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

The next day, after paying his respects, he returned to the palace, which took only a short while.

Li Zhang rushed in, wiped the sweat from his brow, bowed, and said, "My lady, Lady Lü has passed away."

Ning Shuyan had long suspected that Lü Rui's life was coming to an end, but she never expected it to be so soon.

"How did it disappear?"

Li Zhang replied, "Just now, this servant passed by Qinyue Pond and saw a group of people gathered around. This servant went over out of curiosity and learned that Lady Lü had fallen into the water and could not be rescued in time. When this servant went over to check, she had already passed away."

Li Zhang paused, not continuing, mainly because Lü Rui's face was too eerie at the time.

"Okay, I understand."

This must have been done by Consort Zhuang; she finally couldn't stand it anymore and decided to take action.

The next day, when people paid their respects at Fengqi Palace, the matter was brought up.

Lin Zhaorong smoothed her meticulously combed hair at her temples: "The end of the year is approaching, what bad luck!"

Consort Rong smiled gracefully: "Look at how favored she is right now, it would be a real shame if she lost it at this time."

After a pause, Consort Rong's beautiful eyes slowly fell on Consort Zhuang, her voice low and soft, tinged with undisguised pleasure: "Consort Zhuang, you shared a palace with her, and now she's gone, and died such a tragic death. Are you afraid, sister?"

Consort Zhuang forced a smile: "What am I afraid of? Haven't enough people died in this palace already?"

The Empress smiled and said, "Indeed, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. If Lady Green truly harbors resentment, she will seek out the person who harmed her."

Consort Ying, always perceptive, frowned slightly: "Does Your Majesty mean that the death of Consort Lü was not an accident?"

The Empress nodded: "I also heard from the Emperor that they found a woman's hair in the hands of the Green Consort, which must have been torn off by her when she struggled to fall into the water."

As soon as she finished speaking, a teacup clattered, and everyone looked toward Consort Zhuang. Yulan, who was standing next to her, quickly lifted the teacup lid.

Consort Zhuang then realized her lapse in composure, and said with some anger, "How could this happen! Who dares to harm the people of Yihe Palace?"

The Empress spoke in an extremely calm tone: "I believe the truth will soon come to light."

Consort Rong pondered for a moment: "This person is too bold!" As she spoke, her gaze swept over Consort Zhuang, but she quickly looked away and fell into deep thought.

The death of Lü Rui was undoubtedly a happy event for the concubines. Wouldn't it be better to have one less person competing with them for the emperor's favor? Moreover, the emperor had been doting on Lü Rui for almost a month and was quite troubled by it. Now that this had happened, everyone was probably secretly delighted and applauding.

As night fell, the soft moonlight seeped in through the window and mingled with the faint red candlelight, creating a hazy, misty atmosphere.

Yang An smiled and asked, "Is His Majesty staying at Zhaochen Palace tonight?"

He asked this question because he guessed that the Emperor probably wouldn't stay overnight at Zhaochen Palace. Others might not know, but he knew very well that the Emperor hadn't been with any woman for almost a month.

This is the Emperor! Normally, the Emperor would go ten days without touching his concubines at most. This whole month, even though he was a eunuch, he couldn't help but wonder, did the Emperor really not want to?

"Let's go to Lan Yue Pavilion!"

Xiao Yu's seemingly indifferent words made Yang An grin, and he said repeatedly, "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will go and prepare immediately."

Ning Shuyan had just changed into her nightgown when she heard the eunuch's announcement. She got up and waited for Xiao Yu at the palace gate, but he didn't come for a long time. It was really cold out here, and she couldn't help but shiver. If it weren't for wanting to arouse the Emperor's pity, she would have really wanted to go in.

As Xiao Yu entered, he saw the woman waiting at the entrance of the main hall, standing gracefully and quietly. She wore a long cherry blossom pink dress, with a light gauze draped over her shoulders, accentuating her slender waist.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. May Your Majesty be well," she said softly, bending her knees.

Xiao Yu quickened his pace, walked to her side and helped her up. "It's cold outside. From now on, wait for me inside the palace."

Ning Shuyan lowered her eyes and smiled: "Your Majesty, I wish I could see you soon. If it weren't for the winter, I would have waited for you at the palace gate."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu's expression softened slightly, and he put his arm around her waist, saying, "I think Yan'er seems to have lost some weight. Is it because you've been missing me too much these past few days?"

Ning Shuyan smiled shyly, her voice soft and sweet, "My longing for you is like the full moon, its light waning night after night. Before, when I was confined to my chambers, I did not understand the meaning of this, but now that I have truly experienced it, I know that this is what longing is all about."

With a shimmering, moved light in his eyes, Xiao Yu addressed Ning Shuyan, "Then I will certainly spend more time with Yan'er these days?"

After Ning Shuyan hung up his cloak, she hugged him and said softly, "And what about the future? Will Your Majesty always treat me this well?"

Xiao Yu was slightly taken aback. He stroked her smooth hair and said softly, "Things are changing rapidly. No one can absolutely guarantee anything, including themselves."

His words, though spoken softly, were like the cold wind outside, sending chills down one's spine.

Ning Shuyan slowly released her arms from his, her expression somber: "Yes, Your Majesty understands. I was asking for too much."

For some reason, Xiao Yu's heart softened suddenly. Seeing her eyes gradually redden, he gently stroked her cheek and said tenderly, "I won't promise things I can't be sure of. Yan'er, you're inexperienced and don't understand many things. For example, can you guarantee that ten years from now, or even twenty years from now, your feelings for me will be the same as they are now?"

Ning Shuyan never expected that he wasn't a scumbag who just made empty promises. What do you mean by being naive... She was twenty years old in modern times, and had been here for nearly seven years. If you add it all up, she wasn't much older than him.

Her face tightened, and she blurted out, "Your Majesty, I can guarantee my loyalty to you. You are the most important person in my life besides my concubine, and you will always be..."

Her red-rimmed eyes gradually welled up with tears, but she forcefully held them back, her face full of innocent certainty.

Xiao Yu was momentarily at a loss for words. Faced with the woman's affirmation, he felt a little shaken. Was there really such a thing as forever in this world, a woman who could love him deeply forever?

Born into royalty, he was accustomed to the cold-blooded ruthlessness of the harem. Half of the women in the harem had been favored by him, but when it came to "love," he would never give it to any woman.

Even if the woman in front of him, at the very least, only evokes pity and goodwill, or at the very least, some affection.

Seeing that Xiao Yu did not answer, Ning Shuyan turned around and walked to the bed to sit down. Her beautiful face was tinged with sadness and frustration.

Xiao Yu wasn't angry. He sat down beside her and said gently, "What's wrong? Are you angry?"

Ning Shuyan's nose stung slightly. She turned her head away and complained, "I thought Your Majesty liked me, but it turns out it was all just wishful thinking on my part?"