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Just as the Noble Consort was about to revel in her triumph, an elderly voice full of authority rang out in the hall:

"Noble Consort Xue is truly formidable!"

This voice!

The Noble Consort was startled and turned around, only to see a plump Palace Maid supporting Nanny Qi as they approached her, followed by several eunuchs from the Star Palace.

Her mind went blank...

In a quiet corner from afar, Changzai Zhou watched the scene unfold, slowly revealing a meaningful smile. The struggle for power between the two palaces had indeed been full of twists and turns, and now there seemed to be a final verdict.

Having seen enough excitement, she concealed her smile and left with Liu Ying.

With such commotion in the Huaying Hall, it wouldn’t take long for the news to spread throughout the entire Harem. She considered herself well-informed, having arrived early enough to witness the whole affair, even before the Noble Consort had arrived.

The outcome was quite satisfying for her, as the Noble Consort’s influence would inevitably begin to wane, and the days when one palace reigned supreme would be no more.

Just the thought of this filled her with delight.

As she approached the vicinity of Lanyue Palace, she saw "the ailing Xi Shi" Consort Fang Pin, who seemed to be on her way to the Imperial Garden for a stroll.

"Greetings, Consort Fang Pin. May you be blessed with good fortune," Changzai Zhou said, bowing deeply.

Consort Fang Pin turned to look and saw Changzai Zhou leading her entourage in paying respects.

Moving a few steps closer, Consort Fang Pin spoke in a gentle, delicate voice, "Little Sister Zhou, no need for such formality. Please, rise."

Changzai Zhou had always held a favorable impression of her.

"Thank you, Sister Fang," Changzai Zhou said with a smiling face, sizing her up and then complimenting, "Sister Fang seems to be in good spirits today. Are you feeling any better?"

"Thank you for your concern, Little Sister Zhou," Consort Fang Pin replied, somewhat pleased by the attention. She returned the courtesy with a compliment, "Little Sister Zhou has such beautiful skin, and even the Palace Maids by your side have such fine complexions. I truly envy you."

She then sighed with a hint of sorrow, "Alas, I’m not as fortunate, always being ill and languishing. How could I possibly maintain such good skin? Today, I even feel a heavy tightness in my chest."

Changzai Zhou followed Consort Fang Pin’s gaze to Liu Ying, who felt a guilty conscience and lowered her head.

Sensing something amiss, Changzai Zhou discreetly turned back, her face showing genuine concern, "Sister Fang must take good care of her health. If you’re feeling uncomfortable, it’s best to consult an Imperial Physician."

Consort Fang Pin sighed wistfully, "My health has never been strong, suffering frequent chest pains; it’s not something new. Sister, do not worry about me."

Remembering something, her eyebrows knitted slightly, "Ever since Imperial Doctor Wang left, the Imperial Physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau have all been incompetent, none of them can diagnose properly, especially that one... that one..."

One of the Palace Maids by her side seamlessly chimed in, "The physician surnamed Huang."

"Right, such a useless doctor. I really don’t know how he got into the Imperial Medical Bureau," Consort Fang Pin said, her face clouding over at the thought of Huang Zude every time.

Whenever she thought about how she had been humiliated by that man surnamed Huang last time, and how she became the butt of jokes afterward, she could cry from anger herself.

Tears would come as soon as she thought about it and, holding a handkerchief in her hand, she couldn’t help but want to wipe away the tears.

Changzai Zhou silently chanted "Amitabha, may all be well" to herself. No wonder nobody in the palace dared to befriend Consort Fang Pin. With such affectation, not even she could stand Consort Fang Pin, let alone others.

As for Consort Fang Pin, how should one put it? She had a very delicate appearance, she wasn’t bad at heart, she had her small schemes, but compared to others, her tactics were not particularly vicious.

That she had managed to survive peacefully up to this point, ascending to the rank of Concubine, and not invited jealousy from others, was all thanks to her good fortune of entering the palace early and her unbearable affectedness, making her quite a miraculous existence in the Harem.

She had heard that before someone had wanted to get close to Consort Fang Pin. Consort Fang Pin was very enthusiastic; she would visit that person whether she had something to do or not, whether she had eaten or not.

Whenever Consort Fang Pin met someone, she would start to groan without a sickness, and no matter what topic was discussed, it would always end up turning back to her.

She would lament how uncomfortable she was here, how uncomfortable there, lamenting until she truly started crying, and once she started crying, it would last for half the day.

That made the other person not know what to do, as offending her was not an option—after all, Consort Fang Pin held a relatively high rank.

They could only comfort her attentively, which turned out to be a huge mistake, as it made Consort Fang Pin even more addicted, and she would almost stay in that person’s chamber every day.

Afterward, whenever that person expected Consort Fang Pin’s visit, they would sit emotionlessly, thoroughly annoyed, unwilling to say more than necessary, waiting until Consort Fang Pin had cried enough and took her tearful leave, promising to come again the next day.

Eventually, that person began to feign illness to avoid seeing Consort Fang Pin, who finally stopped coming. Afterwards, whenever they saw Consort Fang Pin, they would hide. Gradually, Consort Fang Pin got the hint and stopped going, allowing the person to finally get a break.

Seeing that Consort Fang Pin was about to start crying, Changzai Zhou thought she had to stop her quickly. Otherwise, there was no telling when she would stop crying, and getting attached to her was not good.

She hurriedly changed the subject, saying, "Where is Sister Fang headed to? If you are not feeling well, why not rest in the hall?"

Consort Fang Pin paused, her hand holding the handkerchief stopped, and she said with a tone full of sorrow, "Autumn is often a time of desolation. Having stayed in the palace halls for too long, I feel stifled, agitated and desolate without anyone to talk to. That’s why I thought of taking a walk in the Imperial Garden.

Alas, it is my body that is failing me; otherwise, I would walk with Little Sister Zhou more frequently. "

As she spoke, she looked at Changzai Zhou with soft and frail eyes, clearly expecting her to say something.

Changzai Zhou had no idea how to respond. Her question was just a casual inquiry, not an invitation for Consort Fang Pin. If Consort Fang Pin wanted to go to the Imperial Garden, then she should just go. Changzai Zhou hoped she didn’t want to change the destination to her palace instead.

Thinking of something, a thought struck her, and she didn’t continue with the same topic. Instead, she took a different angle and said directly, "Speaking of which, I am reminded of another person, just like Sister Fang, who rarely goes out and hardly interacts with the palace sisters."

Consort Fang Pin was taken aback. She rarely interacted with the palace sisters because she was unwell, often suffering pains here or there. Could there be anyone more frail than herself?

Changzai Zhou noticed her puzzlement and struck while the iron was hot, "It’s Beauty Lian. Sister, think about it, whether in the past or now, haven’t we seen very little of Beauty Lian?"

"It is indeed rare to see her..." Consort Fang Pin thought carefully while pinching her handkerchief. It was true.

Beauty Lian kept to herself, and the few times Consort Fang Pin had seen her were at banquets. On normal days, she was as elusive as a shadow, and it was unclear what she was up to.

She remembered the brief conversation she had with Beauty Lian before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. They got along splendidly, leaving her wistful to this day.

Back then, she had seen Beauty Lian at the Balustrade Opera Platform during a play and approached her, wishing to apologize for what happened during the Noble Consort’s small banquet.

She also wanted to tell Beauty Lian that if attending to His Majesty alone was too exhausting, she would, despite her weak health, share some of the burden and hoped Beauty Lian would not be shy about it.

However, the two had similar interests and spoke mainly about poetry, which she loved. Thus, she never had the chance to utter those words.