our staff here at the Imperial Household Department. I’ll make sure to have it fixed right away.”

Just as Huang Guiquan was chatting with Caiyue, Song Zhi walked in.

This “Grandmother” was someone Huang Guiquan couldn’t afford to offend.

Huang Guiquan was technically a distant relative of Hua Fei, and it was because of Hua Fei that he had reached the position of the Imperial Household Department’s head.

Song Zhi was one of Hua Fei’s trusted people and also represented her.

He immediately put on a flattering smile, trying to please her, “Aunt Song Zhi, what brings you here today?”

Song Zhi didn’t give him any good face. She immediately scolded him, saying she had come to collect the gold paper that Hua Fei needed for giving rewards during the New Year.

Huang Guiquan, with a troubled look on his face, replied that the gold paper from Hua Fei’s palace had always been sent out earliest every year.

The Empress had just taken some, and the smaller palaces had distributed their share, so there probably wasn’t much left.

Song Zhi scolded Huang Guiquan again.

Then, she turned to Caiyue, speaking sarcastically, claiming that Caiyue’s lady was too low-ranked to use the gold paper for rewarding others.

She also said that if Yi Kun Palace needed anything, it would always be provided, and Huang Guiquan should handle it.

Because of Shen Meizhuang’s orders, Caiyue didn’t want to cause trouble, so she quickly bypassed Song Zhi and left.

With the New Year approaching, Zhen Huan remembered something that made her change her mind about recovering before the New Year.

She had originally planned to use the New Year’s Eve palace banquet to make a spectacular entrance.

But upon reflection, that seemed too deliberate.

Also, she didn’t want to run into Guo Junwang at the banquet, nor did she want to be the target of his intense gaze.

Thinking about it now, being stared at by the Emperor’s brother really felt quite embarrassing.

So, she decided to turn the tables and have the Emperor come find her at Suiyuxuan instead.

But for that to happen, she would need something.

And that something could only be made by An Lingrong in the harem.

So, she sent Liu Zhu to Yi Kun Palace to tell An Lingrong what was needed.

Afterward, she called Liu Zhu, Huan Bi, and Jinxi to help her prepare the clothes she required.

Zhen Huan was confident that the Emperor would come!

Because the Emperor could never escape anything related to Chun Yuan—especially women.

The Emperor was like a collector, gathering everything connected to Chun Yuan.

Upon hearing that Zhen Huan wanted her to make the incense, An Lingrong wasted no time.

She finished it overnight and sent it to Suiyuxuan the next day.

Since she had to attend the palace banquet in the evening, An Lingrong didn’t stay long at Suiyuxuan and left in a hurry.

The people at Suiyuxuan worked quickly and managed to finish the clothes just before New Year’s Eve.

Jinxi looked at the completed clothes and felt like they seemed familiar, but for a moment, she couldn’t quite place where she had seen them before…

With Su Peisheng’s voice, “Your Majesty, the Empress is here!” the New Year’s Eve banquet officially began.

As soon as the Emperor entered the hall, he addressed the people seated below,

“Today is a family gathering. There’s no need to be formal.”

Guo Junwang laughed and said to the Emperor,

“Every time, Your Majesty says not to be formal, but according to the rules, it still feels formal.”

Guo Junwang was always carefree and free-spirited. He was always the last to arrive at banquets and would often leave early before they were finished.

But today, for the New Year’s Eve banquet, he arrived right on time. The Emperor was pleased and joked with him.

Then, Guo Junwang raised his cup to the Emperor, and everyone in the hall stood up to offer their congratulations.

The Emperor also brought up the news that Nian Gengyao had pacified the northwest Luo Bozangjin rebellion, and the atmosphere in the hall seemed harmonious.

But from the expressions on everyone’s faces, it was clear that each person had their own thoughts.

While drinking wine and enjoying the music and dance, the Emperor unconsciously drank a little too much.

In a daze, he saw a bunch of red plum blossoms inserted into a vase.

His gaze gradually deepened…

At Suiyuxuan, Zhen Huan opened one of the windows to let the scent of the incense spread further.

“Master, this fragrance of plum blossoms smells so good. I’m going to breathe it in deeply so I can smell sweet too.”

Liu Zhu playfully spun around the room while inhaling deeply.

At that moment, Huan Bi pointed at Liu Zhu and laughed, saying to Zhen Huan,

“Master, doesn’t Liu Zhu look like a dog…”