Dream of the Red Chamber: After being exiled, I went on a killing spree in Liaodong.

At this moment, Jia Yuanchun sat alone in the deep palace, her face full of sorrow.

Several days after being conferred the title of imperial concubine, she had not yet seen the emperor's face.

The initial joy had long since vanished.

The eunuchs and maids who used to serve her so attentively now look at her with a coldness and indifference, though they haven't turned against her yet.

She gazed at the empty palace gates, her heart turning cold.

But the contempt in those people's eyes stung Jia Yuanchun's heart like needles.

"Baoqin, do you think... His Majesty will really come today?"

She gazed at the empty courtyard, her voice so soft it was as if she were talking to herself.

"Your Majesty, it's normal that His Majesty is busy with state affairs and can't spare the time for a while."

"It will come eventually."

Baoqin offered words of comfort, but in her heart she knew very well that Emperor Yuankang had no intention of ever stepping through that door.

The more she thought about it these past few days, the clearer things became.

The imperial edict appointing Jia Yuanchun as a Noble Consort was issued by the Emperor Emeritus, not personally approved by Emperor Yuankang.

To put it bluntly, this emperor never thought much of his master from beginning to end.

"Honey! Isn't that the lady-in-waiting beside the Empress?"

Suddenly, Baoqin's gaze sharpened as she stared at the palace-dressed woman slowly walking towards the door.

"Um?"

"What is she doing here?"

Jia Yuanchun frowned slightly, a hint of doubt rising in her heart.

Regardless, now that the Empress's people have arrived, we have to give them the respect they deserve.

The two quickly got up and went to the center of the courtyard to greet him.

"Your Highness, the Empress requests your presence."

The female official smiled broadly and was unusually humble.

Jia Yuanchun and Baoqin exchanged a glance, both reading surprise in each other's eyes.

Isn't it said that the female officials around the Empress are arrogant and difficult to deal with?

Why is this person being overly polite?

"it is good."

Jia Yuanchun remained calm and followed the female official with Baoqin, heading towards Kunning Palace.

Inside the palace, the Empress was already seated and waiting.

Upon seeing the female official leading Jia Yuanchun in, she immediately stood up to greet her, a gentle smile blooming on her face.

He stepped forward and took Jia Yuanchun's hand in his own.

"Little sister, how have you been these past few days?"

"I originally wanted to see you sooner, but I was tied up with trivial matters and it has been delayed until today. I am truly sorry."

Her tone was sincere, and there was even a hint of apology in her eyes.

"No, no, Your Majesty, you flatter me!"

Jia Yuanchun's heart skipped a beat, and his fingertips felt slightly cold.

The Empress's unusual attentiveness was so unsettling it sent chills down one's spine.

Could it be... that they came for something?

Having spent many years navigating the palace, she understands this kind of "gentle trap" best.

In an instant, every nerve in my body tensed up.

The Empress also sensed her wariness and decided to stop beating around the bush.

"Sister, I've asked you to come here today because I need to trouble you with something."

She paused, then looked over with eager eyes:

"Princess Yingchun, you two seem to get along quite well, don't you?"

Jia Yuanchun hesitated for a moment: "Sister Yingchun...we grew up together since childhood, so naturally we have feelings for each other."

"That's good, that's wonderful!"

The Empress smiled, her joy almost impossible to hide, her eyes and brows radiant.

"Then tell me, what does Yingchun like?"

"And what is it that you hate the most?"

She asked detailed questions, as if she were planning something big.

Jia Yuanchun was filled with suspicion—why was the Empress suddenly inquiring about Yingchun?

Although she didn't understand, she still recounted the details of her memory:

"Sister Yingchun loves playing chess and often strings of jasmine flowers under the shade of the blossoms. She is quiet and doesn't like crowds..."

A palace maid beside him wrote down the words quickly and meticulously.

They talked for almost half an hour before finally coming to an end.

"Oh, right!"

A lady-in-waiting beside the Empress suddenly interjected, her face beaming with excitement:

"We happen to have a rare chess manual in our storeroom; why don't we present it to His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Before she could finish speaking, the Empress gave her a cold look, and the lady-in-waiting immediately fell silent, shrinking back as she retreated.

Jia Yuanchun was deeply shaken by what she heard.

--I see!

The Empress has taken a liking to Yingchun and wants to make her the Crown Princess!

A surge of anger suddenly welled up inside him.

As the eldest granddaughter of the Rongguo Mansion, she had to carefully navigate the palace for many years before finally earning the title of Imperial Concubine.

How did Yingchun, a concubine's daughter, manage to rise to the position of the Crown Prince's wife in one fell swoop?

Before she could recover, the smile on the Empress's face vanished, and her tone turned cold:

"Thank you for your help today, sister. Please see the guest out."

It changed so fast it was like a completely different person.

Jia Yuanchun was still standing there, but she had already been asked to leave Kunning Palace.

"Your Majesty..."

On the way back to the palace, Baoqin suddenly spoke in a low voice, her eyes wide with realization:

"Now I understand why His Majesty never comes here anymore."

"How so?"

Jia Yuanchun glanced sideways.

"Your Majesty, it seems you have long intended for Miss Yingchun to marry the Crown Prince."

"But the Emperor Emeritus issued an imperial edict that forcibly elevated you to the position of Imperial Concubine..."

Baoqin's voice was extremely low, yet every word was like a hammer blow:

"You weren't his choice in the first place."

If Yingchun really becomes the Crown Princess...

That would be chaos!

The two sisters, one serving the emperor and the other marrying the crown prince—Emperor Yuankang and his son, were both involved in the schemes of the two golden flowers of the Jia family.

What kind of behavior is this?!

Upon realizing this, Jia Yuanchun felt a chill run down his spine.

"Damn it!"

She gritted her teeth and growled, "Now that I'm in the palace, His Majesty can't possibly allow Yingchun to enter the Eastern Palace as well, can he?"

The moment a glimmer of hope arose, Baoqin poured cold water on it.

"Your Majesty, it's probably too late."

Baoqin's expression was solemn. "It's almost a certainty that the Crown Prince will marry Miss Yingchun."

"When he was a child, the King of Qin was closest to Miss Yingchun. Now that the Crown Prince has taken her as a concubine, the King of Qin will naturally side with the Crown Prince—this move is paving the way for the succession struggle."

She paused, lowering her voice even further: "What the royal family wants is to win them over, not to establish a marriage alliance. But once it's done, you... will become the one in the way."

Jia Yuanchun's face turned pale.

She finally understood that her position as a virtuous consort was not an honor, but a death curse!

"Quickly!" She grabbed Baoqin's hand abruptly. "Send a message home immediately! Tell Grandmother to find a way to ensure Yingchun doesn't marry into the Eastern Palace! Marry her off right away! Anyone will do! The sooner the better!"

This is the only way out—as long as Yingchun marries someone else, the Crown Prince's plans will fall through.

"This servant understands!" Baoqin nodded vigorously, then turned and ran out of the palace.

Her life had long been tied to Jia Yuanchun's.

If her master falls, she won't even have anyone to collect his body.

Meanwhile, the Rongguo Mansion was still immersed in the ecstasy of being made a concubine.

Jia Zheng was overjoyed.

He had been feeling suffocated by the pressure from the first wife's family, but now that his daughter had risen to the top as a virtuous concubine, he, as her father, had become the "Imperial Brother-in-Law"—nothing could be more triumphant!

"Master! Something terrible has happened!"

A scream shattered the festive atmosphere.

A servant boy stumbled in, his face pale with fright.

"What's wrong?" Jia Zheng's heart sank.

"The Censorate...more than a dozen Censors have jointly impeached you! The memorial has already been submitted to the palace!"

"What?!"

Jia Zheng's mind went blank.