"Empress! You're surely doomed to a bad end! Just wait and see. When the favor you've snatched so hard finally fades and you fall from grace, you'll end up far more miserable than I am!"
Concubine Rong roared ceaselessly, pouring out all her anger with every ounce of her strength. At these words, the Empress visibly halted. She didn't care about much else, but the Emperor's favor meant the world to her.
In the end, the Empress returned to the Palace of Gathered Elegance. Mu Fengqie went to check on the injuries of Noble Consort Zhang. Fortunately, she had only received a few slaps on her face. As long as she applied the ointment properly and took some time to recuperate, she would recover.
"It's lucky that it's just some swelling on your face and there's no bleeding. You just need to rest for a while and apply the ointment on time. If they'd hit you any harder, you might have been disfigured."
Mu Fengqie looked at the petite woman sitting on the ground and felt a twinge of pity. Most women in the deep palace were destined for such fates. Some never even got to see the Emperor in their entire lives after entering the palace and had to spend their days in loneliness.
Noble Consort Zhang, with her low rank, was constantly bullied by higher-ranking concubines and had no power to fight back. But why did women have to make things difficult for each other?
Noble Consort Zhang had thought Mu Fengqie would leave with the Empress. She was touched when Mu Fengqie came to check on her injuries instead.
"Thank you, Princess, for saving me today. If it weren't for you, this concubine..." Noble Consort Zhang's eyes welled up with tears, but she stubbornly held them back.
Mu Fengqie could tell that Noble Consort Zhang was a proud woman. It was just that fate had been unkind to her, bringing her face-to-face with Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui.
Mu Fengqie reached out her hand and gently comforted Noble Consort Zhang. "Your Highness, there's no need to take it to heart. Why didn't you fight back? Why did you let them do as they pleased?"
She really couldn't understand. Although Noble Consort Zhang's rank was relatively low, she could have made a big fuss if she'd been bullied. Taking the matter to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager would have spared her such serious injuries.
After spending some time with the Empress Dowager, Mu Fengqie knew that the Empress Dowager just hadn't caught Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui's mistakes. Otherwise, she would have dealt with them long ago.
So if Noble Consort Zhang had made a big deal of this and taken it to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager definitely wouldn't have sided with Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui. She might even have helped Noble Consort Zhang get justice.
Noble Consort Zhang shook her head. "They're in the limelight right now, while I'm just a lowly noble consort. How can I compete with concubines of higher rank?"
"In that case, Your Highness, why don't you find a way to reach a higher rank?" Mu Fengqie smiled faintly, her expression calm.
Currently, there were only two concubines of higher rank in the harem, and two positions were still vacant. Moreover, Noble Consort Zhang didn't seem like an ordinary woman. One day, she was bound to rise to great heights.
Mu Fengqie had always been a good judge of character. She believed that since Noble Consort Zhang had tried to imitate the Empress's peach blossom makeup, she must value the Emperor's favor highly. Such a woman was intelligent and definitely not one to stay in obscurity.
Noble Consort Zhang's eyes widened, and a strange glint flashed in them. Her ambition was laid bare before Mu Fengqie.
After seeing off Noble Consort Zhang, Mu Fengqie returned to the Reed Hall. Concubine Rong had been sent to the Punishment Department. As Mu Fengqie had expected, the Emperor didn't make things difficult for the Empress.
With only one day left before leaving the palace, Mu Fengqie felt a rush of emotions. So much time had passed, but there hadn't been a single piece of good news. She wondered how he was doing...
Thinking of this, Mu Fengqie took out the prepared paper and pen, quickly wrote a letter, and then handed it to the secret guard, asking him to deliver it to the military camp.
The day passed in a flash. After treating the Empress Dowager, Mu Fengqie returned to the Reed Hall, packed her luggage, and left the palace with Xiao Qing and Zhu Fei.
As soon as she stepped out of the palace gate, she saw the carriage of the Minister's Mansion waiting outside. Shen Yiru saw Mu Fengqie's figure and quickly jumped off the carriage.
"Fengqie, I've been waiting for you day and night. Finally, you're back!" Shen Yiru grabbed Mu Fengqie's hand and coquetted.
Mu Fengqie beamed. She hadn't seen this girl for a few days and wanted to tease her. "I'm not the sweetheart you've been longing for. Why do you miss me so much?"
Shen Yiru punched Mu Fengqie without much force, like a tickle. It didn't hurt at all.
Shen Yiru had managed the Beauty Hall very well. In just a few days, the Beauty Hall had earned tens of thousands of taels. Shen Yiru deserved a lot of credit for this.
"Come on. We haven't seen each other for so many days. Let's go have a good meal. After that, we'll go to the shop. Consider it my way of thanking you for managing the shop for me."
Shen Yiru pouted. "That's not enough. I've been so tired managing the shop for you these days. You have to make it up to me properly!"
"Okay, okay. I'll make a few more sets of skincare products for you. Is that okay?"
"Sure, sure!"
The group went to a hot pot restaurant. It was almost winter, the perfect time for hot pot. The restaurant was always full. If they didn't have connections, they might not even be able to get a seat.
"I'm really impressed with you now. Just by entering the palace once, you've been named the Princess of Peace. Even I have to bow to you now!"
Shen Yiru no longer looked down on Mu Fengqie. All she felt was admiration. She was like a little fan girl of Mu Fengqie.
Mu Fengqie shrugged. "It's a long story. I didn't expect the Empress Dowager to bestow the title of Princess of Peace on me."
Now that she had this title, if anyone in the imperial city dared to look down on Mu Fengqie, she could use the title to put them in their place. Shen Yiru was genuinely happy for Mu Fengqie.
After a warm lunch, the group rushed to the Beauty Hall. Unexpectedly, they met some unwelcome guests there.
Sun Yuerou spotted Mu Fengqie at a glance. Seeing how successful Mu Fengqie was now, she was extremely jealous. Why should a commoner rise to such a high position and be above her?
"Yueying, Mu Fengqie is here." Sun Yuerou whispered.
Lou Yueying looked out the door and saw the graceful figure. "You know what to do."
The left corner of Sun Yuerou's mouth twitched upwards, revealing a sly smile. "I'll definitely satisfy you!"
Obviously, the people outside also saw Sun Yuerou and Lou Yueying. They didn't even have the mood to enter the shop.
"Maybe we should come back tomorrow. We didn't check the almanac before we came out today. We've run into some really unpleasant people!" Shen Yiru snorted and shouted into the shop.
Sun Yuerou wasn't one to back down. "With your status, you still have the nerve to come to the Beauty Hall? Can you even afford anything here?"