The Queen Mother jumped from the tower, and His Majesty was reborn with fear

Royal Palace

Jiaoyan Palace

Su Zhaorong looked at the palace maid who could rush up to her at any time with a cold expression.

"What does this mean, Imperial Concubine?" Su Zhaorong looked up at the Imperial Concubine sitting above her.

The imperial concubine's face is covered by a pearl curtain, and she is dressed simply and elegantly, looking cold and indifferent.

"Su Zhaorong, don't be anxious. Just sit quietly for a while. These people pose no threat to you." The imperial concubine spoke slowly.

Su Zhaorong's face was grim: "Are you trying to threaten me with these people, Imperial Concubine? If I don't want to stay today, are you going to force me to stay?"

"Ever since His Majesty left the capital, Su Zhaorong has been able to call the shots in the harem. I have been in poor health for many years and do not like to interfere in the affairs of the harem. But I am the imperial concubine after all. When you see me, you should know what is superior and what is inferior." The imperial concubine spoke slowly, but her words inexplicably made people feel nervous.

Su Zhaorong was not to be outdone.

"Your Highness, aren't you afraid that His Majesty will come back and hold you accountable for doing this?" Su Zhaorong asked back.

The imperial concubine's tone remained unchanged.

"Your Majesty? Let's wait until Your Majesty comes back. Su Zhaorong, have you forgotten how you got to your current position?" the imperial concubine said.

This time, Su Zhaorong really didn’t quite understand.

"A concubine's daughter who is bullied by everyone in the imperial palace has a low position. But now she is in charge of the harem and has the position of Zhaorong. Could it be because of Princess Jiayu?" The imperial concubine said softly.

Su Zhaorong didn't say anything.

"What did you do at the hunting ground? Have you forgotten everything?" The imperial concubine stood up slowly, and the palace maid lifted the pearl curtain.

Su Zhaorong looked at the imperial concubine, and her eyes became alert.

"Although I am not interested in the affairs of the harem, I am not completely ignorant of everything. How did the strings of the zither appear in the hands of that palace maid? Su Zhaorong, are you really innocent?" The imperial concubine stood at the top and looked at Su Zhaorong.

Su Zhaorong remained silent.

"You know that His Majesty treats Princess Jiayu very differently and deliberately tries to win her attention. Isn't his purpose to use her to climb up step by step?" The imperial concubine chuckled.

The imperial concubine walked towards Su Zhaorong step by step, but Su Zhaorong avoided her gaze.

"You are actually very smart. You know clearly that in this harem, the emperor's favor is not important, power is the most important. So you worked hard to climb to a high position and brought down Concubine Jiang and Concubine Yun. I should really praise you."

Su Zhaorong smiled with her lips but not her heart.

"Everyone in the palace knows that the Imperial Concubine does not fight or compete, and she is pure and has few desires in the harem, devoted to worshipping Buddha. But no one would have thought that even so, she can have everything that happens in the palace under her control. The Imperial Concubine is a hidden talent." Su Zhaorong said.

The imperial concubine glanced at him briefly, then was helped by the palace maid back to her seat.

"Just wait. Since you are so smart, you will know what to do and what not to do now." The imperial concubine seemed to no longer want to continue chatting with her.

But just as the imperial concubine turned around and prepared to sit down, Su Zhaorong suddenly asked a question.

"If there had been no Princess Jiayu back then, then the Imperial Concubine would have been the legitimate Crown Prince's consort, right?" Su Zhaorong said.

The imperial concubine paused.

"Before entering the palace, besides Princess Jiayu, the Imperial Concubine was the one with the best family reputation among all the noble ladies in the capital. Without Princess Jiayu, you, as the daughter of the Grand Tutor, were flattered, and the Imperial Concubine was the undisputed leader of the noble ladies. But in front of Princess Jiayu, you can only serve as a foil."

"Your Highness must be feeling very unwilling, right? You hate the princess and hate that she took away all the glory that should have belonged to you. Later, she even competed with you for the position of Crown Princess. After entering the palace, she occupied all of His Majesty's attention. Your Highness, you are really magnanimous." Su Zhaorong said sarcastically.

The imperial concubine's eyes instantly became bright when she looked at Su Zhaorong, and she came in front of Su Zhaorong again.

"The Imperial Concubine has indeed concealed it very well, but I never believe that there is anyone who really doesn't care as much as she does. The more indifferent you appear, the more hatred you must have in your heart, right?" Su Zhaorong continued.

The imperial concubine didn't even give her the chance to continue speaking and slapped Su Zhaorong in the face.

Before Su Zhaorong could recover from the slap, the imperial concubine grabbed her chin and asked, "Are you mocking me?"

"Taifu Qin's private soldiers have surrounded the city. Concubine, your Qin family is planning a rebellion!" Su Zhaorong warned.

"Treason? I know nothing about it. Come, take Su away!" The imperial concubine ordered coldly.

Su Zhaorong was taken away, and the imperial concubine...

"Where is Yu Jinzhi?" The imperial concubine tried hard to calm herself down.

"The Grand Tutor's men have already gone to the General's Mansion, but... they don't dare to force their way in, and there are many soldiers in the General's Mansion. They have all returned from the battlefield, so..." The palace maid answered cautiously.

"Waste! Send someone to the general's mansion right now and tell them that I'm summoning her. If she doesn't come, it's considered contempt for the emperor's authority. Arrest her immediately!" The imperial concubine looked as if she was really irritated by what Su Zhaorong had just said.

But what Su Zhaorong said was indeed correct, the imperial concubine really hated Yu Jinzhi. As the daughter of the imperial tutor, she was raised as the future queen since she was a child, and was proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Outside, she is always well-educated and talented. When the lady of that family mentions her, doesn't she praise her? But there is Yu Jinzhi who always blocks her way.

Because she had a father who held a large army and was as close to the late emperor as a brother, she was superior to others wherever she went and could easily get whatever she wanted.

So every time Yu Jinzhi appears, everyone will forget about her and try to please Yu Jinzhi.

Even in places where she is not around, there are people who compare themselves to her. Why?

Later, Qin Taifu told her that when she reached the age of marriage, she would be married to the crown prince and become the crown princess. But just at this time, the news of Yu Jinzhi becoming the designated crown princess came out.

She even wants to compete with me for this position...

Later, Xie Zhao was deposed and imprisoned, and she was taken to the palace by Xie Yuxiu. Everyone knew that Xie Yuxiu had no true feelings for Yu Jinzhi, but she was the only one who knew that their emperor could not have room for anyone else in his heart.

So if in the future, even if she becomes a royal concubine, she will always be noncompetitive. But this does not mean that she will not compete, but she hopes that there will be a time...

Just like what she said to Su Zhaorong just now, the emperor's favor is not worth mentioning at all. Instead of trying to win Xie Yuxiu's favor, she might as well control her own destiny.

She... doesn't want to be a foil.