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

These words were as good as no words at all, which only fueled Li Ruolan's anger.

She had originally intended to vent her anger on Yunxi, but when her gaze inadvertently swept over Yunxi's stomach, she suppressed her anger.

"Do you really think I can't see anything?"

She forced herself to stand up, looking down at her palms, which were already pierced by the hairpin. Her once glamorous makeup now looked somewhat ferocious.

"Perhaps someone close to her caused the problem. How do you think Consort Wan knew about the existence of those two chrysanthemums with different colors..."

Ultimately, Li Ruolan really didn't believe that Consort Wan could control everything to such an extent.

Before entering the palace, everything here was arranged by Granny Gui, including the palace maids and eunuchs serving outside the palace.

But now Wanpin has found a loophole, and Li Ruolan has to rethink where things went wrong.

Today, Granny Gui took the token and left the palace to prepare. Since she couldn't find anyone to discuss it with, she could only talk to Yunxi, whom she usually looked down upon.

Yunxi lowered her head and pretended to be deep in thought for a while before speaking.

"A few days ago, I heard Xiaozhu say that Consort Wan always had her maids wandering around the side hall. Maybe one of those maids saw her..."

"Xiao Zhu is..."

Li Ruolan frowned and began to recall.

"It's a young palace maid who serves outside the palace. Granny Gui was transferred from another place before. She's a fairly honest person and couldn't possibly be from Consort Wan's side."

Hearing Yunxi's confident tone, Li Ruolan couldn't help but laugh.

"Little sister, you're so naive. You believe everything people say. You'll only hurt yourself later."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something, and her emotions recovered considerably.

Looking at the eunuchs guarding outside, the man's initial tension dissipated, and he even stood up, pondering new methods.

Yunxi reacted quickly, noticing Li Ruolan's ever-changing expression, and began to rethink her plans.

Since Li Ruolan was prepared, she certainly couldn't just sit and wait for her doom.

Opportunities often only come to those who are prepared, don't they?

Before long, Li Ruolan rallied her spirits, went to find a pink dress to change into, and even asked Yunxi to give her a new hairstyle.

"If Consort Wan were truly favored, the Emperor wouldn't only see her once in a long while. It's just a trick of feigning illness; how could the Emperor see through it? Today's punishment is merely for me to reflect on my actions, so it can't really be considered a defeat."

Li Ruolan gradually regained her previous confidence and even began to appreciate her own beauty in the mirror.

She figured it out.

Li Ruolan is just impulsive, but not stupid. She can think things through slowly and thoroughly.

Yunxi remained silent, standing behind her and adjusting her skirt.

Sometimes you have to admire Li Ruolan's insight. She was so nervous just a moment ago, but she was able to calm down in no time.

Consort Wan's illness was indeed feigned, and the Emperor was indeed aware of her little tricks.

However, the Emperor would not expose her in public, nor would he embarrass Consort Wan.

This secret was something Yunxi overheard from other palace maids after Wanpin's death in her previous life.

Consort Wan's asthma was not congenital, but rather a result of shielding the Emperor from poisonous gas before his ascension to the throne. Even after recovering, she still developed asthma.

This illness will stay with her for the rest of her life, and it will naturally make the emperor feel guilty for the rest of his life.

In the imperial harem, she came from an ordinary family and had no children, yet for this reason, she was promoted to the rank of concubine without any warning.

In her previous life, Li Ruolan hadn't encountered Consort Wan so quickly, and now that things are moving faster, the outcome won't change much.

Consort Wan was no match for Li Ruolan.

No one expected that the Emperor would leave his own palace and go directly to Li Ruolan's residence.

Li Ruolan deliberately exposed the wounds on her hands, even causing the scabbed wounds to bleed again, making the already shallow wounds even more serious.

She also wanted to play the victim.

She finally waited for Mu Xiaoci, and she had prepared everything.

A man who was used to seeing women crying and sobbing found that the woman in front of him was completely different from what he had imagined.

Li Ruolan always presents her best self. In such a short time, she has already changed into a new outfit, and her makeup is as bright and beautiful as ever.

She didn't cry or whine; instead, she stood obediently waiting for him with an expectant look on her face.

"Your Majesty, I was impolite just now. I couldn't control my temper..."

She's beautiful, and her voice is even more delicate and sweet.

Her demeanor is graceful and poised, and even her slightly affected tone makes her impossible to dislike.

This is what Yunxi lacks.

Now, when they are learning and observing, Yunxi stands in the corner, imitating Li Ruolan's every move.

However, looking at that face only filled him with hatred. No matter how much he lowered his head, he couldn't hide the hatred in his eyes.

The scoundrel has been appeased again; he's so easily swayed by emotions.

He even took the initiative to inquire about Li Ruolan's injuries, but as soon as he grasped her wrist, he heard her let out a soft hum.

Lifting up her sleeve, they discovered a bloody, mangled wound on Li Ruolan's palm.

"How did it get like this?"

"It was my fault. I failed to protect His Majesty's gift today and the hairpin pierced my skin."

"His Majesty just bestowed this reward upon me today. I shouldn't have gone to talk to Consort Wan. I was accidentally knocked to the ground by a palace maid and even lost my hairpin. I was too anxious and lost my composure, which is why I cut my hand..."

Yunxi, standing to the side, thought it was so stupid that she wanted to laugh after he said "no" several times.

Despite the numerous flaws in the lie, Mu Xiaoci believed it.

Yunxi withdrew her mockery, took out the ointment that had already been prepared, and silently stepped forward, pretending to prepare to apply the medicine.

"Your Majesty, I have found the ointment. I will apply it to Your Majesty now."

But Li Ruolan ignored her, staring intently at the man in front of her. With a coquettish sigh, she snuggled into his arms.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid of pain... If Your Majesty were to do it for me, I might not be afraid..."

As they spoke, their entire upper body was practically glued to each other.

Li Ruolan was still wearing a light gauze dress, and Mu Xiaoci only needed to lower his head to see the spring colors she deliberately revealed.

Compared to Consort Wan's forced stay, Li Ruolan's situation felt much more relaxed.

Mu Xiaoci nodded and raised his hand to take the ointment from Yunxi's hand.

Generally speaking, ointments are presented on a tray, but she held them with both hands. When Mu Xiaoci reached out, he accidentally touched Yun Xi's palm.

He instinctively turned to look, and saw that the other person had already withdrawn their hand.

The ointment landed steadily in his palm, and all he could see was the palace maid's back.

He only glanced at it, but it looked familiar.

Her waist was graceful, and even her silhouette evoked a sense of inexplicable familiarity...

Unfortunately, he didn't get to see it for long before Li Ruolan beside him pulled him by the hand and led him into the inner palace.

What happened in the palace during the day is self-evident, and Yunxi waited outside.

After a long while, she carefully sniffed the plum blossom scent on her fingertips.

She knew the Emperor was a suspicious man by nature, and she didn't know if he could even detect the faint fragrance.

It was too difficult to do anything underhanded in front of Li Ruolan, so she could only subtly attract the emperor's attention.

Once the Emperor came out of his bedchamber, Yunxi would know whether he had noticed her or not.

Just then, Granny Gui returned. She had just entered the palace when she heard the news that Li Ruolan had been confined to her quarters, and she rushed to Yaoguang Palace almost without stopping.

Hearing that the Emperor was in the side hall, my heart was in my throat.

She already knew how things had happened, and now she was forcing Yunxi to tell her again.

Before she could speak, Yunxi stepped forward to comfort her, "Granny Gui, Her Highness is exceptionally intelligent. The Emperor is inside right now, and it seems she is alright."

"If that's the case, have you found out who did it?"

Granny Gui, with a stern face, knew all too well the underhanded and sordid methods used in the palace, and her words hit the nail on the head.

Yunxi instinctively held her breath and silently shook her head.

"I only heard from Xiao Zhu, who sweeps outside the palace, that the maidservant beside Consort Wan has been loitering around here a lot these past few days, maybe..."

"Only you would believe such a thing. She's just wandering around outside; how could she possibly see anything hidden inside the palace?"

"This servant admits her mistake and begs Granny Gui for punishment."

Yunxi immediately knelt down and admitted her mistake, unwilling to say too many details.

Yunxi had always served them with an obedient and compliant demeanor, and Granny Gui had grown accustomed to her timid and fearful nature, so she didn't take it to heart.

"Alright, I'll go find Xiaozhu myself and ask her what's going on. You stay here and guard the palace gates. Make sure nothing goes wrong when the beauty is serving the Emperor."

"Yes."

Yunxi bowed her head in agreement, and only raised her head after Granny Gui's figure disappeared around the corner.

In this Yaoguang Palace, Li Ruolan is not scary, Wanpin is not scary either, but Gui Mama is the scariest.

Yunxi had witnessed her prowess and was well aware of her methods.

If Granny Gui discovers even the slightest clue, I'm afraid my life will end here.

No matter how ambitious one is, one must keep a low profile in front of Granny Gui.

She turned to get the prepared tea, and without waiting to be called, silently went into the house to replace it with fresh tea.

Just as the teapot was laid down, Richard rushed over from outside the palace and shouted "Your Majesty!" at the door.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report!"

Mu Xiaoci, who was still feeling tender, had to pull away when she heard Richard's voice.

"What is it?"

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the Northwest!"

Richard immediately handed over the letter he had just received, not daring to delay for even a moment.

Nothing is more important than national affairs. Mu Xiaoci's expression was solemn as he picked up the letter and examined it carefully.

He didn't even have time to sit down; he flicked his sleeves and told Richard to prepare the sedan chair.

"Return to the Dragon Palace and summon the Grand Councilors to the palace. I have important matters to discuss with them."

He made his decision in the shortest amount of time, disregarding Li Ruolan, who had already fallen in love with him.

Li Ruolan watched helplessly as the prize she had almost obtained slipped away, and she stomped her feet in anger.

She had already made so many preparations in such a short time, and even after she lay down, she still couldn't keep the emperor.

"Yunxi, remove everything from the room!"

"And remove that incense too!"