The gaze rested on her lips.

Her face seemed to have gained some color.

He flicked his sleeve, suddenly said nothing, and turned to leave immediately.

The eunuch hurriedly followed.

He felt a wave of relief in his heart!

The Empress has truly come around, finally knowing how to please the Emperor!

The Emperor initially kept denying it, but in the end, he did not reject the Empress. What does this indicate... it indicates that there is something between the Emperor and the Empress.

The eunuch increasingly looked forward to the Empress.

...

After Xiao Luming left.

Xie Qianyun called all the concubines over and said very seriously, "Ladies, it’s been quite a while since you all entered the palace, yet none of you have ever received the Emperor’s favor."

All the concubines lowered their heads in shame.

To them, not being favored by the Emperor was their own failing.

"So we must work together to make the Emperor favor us," Xie Qianyun said firmly.

"You say so, Your Majesty, but doing it is not so easy," Du Wenrou said somewhat pessimistically, "If the Emperor is unwilling, who can force him? Even my father presented a memorial to the Emperor to have him sow more branches for the royal family, and it had no effect whatsoever, didn’t it?"

"The reason it had no effect is because the Emperor doesn’t like us," Xie Qianyun said, "If the Emperor likes us, there’s no need to force anything, is there?"

"But how can we make the Emperor like us?"

"That’s what we’re discussing!" Xie Qianyun stated.

"The Emperor likes Princess Anqi..." Du Wenrou blurted out, then quickly knelt down, "Your Majesty..."

"Speak the truth, what are you afraid of? It’s not a secret in the Imperial Palace that the Emperor likes Anqi!" Xie Qianyun said nonchalantly.

The concubines really admired the Empress for her unconventional ways.

"Actually, Princess Anqi visited my chamber today and taught me many ways to please the Emperor. To put it plainly, it’s about how to become a woman like Princess Anqi. I think that if the Emperor truly forgets Princess Anqi, he wouldn’t want a counterfeit Anqi; the key is to make him genuinely like someone else, so he can truly forget Princess Anqi," Xie Qianyun concluded.

The other concubines nodded in agreement.

"Tell me what talents you possess. I’ll see if there’s a platform for you to showcase yourselves before the Emperor."

"I can play the zither."

"I excel at dancing."

"I can compose poetry and couplets..."

All the concubines eagerly spoke about their standout qualities.

Xie Qianyun compiled the information and cheerfully snapped her fingers, "Everyone get ready, in five days, we’ll prepare a surprise for the Emperor."

"What kind of surprise?"

"A surprise to make him like us!" Xie Qianyun said confidently, adding, "I’ll say this first; we’re all sisters, and there should be no jealousy. Our common goal now is to win over the Emperor. Whoever wins the Emperor wins for all. There should be no envy just because the Emperor favored one over another. We’re all family, aren’t we? Whoever wins the Emperor shall be treated as a hero."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the concubines responded respectfully.

Then they all went back to study their skills diligently.

Xie Qianyun didn’t idle about either, she busily had the Clothes Hall custom-make outfits for each concubine.

Five days later.

Xie Qianyun brought exquisite tea to Qiankun Hall to see Xiao Luming.

During these five days, Xiao Anqi visited the Imperial Palace three times, forcing Xie Qianyun to learn, and she could only follow along.

Whether to use it or not was up to her.

Of course, sometimes it could be useful.

For example, when she truly wanted to please Xiao Luming.

Xiao Luming looked at Xie Qianyun, furrowing his brows.

It had been five days since they last met after that day.

He had heard that Xiao Anqi occasionally went to Jingxiu Palace, and he ultimately exercised restraint, choosing to ignore it.

Seeing Xie Qianyun suddenly appear, he remained indifferent.

"I pay respects to the Emperor," she said.

"Does the Empress have matters to discuss?"

"I’ve been studying the art of tea recently and wish to personally brew a pot for the Emperor," Xie Qianyun smiled.

The smile indeed seemed softer than usual.

It didn’t seem out of place on her face, yet it seemed somewhat lacking in sincerity, making it feel rather fake.

Xiao Luming withdrew his gaze and continued to review the memorials.

Silence was his consent.

The eunuch on the side watched as the Empress seemed to become more refined and felt a bit gratified.

She said she’d come to please the Emperor, yet for so many days, there hadn’t been a word, even though the Emperor had asked about her several times but stopped short.

It seemed the Emperor was probably looking forward to it as well, just too proud to show it.

Now, finally, the Empress had come personally.

Xie Qianyun was unaware of the eunuch’s thoughts on the matter.

She sat beside the Emperor and skillfully started brewing tea.

Xiao Luming appeared to be reviewing the memorials, yet his eyes glanced over at Xie Qianyun from time to time.

He always felt she was clumsy and would burn herself.

Of course, he would never admit that he was concerned about her, claiming only that he didn’t want any trouble.

Xie Qianyun finished brewing the tea, poured a cup, and handed it to Xiao Luming with both hands, "Please, have some tea, Emperor."

Xiao Luming reached out, nonchalantly taking it.

The tea ceremony indeed seemed learned, quite proper.

He took a sip.

Not really expecting much.

Just didn’t want to dampen Xie Qianyun’s enthusiasm.

However, the moment he truly drank it, his expression subtly changed.

The aroma of tea and flowers swirled, invading the senses, tasting full-bodied and slightly sweet, with a hint of bitterness, and leaving a fragrant aftertaste.

Xiao Luming glanced up at Xie Qianyun.

If he hadn’t seen Xie Qianyun brew the tea herself, he wouldn’t have believed such masterful tea art came from her hand!