Tuoba Hong was not afraid of the heat, but many relatives and ladies in the imperial family were delicate and pampered, and even with ice blocks supplied daily, it was difficult to dispel the scorching summer heat. The calls for leaving the capital to escape the heat grew louder both inside and outside the palace. After consulting with the empress in private, Tuoba Hong decided to go to Xishan to escape the heat as he did last year.

  As soon as the order was given, the six ministries, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Works all became busy and began to deploy along the way to prepare for the imperial procession. In the palace, the emperor and empress were discussing which concubines would accompany them on the journey, while the other consorts were also feeling uneasy. If they weren't chosen to follow the emperor, it would be three months before they saw him again. Would the emperor still remember them when he returned? However, this matter was up to the emperor's discretion, and it wasn't something that could be forced.

  The Empress Dowager, due to her advanced age and frailty, was not suitable for the rigors of travel by boat or carriage, so she stayed in the capital. The Empress, Consort Shang, Consort Rou, and others naturally had to follow the Emperor on his journey. Among the remaining consorts who were able to obtain imperial favor and accompany him, there were those who had always been favored, including the Chu sisters who were currently in high favor, as well as Consort Zhao, Consort Mao, and Consort Bai. Consort Lin was also among these favored consorts. Consort Jin had also been favored, but unfortunately her foot injury had not yet healed, so she missed out on the opportunity to travel.

  The most unpredictable one is Wen Pei. Although she lost the reputation of a talented woman and the favor of the emperor due to Chu Huasheng, the virtuous and gentle Empress still added her name to the list - after all, she had served the Emperor for many years and had worked hard. However, she eventually refused to follow with the excuse that she wanted to serve the Empress Dowager.

  Tuoba Hong listened and didn't scold her for being ignorant of good and evil, nor did he praise her filial piety. He just said lightly: "Alright."

  Wen Pei's actions made Lin Yuan thoroughly understand what it means to be "noble and elegant". This kind of "nobility" is different from ordinary pride and self-respect.

  But she had to say, being able to rise above it all is also a skill. If she were in Wen Pei's awkward position - her father was a powerless Hanlin, and she herself had nothing but talent, which was surpassed by a woman who was superior to her in family background, looks, and age. What should she do at this time?

  Although there was once favor, but now not a single drop of blood is left, nor has any mark been left in the emperor's heart. The current situation of losing favor is indeed a dead end. Emperor Taizong of Tang is truly a ruthless ruler, when he wanted to take his consorts to the summer palace, his own name wasn't even written by him personally, but was instead added as a personal favor by the empress.

  Others have a gentle and virtuous wife, as well as family and sisterly backing, so openly opposing them would be no match. If one were to take action from other angles, learning dance or music, or even that sort of bedroom art, it would be too far off from her previous image, and in the emperor's eyes, a woman who changes herself is not likable.

  So what can be done? Can't just sit and wait for death.

  At this time, Wen Pin's actions seemed to Lin Yuan to be unrelated to self-abandonment, but rather had a unique and unconventional feeling.

  Although Lin Wan was unclear about what she wanted to do next, she remembered the woman's suppressed anger in Chang Le Palace, and that wouldn't be a silent and resigned person.

  Wen Bao had moved to a palace called Bi Xiao Hall next to Changle Palace before Lin Yu left, making it convenient for her to serve the Empress Dowager. The name Bi Xiao Hall itself has an ethereal quality, and the place is simple and unadorned everywhere. Wen Bao, standing in the main hall, wore only a moon-white colored lotus-patterned silk skirt, with her hair bun tied high up with a green silk ribbon, without any hairpins. She did not welcome Lin Yu's arrival, and could even be said to be impolite: "How strange, you and I have no connection, why do you want to come see me? You know I've lost favor, you can't gain anything from me anymore."

  Lin Yandan smiled faintly: "Your Majesty, the concubine didn't mean to take advantage of you. The concubine just wanted to come and see you." In her heart, she thought, this woman's words are not pleasant at all. Is this what it means to be a refined scholar? No wonder Wen Concubine has never been good with people, and no wonder she can't use flattery to gain the emperor's favor.

  "Well, thank you for visiting me then." said Wen Pei as she poured tea and saw her guest off.

  Lin Wan left quickly. She told herself that she must remember this moment, remember why Wen Pin was favored and why she lost favor today, and remember how fleeting the emperor's love is in the harem. Wen Pin's downfall today stems from her complacency in the past. She thought that with her talent and abilities, she could stand unshakeable, but she forgot that there are people outside of heaven and beyond human reach. When a more learned woman appeared to replace her, she became worthless in the king's heart. Besides her learning, did she know any other way to gain favor? No, she didn't learn anything else, so she could only lose favor.

  Lin Wan engraved the woman's downfall in her mind. She wanted to remind herself how difficult the road ahead was, remind herself that the emperor was a person who didn't cherish old relationships and wasn't worth relying on, and remind herself never to be careless again.

  Of course, after three months of returning from the imperial palace, Lin Wan will definitely take another look at this interesting woman to see if she can really make a comeback.

  The trip to avoid the summer heat has been arranged. On June 5th, the royal family, nobles and officials set off with the dragon carriage, heading to Lishan Imperial Summer Resort in a grand procession.

  The day before departure, the emperor specially went to Huayang Palace to visit Wei Zhaoyi. Lin Yin had never seen Wei Zhaoyi before, she thought this princess was quite mysterious, and just because the emperor would go to visit her from time to time, she knew that she was not a person who could be ignored.

  Tuoba Hong is not a person who indulges in female charm, going on a trip to the imperial palace would be a big fuss, and if he were to bring dozens of concubines along, it would be a waste of manpower and resources, not to mention that it wouldn't look good in the eyes of officials and common people. Therefore, there aren't many consorts who can follow him to the imperial palace, only about ten or so. Most of them have to stay in the palace, spending their days in sweltering heat with no BOSS to rely on.

  The dragon drove all the way north, and the scenery he saw was very different from that in the capital. There would not be any rare and precious flowers and grasses in the suburbs, but because of the great Qin's preference for bright yellow and crimson colors, the land along the way from the capital to the temporary palace was planted with maple trees and golden locusts, which were symbols of imperial dignity.

  The imperial concubines in the palace had not left the palace for a long time, and they yearned for the fresh scenery outside the palace. Many people took advantage of the fact that there were no outsiders on the roadside, lifted the curtain of their sedan chair and looked out, only to see the vibrant red and yellow colors intertwined along the way, with occasional clusters of azaleas, orchids and some wild flowers whose names they couldn't mention, such a dense forest and distant mountains scenery, was even more enchanting than the upper forest garden in the palace.

  Because of her low status, Lin Wan couldn't enjoy a horse-drawn carriage alone and had to share it with Tian Liangdi. In front of the emperor, the empress was very good at handling people, and everyone in the palace knew that Lin Wan didn't get along with Bai Shi and Ye Shi, so the empress chose Tian Liangdi to accompany her. This special horse-drawn carriage prepared for long-distance travel was extraordinary, it was very spacious inside, two people could lie down and sleep without feeling cramped, and it was filled with soft quilts and pillows that made people feel comfortable, neither prone to carsickness nor fatigue. Lin Wan said this was simply the ancient version of a motorhome, high-end and elegant, and only the royal family could enjoy it. The women from other royal families and official residences didn't have such treatment, they were all cramped in hard-board horse-drawn carriages, and whenever they arrived at a resting place, they would cry out in suffering as they got off to rest.

  According to the distance from Kyoto to Isoyama, the carriage had to travel from early morning till dusk. Lin Wan felt very comfortable in the luxurious carriage, and next to her, Tian Liangdi was also gentle and amiable. The two people maintained a distant politeness, getting along quite well all the way.

  Lin Wan slowly came to understand why the Emperor was supporting the daughter of the Chu family. Chu Huaxin and Chu Huashang were truly high-born noblewomen, everyone's ideal daughters-in-law. Chu Huaxin had more pride and nobility in her, while Chu Huashang gave off a feeling of elegance and refinement; sitting together with Lin Wan in the same carriage, she felt a sense of admiration for the other woman's poised and gracious movements.

  The demeanor of this noble lady was vastly different from that of Bai Xiuzhu - some large households had strict family rules, and the daughters they raised were like Chu Huaxin's sisters; some families with power and influence spoiled their daughters excessively, and the result was someone like Bai Xiuzhu.

  It's only someone like the Chu sisters, with such a noble birth and uncommon demeanor, who would have the ability to share in Empress Sheng's favor.

  At the second rest stop, a small eunuch came from the front and stopped in front of Lin's carriage, bowing to say: "Please excuse me, young masters. The Emperor has summoned Zhen Liang Di, please follow me, Young Master Liang."

  Tian Liang's face flashed with joy, then she lowered her head to cover it up and said to Lin Yuan: "Unfortunately, I have to leave now."

  It's settled then, someone else will have to accompany her again. The Chu sisters' popularity is still going strong!

  Lin Yantan smiled and bid farewell to Chu Huasheng: "Goodbye, young master."

  At this moment, someone suddenly said: "In the past, it was not possible to see that Lin had such a good temperament! The sacred decree of Xuan Tian Liang's accompaniment has arrived in front of you, and you can actually bear it."

  Just by hearing the voice, I knew it was Bai Xiuyi. Lin Yan turned her head and smiled slightly at her, unusually gentle: "Cultivating one's body and nature is indeed what a woman should do. You say that Concubine has a good temperament, Concubine doesn't know why you're praising me so much, but I'll thank you first."

  Bai Xiuyi wore a crimson embroidered palace dress, standing elegantly on a bluestone slab in front of the carriage wheel, her face full of mockery. She raised her hand to adjust her hair bun and said, "Lin Xiaoyuan has always been clever with words, I suppose her thoughts are also cunning, how could she not understand my meaning?" With that, she covered her sleeve and snorted as she left.

  Lin Yan had long been too lazy to argue with Bai Xiuyi, and being scolded wouldn't make her lose any weight.

  A large group of people walked and stopped, arriving at the temporary palace on schedule at dusk.