Ji Feiyu couldn't help but shake her head. Only then did she understand why there were so many new people in the palace. According to the harem system, the empress held sole power, and it was up to her to decide the promotion and demotion of concubines. But currently, with the three high - ranking concubines in power, they had essentially divided the power that originally belonged to the empress. In order to cultivate their own forces and win the emperor's favor, regardless of whether the emperor had favored a concubine or not, they would first promote her and then try every means to send her to the emperor's side. It was simply absurd!
Ji Feiyu looked at the woman who had dug out her buried wine and was now concentrating on opening it. She couldn't help but sigh softly. The harem was a place of glitz and glamour, but how many years of youth could a woman spend there? Some women in the harem never even got to see the emperor in their entire lives. It was truly sad and pitiful.
Seeing this, Ji Feiyu slowly got up and walked towards the place where she had buried her own wine. There she saw Yong Yaxuan and Yun Xuan carefully sweeping the dirt off the wine jars. While doing this, Yun Xuan slapped Yong Yaxuan's hand and said, "Brother, be careful!"
Ji Feiyu couldn't help but walk over there with a smile and said, "Do you need my help, Your Highness?"
At this moment, she knew that the more she avoided, the more suspicious she would seem. So it was better to face the situation calmly.
"No need," Yun Xuan said, looking at her warily with a complicated look in his eyes.
But Yong Yaxuan said, "Don't be rude to your new sister - in - law."
Yun Xuan couldn't help but say, "Brother, are you really going to make this fake sister - in - law the empress?"
Yong Yaxuan said, "Kids don't understand, so don't talk nonsense."
Yun Xuan made a face at him.
Seeing this, Ji Feiyu just smiled and stood aside watching them open the wine. Seeing that Yong Yaxuan was a bit clumsy, she asked, "I heard that Your Majesty's eyes have been cured. Why can't you still see clearly?"
Yong Yaxuan looked up at her with a smile and said, "Well, I can only see things vaguely. It's not a big deal."
But Yun Xuan whispered, "It's a big deal. I've been reading the memorials for you."
Yong Yaxuan lovingly stroked Yun Xuan's head and said, "Can't you just not expose your brother?"
Hearing this, Ji Feiyu was stunned. His eyes still hadn't been completely cured. No wonder after he thought she resembled Ji Feiyu, seeing her blurry figure, he just thought she only resembled her, not that she was actually Ji Feiyu, because he simply couldn't see clearly.
Ji Feiyu couldn't help but say, "Then from now on, let me be your eyes, Your Majesty."
Yong Yaxuan was taken aback for a moment, then said uncomfortably, "Okay."
At this time, someone had already unsealed the buried wine. Immediately, the fragrance of the wine filled the air. It was Concubine Li.
"Oops, I didn't expect this wine to be so fragrant. It was really worth spending so much money on that book *Du Kang*," the little maid beside Concubine Li exclaimed happily. Concubine Zhen snorted and said to her own maid, "Open it."
Seeing this, Yun Xuan quickly whispered angrily, "They're just a bunch of arrogant and ugly women. My sister - in - law's wine is here. How dare they be so arrogant? I got this brewing technique from a wine hermit myself. Brother, just wait and taste this peerless good wine."
Yong Yaxuan couldn't help but smile and gently punched him, saying, "So it was you who helped your sister - in - law cheat. No wonder she was so secretive when burying the wine back then and refused to tell me the formula no matter what."
"Oops, I said too much. Sister - in - law, save me," Yun Xuan said, seeing Yong Yaxuan's fist coming down. He quickly hid behind Ji Feiyu. Ji Feiyu just smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't be angry with a child."
Hearing this, Yun Xuan accidentally stumbled and bumped into her. He let out a soft cry, "Wow, so fragrant."
This made her and Yong Yaxuan look at each other. Yun Xuan stuck out his tongue and said, "I mean sister - in - law smells good, just like mother."
"Really? Let me smell too," Yong Yaxuan said. Suddenly he leaned towards Ji Feiyu, which scared her. Then, while she was in a daze, Yong Yaxuan left her side and squatted on the ground laughing loudly.
The concubines around heard the laughter and looked over. Seeing the emperor laughing beside the "Princess Shuanghua", their eyes were filled with jealousy. Ji Feiyu looked at them in surprise. What on earth was going on?
Yun Xuan stuck out his tongue at her and then went to break the sealing clay of the wine jar, saying, "Just pretend you didn't hear me."
Ji Feiyu looked at Yong Yaxuan and let out an embarrassed snort, "Your Majesty..."
Yong Yaxuan then said with a smile, "Yun Xuan said you smell milky, just like mother..."
Ji Feiyu immediately understood and couldn't help but look up at the sky. Hadn't she just drunk a lot of goat milk and cow milk and taken many luxurious milk baths in Beihan? How could her smell become like that of a wet - nurse?
Ji Feiyu remembered that after she came here, she had clearly lit the special incense from Beihan to get rid of the smell on her body. Why didn't it work at all?
Seeing her confused look, Yong Yaxuan added, "People can't smell their own body odor, but it's very obvious to others."
So, was he hinting that on their wedding night, smelling the milky fragrance on her and lying on her lap, he had actually regarded her as his mother when he was a child? So, the reason why Ji Feiyu's identity had been well - hidden wasn't because of her great acting skills, but because of this wet - nurse - like fragrance on her.
Why did Ji Feiyu feel so sad after suddenly realizing this? Waaaa... Where had her original body fragrance gone?
Seeing the indescribable expression on Ji Feiyu's face, Yong Yaxuan and Yun Xuan both burst out laughing.
Ji Feiyu felt even more depressed. Sure enough, in this matter, only she was sad, only she was sad!
At this lively moment, many more good wines were unsealed, and the fragrance filled the courtyard, captivating people's hearts. The Xiuyuan girl that Ji Feiyu had seen digging the wine before seemed to have also opened her wine. She happily ran over and said, "Your Majesty, may I borrow Princess Shuanghua? I'd like the princess to help me taste the wine and then compose a poem."
Perhaps it was the first time she had spoken to the emperor. The Xiuyuan girl's face was flushed pink.
"Granted," Yong Yaxuan said, looking at Ji Feiyu with a gentle smile. He then pushed her gently and told her to go with the Xiuyuan girl. This small gesture made Ji Feiyu feel that at this moment, Yong Yaxuan regarded her more as a younger sister.
Along the way, Ji Feiyu saw all kinds of heavily - made - up girls looking at them with hostility in their eyes. She felt a bit gloating in her heart. Since the emperor's eyes couldn't see clearly now, no matter how beautiful they were, they couldn't seduce him.
Ji Feiyu thought about the fact that Yong Yaxuan's poor eyesight must not have been told to outsiders. Even she hadn't known that his eyes hadn't been completely cured. Thinking of this, Ji Feiyu suddenly blamed herself. Why hadn't she asked the doctor she had sent to treat him about the final result of the treatment? She had been too confident. She had thought that with her formula and that doctor's ability, his eyes would surely be completely cured.
The Xiuyuan girl led Ji Feiyu to the place where she had placed her wine.
At this time, all the fine wines were placed on a long table. Besides the brewers, each had invited their favorite wine - taster. In fact, to win in this round, one needed to have good wine on the one hand, and the most appropriate poem on the other. Then the imperial brewers would select the best combination for the emperor to taste. What was being competed here was not only the art of brewing but also the communication and trust between the old and new concubines.