Empress Qian was shocked by the chief maid's vivid description. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. Two shocking lights shone out of her squinted eyes.

After carefully going through her memories, Empress Qian mumbled,

"I remember ten years ago, the former Master's case happened after the massacre of the Zheng family. There were rumors in the Palace that Master Bian's apprentice volunteered to take the case. He put Master Bian in prison and tortured him to death. Because His Majesty didn't like to hear these old things, no one dared to mention it later."

Sulian angered without any expression. She folded her hands together and said to the Empress,

"So it is an old rumor. But we have stayed in the Palace for long. Everyone knows that some rumors are the truth. You see, Leng Qingtang took charge of the Eastern Depot anyway, and later the Imperial Ceremony Office, Imperial Guards, and the Garden."

Empress Qian nodded understandingly. She looked into the distance. Her look was confused with a hint of impalpable sadness,

"That's His Majesty. When he trusts someone, he treats that person so well that he wishes to give that person the entire Palace. But when he doubts someone, that person is in deep trouble and can never get back up again. You can't really blame him. He went through too much scheming before he became the Emperor. He fought through all the difficulties in rain and blood..."

"Your Grace!"

Hearing the Empress going on and talking wildly, Sulian panicked and kneeled on the ground. Her fair face was full of the look of fear,

"Your Grace! What I said was thinking for you. I didn't mean to bring you more trouble..."

"Get up."

Empress Qian squinted at the nervous Sulian. She calmly said to Sulian with a helpless and tiring tone,

"I know Leng Qingtang's personality. He's quite cruel and sharp. But it took me much effort to bring him on my side. Now you're asking me to let him go. I feel kind of reluctant to do so."

Sulian rolled her eyes quickly. She paused and said,

"The old saying goes, 'Don't use the one you doubt. Don't doubt the one you use.' But planning for an out is never wrong, especially when facing Leng Qingtang, a powerful eunuch. Your Grace, you should be more careful."

Empress Qian nodded with approval. While thinking, she said slowly,

"This morning when His Majesty came, he mentioned that since Leng Qingtang is out of prison and has been punished, I should award him something to settle down the incident on the Spring Banquet. Now that you said it, help me think about what to give him."

A carrot and a stick, the Emperor was quite slick. He knew it was a fight between the different parties in the court, so he went along. He used the officials' hands to take care of the Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot. Then he would award Leng Qingtang something to comfort him on the surface. Deep down, the Emperor also didn't want to offend Leng Qingtang too much.

Therefore, the award couldn't be too eye-catching, but it needed to serve its purpose.

Sulian curled up her lips and smiled. She slightly bent down and said to the Empress,

"I've heard that there were mostly male servants in Leng's Mansion. There aren't any young maids. Maybe because Master Leng is a eunuch, so he is afraid to touch the taboo on certain things. Now thinking about what to give him, maybe you can give him a pretty and smart girl."

Empress Qian frowned and shook her head,

"I had a plan before he went to Jiangan, but he's not stupid. If we don't do this right, he won't take my gratitude but think I don't believe him and that I have to get a spy beside him. No, no."

Sulian smiled calmly. She looked like she had a well-thought-out plan.

"Your Grace, the situation is unlike before. He took eighty floggings and is resting at home. He needs someone now. If you send someone, it will be just right for him. He won't refuse it. And you can successfully have a spy and show the sympathy of His Majesty. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"

Empress Qian exhaled a long breath. She turned her head sideways and fell silent. After a while, she suddenly stood up. When she carefully thought about it while wandering around, the bright yellow dress with flying phoenix patterns draped on the ground, was shining on the soft red embroidered carpet.

Suddenly she stopped. Empress Qian turned back and met Sulian's eyes.

"You need to choose the right person. She should look pretty and has a steady personality. Can't be too stupid or too smart. When you decide, show me first."

Sulian nodded and took the order, "Yes. I know. Rest assured, Your Grace."

...

The Western Depot's dungeon.

Nanny Gu was beaten and whipped. She was tortured out of shape.

She couldn't tolerate the torture, so she spelled out everything she knew. Nanny Gu lay on the ground and wailed.

"Master Ming... I've said everything I know... I don't dare... hold back... I'm wronged..."

Outside the prison cell, Ming Lan eerily smiled. He looked very satisfied.

It looked like this rank-fifth old maid really said everything she knew.

Looking at the Garden's manager who was badly wounded, Ming Lan turned and said something to the guards beside him. He then left the dungeon.

He rested in the main hall and drank a cup of tea. Ming Lan was deep in thinking. In his head, he gradually connected the clues he found out from Gu Yunjin, Nanny Gu, and the rest people in the Youzhu Garden these days.

An Hong took the opportunity. He kneeled by the Master's feet and started massaging his legs. He looked as obsequious as a dog.

Ming Lan was joyful. He pinched An Hong's smooth cheek, acting frivolously.

An Hong pretended to be coy. He moaned sweetly. Seeing the Master in a good mood, he asked Ming Lan tentatively,

"Master, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that Nanny Gu said eleven years ago, Lord Leng sent Gu Yunxi to the Garden himself in winter. That kid had blood phobia. I vaguely remember eleven years ago something happened in the capital..."

An Hong didn't stop massaging. He said,

"Master, I was still very young eleven years ago. I don't know about those things. But if you want to know, I can find some elders and ask them."

"This needs to be fast! Besides, how's that lead you're following?"

An Hong smiled,

"Please rest assured. I met with that person yesterday. That person told me Empress Qian had some movement. It will take a day or two to send the girl. Master, everything is going smoother than we expected!"

"Nice."

Ming Lan closed his eyes. His voice was lazy as if he had been talking to himself,

"That girl is vindictive. She will use all means. I think it can work..."

...

Leng's Mansion.

In the afternoon, Leng Qingtang woke up from sleep.

There were only Imperial Doctor Jiang and Chiliarch Cheng Wanli in the room.

When Leng Qingtang came out of the prison of Court of Judicial Review, in order to take care of the Master's wounds, Cheng Wanli sent all the servants away and also sent Gu Yunxi to rest.

At first, Gu Yunxi wouldn't leave. She insisted on staying until the Master woke up. Yet Gu Yunxi only held on for fifteen minutes before she passed out. She was carried back to her room.

In fact, only Cheng Wanli and Imperial Doctor Jiang knew the Master was a fake eunuch. Therefore, they needed to be present when cleaning the Master and applying medicines to make sure his secret was not discovered by others.

At then, the Master's bloody private part was long solidified into a thick, brown, crusty scab. The blood and pus stuck on his pants. The stench was unbearable.

To let the Master suffer less, Cheng Wanli and Imperial Doctor Jiang worked together. One grabbed a wet handkerchief, and the other held the scissors. They worked carefully to cut the underwear and slowly peel it off from the wound. They were all sweating.

After cleaning, applying the medicine, and patching up, Leng Qingtang finally got his life back.

When the Master woke up, after asking the situation of Gu Yunxi, he immediately asked the Chiliarch about the Eastern Depot's current status.

"Master, after that night, Empress Qian sent the Honor Guards to surround the Eastern Depot. Now all the captains are still inside. They can't get out!"

Cheng Wanli's look was serious. He stood by the bedside and sighed,

"Empress Qian was protecting the Eastern Depot!"

Leng Qingtang pressed his arms on the soft pillow and said decisively,

"Otherwise, if Lord Shen's army entered the Eastern Depot, I won't have any chance of getting back up. But as time goes, the Eastern Depot may get controlled by the Empress."

"If I guess correctly, this incident on the banquet was the Western Depot and the Wan's trying to frame me together. Now Ming Lan has got the power. The Garden is his now. It's not a good sign. He will find out that thing sooner or later!"

Cheng Wanli was scared standing beside. Staring at the Master, he suddenly changed the topic,

"Master, why don't we do it now!"

Imperial Doctor Jiang was writing the prescription by the table. Hearing this, he suddenly dropped his brush pen. He looked at Cheng Wanli with a shocking look.

As the Master's source, he knew the Master's current situation, so he agreed with Chiliarch Cheng.

They both knew that with the Master's power, he could turn Dayi upside down in one thought. It was a piece of cake for him to overthrow the current Emperor and support a new one.

"Now is not the time!"

Leng Qingtang lay on his stomach. He looked serious and said decisively,

"I haven't collected enough evidence to reverse the verdict of Lord Protector Zheng and the former Master. If I act impulsively now, I can't revenge the death of the former Emperor, and I will be a traitor through the ages. I will be hated by everyone and go down in history as a symbol of infamy!"

...

Gu Yunxi felt like she had been sleeping for so long. When she opened her eyes confusedly, she was lying on the bed. Her clothes were changed into new ones, and her hair was combed into a bun.

Candles lit up the room. It seemed pretty late.

"Lady..."

Qinger was guarding her. Her eyes were swollen like ripen apricots.

Seeing Gu Yunxi wake up, Qinger's face lit up. So thrilled, she stood up and went to get the tea by the table.

"Qinger, what, what happened to me?"

Gu Yunxi struggled to sit up. She asked while bearing the pain in her mouth.

"You hadn't slept for two days, and you didn't eat anything. Even if an iron man can't take it! You just fainted in the Master's room."

Taking over the hot tea, Gu Yunxi gulped it down. She was in much pain because of the ulcer, but she bore with it. After finishing one cup, Gu Yunxi asked Qinger to get another.

Qinger looked at Gu Yunxi gulping water down her throat and her face twisted because of the pain. Seeing this, Qinger was about to cry again.

After getting enough water, Gu Yunxi hurriedly put on her boots,

"Did the Master wake up? It has been two days. I want to see him!"

Qinger stopped her,

"Please don't go! Look at you. You're not in good shape. Yet you're still worried about someone else! There're people to serve him. He doesn't need us."

"What are you saying? How is the Master 'someone else'?"

Gu Yunxi got off the bed. She was so weak that she felt like she was stepping on cotton. She didn't care about it. Tidying herself up, Gu Yunxi turned to Qinger and said with a complaining tone,

"I always take care of the Master's life. He is wounded these days. How can I not take care of him?!"

Qinger looked down. She was about to say something, but she stopped.

"What's going on?"

Gu Yunxi sensed Qinger's awkward look. She immediately panicked. Gu Yunxi grabbed Qinger and asked,

"Tell me, is there something wrong with the Master? Let's go. We need to see him!"

Qinger seemed angry for no reason. She shook off Gu Yunxi's hand. Turning her head another way, Qinger stomped her feet,

"He's fine. Why are you worried about him?"

"What's wrong with you today?"

Gu Yunxi was confused. She rolled her eyes at Qinger and ignored her. Gu Yunxi ran out of the room herself.

Lights were lit up in the Master's residence. A black shadow was reflected on the window on the east wall of his room. It looked slim and graceful. Was it a woman?

Gu Yunxi's heart shook. She felt like her boots were stuck on the stone road. She couldn't move.

She knew there were mostly young eunuchs, old male managers, and nannies in the Master's Mansion. Young maids like Qinger were rare.

Looking at the shape of the bun, it didn't look like a maid.

So who was she?

Gu Yunxi was confused. She moved in the hallway nervously. Gu Yunxi hesitantly pushed open the door and walked in.

The Master was lying on the bed sideways, facing outside. He was cleaned. A young and unfamiliar woman was sitting in front of his bed.

When seeing Gu Yunxi, Leng Qingtang's eyes lit up. His eyes were warm and kind because of seeing a person he had been missing for a long time. After a while, he calmed down. His expression kind of froze on his face. Leng Qingtang smiled at Gu Yunxi awkwardly,

"Yun Guaner, this is Lady Yanwan from the Palace. Come here... You two should meet..."

Gu Yunxi understood.

Whenever the Master called her Yun Guaner in front of others, that person would usually be an unfamiliar outsider. So it showed that this girl was not too close to the Master.

Thinking about this, Gu Yunxi relaxed a bit.

She slowly walked up and looked at the Master. She then turned her surprising and shocking look at Yanwan, who was sitting upright on a chair.

What a beauty!

Her hair was dark as ink, and her skin was white as snow. Her eyes were clear and shining. Her nose bridge was high, and her red lips were sweet. The waving light reflected on her tiny face like a moon. She was wearing a dark floral dress, making her stunning.

Before Gu Yunxi said anything, Yanwan already stood up and quickly walked up to her. She saluted and talked. Her fragrance was like orchid, and her tone was sweet and agreeable.

"Greetings to you, Lord Yun. The Master was just talking about you with me. He said you're young yet competent. You took care of everything in Master's life!"

"..."

Gu Yunxi's heart was full of everything and couldn't focus now. Gu Yunxi didn't hear what Yanwan said. She still looked confused.

She stared at Yanwan. She thought Yanwan was so beautiful. Her charming grace was so gentle, attracting people.

Yanwan waited for a while. Seeing Gu Yunxi just staring her without saying anything, she smiled awkwardly. She slightly looked down, folding her hands together, and said,

"I'm the maid in Empress Qian's Palace. Her Grace knew the Master was wounded, so she sent me here to take care of the Master's wounds."

"I hope you can teach me about the Master's habits. If I do anything wrong, please correct me."

Hearing this, Gu Yunxi's heart shook.

So this girl named Yanwan came from the Kunning Palace.

"We have enough people in the Mansion. Let alone one Master, even there are ten Masters, Lord Yun can take care of them! We don't need a maid from the Palace!"

No one knew when Qinger came into the room. Her hands were on her hips, and she was standing behind Gu Yunxi.

Hearing Yanwan, she quickly jumped out and interrupted. She dissed back harshly, emphasizing on the word "maid".

Qinger sensed that when Yanwan mentioned Empress Qian, she was showing off her identity to Gu Yunxi. Qinger was pissed, so she pressured Yanwan harshly.

After finishing it, Qinger kept her hands on her hips. She stared at Yanwan closely, her squinted eyes full of hostility.