The most beautiful lady in the harem

Chapter 144 Knowledgeable

Zhou Cairen knew that this was a risky step, but since he had already taken it, there was no reason to take it back.

It took her a long time to make this decision.

She tightened her handkerchief and continued, "To be honest, sister, although I make a living in Yuxiu Palace every day, I have been on good terms with Concubine Li on the surface, but I have been at odds with her in my heart for a long time."

Zhou Cairen choked up a little and said, "Last time she slapped me, and the emperor saw it, I'm sure you've heard about it. I don't like her, but it's not without evidence. Although I can't produce definite evidence, that day..."

That day, Emperor Yongjia promoted the ranks of all the sisters in the harem, except Li Chongyuan.

At that time, Li Chongyuan was certain that she was also included in the imperial edict, so she called the sisters from Yuxiu Palace early, got ready, and waited in the main hall, hoping to show off in front of everyone.

Wait until everyone calls her the Virtuous Concubine.

Who knew that in the end, she would not be mentioned in the emperor's edict.

Concubine Ning Shufei became the Imperial Concubine, Xin Zhaoyuan became the Concubine Shu, Qin Jieyu became the Zhaoyi... There were also a bunch of lower-ranking concubines and new ladies who were promoted, but the position of Concubine Xian was left vacant.

God knows how good Li Chongyuan's face looked at that time.

Even thinking back on it now, Zhou Cairen felt happy. He had been under her command for so long and had never seen her suffer such a humiliation. How could he not be happy?

"That night, I got up to go to bed. I drank some tea at night and felt sleepy, so I stood by the window and looked at the stars for a while."

Zhou Cairen said with lingering fear, "Who would have thought that I would see it? Li Chongyuan carried Princess Anle out. Although there was no candlelight outside at night, the sun, moon and stars were sparse. I was in the dark and she was in the light. I saw that Princess Anle was only wearing a bellyband and it was cold at night. Even if Princess Anle was not sick, she would have made her sick."

Qin Liuse recalled silently that he had doubted for a moment at that time, but he dismissed the idea in just a moment.

As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, because she really couldn't imagine that there would be a mother who would use her own child to win favor.

It would be fine if you just tortured yourself, but why did you drag the innocent child into this?

Qin Liuse thought so in her heart, but she did not show it in front of Zhou Cairen. She just smiled and asked tentatively, "Since you saw it, why didn't you say it out at the beginning?"

Zhou Cairen knew that Qin Zhaoyi would not believe it easily, so she shook her head and said, "It is not easy to prove it. I saw it with my own eyes, but I don't know why Li Chongyuan carried Princess Anle out of the courtyard at that time. If it weren't for what happened later, I wouldn't have known that she was so cruel."

If you are not caught in the act, it does not count as evidence.

Zhou Cairen added, "Besides, what I have seen is not ironclad evidence. If you act rashly, you may end up with nothing good."

What Zhou Cairen said is indeed reasonable. The first bird to stick its head out gets shot. If you act rashly without full confidence, you will put yourself in a disadvantageous position, caught in a dilemma, and may even end up in complete failure.

Of course she wanted to defeat Li Chongyuan at that time, but she was more aware of the difficulty of her situation.

She is not in favor, so even if she is exposed, it won't do much good.

Everyone in this palace has a ruler in their heart.

Zhou Cairen said this with red eyes, and knelt down in front of Qin Liuse, "I know you may not believe me, but everything I said today is true."

Qin Liuse saw her kneeling down, and quickly stretched out his hand to stop her, saying, "Don't be so polite, my feet are inconvenient and I can't get up, you should write quickly, so as not to frustrate me."

Zhou Cairen then got up and sat down next to him.

Qin Liuse tapped the bed rail with her fingers, looked outside, then looked at Zhou Cairen, and said, "You also know that I don't like to fight with others. I hate these things the most. Sister, why are you telling me all this today? I can't give you more."

Since Zhou Cairen had knelt down, Qin Liuse naturally had to speak more clearly and directly. Zhou Cairen must have something to ask for by surrendering to her.

Although trust is needed between people, after being in the harem for so long, Qin Liuse would not be stupid enough to think that others would stand on her side just because they see how good she is.

The world is bustling, all come for the benefit, and the world is bustling, all go for the benefit.

If she didn't have such favor today, Zhou Cairen wouldn't come to her now.

Zhou Cairen twisted her handkerchief and looked at the floor, as if she was thinking about something. She then looked up at Qin Liuse and said, "I don't get along with the virtuous concubine. First, she can't tolerate us. Second, I don't like her temper."

"The emperor has so many women, what's the point if she can't tolerate them all? Even if she can't tolerate them, she shouldn't blame us so harshly. I think that with Concubine Li's personality, she will lose this blessing one day."

Although she is now one of the Four Concubines, being one does not mean she will always be one.

The queen can be replaced at any time. The previous virtuous concubine was gone just like that.

The most important thing is that it all depends on the emperor's preference.

Cairen Zhou felt that Concubine Li was intolerant of others and without extreme favor, so she would not be able to go far.

She paused, then looked at Qin Liuse sincerely and said, "Sister is the wise one. I want to follow you to make a living. Even if I don't have the emperor's favor, my life will not be bad. I won't be like Concubine Li, who beats and scolds the people under her and doesn't give them a way to live."

These words really praise Qin Liuse highly.

Do you think she is kind to others, so you want to follow her to make a living?

Or maybe he thought that she would achieve higher than Concubine Li in the future, so he came to pay his respects in advance?

It is said that Zhou Cairen's words made Qin Liuse feel flattered for a short time.

But to say that Concubine Zhou has a long-term vision and deep thoughts seems like Wang Po bragging about herself, so Qin Liuse didn't say much.

He just said calmly, "I won't offend anyone unless they offend me. The emperor hates scrambles for favor in the harem. Let's not talk about the future. What's important right now is that you take care of yourself and have a child soon. Then you won't have a hard time."

Qin Liuse was giving her some rational advice. If she could be like Concubine Zhang and have a happy pregnancy, she wouldn't have to worry about the rest of her life.

When Zhou Cairen heard this, she felt a little shy and a little moved.

Naturally, she thought that when she was pregnant, pampering would not last forever, and the child would always be hers.

She was touched because Qin Liuse had no relatives with her, but she asked her to take care of herself and try to get pregnant.

In contrast, Concubine Li, who was a close "sister" to me in appearance, had never said these words. She probably hoped that I would be alone forever to satisfy her.

Therefore, Zhou Cairen's inner touch was genuine.

Qin Liuse had not made up her mind and it was difficult to make any promises to her, so she didn't plan to continue the topic.

Instead, she moved her gaze to Zhou Cairen's waist, where a sachet was hanging, and asked with a smile.

"Sister, do you like to make sachets? This smell is fresh and elegant, and a little refreshing, so unique."

Many concubines loved to wear sachets, but most of them had strong and cloying scents in the hope of attracting the emperor.

The scent of Zhou Cairen's sachet is fresh and refreshing, not strong, and unique. Qin Liuse feels very refreshed when he smells it.

Zhou Cairen took off the sachet from her waist and said, "When I was a girl at home, I loved to compete with others in making sachets in spring. When we were idle in the palace, the sisters in Yuxiu Palace had nothing to do, so we also looked for excuses to compete with others in making sachets."

Qin Liuse took the sachet from Zhou Cairen's hand, brought it to her nose and sniffed it. It was indeed refreshing. The scent was not strong, but leisurely, elegant and very unique.

Moreover, the embroidery pattern of this sachet is also very beautiful. It is not the gorgeous pattern embroidered by the embroiderers in the Shangfu Bureau, but it has a unique ingenuity. It is obvious that it was embroidered by Zhou Cairen herself.

Zhou Cairen lowered his eyes and said, "It's also because I'm too idle every day, I have to find something to do."

Qin Liuse thought for a moment and said, "The emperor is afraid of heat, so you can embroider a few sachets for him based on this herb and send them to him so that he can miss you."

Zhou Cairen's heart moved when she heard this. If Qin Liuse's asking her to recuperate and get pregnant just now was out of politeness, then giving her advice the second time could only be said to be out of sincerity.

Cairen Zhou's eyes were filled with gratitude. It was almost impossible to find another person in the harem who was as favored as Qin Liuse and did not monopolize the emperor's favor.

I can't compare to her in looks, and I certainly won't have such favor, so if I can stand by her side, I will have some good days.

Qin Liuse smelled it for a while and wanted to return the sachet to Zhou Cairen. Zhou Cairen held her hand and said, "This is what I just put on when I went out today. If you don't mind, I'll give it to you. I'll make a new one in a few days and give it to you."

Qin Liuse raised the corners of her mouth and smiled, "Then I thank my sister. It's boring to lie here every day, and it's refreshing to smell it."

When Zhou Cairen saw that Qin Liuse was willing to accept her things, she was naturally happy. She chatted with her for a few more words before letting Aunt Mingyue send them away.

When Aunt Mingyue came back, Qin Liuse asked her to call Zijin over.

After Zijin came in, Qin Liuse handed the sachet in her hand to her, "Zijin, take a look at the herbs in here, is there anything wrong?"

Being around Qin Liuse, Zi Jin was used to doing this kind of work.

She untied the string of the sachet, took a lacquer tray, walked to the table and sat down, poured out the herbs inside and spread them with her fingers.

Zijin's medical skills were not inferior to those of the young doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau. After just a quick look and a sniff, he discovered something was wrong.

She clapped her hands and did not bring the sachet back to Qin Liuse. She walked over and said to Qin Liuse with a frown, "Zhaoyi, these herbs are not right. They are mixed with some contraceptive herbs. These herbs have no smell and are difficult to distinguish. People who don't know the difference can't tell the difference at all."