When Noble Concubine Hui, Shi Yuanqing, was admitted to walk into the palace, Imperial Mother Xiao Miaoyin was leaning on the bed. With a soft pillow embroidered with peonies and tassels leaned on her back, she smoked a water pipe.

It was time to go to bed. Therefore, she just wore a green gown embroidered with blessed words, with a hollow coronet made of white jade and a pure pin keeping her bun.

Since she moved in Cining Palace, through the application of Xiangyu Powder, her half face damaged by the fire had been recovered.

Shi Yuanqing walked into the palace as her face slightly blushed, lowering her head and saluting.

"Your Grace, I express my best wishes to you. In such an evening, I meet and disrupt you. It is my blame."

Imperial Mother Xiao held a water pipe in her hand, slightly keeping her upper body upright. Then she raised her chin and shifted her eyes. In the beaming light, some coldness occurred in her eyes.

After a while, she slowly and softly said.

"Get up and sit down."

"Thank you."

Shi Yuanqing quietly sat down, slightly shifting her eyes to look around. But she only didn't dare to look at Imperial Mother Xiao.

"Just say, why coming here in spite of the rain?"

In fact, the message had been delivered to Cining Palace. But she still looked calm, pretending to be ignorant.

Shi Yuanqing sat upright and anxiously, with her lower lip being bitten and ached by the teeth. After hesitating for a while, she eventually answered.

"I, I hear, in this evening... His Majesty lives in Jingyang Palace..."

"So?"

Imperial Mother Xiao asked in a soft voice, when some cold wrinkles occurred in the outer corner of her eyes as she smiled.

"..."

Shi Yuanqing was suddenly astonished and didn't know how to answer.

Imperial Mother Xiao coldly sneered and replaced her to answer.

"So you can't wait and visit me at that time. You are young, but your memory should become worse than mine? Previously, it is you that have supported my son's thought of making the sick woman go into the imperial harem. Since she is our emperor's woman, is it reasonable to serve him?"

"Your Grace, I am wrong!"

Shi Yuanqing nervously fell down and crawled to the bed, sadly crying.

"Your Grace, at that time I was silly! Please don't blame me. I thought the sister who suffered knife wounds was so poor, so that I took pity on her. But I hadn't wanted to oppose you deliberately."

"Now she has hurt Commandery Princess Jingle. But she doesn't regret it, but arrange banquets in her palace and make a lot of people gather. His Majesty hasn't punished or blamed her, so I consider he must be charmed by the beautiful woman. I hope that you can take the regulations of the imperial harem in heart, and strictly punish the woman who ignores the regulations of the imperial harem."

Imperial Mother Xiao glanced at Shi Yuanqing, giving the water pipe in her hand to Tongjiang.

"Stop, you don't need to take Jingle as your excuse. I am old. Previously, I suffered a lot of bitterness in the Cold Palace. Now the emperor is on the throne, so I just want to have a good rest. I don't want to interfere with things in the imperial harem."

It seemed that Shi Yuanqing didn't give up, as she sadly and softly said.

"Your Grace!"

Imperial Mother Xiao pressed Shi Yuanqing's shoulder with her hand, carefully looking at her cheeks in cold eyes as sharp as the blade.

"Noble Concubine Hui, I give you a suggestion. In the imperial harem, there are plenty of young women, but only one of them can be the empress. Only the empress is the emperor's wife, and only the empress can be my daughter-in-law. But at present, you are not the empress."

Seeing her astonishment, Imperial Mother Xiao coldly and indifferently smiled.

"If you want to be the emperor's wife, my daughter-in-law, you could never be sympathetic in the imperial harem. Just a few sympathies of you can make you killed by others, have you understood?"

Shi Yuanqing's buxom chest rose and fell, when her forehead and tip of the nose were drenched with sweats. Then she hustled to lower her head and nervously said.

"Thanks for your suggestion, Your Grace. Your daughter-in-law... Oh no, I... I have understood."

"No, you haven't understood."

Imperial Mother Xiao got up, slowly wandering in the palace.

"You can quickly become superior to the concubines, being the Noble Concubine at first rank within a night, which is because of your father in the court. A smart woman will never just obey the emperor, but know how to grasp his heart. Most importantly, she knows how to make use of her advantages among the concubines to establish her dignity!"

Noble Concubine Hui held her breath and thought for a while, seeming to have understood something, as her eyes opened.

Imperial Mother Xiao turned around and looked at her, seeming to smile.

"Okay, it is late now. I will never let you stay here. You just come back to your palace and carefully think. I could only have one daughter-in-law. Even you don't try to become my daughter-in-law, others will also struggle for it."

Shi Yuanqing was struck in mind, squinting her eyes. She lowered her long eyelashes, as some dim and dark shadow in her lower eyes was covered.

"Your Grace, thank you, and I will leave here."

Seeing her going out of the palace, Imperial Mother Xiao raised her hand to hold the pin plucked in her bun, mocking and sneering.

"The woman should want to play the trick of killing the person by my hand? Previously in order to flatter the emperor, she even preferred to offend me. Now she feels the threat and hopes that I take actions and offend the emperor for her!"

Tongjiang held a scissor and dimmed the light, seriously saying in a low voice.

"In my opinion, Master Hui doesn't deserve her title 'Hui' indeed. I heard the one in Jingyang Palace was ever a maid, a chief maid and a fourth-rank guard of the Eastern Depot. She had so many identities. Besides, as soon as she took actions, Concubine Liang and the other five concubines were lessoned. Presumably, Master Hui can't catch up with her."

Imperial Mother Xiao held her chin for a while, then she sighed.

"The battle in the imperial harem is just to compare who is more ruthless. The person in Jingyang Palace has just slapped Jingle, so it's not suitable for me to confront her. I had better let Shi Yuanqing do the thing. "

"I consider, despite the way, as soon as the person in Jingyang Palace was killed, the one in Prince's Mansion should not be alive. Then the emperor's following trouble will be solved."

...

In Jingyang Palace, plenty of people shuttled in and out, being so happy and busy.

On this evening, their master, Gu Yunxi would serve Huanan Xin, which was a great and joyful event. So the preparation couldn't be casually made.

As Gu Yunxi was usually admired by Huanan Xin, they believed that after this evening, her rank would be improved further.

If Gu Yunxi were promoted, other people in the palace would have benefited.

In the hall, Gu Yunxi was busy and ceaselessly moved. She happily made orders one after another, which seemed that she couldn't wait to go to bed together with Huanan Xin.

"Dong Zhu, you quickly go to the bathroom and tell maids, later I will use the bath bean made of orchid's sap, and the milk soap tributed by the western tribes. Oh, add some lily's sap into my bath water."

"Jin, stub out the Suhe Incense in my bedroom and turn to burn Chenshui Incense loved by His Majesty. You also add some powder of Muhe Incense. Its smell was neither thick nor thin, so it is my best choice."

After a while, the wine and meals were all put on the table. Gu Yunxi was as delicate as the burgeoning begonias, when she giggled and toasted Huanan Xin. It seemed that they were so happy.

But no one realized, the window which was closest to Gu Yunxi's seat had been insensibly opened a crack.

In the spring, the rain fell slightly and ceaselessly. Some deep droplets were curled by the wind, deeply going into the hall.

As Gu Yunxi drank cups of warm wine one after another, she started to cough and the symptom gradually became worse.

"Yunxi, how are you? Do you feel sick?"

Huanan Xin realized her abnormal condition, unfolding his arms and embracing her. He looked more and more worried.

"Don't worry, I am so happy today."

Gu Yunxi was tipsy and shook her head, then she covered her mouth with a handkerchief, fiercely coughing again.

A stream of blood flooded from her mouth.

When the handkerchief was unfolded, there was a large spot of scarlet blood.

Immediately, Huanan Xin was astonished and looked pale, standing up and shouting to people in the outside.

"Eunuch, be quick to call the imperial doctor in..."

...

After eating the medicine, Gu Yunxi lied on her side. With her hair loosed, she wore a thin pink robe embroidered with lotus flowers and waves, which made her young and delicate figure become clear and beautiful.

The tip of her tongue was still bittered and ached, which made her sadly frown. Then she sadly pushed away the plate containing honey apricots.

"There are some wounds in my mouth, so I will chew it."

She said to Zhiqi in a low voice, carefully looking in the direction of the embroidery curtain.

Just now, the reason for her coughing blood was that Gu Yunxi deliberately bit her tongue and spat the blood into the handkerchief. Therefore, she succeeded in deceiving Huanan Xin.

Zhiqi looked sad and upset, quietly going out of the bedroom. Soon she came back and said.

"Your Grace, there is no people on the outside. If you want to say something, please tell me."

Gu Yunxi looked sad, as she spoke some words full of sadness and self-accusation.

"Zhiqi, I become more and more fed up with myself. It's incredible for me that I have become so disgusting now. I try to flatter and pretend to be wonderful by saying good words. One day, when I meet my darling, Huanan He, he would not love such kind of woman as me anymore..."

Zhiqi unfolded her hands, sadly sighing.

"Your Grace, please don't think too much. In the imperial harem, if one woman wants to live peacefully, how could she not depend on His Majesty? It is not your original intention to do such things. After all, you also have to confront your problems."

Zhiqi squatted in front of the bed, wiping out the tears on Gu Yunxi's cheeks. Then she continued to comfort her.

"I always think, if Master Yun were still in the Palace, and knew you had to hurt yourself in order to keep your body intact, how sad and disappointed she would have been!"

Zhiqi knew clearly how Gu Yunxi avoided serving Huanan Xin.

Gu Yunxi had been seriously wounded. Although she was recovered, she was still not strong enough. Therefore, the imperial doctor repeatedly warned that Gu Yunxi couldn't suffer wetness and damp.

Just now, Gu Yunxi hinted Zhiqi to open the window, in order to let the wetness and damp of the night rain in the hall.

Besides, she particularly drank plenty of warm spirits. Hence, the damp befell her and she weakly coughed again.

In order to enlarge her sickness, Gu Yunxi bit her tongue and pretended to be in weak lungs because of her cough. Eventually, Huanan Xin flinched and temporarily gave up making love with her, leaving Jingyang Palace.

She tried to do so many bitter things, hoping that Leng Qingtang could be back early and take her out of the ruthless palace.

It was dark now. Gu Yunxi considered that Zhiqi had been serving her for one day, so that she must be tired. Hence, she let Zhiqi leave here and go to sleep.

In the quiet bedroom, there only left one thin figure seeming to be sad and lonely.

Seeing the jumping flames on the rear of the bed, Gu Yunxi's thoughts were like stretching mountains, being long and endless.

At that time, she was trapped in a sense of despair she had never felt physically and mentally.

She thought she was just like an emasculated duckweed floating on the river. Being lonely and helpless, she had to go with the waves of unknown fate.

Gu Yunxi opened her moist eyes, as she put her palms together devoutly and quietly said in her mind.

"Darling, when can I meet you?"

"It has been one year since we are apart. You are in the capital, but you shouldn't try to find me. Are you really intended to abandon me? Why do you go to the northwestern regions alone? "

"Darling, I miss you. I am so helpless."

"Darling, I require you quickly look for me..."

...

It was in the ninth Prince's Mansion in the capital.

Huanan He got drunk and lied on the bed, holding one empty flagon and drowsily sleeping.

Unconsciously, he went into the dream again.

A song played by the flute always whirled in his ear, leading him ceaselessly stepping forward. Then he saw the old laurel tree, under which a thin woman was holding a flute made of white jade and playing sad songs.

The blear mist floated in the air ups and downs, which made him incapable of seeing the woman's face clearly.

He blankly stared at the delicate figure with a swaying skirt, being heart-broken by the sad tune and was almost going to shed tears.

He couldn't help reaching his hand, loudly shouting to her.

"Who are you... Tell me who you are... Who are you..."