Night breeze was slightly cool in the Cold Palace.

Outside the high wall, the branches of trees fluttered, and there was a black figure sitting on the branches.

The man's square face covered by the bamboo hat looked solemn and his eyes kept searching inside the high wall.

"Finally, you are here."

The woman in the light-colored ru skirt held the lantern in her hand and walked into the man's vision slowly.

"I got news from Xin'er."

The man with only one arm was exactly Wenren Junzheng.

"Since you are here, it shows that you agree to help me."

The woman showed an elegant smile on her gaunt face like a person who kept herself aloof from the world. It was hard to imagine that her heart was already covered with dark thorns.

Seeing that Wenren Junzheng stopped speaking, the woman knew that he was actually reluctant. He agreed to help her only because of their affection for her in those years and he wanted to make up for what he owed her.

The woman shook her head lightly, smiling calmly.

"Now whether Xin'er and I can live depends on you and you are the only one who can help me. When the overall situation is stable, I will definitely let Xin'er revitalize the Clan of Swords, and then you will be the Master."

Wenren Junzheng kept his head down and he said calmly after a moment,

"You know that I don't care about those."

A sigh sounded in the darkness which hit the woman's heart heavily.

She turned to look sideways, but he was no longer visible on the branches.

The woman stopped making any sound and her thoughts were gradually led away by the melodious orchestral sound in the distance.

The night wind got stronger and it messed up her hair.

Her body was shrouded in the dark night and she kept still for a long time.

Da Yi had been in existence for hundreds of years. In order to be the leader of the country, the previous emperors left no means untried! What she did was nothing!

Prince Chen Huanan Xin, the child she gave birth to, was the eldest son of the present emperor. Why he had to let others rule the country but he himself couldn't be the leader?

No! No way!

In the dark, the woman squinted her eyes which were as cold as iron.

...

In the Baohe Palace…

Tu Muxue's applause seemed to be inappropriate.

It might be that she had noticed all the weird gazes around her. She was very proud, but she pretended to be innocent and confused. She blinked her shiny eyes, tilted her head to look left and right, and patted her hands twice before she fell completely silent.

Song Qin, who was standing on the other side, looked anxious and murmured,

"Xier, you!"

"How dare you!"

Lord Zhang yelled loudly on the golden stage and his horsetail whisk aimed at the willful palace maid. He reprimanded angrily,

"Come on! Catch her!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down."

Concubine Yu Gu Yunyao was the first to recover her composure from the shocked state. She stood up hurriedly and walked onto the embroidered vermilion carpet with Song Qin's help. Both of them knelt down and bowed their heads.

“Your Majesty, this palace maid entered Jingyang Palace just a short time ago. Because she is still young, I am not very strict with her at ordinary times. For her disturbing you this time, I hope you can forgive her for her ignorance."

Tu Muxue hurriedly ran behind Gu Yunyao and prostrated herself, shouting.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to disturb you. It was just because I had never seen such a beautiful dance. I enjoyed it so much and I couldn't help... I'm still young and I don't want to die..."

On the side of the dragon table, the Imperial Noble Concubine Wan Yuyao smiled faintly, deliberately not speaking.

She got news from Tu Muxue before noon that she intended to attract Emperor's attention, and so she would definitely do something at the Spring Banquet.

She would trim the sails and help her when the time was right.

Empress Qian sat on the east side of the dragon table, looking annoyed. She asked coldly,

"The palace maid in the pink skirt, raise your head!"

Tu Muxue's lips moved. She showed a pitiful and innocent look and slowly raised her chin.

She was really fair and beautiful!

Empress Qian suddenly narrowed her eyes and a bitter cold light flashed across her eyes.

She was a woman who had been in the imperial harem for more than ten years, and so how could she fail to know what this lowly servant wanted?

Stupid!

Relying on the youthful and pretty looks, all girls wanted to sleep with Emperor! But they didn't know the consequences of greed!

"Are you Xier?"

Emperor Jingxiao had recognized the pretty girl and smiled playfully,

"That day when I went to Jingyang Palace, you were the one who gave me the umbrella in the rain, weren’t you?"

The girl lowered her head and smiled, replying in a sweet tone,

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Well, can you dance?"

Tu Muxue's face changed slightly because of the abrupt question.

This time the method of gaining attention was good, but it was also highly risky. Emperor suddenly changed the topic, and so how should she answer so that it would not be counterproductive?

After a quick thought in her mind, Tu Muxue gritted her teeth and lowered her voice, saying in a little embarrassing tone.

"Your Majesty, I... I can't."

"Haha..."

Emperor Jingxiao leaned forward. His plump face did not show any annoyance. Instead, he nodded and chuckled.

He kept sizing up the girl with inquiry and greed in his eyes.

"Such a young girl... Keep her. But Xier, you must remember that I am not a demon king who is about to kill at any time. You don't need to be afraid of me. Help your master to stand up and return to your seats to enjoy singing and dancing."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The girl was overjoyed, prostrated herself, and kowtowed three times before she got up to help Gu Yunyao.

Song Qin had already held her master. Seeing the girl approaching, she nudged her secretly and stared at her fiercely.

Tu Muxue staggered and walked behind them.

Another round of music sounded.

Emperor Jingxiao had already lost interest in enjoying the dance. His eyes narrowed with a sense of disinterest and he was attracted by the delicate pink figure in the audience for a long time.

Empress Qian looked at Emperor calmly, keeping thinking.

“The palace maid in the pink skirt was taken by Concubine Yu from Wan Yuyao not long ago. Could it be that the two concubines who always bore grudges against each other had a good relationship all of a sudden?”

“No wonder that the Seventh Prince entered her Jingyang Palace as soon as he went out of Yongning Palace.”

“At this time, the palace maid Xier dared to seduce Emperor in full view of the public. I’m afraid she was instigated by Concubine Yu certainly!”

“Concubine Yu, you really have failed me!”

Empress Qian's eyes were sharp and cold. She grabbed the wine bottle tightly with a solemn face. While the Imperial Noble Concubine looked energetic.

Since Tu Muxue acted like this, she had to strike while the iron was hot and sent her to Emperor so that Leng Qingtang would be unable to change Gu Yunxi's face in the future!

Putting down the golden chopsticks, Wan Yuyao said to Emperor in a charming voice,

"Your Majesty, Concubine Yu's palace maid is called Xier, who is seventeen years old and looks so pretty. If you like her, why not give her a position and let her serve you tonight?"

Empress Qian immediately turned her angry gaze at the talkative woman and sneered,

“Imperial Noble Concubine, you seem to be more impatient than any others. Otherwise, why do you have to choose tonight?"

Emperor Jingxiao turned a deaf ear to the controversy between them. With his mouth half-opened and his eyes faintly looking into the distance, he was still thinking about the beautiful girl.

Seeing it, Lord Zhang approached. He smiled and asked in a low voice,

"Your Majesty, tonight..."

Emperor Jingxiao narrowed his eyes, gritted his lips greedily, and smiled hypocritically.

"It's great, but I haven't asked Concubine Yu about it..."

Lord Zhang laughed and comforted him,

"Her master will also feel glorious when a ninth-ranked palace maid of her can be favoured by you, Your Majesty. I will come to master Yu to tell her about it later."

Emperor Jingxiao raised his faint eyebrows and stopped speaking, continuing to sit and watch the singing and dancing.

Lord Zhang knew what he was thinking about, and so he straightened up and stepped down quietly.

Baohe Palace was full of singing and dancing.

The concubines started to whisper gradually.

"Hey, why did Concubine Yu do that just now?"

"Could it be that she couldn't give birth to a child and so she was anxious to send her palace maid to Emperor's bed to stabilize her position?"

"Stop talking. She is looking at us!"

Concubine Yu's face turned pale and she was angry because of their whispers. If it had been in ordinary times, she would have walked over and had an argument with those gossip mongers.

A thief in the family was difficult to detect.

She didn't expect that Yunxi, who she regarded as her own sister, would actually seduce Emperor in public.

But in the eyes of unsuspecting bystanders, this was naturally designed by her, the master of their palace!

She was compelled to suffer in silence!

Turning her eyes to the golden stage, she was surprised by the eyes of Emperor whose spirit had left his body.

Song Qin had long discovered that something was wrong and so she was also full of anger. At this moment, seeing her master's sullen face, she said to Tu Muxue coldly,

"Xier, Her Grace will have midnight snack when she goes back later. You're done here. Just go back to our palace and help the small kitchen prepare for that."

Tu Muxue knew that the chief maid was unhappy and intended to send her away deliberately and so she put on an extremely weak look immediately. Her pink lips pursed and she said reluctantly,

"Yes, I will go now."

She left Baohe Palace slowly, just to see Zhao An staying in a corner.

Tu Muxue felt a bit doubtful in her heart, but she didn't think too much and held the lantern to speed up her pace.

In the hall, Song Qin bent down and lowered her eyebrows, comforting her master softly,

"Don't take it to your heart. Let's guard against her in the future."

Concubine Yu smiled bitterly, looking straight ahead, and said to her,

"Hey, I'm so stupid. I'm afraid that this time I've opened the door to a dangerous person."

Song Qin was surprised. She raised her head to look at the place which her master was looking at, only to see Lord Zhang approaching them from the gap between the seats of the concubines. There was a smile on his face and he cupped his hand in the other to Concubine Yu.

"Oh, master Yu, I come over to congratulate you!"

Gu Yunyao smiled,

“For what? I've never been blessed."

"Why did you say that? Haha..."

The old eunuch peeked behind Gu Yunyao with cunning eyes frequently and his expression changed slightly,

"Where is Xier?"

A cold light flashed across Song Qin's eyes and she replied in a cold voice,

"There is something needed to be done in Jingyang Palace, and so I have sent her back just now."

Lord Zhang grinned dryly,

"Xier is really lucky. She is liked by His Majesty. She will go to Jiaoluan Palace to sleep with His Majesty tonight. Later, the nanny from the Etiquette Bureau will teach her some rules by herself."

Song Qin's face changed drastically when she heard this and her figure trembled.

She thought, “What a kind of good sister was she? my master did not hesitate to fight against the Imperial Noble Concubine and offend the Fourth Princess for her.”

“However, she betrayed my master when my master was in poor health and inconvenient to sleep with Emperor, and she actually tried to climb up the ladder on her shoulders.”

At this time, there was a burst of noise among the concubines.

"Lord..."

Song Qin's face flushed. When she tried to speak in anger, she was interrupted by Gu Yunyao's clear cough.

Gu Yunyao tried to endure the anger in her heart and smiled calmly,

"I thank Emperor for his favour on behalf of Xier, but it's a very important thing. I have to ask Xier face to face. Lord, please let me go back to my palace first and I will come back later."

Lord Zhang was stunned for an instant.

Did Emperor need to ask the palace maid whether she was willing or not when he wanted to sleep with her? It was really a strange thing that had never been heard before.

The old eunuch narrowed his eyes and said with a flattering smile,

"Hey, this matter is not complicated by convention. It will be the auspicious time for the map-presenting later and you can't be absent!"

Gu Yunyao sneered with a stiff face,

"I'll only be gone for a moment. I'll come back soon. Lord, just tell His Majesty what I have said."

The woman's face looked so cold. When they looked into each other's eyes, the old eunuch suddenly shivered out of her gruesome look.

Knowing that she was dissatisfied, he didn't dare to disturb her anymore, and so he smiled and cupped his hand in the other,

"Okay. Since so, I will go back to report to His Majesty first."

Song Qin suddenly saw Zhao An standing outside the hall. She leaned to Gu Yunyao's ear and whispered,

"Master, Lord Zhao is here. He must have something to tell you."

Gu Yunyao looked around and said to her,

"Come out with me quietly."