“I’m not drunk, I’m not drunk!”

Hua Fei looked at Song Zhi, who was trying to pull her away, and kept insisting she wasn’t drunk.

“Your Majesty, you’re drunk. Let me help you back to your room to rest,” Song Zhi said with a worried look on her face.

“I’m not drunk, I’m not drunk. I’m going to wait here for the Emperor to return…”

Having drunk too much, Hua Fei was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open, but she continued mumbling about waiting for the Emperor.

The Empress, seeing that Hua Fei had already made a complete fool of herself, finally gave the order for Zhou Ninghai to forcibly drag Hua Fei away.

The Emperor had been playing chess with Zhen Huan at Shuiyu Pavilion until the late hours of the night, leaving reluctantly even though he was still in the middle of enjoying their game.

He reminded Zhen Huan to take care of herself and promised to come back to visit her another day. He also instructed the servants to take good care of her.

Soon after, a wave of gifts began arriving at Shuiyu Pavilion.

The Emperor, knowing Zhen Huan liked playing the guqin, even gifted her the Changxiangsi qin.

In no time, Shuiyu Pavilion, which had previously been ignored, had become a much-sought-after place, with people suddenly taking great interest in it.

Even the Imperial Household Department started to show more attentiveness.

Liuzhu, unable to tolerate the change, harshly mocked Huang Guiquan.

After all, it was his neglect that caused them to suffer for such a long time.

A bit of mocking was fine, but Huang Guiquan could only smile awkwardly and apologize.

Liuzhu and Huan Bi whispered to each other, “Now Kang Lu Hai must be dumbfounded!”

He gave up his position as head eunuch just to stay by Li Pi’s side, becoming a servant who wasn’t even treated well.

He truly deserved it!

Everyone at Shuiyu Pavilion was in high spirits, their faces filled with joy.

Shen Mei Zhuang and An Ling Rong were the first to arrive at Shuiyu Pavilion to congratulate Zhen Huan, with the two sisters looking affectionate as ever.

“Huan’er, you can finally stand out!”

Though her favor had shifted, Shen Mei Zhuang’s affection for her had not changed in the slightest. If anything, it had grown.

An Ling Rong playfully gave Zhen Huan a greeting, saying, “Guan Guiren, greetings!”

Zhen Huan helped An Ling Rong up, telling her that greeting her like this made them seem distant.

An Ling Rong laughed and said, “Sister Mei was so happy when she heard the news at the banquet yesterday, she nearly went mad!”

She had to remain composed and alert to avoid giving others any ammunition.

After this, the three of them entered the hall to continue their conversation.

Shen Mei Zhuang told Zhen Huan about Hua Fei’s embarrassing behavior at the banquet after drinking too much.

She also shared the reaction of the other concubines to her promotion to Guan Guiren, which had been a bit mixed, with some surprised, but most indifferent…

“I wonder how many eyes will be on Shuiyu Pavilion from now on,” Shen Mei Zhuang said with a worried expression.

Zhen Huan, of course, understood Shen Mei Zhuang’s concerns, but it was something she had anticipated.

Having lived through her past life, she knew one thing very clearly:

Rather than being an insignificant nobody, treated as cannon fodder by others,

It was better to carefully plan and become someone who could control her own fate—and the fate of others.

The three sisters once again vowed that, no matter what happened, they would always stick together and face the challenges ahead.

An Ling Rong said, “I’m of lowly status, and everyone in the harem scares me. Only Sister Guan and Sister Mei make me feel at ease, so no matter what, I’ll stay by both your sides.”

Zhen Huan told An Ling Rong not to belittle herself, nor to think little of her worth. Everyone had their own strengths, and one’s background didn’t define everything.

She then listed some of An Ling Rong’s strengths—her skills in embroidery, perfume-making, and singing…

An Ling Rong, hearing this, realized she wasn’t completely useless, and she smiled happily.

“Huan’er is right. Ling Rong, you’re just too modest,” Shen Mei Zhuang added. Then she recalled something from the previous day.

“Those around the harem, I still don’t understand, but I actually think the Empress is quite benevolent…”

This statement caught Zhen Huan by surprise, and she nearly choked on the tea she had just taken a sip of.

She hadn’t even swallowed it yet when Shen Mei Zhuang said this, causing her to cough uncontrollably.

Shen Mei Zhuang and An Ling Rong quickly handed her a handkerchief or patted her back to help her.

“Huan’er, are you okay? How could you choke on tea like that?”

After a couple more coughs, Zhen Huan recovered slightly and said, “I’m fine.”

“Sister Mei, how could you think the Empress is a kind person?”

Once you learn that she deliberately caused others to miscarry, you won’t think so.

Once you find out she personally killed her own sister, you won’t think so.

Once you know she has been scheming against Consort Qi, killing mothers and stealing children, you won’t think so…

But unfortunately, I can’t tell you everything right now.

In my past life, didn’t I have the same thoughts as you, Sister Mei?” Zhen Huan thought to herself, but said aloud, “Sister Mei, you just said the Empress…”

“Oh, here’s the thing,” Shen Mei Zhuang continued, “Yesterday, Li Pi was upset about your promotion to Guan Guiren, and the Empress spoke up for you.”

“So, I think the Empress is someone we can rely on.”

“I agree with Sister Mei. The Empress doesn’t seem to be as difficult to deal with as Hua Fei…”

At this moment, only the three sisters remained in the room.

Zhen Huan couldn’t just outright tell them how evil the Empress was, so she decided to subtly remind them.

She carefully looked outside the hall to ensure no one was around before saying,

“As the leader of the Six Palaces, the Empress has been oppressed by Hua Fei for so many years but still stands strong. She must have her own talents.”

“When we first arrived at the palace, for our own safety, we must remain on guard.”

“Otherwise, we might get hurt without realizing it, and end up becoming targets for others.”

Shen Mei Zhuang and An Ling Rong listened to Zhen Huan’s words and thought they made sense, so they let go of their thoughts of relying on the Empress.

In Yikun Palace, Hua Fei had just woken up, and her head was pounding terribly. It felt like her skull was about to split from the pain.

“Song Zhi, hurry and bring me some hangover soup. My head is killing me.”

Song Zhi quickly obeyed the command, not daring to waste any time, and immediately went to prepare the hangover soup.

A short while later, Song Zhi returned with the soup, saying, “Your Majesty, be careful, it’s hot.”

As she helped Hua Fei drink the soup, she quietly murmured, “You really drank too much last night at the banquet.”

“Last night you even threw up a lot, and now your head is aching terribly.”

Mentioning this made Hua Fei even angrier. She slammed the bowl down onto the tray beside her and hissed,

“It’s all that damn Zhen Huan! If she hadn’t seduced the Emperor yesterday, would I have drunk so much?”

The more Hua Fei thought about it, the angrier she became. “Anyone who dares to steal the Emperor from me will die!”