It was still dark at dawn. Zhao An, who just came off his night duty, hurried out of the Palace after receiving the news.

Zhao An entered a private room of the teahouse, but he didn’t see Leng Qingtang.

Inside was a guard standing by the window, looking alert. Next to him was a square table, by which a person sat. It was... Madam Mu?

Seeing that the person she came to see had arrived, Gu Yunxi put down her teacup and got up to greet,

"Lord Zhao, long time no see. How have you been?"

"Squire Tu, nice to see you. Were you looking for me?"

Zhao An scanned her studded purple leather armor as he spoke, and then he bowed respectfully.

Gu Yunxi stretched her hand to the tea table and spoke frankly,

"To be honest, I was ordered by Master Leng and came to see you here. Please, sit down."

Zhao An looked at her plain face and declined no more.

"Lord Zhao, I heard that Xier, the maid of Yongning Palace, is now working at Jingyang Palace."

The Eastern Depot and the Imperial Ceremony Office are of one stem, both under the direct jurisdiction of Leng Qingtang. Thus, the two sides had always been well-informed.

Zhao An was not surprised that the news of the Palace quickly reached the Eastern Depot.

Zhao An looked down and sighed slightly,

"Yes, last night she went to Jingyang Palace... In fact, even if Master Leng didn’t look for me, I should find an opportunity to contact the Eastern Depot. I have some news for the Master."

Gu Yunxi's eyes froze for a moment. She asked urgently,

"Lord Zhao, have you found something wrong?"

Sitting still, Zhao An raised his eyes and looked directly at her. His eyes were dull as if clouded by confusion and doubts.

“Squire Tu, that day my master had the accident as soon as she left Yongning Palace. I believe that Master Leng has long suspected that the Imperial Noble Concubine has something to do with the miscarriage.”

“Even if my master said nothing, I can guess that evil woman must have threatened her with the life of young lady, Yunxi... Alas, Concubine Xu also died unjustly!"

His soft voice sounded shaky as the man's eyes went wet and red. He soon wiped his face with his sleeves.

Gu Yunxi lowered her head to hide the pain on her face. Because of the intense heartache, her slim body jerked violently, and her back curled.

She invited Zhao An under the Master's command to clearly explain something to him.

Zhao An was the chief eunuch of Jingyang Palace and also Gu Yunyao's confidant. Only by telling him the truth could he be loyal to the Eastern Depot and better protect Gu Yunyao.

Temporarily suppressing her grief, Gu Yunxi scratched her brow and intentionally slowed down her speech,

"Lord Zhao, I am going to tell you something. Please listen carefully. Don’t miss any single word. And don’t have the slightest doubt about it."

Their eyes locked and Zhao An looked surprised.

At this moment, she was so determined, perseverant, and composed. Her expression reminded him of someone out of the blue.

After a moment of silence, the girl pursed her lips and said clearly,

"Lord Zhao, I'm Yunxi... The real Gu Yunxi!"

…

When Gu Yunyao woke up in the morning, she asked Song Qin to help her change her clothes and put on makeup.

"My master, you should rest in bed. It is not a full month yet."

Song Qin advised her carefully, feeling worried.

With a faint smile, Gu Yunyao replied carelessly,

"I cannot give birth to a second child anyway. So what should I worry about? Summon Xier later."

Naturally, Xier was Tu Muxue. She came to Jingyang Palace last night and behaved well with other maids.

The situation in the deep Palace never ceased changing. Tu Muxue didn’t expect that her ally Wan Yuyao would lose her mind over night.

If she wanted to stay in the Palace and get rid of Leng Qingtang and Gu Yunxi, she could only temporarily rely on Gu Yunyao. Only thus could she successfully complete the final task.

Tu Muxue curtsied to the lady before the makeup mirror and said sweetly,

"Nice to see you, sister."

Gu Yunyao had finished dressing up. She was delighted by the girl's gentle and limpid voice and raised her eyebrows.

Smiling, she couldn’t wait to turn around and look at her with shining eyes,

"Arise. I said yesterday that as long as you are in my Palace, you don't even have to act like this."

As she spoke, she was about to help her up in person.

Tu Muxue pretended to be over flattered. She instantly stood straight and lent the lady a hand.

"Sister, sit down. I'll do as you say."

Gu Yunyao held hands with her. Her powdered face glowed with delight, which couldn’t be described by words.

Her sister looked so beautiful just as she remembered. Her face was still delicate but became thinner due to the difficult days in Yongning Palace.

Below her smooth forehead, a pair of apricot eyes were shining like stars under the thick eyebrows. Her pursed lips were the color of pink cherry blossoms.

She looked like a delicate rose in the morning sunlight, youthful and tempting.

While looking at her, Gu Yunyao wept once again.

Following her, the girl became sad, too. Quivering, she pouted her mouth and blamed herself,

"It's all my fault. I've made you sad yesterday when I just arrived. Now I'm making you sad again."

Gu Yunyao took a deep breath, blinked her moist eyes, and tried to put on a happier face.

" I'm not sad. It's obvious that I have mixed feelings when I see you. You don’t know how my memory has frozen since you disappeared. Now every time I see you, I am always afraid that I'm just dreaming..."

Next to them, Song Qin shook her head slightly. Her eyes darkened when she consoled her master Gu Yunyao,

"My master, you've only recovered a little and shouldn’t be overly worried. Xier is now in front of you. It is true. Cheer up soon."

And then she turned to the girl and said,

"Xier, now that you're here, I should address you as ‘young lady’ according to the etiquette. However, the Palace is a crowded place. People will be suspicious if hearing your name, because your name has one character different from that of my lady. Therefore, you should be careful while talking and calling yourself 'Xier'."

The girl blushed. She twisted her slender fingers unhappily.

Gu Yunyao's sensitive gaze caught that. She nudged the chief maid with slight anger,

"Go away. Leave us alone. We're fine here. Let us chat in private."

Though the lady did take her good-intentioned reminder well, Song Qin only gave an unoffended smile and then quietly retreated after a curtsy.

Tu Muxue suddenly kneeled with tearing eyes.

"Thank you for saving my life! I know that you must have promised the Imperial Noble Concubine something in exchange for me. Sister, my life will be yours now."

"Good sister, get up quickly. We grew up together and are closer than real sisters. You're not allowed to kneel when we're alone!"

Crying and smiling, Gu Yunyao pulled up the girl to wipe her tears.

"In order to save you, I'm not afraid of death. You and I will live together now. I won’t allow you to be bullied as long as I am alive. Come to sit down and talk to me."

"Thank you, sister!"

The girl grinned and sat down opposite Gu Yunyao.

The topic of their chat soon changed to the Seventh Prince Huanan Lin.

"Sister, are you really determined to get back the Seventh Prince?"

"Concubine Xu and I were like sisters when she was alive. Now she has gone and the Imperial Noble Concubine is in no condition to raise the baby..."

Gu Yunyao intended to hide her deal with Wan Yuyao in her stomach forever.

She blamed herself for being suspicious of Leng Qingtang in the past and fell into the trap when she wanted to save Yunxi, which then led to the death of Xu Yuanjiao.

Hence, she, as the victim, had unexpectedly become Wan Yuyao's accomplice and been involved in the same wrongdoing.

Gu Yunyao couldn’t tell the truth. Even though the flame of revenge was burning in her heart, which made her feel very painful and regretful, she still couldn’t reveal the truth to the public.

Because she knew that she herself would be burned to ashes by the karmic fire when she took down Wan Yuyao with the truth.

Gu Yunyao was not afraid of death, or rather, her heart had long died.

Currently, she still had unfinished business. She didn’t want to get her family involved. She still had Zhao An and Yunxi, the two people with who she was loath to part.

Thus, she wanted to live well, even as a heartless ghoul!

"Yunxi, I heard that Empress has been frequenting Qinming Hall these days. She doesn’t have a son, so I guess she is making a move on the prince. I must think of a good way to win the child over first."

"Sister, I'm worried about your body..."

The girl's pursed-lip and worrying face were touching to see.

Gu Yunyao smiled,

"Don't be afraid. the Imperial Noble Concubine can hardly look after herself now. It troubles me to have the prince stay in Yongning Palace for one more day. Think fast. How can I attract Emperor's attention and convince him that I am the best foster mother?"

Quietly, the girl's eyes glittered with slyness as she smiled ambiguously.

She turned to look at the bed,

"I'm afraid it's going to rain today..."

Feeling puzzled, Gu Yunyao frowned,

"I'm asking you to help me think of ways. Why do you care if it rains or not?"

The girl smiled confidently with small clenched fists.

"Sister, don’t hurry. I do have an idea. But this is not the right time. Today, I will definitely get it done for you."

Gu Yunyao was surprised and confused,

"Yunxi, what is it? How will you do it? How many people do you need? Say it and I'll make it for you!"

The girl looked sly,

"Just me and a pot of sugar water."

...

Waiting outside Qinming Hall, Empress Qian frowned as she was startled by a few coughs that occasionally came out.

She stepped over the threshold upon summoning and minced gracefully to the dragon desk.

"Your Majesty."

Emperor Jingxiao lifted his eyes and threw a lazy gaze at the woman. He removed his fat palm from his mouth and cleared his throat,

"Rise."

Empress Qian smiled brightly,

"The Spring Banquet is coming. I have just checked the accounts with the Imperial Ceremony Office. Since it is still early, I made tea by myself for Your Majesty. Please have a sip."

Imperial Noble Concubine had been cursed and hidden herself in Yongning Palace, so Empress Qian volunteered to prepare for the Spring Banquet. She wanted to use the opportunity to take back the power over the harem from that foxy wench.

Wan Yuyao’s sickness was very timely!

According to her spies, Wan Yuyao was no longer crazy after Lei Huan's rite, but she was horrified every time seeing the Seventh Prince.

In that case, was it appropriate for the two-year-old child to live in her Palace?

She took an emerald cup with a white bottom from the red box which was decorated with shells and gently placed it on Emperor's hand with a fawning smile on her elegant powdered face.

Emperor Jingxiao's nose fluttered, inhaling the peculiar fragrance.

When he removed the lid, a refreshing scent invaded his nose.

He observed the fragrant tea. The amber liquid was clear and the leaves, thin like silver needles with tiny white fluff, were quietly resting on the bottom of the cup.

Emperor's eyes relaxed with a trace of joy. He raised the cup and tasted it with a sip.

The tea was mild and sweet with the just-right temperature. A wonder tasted of honey lingered on the tip of his tongue.

Satisfied, the Emperor praised,

"It's really good tea. What is the name? Why is it deep amber?"

The woman smiled warmly and explained,

“Your Majesty, I collected the tea leaves from a maple tree last year. The leaves were steamed to extract the essence, which was then stored in a sealed jar in the ice cellar.”

“It is recorded in a medical book.”

“Maple leaf has the effect of improving blood flow and lungs, and relieving pain. It is dry in spring. Thus, after I heard that Your Majesty was coughing today, I opened a jar and boiled it. And then I made tea with the hot maple dew. I named it 'Maple Dew Tea'.”

"Well, you are very thoughtful."

Emperor Jingxiao took a few more sips and coughed again when he put down the cup.

Empress Qian's eyes darkened when she tilted her head to look at the incense burner that was emitting smoke.

"The ambergris is too strong and it is not suitable to place inside in this season. It'd be better to change to sweetgum, which is anti-inflammatory and can eliminate phlegm."

By their side, Lord Zhang bowed again and again with fear,

"I was negligent of it. I will change it now."

Eunuch Superintendent was panicked and ran out with small steps, leaving the Palace in silence.

Emperor stared at the woman.

Frankly, he couldn’t remember how long it had been since the last time he looked at her as seriously as he was doing now. She was the only one among thousands of beauties in the Palace who could be called his wife.

She was wearing a glamorous gown with two flying phoenixes today. The phoenix embroidery was exquisite, sparkling with her every careful move.

When she looked at him smilingly, her gaze was filled more with admiration than ingratiation.

After a while, a feeling of compassion sprouted in his heart.

She was Empress, the crowned ruler of the harem and the mother of the nation. But she still had to seek his favor when facing him who was in the highest position.

Perhaps at this moment, she was just an ordinary woman who took the man in front of her as her husband!

He patted her dry hand slightly and said,

"Empress, you visit me very often recently. Do you have something to say to me?"

Her submissiveness and blarney had earned a peaceful and patient conversation with him.

Empress Qian's eyes shone with secret joys.

It seemed that all the work these days was not in vain and everything fell into the right place.

The corners of her mouth rose slightly as she spoke gently while peeping at Emperor now and then,

“Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Concubine has been sick for days. The Fifth Princess and the Sixth Princess are living in Yongning Palace. The three nannies are already overworking. With the Seventh Prince, I'm afraid Yuyao can hardly rest well.”

“I think other concubines are still young, but I am free recently. Also, Jiyan has grown up, so I don’t need to work too much.”

“I think, for the sake of Yuyao, why don't I take the prince to Kunning Palace for a few days? I'll send him back to Yongning Palace once Yuyao is better.”

"Well..."

Emperor Jingxiao considered it while talking to himself,

"Strange. The boy was bonded with the Imperial Noble Concubine. How come now she can't stand him?"

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a faint noise outside. He looked across and saw Lord Zhang coming in with a copper stove in his hands. His face looked very strange.

Emperor Jingxiao asked in a deep voice,

"What's the noise?"

Putting down the copper stove, Lord Zhang bowed to Emperor.

"Your Majesty and Your Grace, it's rumored that something strange is happening under a cypress tree in Imperial Garden."

Bewildered, Empress Qian tilted her head and asked,

"Something strange? What is it?"

"Your Grace, countless ants formed a sentence under the cypress tree. A miraculous sight..."

Emperor Jingxiao glared impatiently and reprimanded angrily,

"Speak clearly. What is it saying? Don't wait until I ask..."

"I'm deeply sorry."

Lord Zhang shivered as he knelt as his voice grew shrill,

"Concubine Yu is destined to have a son."