He Lianji's eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and she raised the rattan again, wanting to strike her down. "An Lingji, step aside," she said. "This palace maid's crime cannot be lightly pardoned! I am still being merciful, only beating her a few times. If the Emperor finds out that she broke my hairpin, he might execute her in a fit of rage."

  Saying that with his mouth, his hands moved extremely fast, one stick heavily shining down, hitting An Ling's back accurately.

  "Ah, Lingji, why didn't you dodge? Look, my hand isn't accurate, and I accidentally hit you again!"

  An Lingji's gaze was as sharp as a blade, staring straight at her. Lin Yu slightly narrowed her eyes, but did not step forward to stop her.

  He Lianji was about to strike again, when Lin Wan spoke up lightly: "How boring. An Lingji is actually a weak and incompetent person, no wonder she's been bullied." She also asked those around her: "Isn't the status of the An and He families roughly equal? Why does the An family fear her so much, and not even dare to resist?"

  An heard this and was taken aback for a moment, then she reached out and grabbed the rattan stick from He Liangji's hand.

  Although their status is similar, He Shi is very favored. Normally, she wouldn't dare to compete with He Shi. But today, with Huisheng here, her courage has grown.

  He Liangji was somewhat annoyed, and An Lingji loudly ordered the palace maid beside her: "What are you still dawdling for? Quickly carry Cai He back, are you waiting for Liangji to be beaten to death?"

  "Commander!" He Lianji gritted her teeth: "Has Commander also learned to shield her subordinates?! My hairpin..."

  The palace maid beside her was holding a jade hairpin that had been broken into three pieces in both hands.

  "That's enough, let's go, the Emperor must be waiting anxiously." Lin Yu yawned and said lazily: "We've watched a farce for nothing, it's really noisy. However, He Lianji's hairpin looks very good, is it from Tian Shan? Chun Xue, remind me to ask the Emperor for one like that too..."

  He said and walked away without looking back.

  An Yong-gi was somewhat taken aback and looked at Hui Bin in this manner, wasn't she unwilling to help her?

  However, what Consort Hui said... clearly meant she didn't need to be afraid of Madame He.

  She bit her lip and stopped talking. Seeing He Shi's fierce momentum, she made a bold move in her heart, turned around and ordered the palace people: "Return to the palace! Take Cai He back!"

  He Liangji stomped her foot and said, "I will definitely tell the Emperor about this! You broke my hairpin, humph..."

  ***

  In fact, normally, Anling would not dare to offend He Lian. In the palace, the emperor's favor was more important than rank, and if He Lian whispered a little in the emperor's ear, she could take her life.

  This matter of the hairpin, if He Lianji adds fuel to the fire and reports it to the Emperor, who knows how he will react... An Lingji also wants to ask the Emperor to uphold justice, but as an out-of-favor concubine, she knows the Emperor will likely believe whoever is in favor.

  An Lijing returned to the palace, still feeling uneasy in her heart. Given He Shi's temperament, she would never let things go easily, and whether Hui Bin could protect her at that time was unknown.

  An Ling ordered her maid to bring out the "Jade Face Cream" and send it to Hua Yang Palace's Chiyan Building.

  The palace maid jumped in fright: "Young master, there are only two boxes of that thing, not even enough for you to use yourself! Moreover, the secret recipe for 'Jade Face Cream' is a family heirloom of the An family, how can it be revealed to outsiders?"

  "In the palace, it's not like elsewhere. Now, He Shi is bullying me to this extent. If things go on like this, let alone my life as a concubine, I won't even be able to keep my own life!" An Lingji knew what would happen to a woman who had lost favor in the palace. She stood up, her eyes filled with deep hatred and sorrow: "'Jade Face Cream' is good, but it's just an external thing. Only if Hui Bin gets this will she be willing to help me. Now, I have no other way out except to beg her."

  Lin Wan, as usual, brought things to the Jianzhang Palace. Tuoba Hong was not in the study room, An Gui led Lin Wan to the inner chamber, where she saw Tuoba Hong wearing a common Jin dynasty attire, his freshly washed black hair dripping wet and hanging down to his ears, looking somewhat like an idle and unrestrained noble son.

  He beckoned Lin Wan with a smile, saying: "Why are you late today? I've been waiting for you for ages and had to take a bath first." He also advised: "If you feel tired, don't bother coming back and forth. If you're really bored, go listen to opera with Qi Ronghua and the others. Why do you have to stay in the kitchen all day and then rush over under the scorching sun to deliver meals?"

  Lin Yuanyan sat idly beside him, smiling and saying: "The concubine doesn't like listening to plays, it's so boring. It's better to cook for the emperor every day, feeling happy in her heart, and passing the time."

  Tuoba Hong knew her temperament, she was already sixteen or seventeen years old, but she was a person who couldn't stay idle. The usual pastimes in the palace didn't interest her either. Now that she's pregnant, it's inconvenient for her body, yet she still wants to go down to the kitchen, and he wasn't one who hadn't advised her otherwise.

  Lin Wan's cooking skills are not great, but she makes up for it with her creativity. She always manages to come up with new and interesting dishes. Sometimes the things she brings over are a pleasant surprise when eaten, but more often than not, they're shocking - however, Tuoba Hong is fond of this kind of cuisine, even if she messes up and makes something inedible, he thinks it's fun to try anyway.

  "What's today?" The palace staff had already come forward to lay out the meal, taking out dish after dish from two large food boxes. Tuoba Hong pointed at a small white porcelain bowl containing a thick and creamy soup, asking, while his hand stroked Lin Yuan's delicate neck bone.

  "But it's just lilies and pumpkin, carp cooked together..." Lin Yu was tickled by him and shrank her neck to avoid his hand, scolding: "Your Majesty, don't be so hands-on..."

  "Your belly is eight months big, right? Unfortunately, I still have to wait another two months." Tuoba Hong couldn't help but feel regretful: "You little demon, do you know how anxious I've been waiting..."

  "There are three thousand beauties in the harem, and it's not convenient for all the concubines to serve at once. The Emperor often favors others." Lin Yu said quietly: "I've heard that Consort Huan is very favored by the Emperor, and she's been the most fortunate one these past few days, even surpassing Concubine Tian."

  Tuoba Hong didn't know Lin's thoughts, and hurriedly stretched out his hand to hold her waist, comforting: "It's just a He Shi, is it worth my Yu'er being jealous?" As he spoke, he smiled again: "Don't worry, in my heart, no one can surpass you. He Shi is just newly entered the palace, I'm just seeking novelty."

  "Where is she? He Shi is young and beautiful, men will like her when they see her." Lin Yan's cherry mouth slightly pouted, provoking Tuoba Hong to peck at it, laughing: "It really tastes good! Alright, I won't favor her again from now on. Are you happy now? You came late today, could it be that you met He Shi and didn't like the delay?"

  Lin Yan glared at him: "Your Majesty only knows how to talk nonsense! Although the concubines are jealous and resentful, they are just concubines after all. How can Your Majesty be happy for the sake of a concubine and neglect He Shi? Moreover, if He Shi is favored and able to give birth, it would also be a blessing for our Great Qin."

  He lowered his voice and said: "The concubine indeed met her today... She is beautiful, slender, and looks like a lovely woman at first glance."

  "What's wrong, did she bump into you?" Taohong was so sharp that a hint of annoyance had already seeped into his tone.

  Lin Wan shook her head repeatedly: "Not at all. The concubine was just passing by, and Liang Ji was scolding An Ling's palace maid for a hairpin."

  Tuoba Hong took the bowl of lotus root soup from the palace servant and said lightly, "The lower-ranking official has made a mistake, it's fine to send him to the Ministry of Punishment for punishment. However, He Shi's temperament is indeed a bit arrogant."

  There is no mention of Anling Princess in the speech. In Tuoba Hong's heart, not getting the woman he likes will not have a single bit of attention.

  The treatment of those who gain favor in the palace is really worlds apart.

  He Liangji's personality, Tuoba Hong still likes. He's family name is Jiuyan, the youngest legitimate daughter of the He family, who has been favored since childhood and doesn't know how to restrain herself even after entering the palace. But there are many gentle and humble women around Tuoba Hong, one more arrogant and willful, it's also interesting.

  "She has won the emperor's favor, and some of it is harmless. Lin Yu followed Taohong's words, paused for a moment, and continued: "It's just that the hairpin in her hand... The concubines think it looks like the blue jade from Tian Shan Xi Hu. He Lianji was furious about that hairpin and almost beat An Lingji's palace maid to death."

  Tuoba Hong couldn't help but burst out laughing: "It's just a hairpin, why should the Empress be so upset? It was that day when Consort He kept pestering me, and I lost my temper for a moment, so I gave it to her. Xi Hu Lan Tian Yu, if you like it, there are still some in the warehouse of the Imperial Palace, I'll give them all to you."

  "It's better to forget it, the jade produced by Xi Hu is only available for use by noble consorts and above. Concubines don't want to be criticized by palace people for being arrogant due to favoritism." Lin Yu slightly lowered her head, then suddenly smiled: "Why not have Your Majesty bestow the Yongchang biyu from Nan Zhao's tribute on the concubine? Although Yongchang biyu is not as precious as Lantian jade, its color is almost the same. Summer has arrived, and the concubine likes that kind of translucent emerald green."

  Taizong of Tang's eyes had a warm color: "Yuan'er, I know you understand things, but compared to He Lianji's arrogance, even if I reward the Blue Field Jade to you, others will not say anything." As he said, he hugged Lin Yuan tightly: "My imperial decree has been issued, the set of Blue Field Jade headwear in the treasury is already yours, you don't need to decline."

  "Although He Lianji is arrogant, she can make the emperor happy, which is good. Since the emperor insists on giving it to her, then it would be impolite for the concubine to refuse. The hairpiece of Blue Field Jade must look very good, and it's not suitable for the concubine to wear in front of outsiders, so let's just 'beautify oneself for one's love' in front of the emperor." Lin Yuanyu spoke with a gentle tone, paused for a moment, then continued:

  "The concubine was truly sorry about that hairpin. According to what He Shi said, it was An Shi's palace maid who didn't bump into her, but suddenly appeared from around the corner and scared her, causing her to drop the hairpin. This He Shi is really something, she had to hold onto the hairpin and play with it, and then ran into a young palace maid who didn't know any better and dropped it. There are only so many pieces of blue jade decorations in the entire palace, and she goes and drops one..."

  Yu Xia didn't say anything else, but Tuoba Hong kept smiling and coaxing her, saying that no matter what kind of precious jewelry she liked, as long as she was in the Tian family, would she still worry about not being able to get it?