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

Yunxi did not fall intentionally.

She herself did not expect that Mu Xiaoci's emotions would fluctuate so much, to the point that he lost his usual calm and self-control and actually lowered himself to deal with a palace maid.

But ironically, this made her suddenly feel happy.

In her previous life, Li Ruolan had been a concubine for a long time but had not been able to advance any further. She even tried to frame her child to gain the emperor's attention.

In order to protect her two children, Yunxi was forced to come up with more ways to help Li Ruolan take over.

Finally, she fought fiercely with Consort Su, causing the Su family to fall, and then used dirty tricks to force the Empress to commit suicide, which led to the day when Li Ruolan ascended to the throne.

Today, she saw that Mu Xiaoci could also be emotionally affected by other things, even to the point of becoming uncontrollably angry.

How could she be unhappy?

In terms of beauty, none of the concubines in the harem were as charming and beautiful as they were, yet none of them gained Mu Xiaoci's absolute favor simply because of their looks.

Is Li Ruolan not pretty?

That face was alluring enough that most men in the world, even with their desperate attempts to persuade him, couldn't make Mu Xiaoci stop and stay overnight in her palace.

But Yunxi only served plum blossom cake once and lotus seed soup, and the other party already remembered her and even took the initiative to ask her about it.

He was secretly thrilled, but he couldn't let his expression betray him.

She covered her face with her sleeve, only revealing her watery eyes as she looked at him.

"Your Majesty, this servant knows her mistake. This servant deserves to die a thousand deaths. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Every palace servant in the palace begged for mercy in this way, pleading for imperial grace to spare their lives.

If it were Yunxi, there would be even less to find any suspicious points.

But Mu Xiao Ci was angry.

She found her actions extremely hypocritical and felt that the other person was not as simple as she seemed.

Could she be the woman from that day?

No, it's impossible.

The woman didn't have such an ordinary face, and he couldn't believe that he could feel anything for such a plain face.

But why...?

Mu Xiaoci is the emperor, not a tyrant. He cannot punish a palace maid without evidence, nor can he beat her just because the food she prepared pleases him.

In short, when he realized he had acted too impulsively that night, he didn't know how to vent his anger.

Yes, he was genuinely a little angry.

This was the first time in his life that he felt angry but didn't know how to vent it. After meeting Yunxi's pitiful eyes, he took a deep breath, turned around and left.

This kind of troublesome thing is unpleasant to look at, and he really doesn't want to deal with it anymore.

The pitiful one became Richard.

First, he saw Yunxi being pushed to the ground and wanted to help her up, but he didn't dare to go over because of Mu Xiaoci.

Now, seeing the emperor angrily storm off because of a palace maid, he wants to punish the maid, but because he himself has received some favors from her, he feels he can't bring himself to do it.

He spun around in place a few times, then cried out "Ouch!" and immediately went to chase after Mu Xiaoci.

If even the Emperor hasn't punished him, how can he possibly do so?

Besides, it was just a matter of delivering some food; there's no need to make a big deal out of it. If they were really punished, the palace staff would only be filled with anxiety and wouldn't be able to do their jobs properly.

Mu Xiaoci is the emperor, and his every word and action is under everyone's watchful eyes.

If the matter escalates further, the censors will record it, and your name will be recorded in history.

It's absurd and unbelievable that a palace maid would be beheaded just for guessing someone's preferences.

When Richard caught up, Mu Xiaoci was already in the sedan chair, his face gloomy, looking like he was in a bad mood.

Apart from the eunuchs carrying the sedan chair and Richard, there was no one else around. Mu Xiaoci had no need to hide his feelings; his mind was filled with pent-up anger.

He was about to grab that woman!

What I saw was just a palace maid, and an ordinary one at that...

There must be something he's overlooked; he needs to know more and unveil the woman's secrets.

After figuring it out, his complexion improved, and Richard then quietly stepped forward to inquire.

"Your Majesty, if you don't like that palace maid, I can give her to her privately..."

The following words were too gory, so Richard used his facial expressions to convey the meaning.

As a result, he received a glare from Mu Xiaoci.

"Why are you arguing with a mere palace maid?"

"Your Majesty, we are..." We are here to avenge you!

"But what?"

Mu Xiaoci raised a phoenix eye and turned slightly to look at Richard.

"I never said you were to bully a palace maid. If you really want to do it, then investigate her thoroughly for me."

"Your Majesty, do you mean...?"

"Investigate, and once you've found out, handle it accordingly."

"Yes, ma'am."

Richard agreed, and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Yunxi.

After all, there aren't many palace maids with such keen insight, and even fewer who are both perceptive and skilled at making Eight Treasures Cake.

Now he's actually hoping the other person is alright, so he can give a proper account of what he did.

Meanwhile, Yunxi was still on the ground, not yet up.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she felt her limbs stiffen and got up from the ground.

The Eight Treasures Cake was scattered all over the ground, and even the prepared tea was kicked over, but she didn't seem to care at all.

Having spent so many years in the harem, she had been bullied and humiliated countless times. Mu Xiaoci's actions today were the least severe, and she didn't think much of it.

She was just thinking about one thing.

How will she escape from a man who is unmoved by beauty, who initially offered her plenty of temptation?

If Mu Xiaoci discovers that I have also deceived him, I will definitely not be able to escape the crime of deceiving the emperor.

We still need to think of a way.

She needed to devise a foolproof plan to escape the Li family, escape Li Ruolan, and get everything she wanted.

When something is on your mind, even walking becomes much slower.

Granny Gui was still waiting for Yunxi to return at the palace gate. When she saw Yunxi carrying a dirty Eight Treasures Cake and a pot of tea, she frowned and asked her where she had been gallivanting.

"Granny, I encountered His Majesty on my way here..."

"Your Majesty? What exactly happened?"

Granny Gui's expression suddenly turned serious, and she grabbed Yunxi, making her go inside to talk.

There were still many of Consort Wan's people outside the palace. I'm afraid the walls are overheard. It would be better to go inside and talk about the Emperor.

Li Ruolan was also inside. After Da Mu Xiao Ci left, she sat in front of the dressing table, looking at herself in the bronze mirror, but she couldn't figure out what she was lacking.

Is she not charming enough or pretty enough? Did I say something wrong today?

Why didn't the Emperor stay with her, nor did he ever make any intimate moves with her?

Before this, the emperor was not indifferent to her; the last time he came, the two even lay in bed together.

But what happened next...?

Ever since she lost face at the banquet, the Emperor has never been close to her again. Today, even the touch was one-sided. How can this not make people anxious?

Thinking about these things made her anxious, and even when Granny Gui called her, she had no interest in paying attention.

"Granny, I'm tired today and just want to rest early."

Li Ruolan took off the jade hairpin from her head, her eyes revealing an unconcealable weariness.

Yunxi did all the dressing and grooming. Only then did she think of Yunxi. She turned around and saw Yunxi standing behind Granny Gui.

"Yunxi, come here."

Li Ruolan was too lazy to pretend to be a sister today. Before, she called her "good sister" all the time, but now she was calling her by her name in a cold tone. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Yunxi owed her a life.

Yunxi was about to walk forward when Granny Gui grabbed her arm.

"Yunxi, tell me, what did the Emperor say to you just now?"

Upon hearing the word "Emperor," Li Ruolan seemed to have flipped a switch, finally regaining some of her spirits and raising her head to look at her.

"Your Majesty? You just met with His Majesty?"

Li Ruolan couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy in her voice, and even stood up in a hurry, glaring at Yun Xi.

People are prone to breaking down in the areas they fear most.

Li Ruolan was such a proud person. The thought of the Emperor leaving without looking back and making her wait, only to meet Yunxi outside right away, made her anxious.

Fortunately, Yunxi knew that Li Ruolan was petty, so she immediately knelt down in front of her and told her everything that had just happened between her and Mu Xiaoci.

No, it was exaggerated.

She recounted how Mu Xiaoci saw her approaching with pastries, how he kicked over her plate, and asked if she was trying to guess the emperor's intentions.

These individual cases, though not particularly serious, could certainly be fatal if proven true.

Li Ruolan seemed to realize something and subconsciously clenched her fists.

"Sister Yunxi, please go and prepare some water for me to wash my face. I'm going to sleep."

She spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone, but her eyes were filled with panic as she looked at Granny Gui.

As soon as Yunxi left, Li Ruolan immediately went to Granny Gui's side and grabbed her hand.

"Granny, was I too proactive today? Did telling the Emperor that the Li family would help cause him to misunderstand something?"

The imperial harem should not interfere in state affairs, and her current actions are indeed somewhat inappropriate.

But if she didn't say that, how would the Emperor know that this was her good intention?

She just wants to be seen, what's wrong with that?

Not to mention, that's ten thousand taels of gold, wasted on the national treasury. Does that mean we didn't get any benefit at all?

Li Ruolan had previously thought there was nothing wrong with what she was doing, but now she was starting to panic.

She feared that the Emperor would think she was ambitious, and even more so that what the Emperor said to Yunxi was actually an implication about her and the Li family.

Trying to guess the emperor's intentions... that must be a huge accusation.

Who would dare to accept this?

Compared to Li Ruolan's panic, Granny Gui was more composed. She grasped Li Ruolan's hand and began to soothe her softly.

"This action was indeed somewhat rash, but His Majesty is surely aware of Her Majesty's feelings and would certainly not harm her. Didn't His Majesty say that he would meet with Her Majesty again tomorrow? That means he certainly doesn't dislike Her Majesty."

"It's only temporary... Maybe once I get the money from the Li family, the Emperor will abandon me..."

The more Li Ruolan thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and the fingers she gripped Gui Mama turned white.

"Granny, summon Physician Fang tomorrow."

"Your Majesty..."

"It's been over a month now, and I've been giving her nourishing supplements every day. If she didn't get pregnant last time, we'll try again."

Li Ruolan let out a breath of stale air. "In short, we can't wait any longer to deal with the child."

She can't wait much longer!