Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Duan Wei's movement of lifting the curtain suddenly stopped!

Aside from when he was in front of Emperor Jingyuan, his usually expressionless face showed a tremor for the first time.

Consort Chen!

Leng Danxia!

Duan Wei stared at Jiang Sese in shock.

Jiang Sese did not back down in the slightest.

Jiang Sese raised her head without fear, the look of horror and disgust on the face of Lady Yongning when she first met her flashing through her mind.

Emperor Jingyuan may not care about her life, but what are the relics left by Leng Danxia, ​​and could they be related to him? Does he not care either?

Jiang Sese's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest. She knew this was her only chance!

Jiang Sese repeated, "I have my mother's belongings! I want to hand them over to His Majesty personally!!!"

Duan Wei stared intently at Jiang Sese, rapidly weighing the truth and significance of this shocking news in his mind.

Duan Wei had also met Consort Chen.

The woman before him was stunningly beautiful, but Duan Wei had seen countless beauties both inside and outside the palace; it was nothing strange that beauties in this world often resembled each other. However, after hearing Jiang Sese's words and taking a closer look, he realized that there was indeed some resemblance.

Could it be... a princess?

But this doesn't make sense either!

If His Majesty had a princess who had been living among the common people, the Qianlin Guard would surely know. Moreover, if Consort Chen had given birth to His Majesty's child, His Majesty could search the entire Dayong Dynasty.

Duan Wei weighed the situation with an uncertain expression, his slender eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze complex and unfathomable. After a long while, the hand that had been hovering over the carriage curtain slowly withdrew with a sense of caution.

He can't gamble.

He should at least report back to His Majesty first.

If Your Majesty still wishes to kill, it is not too late to do so later.

Duan Wei didn't have the guts to deceive Emperor Jingyuan. After all, there are no true secrets in this world. If Emperor Jingyuan found out, it would be a miracle if he were to be allowed to die a natural death, a sign that Emperor Jingyuan appreciated his years of hard work.

Thinking this, Duan Wei smiled and said politely, "Please come with me to the palace, young lady."

It was as if he wasn't the one who had just tried to kill Jiang Sese.

Duan Wei is shameless, and Jiang Sese is no less so.

Jiang Sese immediately replied obediently, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Duan Wei smirked and said nothing more.

However, Xie Junheng's fiancée... is quite clever.

Duan Wei lowered the carriage curtain and turned to make a gesture towards the shadows. A dozen or so people silently emerged from the alleyway, over the walls, and under the eaves, surrounding the carriage.

Others came forward, wrapped Zhou Lai's body in a black cloth, and carried it away. The bloodstain on the ground was quickly covered with ash and tamped down, leaving no trace.

As soon as Duan Wei lowered the carriage curtain, Jiang Sese inside the carriage immediately went limp. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, a mixture of exhaustion from surviving the ordeal and even greater fear.

If she's really going to see Emperor Jingyuan, what should she say?

What? What kind of relics are these? Where is she supposed to get them for him?

It's like being forced into something you're not particularly intelligent about.

Jiang Sese: Please help...

The carriage came to a stop in front of the side gate of the palace. Duan Wei personally lifted the curtain, and several palace maids who had been waiting came forward, bowing their heads and helping Jiang Sese down from the carriage.

The head palace maid, with a composed expression, curtsied to Jiang Sese, her tone respectful yet measured: "Miss, please follow me to the side hall to change. To meet His Majesty, you must change into appropriate attire."

Jiang Sese looked down at the clothes she was wearing, which were from a brothel. They weren't exactly revealing; they were high-necked long dresses with tight cuffs. Apart from being made of softer material and being a bit brighter in color, they were far more conservative than the suspender dresses she had seen in modern times.

But here, the clothes worn in brothels have their own unique characteristics; anyone with a discerning eye can tell at a glance that they come from a brothel.

To go see Emperor Jingyuan dressed like this... is really not a good idea.

Jiang Sese nodded quickly and followed the palace maid to the side hall.

Upon entering the side hall, several young palace maids were already waiting behind the screen, holding clothes and shoes.

When the palace maid brought over a set of simple and elegant light blue palace dress, Jiang Sese's gaze suddenly froze.

Purple!

She needs purple right now!

The face of Lady Yongning, who looked as if she had seen a ghost, reappeared clearly in my mind's eye.

When she wore that purple dress, the fear and disgust in Lady Yongning's eyes were as if she had seen a dead person crawling out of a grave!

Princess Anning had also met Consort Chen, but Princess Anning showed her no unusual reaction.

What does this tell us?

This shows that not everyone can recognize that this face resembles Consort Chen, and it also shows that whether she wears purple, what hairstyle she wears, and what lighting conditions she is under will affect the degree of resemblance.

Jiang Sese used to be very well-behaved and never thought of wearing purple to flaunt her presence in public.

She was worried that Emperor Jingyuan, like in the novels, would seize his subject's wife and imprison her in the palace as a substitute for his beloved.

But now that she's about to lose her life, what's there to be afraid of about a body double!

Compared to my life, everything else can wait.

Moreover, she trusted Xie Jue.

As long as she survives and holds out until he returns, he will surely find a way to get her out of this palace.

All she had to do was live well until he came back!

Without hesitation, Jiang Sese removed the pearl hairpin from her head and stuffed it into the hand of the maid leading the way, saying, "Please do me a favor, sister. Could you find me a purple dress?"

As Jiang Sese spoke, she added, her tone so sincere it was almost pitiful, "This is my first time meeting the Emperor, and I really don't know what color to wear. I only remember that my mother used to wear purple, and I want to wear my mother's favorite color to see His Majesty, as a way... as a memento."

The palace maid glanced at Jiang Sese in surprise.

Mother?

Should I wear my mother's favorite color to see His Majesty?

Could she be His Majesty's illegitimate daughter?

Isn't that a princess?

Those who survive in the palace all know how to weigh the pros and cons.

Even if she wasn't a princess, the young lady in front of them was personally invited by Eunuch Duan, which made her seem unusual.

Her small request... perhaps it wouldn't hurt to grant it?

It's better than offending someone you shouldn't have.

"Please wait a moment, young lady," the palace maid said politely, then discreetly tucked the pearl hairpin into her sleeve and turned to leave.

Not long after, the palace maid returned.

A young palace maid followed behind him, carrying a stack of clothes.

Upon unfolding it, it revealed a smoky purple palace dress.

The colors are elegant, the material is fine brocade, and the style is simple and generous. Only the collar and cuffs are embroidered with delicate intertwined floral patterns, which just rightly neutralize the flamboyance of the purple and make it more elegant.

Jiang Sese felt a huge weight lifted from her heart, and she almost cried tears of joy.

Jiang Sese quickly thanked them and, with the help of the palace maids, swiftly changed into the smoky purple palace dress.

Jiang Sese walked to the blurry bronze mirror. Her smoky purple clothes made her skin appear even whiter, and the contours of her eyebrows and eyes seemed to be outlined more clearly and deeply by the color.

Even the two palace maids, who were used to seeing all kinds of beauties in the palace, were somewhat stunned at this moment, their eyes filled with undisguised amazement.

Jiang Sese's eyebrows and eyes were already exceptionally beautiful, and now, under the purple backdrop, they appeared even more exquisite. Her clear eyes, still bearing traces of fear from her recent brush with death, burned with a desperate flame, shining astonishingly bright.

If she's lucky, Emperor Jingyuan might spare her life because of her face.

As for the relics...

Jiang Sese took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She already had an idea.