Zhao An hurried back to Jingyang Palace. When he saw the palace maids standing under the corridor, he was shocked. He ran forward without wiping his head full of sweat, asking Song Qin in surprise.

"Why are you all here? Where's the master? It's getting dark! Why aren't you preparing for dinner? Did you meet the Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot when coming back?"

"You are back at last..."

Song Qin looked so aggrieved with red eyes under the lantern. She tilted her head to the closed door and said,

"Don't mention the Eastern Depot anymore. I just spoke for Madam Mu in front of the master and then she got so angry that she drove everyone out. She only asked for a bowl of cubilose porridge when coming back. Nobody was allowed to enter the room."

"You ought to have known better!"

Zhao An was furious. He kept pointing at Song Qin with his index finger and asked viciously.

"You followed to Yongning Palace, so how did the Imperial Noble Concubine make things difficult for our master?"

Song Qin shook her head in panic with watery eyes,

"At that time, she talked alone with the Imperial Noble Concubine and sent all the servants out like now. After half an hour, Her Grace came out. Except for her pale face, there was nothing wrong with her."

"She urged us to return to the Palace, so we came back then. We met Master Leng halfway and he ordered Madam Mu to follow the honor guards until we arrived at the gate of the palatial garden. However, Her Grace didn’t allow Madam Mu to enter the Palace and she even drove her away."

"Since Her Grace didn't look well, how could you leave her alone there!"

Zhao An became more and more anxious and angry as he listened to her. He yelled, turned around, and pushed open the door, rushing into the room.

Gu Yunyao sat quietly on the side of the square table, staring at the empty white jade bowl in front of her in a daze. Her beautiful face was pale. Even if it was illuminated by the light from the candlestick on the table, it still looked badly pale.

In an instant, Zhao An's heart sank badly. He walked to Gu Yunyao in a flurry.

Before he spoke, the woman with a pale face turned her weak eyes faintly,

"You're back… "

Hearing her weak voice, Zhao An's heart jumped badly. He knelt down before Gu Yunyao's feet, held her hands, and asked worriedly,

"Master, what's the matter with you? You went to Yongning Palace. Did that woman trouble you again?"

She moved her eyes slowly, no longer looked at Zhao An, but smiled bitterly,

"That year, I was forcibly sent into the Palace by Leng Qingtang and my heart was like dead ashes. Since he harmed you and Yunxi, I really wanted to tear him apart by myself. I hated his viciousness and selfishness. I always thought he took Yunxi to the Eastern Depot because he had an evil intent for her... But I didn't expect that he had been protecting her for more than ten years... "

Zhao An was shocked and confused with her words. Seeing tears flowing from her eyes, he hurriedly raised his hand to wipe them.

"Master, what are you talking about? I don't understand... "

Gu Yunyao seemed to be immersed in her own world. With a sullen expression on her face, she muttered to herself,

"Zhao An, you know me best. You know my heart never belongs to the Emperor... "

"Master…"

Zhao An clasped her soft hands tightly. Knowing that he couldn't stop her from talking to herself, he had to listen attentively.

Gu Yunyao put one hand on her lower abdomen and smiled faintly, saying in a light and bitter voice,

"I don’t love the Emperor, nor do I want to have children with him. But when I knew that an immature baby was bred in it, I couldn't tell my feelings."

"Feeling the change of my body every day, my heart seems to be connected with him, and I can also feel his growth in my body. Zhao An, do you believe it? I love this child very much. I really love him..."

"Yes. Yes. I know it. I know it all!"

Gu Yunyao's sudden breakdown frightened Zhao An. Seeing her crying in anguish, Zhao An was so anxious. His heart ached badly for her.

He stood up and held her into his arms, asking urgently with wet eyes,

"Master, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me."

Gu Yunyao hugged Zhao An tightly, crying.

"This time we are at the end of our tether! We can't beat Wan Yuyao! We just can't! Even without this child, I still have you and Yunxi. I'm not afraid. I'm not alone..."

…

In Yongning Palace…

Wan Yuyao raised her exquisite eyebrows, looked at Leng Qingtang proudly, and asked,

"Up to now, do you still think you are qualified to make a deal with me?"

After a while, Leng Qingtang was in a daze. His blood seemed to be burning, and an indescribable sensation in the depths of his body suddenly surged.

Leng Qingtang stared at Wan Yuyao in amazement. Her charming face under the warm light was really tempting.

"Your Grace, you really doped the wine."

Leng Qingtang huffed and panted. His handsome face turned so red like a cooked shrimp. His temples were getting wet. His hot sweat soaked through the edges of his black netted hat, tricking down.

Wan Yuyao's lips were so red just like blood. She said slowly,

"It was indeed doped with an excellent poison. I have long been an admirer of you, but you are so cruel that you are always cold to me, which makes me so sad. Now, this thing can help me achieve my wish."

Leng Qingtang was shocked and turned to look at the wine pot on the table with resentment.

Wan Yuyao and he both drank the wine in the pot. He was poisoned but Wan Yuyao was fine. It seemed that this pot had hidden secrets. It was undoubtedly a "Zhuanxin Pot" created by a foreigner.

With his limbs tightening, Leng Qingtang wanted to gather internal strength to force the liquor out of his body. But no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't make it.

His whole body was getting softer and softer. Only the abnormal changes in his body were happening uncontrollably.

The woman laughed more loudly. She wrapped his neck with her tender arms and her beautiful lips got close to him with warm air blowing out on his hot face freely. It felt so peculiar.

"I have never failed to get what I want. I have found this poison for you specially. The more you use your internal strength, the faster the poison will invade your body..."

"Wan Yuyao, what do you want to do on earth?"

He felt dizzy as the scent of incense permeated into his nose. The smell seemed to be stronger and stronger.

Leng Qingtang's heart jumped violently. He glared at the smiling woman with hostility. His eyes were scarlet and bloodshot.

"Naturally, I want to get close to you and I want the Eastern Depot to cooperate with the Wan clan. In this way, I will conceal Gu Yunxi's origin for you before Emperor."

She leaned down and then both of them rolled on the quilt. Wan Yuyao pressed against his body with fiendish eyes, showing her ugliness and greed.

"Get away!"

Leng Qingtang tried his best to suppress the explosion of some certain mood. With a low shout, he raised his hand to push Wan Yuyao.

His slap could completely bounce the nasty woman to the opposite wall on common occasions. But at this time, he was under the control of poison and was just like an ordinary person who did not know any martial arts.

...

In a cool breeze, Gu Yunxi was standing under the sky, listening to the faint sound of dripping water, feeling more anxious.

There was a person hiding in the dark outside the gate of Yongning Palace, peeping inside the gate, whose brown brocade robe melted into the darkness.

Staring at the girl's helpless back, his heart sank suddenly. His eyes were like colored glaze under the moonlight, with a light flashing past them.

"You are the only one I want to help."

The man sighed and muttered to himself. He turned around and walked on the road with soft boots silently without a trace of sound. Turning to the red wall, he looked around and saw no one. He raised his heel and flew over the high wall.