It was in Yongning Palace.

In the center of the main hall sat the Imperial Noble Concubine Wan Yuyao, the master of Yongning Palace. On both sides, there were more than a dozen maids and servants, all of who were indifferent.

Today, Wan Yuyao wore a long dress with begonia color and flowing cloud collar, and an amber-sleeved over-dress with flowers. The jewelry on her head was magnificent. A three-headed phoenix dotted emerald fringe was swayed into the bun and the stream was shining and eye-catching.

Just now, that shocking cry just came from the mouth of this luxurious and gorgeous woman.

Slowly turning her head, Gu Yunyao looked at the woman with bright makeup directly.

Instantly flashing like flint, two pairs of bright and cold eyes started extremely fierce confrontation in silence.

The atmosphere became strange and weirdly cold again, as terrifying as an underworld, running through the limbs and corpses of everyone present.

Song Qin was shocked secretly, with her heart fluctuating. She kept her eyes on her master with care and watched out for trouble at any time.

For a moment, Gu Yunyao stepped forward, nodding and restraining herself. She leaned slightly to salute the Master and her voice was cold,

"I pay my respect to the Imperial Noble Concubine. I come late and hope that Your Grace will forgive me. "

Wan Yuyao moved on the armchair, and her lips twitched without a smile. She said in a daze,

"Get up quickly. You don't need to bow as you are pregnant. Come on, and sit down."

"Your Grace, thanks a lot."

Gu Yunyao did not refuse. When the eunuch brought the rose chair, she sat down with a rare cold expression.

Turning her eyes to the girl lying on the ground, Gu Yunyao asked directly,

“Excuse me, Your Grace. What's the reason for this?”

Wan Yuyao smiled tremblingly,

"Oh, what happened to Lihu? Why didn't she convey my messages to you?"

The chief maid on the side bent perfunctorily, and said lightly,

"Your Grace, please forgive me."

Wan Yuyao's eyes were always on Gu Yunyao's exquisitely angry face. She smiled and treacherously explained,

“Sister, don’t misunderstand. The girl on the ground is a new female slave here. She is usually treacherous and gets an evil prescription to go out of the Palace. She took the antagonistic herbal remedy and developed a rash.”

“At first, the unaware people in the side room thought she was suffering from smallpox. Fortunately, my maternal nanny saw through her tricks and dragged her into the Violent Room for a whip. Unexpectedly, this bitch learns to frame others again, saying that you gave her the medicine. I think...”

"It's me."

Gu Yunyao suddenly interrupted the plausible woman opposite her. She stood up awe-inspiringly, clenched her fists in her sleeves, and her cold eyes were sharp.

On one side, the scarred girl moved her body, forced herself to stand up, and raised her head tremblingly. She cried,

"Sister, I didn't deliberately betray you. I'm sacred. The torture in Violent Room is so terrible... It hurts me so much..."

Seeing Gu Yunyao's face twitching in the hoarse cry of Tu Muxue, Wan Yuyao turned up her tears a little bit. The femme woman's eyes were narrow and she was complacent. However, she was pretending to be surprised,

"Sister Yu, what do you mean?"

"Your Grace, don't you know what I mean? Now that you don't know, why did you act in the pavilions by the koi pond?"

With a deep voice, Gu Yunyao was flush and burst into tears.

Wan Yuyao held her hair sideburns with her delicate fingers and her eyebrows darkened.

She didn't expect Gu Yunyao's temper to become so strong, but it saved too much trouble.

Standing up faintly, the woman approached step by step on the soft blanket.

Song Qin's heart trembled for a moment and she leaned forward to protect her master, for fear that Wan Yuyao would become angry and hurt her master at any time.

Wan Yuyao looked at Gu Yunyao in a condescending posture and walked sideways around the rose chair,

"I know, Concubine Yu, you know this maid."

Gu Yunyao sneered without squinting,

"This woman is on duty in Yongning Palace. Your Grace has seen her palace status. You should know that she has the same surname as me and the name is only a one-word difference. It is not difficult to guess the relationship between her and me."

Wan Yuyao nodded calmly,

"So, it's not that she deliberately frames you."

"Yes, I came up with the idea and the medicine was given by me!"

"Sister, I am sorry for you... I don't want to betray you. I really don't want to..."

The girl on the ground cried aloud again and her words were piercing Gu Yunyao's heart like sharp scissors.

Gu Yunyao's lips partly opened and she took a deep breath. When she exhaled every breath, she felt that the pain of being interspersed in her chest cavity was indescribable. At the moment of closing the eyes, she shed tears.

Opening her eyes again, Gu Yunyao moved her wet red nose. Her tears were scarlet quenched by the fierce flames and she decisively shouted to the girl,

"Yun Xi, get up, stand up! I will take you away. In any case, I'm willing to do everything for you."

The girl obediently followed, gritted her teeth several times, but fell to the ground due to exhaustion.

Wan Yuyao clapped her hands and applauded,

"Hehehe, the sisters’ affection really moves me. It seems that you have taken a fancy to this female slave and must ask for her from my Yongning Palace?"

Gu Yunyao stood up quietly, with her scornful gaze straight to the triumphant woman,

"Since Your Grace knows that Yunxi is my adoptive sister, why bother to act pretentiously? I come here to bring her back. What are the conditions? You just tell me."

"Great, I like the woman with a true temperament like you. You take Xier to leave first."

The palace maids promised to retreat to the outside of the hall one after another. Lihu walked at the end and commanded the eunuchs to carry the injured Tu Muxue away.

Tu Muxue was struggling, crying in horror, and almost tore her throat,

"Sister, save me! I don't want to go with them. Save me, Sister!"

"Yunxi! You let her go!"

Gu Yunyao was heartbroken and Wan Yuyao grabbed her arms as soon as she took a step. Wan Yuyao smirked,

"What's the rush? She can't die. Sister Yu, why don't you tell your people to withdraw? You and I can sit down and have a quiet conversation."

…

Zhao An hurried out of the Palace with a eunuch and ran all the way. When they arrived at the Eastern Depot, they were both out of breath.

The gatekeeper of the Eastern Depot was familiar with Lord Zhao. Hearing Zhao An's explanation, the gatekeeper hurriedly led him to Southern Residence.

Leng Qingtang was in the room talking with Gu Yunxi about Lu Qiange's entry into the Palace.

That night, Gu Yunxi sent Huanan Jiyan back to the Palace and met him and his master Wenren Junzheng. Gu Yunxi told the master these things without reservation.

Obviously, the master and apprentice didn't know that the Kunhuang Island map had not yet been presented to Emperor and they deliberately ventured into the Palace just to capture the map. The situation was changing and both the Imperial Ceremony Office and the Eastern Depot must be very careful of other enemies who were dormant in the dark.

On the other hand, two days ago, news from the South came that Jieyu Sun’s letter had been delivered to the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Sun Min immediately stated that the Governor’s Office would fully cooperate with the Eastern Depot in the investigation to secretly launch an attack against the private soldiers of the Wan clan.

Both Leng Qingtang and Gu Yunxi understood that only by finding out the details of the location and force of the private soldiers in Southern Jiang, could the Eastern Depot have the corresponding evidence for the downfall of the Wan clan. At that time, they could also send troops for the court to suppress Southern Jiang and develop a perfect battle plan in advance.

Time was pressing and this deployment must not allow any mistakes.

And then the two discussed the masked man who appeared at the execution ground of Yangfangkou and was rescued by his accomplices after being injured.

The man seemed mysterious and unpredictable. He managed to escape from the Eastern Depot after several fights. Even Gu Yunxi, who had been with him for a year, didn't know his details or even his name.

They always believed that the man hadn't gone far. Maybe he was hiding in a little-known corner somewhere, spying on everything about the Eastern Depot and the Palace.

There was one thing that Leng Qingtang hadn’t confessed to Gu Yunxi. When he really saw the true face of the masked man that day, he knew that in this world he actually had a twin brother. But he almost caused a fratricidal situation.

No one could imagine that two brothers who have never met for more than two decades ended up with fratricidal fighting every time they met with each other. If there was another meeting in the future, no one could know what the situation would be.

The sky darkened a little bit and Gu Yunxi wanted to light the lamp but was stopped by Leng Qingtang.

He just wanted to be quiet in the darkness and enjoyed the darkness carefully.

After planning and fighting for many years, for the first time he felt that he was so guilty that he could contradict his own siblings.

Perhaps destiny was doomed and some things were unchangeable. Even if he struggled, it was useless.

He straightened his back in a daze, feeling that his shoulders were extremely heavy, and an invisible mountain was pressed on him. It was a heavy burden that he could not get rid of.

Like ghosts, sound of footsteps interrupted Leng Qingtang who was wandering in his mind. The moment Leng Qingtang caught his mind, he heard someone outside the room saying,

"Master, someone from Jingyang Palace comes."

…

In the Palace, the Main Hall of Yongning Palace was closed and the two beautifully dressed women stood facing each other in awe.

Wan Yuyao raised her chin slightly and her expression was like a cold sky and proud snow. She stared at Gu Yunyao, who was shorter than her, with a cold sneer,

"Sister Yu, you and Xier are both the adopted daughters of the former chief maid in the Garden. You are more like real sisters and I do not want to take away who you love. Xier can go to your Jingyang Palace after recovering. However, courtesy demands reciprocity. I lose one person, so you should also give me one person. "

Gu Yunyao's long eyelashes trembled and her expression stagnated. She never thought that the Imperial Noble Concubine, who had always been ruthless, turned out to be so generous this time.

It couldn't be easier for a maidservant to exchange another one. It was nothing more than that the maidservant who was exchanged from Jingyang Palace had to suffer in Yongning Palace. However, for the sake of Yunxi, her own sister, Gu Yunyao couldn't care about other things at this moment,

"Okay, I will go back immediately and select the most capable maid in my palace to exchange Yunxi."

Wan Yuyao raised eyebrows coldly and arrogantly and her shrewd eyes locked on the woman with a solemn expression. A little bit of light burst out from her eyes,

"Ha ha ha, are you joking? The palace maid exchanges the palace maid. How can it be so easy? Not to mention Xier's good cooking skills, the food she cooked is always in line with my appetite. Regarding her relationship with you, how can she be worthy of a mere maidservant?"

"You..."

Gu Yunyao trembled and was immediately dumbfounded. Her heart seemed to be pinched severely by something.

It turned out that Wan Yuyao didn't want to let Yunxi go easily. The saying, one person for one person, in her mouth had other meanings.

Wan Yuyao laughed arrogantly and beautifully, but like a poisoned mandala flower, which was deadly enough.

The pupils opened suddenly and a shocking light flashed.

Gu Yunyao held her bulging abdomen with her hands and tremblingly stepped back. Her heart was like getting crushed by a heavy stone. Her lips suddenly became cold and lost blood. She stammered,

"You, do you... want the imperial heir in my belly?"

Wan Yuyao burst into laughter in an instant and swaggered several steps, leisurely fluttering her gorgeous brocade sleeves.

"Sister Yu, you are really smart. I believed that you and Leng Qingtang entered Baohe Palace at the Putian Banquet successively and you knew the perpetrators of the rumor that you were pregnant with the demon. Last time you beat the rap, but this time I know your weakness. Since you want to save your sister, you’d better give up your son."

Gu Yunyao rolled her eyebrows angrily and choked,

"You, what on earth do you want!"

Twisting her soft waist, Wan Yuyao walked slowly to the corner table and picked up a paper bag on it. She walked back and put it into Gu Yunyao's hands.

"You gave Xier a packet of medicine and I will return you a packet. Take it. It is authentically from Japan. It is colorless and tasteless, which can help you abort the baby within an hour. After you go back, you can put it in soup. And then you mustn’t mention it to anyone before your sister goes to your palace. I will arrange a scapegoat for you. If you spill the beans during this period, just wait for your sister's body."

Gu Yunyao's face was pale and her dry lips trembled. When she lowered her head in a daze, a drop of tear hit the paper bag. She narrowed her beautiful eyes and said with hatred,

"Your Grace, you are threatening me and hurting the imperial heir. Aren’t you afraid of retribution? If I tell this to His Majesty or Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, they will never let you go!"

Wan Yuyao laughed wildly again and her sleeves fluttered,

"Gu Yunyao, I have long known that you get in touch with Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot. To tell you the truth, perhaps Leng Qingtang could protect you and the little bitch Gu Yunxi before, but now he is unable to protect you two anymore. You may not know Gu Yunxi's origin. That is the most powerful weapon with which I can lock up Leng Qingtang!"

Gu Yunyao was shocked when she heard it. Her eyes suddenly startled and her face was pale,

"What are you talking about? Yun Xi's... origin?"