The next day, Mei Liang woke up early to pay her respects to the Empress. "Cuìyù, which palace did the Emperor stay at last night?" Mei Liang asked.
"Reporting to Mistress, the Emperor stayed at Xian Guifei's Emerald Cloud Palace," Cuìyù replied.
"So it seems Xian Guifei is still highly favored by the Emperor," Mei Liang murmured. "Since the Emperor didn't fall for her first trick, I'll have to use Plan B. Otherwise, he might soon forget about me. But it also seems he's still captivated by her act in the peach forest, or he wouldn't have sent her the gift last night."
After arriving at the Empress's Yaotai Palace, Mei Liang quickly walked in, greeted the high-ranking concubines, and sat down. Looking around, she noticed she was early—Xian Guifei, Hui Guifei, and Duan Guifei had yet to arrive.
"It seems Sister Mei is in a good mood today," said a voice sitting at her left hand side. Mei Liang turned to see a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a pale pink robe, with an exquisite jade hairpin and earrings.
Cuìyù noticed her Mistress staring at the girl in confusion and quickly whispered, remembering her mistress memory had been affected since she almost drowned. Mei Liang nodded, finally remembering who the girl was—Imperial Concubine Jing.
Before Mei Liang could speak, the three consorts entered. Mei Liang and the other low-ranking concubines immediately stood and paid their respects. Xian Guifei walked to her seat and sat down as the most favored consort, followed by Duan Guifei and Hui Guifei.
"Now, what interesting thing were you all discussing?" Xian Guifei asked, her tone polite yet sharp.
"Reporting to Noble Consort Xian," Imperial Concubine Jing said, "This concubine was just asking Sister Mei to tell us how she managed to make the Emperor remember her and reward her after losing his favor."
"Oh, so that's what it is," Xian Guifei said with a small smile.
Hui Guifei, unable to contain herself, spoke sarcastically, "It seems Sister Xian hasn't heard about what happened yesterday. After all, some were with the Emperor, yet even though he spent the night in someone's palace, they couldn't keep his heart. He even thought of other women."
The atmosphere turned cold, and a servant quickly announced, "The Empress has arrived."
Mei Liang and the other concubines stood up to pay their respects. Before the Empress could even speak, Xian Guifei sat back in her chair, ignoring the Empress's presence and not bothering to stand. Mei Liang observed the Empress's expression. Though her face remained calm, Mei Liang noticed her eyes harden for a moment before returning to their usual gentleness.
Mei Liang smiled coldly in her heart. This was exactly what she wanted—let them all fight and tear each other apart.
"Rise," the Empress commanded, and the concubines complied.
After the Empress sat down, the others followed suit. Xian Guifei then turned to Hui Guifei, her smile sharp as ice. "It seems Sister Hui has nothing better to do than pay attention to what is happening in other palaces. After all, it's been a long time since the Emperor visited your palace. I can understand."
The rest of the concubines, including the Empress, turned pale at Xian Guifei's words. Most of them had not seen the Emperor in months. The insult was unmistakable.
The Empress's face tightened. "Noble Consort Xian, you should be mindful of your words and not speak recklessly," Empress Qing said, her voice cold.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Xian Guifei replied smoothly. "I am usually blunt, but the Emperor has never taken offense. In fact, he even praises me for my straightforwardness."
Mei Liang smirked as she watched the showdown between the Empress and Xian Guifei. This was the kind of spectacle she had been waiting for. Let them tear each other apart.
Turning her attention to Dei Fei, Mei Liang noticed that, although Dei Fei's expression was ugly, she remained silent. Mei Liang knew that Dei Fei would be her first target for revenge, but it wouldn't be easy. Dei Fei was like a poisonous snake, and with her powerful military family backing her, she wouldn't be easily brought down. But she will still do it.
The Empress could only remain silent; after all, she didn't have the courage to question the Emperor for not punishing Xian Guifei, who behaved so recklessly in the harem. Empress Qing merely ended the morning greetings with a grim expression. After bowing and seeing the Empress off, the other concubines left,
Passing through the Imperial Garden on her way back to Yunlu Palace, Mei Liang saw Xian Guifei's entourage waiting ahead. Just as she was about to turn back and quietly leave the garden, Xian Guifei noticed her.
"Why is Mei Wenyuan running away when you see this palace? Why not come and pay your respects when you see me?"
Realizing that Xian Guifei had already noticed her, Mei Liang had no choice but to step forward with her maidservant behind her. Mei Liang then bowed.
"This concubine pays respect to Xian Guifei, wishing you long life and peace."
Xian Guifei couldn't help but glare at Mei Liang's stunning figure with disdain. Without telling her to rise, she let Mei Liang bow for a quarter of an hour. Mei Liang, realizing Xian Guifei was deliberately making things difficult for her, clenched her fists. Her legs trembled, and sweat dripped down her forehead. This was why she needed to gain power. Without power in this harem, she would continue to be bullied by anyone.
After another quarter of an hour passed, Xian Guifei finally spoke.
"This palace seems to have forgotten that Mei Wenyuan is still here. Mei Wenyuan, you're not angry with this palace, are you?"
Standing straight, Mei Liang's legs were weak, but Cuìyù quickly supported her. Yet, Cuìyù was no better off, having also been bowing for nearly an hour.
"This concubine doesn't dare to be angry. It is my fault for not greeting Noble Consort Xian earlier. I apologize and thank Noble Consort Xian for your teaching."
Although Mei Liang's face remained cold and expressionless while speaking, Xian Guifei couldn't help but stare at her. The more she stared, the angrier she became, especially when she thought about the Emperor sending rewards to Mei Liang while he was with her. The thought of Mei Liang's beautiful face made her feel an intense urge to disfigure it.
"Since you know your wrongs, kneel for two hours to atone for your sins," Xian Guifei ordered before leaving, leaving one of her servants behind to ensure Mei Liang followed the punishment.
Mei Liang clenched her fists but forced herself to endure. She knew she wasn't yet powerful enough to go against Xian Guifei. After kneeling for an hour, Mei Liang noticed the Emperor's entourage approaching from a distance. Since the gods were on her side, sending the Emperor this way, she decided to take advantage of the situation.
After all, she was still experiencing her menstrual period, and her lower abdomen ached so much that her vision blurred with sweat. She felt weak, but seeing the emperor drawing closer, Mei Liang knew this was her chance to make him remember her and to make Xian Guifei regret punishing her.
Wanting to feign fainting, Mei Liang felt her eyelids growing blur because of the sweat covering her eyes. Seeing as the emperor was about to leave, she became anxious and fell to the ground. She didn't notice the stone nearby, and as she fainted, her head hit the stone. She could only see the emperor's entourage approaching her direction.
Meanwhile, Emperor Xiang Long Wei and his entourage, who were about to turn and go another way since the emperor didn't want to deal with any concubines at that moment, suddenly heard a cry. Emperor Xiang Long Wei, who had been thinking about a certain concubine since the day before, turned around and saw her collapse. He ordered, "Eunuch Zhao, go and check what's going on."
Soon, Eunuch Zhao returned with the news his head covered with sweat, "Your Majesty, Mei Wenyuan has fainted and her head is bleeding heavily."