The Empress of Zhen Huan Reborn

After Xia Dongchun returned to the palace, she was so angry that she threw all the teacups on the table to the ground. The whole store was filled with crackling sounds and the ground was littered with fragments.

The emperor is so partial to me that he won't even see me. Concubine Hua, Zhen Huan, I will remember you.

The palace maids around Xia Dongchun saw that she was going crazy and did not dare to persuade her out loud for fear of bringing trouble upon herself. They just closed the palace door carefully.

After the emperor finished his government affairs, he went to the Yikun Palace.

When Nian Shilan heard Zhou Ninghai report about the emperor, she went to the palace gate very unhappy and said, "Your servant pays respect to the emperor."

The emperor helped her up and said, "I heard that my beloved concubine was angry today." He smiled and joked, patting Nian Shilan's hand.

When Nian Shilan heard that the emperor was going to bring an army to punish Xia Dongchun, the idiot, she did not panic.

"Mrs. Xia's words and actions are really rude. I was just joking with Concubine Wan when I was paying my respects, but she took advantage of my name to embarrass Concubine Wan. I will never allow such a trend in the palace." Nian Shilan said seriously.

After hearing this, the emperor nodded and said, "It's just a joke." He didn't quite believe it in his heart. Shi Lan was good in every way except that she was jealous. He was afraid that she had seen that he was interested in Wan Changzai yesterday, and he felt unhappy in his heart.

When Nian Shilan heard the emperor say this, she began to insist, "Of course I was joking. Your Majesty, the new ladies have been in the palace for so long. Can you see who I have troubled?"

The emperor thought about it for a while after hearing what Nian Shilan said. He seemed to have never heard the palace maids report that Nian Shilan had made things difficult for anyone since the newcomers entered the palace. Xia Ying had behaved inappropriately many times since she entered the palace, so Nian Shilan punished her. He had favored Shen Guiren and An Changzai for so long, and Nian Shilan had never said a harsh word to him, let alone put any obstacles in their way.

Thinking of this, the emperor smiled and joked: "My beloved concubine has been very gentle recently, I am very pleased."

Nian Shilan listened to the emperor's words and rolled her eyes when he wasn't paying attention. She didn't change for him, so what was she thinking? But she didn't say it out loud.

The emperor didn't care and continued, "Nian Gengyao will be returning to the court soon. I know you are worried about your brother. After he enters the palace, I will let you two have a small gathering."

Nian Shilan was very happy when she heard this and immediately knelt down to express her gratitude.

Nian Shilan thought again of what her sister-in-law had told her a few days ago. After thinking for a long time, she tentatively asked, "Can my sister-in-law come into the palace with you? My brother is recuperating at home, and I am always worried. I want to tell my sister-in-law something." After saying that, she looked at the emperor with expectation.

The emperor thought about it and nodded in agreement. "It's not a difficult matter. I will arrange it."

Nian Shilan was really very happy this time. When she smiled, her eyebrows were curved and her bright appearance reminded the emperor of the days in the palace. After all, she was the woman he truly loved. He smiled and said, "You have been a concubine for long enough. I want to promote you to a higher position in the future."

Upon hearing this, Nian Shilan knelt down immediately and said, "Your Majesty, please don't do that. I am a concubine because of your grace. I have done nothing for the country, and I have no children. I cannot even dream of becoming a noble concubine. Please take back your decision."

The emperor did not expect Nian Shilan to refuse. He thought she would be ecstatic to hear this, so he did not say anything for a while.

Nian Shilan continued, "I actually have one more thing I want to ask the emperor."

The emperor's heart sank, thinking that Nian Shilan rejected his request for promotion in order to bring honor to the Nian family, so he said coldly, "Speak."

Nian Shilan naturally heard the emperor's coldness and guessed his thoughts, so she said, "I have been feeling weak and unwell recently. I asked the imperial physician to take my pulse. The physician said that I have worked too hard and am a little weak. I need to rest and recuperate."

"I beg the emperor to take back my power to assist in the management of the six palaces. I have no interest in this matter and it is very troublesome to deal with it."

The emperor was stunned by Nian Shilan's words. He didn't expect it was for this. He looked at Nian Shilan carefully again and saw that she looked a little haggard. He agreed to her request: "In this case, my beloved concubine, please take good care of yourself."

Upon seeing this, Nian Shilan said nothing more. She thanked him calmly and stood up from the ground.

Nian Shilan had long wanted to return the power of assisting the six palaces to the queen, but she had never found an opportunity. Now was the perfect time. The reason why she looked haggard was because she stayed up late day and night to learn how to mix rouge and powder from Songzhi.

But the emperor was unaware of this and thought that Shilan was really exhausted from all the trivial matters in the harem. After leaving Yikun Palace, he asked Su Peisheng to give some rewards to Nian Shilan. He did this to prevent the people in the harem from thinking that he was narrow-minded and ignored and blamed Concubine Hua after Nian Gengyao won the battle.

Nian Shilan watched the eunuchs and palace maids carrying rewards like water into the Yikun Palace, and told Songzhi with little interest: "Tell them to put the rewards in the utility room." She turned around and went back to her bedroom, and continued to study the recipe that Songzhi taught her yesterday.