In the Changle Palace.

  Yu Lian walked in from outside the door, Wu Guifei was removing her makeup in front of the mirror, Yu Lian leaned into her ear and whispered a few sentences.

  Wu Guifei paused for a moment, put down the earrings in her hand, and said, "Oh", "Hu Zhaorong is indeed capable, but Your Majesty should also return to other parts of the palace."

  Empress Wu's eyebrows curved and her mood improved.

  Although the emperor came to her palace, as long as Lin Daiyu didn't get her way, she was happy. Moreover, once the emperor started going to other palaces in the harem, he would eventually come to her Zhaoyang Palace one day.

  Wu Guifei thought of something and became dissatisfied with He Baolin again, saying: "Hu Zhaorong can use the eldest princess to lead the emperor to Huayang Palace, why can't He Baolin use the fourth prince to lead him to Zhaoyang Palace? This palace raised her in Zhaoyang Palace for what?" She instructed: "Tomorrow, go and teach He Baolin a lesson. The fourth prince said he's been unwell, let him get sick."

  Yu Lian bowed her head respectfully and said, "Yes. Then she continued, "Your Ladyship, I found out something from Hong's place today, but I don't know if I should mention it."

  Empress Wu said: "Say whatever you have to say."

  Yu Lian said: "The Empress and the Emperor have not consummated their marriage."

  This news shocked Empress Wu greatly, and she turned around to look at Yu Lian.

  Yu Lian nodded at her.

  Empress Wu said incredulously, "This is impossible. I have checked the imperial records and they clearly state...". Empress Wu suddenly stopped, realizing that if the history books had recorded something as not having happened when it actually did, then the Emperor must have given some indication.

  Yu Lian also said: "Li Sijin and Li Tongshi of the Shang Gong Bureau are fellow villagers, and they get along well on a daily basis. Li Sijin's brother had adopted a son for her outside the palace, so Li Sijin invited some sisters to drink wine and celebrate. Li Tong got drunk and spilled the beans about this matter. Although Li Tong didn't admit it after waking up, Li Sijin thought that this matter was probably true, so she reported it to me. I asked the old mothers in the palace, and they all said that the Empress's expression had not changed, and she still looked like a virgin."

  Wu Guifei burst out laughing: "After all this time, the emperor and empress have been sleeping together for two months, but they're still just sleeping under the covers." She also said disdainfully: "They've been married for two months, but she's still a virgin. I wonder what kind of nerve she has. Now it seems that she really doesn't have anything to be arrogant about."

  Empress Wu became suspicious again, the emperor refused to share a room with the empress, he must be dissatisfied with her. Then why did the emperor stay in Changkun Palace for two months? Was it just to give face to the Lin family or was it for the crown prince?

  Empress Wu became annoyed again and threw a hairpin she was holding onto her dressing table.

  The emperor only has the Lin family and the crown prince in his heart, how could he have thought of the Wu family and the second prince. The Lin family has made great contributions to the dragon throne, but does that mean the Wu family has no merit? The crown prince is his son, but isn't the second prince also his son? He's really being unfair to an extreme degree.

  Consort Wu was angry, and Yu Lian didn't dare to persuade her. It wasn't until Consort Wu calmed down that Yu Lian spoke up again: "Your Ladyship, there's one more thing - it's something the national duke outside the palace told me to tell you."

  Empress Wu looked at her and waved her hand to let all the palace maids waiting in the house go out, then walked from the dressing table to sit down on the couch before nodding to Yu Zhan to continue.

  Yu Lian said: "The list of candidates for the first selection of Shu Nu has been finalized. The Duke wants the Imperial Concubine to protect one person and let her enter the palace."

  Empress Wu slammed her hand on the table, furious: "I've already told Father that there's no need for anyone else in the palace except me and the Second Prince. Don't even think about sending any more girls into the palace."

  The Wu family had long planned to send another girl into the palace, and they had mentioned it to Empress Wu more than once. The last time the Wu family made this request was when they wanted to send the eldest daughter of Prince Xuan's son, the nephew of Empress Wu, into the palace, which infuriated Empress Wu so much that she directly granted this niece a marriage.

  Wu Guifei was not stupid, and no matter how good her family members' words sounded, saying that they would let someone enter the palace to help her, it was just because they saw that she had achieved nothing in the palace over the years. They didn't want to put all their eggs in one basket with her. Especially after failing to win the position of heir last time, they were even more dissatisfied with her. However, due to her status as a noble consort, they could only express their intention to find her an assistant indirectly.

  But they didn't think about it either, she hadn't competed with Lin Dai in the palace, and outside the palace, weren't they also not competing with the Lin family?

  If she really lets the Wu family's daughter enter the palace, with two people surnamed Wu in the palace, it's uncertain which one the Wu family will support. If she gives birth to another imperial son, even the position of the second prince will be threatened.

  Yu Lian hastily explained to Empress Wu: "Your Majesty can rest assured, the young lady that Duke Guo mentioned this time is not a girl from the Wu family."

  "Who is it again?"

  Yu Lian whispered a name to Empress Wu in a low voice.

  Empress Wu said in surprise: "Are Father and Brother confused? They are related to the Lin family by marriage."

  Empress Wu looked at Yu Lian and saw the expression on her face. Suddenly she understood, fearing that their families had already formed an alliance in private.

  Empress Wu paused for a moment and said, "This palace will take care of it." After thinking for a while, she added, "Find a way to get a copy of the list of candidates who passed the initial selection from the Ministry of Rites for this palace."

  "Serve tea." Just then, a loud shout came from outside the door, and the palace maid asked again, "What are you doing standing by the door? Are you eavesdropping on Her Majesty's conversation?"

  Empress Wu's face moved as she listened, and she gave a signal with her eyes to Yu Lian. Yu Lian nodded and then walked out.

  Before long, a eunuch escorted in the palace maid called Shiqing, accompanied by another palace maid, about 14 or 15 years old, wearing a green skirt.

  The palace maid pointed at the tea servant as soon as she came in and said: "Your Majesty, I saw the tea servant eavesdropping on your conversation outside the door."

  "It's not, it's not," said the tea servant hastily shaking his head. "I didn't, I was just wiping the door."

  The palace maid in green clothes snorted and said: "The gate was wiped clean early this morning, and besides, that's not a task assigned to you. Who would believe you if you say you wiped the gate?"

  Empress Wu remembered that these two palace maids were among the batch of slaves sent over by the Empress Dowager last time. She had disposed of some of them with various excuses and reasons, and left some unimportant ones to be sent outside to do unimportant tasks such as sweeping.

  Empress Wu picked up her tea cup and slowly took a sip of tea.

  Then she heard the green-clad palace maid speak to her, saying: "Your Highness, I suspect that the tea servant is a spy for Changkong Palace. Last time, I saw her talking to Muzhi of Changkong Palace in secret behind the artificial hill."

  Empress Wu said "oh" and asked: "What did they say then?"

  The palace maid in green said: "This slave didn't hear clearly, they spoke very softly, the slave didn't hear it."

  "Qie Cha shook her head and said: 'No, no, I don't have it. Xia Chan, I know you've never liked me, but you can't frame me.'"

  That palace maid named Xia Chan hummed: "I just don't like you, because I've long suspected that you're a spy from Changkun Palace, so I've been paying attention to you early on. Your Majesty, see, the slave has indeed discovered it."