"Noble Lady, did they just give you the title of Noble Lady?"
In Chuxiu Palace, the charming Bi He was sitting in front of a bronze mirror, doing her makeup, her cute face showing some worry.
"Saintess..."
A little eunuch suddenly appeared and whispered, "The sect has sent a message, asking you to quickly find out the Imperial Court's intentions towards Qingzhou. This is crucial for our sect's major plans!"
Bi He knitted her brows and said, "I've only been titled as Noble Lady by Your Majesty for a few days, how could I find out such important matters?"
"Besides, I'm merely a plaything for Your Majesty, only doing that... that thing every night, without even the privilege to spend the night on the Emperor's dragon bed!"
"This..." the little eunuch also helplessly said, "There have been rumors inside and outside the palace about the Celestial Eunuch, but you and I know the Emperor is virile, nothing like the outside rumors."
"In my opinion, the day for you to rise to prominence as Saintess is not far away!"
"Really?"
Bi He clasped her hands together and said, "For the sake of the Holy Sect, Bi He will certainly serve the Emperor well."
"By the way, are there any other important matters within the sect?"
"Yes."
The little eunuch said, "It's about Consort Shuu and Yang Xuansu. Yang Xuansu is a great enemy of our sect, the Sect Leader hopes you can secretly contact Consort Shuu and befriend her..."
Just then, an excited voice of the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department came from outside the courtyard.
"Your Majesty is favoring Lady Bi..."
Subsequently, several eunuchs walked in in a line, their faces full of smiles, saying, "Congratulations Lady Bi, Your Majesty is coming shortly, would you like to bathe first?"
Bi He hurriedly stood up, pleasantly surprised, "Eunuch, is it true?"
"How could it be false?"
"Quick, assist Lady Bi with bathing!"
The matter of Emperor Zhengyong favoring Bi He quickly spread throughout the entire Imperial Palace.
Almost all the palace maids and eunuchs looked enviously at the Chuxiu Palace where Bi He resided, but the rumors about Emperor Zhengyong being the Celestial Eunuch remained.
The next day, Emperor Zhengyong decreed to bestow Bi He the title of Concubine, known as 'Consort Bi', with her residence changed to Yongchun Palace.
For a time, Bi He was the subject of much admiration within the palace, with many eunuchs and palace maids competing to get positions at Yongchun Palace to serve Consort Bi.
And this matter also sparked discussions among many in the Imperial Court.
"Aunt! What on earth is the Emperor Brother thinking, favoring a little palace maid and even elevating her to a Concubine!"
In Yongshou Palace, a stunning beauty, with a myriad of charms, was holding the Empress Dowager's arm, constantly acting coquettishly.
"Alright Lin'er, stop shaking, you're making my head spin."
The Empress Dowager smiled and patted the Empress's niece on the shoulder, "You are the reigning Empress, you must uphold the dignity of the position, what kind of example is it to be so noisy?"
The Empress still pouted and said, "I'm only like this with you, Aunt, I wouldn't act this way in front of others."
"Emperor Brother hasn't come to me for a long time..."
The Empress Dowager suddenly said seriously, "Lin'er, tell me the truth, when the Emperor used to visit you, did he ever consummate the marriage?"
The Empress shrank back and said through gritted teeth, "When Emperor Brother used to visit me, he only discussed family matters and poetry."
"Come night, he would leave saying the state matters were urgent, it was during King Tang's rebellion back then..."
"Alright, I understand."
The Empress Dowager patted the Empress's hand and said, "Lin'er, I have other matters to attend to, you may leave now."
"Yes, Aunt, I take my leave."
After the Empress left, the Empress Dowager murmured, "Zhucao."
"Empress Dowager, this old servant is here."
A slightly plump woman in her fifties walked in respectfully.
"Go check if any renowned physicians from Nanyue County have entered the palace in recent days?"
"Yes, Empress Dowager."
...
Prime Minister's Mansion.
Yang Xuansu was surprised, "What? The Emperor favored a palace maid?"
"It's true, my lord. I bribed the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, and it's confirmed that a palace maid was favored by Your Majesty and even left dragon essence as a record."
"Rumor has it in the palace that the Emperor has been favoring this palace maid for over a month."
A subordinate said, "Many are aware of this, and today the Emperor even conferred the title of Consort Bi on her!"
"Consort Bi, Consort Bi..."
Yang Xuansu muttered, then chuckled, "This is a case of covering up, why choose a palace maid to favor?"
"It seems the Emperor... indeed cannot do it!"
"Father, should we take action then?"
Yang Xuansu's eldest son, Yang Guang, excitedly asked, being one of the commanders of the Imperial Guard, he controlled a third of the Imperial Guard's forces!
"No hurry..."
Yang Xuansu shook his head, "There's been a problem contacting Mayfly Tower. Last time we killed one of their Protectors, it seems they no longer want to take this job."
"What about Mayfly Tower?"
Yang Guang frowned, "With our current strength, we can completely leverage the Emperor's loss of virtue to seize the Imperial Palace, control the Emperor, and force him to abdicate."
"Not in a rush."
Yang Xuansu said, "The Dragon-soaring Army has repelled Wu Country, and Wu Country's Third Prince was killed, I don't think Wu Country will let this go."
"I intend to wait for Wu Country to amass troops, so Xu Mujun cannot act, then pressure the Emperor to abdicate in favor of Prince Qing."
"By then, it'll be a done deal, and even if Xu Mujun is powerful, he'll have no choice but to accept it!"
"Father, you are wise!"
Yang Xuansu continued, "Keep spreading the rumors, I want these rumors to spread throughout the entire Great Yu!"
"The Emperor cannot have children, and at his age, he has yet to have a single son or daughter, let's see if he can still hold onto the throne!"
"Father, what about Binzhou?"
Yang Guang asked again, "Xu Mujun is really strong, as soon as he arrived in Binzhou, he pressured the entire place so much they can't catch a breath, unable to hold out for long."
"And I suspect, that old man's strength might have already reached the Innate Realm..."
"What about the Innate Realm?"
Yang Xuansu said, "I've been contending with him for many years and have long seen through this person."
"He joined the military at twelve, and for over fifty years has fought extensively for the Great Yu, loyal to the Great Yu Court."
"And that, is our opportunity!"
"His loyalty is to the Great Yu Court, not Emperor Zhengyong."
"As long as we act quickly while he's still in Binzhou to force Emperor Zhengyong to abdicate to Prince Qing, he won't be able to do anything!"
"Once Wu Country deploys their large army, we'll coordinate and eliminate them from within."
"By then, the entire Great Yu will be mine for the taking!"
Yang Guang was delighted, "Father is wise! What shall we do now..."
"I have received secret information, there's civil unrest in Qingzhou, with traces of the White Lotus Sect behind it."
"I will send you to Qingzhou to suppress the rebellion, and then try your best to recruit the rebel forces, causing disruption to surrounding areas like Jizhou and Qingzhou, to divert the Dragon-soaring Army's attention."
"If possible, secretly contact the White Lotus Sect, as I have big plans!"
"Once Wu Country surrounds Xu Mujun and the Dragon-soaring Army, that will be our chance!"
"I understand, Father."
Yang Guang said, "But do you really intend to contact the White Lotus Sect? Those people are treacherously ambitious..."
"What about treacherous ambition?"
Yang Xuansu said indifferently, "As long as I can ascend the throne, the White Lotus Sect is nothing before me, I can crush them with a flip of the hand!"