In Chuxiu Palace

Concubine Xu walked hurriedly to the courtyard, personally helped Gu Yunxi up, and was about to kneel down in front of her.

"Your Grace!"

Unexpectedly, Gu Yunxi stopped her with both hands in surprise, as well as Jinzhu and Yan Gui beside Concubine Xu also came to stop her.

"Never, Your Grace. Do you want to cut my life short?"

Gu Yunxi panicked, and her cheeks were swollen and flushed as clasping the fingers hard.

Concubine Xu had a noble status, so kneeling at a chief maid in front of so many palace maids was far from what Gu Yunxi could bear.

Jinzhu knew her master best. Seeing Concubine Xu's gloomy expression, she knelt on the ground without saying a word. Her face was sad.

"If Your Grace wants to thank Muxue, so let me do it for Your Grace."

Yan Gui also knelt down, kowtowed and said,

"I'm also willing to do it for Your Grace. Muxue, please take my appreciation."

"Your guys..."

Gu Yunxi stared blankly. She was greatly touched, with tears dropping to the ground uncontrollably.

Concubine Xu stared at the girl in front of her, pointed a finger to her swollen cheek, but couldn't touch it in fear of hurting her again.

Her beautiful eyes looked around for a while, with tears lingering.

"Good girl, you saved my son. But I'm not strong enough to protect you..."

At the end of Concubine Xu's trembling words, she was so distressed that tears filled the eyes.

"Your Grace is so kind with the maids. I will be willing to sacrifice myself for Your Grace and the little prince!"

Gu Yunxi resolutely finished her words, turned the head aside and wiped the face. When she turned back, she changed the face again with a relaxed smile.

"Follow me and then speak."

Concubine Xu led Jinzhu and Gu Yunxi into the hall. After seated, Jinzhu narrowed her eyes with resentment when offering tea to her master.

"Your Grace, it's obvious that someone came to the Emperor and said something bad about what happened at noon."

Concubine Xu lifted the lid of the cup but was not eager to drink. She nodded slightly and snorted coldly.

"The Emperor couldn't solve this matter by himself, so he vented his anger on my maid as a solution for that one."

"That one must be Jieyu Jin!"

Jinzhu gnashed her teeth with coldness in her eyes.

"Your Grace, Gu Yunjin is too arrogant. Maybe this time she was appointed by Yongning Palace to hurt the little prince! Why don't you go to Kunning Palace to find the Empress and sue them!"

Concubine Xu set aside the tea cup. Her eyes turned from left to right several times while she was thinking. She shook the head frequently.

"If the Empress were so reliable, how could Prince Chen be so stupid? It doesn't make sense. It would be reasonable that Gu Yunjin failed to frame, so she went to the Emperor to file a complaint. But it would be too risky for her to be ordered by Wan Yuyao and hurt Lin in full view. If she succeeds, she will be tracked down in the future. Isn't Wan Yuyao afraid of being found relevant? Muxue, what do you think?"

Gu Yunxi stood aside with hands together, and answered without thinking.

"Your Grace, it was an accident that Zhaoyi Yu came to Chuxiu Palace today, and no one knew it in advance. Jieyu Jin probably made the move because she was afraid that Zhaoyi Yu would cut her favor after she recovered, so she deliberately played Your Grace against Master Yu by using the little prince."

Her words suddenly enlightened the people. Concubine Xu's eyes lit up, and then darkened slowly, with the hands in the sleeves clenching into fists.

"What you said is really reasonable. After all, Gu Yunjin is the Imperial Noble Concubine's people, and she is also backed by Ming Lan from the Western Depot. I am afraid that her holding a secret mind for a long time will inevitably become a major problem in the imperial harem."

Gu Yunxi's eyes faded, with a silent smile mixing with coldness, faintly revealing an unknown cruelness.

"If Your Grace wants to control Gu Yunjin, why don't you use the external forces?"

Concubine Xu was gazing, and she raised her eyes to Gu Yunxi in surprise.

"What do you mean…"

Gu Yunxi suddenly remembered something at this moment as she became panic and anxious.

"Your Grace... Please forgive me for being rude. I have an emergency."

Concubine Xu didn't mind her gaffe, and waved the hand.

"Go ahead and we discuss it later."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

Gu Yunxi quickly ran back to the side room. Lanxin was inside, and when she saw her, she immediately shed tears in horror, saying comforting words and holding Gu Yunxi's head, busy with checking her.

Gu Yunxi had no time to talk to Lanxin in detail. She combed her hair in front of the bronze mirror, and asked Lanxin to find two hot eggs as quickly as possible. She wrapped them with a kerchief and rolled them on her swollen cheeks. After a while, she applied the whitest powder and also the red rouge on her face.

Lanxin looked aside, and was about to talk several times. It wasn't until Gu Yunxi finished her makeup that she stammered with a bitter expression.

"Muxue, your makeup is too much, not, not very pretty..."

"I know. I just need heavy makeup!"

Gu Yunxi got up and ran out in a hurry. Before leaving, she did not forget to bring the gorgeous big umbrella in the corner. She wrapped a plate of wolfberry osmanthus cake on the table with oilpaper and took it.

"Muxue!"

Lanxin chased her to the outside of the side room, but could not stop her friend.

It seemed that her friend was going to meet her "girlfriend"...

Lanxin sighed secretly, patted her chest and muttered quietly.

"Muxue, don't worry. I won't let you make mistakes again and again. I, Lanxin, will be responsible for your marriage!"

...

One hour before the appointment, Leng Qingtang rushed to the osmanthus tree outside the Concubinary Kitchen.

He knew she had been punished at noon, but he didn't know if she would be on time for the appointment. After all, he wanted to wait. Maybe there would be surprises.

The previous conversation with Imperial Doctor Jiang made Leng Qingtang more convinced that Tu Muxue must be Yunxi undoubtedly.

From this, it could be inferred that the person who took her away should be the one who asked the medical sage to perform the "Face Moulding" for her.

While standing under the tree waiting, Leng Qingtang was puzzled by many questions, and he kept thinking.

It was true that Yunxi had a charming and lovely face, just like her mother, Pei Rushi.

If she entered the Palace with the same face as Pei Rushi, it would be inevitable that one day she would be recognized by the elderly in the Palace, and her identity would be exposed.

But sending Yunxi to the Palace as a maid after changing her face was just helping her avoid some killings.

In this way, Leng Qingtang was confused for a while about if he should thank that person or kill him!

But what was the reason why he took the trouble to change Yunxi's face and sent her to the Palace?

Time went by, and soon the sun sank to the west and the sky darkened.

As the evening breeze blew through, Leng Qingtang cleaned his mind. Looking around, he was about to light the lantern, but the person he was waiting for had not yet appeared.

Forgot it, and it seemed that she wouldn't come after her punishment. Maybe an appointment for another day...

Leng Qingtang sighed, and raised his head to look the green tree before he left. The lingering feeling in his eyes didn't disappear for a long time.

The girl's clear and pleasant voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Master..."

With a slightly startled expression, Leng Qingtang thought that he had heard things. When he turned around, he saw her running over with his big umbrella.

Gu Yunxi rushed to the osmanthus tree quickly, panting.

Looking at her little "bloated" face with a thick and extremely exaggerated makeup, Leng Qingtang couldn't help laughing but also felt bitter.

He knew that this was the best cover she had made for her injured face. No matter what, she didn't want to miss the appointment.

Quiet and windy.

"I..."

"I..."

The two of them spoke simultaneously. Both stopped at once, and then smiled at each other.

Leng Qingtang pursed his lips gracefully. Hiding his great joy, he said with bright eyes.

"You first."

Gu Yunxi lowered her eyes slightly, and blushed quietly, smiling purely.

"I was late for something, and thought you had already left... Master, I bring your umbrella."

She offered the umbrella with both hands, with a bag of things on the umbrella fabric.

"This is..."

"The Xiangyu Powder is too expensive, so I don't have good gifts to give you. These cakes... are made by myself..."

At the end of speaking, her sound was as small as a mosquito flapping its wings.

It wasn't always appropriate to give gifts privately, but this was indeed her intention.

Leng Qingtang took it with a smile.

"Madam Mu from Chuxiu Palace is well-known for her craftsmanship. It is indeed my pleasure to taste your hand-made snacks."

Regardless of the girl's blush, he put the umbrella and oil paper bag under the tree, took out the shell-shaped porcelain cup from his sleeve, and said to her with a smile.

"Give me."

"Huh?"

Gu Yunxi frowned, seeming puzzled.

Gave? Gave what? Did he want silver because this Xiangyu Powder was expensive?

Oh, my God! Master Leng I knew was not like that...

Seeing the surprise gradually emerging on her small face covered with heavy make-up, he smiled slightly and explained in an elegant voice.

"Give your hand to me."

"Well…"

She awakened in an instant, and answered him obediently putting her right hand out with five fingers splayed.

She flushed again, even the pale white makeup could not cover her rosy face.

He also put his hand to hold her little hand. Suddenly his eyelashes were slightly fluttering, and his black eyes flashed with dazzling brilliance, staring at the tender little hand covered with cuts for a long time.

She looked at his abnormal behavior, puzzled, and whispered.

"Master?"

After awakened, he remained silent, and gently placed the small porcelain cup into her palm, helping her gather her slender five fingers.

"Melt the Xiangyu Powder with glycerin before each use. While applying your hands, you can also try it on your face..."

Looking at the swollen little face in front of him, Leng Qingtang's eyes were deep, sparking the bright light.

He asked her suddenly in a voice soft, rippling fondly.

"Does it hurt?"

The Imperial Ceremony Office got eyes and ears everywhere. He must have heard of her punishment.

Gu Yunxi looked at him gratefully, and smiled.

"Don't worry, Master. I always have the thickest face."

He laughed, but afterwards his heart was twitching painfully.

The tolerance always had a knife on the heart. He knew that even in adversity, with her ability, she could live and live pretty well.

But he had never done anything for her.

Gu Yunxi raised the head to look at the sky and then realized that it was late. She saluted Leng Qingtang, saying helplessly.

"I appreciate Master's medicine. It's time for the dinner, and I need to return to the Palace to serve my master."

"Well, go ahead."

Watching the girl turn around and slowly walk away, Leng Qingtang bent over to pick up the things under the tree, but couldn't make any step.

Just now, he deliberately held her hand and felt it carefully.

He knew that the Face Moulding only changed a person's face, but the other parts of the body remained the same as before.

Moreover, no matter how magical the Face Moulding was, it couldn't completely change a person's voice or body shape.

He had hugged Yunxi's body countless times, and even held her small hand with his big hand countless times.

He had always remembered her body. The feeling of holding each other's hands was more like an impressive burn in the bottom of his heart.

It couldn't be wrong. It was the girl's hand just now. He was so familiar with her that he could recognize every inch of that hand!

She was Yunxi. Tu Muxue was his Yunxi...

For over a year, where did she go? How many misfortunes and pains she had suffered...

In the golden autumn season, the evening breeze blew the tree, raining the yellow flowers.

Leng Qingtang wet his eyes in that rain of flowers.

He hurriedly raised his head, snuffled the ruddy nose for a while and then swallowed all the hot tears. The scene in his vision gradually returned from blurry to clear.

Sometimes he really felt that the status of the Commander-in-chief was really a burden, preventing him from controlling his emotions as he wanted. Even if he wanted to cry hard, he had to try not.