I swept the harem by pretending to be weak

To be fair, this emperor could not be considered a foolish or tyrant. He was quite honest and loved his people. Under his rule, the country's strength also recovered to a certain extent.

But that doesn't mean they don't need to be wary of him.

Liu Zhirou chatted casually with Ai Ziyi for a few more words and agreed to go traveling with her after the baby was born.

Ai Ziyi was both looking forward to and worried about this. After all, even though she had never been pregnant before, she understood that pregnancy was a difficult thing for a woman, and the whole process would take at least a year.

Liu Zhirou didn't have any thoughts about this. After all, she just wanted to use this incident to fool the trouble from Concubine Shu, and she couldn't pretend for a long time. In about one or two months, the matter would come to an end.

Different from the happy atmosphere between the two of them, there was a gloomy atmosphere in Concubine Shu's palace.

"Damn it, damn it, that fool Concubine Gan not only lost her own life, but also implicated me!" Concubine Shu was so angry that she smashed another set of porcelain.

"If that idiot hadn't revealed his true identity, then Pure Beauty should have been assigned to me this time, and her child should have been raised by me in the future!"

"Sister, please calm down. There is no point in saying this now. Since it has already happened, it cannot be changed. All we can do is to think of ways to make up for the loss this time." The person who spoke this was also a concubine. She looked younger than Concubine Shu, about twenty years old. She was dressed simply and had a calm temperament.

She was the younger sister of Concubine Shu, and the first candidate sent by Duke Deng's Mansion to secure the emperor's favor. However, she was not very favored by the emperor, and she did not succeed in getting pregnant. Until now, she was only conferred the title of a talented person for the sake of Duke Deng's Mansion.

"Make up for it? How to make up for it? One step ahead, every step ahead. This time, that old witch, Concubine Xian, is going to ride on my head!" Concubine Shu obviously didn't want to hear what she said.

"Actually, there is no need to worry about Concubine Xian. Although she has been with the Emperor for a long time, she is too old after all. Even if she really adopts Concubine Chun's child, she will only be promoted to Imperial Concubine. The Empress has not made any mistakes, and she will not be demoted easily." Cairen Guo looked like she was planning a strategy. She picked up the teacup on the coffee table and took a sip before she spoke slowly.

"The Queen Mother has been targeting you all along, largely because you have been favored too much and offended the Queen Mother. But when the Virtuous Concubine had a child and was promoted to the position of Imperial Concubine, the Queen Mother will definitely target her." Cairen Guo thought her comments were pretty good, but all she got was a slap in the face.

Guo Cairen was stunned immediately.

Although his sister was usually not very polite to him, this was the first time she had beaten him directly.

"You want me to flatter the Queen and pay respect to Consort Xian? Don't be ridiculous!" Consort Shu was obviously furious. Her towering chest rose and fell, showing that she was not calm. "If you say this again, don't say you are my sister!"

Guo Cairen felt very aggrieved, but she did not dare to quarrel with her sister. She knew very well that her value in the family was completely different from that of her sister.

The family could give up on her easily, but they would never give up on her sister easily.

So no matter how dissatisfied she was, she had to find a way to plan for her sister.

Concubine Shu was not aware of her sister's dissatisfaction, and even if she was aware of it, she probably wouldn't care.

There was a seven or eight year age difference between her and Guo Cairen, and they were not particularly familiar with each other. Although they were both legitimate daughters, their friendship was not very deep.

Concubine Shu was born very beautiful since she was young, and when she grew up she was even more beautiful than a flower. After entering the palace, she received many preferential treatments because of her appearance.

No matter how hard the emperor tried to maintain fairness and follow the rules, there would always be some preferential treatment for beautiful people.

Especially when he married his concubine, it was the time when he was most ambitious. He defeated several brothers who were of higher birth than him, and either executed them or exiled them. Under the watchful eyes of the people, he ascended the throne of emperor, held the power of the world, and slept on the lap of a beautiful woman, which was the ultimate goal of many men.

It is precisely because of this that Concubine Shu has gained a very important position in the emperor's heart.

Compared to Concubine Guo, who only has an elegant temperament but ordinary facial features, Concubine Shu naturally has a sense of superiority.

So she continued to babble about her anger.

"That so-called queen is nothing more than a small concubine in the Prince's Palace! She has a poor background, ordinary looks, and average abilities. If I had entered the Prince's Palace earlier, who knows who would have taken the position of queen!"

"The virtuous concubine was nothing more than a palace maid that the emperor favored when he was still the crown prince. She has relied on her seniority to get to where she is today, and she is now on an equal footing with me, and even wants to climb above me. Isn't this ridiculous? I am the legitimate daughter of Duke Deng!"

Guo Cairen was obviously used to his miserable appearance, so she just lowered her head and waited for her to finish venting.

It took a long time for Concubine Shu to calm down.

"Whatever plan you have, tell me now. I absolutely cannot stand this situation! Don't worry, I won't punish you regardless of whether it succeeds or not."

When Lady Guo heard this, she couldn't help but think of Concubine Gan.

The last person who took Concubine Shu's words seriously was this unlucky guy. Not only did he bear the blame, but he also implicated the lives of his entire family.

"I feel that of all the siege techniques, attacking the heart is the most important. The emperor has always hoped that the biological mothers would raise the princes and princesses, and Concubine Chen was promoted to the position of concubine because of this benefit." Cairen Guo was very cautious and considered her words for a long time before she spoke.

She was really afraid of Concubine Shu's mood swings.

But it was just a little bit of physical pain, and what she feared most was that Concubine Shu would secretly trip her up. For a concubine like her who was not favored and had no children, even if she died suddenly in the palace for no apparent reason, no one would seek justice, and her family would only send her younger sister to the palace.

"So what?" Concubine Shu seemed not to realize the point she made and asked impatiently.

"So even if Concubine Chun really gave birth to a child, the emperor would not necessarily give the child to Concubine Xian to raise. It is more likely that he would directly promote Concubine Chun to the rank of concubine and let her raise the child herself." The more Concubine Guo spoke, the smoother it became, and she gradually let go.

"What you said is completely meaningless. I already had a grudge with Lady Chun." Concubine Shu seemed even more impatient.

"If Concubine Xian wants to have a child, the best way is to make Concubine Chun have a difficult delivery, or die of hemorrhage after delivery. This way, the child will be in her hands." Cairen Guo didn't dare to keep it a secret any longer. She cursed Concubine Shu in her heart for being ignorant of etiquette and not knowing what was good for her, but she still quickly told her the result.