Lin Xiang was taken down to wash her face, and the emperor also entered the inner palace to change his clothes.

  Mu Lan looked at Lin Xiang with some worry and called out: "Your Highness..."

  Lin He furrowed her brow and thought for a moment before saying, "It doesn't matter. Speaking of which, Yu Yu can be considered a meritorious minister after all. Since the emperor wants to grant us a title, we'll just accept it." Fortunately, Yu Yu was not a man; if he were, this title would have been one that she would have had to decline.

  Lin Xiao continued: "Have the prepared gifts sent to Chao Yang Palace, and send some medicinal materials to Jing An Long Gong Zhu's residence. The etiquette must be done properly."

  The lady nodded and whispered about another matter: "Your Ladyship, when the Sixth Miss was arguing with Wu's fifth daughter and Ning Yu County Jun, Jiang Cairen was also present. She went forward to mediate, but the more she mediated, the angrier Wu's fifth daughter and Ning Yu County Jun became. Originally, they had only said a few words to the Sixth Miss, who ignored them, and it wasn't a big deal. As a result of Jiang Cairen's mediation, Ning Yu County Jun insisted that the Sixth Miss kneel down and kowtow before she would be satisfied. The Sixth Miss refused, so she pushed her and snatched the jade pendant, throwing it into the lotus pond."

  Lin Xiao replied with an "oh" and asked: "How did that Jiang Zairen persuade him?"

  "Miss Mu said, 'At that time, Jiang Cairen said, "Three ladies, one is the emperor's sister-in-law, one is the noble consort's niece, and the other is the eldest princess's darling. Everyone should get along harmoniously, lest the empress and the noble consort fall out with each other, and also cause discord in the Lin, Wu, and Long Gong Zhuang families." Then she said to Miss Wu and Ning Yuxian, "The empress is the model for all women under heaven. You don't want to make it difficult for the noble consort and Princess Long to face the empress, do you?"'"

  Mu Lan said: "Your Ladyship, I feel that Jiang Cairen's words of advice are like fanning the flames."

  Lin Yanxin said, isn't this just fanning the flames?

  The Lin and Wu families have been at odds for a long time, and everyone knows about it. What harmony is there to speak of? By saying this, Jiang was telling the Wu family's daughter and Ning Yu that the Empress and the Eldest Princess were not as good as her, the Empress Dowager, and that the Wu family and the Eldest Princess's residence were not as good as the Lin family. They should also yield to Ruyu, the younger sister of the Empress who came from the Lin family.

  Madam Wu and Ning Yu were young, they couldn't hear the meaning behind her words, but it stirred up their discontent with Ruyi in their hearts. They naturally had to make things difficult for Ruyi to prove that the Wu family and the Long Palace weren't inferior to the Lin family, and the Zhao Yang Palace wasn't inferior to the Chang Kun Palace.

  This Jiang is indeed eloquent.

  Lin Dai nodded, indicating that she understood.

  In the Changle Palace.

  The imperial concubine was furious when she heard that Lin Yun had not only escaped punishment, but also received a personal promise from the emperor to be made a county mistress.

  Is it reasonable for there to be people who bite and hurt others in this world? Why does the Emperor treat Changkun Palace and Zhaoyang Palace so differently?

  She glanced at Wu Jia's fifth daughter, who was crying there, and scolded: "What are you crying about? You two are even older than Lin Xiang, but when she bit you, all you did was cry back with your noses. Why didn't you bite her back then? All you can do is lie down in the nest."

  Wu Jia's fifth daughter cried even harder.

  Empress Wu said coldly: "Don't cry."

  Wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, she pulled her up and said, "Follow your aunt."

  After finishing speaking, he pulled her up and went straight to Changkun Palace.

  When Wu Guifei arrived at the Changkun Palace, Lin Niang had already regained her smile and was sitting next to Lin Dai, eating a plate of pastries on the table in front of her.

  Lin Yan wiped away the cake crumbs stuck at her mouth corner and teased her with a smile: "Now you're happy, huh?"

  Lin Xiang's mouth was puffed up and her eyebrows were curved upwards as she lifted her head to smile at her.

  The emperor was half-reclining on the couch on the other side, holding a book in his hand, occasionally moving away from the book to glance at Lin Daiyu, who was whispering softly to coax her younger sister, with warm eyes.

  It was a truly warm and harmonious scene, so warm that Wu Guifei felt it was very dazzling to watch.

  Lin Daiyu first discovered that the imperial concubine had brought Wu Xiang's fifth daughter in, and she raised her head to take a look at her, asking: "Why has the imperial concubine come?"

  Lin Xuan saw Wu Jia's fifth daughter coming in, put down the pastry in her hand, hummed a sound, and turned away.

  The emperor heard the sound and also raised his head to look at the imperial concubine. He then put down the book in his hand, straightened up his body, and his face turned serious.

  Wu Guifei stepped forward and first gave a bow to the Emperor, then to Lin Daiyu, saying: "I have paid my respects to Your Majesty, I have paid my respects to Her Majesty."

  The imperial concubine finished her greetings, looked at the emperor and smiled: "Your Majesty, I heard that you have made Miss Lin Liu a county mistress. Your Majesty can't be so biased, why not also make our family's Fifth Daughter a county mistress?"

  She pushed her niece forward with a push of her hand, letting her go ahead and curry favor with the emperor.

  Wu Jia's fifth daughter was a bit afraid of the emperor, and she clung to the imperial concubine's hand, refusing to go forward, making the imperial concubine curse her for being useless in her heart.

  Look at Lin's daughter, she is so eloquent and has won the emperor's favor with her clever words, so it's said that if you want to be a county mistress, then you will be a county mistress.

  The emperor sank his face and looked at the imperial concubine, saying: "I have made the girl from the Lin family an empress, according to your meaning, shouldn't you also be made an empress?"

  The imperial concubine was choked with rage by the emperor and couldn't speak. But she was not reconciled, still dissatisfied, saying: "Cousin brother, what merits does Lin Lian have to be enfeoffed as a county princess, while Wu Niang is still your cousin niece?"

  The Emperor said: "There is no merit, but I want to grant it. Imperial Concubine, I have already told you that in the palace, do not use the title 'older male cousin'."

  The imperial concubine opened her mouth, wanting to say something.

  But the emperor's cold voice had already come over, saying: "Noble Consort, the things that I have given you in this life, you can accept, but the things that I have not given you, you cannot ask me for, and even more cannot force me to give. I hope you remember these words." Whether it was the previous dynasty or the current palace, he did not want to give Wu's family anything they could not force him to give.

  Lin Xiao listened to the emperor's words with ulterior motives, but fell into deep thought.

  She said that the county master of Yu Yu was so easy to come, it seems that Wu's family had offended the emperor in the imperial court, and the emperor wanted to give them a warning. But I don't know what else Wu's family has done.

  "In the Emperor's eyes, everything I do is wrong. I've accompanied the Emperor for so many years, when have I ever forced or coerced him? I wish the Emperor could be happy and content all the time, whenever the Emperor frowns, my heart aches more than his. But has the Emperor ever seen any good in me? In the Emperor's heart, only the women of the Lin family are good."

  Her eyes were slightly red, her face was sorrowful, she pulled Wu Wuniang and left again with a flick of her head.

  The emperor watched her leave, his face a complex expression, then leaned back against the couch.

  Lin Ya looked on, pushed Lin Xuan, and had her taken away. Then she quietly walked to the emperor's side, sat down beside him, and held his hand.

  The emperor's face remained expressionless, but his hand had already grasped hers.