I swept the harem by pretending to be weak

Liu Zhirou made full use of the superiority of her own equipment and used the technique of "speaking without being asked" to hint to Concubine De to elaborate on the last sentence.

Concubine De frowned, seeming to be slightly resistant, but still recounted the past events.

"You see our current queen is so elegant and graceful, and she seems so unattainable. But if you had seen the face of the previous queen, you would definitely not take this pretentious woman seriously."

"The former queen's maiden name was 呂呂, and we all called her 呂呂. She was a very good person, but it was a pity that she loved the emperor a little too much, and ended up like this."

"Princess Chun, remember, no matter what, you can't fall in love with the emperor. The emperor has no heart. In order to satisfy his dream of getting his hands on supreme power, he can give up everything."

"At first, the emperor probably loved Nannan very much, and they showed their affection every day. When it snowed that day, he was afraid that Nannan would slip, so he even carried her step by step from the door to the room. We were all very envious at the time, but who knew that the final result would be so tragic? The eldest and second princes were Nannan's biological children, but in exchange for the power he desired, he could also abandon them without hesitation."

"I am relatively lucky. My mother used to work in the palace and taught me from a young age that I must never trust the emperor's true feelings. I listened to her and believed her. I never gave my heart to that heartless man. But it's different for An An. Her parents raised her too well. She doesn't understand this!"

When Concubine De said this, her expression suddenly became extremely excited, almost ferocious. Liu Zhirou was shocked, thinking that Wu Wenzi had said something wrong and turned him into a madman.

Just as she was about to ask someone to come in and check, Concubine De had already returned to normal.

"I scared you, didn't I? I've been like this a lot in recent years, losing control of my emotions. That's why I always practice Taoism in the palace to control my emotions, so that I won't get too excited and cause problems that can't be solved." Defei laughed again, her smile was gentle, almost no different from before.

"Although I have never had the honor of meeting the late queen, since she has been able to gain your respect for so many years, I think she must be no ordinary person." Liu Zhirou complimented tentatively, and Defei immediately looked very pleased.

Under the effect of speaking without being asked, she can express her true inner thoughts at will, but her ability to distinguish seems to have become weaker, and she easily takes what others say seriously.

"It's rare that you can still be so innocent in this filthy palace. Well, I'll show you a way out. Concubine Chen has been spoiled too much by the emperor recently and has become more and more domineering. The Empress Dowager is very disappointed with her and will soon withdraw her support."

Liu Zhirou was startled and looked next door.

"Don't look at me like that. Our Queen Mother is indeed a smart person. She won't add icing on the cake, but will only provide help in times of need." Defei found that Liu Zhirou's eyes were a little strange, and said with dissatisfaction.

"Your family background is a flaw. You can only advance further if you marry the Queen Mother. Don't say nonsense like you don't want to advance further. If you don't make progress in this palace, there will be many people who want to pull you down."

"When you get to the Queen Mother's place, don't make decisions on your own. Ask for her advice. The Queen Mother has eaten more salt than you have eaten rice. You can't compare to her experience!"

Defei gave Liu Zhirou a few more words of advice before letting her go.

Liu Zhirou responded gently all the time, extracting the information she wanted from Concubine De's answers.

She had some understanding of the image of the Empress Dowager. After hearing the same news from so many people, Liu Zhirou felt that it was quite credible. At least it would not go in the opposite direction like the previous Concubine Shu.

Not long after Liu Zhirou left, Defei's personal maid slowly walked in with a cup of herbal tea.

In order to avoid catching cold and affecting their future offspring, most concubines in the harem would take care of themselves as much as possible and usually drink hot soup. However, Concubine De was an exception. She particularly preferred cold drinks. Even though it was late autumn and she had put on a coat, she still had to drink things chilled with well water.

"Your Majesty seems to think highly of Concubine Chun." The palace maid was wearing the attire of a palace maid, but her behavior did not seem like that of an ordinary palace maid at all. Her tone was familiar, as if she and Concubine De were sisters.

"How could you see that I like her? How could I be interested in such a fool who has nothing good except her appearance?" After hearing this, Defei looked furious.

She usually boasted of her intelligence and talent, but she only regretted that she was not a man. She had no way to achieve success in the court, and could only stay in the harem with a grievance, fighting with a bunch of idiots.

"Your Majesty, don't be stubborn. If you didn't value her, why would you say so much to Concubine Chun, even telling her about the late queen?" The palace maid was not frightened by this, but smiled even more happily.

She was happy for Concubine De from the bottom of her heart. Ever since the death of the previous queen, Concubine De had been depressed and had no friends in the palace. Now the situation had finally improved to a certain extent, and Concubine De no longer showed a paranoid and fierce look to everyone.

Defei's eyes suddenly became very confused, as if she had forgotten something, and as if she had suddenly remembered something.

"I just... I just think she is innocent and delicate, and her appearance is very much like Nannan back then... That's why I gave a few suggestions." But in the end, she seemed to have convinced herself, and gave just an ordinary answer.

This answer certainly did not satisfy the palace maid who served her. The two of them laughed and joked for a while before the palace maid packed up her things and prepared to send them downstairs. Before leaving, she also instructed to prepare a gift for Lan Meiren.

Concubine Chun and Concubine Lan had a very good relationship, and this was no secret in the palace.

Concubine Chun is a thoughtful person with a good personality. She is currently quite favored by the emperor. Maybe she and her master will be able to help each other in the future. In this case, it is okay to spend more time and effort on her.