"Your Highness, the Emperor has ordered me to come and escort you back to the palace."

In the struggle between Gao Yu and Hu Shijie, Gao Yu ultimately prevailed.

Hu Shijie was demoted just as he had been promoted, and Gao Yu still managed to take away his position as the Grand Eunuch.

However, Gao Yu now has a clear understanding of her situation and is no longer the same as before.

Gao Yu had other motives for coming to pick up Chen Yuwei and bring her back to the palace.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you with this trip, but would it be inappropriate for me to return?"

The emperor has already divided a portion of the palace power into eight parts and sent them to the concubines to show off.

Who told Consort Qing to fall from power so soon after? The Emperor might even feel wronged.

Gao Yu chuckled awkwardly, "Your Highness, Imperial Noble Consort, you flatter me."

The Emperor only instructed his servants to bring the person back to the Forbidden City; the other servants knew nothing else.

Even if she knew, she couldn't tell everyone. Gao Yu wanted to live out her days in peace and retire smoothly, not to die without a proper burial.

Chen Yuwei: ...

Chen Yuwei smiled, her hand touching her lips, the sound of which was clear and pleasant to the ear.

Gao Yuwei kept her head down, ignoring whether Chen Yuwei's laughter was intentionally mocking her.

Only after Chen Yuwei stopped smiling and returned to her usual calm demeanor did Gao Yu speak up, asking Chen Yuwei when she would set off.

When did Eunuch Gao receive the order?

Chen Yuwei took Xingkui's hand and turned to walk towards the main hall.

Gao Yu followed closely behind, saying, "Of course, the sooner the better. His Majesty is eagerly awaiting the return of the Imperial Noble Consort."

Chen Yuwei remained noncommittal to Gao Yude's explanation, thinking to herself that the Emperor would never want her to return.

"Please wait at Yuanmingyuan for now, Eunuch Rong Gao. I will arrange for people to make arrangements."

"No, no, Your Highness is too kind."

Gao Yu watched Chen Yuwei leave with a smile, then stood around the main hall for a moment before strutting out the door.

Chen Yuwei scoffed, but Xingkui had a sudden inspiration, "Your Majesty, shall we?"

Chen Yuwei raised her hand slightly, interrupting Xingkui before she could speak.

"Pack your things and return to the palace as soon as possible. Even the Emperor has summoned his eunuchs; how can I refuse to give the palace face?"

No matter how unreliable the people in the palace are, they are still the undisputed masters of the empire.

Chen Yuwei pursed her lips slightly and turned to look at the space behind her that was hidden by the screen.

"Time is of the essence. If there are some things we can't handle, we'll ask Eunuch Gao for help. I think he won't refuse. He's probably more worried about how long it will take to get back to the palace than we are."

Xingkui curtsied and said, "Yes, this servant understands."

...

News of Chen Yuwei's impending return to the palace after her recuperation soon spread throughout the Yuanmingyuan Garden.

Everyone in the palace, from top to bottom, knew that Chen Yuwei had stayed behind to recuperate.

I thought the Imperial Noble Consort would stay longer, but unexpectedly she has to return to the palace.

"Could something have happened in the palace that requires the Imperial Noble Consort to return?"

"What could possibly have happened? It's only because the Imperial Noble Consort has recovered. Compared to staying at the Yuanmingyuan, it's naturally much more comfortable and enjoyable in the palace. The Emperor has been staying at the Yangxin Hall all this time."

"Hey, you're all wrong. Could it be that His Majesty misses the Imperial Noble Consort? The one who received them was Chief Eunuch Gao, a favorite of His Majesty."

"..."

The sensible palace servants kept quiet, not daring to cause themselves any trouble at such a time.

There were also some newly arrived palace maids who knew nothing and whose minds were filled with all sorts of naive and childish stories that lowered their IQ.

The kind of things that just came out, an elderly person would definitely not say.

Chen Yuwei and Hongli are both over a hundred years old combined, so what kind of lovey-dovey drama is that?

Chen Yuwei sat in the main hall, drinking warm tea, with Xingkui beside her directing the palace servants to tidy up the ornaments.

The entire room was decorated with ornaments that Chen Yuwei had brought from the palace for her own use.

The reason is that she has lived there for a long time, and suddenly switching to a place used exclusively by the Old Summer Palace would make her uncomfortable.

When people in positions of power put their own reflections and blaming others into consideration, they will generally choose the latter.

Please, you've finally made it through this, are you going to keep putting up with this kind of humiliation? It's not like you have masochistic tendencies; you should just switch jobs when necessary.

Therefore, Chen Yuwei brought quite a lot of things back to the palace this time, so Gao Yu couldn't possibly go and return on the same day.

It was only because Gao Yu had a brain that she told the Emperor before leaving the palace that this trip would last about three to five days.

No matter how much Chen Yuwei procrastinates and dawdles, she certainly can't exceed the maximum deadline.

As it turned out, it took Chen Yuwei three days from receiving the news to leaving the Yuanmingyuan.

This is an outcome acceptable to both parties, especially Gao Yu's attitude towards Chen Yuwei, which can only be described as licking her boots.

Chen Yuwei: ...Could it be that the Emperor really intends to kill Gao Yu to silence him? How could things have changed so quickly?

"Your Highness, Eunuch Gao has been coming more frequently lately, and I'm a little unsure of his attitude."

Xingkui couldn't help but confront Chen Yuwei, mainly because Gao Yu had come over without saying her purpose, and kept trying to make conversation with Chen Yuwei.

Xingkui didn't quite understand what Chen Yuwei, as the mistress, was thinking, but she herself couldn't stand it. Looking at Gao Yu was like looking at a bothersome fly buzzing around.

“He,” Chen Yuwei looked up, her hand unconsciously touching her chin, “is testing me,” testing her attitude, especially her attitude towards him.

This sounds a bit convoluted, but we can infer something from Hongli's attitude towards Gao Yude.

"Ignore him. He can't hold back for long. Let him speak up himself."

If Gao Yu wants Chen Yuwei to save her life, she has to speak first. Now it depends on what kind of bargaining chips Gao Yu can offer to save her life.

After all, there aren't many people who can confidently guarantee that they can protect him and ensure he dies a natural death.

Chen Yuwei was one of them, and also the person Gao Yu could most easily beg from.

Chen Yuwei was certain that Gao Yu would speak first, so she watched Gao Yu get anxious and impatient while she waited for the other party to come to her door to discuss cooperation.

Gao Yu's thoughts were completely understood by Chen Yuwei.

It's not that Gao Yu didn't want to speak, it's just that finding the right opportunity is quite difficult.

While at the Old Summer Palace, Chen Yuwei was busy packing her luggage and didn't have time to rest.

On the way back to Beijing from the Old Summer Palace, Chen Yuwei sat in the car all day without showing her face. Gao Yu couldn't very well run over to the car door and blurt out certain things.

What Xingkui meant by flattery was that Gao Yu could find a suitable opportunity to make his presence known when other outsiders were present.

Now Gao Yu is also worried. The carriage is about to enter the palace, but alas, there is even less chance.

"Father-in-law, the capital city is just ahead. We'll be there in two more hours."

A young eunuch, trying to curry favor with Gao Yu, tried to speak to him, but instead of getting anything in return, he was scolded by Gao Yu.

"Don't stay here and get in the way, hurry up and go, don't come out unless you have to."

Isn't it messy enough? He's almost bald, with only half of his hair left.