Now the Emperor solely favors the Empress, and the people in her palace all bask in her glory. None of them would be pleased to see another woman appear in the harem and steal their lady’s favor.

Even if this woman is from the Empress’s own family!

Moreover, her gaze passed over Madam Zui, landing on Zui Yichun behind her, as if it could bore hundreds of holes into her.

If such a woman really entered the palace, could their days remain peaceful?

"This..." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Madam Zui glanced at the palace maid in front of her, then turned to look at her daughter beside her.

"Chun’er, why don’t you wait outside the palace for now? Once I meet your eldest sister, I’ll have her send someone to bring you in. How does that sound?" she asked softly.

"Mother!"

How could Zui Yichun agree to this?

Being left alone outside the palace, stared at like a monkey, having to watch Zui Yiming’s mood to gain entry.

Just thinking about it infuriated her—she’d never been so humiliated in her life!

"Alright, wait here. This madam will soon come to escort you in." With that, Madam Zui said no more, and followed the palace maid into the palace.

As the palace maid turned around, she shot Zui Yichun a disdainful glance.

With her transparent thoughts, this woman still dared aspire to compete for the Emperor’s favor with them and their Empress?

Absolutely clueless!

"You—"

Witnessing the palace maid’s condescending eyes before leaving, Zui Yichun was so angry she nearly shouted.

Fortunately, she recalled she was at the palace gate and held it in. Otherwise, she might have become the first of the Empress’s family members thrown out by the guards.

"Just you wait! I’ll peel off your skins and draw your tendons later!"

Everyone stopping her from entering the palace, she vowed fiercely at the palace gates, would pay once she gained the Emperor’s favor!

...

Imperial study.

The Emperor was busy addressing a mountain of urgent affairs.

During the former Emperor’s reign, Ziyan Kingdom was a complete mess, with an empty treasury.

The people were already crying out in distress; the first day he arrived at the study, he discovered piles of memorials in the corner, all detailing the plight of the people.

Just handling those issues...

Alright, even now, he hadn’t managed to resolve them completely, primarily due to a lack of funds.

To fill this gap, he had taken out the wealth stored in Prince Niu’s Mansion. Additionally, the Empress had gathered all the money earned from her dowry over the years.

Furthermore, funds from Yin Lvqing were all contributed as well.

Only then was the Ziyan Kingdom’s populace barely stabilized, but this was merely temporary.

"Phew!"

Having dealt with some matters, he put the memorials back on the desk and raised a hand to rub his temples.

"Your Majesty, the guard at the palace gates reports that the Crown Prince has returned and is currently visiting the Empress’s palace." His attendant whispered a reminder.

"Baiqing has returned?"

The Emperor paused, the hand rubbing his temples still.

Baiqing hadn’t been gone long, but his return surely meant something serious was happening, or was there another issue?

```