A few days passed, and Mu Fengqie led a routine life, going between just three places. Every maid and eunuch in the palace knew Mu Fengqie, the Princess Anning, and treated her with great respect.
After having breakfast as usual, Mu Fengqie made her way to Cining Palace. After the daily acupuncture treatment, the Empress Dowager would play badminton with Mu Fengqie. Everyone in Cining Palace regarded Mu Fengqie as one of their own masters. Her days in the palace were much more pleasant and comfortable than she had expected.
When she arrived at Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was having breakfast. There were also zongzi made by Mu Fengqie on the table. Zongzi had been a regular dish on the table in Cining Palace for the past few days, which showed how much the Empress Dowager liked them.
"Here you are. I've been sleeping well these days and have been a bit lazy in the morning. Fengqie, could you wait for me for a while?" The Empress Dowager smiled.
After observing Mu Fengqie for these days, the Empress Dowager found that she was not the kind of person she had worried about. Moreover, she had been doing her best to treat the Empress Dowager's illness and had been busy dealing with the matter of the Queen. So the Empress Dowager had come to regard Mu Fengqie as someone on their side.
Mu Fengqie responded and obediently waited for the Empress Dowager. Soon, the Empress Dowager put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth and hands, and then lay down on the couch.
While giving the Empress Dowager acupuncture, Mu Fengqie told her about what had happened recently between the Queen and the Emperor. The Empress Dowager felt relieved after hearing this and became even more satisfied with Mu Fengqie.
"Fengqie, it seems that my illness is almost cured. Why don't you stay in the palace and accompany me?" The Empress Dowager looked up at Mu Fengqie and smiled.
Although the Empress Dowager's lips were slightly upturned, looking like she was smiling, Mu Fengqie felt that her expression was not a pure smile. There seemed to be a hint of probing in it.
Mu Fengqie paused for a moment and then shook her head. "It would be my honor to stay and take care of the Empress Dowager. But it's quite inconvenient for me to stay in the palace. Moreover, I'll be giving birth in a few months. Although I miss the Empress Dowager, my heavy body makes it impossible for me to do so..."
Sure enough, after hearing Mu Fengqie's words, the Empress Dowager's smile deepened. Although her face showed a look of regret, in Mu Fengqie's eyes, the smile in the Empress Dowager's eyes was much deeper than before.
After leaving Cining Palace, Mu Fengqie looked at the still - rising sun in the east. On an impulse, she decided to take a stroll in the back garden and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the palace.
"Miss, the concubines in the harem have started to learn the Queen's peach - blossom makeup. Many concubines tried to curry favor with you, but I drove them all back."
Xiaoqing knew her miss's personality well. Mu Fengqie didn't like to have contact with too many people, especially the concubines in the harem.
Mu Fengqie gave Xiaoqing a thumbs - up. The two of them strolled in the back garden when a faint quarrel reached their ears and caught their attention.
Mu Fengqie didn't want to get involved in the competition for the Emperor's favor in the harem, but when she saw the faces of the two people, she couldn't help frowning.
Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui were sitting arrogantly on the stone benches. Kneeling in front of them was a woman who was trembling with fear. Judging from her dressing, she should not be a maid. It was very likely that she was also one of the Emperor's concubines.
Mu Fengqie didn't like Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui. No wonder the Queen hated them so much. She had only been in the palace for a few days, but she already knew their personalities. They didn't even put the Queen in their eyes and were well - known figures in the harem. What was more, these two favored concubines were good sisters.
These two had troubled Mu Fengqie more than once. If it weren't for the Queen and the Empress Dowager, Mu Fengqie's situation might have been no better than that of this concubine.
"Beat her hard! Let everyone know what will happen if they dare to offend me!" Concubine Rong stared at the kneeling concubine menacingly, with a look of arrogance on her face.
Concubine Hui was not to be outdone. Although she didn't instigate the maids to beat the concubine, her mouth didn't stop. "Do you think you can compete with me for the Emperor's favor? This harem belongs to my sister and me. Even if you copy the old woman Queen's makeup, do you think the Emperor will take a second look at you?"
Hearing this, Mu Fengqie finally understood what was going on. Xiaoqing also knew that the situation was not good and tried to pull Mu Fengqie away several times, but she showed no sign of leaving.
Anyway, this concubine was being bullied by Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui because of her peach - blossom makeup. If Mu Fengqie didn't save her today, this concubine might be beaten to death. After all, it was a human life, and she couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Greetings to Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui. May the two noble ladies enjoy good health and peace." Mu Fengqie bowed gracefully.
Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui looked up, and a beautiful face came into their sight. A look of surprise flashed across their faces. They had never seen Mu Fengqie before. Although they had heard that Mu Fengqie was very beautiful, now that they saw her in person, they finally understood why the Empress Dowager had issued that imperial edict.
Mu Fengqie was an extremely beautiful woman, so beautiful that there was no word to fully describe her. If her beauty was ranked second, no one would dare to claim the first place. Even the phrase "beauty that could topple kingdoms" was not enough to describe her.
As soon as they saw Mu Fengqie's beautiful face, a look of uneasiness appeared on their faces. As women, who wouldn't be jealous of someone more beautiful than themselves?
They had been looking for a chance to teach Mu Fengqie a lesson for helping the Queen. Now that she had come to them, how could they let go of this hard - won opportunity?
"I wondered who it was. So it's the famous Princess Anning. Why aren't you in Cining Palace or Jingren Palace? Why did you come to the back garden?" Concubine Rong curled her lips, looking full of contempt.
Concubine Hui also covered her mouth and laughed at the right moment, as if she was laughing at a big joke. "Yes. If my sister hadn't said so, I wouldn't have recognized the Princess Anning. But there's a smell of the Queen's palace on the Princess. If I hadn't looked closely, I would have thought she was a lackey from the Queen's palace!"
Hearing this, Concubine Rong looked at Concubine Hui, and the two of them laughed unrestrainedly. Mu Fengqie's smile faded, and her black eyes were so deep that it made people shiver.
"Since the two noble ladies know that I'm from Jingren Palace, you still speak so recklessly. It seems that you don't put the Queen's dignity in your eyes!"
Mu Fengqie knew that they didn't get along well. So she decided to shift the blame to the Queen. The more fiercely they quarreled, the happier Mu Fengqie felt.