The Empress's No.1 Lackey

The concubines of the old Emperor couldn't be sent away, so they were kept and maintained. In the past, these concubines would engage in various 'palace intrigues' to vie for favor, but now they've completely lost interest in such matters, making the harem chaotically harmonious.

Mo Chou, a female official of the 'Six Palaces', was largely responsible for managing the concubines left by the old Emperor.

Zhao Douan followed the Empress, walking around the Empress's sleeping quarters, and for the first time entered deeper into the Imperial Palace.

The two walked in front, followed by a large group of female officials and eunuchs.

"Speaking of which, you're one of the very few men who have stepped into the harem in the past three years," Xu Zhenguan said lightly, her long dress trailing over the clean ground, teasingly.

Doesn't that make me like Tang Seng in the Women's Country? Everyone wants to take a bite out of me?

Zhao Douan quietly leaned closer to Zhenbao, looking straight ahead:

"My heart is solely for Your Majesty; the beauty of the harem pales in comparison."

The beauty of the harem pales in comparison... Xu Zhenguan gave him a surprised look:

"Is this a newly composed poem of yours? There should be a preceding line, isn't there? Let's hear it."

Zhao Douan cautiously glanced at her and tentatively said, "A smile upon a glance, a hundred charms arise?"

A smile upon a glance, a hundred charms arise; the beauty of the harem pales in comparison... Xu Zhenguan savored the poetry, finding it vivid and imaginative, marveled at the poetic talent of this Little Forbidden Army, all the while holding a smile, seeming half amused:

"Do you find me charming, or some woman in the palace? Speaking of which, for your significant contribution in capturing Zhuang Xiaocheng, I haven't rewarded you yet. Why not pick a concubine from the harem?"

No, you surely can't be serious about this joke, Zhenbao, are you certain the old Emperor won't jump out of his coffin and come after me?... Zhao Douan decisively drew a line:

"Every frown and smile of Your Majesty is more enchanting to me than the red flowers..."

Xu Zhenguan scoffed, not bothered to bicker with him, rolled her eyes playfully, and sighed softly:

"Let's not joke around anymore. Do you know who I'm taking you to meet?"

Zhao Douan pondered:

"If Your Majesty speaks of the Cold Palace, as far as I know... the only one sent to the Cold Palace in recent years is Noble Princess Consort Xiao."

Noble Princess Consort Xiao... who is none other than the birth mother of the Second Prince, Xu Jianwen!

Zhao Douan, wanting to survive in Yu Country, had naturally studied up on such information.

The old Emperor had an Empress in his early years, who was the Crown Prince's birth mother. After recovering from illness, for reasons unknown, he did not appoint a new Empress.

To some extent, this also became a catalyst for later political upheaval.

Without an Empress to suppress the harem, many concubines inevitably set their sights on this position.

Xu Jianwen's Holy Mother, Noble Princess Consort Xiao, was once a strong contender for becoming Empress.

As for Zhenbao's birth mother, she died due to difficult labor when giving birth to her, and was later raised by the Empress Dowager, hence she was close to the Crown Prince.

"Noble Princess Consort Xiao's natal family was also a powerful foreign influence in the capital and one of the forces that helped Jianwen seize power during the Xuan Sect Coup... Afterwards, the coup failed, and Xiao's family was executed for their crimes of treason... Noble Princess Consort Xiao was also sent to the Cold Palace..."

Zhao Douan observed Zhenbao's expression and cautiously said.

For the purge of the Xiao family was orchestrated by Xu Zhenguan soon after ascending to the throne.

Xu Zhenguan sighed softly and said:

"Yes, it is her. According to records from back then, Jianwen visited Noble Princess Consort Xiao repeatedly in the days leading up to the rebellion..."

Zhao Douan's eyes lit up:

"So, Your Majesty suspects that Noble Princess Consort Xiao knows some insider information? Indeed, no matter how much Jianwen concealed, nobody knows a child better than their mother. Even if he didn't reveal any secrets, Noble Princess Consort Xiao would have noticed any changes in Jianwen. Your Majesty intends to interrogate her?"

Xu Zhenguan silently shook her head and said:

"Interrogate... if only it could yield results."

What do you mean?

Zhao Douan couldn't hide his confusion, and by this time, the group had already reached a secluded corner deep within the palace, outside a particularly isolated courtyard.

In early spring, the chill had not yet dispersed. Looking from outside, one could see the bare branches of trees peeking over the courtyard wall.

Compared to the other concubines' courtyards, this one was particularly dilapidated, with narrow, shabby gates, locked with a large padlock.

A hole had been cut in the door to deliver food.

It was clearly a different kind of prison.

"Open the door."

Xu Zhenguan instructed calmly.

Immediately, a eunuch rushed forward, took out a key, inserted it into the lock, and with a click, the door opened.

Once the door was open, Xu Zhenguan ordered the palace attendants to wait outside, and she entered the courtyard with Zhao Douan.

At a glance, Zhao Douan frowned. The courtyard was extremely desolate and run-down, with wild grass growing on the ground, broken tiles, and excrement littered everywhere.

"That's already considered good; in previous Cold Palaces, people were sometimes kept in their rooms and not allowed out. Noble Princess Consort Xiao at least has the freedom to move around."

Seeing Zhao Douan's frown, Xu Zhenguan explained.

It was evident that the Empress's feelings towards Noble Princess Consort Xiao were complex, with both hatred and sympathy.

The former was natural due to Jianwen's fratricide and parricide, which couldn't be devoid of Noble Princess Consort Xiao's influence.

The latter, Zhao Douan guessed, probably stemmed more from empathy for her as a 'mother' and 'woman'.

But soon, he realized he had guessed wrong.

The hint of concealed sympathy in Zhenbao's words had another explanation.

"Food... food is here..."

The two hadn't taken many steps into the Cold Palace before they saw the door to a run-down shack ahead open. A disheveled, mad-looking woman stumbled out, clad in a palace maid's dress, albeit somewhat dirty.

Her age was hard to determine, but she was undoubtedly not young, yet through that face marked by time, one could still tell she was a great beauty in her youth.

Even now, faded with age, if she were neatly dressed, she could still be a well-preserved, charming woman.

But her mad gaze had all but ruined the noble temperament nurtured from her prominent birth. Leaning against the door frame, Noble Princess Consort Xiao looked at their empty hands with disappointment:

"Food... didn't come..."

Zhao Douan was taken aback, turning to look at Zhenbao: "Noble Princess Consort Xiao is...?"

Xu Zhenguan sighed softly: "She went insane after the Xuan Sect Coup."

...

These chapters slow down the pace, with a relatively plain plot, laying some groundwork for what's to come.