There was nothing she could do. Since the other woman had spoken to this extent, Consort He could only respond.
"I understand. I'll take care of all those troubles for you. When can you give me the things?"
"Soon. Wait until I officially enter the harem. Aunt, I'll have to trouble you one last time."
After she finished speaking, she quietly left, as if she had never appeared.
What she didn't see was that after she left, Consort He's face was full of venom as she muttered, "Once I get those things back, you won't have any leverage over me anymore. Let's see how you can order me around then."
The next day.
The woman still felt somewhat unwilling. After all, she had been the eldest young lady in her family for so long. She couldn't just be bullied like this. If this got out, she was afraid that no one would respect her in the future.
To save face and establish her authority over some people, after much thought, she went to He Hui again.
At this moment, He Hui was like a well - behaved girl, seriously washing clothes on the ground. If someone who didn't know saw her, they might think she had come to the harem to be a maid.
The woman stepped forward and sneered, "Oh, what's wrong, sister? Weren't you so high - and - mighty yesterday? Why are you washing clothes here today? Did the nanny punish you?"
"Ye Xinxin, when will you ever stop? You keep coming here to pick a fight. If you're so idle, use your stupid brain and think about how you can stand out after seven days. Otherwise, you might be kicked out of the palace. Then you won't even have the chance to die here."
The one speaking was Jin Miner, who had always been at odds with Ye Xinxin. She was sick yesterday, so she didn't come here in time and just missed that incident.
Now seeing Ye Xinxin dare to come again, she naturally couldn't help but provoke her.
And Ye Xinxin, having suffered two setbacks, definitely wouldn't just endure it.
She gritted her teeth, her face flushed red, and her eyes filled with dissatisfaction.
"Jin Miner, don't you forget who your father works under? As long as I ask my father to talk to the Ministry of Rites, how many more days do you think your father can keep his position?"
Hearing this, Jin Miner wasn't afraid at all.
"Heh, just because you can say a few words, you think you're something. My father is loyal to the whole court, to the Great Liang, and to the common people. If you think your father has that much power, why doesn't he act? I don't seem to be the first time going against you, right?"
After saying that, she walked to He Hui's side. "As a candidate for the imperial consort selection, you don't have to do this kind of hard work. The nanny has already arranged someone for this. You just need to prepare for the selection."
Her appearance was unexpected.
However, He Hui reacted quickly. She stood up and wiped away non - existent tears.
"Thank you, sister. I'm just the daughter of a wealthy merchant and have never participated in such a selection before. Miss Ye, if you're dissatisfied with me, why don't you go to the nanny? It's really annoying for you to keep targeting me like this."
Ye Xinxin had suffered two defeats in a row. Now she felt that the anger in her heart was out of control. She started scolding like a shrew in the market.
"You two little bitches are so bold. You dare to oppose me today. Who knows, you might even ride on my head tomorrow. I don't believe there's no one in the harem who can teach you a lesson."
Just as she finished speaking, the etiquette nanny happened to come over following the sound.
Seeing these three young ladies, she immediately felt that she had come too quickly.
But since she was already here, she couldn't just turn back. So, she had to brace herself and step forward.
"Why is it you again? What on earth are you doing here? Did you come to the harem just to quarrel? If you don't want to participate in the selection, I'll report it to the Empress Dowager as soon as possible. Then you can all just go back home."
Hearing this, Ye Xinxin changed her expression. She quickly walked to the nanny's side.
"Nanny, you have to stand up for me. I haven't done anything today. Ye Xinxin and He Hui ganged up on me. Everyone in the capital knows how much my father dotes on me. If he finds out about this, I'm afraid none of us here will have a good time."
She looked extremely aggrieved, as if she were the one being bullied.
If the nanny didn't know what kind of temper this young lady had, she might have been deceived today.
But even though she knew Ye Xinxin was lying, she couldn't just expose it at this moment.
Ye Xinxin's father was a vassal king with real power. He was someone a common etiquette nanny like her couldn't afford to offend.
But the other two were also not easy to deal with.
One of them was related to two important figures in the harem, and the other one also had a complicated background. For a moment, the nanny was in a dilemma and didn't know how to handle this.
Just then, Ze Ze's shrill voice sounded outside.
The nanny felt relieved. She suddenly found herself starting to like this kind of voice.
Whenever she was in a difficult situation these days, someone would always appear with this voice to help her.
She glanced at the three young ladies who were still standing there and quickly urged them.
"What are you looking at? The Empress Dowager has arrived. You three are still standing here motionless. Do you want someone to invite you to pay your respects?"
After saying that, she took the lead and walked forward. The three young ladies looked at each other and had no choice but to follow.
Shi Muyuan had noticed the dispute from afar. She came here precisely because of this matter.
"What's going on? The harem has always been a quiet place. It hasn't been this lively for a long time. The newly - arrived candidates are quite smart. They've only been here for a few days, and they're already causing a ruckus."
There was a hint of ridicule in her tone that no one could detect, which made everyone present break out in a cold sweat.
The etiquette nanny immediately knelt on the ground and admitted her mistake.
"It's all my fault. As an etiquette nanny, I failed to discipline the candidates well. Please forgive me, Empress Dowager."
The young lady didn't answer. Her cold eyes scanned the candidates kneeling on the ground. After a while, she suddenly said,
"I suppose someone was causing trouble here just now. Nanny, tell me. Who is so bold?"
The Empress Dowager exuded an intimidating aura. Her presence scared these young ladies who had never seen such a grand occasion. Their faces turned pale, and they didn't know how to respond.
This was the first time the nanny had seen the Empress Dowager get angry. But having spent a long time in the harem, she quickly calmed down.
"It's the three candidates, Ye Xinxin, Jin Miner, and He Hui. They just had a dispute. I was about to question them when you arrived, Empress Dowager. Since you're here, there's no need for me to interfere anymore."
Bravely, she handed this matter over to Shi Muyuan.
Coincidentally, the young lady came here precisely for this matter.