Half a moment after the singing and dancing in Baohe Palace, the seat of Wan Li was already empty.

With the melody of the bells ringing beautifully like wind chimes, a fiery red figure appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

Emperor Jingxiao waved his hand to the audience when he saw the High Priest.

Singing, dancing, and the orchestra stopped abruptly. After the dancers prostrated themselves before the golden stage, they left with deliberate steps through the small doors on both sides of the aisle.

The hall fell into complete silence.

Everyone held their breath and paid attention to this world-famous moment.

Yu Xuanji, High Priest, cupped his hand in the other under the golden stage, saying loudly,

"Your Majesty, I've ringed the blessing bell by your order and prayed to heaven for your longevity, Her Grace's health, and the prosperity and peace of Da Yi."

"Great! The prosperity and peace!"

Emperor was overjoyed with sharp eyes and the red gold double-dragon crown on his head was dazzling and luxurious under the reflection of the flames of the palace lanterns.

With a wave of his sleeve, he smiled and said,

"High Priest, thank you for your hard work."

Yu Xuanji lowered his eyelashes slightly and showed a slight smile, saying coldly,

"Your Majesty, it's the auspicious time now. The Dragon God's soul is hiding in the air now. The Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot can present the Kunhuang Island Map now."

When Emperor heard the words, his eyes turned even more brilliant. His voice trembled slightly in surprise,

"Let the Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot Leng Qingtang come in!"

Lord Zhang stood upright, flicking the horsetail whisk vigorously. His shrill voice reached its limit,

"Leng Qingtang, Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, come in!"

In the deep night sky, the sound of the bursting of fireworks was deafening. The fireworks exploded in the sky beautifully and then fell down. The colorful and rapidly-changing beauty made people unable to move their eyes.

Leng Qingtang walked in slowly in the vast and scorching light which was shining like stars. He was in a clean black robe, looking so handsome.

He held a square gold box carved with flowers and set with treasures in his hands. He walked so calmly. The embroidered boots made of gold silk fell on the red carpet that symbolized promotion without making any faint sound.

It was quiet with no noise and hundreds of eyes were targeting at the handsome man.

On the golden stage, the Imperial Noble Concubine Wan Yuyao stretched her neck and fixed her eyes on his handsome figure.

Looking back on the past, she couldn't help feeling a moment of emptiness and loss. Her complexion turned sullen and her fingertips moved sadly.

In the middle of the hall, Leng Qingtang stopped and stood upright. When kneeling down, he raised the square gold box high above his head. He lowered his eyes and said respectfully,

"Your Majesty, conforming the astronomical phenomenon and auspicious time, I come here with the treasure of Tianyan Faction, Kunhuang Island Map, to present it to you. Long live, your Majesty."

The two concubines on the stage, officials, concubines, and servants under the stage all got up and kneeled down together, shouting loudly,

"Long live, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jingxiao stood up quietly from the dragon chair with his eyes fixed on the gold box and his mouth half-opened. His eyes flashed with extremely greedy light.

The vibration in his chest cavity resounded constantly and his heart jumped so fast.

Maybe because he was too excited, Emperor even doubted whether what was happening before him was real or just in a dream.

He closed his eyes forcibly and opened them quickly. The person and the box were still there and he finally felt relieved. He sat back into the dragon chair slowly with a solemn complexion, ordering,

"Come on, give me the gold box."

Lord Zhang bowed and inserted the horsetail whisk in his waistband,

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After walking off the stage, Lord Zhang took over the gold box from Leng Qingtang smoothly and then turned back, presenting it in front of Emperor steadily.

Emperor Jingxiao's eyes were wide open. Staring at the square gold box on the dragon table for long while, he slowly removed the lid of the box with his trembling fingers.

On the dark red flannel lining was a roll of sheepskin.

Emperor took a deep breath, took out the sheepskin, and opened it in front of everyone.

At the moment when Emperor saw that the map of Kunhuang Island was clearly marked on the sheepskin, his sullen face with stiffened facial muscles due to excessive tension suddenly turned extremely joyful.

"Haha, great, great! It really is a secret map of Tianyan Faction! I can finally follow its instructions to cruise Wei Sea and go to Kunhuang to enjoy Fairy Dragon Ruling the World!"

Everyone bowed their heads again and shouted,

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Long live, Your Majesty!"

"Just stand up, haha!"

The orchestra in the hall played a lively melody for the occasion and the fireworks outside the hall exploded in the sky, making it extremely colourful and lively.

This night, the Palace was doomed to be sleepless. This night was also the time to bring about a radical change.

People in Baohe Palace seemed to have accomplished a cross-century feat, enjoying the joy of toasting to each other, but they didn’t notice that the eyes of Leng Qingtang who was seated in the audience were sharp and bright, and he showed an inexplicably gruesome smile.

Just as Emperor Jingxiao was ecstatic about getting the treasure map, a clear and willful voice suddenly sounded from outside,

"Wait! Your Majesty, the map presented by the Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot was a fake map!"

…

In the side hall of Baohe Palace…

After Zhao An finished speaking, Gu Yunyao rolled her eyes as if she had been hit by a stick and collapsed on the chair on the spot.

"Master, you must hold on. Master..."

Song Qin stroked her chest and back, calling her sadly.

As soon as Gu Yunyao was relieved, she covered her face and burst into tears.

At this moment, she finally figured out the truth about everything. Now she knew that Gu Yunxi and Tu Muxue had exchanged their faces and identities. She finally realized that it was Wan Yuyao and the real Tu Muxue, namely Xier, who had deceived her and let her kill her own baby in her belly.

Anger, hatred, regret, and sorrow converged into an invisible and powerful force, crushing the woman's heart repeatedly. The severe and suffocating pain tore the woman's whole body, which was indescribable torture.

She put her hands on her chest, crying bitterly,

"Yunxi, my poor sister... Sister Xu, I'm really sorry for you..."

Zhao An's face turned pale when he saw it and he comforted her at once,

"Master... Master, please keep your voice. It is not the time for grief. Whether we can catch Tu Muxue and change the face for the little master depends on tonight. Master Leng has already made a plan. You still have to do something for the little master!"

Gu Yunyao suppressed her sad emotions, wiped the tears on her face, and stood up quickly. She paced back and forth, slamming her palms with her fists,

"Right, right, I can't cry. It is not the time to cry. I have to see Yunxi and I have to catch Tu Muxue to make her suffer! I must avenge Sister Xu, Jinzhu, and my child!"

…

Gu Yunyao's honour guards hurried back to Jingyang Palace.

At this time, they happened to meet Lord Zhang's apprentice, Lian, who led the rule-teaching nanny of the Etiquette Bureau to declare Emperor's oral decree to confer the title lady-in-waiting on Xier who would be taught some rules about serving Emperor in bed later.

Hearing the good news, Tu Muxue was astonished. She looked at Gu Yunyao who was coming over with tears and knelt down suddenly, crying,

"No, master, I don't want to serve His Majesty in bed. I want to serve you!"

The rule-teaching nanny showed a fierce look on her face. She frowned and was a little impatient, saying in a deep voice,

"What nonsense are you talking about, lady-in-waiting? There are so many beautiful ladies in the imperial harem. How lucky you are to be favoured by His Majesty! Master Yu will also be honoured out of the favour you have got."

"Stop talking and wasting time. Follow me to the side palace hall to learn the rules of serving His Majesty. After the bath, you must dress neatly and board the carriage to go to Jiaoluan Palace to serve His Majesty in bed!"

"I... I..."

The situation was going as she expected, but Tu Muxue still pretended. She looked at Gu Yunyao aggrievedly with tears as if she was asking her for help.

Without a word, the woman walked towards the girl slowly with the chief maid and chief eunuch behind her who feared that their master would suddenly encounter an accident.

Gu Yunyao didn't speak immediately. Her eyes narrowed while staring at Tu Muxue and a cold light appeared in her eyes.

"Xier, you really don't want to serve His Majesty in bed, do you? If so, I will immediately return to Baohe Palace to meet His Majesty. I will beg him to recall his order even at the cost of my high position and great health in the whole life!"

"Her Grace, please think twice!"

The rule-teaching nanny didn't know the inside story and she didn't know that Gu Yunyao was just testing the girl. She immediately scolded with a gloomy face,

"Don’t be stupid, Master Yu! You lost a son and you regained the favour just a short time ago! Xier's serving His Majesty tonight will help you..."

"I will never sacrifice a girl's youth to solidify my position in the imperial harem!"

Gu Yunyao said with a stern expression in a loud voice and did not back down.

"Master!"

Tu Muxue knew how uncompromising Gu Yunyao was and she was worried that her acting would be too aggressive and thus cause her to destroy her own plan. She finally stepped into the trap because she was too anxious!

She hugged Gu Yunyao's legs, crying,

"Master, you can't stand up for me anymore. You always worry about me too much and you've offended many people for me. The nanny's words make sense. You cannot annoy His Majesty for me again. You, you just let me go!"

Before entering the Palace, Tu Muxue vowed to His Highness that she would try her best to get close to Emperor Jingxiao, find the right time to assassinate him, and obtain the Kunhuang Island Map. Hearing that the Eastern Depot would present the treasure map on the night of the Spring Banquet which could just provide an opportunity for her plan to achieve two goals, she started planning for the show this night a long time ago.

Tu Muxue intended to achieve her goal with the Imperial Noble Concubine's help at first. Unexpectedly, Concubine Yu Gu Yunyao was so tough and she could even run around in the period of miscarriage and force the Imperial Noble Concubine into a corner in public.

After she came to Jingyang Palace, she had no choice but to find another way out.

The fact that Lu Qiange saw through her real identity sounded the alarm for Tu Muxue. She knew that she had to act immediately and it was so urgent.

Actually, Gu Yunyao was not a big barrier to her. Even if she disagreed, she still had other ways.

A shrewd light flashed across her eyes. When she looked up again, she put on a sorrowful face,

"Master, I am not greedy for wealth. I just don't want to drag you down. I'm just a low servant and I'm not worthy of your protection. If you insist, I have to leave my life in Jingyang Palace then!"

The girl stood up suddenly after finishing speaking. She lowered her head, trying to hit it against the wall.

With sharp eyes and agile hands, Lian stopped her quickly, shouting in a loud and shrill voice,

"Oh, lady-in-waiting, it's a good thing to serve His Majesty. Why do you act like this? Master Yu, you are the living Bodhisattva! Please do not be too hard on us! Please let us finish this work well!"