The two sisters had not seen each other for years, so naturally they had countless things to say. Sixth Miss first inquired after Seventh Miss’s family’s wellbeing, then asked her, “How have your days been at the Xu family?”

She knew about that bit of history between Seventh Miss and Xu Fengjia. Seventh Miss didn’t hide anything from her, only saying, “The Duke’s wife treats me well. The Grand Dowager has the Dowager Consort backing her, so she looks down on me quite a bit. But after all, our Yang family is not one to be bullied, so my days have been fairly satisfactory.”

Sixth Miss let out a long breath of relief, comfortingly squeezing Seventh Miss’s palm. “I knew it—nothing could ever stump you!”

Their eyes met, both filled with indescribable emotions. Seventh Miss asked softly, “What about you? How have you been in the palace?”

Sixth Miss waved her hand, looking rather listless. She propped her chin on her hand and gazed toward the small south window inlaid with multicolored glass.

“Although I can’t say I’m particularly favored, with the Empress looking after me, my days aren’t bad.” Sixth Miss rarely showed such mockery. “At least they’re much better than those palace servants who have no backing and receive no favor.”

Just from her tone, one could tell that Sixth Miss’s days in the palace might not be very pleasant.

Seventh Miss’s gaze darkened slightly. She looked at Sixth Miss with a questioning expression and said in a low voice, “I noticed you playing the fool in front of Her Majesty…”

“Oh.” Sixth Miss waved her hand dismissively again. “I have no favor, so should I rely on my beauty to act tyrannically and take myself seriously? Her Majesty loves me precisely because I’m obedient and innocent. I couldn’t possibly disappoint her.”

No wonder the Empress treated Sixth Miss so well.

In the flash of a thought, Seventh Miss had already understood.

Sixth Miss was essentially the Empress’s personal maid. The more beautiful she was, the stronger the Empress’s faction’s power in the palace.

No wonder Sixth Miss acted coquettishly and foolishly before the Empress, displaying all manner of endearing behavior. The Empress could elevate her, but could also elevate someone else. Sixth Miss herself had no agency whatsoever, so naturally this protective coloring had to be applied thickly.

“What about His Majesty…” She drew out her voice.

How could Sixth Miss not know what she was asking?

She laughed sarcastically. “His Majesty has had poor health since childhood. The Late Emperor had him study longevity techniques under the Quanzhen Daoist Master Ma of Zhongnan Mountain, so he’s always been most abstemious and desires little. He has no enthusiasm whatsoever for beauty. Just look—all these years, aside from the First Prince, there’s only been one little princess… you can tell His Majesty’s mind isn’t on women at all.”

His Majesty was brilliant and far-sighted. Since ascending the throne, he had devoted himself entirely to state affairs, acting frequently and often summoning the Grand Secretaries into the palace for discussions in the middle of the night. Seventh Miss was aware of this. She just hadn’t expected that in bedroom matters he would be so cold—that not even Sixth Miss’s beauty could move him.

“Whether he dislikes women or not, what about…” She drew out her voice.

Sixth Miss smiled knowingly.

“That’s not the case at all!” She waved her hand readily. “The rumors outside are quite ugly, saying His Majesty most loves refined young men, but it’s all nonsense. His Majesty watched the Late Emperor gradually weaken, so he exercises extreme self-control in such matters. Each month, aside from the first and fifteenth when he enters Kunning Palace to share the Empress’s bed, the other consorts rarely have the opportunity to attend him. Besides me, the palace has one or two charming beauties among the Jieyu and Guiren ranks—but they have even fewer opportunities for favor. Many haven’t seen the Emperor’s countenance since the first year of Chengping.”

Palace secrets were always unknown to outsiders. Seventh Miss hadn’t expected His Majesty to be so restrained. For a moment, she recalled Feng Jin’s words and began to wonder: could it really be a case of suspicious circumstances arousing unavoidable doubt?

She quickly dismissed these thoughts and looked at Sixth Miss with some concern.

Since he exercised such strong restraint over beauty, naturally he wouldn’t let beauty sway his judgment. From what Sixth Miss said, it seemed the Empress still ruled the rear palace. Serving a female mistress was much harder than serving a male one. She would be more demanding, more changeable, less likely to be moved by sentiment, and would find it difficult to give Sixth Miss what she truly needed: a child.

Never mind that Sixth Miss currently had favor before the Empress—if five years passed and she still hadn’t received favor or had a child to rely on, whether the Empress’s expression would remain so pleasant was highly questionable. Beautiful women were not rare in the world—new ones could be selected for the palace at any time—but Sixth Miss’s youth was limited.

“The First Prince is already five years old this year.” She lowered her voice. “Has His Majesty mentioned anything about establishing an heir?”

A five-year-old child’s chances of dying young were greatly reduced. With no siblings close in age and being born of the Empress, though this child hadn’t been formally invested, becoming Crown Prince was only a matter of time.

Once the Crown Prince was formally invested, Sixth Miss could—and should—strive for her own child.

Sixth Miss sighed irritably again.

A thread of violence appeared on her beautiful face.

“Seventh Sister, I’ll be honest with you—I’ve had enough of this kind of life!” She lightly tapped the exquisite small kang table, covered her face with both hands, and began to moan in frustration.

Seventh Miss fell silent, only pressing on Sixth Miss’s shoulder to let her continue.

“Although at Baifang Garden I had to watch Madam’s expressions, at least I was still a young miss!” These words seemed to have been suppressed in Sixth Miss for a long time. Once she started, they burst forth without restraint. “No matter how presumptuous the servants were, they didn’t dare abuse me, their mistress.”

“But in the palace? No favor means no face! No matter how well I flatter the Empress, what good does it do? The palace people know perfectly well—I’m just the Empress’s lapdog, frolicking daily to make her happy. They smile to my face, but what they think when they turn away, I know full well!”

“Yes, His Majesty favors no one at all. So what if I frolic? The Empress loves me, and Second Sister promotes me, so I have more face than other Jieyu and Guiren. In the palace, aside from Noble Consort Niu, I’m the most popular.” Sixth Miss sniffed, then stubbornly turned to wipe her eyes. “But it’s all empty, Seventh Sister. I’m truly afraid! I feel like I’m living among a pack of wolves. His Majesty is that fragrant piece of meat—everyone wants a bite, everyone wishes they could kill the others to eliminate the competition. This is nothing like life at Baifang Garden…”

By the end, her voice finally revealed a slight sob.

Given Sixth Miss’s limited experience, choosing to go with the flow back then couldn’t be called wrong. Seventh Auntie was, after all, only a dancer by birth and could hardly provide life guidance for her daughter. Before entering the palace, she probably still hoped for glory and wealth. Only after beginning life in the deep palace did she taste the bitterness of such existence.

“Do you remember what you said to me that year at Baifang Garden?” Seventh Miss asked in a low voice.

Sixth Miss wiped her eyes again before forcing a smile. “How could I forget? At the time, I was truly too naive!”

Yes, at only fifteen or sixteen, having to decide one’s entire life without even the slightest room for error. Living in Great Qin was truly too difficult.

“Actually, what you said wasn’t wrong at all.” Seventh Miss softened her voice. “Sixth Sister, many times when you cannot control your fate, being carefree is not excessive. But when the time comes to fight, you must learn from me—you must bravely fight for what you want!”

Sixth Miss froze, lowered her hands, and looked at Seventh Miss through tear-blurred eyes, but said nothing.

“Even if His Majesty is cold toward beauty, he still has the heart to appreciate it. If you don’t try, how will you know he doesn’t enjoy looking at beauties?” Seventh Miss lowered her voice. “Eunuch Lian has served by his side for many years and must understand His Majesty’s preferences to some degree…”

A trace of clarity gradually surfaced in Sixth Miss’s eyes, like a ray of light breaking through a storm. She slowly wiped away the tears on her cheeks, her face contemplative.

“His Majesty isn’t completely indifferent to beauty.” Her voice regained its former sweetness. “When he looks at me, I can sense it—he… does have a trace of liking after all.”

Seventh Miss immediately felt relieved.

Naturally, a beauty like Sixth Miss would move the heart of even an old monk who’d spent years in meditation, let alone His Majesty. The fear would be if he had no interest in women at all—that would be most difficult to handle.

“To build a mountain nine-tenths complete only to fail at the last basket—the path you’re taking now isn’t wrong.” She analyzed in a low voice for Sixth Miss. “With Noble Consort Niu present, the Empress will certainly promote you. In Great Qin, consorts over thirty rarely attend the Emperor anymore. The Empress is approaching thirty…”

Once over thirty, in Great Qin one was already considered of advanced maternal age. For her own safety, the Empress probably wouldn’t consider bearing children again.

“Whatever you want to obtain, you must endure, hold firm, calculate accurately, and persevere,” Seventh Miss tightened her grip. “No matter how difficult it is in your heart, don’t show it outwardly! Wait another year. Once the Crown Prince is invested, your good days will come.”

Many things were like this—when alone, it was often difficult to maintain one’s convictions. One needed a companion to analyze, to comfort, to ease the troubles in one’s heart before finding the motivation to continue persevering.

Sixth Miss took a deep breath.

“How are Seventh Auntie’s days at home?” She suddenly changed the subject.

“Mm, very good.” Seventh Miss nodded without hesitation. “Now in the household, aside from Madam, she has the most face. Father also often visits to sit and talk with her.”

Wasn’t Sixth Miss entering the palace precisely so Seventh Auntie’s days at the Yang family could be better?

Sixth Miss covered her face again. “That’s good, that’s good.”

She was like a drowning person bobbing in the sea who had momentarily surfaced—every breath carried a hysterical quality.

Though Seventh Miss was concerned, she didn’t inquire further. This psychological barrier could ultimately only be crossed by Sixth Miss herself.

The small warm chamber fell silent.

After a long while, Sixth Miss finally spoke.

Her voice was dreamlike, as if speaking in her sleep at midnight.

“Actually, what I fear most isn’t the present. Seventh Sister, the principles you speak of, I understand them myself.”

“I… I fear the future.”

“Living in this small world, never able to leave the palace for my entire life, the same few people circling around me—my husband isn’t my husband, my son isn’t my son, seeing relatives is harder than anything… my whole life visible to its end, my entire life! Living like this, what pleasure is there? When Guiren Zhang died of illness last year, I actually envied her. She stretched out her legs and everything was gone—how clean!”

Seventh Miss gently patted Sixth Miss’s shoulder and back. Countless words swirled like flowing water in her heart, but in the end, only a sigh surfaced.

If it were ten years later, letting a more mature Sixth Miss make the choice, would she prefer to abandon her parents’ favor and her own dignity rather than enter the palace for her family?

Unfortunately, the world was always cruel. She could only make her life’s choice at fifteen or sixteen.

“As long as you’re alive, there’s hope.” Her voice was cold as ice. “So you must bear a son, Sixth Sister. To walk out the palace gates, you must bear a son.”

The princes of His Majesty’s generation had all brought their birth mothers to their fiefs to care for them.

Sixth Miss’s only hope of leaving the Forbidden City was to bear a son.

The whimpering continued for a while before finally ceasing. Sixth Miss dried her tears and straightened her back again.

Her demeanor became somewhat similar to Seventh Miss’s.

“Yes, if I die, won’t I be unable to do anything?” She gradually regained her composure bit by bit and gave Seventh Miss an embarrassed smile. “How rare for me to lose my composure!”

While carefully wiping the tears from her face, she asked Seventh Miss, “Does General Xu treat you well?”

Seventh Miss paused before admitting, “Though the Heir is busy, he always does his utmost for his family. He treats me very well.”

Though she said this, her expression showed some awkwardness.

Seeing this, Sixth Miss couldn’t help feeling surprised. “I thought since you two had prior connections and could now be together again, you’d surely be deeply in love…”

“It’s not that simple!” Seventh Miss couldn’t help but laugh.

She sighed, lost in thought for a moment, then asked Sixth Miss, “Do you love His Majesty?”

Though Sixth Miss didn’t answer, her disdainful attitude made the answer self-evident.

“Living together is one thing, but love is quite another.” Seventh Miss explained softly to Sixth Miss. “The Heir doesn’t treat me poorly, but spending a lifetime with someone and loving someone for a lifetime—these are vastly different things.”

Sixth Miss seemed to understand.

“True!” She laughed. “Take the Empress—if she truly loved His Majesty, whether she could remain so virtuous is questionable.”

Her tone carried faint bitterness.

Only then did Seventh Miss understand: even speaking of love, in the entire palace, only the Empress had the qualification to speak of love with His Majesty. To put it bluntly, Sixth Miss was merely a plaything to relieve His Majesty’s boredom—how could she have the qualification to speak of love with him?

“But judging by the Heir’s temperament, he doesn’t seem like the type to stay faithful.” Sixth Miss shook off her earlier bitterness and inquired about Seventh Miss with great interest. “For the first few years, you should stabilize his heart and not let some wild maid seduce him away. Once you have two or three children at your side, then promote a few obedient, honest girls—then your days will be comfortable!”

Seventh Miss neither confirmed nor denied, only smiled without speaking.

She and Xu Fengjia had spent barely over half a month together living as a couple. How could half a month be enough to truly understand a person?

Sixth Miss changed the subject. “Fifth Sister’s death—have you found any leads?”

Seventh Miss raised her eyebrows, looking surprised. “How did you know I was investigating this?”

“Even if you weren’t investigating, wouldn’t Madam have you investigate?” Sixth Miss scoffed. “Otherwise why would they marry you into the Xu family?”

The displeasure in her manner made Seventh Miss’s heart warm.

“There are no leads yet.” She answered frankly. “Without establishing a firm foothold at the Xu family, investigating the case is merely empty talk.”

She selectively shared the Grand Dowager’s attitude with Sixth Miss.

Sixth Miss showed considerable disdain. “Isn’t she only able to act imperiously at the Xu family because of the Dowager Consort’s influence? The Ni family isn’t close to her anymore. Don’t be afraid—the Dowager Consort can barely take care of herself and has no mind to discipline you. As long as you can firmly grasp household management, it’s more likely the Dowager Consort will come courting your favor!”

Having lived in the palace for years and being close sisters with Seventh Miss, when Sixth Miss spoke of the Dowager Consort, she was naturally an authoritative source.

Seventh Miss’s expression shifted. “Oh?”

“Since the Crown Prince began his studies, the Empress Dowager and the Dowager Consort have gradually had some discord.” Sixth Miss didn’t hide this from Seventh Miss, answering candidly. “Though His Majesty shows no favoritism, the Empress Dowager holds the proper position. These years, the Niu family has risen quickly, and the Dowager Consort’s days have gradually become less pleasant.”

If at this time the Dowager Consort also became estranged from her natal family, her days would naturally be even worse.

However, such matters were originally cases where unity benefited both while division harmed both. If they lost the Dowager Consort, the Xu family would have no connections in the palace and would feel somewhat insecure.

But this insecurity might be compensated for by the connections the Yang family possessed…

Suddenly, Seventh Miss understood why Duke Pingguo had unhesitatingly engaged her as Xu Fengjia’s second wife: she was indeed his best choice.

Lost in thought, Sixth Miss suddenly left the warm chamber.

She rummaged through boxes and chests in the hall for a while, then returned to the warm chamber carrying a small box.

“I wanted to return this to you during your wedding.” She smiled and pushed the small box to Seventh Miss’s side. “But I was afraid with so many people and loose tongues it would invite trouble, so I could only wait until today to return it.”

When Seventh Miss opened it, the wooden box contained nothing else—only a yellowed embroidered handkerchief.

Her throat suddenly constricted.

“Eunuch Lian…”

“Though Eunuch Lian wields great power in the palace, he conducts himself very carefully and rarely speaks on rear palace matters.” Sixth Miss explained. “I’m already very grateful that he’s discreetly looked after me a few times. If we interact too closely, I fear making the Empress suspicious, which would be counterproductive. I’ve never had the opportunity to give him this handkerchief. I imagine when I have need of him in the future, I won’t need such a light favor as this handkerchief. Since it’s a relic of our late mother, Seventh Sister should keep it yourself.”

Seventh Miss looked at Sixth Miss gratefully.

Though the favor of this handkerchief wouldn’t be too significant, it certainly wouldn’t be trivial either. More importantly, it represented one’s gesture.

Yet Sixth Miss would rather not use it and instead returned it to her, to preserve her remembrance of Ninth Auntie.

“If you suffer grievances at the Xu family, don’t take it too hard.” Sixth Miss didn’t notice Seventh Miss’s emotion and instead continued to advise her. “In a few more years, once I’m with child, everything will be different.”

To Seventh Miss’s surprise, she simply smiled.

“I entered the palace precisely so the people I care about would never have to suffer again.” Sixth Miss gripped Seventh Miss’s hand. “Fifth Sister and you are naturally both people I care about.”

Seventh Miss took a deep breath.

“You must endure too.” Her voice became rarely hoarse. “In a few more years, when Ninth Brother grows up, when Second Sister and I have firmly established ourselves as mistresses of our households, many things will be different.”

Sixth Miss then gave her a smile.

This smile fully displayed her stunning beauty.

“Good, I’ll wait.” She answered softly. “You wait too. In a few more years, the flourishing good days will come.”

Light footsteps sounded outside. A palace attendant came to report: Dowager Consort Xu requested Seventh Miss to come to Ningshou Palace to speak.