The Empress Arrives: Rebirth of Concubine Hua

Chapter 161 Shanquan Villa
On the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Su Peisheng came to Chuxiu Palace and went straight to the side hall where Fu Changzai lived.

"Your servant greets Fu Changzai. The emperor said that he will take you to Shanquan Villa in the afternoon. Please ask the palace maids around you to serve you and prepare to sleep with you in the evening."

Fu Changzai greeted Su Peisheng gently and spoke softly.

"Thank you, Eunuch Su, for telling me."

He then signaled to his maid Luo Yu to take out a purse that had been prepared long ago and stuff it into Su Peisheng's pocket.

"This is just a small amount of silver to treat you to tea. I hope you won't mind."

Su Peisheng's smile suddenly became more genuine.

"Oh, that's not possible! I thank Chang Zai for his kindness, but I am serving the emperor, and this is what I should do."

As he pushed the purse back, Fu Changzai's personal eunuch Li Yibai stepped forward, took the purse and stuffed it into Su Peisheng's arms, saying, "Eunuch Su, I'm sorry!"

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Su Peisheng happily accepted it.

"Then please keep it ready. I will respectfully obey your orders."

Fu Changzai smiled and sent Su Peisheng away, then turned around with a sullen look on his face.

Luo Yu asked.

"Are you unhappy, young lady? The emperor is finally going to favor you."

Fu Changzai walked into the room, still indifferent.

"Whether you are happy or not, the result is not the same. Please change my clothes for me."

Nian Shilan listened to Xiao Linzi's indignant words. The emperor wanted to take Fu Changzai to Shanquan Villa in the afternoon, but he was only taking her with him. Even his own master, Concubine Hua, had never been there.

Nian Shilan smiled and tapped Xiao Linzi's head casually.

"You monkey, why are you so angry? The emperor can favor whomever he wants, and you can't be the master anyway."

Xiao Linzi rubbed his head and said resentfully.

"I am feeling sorry for you, my master! You are so calm and composed. It has been a long time since the Emperor came to Yikun Palace. When he was in the mansion before, the Emperor came to our place very frequently."

Nian Shilan didn't care much.

"It's a blessing for Fu Changzai to be in the emperor's eyes. Why should I go up to him and offend him? Besides, haven't you seen Fu Changzai before? Don't you understand?"

Xiao Linzi was speechless and scratched his head, confused.

"I don't understand. You can easily gain the emperor's favor, so why do you have to bring in Fu Changzai? Isn't this making enemies for yourself? I'm really afraid that one day Fu Changzai will climb over your head."

Nian Shilan smiled and looked ahead.

"If she is obedient, I don't mind giving her wealth and glory. If she wants to bite me back, I will naturally not sit and wait for death. But right now, she dare not have any other thoughts."

What even Xiao Linzi didn't know was that Nian Shilan had fed her a kind of medicine when she had someone rescue Fu Changzai.

The medicine is not fatal, but you have to take the antidote once every three months, otherwise your whole body will feel like ants are crawling on it.

Nian Shilan always remembers that one should always be on guard against others.

So she never believed in the love between sisters, nor did she fully trust anyone other than her family.

Even if Songzhi and Xiaolinzi, who follow her every day, develop rebellious thoughts one day, they will not be able to escape unscathed.

Nian Shilan didn’t know Shu Guiren’s feelings for her before, but now that she knows, there is no need to keep her.

Lady Jing brought Princess Kangle to pay respects to Nian Shilan. The little princess was only two months old, and she was pink, fair and very cute.

Nian Shilan suddenly retracted the hand she had stretched out, and Jing Guiren wondered if he had angered her.

But Nian Shilan took off the luxurious armor on her hands, asked Songzhi to hand her a towel to wipe her hands, and then reached out and took the princess from Jing Guiren's arms.

The little princess was quiet in Nian Shilan's arms, completely unlike Princess Wen Yi in her previous life who cried all the time and was annoying.

"The princess is like you, quiet and gentle."

Concubine Jing was stunned. Was this Concubine Hua praising herself?

She laughed hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. How can I bear such praise?"

Nian Shilan returned the princess to the wet nurse, watched the wet nurse take the princess away, and said to Jing Guiren.

"You deserve it. I'm not a mother yet, but anyone would like such a well-behaved child. When you are free, take the princess to pay respects to the emperor more often, and you and your daughter will have a better life."

This was said so bluntly that the noble man hesitated for a while.

"Your Majesty, do you mean that I should compete for your favor?" Nian Shilan looked directly at Concubine Jing.

"If you want to live peacefully with the princess in this palace, without the emperor's favor, what do you think?"

The noble lady was silent. In the past, she did not fight for anything in the palace, but fate favored her and she had a little princess.

Now in the palace, although the servants did not dare to do anything to the little princess these days, she could feel that when there was an obvious lack of something given to her, she just did not want to make trouble and did not report it to the queen.

"Your Majesty is right. I will bring the princess with me more often in front of the Emperor in the future."

In the Shanquan Villa, the Emperor and Concubine Fu were walking slowly. It was just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the scenery was at its most beautiful.

"I heard from the Queen that you are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting."

Fu Changzai, who was always one step behind Yinzhen, answered respectfully.

"Your Majesty, I am praising you. I only know a little bit of the basics, how can I say I am proficient in it?"

Yinzhen laughed loudly.

"As bright as the sun in the morning glow, as dazzling as lotus in the green waves."

Fu Changzai continued to be respectful.

"Your Majesty's praise is unacceptable to me. In my opinion, only Concubine Hua in the palace deserves such a description."

Yinzhen turned around and looked at Fu Changzai with great interest.

"I used to think that only Concubine Hua should be like this, but it may not be the case in the future."

Yinzhen gently took Fu Changzai's hand and placed it in his own palm.

"I am lucky to have you."

It was almost midnight, but Ulanara was still not sleepy.

Since entering the palace, Yinzhen only came to her Jingren Palace when he visited the third prince.

Today I took Fu Changzai to the villa, which was a treatment that even Hua Fei had never had. As expected, no matter who it was, as long as they looked like his sister enough, they could get Yinzhen's favor.

She wanted someone to share Concubine Hua's favor, and she didn't know whether Fu Chang was making the right move.

However, she, Ulanara Yixiu, is the one who calls the shots in the harem after all. She has already lost the favor of her husband, and she must firmly grasp the power that all women in the world want.

The next afternoon, Yinzhen brought Fu Changzai back to the palace from Shanquan Villa.

As soon as she returned to the palace, Fu Changzai went to Jingren Palace to pay her respects to Ulanara.

"Your Majesty, the Queen, may your Majesty be blessed."

Ulanara smiled kindly.

"Get up. You just served the emperor last night, so you must be feeling unwell today. There is no rush to pay respects. Although it is the rule of our ancestors that one must pay respects to the emperor the next day after serving the emperor, rules are dead, but people are alive. I don't want my sister to run back and forth and work hard."

Fu Changzai stood up with the help of Luo Yu and said respectfully.

"The Queen is kind and tolerant, but I, a concubine, must abide by the rules."

Ulanara's smile widened.

"You are a good person, go back and have a rest."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Peisheng entered the hall and greeted Fu Li.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has issued an oral order to inform all six palaces that Fu Changzai is both talented and virtuous, and is beautiful and gracious. She is to be promoted to Noble Lady Fu."

After saying this, he took his leave and left.

Ulanara looked at Fu Guiren with a smile.

"The Emperor likes you very much."

Fu Guiren knelt down, folded her hands above her head, and knocked them to the ground.

"Thank you, Queen."

When Nian Shilan heard about the decree of Fu Guiren's promotion in Yiku Palace, she only sent Songzhi to pick out a few things and send them over.

This time, Concubine Shu was probably even more anxious.

Nian Shilan really wanted to see who that man was.

(End of this chapter)