"Stop!"

By the Jinli Lake, Emperor Jingxiao went completely mad out of the chaotic scene in front of him. Then his furious scream silenced all the people here.

"What, what are you doing here?"

Striding forward, the Emperor pointed at Gu Yunxi, whose hair was dishevelled. He was angry with a sulky face and then looked around the concubines with sharp eyes.

The concubines in colorful dresses bowed their heads and prostrated themselves, their delicate figures trembling.

Beside Empress Qian, Duchess Min's eyes widened, and the light in her eyes flickered and became complicated then. She seemed to look at Gu Yunyao's body coldly with astonishment, joy, and heartache. Then her eyes turned to her face slowly, and she kept looking at her face lingeringly.

Gu Yunxi lay on her back on the ground. When her half-open eyes caught a glimpse of a yellow dress, she felt delighted, knowing that her strategy had succeeded again. She continued to put on an act, pretending that she intended to pick herself up and kowtow. Having an upset stomach, she spat out a few big mouthful of lake water again.

Emperor Jingxiao frowned in disgust, and stepped back a few paces for fear that the dirt might get on him.

Lady-in-waiting Jiang lowered her head and reported quickly with obvious sullenness.

"Your Majesty, I just saw Jieyu Jin beat Tu Muxue of Chuxiu Palace, which then made her stumble and fall into the lake accidentally."

Gu Yunjin's body was stiff. She felt cold in her heart, and then she lowered her head and explained with her shoulders trembling.

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry! Jieyu Sun and Lady-in-waiting Jiang made fun of me just now. I went angry then so I..."

Sun Shengsheng knelt aside, sobbing when she heard the words. And her watery eyes gleamed brightly.

Then she said with a trembling voice, "Last night there was a fire at Zhanxing Tower, and I ran into His Majesty when I went to help. But sister, you misunderstood that I deliberately did all that to strive for favor. But think about it carefully please. I am just a weak woman. How could I set fire to Zhanxing Tower? And how could I be sure that His Majesty would go there?"

"I explained to you, but you tried to hurt me. Fortunately, Muxue came to persuade you. But you then vented your anger on her! Your Majesty, it's all my fault. Muxue just suffered all this for me. Please just punish me!"

"Shengsheng, stand up."

The beauty's tearful words sounded so reasonable. Seeing such a delicate beauty crying so badly, the Emperor became uneasy in his heart suddenly.

Reaching out his hand to help Sun Shengsheng up and lead her to his side, the Emperor took out a bright yellow handkerchief and handed it to her.

He comforted her softly, "Shengsheng, I know you're wronged. But there are so many guests here today. Don't be like this. Wipe your face quickly."

Sun Shengsheng nodded and did as he said. The moment she wiped her tears, her eyes turned to Gu Yunjin, who looked so pale. She showed a slight smile through the handkerchief, which looked so cold and vicious.

Emperor Jingxiao frowned badly and turned to Gu Yunjin with resentment.

"Last night, Jieyu Sun helped to put out the fire, so I proposed to have a rest in her Hanxiang Residence. You wanna slap me into the lake as well?"

"I dare not, Your Majesty..."

Thinking of the humiliation she suffered last night, Gu Yunjin felt both angry and aggrieved. At this time, when Emperor Jingxiao reprimanded her in public, Gu Yunjin felt even more ashamed. When she spoke, she burst into tears.

The Emperor rebuked her coldly.

"As a concubine, you should know what day it is! How dare you make trouble here?"

"Your Majesty, I was wronged!"

Gu Yunjin raised her head while crying, looking at the Emperor helplessly. Then she turned to Empress Qian who was gloating and Duke Min and his wife who looked embarrassed.

Emperor Jingxiao immediately became angrier, waving his sleeves heavily.

"Listen! Since Jieyu Jin is haughty and arrogant and her behavior is so indecent, now I'll reduce her to Maiden! She'll be confined to Weiyan Chamber from today to ponder over her mistakes!"

After his resolute speech, the Emperor left with his hands crossed behind his back, and the honor guards departed together with him grandly.

"Your Majesty! I won't do it anymore! Your Majesty!"

Gu Yunjin looked so pale, lying on the ground at a loss.

Two eunuchs came over and dragged her back, followed by the chief maid Caiyue and the two other female slaves of the palace.

Gu Yunxi looked a bit better, watching them leave. She combed her dishevelled and black hair with her cold hands, exchanging a look with Concubine Xu quietly.

The Emperor traveled all the way around and then arrived at the north of Jinli Lake. The terrain here was flat, and golden flowers were blooming in the flowerbeds on the shore. A stream of clear water flowed out from the crack of the handmade rock cave deep in the grass and trees, flowing into Jinli Lake along the terrain.

There was a winding veranda on the shore, connecting the stone bridge in the lake. The handrails of the stone bridge were made of white jade and the bridge was painted gold and decorated with animal faces. There was a pavilion on the bridge, which was carved and embroidered delicately.

Emperor Jingxiao ordered only Lord Hu and two other eunuchs to accompany him, leading Duke Min and his wife and Empress Qian to step on the gravel path into the veranda, then walk to the stone bridge, and sit in the pavilion by the railing.

Looking far into the distance, they saw the pink wall and pillars of a red house which was surrounded by green bamboo on the one side and hundreds of fragrant maple trees near the hill on the other side. In such a season when frost was always thick and the maple leaves were so red, even the rosy clouds looked so fiery.

Duke Min admired the scene and then clapped to praise.

"Wonderful. The lake view is so great!"

Duchess Min obviously had no mood to admire the view at the moment. She sat silently with furrowed eyebrows and a heavy heart, which was seen by Empress Qian. Empress Qian then immediately asked her with concern.

"Madam Min, are you okay?"

There was always a difference in physical strength between women and men.

It was a hard work for the Empress who was accustomed to a great life to wear intricate costume and so heavy headwear on her head and keep walking for a long time in the rustling wind with good demeanor, not to mention that she even had to follow the pace of two men.

Seeing that Duchess Min looked pale, Empress Qian speculated that it was also because she was tired.

Duchess Min brought her attention back then. Seeing that they looked at her with sympathetic and surprised eyes, she stood up hurriedly to bow to the Emperor and Empress.

She said, "Your Majesty, Your Grace, please forgive my impoliteness. I'm okay. I just felt surprised after I saw Zhaoyi Yu just now. Your Grace, please tell me which noble family Zhaoyi Yu is from?"

Seeing that his wife spoke in front of the Emperor so absurdly, Duke Min stood up suddenly, put on an angry face, and shouted at her.

"Shut up. It's so rude!"

Empress Qian was puzzled. Since Duchess Min looked awkward with her eyes shining with tears and asked about the background of Gu Yunyao, the Empress waved her hand to Duke Min, motioning him to quench his anger.

Empress Qian looked towards the Emperor, holding the gentleness and elegance on her face. Seeing that he had no objection, she said to the Duke Min and Duchess Min.

"It's okay to talk about it. Zhaoyi Yu is gentle and good-natured, but she is not from a distinguished family. She is just a poor girl. She was separated from her family when she was young. Fortunately, she was rescued by the Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot that time, which sent her to the Garden then. She grew up there, and she was surnamed Gu as the chief eunuch of the Garden. And her name is Yunyao."

With tears in eyes, Duchess Min listened to Empress Qian seriously, and then her eyes shone. Her expression was a mixture of joy and sadness.

Although Emperor Jingxiao felt strange, since Duchess Min asked about it, he then echoed what the Empress said.

"I've also asked Zhaoyi Yu about it. She said that when her family went to Guiping to find relatives in that year, they ran into bandits and then she was separated from her mother. Because of her pitiful background and her prudence and decency, I'm always partial to her..."

After the Emperor and the Empress had finished speaking, Duchess Min asked eagerly.

"Was she six years old when she came to the Garden? Was she separated from her family in the summer of Gengwu Year?"

The Emperor and Empress were surprised.

Duke Min's face slowly changed. He looked astonished.

"You, you mean..."

Duchess Min's face had already been covered with tears. Her slightly fat body was so weak, and then she suddenly knelt down to kowtow to the Emperor and Empress.

The Emperor was shocked. He pointed at the sad woman, saying to the eunuch.

"Come on. Help her up quickly."

Duchess Min sat back with the help of Lord Hu, wiping her eyes with a silk handkerchief.

Empress Qian had heard of the past about the Min Family before. She saw that Duchess Min was so sad, and there was a different color in her eyes. She asked tentatively.

"Madam Min, you mean that Zhaoyi Yu is your long-lost daughter?"

Duke Min immediately said sternly in a deep voice, forbearing his heartache.

"The Emperor is here. Don't speak rashly!"

Duchess Min trembled, and her tears fell more violently.

"How dare I speak nonsense in front of the Emperor? Just now I saw the jade pendant on the gold thread on her neck when she was helping the drowning female slave of the palace, and then I knew that she is our daughter!"

"The half jade pendant in the shape of a drifting cloud?"

Emperor Jingxiao took a tumble suddenly. He felt surprised, but then he nodded sympathetically.

"I've seen that jade pendant! She wears it all the time like a treasure. I've sent her a lot of jewels but I haven't seen her wearing them. So this is the reason. It's really hard for her."

Duke Min paused.

Then he murmured, "Minzhu... She is Minzhu..."

Duchess Min had already burst into tears.

"I have nothing else to ask for in this life. Your Majesty, Your Grace, please help us! Please arrange a meeting for us..."

Empress Qian was deeply touched and her nose turned red.

Duke Min was an important minister in the court, taking charge of Dongqing Fleet, and Zhaoyi Yu was always decent and peaceful. It could accumulate virtue for people to help others find their family! If they did this, the Min Family would be more grateful to the imperial family, and Zhaoyi Yu would work for the Eastern Palace then!

They could achieve many things at one stroke! It was so nice!

Thinking about it, Empress Qian stood up, bowed to the Emperor, and then volunteered to do it.

"Your Majesty, let me arrange it. Zhaoyi Yu has been separated from her parents for twelve years, so it may be improper to do it too rashly. Why not let me arrange a banquet and invite the Duke, Duchess and Zhaoyi Yu and then take an opportunity to help them recognize each other?"

The Emperor drooped his eyes, thought for a moment, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay. Just do what you want."