He asked you to serve him in bed and become his concubine, how did you manage to win his heart and s

The jade pendant is made of the most common Xiuyan jade, and the patterns and decorations on it are extremely simple, with nothing particularly special about it.

However, Mu Xiaoci could tell that the print on it was of plum blossoms.

plum……

He thought of the woman's unique fragrance.

That fragrance of plum blossoms was only ever smelled in Yaoguang Palace; it was very faint, as if it were scattered in the air.

If you try to smell it carefully, the scent will disappear and become difficult to find.

Could this be a bewitching trick by Lan Meiren?

Mu Xiaoci had seen many beauties and could conquer any kind of woman, but he always felt that something was missing.

Today, however, my interest was suddenly piqued, and I couldn't resist taking a look.

As soon as I got up, my body felt weak and my head ached terribly.

He secretly vowed that if he ever saw that woman again, he would never let her go.

He was the emperor, and countless eyes in the court were watching him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Even though he was the emperor, he still had to live in a way that others wanted him to be.

Just thinking about it made Richard's expression somewhat angry.

Being an emperor is not easy, and palace maids are not exactly having an easy time either.

Yunxi escaped during the shift change of the Imperial Guards without being noticed by outsiders.

She knew the roads here very well, and she also knew that there was a shortcut to the imperial kitchen.

She had been gone for almost an hour; Granny Gui should be looking for her by now.

But she remained calm and even took the time to tidy her hair and clothes.

Normally, she wouldn't be able to break free from Mu Xiaoci's grasp, but now she seems to be getting more and more adept at it.

The imperial kitchen is always the busiest place, and the imperial chefs are all snobbish and only talk to people they recognize.

Yunxi was a relatively new face, and even though she was standing there, no one noticed her.

She could only take the initiative to ask the imperial chef if he could make her a bowl of hangover soup.

"What hangover soup? There isn't any. Can't you see I'm preparing dishes for a birthday banquet?"

"My lady got drunk at the banquet and is now requesting a bowl of hangover soup. I hope the imperial chef can do me a favor."

Yunxi took the gold given to her by Granny Gui and used it as a reward, her tone quite devout.

Not long after, a bowl of hangover soup was brought over.

She took it and walked towards the banquet.

People walked slowly, and by the time they arrived at their destination, the banquet was almost over.

There is also an order for leaving; those of higher rank leave first, and only those who follow can go.

Consort Su has not left yet; it is unknown what she is waiting for.

If she didn't leave, the other concubines wouldn't dare to leave either, so they just sat there silently waiting.

Li Ruolan was truly drunk and unconscious. She was forcibly placed in a side hall by Granny Gui. If anyone asked, she was told to say that she was sobering up here.

When Yunxi arrived, Granny Gui didn't give her a friendly look.

"Where have you been slacking off? Do you even know what's going on?"

"I know, but it's hard to see clearly at night. I got lost and was afraid of falling, so I was a little late."

The stricter the other party was, the more obedient Yunxi became.

As soon as the word "fall down" was mentioned, Granny Gui didn't dare to say anything.

They are now more worried about Yunxi's health than Yunxi herself. If she really loses the baby, it will be a really bad situation.

Surprisingly, Granny Gui didn't continue to criticize her. Instead, she took the hangover soup from her hand and fed it to Li Ruolan herself.

Yunxi usually does all the dirty and tiring work, but now it's Gui Mama's turn to take over.

She sneered inwardly.

Drink up, drink up. Even if you sober up after drinking this stuff, you might not feel any better.

Yunxi found that she was much bolder than before.

I used to feel guilty when I did bad things, but now I just feel great.

What's wrong with retaliating the way others treat you?

She doesn't want to be preyed upon, and she doesn't want to continue living a submissive life!

Li Ruolan finally regained some of her senses, though her head was still spinning. She helped Granny Gui to her feet and immediately went to find the Emperor.

"Granny, where is the Emperor?"

"Your Majesty, you are drunk. Now you are sobering up in the side hall. Let's not worry about the Emperor anymore."

"No, I finally have a chance to meet the Emperor tonight, I must make a good impression, I absolutely cannot let him forget me!"

In some ways, Li Ruolan can be considered stubborn.

These days I can't go out, and I have to stay in Yaoguang Palace with Consort Wan. Even when I'm out in the sun, I have to see that ugly face.

She was unconvinced and even more dissatisfied.

But this wasn't the Li family home, and she didn't have her mother to back her up.

She was arrogant after all, thinking that her appearance would make the emperor remember her. Dressed up like this today, she thought she should at least be able to speak to the emperor.

Her stubbornness was terrifying. Granny Gui sighed and helped her over.

"Consort Su is also here, Your Highness should be careful."

"She's nothing but an old, faded woman. Wait until I'm in love with the Emperor, then let's see how she tries to harm me!"

They kept their voices down, speaking arrogantly but acting innocent on the surface, never letting anyone see their inner ambitions.

The current harem is still ruled by Consort Su.

Li Ruolan finally returned to her seat, only to find that the Emperor was nowhere to be seen. Consort Su watched the singing and dancing below with a stern face, making the banquet seem even more uninteresting.

The imperial relatives and nobles have long since dispersed; now all that remains are concubines who dare not go against Consort Su.

Li Ruolan looked around and found that only a few concubines who were unwell had left their seats; the rest were all familiar faces.

Even Consort Wan is still alive.

But she didn't want to stay any longer.

Staying in a place without the Emperor is boring, so I might as well go out for a stroll. Maybe I'll catch a glimpse of the Emperor sobering up outside.

Almost without hesitation, she stood up.

Consort Su looked up and saw it was her; her face immediately darkened.

"Is your sister feeling unwell?"

"That's right, Your Highness, I am not feeling well and I can't hold my liquor. I'm tired now and don't want to spoil the ladies' enjoyment, so I'll take my leave now."

Her demeanor was poised and graceful, her tone neither humble nor arrogant, and most importantly, she had the courage to leave, a quality unmatched by any other concubine.

Over the years, everyone has had to submit to Consort Su's tyranny, doing everything according to her whims and daring not to disobey her in the slightest.

It's truly admirable that even a newly arrived beauty dares to speak like this.

Consort Su was used to being fawned over, and now that she found Li Ruolan was really going against her at every turn, she was furious.

"If my sister is not feeling well, she should see the imperial physician as soon as possible, and she should avoid coming to such occasions in the future, lest she pass on her illness to others."

In just a few words, she portrayed Li Ruolan as a contagious disease.

Unfortunately, this level of harm is not enough to hurt Li Ruolan.

She met Consort Su's gaze without flinching and smiled defiantly.

"Your Majesty, I am suffering from lovesickness. Only seeing you can cure me. My fellow concubines, please don't laugh at me. Ask yourselves honestly, which concubine doesn't suffer from this kind of heartache?"

No one dared to refute this, and no one dared to say a word against it.

Who doesn't like the emperor?

The women in the imperial harem only survived because of the emperor.

Not only Li Ruolan, but even Consort Su was the same.

The atmosphere was tense, even the singing and dancing slowed down, and no one dared to break this delicate balance.

Unexpectedly, no one could have imagined that Li Ruolan herself would break this balance.

She suddenly sneezed.

No, she sneezed several times in a row and hurriedly covered her face with her sleeve.

All the poise they had just displayed vanished. They had originally been able to put up a few fights with Consort Su, but now they covered their faces and were about to leave without the slightest hesitation.

Granny Gui quickly caught up and asked her what was wrong.

"Ugh—tsk—Granny, I... ugh, what's wrong with me?"

As Li Ruolan spoke, she walked towards a secluded spot.

There are clear and unclear places in this palace. Now, with all this commotion, we've gone a very, very long way. Even Granny Gui can't tell where we are for a moment.

The only thing I could do was hold her hand and try to slow her down.

"Your Majesty, this is not the inner palace. You must be careful."

The banquet was not located within the inner palace, and one might occasionally encounter men from outside the palace, which was the most fatal flaw.

If she were to encounter a shameless lecher, Li Ruolan would probably not even have a chance to defend herself.

How could Li Ruolan not understand what the old woman was saying? But she couldn't stop sneezing and didn't want to appear in front of anyone.

If people found out, they'd probably laugh at us to death.

Who is she? How could she let people see her in such a disheveled state!

"Ouch, Granny, I... ouch, what did I just drink? Ouch, I can't take it anymore, my nose is itchy, it's making me feel uncomfortable... ouch!"

She really felt like she was going crazy.

After sneezing several times in a row, Wan's hair became messy, and even her hair ornaments fell loose.

If it were a dimly lit place, people might think she was some crazy old woman.

In the palace, being disheveled is no different from being indecent.

She's still a concubine; this is going to completely embarrass the royal family.

Yunxi followed far behind and heard Li Ruolan sneezing uncontrollably, finding it hilarious.

It was funny, but it also made me feel great.

She loves it when these two fight, and the more intense the fight, the better.

Yunxi knew that Consort Su was actually a petty person who couldn't tolerate the slightest imperfection and couldn't stand being provoked.

She didn't know what the future held, but she was certain that things wouldn't go smoothly for Li Ruolan.

Nowadays, Li Ruolan suffers far more than in her previous life, and even meets the emperor less often than in her previous life.

Originally, she could have used the chrysanthemums at this banquet to gain the Emperor and Empress Dowager's favor, and in the following days, she received the Emperor's favor several times in a row.

But now?

The banquet turned into a disaster; not only did he clash with Consort Su, but he also had to return to the palace disheveled.

This is probably the most embarrassing moment of Li Ruolan's life.

She had never been insulted like this before!

Finally, the sneezing stopped, and she could only quickly tidy her clothes, remove the hairpins from her hair, and begin looking for a way out.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor also happened to be coming from the pavilion.

The two groups of people met face to face.