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

Upon hearing Consort Zhuang's voice, Xiao Yu turned around as if he had just noticed her and quickly said, "Consort Zhuang, no need for formalities. When did you enter? I didn't even notice."

The difference between calling her "beloved concubine" and "Imperial Consort" is enough to distinguish which is more important.

Consort Zhuang's smile was somewhat forced. She slowly rose and said, "I've been here for a while. I thought Your Majesty must be hungry by now, so I personally made some walnut and red date porridge for Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu said gently, "I am indeed a little hungry. This porridge has arrived just in time."

Consort Zhuang then smiled, her beauty instantly brightening. She quickly opened the food box, took out the porridge, and held the blue-green bowl, which made her hands appear even more delicate and fair. She scooped up some porridge with a silver spoon, gently blew on it a few times, and then fed it to Xiao Yu, saying, "Your Majesty, please try it."

Xiao Yu took the bowl and spoon himself and said softly to Lü Rui, "You bled just now, so have some red date porridge to nourish your body."

Consort Zhuang stared at Xiao Yu in shock; she could hardly believe that the person in front of her was the Emperor.

Bleeding? What's a little blood?

Lu Rui accepted the bowl with a flattered expression, looking timidly at Consort Zhuang, "This was made by Consort Zhuang for His Majesty, I dare not eat it."

Xiao Yu's smile was faint yet exceptionally warm. "Consort Zhuang has always been magnanimous, so she shouldn't mind, right?" He turned to look at Consort Zhuang.

Consort Zhuang's face was already flushed red, and only her hands, hidden in her sleeves, could vent her anger. At this moment, her face was stiff, and she didn't even have the strength to force a smile.

"Your Majesty... I don't mind." After saying this, she clenched her teeth tightly.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "My dear consort, please drink your porridge. Don't waste the good intentions of me and Consort Zhuang."

Green Bud knew that the Emperor's words were an order, and the favor he bestowed upon her would only bring her endless pressure and fear. Green Bud felt a cold sweat running down her back, as if all her strength had been drained away. She limply scooped up the porridge and drank it down mouthful by mouthful.

Consort Zhuang glanced sideways at the ground. She had indeed made the porridge herself, hoping to please the Emperor, since he hadn't stepped into Yihe Palace for a long time.

But the Emperor said, "Don't waste Consort Zhuang's good intentions."

She spoke as if she was happy to give her the food. She was a concubine, and she was giving something she had made herself to a lowly maid. Did the maid deserve it?

Consort Zhuang felt that if she stayed any longer, she would probably lose her temper. She quickly curtsied and said, "Since Your Majesty has Lady Lü by your side, then I shall take my leave."

"Hmm..." Xiao Yu's voice was neither loud nor soft.

Consort Zhuang moved her lips but didn't speak. She slowly turned and left, but after taking only three steps, she stopped again, her voice soft and aggrieved: "Your Majesty, you haven't been to Yihe Palace for a long time. Could you come and keep me company tonight?"

Xiao Yu smiled faintly: "Another day, I have already decided to stay overnight at Zhaochen Palace."

Staying overnight at Zhaochen Palace means that the Emperor will have Lü Rui serve him tonight.

Seeing the Emperor's cold and indifferent demeanor, Consort Zhuang felt a tightness in her chest, as if she were suffocating.

She stood there, stunned, without moving.

Green Bud quickly curtsied: "Your Majesty, I am feeling a little unwell. I would like to return to Yihe Palace first. Perhaps Consort Zhuang could stay and keep Your Majesty company?"

As Lü Rui prepared to leave, Xiao Yu suddenly grabbed her hand: "My beloved consort, since you are not feeling well, please sit down. I will summon the imperial physician for you."

Consort Zhuang's eyes stung with tears. She gritted her teeth and turned to leave. She could still faintly hear Xiao Yu's caring voice.

She walked absentmindedly, with Yulan following behind her with a worried expression.

Consort Zhuang walked to a triangular maple tree, where red leaves occasionally fell. She looked up and saw the leaves falling like a sky full of red clouds.

"I remember the first time I met the Emperor, the weather was just like this, with blue skies, white clouds, and maple leaves as red as fire. The Emperor was still a prince at that time, and he asked me if I would be willing to become his concubine."

As she spoke, tears that had been hidden in Consort Zhuang's eyes for a long time suddenly streamed down her face and fell onto the maple leaves.

"After I entered the palace, the Emperor clearly doted on me, Yulan, you know that. I felt that he loved me; no matter how willful and domineering I was, he never said a word against me, but..."

Consort Zhuang sobbed, inhaling the cold wind deeply into her throat, feeling it chill to the bone. "But why is the Emperor different after he became emperor? I feel that he... doesn't love me as much anymore."

Yulan's eyes also held a hint of tears: "Your Majesty, no, His Majesty has always doted on you. But now that he is the Emperor, it's impossible for things to be the same as when you were in the Prince's residence."

Consort Zhuang closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the tears in them were gone. "I'm wondering if the Emperor knows something?"

"Did they find out that I drugged those concubines, or did Lürui say something to the Emperor and Ning Shi that betrayed me?"

Yulan quickly looked around, and seeing that no one was passing by, she breathed a sigh of relief. She whispered to Consort Zhuang, "If the Emperor knew that Lürui was your person, Your Highness, why would he still favor Lürui? Besides, the Emperor hasn't been to Lanyue Pavilion for quite some time. If the Emperor knew the truth, why would he neglect Consort Zhao? Actually, Your Highness, you're overthinking it. Perhaps the Emperor is just temporarily intrigued by Lürui, which is why he favors her."

Consort Zhuang was extremely confused. After Yulan's analysis, she felt that it made a lot of sense. However, as long as Lürui was by the Emperor's side, she would be uneasy. She couldn't guarantee that Lürui wouldn't tell the Emperor about this.

And she couldn't bear to see Lü Rui so favored! She couldn't tolerate the Emperor's excessive affection for a woman, especially one of her own. The scene she had just witnessed had truly stung her eyes.

Watching a leaf flutter and sway in the wind, she reached out to catch it. Looking at the vibrant, fiery red leaf, Consort Zhuang clenched it tightly in her palm, crumpling it into a ball. Her eyes instantly sharpened like knives, filled with murderous intent.

"Green stamens, they must not be kept!"

Yulan was not greatly disturbed; she had long anticipated that her master would have this idea.

Yulan whispered, "Yes, Your Majesty, please proceed with your plan. All those who stand in Your Majesty's way will meet the same fate as the leaf in Your Majesty's hand."

Consort Zhuang chuckled softly, her lips curling into a chillingly cold smile.