Yesterday, after leaving Zhaoyang Palace, Yu Wantang had not been idle.

From those with the highest ranks to the low-ranking attendants living in the corners whose monthly allowances were even docked, she visited every single one of them without missing a single person.

At Qingyuan Palace, Consort Ning's father was the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Although he held no military power, he had handled many long-buried old cases. After Huo Linyuan ascended the throne, several case files involving the imperial clan were forcibly sealed, and even the Court of Judicial Review had no right to review them.

Yu Wantang sat for half an hour before leaving.

At Lanxin Pavilion, Consort Liu who lived there came from the Liu family of Jiangnan salt merchants. The Liu family was fabulously wealthy, but a few years ago, the authorities slapped them with the label of smuggling private salt, and more than half of their family property was confiscated.

Consort Liu thought that the Empress's maternal family was pulling strings behind the scenes, and over the years, she had given the Empress plenty of trouble.

Yu Wantang only showed her a salt permit stamped with the official seal of the Ministry of Revenue.

Consort Liu's expression changed instantly.

The person who swallowed up the Liu family's property back then was not the Yu Family, but Huo Linyuan's own biological uncle.

When Yu Wantang left, Consort Liu smashed the imperial-bestowed blue and white porcelain vase in the room.

The atmosphere in the inner palace quietly changed.

The masters of various palaces, who used to bicker every three days and make a huge scene every five days, suddenly all quieted down.

...

On this morning, the concubines of various palaces came to Kunning Palace to pay their respects as usual.

Warm incense was burning inside the hall.

Yu Wantang sat in the main seat, eating honey mandarins while listening to them chat idly.

The Noble Consort wore a pomegranate-red court dress today, with a velvet flower pinned in her hair, walking with a brisk breeze.

Consort Xian changed into an apricot-colored court dress today, but there were dark circles under her eyes.

A few more came in afterwards.

Consort Shu Zhao, Consort Duan Li, Consort Liu, Consort Ning, Jieyu Zhou, and several newly appointed Noble Ladies.

Before Consort Shu even sat down, she glanced first at Su Wanyue.

"Consort Xian, my younger sister, with that complexion of yours, anyone unaware would think the Imperial Household Department cut off your meals for three days."

Su Wanyue put down her teacup with a smile on her lips.

"This concubine was born with a busy fate, incomparable to Elder Sister's leisure. The Imperial Household Department just made up the provisions, and I finally know how much I was supposed to receive in the first place."

"If Elder Sister also has items that don't match up in your palace, feel free to tell me. I am someone who cannot bear to see others suffer a loss, and I will definitely calculate it clearly for Elder Sister."

The smile on Consort Shu's face could barely be maintained.

Noble Consort Qin Zhaoyue sat in the lower seat and scoffed upon hearing this.

"What kind of calculation is that? Just raid the Imperial Household Department, and the silver will naturally return."

Su Wanyue glanced at her. "Her Ladyship the Noble Consort only knows how to kill and fight."

"Knowing how to fight is enough."

"This Palace's sword recognizes loyalty and treachery, and never wrongs a good person."

Shen Qingrou sat to one side, with sour plums bestowed by the Empress placed beside her hand.

She picked one up and slowly spoke: "Elder Sister Noble Consort, are you still carrying weapons when coming to pay your respects today? Aren't you afraid of frightening our several sisters?"

"I brought one."

Noble Consort Qin Zhaoyue patted the dagger hanging at her waist. "Rest assured, I only hack those who block the way."

Shen Qingrou smiled lightly.

"Elder Sister, quickly put it away. If His Majesty sees it, he will say again that you don't look like a concubine."

Yu Wantang raised her eyes.

"If you want to quarrel, go outside to quarrel."

"There is no reward for winning a quarrel, and if you break things, you will pay for them according to their value."

Noble Consort Qin Zhaoyue and Su Wanyue closed their mouths at the same time and turned their heads to drink tea.

Consort Liu covered her lips with a handkerchief, smiling with her eyebrows and eyes curving into crescents.

"Noble Consort's golden hairpin today is truly gorgeous, with gems as large as pigeon eggs. If someone unaware saw it, they would think Her Ladyship wore all her family property on her head."

Noble Consort Qin Zhaoyue raised her hand to adjust her hairpin.

"Family property is out of the question. If Consort Liu likes it, this Palace can lend it to you to touch twice."

"That's still unnecessary." Consort Liu picked up her teacup and blew on the foam.

"This concubine lacks a sense of proportion in her hands; in case a piece of gold leaf is rubbed off, Her Ladyship the Noble Consort would surely be heartbroken."

Consort Ning sat beside her and couldn't help letting out a chuckle.

Consort Liu turned her head to look at her.

"What is Consort Ning laughing at?"

"It's nothing."

Consort Ning's brows and eyes were gentle, and her tone was mild. "I just thought of that begonia in the Imperial Garden yesterday; the flowers bloomed exceptionally well, yet two worms happened to crawl on the leaves."

"It seems Consort Ning has been very idle lately."

The smile on Consort Liu's face did not diminish.

"Even the number of worms on the flower leaves can be counted clearly."

The two looked at each other, trading barbs, neither yielding to the other. But that urge of wishing to kill each other was indeed gone.

Yu Wantang leaned against the main seat, listening to their back-and-forth without even lifting a brow.

The women who could gather in the inner palace were few of them truly pushovers. Making them as close as sisters from then on was unrealistic and unnecessary.

Bickering a couple of sentences normally could just be considered exercising their eloquence. As long as they didn't waste their cleverness on fighting over a piece-of-trash man, it was fine.

Shen Qingrou wore a moon-white court dress today, with light makeup, and apart from a white magnolia hairpin in her hair, there were no extra ornaments.

After entering the hall, paying respects, saluting, and sitting down, her brows and eyes drooped, and she never glanced at Yu Wantang more than once.

The two of them were still as incompatible as water and fire as before.

Yu Wantang let them exchange pleasantries, and only spoke after the tea had gone through three rounds.

"Alright."

"Calling everyone here today, besides paying respects, is for another matter."

She nodded toward Mammy Yu.

Mammy Yu led the palace attendants in carrying out tray after tray.

"This Palace had the Imperial Household Department newly craft a batch of jewelry. Every palace has a share, to be distributed according to rank."

The red silk on the trays was lifted, revealing sets of gold, silver, pearls, and jade.

The items were not particularly rare, but the workmanship was exquisite. The patterns were not cookie-cutter either, but custom-made according to each person's usual preferences.

Su Wanyue sat in the lower seat, silently calculating how much silver this hall full of jewelry had cost.

After calculating, her heart ached.

Concubines in the palace who already had offspring received additional rewards.

Consort Ning, the birth mother of the Second Prince, received a warm jade inkstone and a set of enlightenment books.

Jieyu Zhou, the birth mother of the Eldest Princess, received a small pure-gold neck ring and two bolts of brightly colored Sichuan brocade.

Jieyu Zhou stared at those items, her eye rims slowly turning red.

The Eldest Princess was born weak, and being a girl, Huo Linyuan could not see her a few times throughout the entire year.

People in the palace were accustomed to watching the wind direction, and the items sent to her palace were always a tier lower than others'.

She didn't expect the Empress to still remember the child.

"Your Majesty the Empress..."

Jieyu Zhou stood up, her voice somewhat choking with emotion.

"Sit down." Yu Wantang raised her hand to press down.

"Raising children is also hard work for you all. For those with children, add another one hundred taels of silver to each person."

After the rewards were distributed, Mammy Yu had all the palace attendants withdraw from the main hall.

The heavy door panels slowly closed shut.

The palace maids and eunuchs standing guard outside looked at each other, none of them knowing what was going to be discussed inside.

After about half an hour, the hall doors opened again.

The palace attendants waiting outside the hall doors only saw that when their respective masters walked out, all of them had smiles hanging on their faces.

Consort Xian hugged the account books and followed behind, still muttering something under her breath. The Noble Consort turned back and jabbed at her, and Consort Xian immediately retorted.

Consort Shu walked in the back, whispering a few words into Consort Duan's ear, and Consort Duan nodded repeatedly.

Consort Ning and Consort Liu walked side by side.

Jieyu Zhou personally held the rewards given to the Eldest Princess; although the corners of her eyes were red, her expression was much lighter.

Shen Qingrou was the last one to come out.

The white magnolia hairpin cast a warm, gentle glow under the morning light.

She looked back, slightly nodded toward Yu Wantang, and then supported by Qingdai's hand, left Kunning Palace.