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

Li Ruolan is most angry with the Empress Dowager right now.

Consort Su is a bitch, but she's easy to deal with. After all, she's a concubine. Once she has a child, she can retaliate anytime, anywhere.

But the Empress Dowager was different.

Li Ruolan could certainly see that the Empress Dowager disliked her, and perhaps after today, she would feel that she was not worthy of respect.

Some people have to please others, and no one will refuse a pregnant mother.

The Empress Dowager's relationship with the Emperor is different. If one can truly win her favor, it's possible to become even closer to the Emperor.

Naturally, loving someone means loving all of them.

Li Ruolan was already immersed in the Emperor's favor towards her. Today, he even said that she didn't need to kneel down, which meant that he felt sorry for her.

Little did she know, Mu Xiaoci's change of heart wasn't solely due to her.

It was because of Yunxi.

Afterwards, Mu Xiaoci tried hard to think about his conversation with Yunxi and quickly realized that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Just then, I suddenly realized that I seemed to have smelled the fragrance of plum blossoms when the other person got close.

It was very faint and not easily noticed, which made him not resist the other person getting close.

After that, he was almost led by the nose by the other party.

Her methods were bold, leaving him completely at a loss and forced to let her touch him at will, until he finally surrendered.

Just thinking about these things made Mu Xiaoci feel hot all over, and he couldn't even concentrate on reading the memorial in his hand.

Richard, standing beside him, didn't know what was troubling him and, thinking something serious had happened, cautiously asked:

"Your Majesty, would you like me to instruct the Imperial Kitchen to prepare some cooling foods?"

"To reduce internal heat?"

Hearing those two words infuriated Mu Xiaoci, who waited for Richard with a dark expression, "Do you think I have a lot of sexual desire?"

"Eh..." Richard had never heard such words before. He stood there stunned for a long time, not knowing what to say.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted, and with a quick glance, he immediately understood Mu Xiaoci's intention.

"Your Majesty, have you chosen a concubine tonight? I'll go prepare right away!"

Richard's lackeys were always there. Mu Xiaoci grabbed Richard's collar with a dark face and gritted her teeth, uttering three words.

"unnecessary!"

"Your Majesty, do you really not need it?"

"No need, I still have official business to attend to."

"Is it to see Consort Su or...?"

Richard didn't mention the name "Consort Lan," since pregnant concubines were not allowed to serve the emperor. This was a rule that had been in place for a long time, and even if Mu Xiaoci wanted to, he wouldn't dare to say it outright.

However, no one can stop the Emperor. If he really wants to, he can simply use his power.

Anyway, no one dared to stop them.

Mu Xiaoci was truly angered to death by Richard.

"I am the Son of Heaven, and naturally I can restrain myself."

Richard nodded, with an "I understand you" expression.

Now, Mu Xiaoci felt that any explanation was superfluous.

He coughed and refocused his attention on the matter at hand.

"Bring out the map I had you prepare last time."

"Your Majesty, why are you thinking about the pavilion incident again? I questioned the Imperial Guards, and they didn't find any woman. Have you forgotten, Your Majesty?"

Previously, Mu Xiaoci had indeed suspected that someone had sneaked into the pavilion.

However, after some investigation, the Imperial Guards said they didn't see anyone deliberately causing trouble. Even at the banquet that day, someone said that Li Ruolan left later and had been in the side hall before that, being taken care of by Granny Gui.

Such a grand banquet would naturally have imperial guards protecting it; if anyone were acting suspiciously, they would have been stopped long ago.

At that time, Mu Xiaoci specifically mentioned someone.

Yunxi is Li Ruolan's personal maid.

Richard later checked the information and found that she was in position the whole time. Later, after Lady Lan got drunk, she was sent to the imperial kitchen to get some hangover soup.

At that time, Yunxi couldn't wait for the imperial chef to make soup, so in her anxiety she gave him a gold ingot, and the imperial chef remembered her.

The locations all match, but there's no way to find the audacious woman Mu Xiaoci described.

This matter should have been left unresolved, but bringing it up again today only made Richard feel that the emperor in front of him was just being nosy.

Of course, he dared not say it openly, and could only patiently persuade Mu Xiaoci to give up the idea of ​​searching.

Maybe I really did drink too much and it was just a dream.

It's not surprising that men sometimes have only fleeting erotic dreams.

But Mu Xiaoci firmly believed that this was not a dream. He looked at the jade pendant repeatedly, always feeling that the other person was right beside him.

"Did you get any news about the palace maid I asked you to investigate last time?"

"Lan Pin's maid, Yun Xi? Of course, we've found out."

Richard now remembers Yunxi's name and face. Ever since he ate the Eight Treasures Cake and drank the hot tea, he has a good impression of Yunxi.

"This girl also had a tragic fate. Her mother was a slave who sang for high-ranking officials in a singing house in Binzhou. Later, she became pregnant and was sold again. In the end, she became a servant in the Li family. Yunxi is her daughter. Later, she went to the capital with Lord Li and others and became a maidservant by Consort Lan's side."

This is the information Richard sent to gather; every step is supported by evidence, and there are no mistakes.

But Mu Xiaoci felt something was amiss when he heard this.

"You mean, the courtesan is pregnant, traveled from Binzhou to Kyoto, and then stayed at the Li family's residence?"

"Alas, Your Majesty, isn't this a common occurrence? This is how it is for criminals, but I haven't yet discovered Yunxi's mother's identity; too much time has passed."

The place we went to was a small place like Binzhou, which is thousands of miles away from Kyoto, and it takes time to get there and back.

There are so many palace servants, and each of them has a tragic past. It would be a real hassle to investigate them all one by one.

Perhaps Mu Xiaoci was just acting on a whim and would forget about it soon. In that case, the answer might not matter anymore.

But Mu Xiaoci always felt that something was wrong.

"Don't you think Yunxi and Consort Lan look very alike?"

"What?" Richard initially thought he had misheard, his expression one of surprise.

"If you are hard of hearing, I will have your ears removed right now."

Mu Xiaoci glanced at Richard, feeling that Richard had overstepped his bounds today, and even seemed to have almost forgotten his identity as a eunuch.

Fortunately, Richard was also good at reading people, so he immediately lowered his head and restrained his temper.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, Consort Lan and Yunxi are worlds apart."

Just think about it, a maidservant and a concubine, one plain-looking and the other as beautiful as an angel, one is the daughter of a convicted slave and the other is the young lady of the Li family. How can they be the same?

Besides, didn't you see it last time? Yunxi is a timid girl; even when she sees servants, she always keeps her head down and doesn't dare to speak.

Richard felt he had a lot to say on this matter.

I went to Yaoguang Palace myself, and every time I saw Yunxi, she always looked so obedient.

She even seemed more honest than the other palace maids, with that innocent look in her eyes that made it hard to bully her.

Aside from a few times when she had to go in to serve him personally, she would always prepare tea and snacks for Richard when they were outside.

Of course, the snacks were delicious too.

Upon hearing Richard's words, Mu Xiaoci felt that Richard had been deceived.

"Do you really think that woman is innocent and pitiful? Was her appearance before me, and her demeanor, merely a coincidence?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, please calm down. If a palace maid were to possess extraordinary abilities to deceive Your Majesty, wouldn't that be mocking the incompetence of the other guards in the palace?"

That's true.

The palace maids who entered the palace all came from poor families and were sold into the palace when they were young.

If Yunxi really had the ability to seduce the Emperor, why would Li Ruolan have brought her into the palace and made her his personal maid?

A woman with some beauty could easily marry into a good family outside the palace, instead of having to serve others in the palace.

Not to mention working under someone like Li Ruolan.

Consort Lan has only been in the palace for a short time, and many things in the palace are related to her. There was the time she fought with Consort Wan, the time she clashed with Consort Su, and the most recent time was at Shou Kang Palace, where even the Emperor had to go over to uphold justice.

How could a woman like that allow a scheming palace maid to stay by her side?

This is the most important point.

Mu Xiaoci was too lazy to listen to Richard's words, his mind was entirely focused on the map of the palace in front of him, and he even simulated Yunxi's route that day in his mind.

Pavilions, imperial kitchens, banquets.

These three places are quite far apart, but coincidentally, you can reach the pavilion by simply taking a detour along the road to the Imperial Kitchen.

However, this unintentionally prolonged the time, and unless there was a shortcut, it would be impossible to return to the banquet so quickly.

Perhaps Richard is right.

It's impossible for someone new to the palace to remember the roads so well. Even someone who has lived in the palace since childhood wouldn't know what shortcuts are available to travel through the area in a short time.

They even had to wait for the imperial chef to prepare the food and send it over.

Mu Xiaoci didn't know how long he slept that night, but Richard said he stayed there for about two hours.

Without knowing the exact time, it's impossible to investigate further.

But he always felt that there was something wrong with that palace maid named Yunxi.

After a moment of silence, Mu Xiaoci finally spoke.

"Richard, are there any empty palaces left? Those closer to my Dragon Palace."

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"Now that Consort Lan is a concubine and is pregnant, she cannot continue to live in a side palace. According to her current rank, she should move to a new palace."

When Mu Xiaoci said this, his mood was not affected.

He looked at the map of the palace and carefully considered what kind of accommodations would be best.

It would be best to go somewhere close to the Dragon Palace, so that he could find a time to launch a surprise attack.

Let him see for himself whether that palace maid named Yunxi is really hiding some unspeakable secret.

Richard perked up immediately upon hearing this, his eyes darting around before he quickly found a good spot.

"Your Majesty, how about Youlan Garden? It's right next to the Imperial Garden, and there's a path there too. In the future, Your Majesty can go and visit the young prince when you have some free time."