When they returned to the main hall of the Imperial Ceremony Office, Bingbi Liu prostrated himself before Leng Qingtang, looking guilty.

"Master, it's all my fault. It was my recklessness that made you awkward in front of Concubine Xu."

Leng Qingtang took a seat and said calmly.

"Stand up. It's not your fault. The person we mess with this time is supercilious. She won't sit back when something happens to her people."

"But I was surprised that Xu Yuanjiao came to the Imperial Ceremony Office in person for a maidservant this time. After all, she is always cold."

Bingbi Liu stood up with his hands dropping and reported.

"It is said that Tu Muxue hasn't been in the Palace for long. But she is good at cooking, and Concubine Xu likes her so much out of that. Even all the concubines in the imperial harem had eaten the food she made, and they were all unstinting in their praise."

"Cooking?"

Leng Qingtang's eyes shone suddenly, and he thought of something unexpectedly. After thinking about it for a while, he ordered.

"Send more people to keep an eye on Chuxiu Palace."

——

The morning light tore through the sky, and soft light fell into the window lattice.

Gu Yunxi finally got out of the endless dreams. She opened her eyes with difficulty, and gasped for breath.

There was a sharp pain on her hands and body as if she had been cut into pieces. Her limbs trembled, and she lay face down on the bed, groaning.

When Lanxin entered the room with a basin in her hands, she saw the distorted expression on her friend's small face.

She put the basin on the table immediately and ran to the bed in panic, choking anxiously.

"Muxue, you are awake!"

"Where is this?"

Gu Yunxi turned her head, wincing. She looked around in pain, and then she lowered her head, just to see her hands wrapped tightly in cloth.

When she sniffed, she could smell the peculiar sweet smell of healing medicinal oil.

Lanxin soaked a clean towel into the hot water in the basin, then took it out and wrung it out. She wiped Gu Yunxi's face and answered at the same time.

"We are in the side room of Chuxiu Palace. When Your Grace came back last night and got that you were in trouble, she immediately asked the maids about it. Then she set off for the Imperial Ceremony Office to rescue you. She treats you so nicely!"

After Gu Yunxi heard this, her cheeks turned hot. She lay her head on the head of the bed with inane eyes.

"I'm afraid I owe Your Grace a great debt."

"You cook so well, and she appreciates you."

Lanxin washed the towel again and turned back to wipe Gu Yunxi's long and dishevelled hair.

"Don't you know? Cuiqiao was the one who went to the Imperial Ceremony Office to expose you. Your Grace took back her palace certificate and sent her out of the Palace."

"She even ordered Yunmei to move to the next room and asked me to take care of you so that you can recover more quickly. From now on, only you and I will live in this side room."

Lanxin grinned and expressed her satisfaction with the changes in living conditions.

Gu Yunxi lay face down on the bed and did not speak. She bowed her head thoughtfully, her long eyelashes hanging down. Her eyes were complicated, as if there had been gloomy mist which would never dissipate in them.

At the moment she was locked up in the Violent Room of the Imperial Ceremony Office, she had guessed that the person who accused her for the bounty was Cuiqiao, so she didn't care about that person at all.

Since Concubine Xu had already handled her, she saved Gu Yunxi much work.

At this moment, the only person who could move her was the man who she met briefly yesterday.

She still remembered the scene in the Violent Room that she cried bitterly at him because of her breakdown.

When she calmed down at this time, she couldn't tell how her mood was at the moment.

Thinking of Master Leng, she couldn't help thinking of Pei Rushi. Then, the relationship between her, Master Leng and Pei Rushi caused her thoughts to fall into a mess.

"Could you ask Brother Fan to help me inquire about someone? She was also good at cooking and worked in the Palace before."

Gu Yunxi then raised her head again, looking at Lanxin with inquiring gaze.

Lanxin asked without thinking.

"Who is that? Just tell me."

"Her name is Pei Rushi."

Gu Yunxi's heart trembled slightly. At the moment when she pronounced the name, a hint of suspicion slipped through her mind.

She had been with the masked man for one year, but she hadn't figured out his identity yet.

She didn't know what his name was, where he lived, or even what he looked like.

So, should she believe his words that Pei Rushi was her mother?

Since she was doubtful, she had to investigate.

Considering that Honour Guards guarded the Palace all the year round and were as well-informed as the Eastern Depot, Gu Yunxi determined to ask Lanxin and Guard Fan for help.

It couldn't be better that Lanxin agreed at once.

Gu Yunxi thought for another moment, and then asked.

"Lanxin, have you heard of that some foreigners entered the Palace on behalf of the damsels and intended to assassinate the Emperor in the performance in the Spring Banquet one year ago? I wonder how the investigation of that matter progressed then."

Lanxin raised her eyelashes suddenly with a tightened face, and said in surprise.

"What you said is something forbidden in the Palace. As servants, we didn't know what happened later!"

"Lanxin, could you please ask Brother Fan to inquire about that for me?"

Gu Yunxi begged her.

On that day, she met Baoting in the unknown stone house. Although the girl became dumb, she was one of the damsels who had been switched before.

As long as she found out something about her, she could figure out the identity of the masked man and the location of that mysterious stone house then.

Lanxin didn't understand. But when she was going to ask about it, she saw that Gu Yunxi's brows furrowed and the light in her eyes was shockingly cold.

Lanxin was surprised, but she did not dare to ask about that. She nodded and said.

"Don't worry. I will do it as soon as possible."

...

In the course of successive rainy days, the entire Palace was shrouded in a dull and depressing atmosphere.

Emperor Jingxiao had been disturbed by nightmares in the middle of the night for several days. He was difficult to fall asleep, and his spirits were drooping.

Thus, he abandoned the government affairs and hid into the Sixiang Hut of Yu Xuanji for retreat.

In the smoke, Emperor Jingxiao suddenly opened his eyes. After several sleepless nights, his cloudy eyes were bloodshot.

In front of the incense case, the High Priest Yu Xuanji held a golden gourd in his hand. Then he took off the upper gourd base, poured out an exquisite golden pill from the round gourd belly, and placed it in the dish printed with lotus leaves.

At the moment when he turned around, he saw Emperor Jingxiao suddenly wake up from meditation, sweating heavily on his forehead.

"His Majesty, it's time to take the pill."

Yu Xuanji walked to the side of the Emperor, helping him to take the pill.

Maybe because the golden pill was really effective or just because of his psychological effect, Emperor Jingxiao felt much better shortly after he took the pill. Not only did his dizziness be relieved a lot, he was also lost in a trance as if he had been rising above the cloud. The Emperor believed that at that moment, he was really reborn and became immortal.

Emperor Jingxiao was so happy, allowing Yu Xuanji to help him lie down on the soft bed and then knead his shoulders and rub his back with his slender white fingers.

The Emperor squinted at the High Priest in front of him calmly.

His skin was as fair as cold jade, and his eyes were as bright as the moon. There seemed to be cold mist in his deep eyes. His thin lips looked beautiful, showing a faint and tameless smile. He was in a scarlet robe, which was as scorching as burning fire clouds.

The colder he looked, the more the Emperor wanted to tease and possess such an indifferent man!

Emperor Jingxiao was in a trance, falling into a reverie. His body temperature rose, and his blood boiled, and he started breathing heavily out of the kneading of a pair of beautiful hands.

Feeling an uncontrollable desire for him, the Emperor stretched his arms and put his hands on Yu Xuanji's white neck, saying in a charming and soft voice.

"High Priest, we haven't done the integrated cultivation for a long time..."

Yu Xuanji turned stiff, but then he smiled at once.

He removed the crown, and his black hair fell down. Then he was pinned on the bed by the energetic Emperor.

What happened next was familiar to both of them.

Yu Xuanji lowered his eyes and smiled, allowing the emperor, who was breathing heavily, to take off his scarlet dress.

His charming face was stained with a touch of coldness secretly.

Yu Xuanji would not resist. In order to take revenge, he had learned to endure and accept what he hated temporarily.

On a snowy night twelve years ago, he lost his parents and his sister. He lost the intact family then.

In the next few years, he cherished hatred and practiced Dao and martial arts crazily. Finally, he got the opportunity to get out of Dao Temple and was taken to Emperor Jingxiao.

The young Emperor Jingxiao liked both men and women. At that time, he had noticed Leng Qingtang, the Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot.

The appearance of Yu Xuanji, who was as cold and detached as a tree in the icy snow, happened to divert all the attention of the Emperor.

Yu Xuanji was clear about his mission that he had to seduce the Emperor, protect his Brother He with all his strength, and assist him in revenge, namely taking revenge for his tragic family!

Emperor Jingxiao looked at the fair and handsome man under his body with appreciation. The man looked so cold, while his watery eyes were full of tenderness.

Emperor Jingxiao groaned as if he had been bewitched...

After a while, a eunuch reported outside.

"His Majesty, the Shenle Marquis Wan Li begs to see you."