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  Then she tidied herself up and went to the Heping Hall. The Heping Hall of Huayang Palace was where Empress Li lived during the previous emperor's reign, its luxury is self-evident, and it can also be imagined how favored Wei Zhaoyi was back then. Many people said that if Wei Zhaoyi hadn't fallen ill, perhaps even the empress wouldn't have been able to surpass her in favor within the six palaces.

  It's almost New Year's Eve, and the palace is decorated with large red lanterns and silk flower screens. The Huayang Palace is also decorated festively. When Lin Wan entered the Harmony Hall, the Emperor happened to be there too, accompanied by several concubines who lived in the Huayang Palace. The grand hall was filled with gentle laughter and chatter.

  In the Huayang Palace, apart from the main consort, Empress Shao, there were also four consorts living in the side halls: Qi Ronghua, Zhang Yuanyi, Fang Cairen and Wang Cairen. None of them were particularly favored. At this moment, all of these women had gathered in the grand hall.

  Wei Zhaoyi was still lying in bed, while Emperor Taizong of Northern Wei sat at the head of the bed talking to her. Seeing Lin Yu enter, Emperor Taizong's joyful expression deepened as he beckoned: "Yu'er, come sit over here! Is Huayang Palace okay? I specially chose the Jiyan Building for you to reside in; it's an exquisite little pavilion. I think you'll like it. Zhaoyi is also a gentle and easy-going person; living here won't cause you any distress."

  Lin Yanxian stepped forward, looked up at the woman sitting on the bed, and then knelt down to pay her respects. "Concubine Hongyan of Lin's family pays her respects to Mistress Wei," she said before taking a seat. Contrary to her expectations, Mistress Wei was beautiful but not as seductive as the Imperial Consort. Instead, she had perfect features that exuded elegance and refinement. This beauty was exceptional in the entire palace, but no one would associate her with "bewitching the emperor".

  Perhaps due to her recent recovery from a serious illness, Wei Manchuang's physique was very frail. She looked like she was twenty-three or four years old, and according to the palace staff, she had entered the palace in the first year of Qianwu, so she was not young among the many beauties in the harem. However, she took good care of herself, and the five years of sleeping away had left no signs of illness or fatigue on her. On the contrary, because she rarely saw sunlight, her skin was extremely white and delicate, with a smooth complexion that seemed almost transparent at first glance, and the wrist held by Tuoba Hong was even whiter than the snow outside the door.

  She looked at Lin Wan, with a smile on her face, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes sizing up the other person from head to toe. She turned her head and smiled softly at Tuoba Hong: "Your Majesty, Lin sister is indeed very beautiful and also very sensible."

  Taizong of Northern Wei stroked his palm and smiled, a look of satisfaction on his face: "I'm right, aren't I? Yuan'er has always been very likable. She lives in your palace and often comes over to keep you company, so you won't feel bored."

  Lin Wan heard the Emperor say this and suddenly felt enlightened. She smiled and said: "So, Your Majesty has mentioned me in front of Consort Shao?"

  "It was Empress Dowager's idea for you to move into Huayang Palace and live there." Taohong said lazily.

  Lin Wan thought to herself, her face calm and smiling at Wei Zhaoyi: "Unexpectedly, the concubine has not yet moved in, but has already received the favor of Zhaoyi Niangniang. The concubine is truly honored and will certainly serve Zhaoyi Niangniang well in the future."

  "Good." Wei Zhao Yi wasn't as talkative as Chang He Guifei, she was a bit quiet and only said one word. After speaking, she looked at Lin Yuan with a smile, her expression warm and friendly.

  It's actually the one sitting below, Qi Yonghua, who smiled and said: "The Zhaoyi Niangniang has been ill for many years, and the sisters in the Huayang Palace have almost become moldy. Now that Niangniang is awake again, another beautiful Yu Niangniang has arrived, and our Huayang Palace suddenly became joyful." As she spoke, she turned to Lin Yuan: "My maiden name is Chengyu, I don't think Yu Niangniang knew before? I actually know that Niangniang's maiden name is Yuer. From now on, Niangniang will also be a sister in the Huayang Palace, Zhaoyi is a very easy-going person, Yu Niangniang will definitely like the Huayang Palace..."

  In front of her, Ziyun Hua had an oval face, with a dignified appearance, but unfortunately, she was a bit chubby, with a rounded chin. Lin Yu looked at her small mouth opening and closing rapidly, couldn't help but laugh, and quietly smiled to let her finish speaking. Wei Zhao Yi had been ill for a long time, seeing her like this, cheerful and lively, also liked it, and didn't interrupt her.

  Zi Ronghua was familiar, pulling Lin Yu's hand and chatting for a while, then grabbed a piece of date cake and stuffed it into her mouth, and broke off another piece to put in Lin Yu's hand: "Come on, Concubine Wei, try some, my small kitchen just made it. Several years ago, Consort Shao liked it very much."

  Lin Yan looked at the pastry with red sugar and cream on top, quietly put it down, and changed the subject: "Ah, the scenery of Huayang Palace is really good. The yulan flowers planted outside the Hehuan Hall are what variety, I don't even know their name..."

  "Oh, it's Yushan magnolia! The petals are very sweet and can be used to make a tea!"

  Lin Yuan: "......"

  Lin Wan did not stay in the Heping Hall for too long. Everyone chatted and sat around for a while, and then the Emperor had to hurry back to deal with government affairs. After the Emperor left, Wei Zhaoyi also looked tired, so Lin Wan and the concubines took their leave one after another.

  Back in the misty smoke building, Chuxue served Lin Wan a cup of tea made from snow water. Lin Wan asked her while drinking: "Was Wei Zhaoyi indeed very favored back then? Was she as favored as Guifei?"

  "Yes." Chuxue nodded without hesitation, and then thought for a moment: "Actually, it's not. I've been serving in the palace for over ten years, and I personally witnessed the prosperity of Concubine Shao that year. Concubine Shao was not only beautiful, but also understood people's intentions, and was very much liked by the emperor. But if you compare her to Noble Consort... they are two different people. Noble Consort is strong-willed and has a harsh personality, monopolizing the emperor's favor and not allowing others to share it. Concubine Shao, on the other hand, is gentle and never quarrels with others in public, nor would she dare to offend Empress Dowager. Because of this, she has never 'monopolized the emperor's favor', and after a long time, the emperor would be advised to go elsewhere."

  "What's wrong with her? Is it just because she fainted from being unable to bear the death of the second prince?"

  "The Empress's illness was a bit complicated." Xue'er explained in detail: "The Empress had a difficult labor, and it's said that she lost a lot of blood and suffered greatly. She used her last breath to give birth to the second prince, but he died as soon as he was born. The Empress couldn't withstand it, and she had a massive hemorrhage. It was only because of an imperial physician surnamed Cui who used 'Xiong Bao' in his medicine that she managed to survive. This 'Xiong Bao' is a stone found in the gallbladder of a male brown bear from Mongolia, as ordinary black bears, brown bears, and female bears do not produce such stones. The medicinal properties of 'Xiong Bao' are very potent, and the Empress used a large dose..."

  "Jiang Zhi's concubine was then suffering from a sudden attack of fury, her mind was extremely fragile, and under the effect of Xiong Bao, she would easily sleep without waking up."

  "Zhaoyi managed to save a life, but it was barely alive. Cui Yuanyi resigned from his official position for this matter."

  Lin Yan nodded slightly after listening, "It's really quite pitiful. But she looks fine now, her complexion is rosy and her spirit is good."

  "So it's said that she has a good fate. Five years ago, she didn't die from bleeding, and five years later, she still receives the emperor's love and favor, always on his mind. Even her skin and figure haven't been ruined by illness, she is still a beautiful woman with an otherworldly beauty."

  Chu Xue's tone had a hint of worry, Wei Zhao Yi woke up one morning, and didn't know what kind of situation the palace would become. The emperor's favor towards her own master, was probably going to be divided. Moreover, it wasn't clear whether this person was friend or foe, how could she be sure that Lin Huan wouldn't cause trouble for her in the future?

  With the emperor's favor towards her, if she were to oppose him, she would indeed be a formidable opponent.

  The first snow fell anxiously, but Lin Wan just smiled lightly. She was not anxious, nor afraid, and no matter what kind of sacred being Wei Shi was, if he wanted to fight her or make friends with her, he would have to carefully consider it.

  "People in the palace all say she has a good temperament." Lin Yu said casually: "Compared to Guifei, she indeed deserves such praise, but I don't know if it's just a facade or her true nature? I entered the palace later and am not familiar with her. Do you know anything else about her?"

  "Zhaoyi's good nature is true." Chuxue spoke the truth: "She has a gentle disposition, never picks on others, and is easy to get along with. I once had a fellow villager who worked in the Huayang Palace, she said that this Zhaoyi Niangniang even when she was alone in her own palace, would still be kind and courteous to the servants, unlike some people who are one way outside and another inside. However, as for Zhaoyi's affairs, I know very little, my fellow villager died of a sudden illness long ago. Zhaoyi Niangniang is a quiet person, doesn't like to go out, and doesn't talk much. She's nothing like the Guifei, who makes sure everyone in the palace knows about everything."

  "It doesn't matter." Lin Yan smiled faintly: "She seems to be very interested in me, and even personally suggested to the Emperor that I move here. In the future, we'll often meet, and what needs to be known will eventually be known."

  As she spoke, she couldn't help but laugh: "That Qi Ronghua was quite interesting today. In the past, I didn't have much to do with her, and she wasn't favored either, we just saw each other every day in Changxin Palace. Now I finally know what that mouth of hers is capable of..."

  Chu Xue couldn't help but laugh and said, "Don't look at Qi Ronghua's small mouth, she can both eat and talk. Your Majesty can rest assured, she doesn't have any ulterior motives, and it won't be tiring to get along with her. She entered the palace with Chang and Gui Fei, and has been living in the side hall of Huayang Palace all along. At that time, Zhaoyi was still in high spirits. Later, when Zhaoyi fell ill, she still lived in Huayang Palace, and remained the same as before. She is elegant in appearance, loves to talk and laugh, and was very likable when she first entered the palace. The emperor liked her very much at that time. Unfortunately... unfortunately, she gained weight, and the emperor didn't like her anymore."

  Lin Wan let out an "oh" and put down the piece of chestnut sugar she had brought to her mouth: "So that's how it is... She looked like that, I saw her walking out when I came out of the Huanhuan Palace just now, the flesh on her waist was bulging out of her clothes, let alone the emperor, any man wouldn't like it!"

  It's not her fault. Qi Yonghua's father, Qi Daxian, was a great Confucian scholar and an official known for his integrity. I heard that their family was so poor they couldn't even afford jade accessories! They had never even tasted shark fin or abalone! Chu Xue showed a sympathetic expression: "Later when she entered the palace, every meal had chicken, duck, fish, and meat. She loved this kind of food, and from then on, she just couldn't stop talking."

  "That's great, she won't lose weight for a while and won't compete with me for favor." Lin Yan moved Qi Ronghua to the "air" column.