Transmigrated as A Farm Girl Making Her Family Rich

Chief Eunuch Li returned to the Imperial Palace and entrusted the Empress's people with the honey and chrysanthemum he had received from the Empress and the Emperor.

As for whether the Empress would give them to the Emperor, that was not something he could influence.

Upon learning that Chief Eunuch Li had brought back chrysanthemums and honey, the Empress was somewhat unimpressed.

"Empress, you have recently felt a discomfort in your throat, shall I have someone prepare chrysanthemum tea for you?"

Seeing Chief Eunuch Li's insistence, the Empress decided not to wound his loyal heart.

She nodded at him, and then asked whether he had visited the Ye family, and what the Ye Family's sisters looked like in appearance and demeanor.

Once the Empress agreed to drink the chrysanthemum tea, Chief Eunuch Li whispered to his subordinates to prepare the tea with the honey.

Then he reported back to the Empress, "Replying to Empress, the Ye Family's sisters are indeed worthy descendants of Old General Ye, with an extraordinary bearing."

After hearing Chief Eunuch Li's words, the Empress felt very interested and asked, "Oh, in what way do they have an extraordinary bearing?"

Chief Eunuch Li continued, "Not to mention their behavior and manners—from which this old servant cannot fault—with training just like other noble ladies we've seen, though they are not as strict as the palace's rules, what makes them standout most are their figures and skin complexion."

From Chief Eunuch Li's words, the Empress picked up on the last two words, which interested her the most and were what all women, and even men, found fascinating—beauty...

"Skin complexion?"

Chief Eunuch Li nodded, knowing that the Empress would certainly be interested in a woman with beautiful skin, which was of interest to all women and men alike—looks…!

"They wore veils, so one could not see their true faces, but from their exposed mouths, necks, and hands, one could tell that their skin was soft, smooth, and fairer than that of any woman I have ever seen."

The Empress, after hearing Chief Eunuch Li's description, became even more interested in the Ye Family's sisters.

She was also intrigued by their skin care routines.

"Sounds quite fascinating. Did you find out what kind of rouge they use?"

At this moment, Chief Eunuch Li presented the box that Ye Shiqi had given him to pass on to the Empress.

Upon seeing the box in Chief Eunuch Li's hands, she had the nanny by her side take it from him.

The nanny by her side took the box, opened it for the Empress, and then performed a series of actions, taking out a silver needle to test for poison.

Chief Eunuch Li and the Empress watched the nanny patiently as she carried out the procedure.

A palace maid had already brought the chrysanthemum tea and another nanny was testing it for poison.

Items brought back from outside the palace all had to be tested with a silver needle. Chief Eunuch Li and the Empress both knew the rules; one must always be wary.

Even if the person who sent the items had no ill intentions, who could ensure that they hadn't been tampered with?

There were many spies and informants in the Ye Residence; everyone knew this!

The two nannies by the Empress's side tested the chrysanthemum tea and skin care products and found no poison; for safety's sake, they would drink a little tea themselves first and personally try the skincare products before allowing the Empress to use them.

The palace maid who brewed the tea didn't just prepare one cup; she served one cup to Chief Eunuch Li, one for the poison test, and one for the Empress.

One of the nannies picked up a cup of tea; after appreciating the lovely, sweet aroma, she took a sip and felt the heat and soreness in her throat, and the heat in her body was immediately alleviated, feeling refreshed and comfortable.

She thought it was the best honey tea she had ever tasted; this chrysanthemum was even better than the finest available.

When the palace maid offered Chief Eunuch Li a cup of tea, he unreservedly took a cup. Having already indulged in three cups at the Ye family's home, he did not decline any more.

He felt that even several more large bowls of such chrysanthemum and honey tea wouldn't be enough.

"Thank you for the Empress's reward!"

The Empress nodded, then looked at the Old Wet Nurse, whose face was full of joy, and another wet nurse who had tried the beauty products also displayed a joyous expression.

As attendants who followed the Empress, they were not strangers to fine things; their expressions piqued the Empress's interest.

She gestured to a palace maid to bring up the honey chrysanthemum tea.

The Empress had, of course, also sensed the scent of the chrysanthemum tea, which had mixed with the fragrance from the opened cosmetics.

She took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea, paused to glance at Chief Eunuch Li, then, without any change in demeanor, finished her cup of tea.

She gave her wet nurse a look, and the wet nurse, who had been by her side for many years, understood with just that glance.

So the wet nurse said to Chief Eunuch Li:

"Chief Steward Li has been thoughtful; all the gifts received by the Empress and Emperor are to be kept here. Chief Steward Li must be tired, you may leave first!"

"Chā"

Chief Eunuch Li immediately understood the Empress's intent to keep both her share and the Emperor's in her own quarters.

Today was indeed the first day of the lunar month, and the 1st and 15th were the days the Emperor would visit the Empress.

The Empress surely intended to treat the Emperor with chrysanthemum and honey, not sending his portion to his sleeping chambers; naturally, she hoped that once the Emperor developed a liking for this chrysanthemum honey tea, he would visit her quarters more frequently to enjoy it.

As a person by the Empress's side, one would naturally support her in this endeavor.

And in reality, she thought further, today was the day the Emperor would come, not just to be welcomed with honey and chrysanthemums.

She had also considered the newly received skincare products.

So, without care for the fact that she had just bathed, she had her attendants prepare a fresh floral bath for her.

The Empress also decided to instruct her people not to speak of the skincare products outside of her entourage.

Even if spies from the outside or the Emperor's other concubines got wind of it, she would not share the skincare products.

A man might be shared, but she would not foolishly share her own possessions with others.

The Emperor was in the Imperial Study Room, and at night, when it was time to sleep and decide where to spend the night, he was reminded by a eunuch that he was to go to the Empress's place.

The Emperor had lost interest in the Empress; as an older man, he naturally craved newness and was interested in women he had not yet been intimate with.

He had a harem of three thousand, and although no show girl had been selected in the past one or two years, there were still some women in his palace he had not seen or spent the night with.

He planned to make his rounds to those women's quarters tonight before returning to his own sleeping chamber.

As for the Empress, he did not even wish to spend the night with her anymore.

This was also due to the fact that recently, the full-grown Princes were forming alliances, and the Empress's son was among those causing him to be irritated.

Lately, the Old Emperor showed favor to the newcomers, those who did not pose a threat, and those without powerful backers.

The Old Emperor's sense of defense failed to recognize that his sons' factions were also wooing the newcomers in a struggle for their father's empire.

The women who the Emperor thought lacked family power were, in fact, already aligned with one faction or another.

As a woman of the Emperor, bringing into his circle women without power was merely a necessity, solely for the sake of the Princes and Princesses.

The Old Emperor, seated in a sedan chair specially arranged by the old eunuch, followed by a large entourage of eunuchs and guards, arrived pompously at the entrance of the Empress's sleeping palace and entered.

The bearers set down the sedan chair in the garden, and the Emperor, accompanied by the old eunuch, stepped out and entered the Empress's sleeping quarters.

The other guards and bearers, thinking their duties were done and they could leave, were instructed by the eunuch to wait.