The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

Although the Malus spectabilis is not as red as the Chaenomeles speciosa, it is very gentle and quiet. Its buds are as red as rouge, and its petals are pink and white, giving it a shy and demure appearance.

Ning Shuyan raised her wrist, plucked a pink-gradient crabapple blossom, and smiled at Ziying, "Come here."

Ziying, puzzled, walked up to her, and Ning Shuyan placed a crabapple blossom in Ziying's hair. This embellishment made her originally jet-black hair appear even more delicate and her skin even more exquisite.

Ning Shuyan's beautiful eyes were filled with laughter, and she smiled gently, saying, "Delicate but not seductive, it suits you very well."

Ziying blushed unconsciously, touched the soft flower petals in her hair, and whispered, "It looks better on Miss."

Ning Shuyan gently tapped her nose, smiled, and her face gradually rippled with joy, like the blossoms on a branch, exuding fragrance. "Oh, look at you now, more beautiful than a flower. I'm afraid even your future sweetheart will be intoxicated by your beauty," she said gently, with a hint of teasing.

Upon hearing this, Ziying blushed even more, her blush even more delicate and shy than the begonia blossoms at her temples. She stamped her foot and pouted, saying, "Miss always jokes with me, I... I..."

She didn't know how to continue, and looking at Ning Shuyan's smiling face, she suddenly pouted indignantly. Thinking of something, a hint of sorrow crept into her eyes, and she said reproachfully, "Today, Her Majesty the Empress took the concubines to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers, and the Emperor wanted to go too. The other concubines of lower rank all went to beg Her Majesty the Empress to grant them permission to go, but Miss, you came to this desolate Begonia Garden, and you're smiling so happily! I'm worried for you."

Ning Shuyan's smile was as gentle as a chrysanthemum, her beautiful face carrying a hint of nonchalance. "You've been with me for so long, why don't you use your brain?"

Ziying looked at Ning Shuyan with a blank expression.

She said, "Have you forgotten how I became one of the current emperor's concubines? The late emperor originally bestowed me upon Prince Xuan as a secondary concubine, but Prince Xuan and his wife were deeply in love and refused me. So the late emperor then bestowed me upon the current emperor. You tell me, the emperor must feel uncomfortable seeing a woman that others don't want being given to him, right? Since he doesn't like me, why should I go to him? It will only make him more disgusted."

Upon hearing this, the man behind the artificial hill raised his eyes in surprise, peering through the gap at the pale yellow figure.

Ziying suddenly had a flash of insight, and her expression became even more depressed: "But Miss, you haven't done anything wrong. Are you really going to spend your life alone in the palace like this? I feel sorry for you, Miss."

Ning Shuyan was only slightly taken aback. The little girl was too young, and this wasn't the place to talk. She wouldn't understand her plans and thoughts if she told her. So she simply took the girl's hand and comforted her, "It's alright. With you by my side, I'm not lonely, and I'm not wronged."

Ziying's eyes glistened with tears, but she quickly lowered them and nodded repeatedly.

The young lady suffered mistreatment at home; she, the eldest daughter, had never received the slightest kindness from the Marquis. She and Consort Yun had relied on each other through hardship, so why did she suffer the same fate in the palace? The thought alone filled her with sorrow.

Seeing her like this, Ning Shuyan lost her appetite for admiring the flowers. She patted her hand and said gently, "Alright, let's go back."

The man behind the artificial hill waited until the woman in his line of sight had walked far away before stepping out.

He was dressed in a long blue robe embroidered with two dragons soaring in the sky, his figure as graceful as a jade tree. His sideburns were sharply defined, his nose high and straight, and his lips thin. His handsome, well-defined face exuded an aura of regal authority that commanded respect.

Who else could this person be but the current emperor, Xiao Yu?

His pursed lips moved slightly, and he said calmly, "She is from the Ning family?"

The eunuch Yang An was also puzzled. The emperor had originally intended to go to the Imperial Garden, but upon hearing that many concubines were there, he suddenly changed his mind and decided not to go, instead taking another path to the Begonia Garden.

What's even more puzzling is that the emperor heard women talking, so why didn't he come out? How could the emperor hide behind a rockery to eavesdrop on his concubines' conversation? It's unbelievable.

But he still lowered his head and bowed, speaking softly: "This servant has never seen this young mistress before, but she is a newcomer to the palace this time, so she should be Consort Ning."

Xiao Yu gazed at the spot where the woman had just stood and said in a deep voice, "I thought she was ugly, but I didn't expect her to be quite pretty."

I originally thought that my third brother wouldn't accept Ning as a concubine because she was either unattractive or of questionable character.

Unexpectedly, the woman's pale yellow dress stood out strikingly among the red flowers and green leaves.

Her teeth were as white as melon seeds, her eyebrows as dark as jade. Her face was as red as a blooming lotus, her skin as smooth as solidified cream. This poem perfectly describes her.

Yang An smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly: "Of course, the late emperor's judgment must have been excellent, otherwise he wouldn't have recommended you, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yu glanced at Yang An sideways, and Yang An quickly lowered his head when he met his eyes. He knew he had said too much.

Xiao Yu walked to the crabapple tree where Ning Shuyan had stood earlier, looking at the pale pink crabapple blossoms, which were indeed elegant and beautiful. Beautiful without being pretentious, red without being gaudy.

His eyes held a vacant expression as he asked after a long pause, "What she said just now meant that since I don't like her, she doesn't want to be favored anymore, right?"

Although he was the emperor, he was ignorant about matters of the heart. He was used to the flattery of the women around him and their elaborate attempts to win his favor.

If other women knew they disliked her, they wouldn't avoid her like this; instead, they would fawn over her even more. It's unclear whether Ning Shi is indifferent or simply dull-witted.

Yang An suddenly realized that answering yes was wrong, and answering no was also wrong.

After careful consideration, he laughed and said, "This servant doesn't understand. This servant is a eunuch, and I am too dull to understand the thoughts of such women."

Xiao Yu frowned slightly, then flicked his sleeve and said, "Never mind, let's go back to Zhaochen Palace."