The eldest sister was reborn and the younger sister traveled through time. I just want to survive.

"Everyone, stand up. I will find out the reason and give you justice." Emperor Yuanjing said with a grim expression.

The emperor was angry and no one dared to speak anymore.

A moment later, the royal guards carried a limp eunuch in gray clothes out of the east wing.

"Reporting to His Majesty, we have found the suspected assassin, but he has committed suicide by taking poison."

Concubine Li heaved a sigh of relief and said softly to Emperor Yuan Jing, "Your Majesty, it's all because of my poor supervision. If I had known that such a terrible accident would happen, I would not have held a birthday banquet!"

Emperor Yuanjing glanced at her indifferently and said, "The imperial concubine has indeed failed to supervise properly!" After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and strode away.

Concubine Li's expression froze on her face. Her face gradually turned red, then from red to white. Finally, she couldn't help but have tears in her eyes.

Having accompanied the emperor for more than twenty years, she has always been the most favored one, and no woman in the harem has ever been able to compete with her.

Whatever she wanted to do, the emperor would go along with it. Even if she punished other favored concubines in anger, the emperor would just look at her helplessly and say "Nonsense."

Over the years, the emperor had never really reprimanded her. This was the first time he humiliated her in front of everyone like today.

Concubine Li's sadness only lasted for a moment and was soon replaced by jealousy.

The Third Prince is not favored by the Emperor. The Emperor certainly doesn't blame her because of the Third Prince, so it can only be because of Prince Rong.

Yu Wantai was just a cousin, how could he be favored by the emperor over all the other princes? Now even she was being favored over him.

She was not satisfied on behalf of her own son, and even more so for herself! However, she had already caught the emperor's eye, so she couldn't create any more trouble.

Empress Xue suppressed her slightly raised lips and advised, "Don't take it to heart, Concubine. The Emperor has always loved Concubine. This time he must have been really angry."

"Thank you, Queen, for your consideration. I know the Emperor's feelings very well and will not take it to heart." Concubine Li looked at the nanny beside her and said, "My mood is ruined today. I am in no mood to celebrate my birthday anymore. Nanny Li, please order the palace maids to escort everyone out of the palace!" After saying that, she left the Queen and everyone else without caring about the etiquette and left first.

Empress Xue seemed to have gotten used to Concubine Li's unruly behavior. She followed her away with a calm expression, and then the concubines from other palaces also left the courtyard one after another.

Up to this point in the play, Yan Muxi made a strange discovery: apart from the Empress and Concubine Li, Concubine Shu had the highest rank in the harem.

However, Concubine Shu was like a transparent person all the time. She didn't get involved in the incident, didn't get close to Emperor Yuanjing, and only said a few words on behalf of Concubine Qin during the whole process.

The most valuable thing about Concubine Qin was the Third Prince, but she looked at him coldly. Concubine Shu didn't even glance at the Third Prince and didn't care much about his safety.

It was as if among all the people in the harem, Concubine Shu only cared about Concubine Qin.

Everyone left one after another, leaving only a few people in the yard.

Yan Muqing handed the bundle of clothes to Yan Muxi, "It's getting late, second sister, change your dirty clothes quickly so that we can leave the palace earlier."

Yan Muxi took the bag and saw Yu Wantai still standing not far away. After thinking about it, she decided to walk over.

She stood five steps away from Yu Wantai and saluted, "Thanks to the help of the prince today, otherwise I would not be able to tell the difference even if I had a hundred mouths!"

Looking at the girl in front of him who was bowing politely, Yu Wantai felt a mixture of emotions that were indescribable.

Of all the questions I wanted to ask, only one remained: "When, where, and how did Miss Yan learn to pick locks?"

Yan Muxi still maintained the kneeling posture. She was startled when she heard the words and subconsciously looked up. She was met with the burning peach blossom eyes whose emotions were hard to discern, and then she quickly lowered her eyes.

"I have never learned how to pick locks. I was just interested in mechanical locks when I was young, so I learned how to do it by just fiddling with them."

"Okay, I understand. Miss Yan, go change your clothes!"

Yan Muxi breathed a sigh of relief when Yu Wantai didn't ask any more questions.

Before turning around, she couldn't help but secretly glance at Prince Gou again. She always felt that Yu Wantai was weird today, just like the last time they met. He spoke strangely and even his expression was weird.

Why did Yu Wantai's attitude towards her suddenly change from resentment to ambiguity?

Abnormality is a demon, and who knows what evil Prince Dog is up to? Rather than confronting him, she needs to be extra careful and not lose her life.

On the carriage back to the mansion, Yan Muxi asked Yan Muqing, "Was Prince Rong brought to the cross courtyard by my elder sister?"

Since the two of them are about to board the same ship, being honest with each other is inevitable.

Yan Muqing did not deny it, "Yes, I asked the prince to help lead the person."

Yan Muxi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Big sister, how much do you know about the concubines in the palace? Can you tell me about it?"

The honor and favor of the harem are closely related to the power of the previous dynasty, and the degree of favor of concubines often represents the emperor's thoughts.

But if the emperor's thoughts were laid out in the open, anyone would be able to see through them at a glance, and he would probably not be able to hold on to his throne.

Yan Muxi wants to confirm whether Concubine Li and her son are really favored by the emperor? Which prince does Emperor Yuanjing really like? If they want to rebel against Yan Yongchen, they must first figure out which thigh they can cling to!

Yan Muqing did not ask the reason in detail, and told him everything he knew, "Empress Xue is tolerant and generous. As long as you don't go against her wishes, it's not difficult to get along with her. Concubine Li is arrogant and domineering, and she is favored by the emperor. She is the one who should not be provoked in the entire harem. Concubine Shu is quiet in nature. Although she doesn't compete for favor on weekdays, she has received a lot of favor. In addition to Concubine Li's Jinxiu Palace, the emperor likes to go to Concubine Shu's Yuhua Palace the most. Concubine Chen, Concubine De, Concubine Xian, and concubines of lower ranks who were promoted later, all received ordinary honors and favors. So far, no one has surpassed Concubine Li and Concubine Shu."

"What about Concubine Qin?" Yan Muxi was most curious about Concubine Qin.

Concubine Qin was of low status, plain in appearance, and not very smart. How did she manage to give birth to a prince and princess safely? Was she really unpopular with the emperor as rumored?

There were many people and things in her previous life that she didn't see clearly, so Yan Muqing didn't dare to make any rash comments. She recalled them carefully, but Qin Guiren's presence in the harem was too transparent. Every time she saw her, she would hide behind Shufei and didn't even say a few complete words.

Seeing that she frowned and couldn't explain it, Yan Muxi asked again, "In your dream, was Concubine Qin wrongly accused of stealing the incense beads?"

Yan Muqing suddenly remembered that there had indeed been a farce of stealing scent beads at the imperial concubine’s birthday banquet in her previous life.

"…The pearl was found on Concubine Qin. Concubine Li was furious and was about to punish Concubine Qin when the Emperor and Empress arrived. After Emperor Yuanjing learned the whole story, he gave Concubine Li some more things and also punished Concubine Qin by confining her to her room."

"Then what?" Yan Muxi asked.

Yan Muqing shook her head, "No more."

The punishment of an unfavored concubine did not cause much sensation at the time, and it was over without any follow-up.

Yan Muxi expressed doubts, "A low-ranking concubine who stole the emperor's reward in public was only confined to her house? How long was Concubine Qin confined to her house? Was there any other punishment?"

After hearing what Yan Muxi said, Yan Muqing also noticed something strange.