She sang two strange little tunes that His Majesty had never heard before. His Majesty found them novel and interesting and rewarded her with a rare pipa.
She would send new recipes to His Majesty every few days, and His Majesty said that she often had to travel back and forth to Qianxin Palace, which was tiring, so he specially rewarded her with half of a colorful banner.
Such favors made the other concubines green with envy, wishing they possessed such talents.
Currently, among the most favored concubines in the palace, Ning Wanyin was number one, and Wei Yingya was second only to her.
“Your Majesty, you must be careful of this Ying Meiren. She’s always trying to curry favor with His Majesty. Now everyone in the palace knows she’s a master of seduction!” Xiao Guizi said with hostility.
“She’s the Emperor’s concubine, so it is her duty to please him. I don’t care what others say, but we in Lingxue Pavilion should not gossip about her.” Ning Wanyin frowned.
Xiao Guizi quickly said, “This servant knows his mistake. This servant was just worried for Master Jieyu, seeing that she is surpassing you in every way…”
First, the small kitchen, then the colorful banner, and all sorts of rare items.
What Ning Wanyin has, Ying Meiren also has.
In the eyes of everyone in the harem, Ning Wanyin must be the one who dislikes Ying Meiren the most.
“What’s the rush? Whether she’s doing well or not has nothing to do with us.” Ning Wanyin chuckled and shook her head.
“You should focus your attention on Changchun Palace. Protecting Shun Pin’s pregnancy is the most important task for the Lingxue Pavilion.”
Xiao Guizi couldn’t help but say, “Your Highness, you really care. But the palace servants in Changchun Palace are complaining that you’re meddling too much.”
“What?” Ning Wanyin raised an eyebrow.
“Yesterday, I was ordered by you to go to Changchun Palace to inspect, and someone actually spoke ill of you behind your back.” Xiao Guizi quickly complained.
Changchun Palace has been peaceful lately.
Some palace servants privately criticized Ning Wanyin, complaining that she was too troublesome. They felt that without her, nothing would have happened in Changchun Palace, and they wouldn’t be so constrained and overworked.
“Why didn’t they complain about having too much money when they were taking the reward? Now they are complaining about the hard work? If something happens to Changchun Palace, they’ll lose their heads!” Lian Rui said angrily.
Ning Wanyin’s eyes flashed, but she didn’t find it strange.
At first, everyone was afraid of something going wrong and was extremely cautious. But since nothing happened for a while, people easily became complacent.
And the person behind the scenes was also waiting for such an opportunity.
“It’s hard work to do a job, so it’s normal to complain a bit.” Ning Wanyin said casually.
“You can all go down now. Call Xiao Xiazi over here.”
“Yes.”
…
Left side hall of Yixiu Palace, Haitang Residence—
“You always manage to create new dishes. His Majesty likes you, and we’ve all benefited from it, getting to try something new. His Majesty even bestowed upon you a small kitchen; it’s truly putting it to good use.” Fang Zhaoyi chuckled, clutching her handkerchief and covering her mouth.
“Unlike some people, who, let alone creating new dishes for His Majesty, have barely cooked a few times, even with this small kitchen bestowed upon her. She shows far less care for His Majesty than you do. No wonder His Majesty favors Sister so much now.”
Wei Yingya smiled and replied, “Fang Zhaoyi flattered me. I merely happen to be skilled in cooking; how could I possibly match the depth of your affection for His Majesty?”
She understood that Fang Zhaoyi was trying to incite her and Ning Wanyin to fight each other…
However, Wei Yingya did not want to provoke someone who was destined to die.
So she pretended not to understand and instead flattered Fang Zhaoyi.
Fang Zhaoyi frowned slightly, then changed the subject: “I think Sister is very clever and quick-witted. Shu Fei really likes your crispy snow cake…”
Wei Yingya is now extremely popular in the harem, with both the Xue and Cen factions sending people to offer gifts and curry favor, vying to win her over.
Among the four great noble families, two are military families under the command of the two dukes when they were conquering the world, so they always follow the lead of the two dukes.
The remaining two families, the Wei and Tang, are independent. The Xue and Cen families have been trying to win them over.
However, neither family has chosen to align themselves with any of them, thus avoiding offending either side and managing to maintain a balance of power.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152