Alas. Attendant Zhou sighed inwardly. Why did she feel so unlucky lately when she had an absolute advantage?

  Upon further consideration, Attendant Zhou realized that she had exposed her ambitions prematurely. No boss liked a subordinate who openly coveted their position.

  She tried to move against the empress too early and dragged the emperor to her yard.

  But she would have failed her task if she didn’t reel Zhao Xu in.

  What’s done was done. She had no choice but to find a solution.

  “Issuing a new task: attend to the emperor tonight,” the mechanical voice of the favored concubine system said.

  Attendant Zhou scratched her head in distress. How was she supposed to attend to him with such a fierce woman watching her every move? And with Consort Zhuang sick, no one from the Moonlight Palace could attend to the emperor.

  This system constantly put her in difficult positions.

  “Attendant. Please don’t act so inelegantly,” Mama Li said when she caught Attendant Zhou scratching her cheek.

  Attendant Zhou eyed her. The old tiger’s face was wrinkled, her expression was cold, and her once-sharp eyes drooped. Why was a woman like that still in the palace? She should be retired. Couldn’t they just give her some money and drive her out?

  Such opinionated old hags were a real nuisance!

  Just the sight of her was infuriating. Attendant Zhou would definitely get rid of this old woman once she gained more power.

  There was no way that she would fail this task again, right?

  “Please continue practicing proper etiquette. Don’t bend your waist when curtsying. Don’t move your upper body either. Now bend your knees slightly,” Mama Li continued on.

  Attendant Zhou felt extremely frustrated. As if it wasn’t enough that she had to find a way to attend to the emperor tonight!

  “Your Majesty, Madam is here,” Qiu Ling told Ning Shu as she walked in.

  Ning Shu set her teacup aside. “Quick, let my mother in.”
Madam Fu walked into the hall with a girl dressed in servant garments at her heels.

  “This subject greets the empress.” Madam Fu curtsied towards Ning Shu.

  “Mother, please get up.” Ning Shu quickly helped Madam Fu and glanced at the maid. “Mother, please take a seat.”
She then asked Qiu Ling to prepare some cakes and tea.

  “Your Majesty, have you truly thought this through?” Madam Fu asked.

  Ning Shu nodded. “Is this the woman? Raise your head.”
The maid behind Madam Fu walked forward and bowed to Ning Shu. “This humble woman, Lian Yi, greets Your Majesty.”
Lian Yi raised her head, revealing a bright and charming face. The woman had a single, defining characteristic: seductive, seductive, seductive.

  Those slender eyes really did resemble a fox’s.

  A real-life fox spirit!

  That was the first thought Ning Shu had when she saw the woman.

  “Lian Yi grew up in a brothel.” Madam Fu’s expression was pleading. “Your Majesty, please.”