Consort Li and Lady Liu swayed over with smiles on their faces: "Sister Xianfei, you're having such a good time playing here without inviting your younger sisters along."

"Greetings, Consort Xian."

Consort Xian smiled slightly: "No need for formalities. My two younger sisters are out for a stroll. Where are you headed?"

Consort Li stepped forward and grasped Consort Xian's hand, startling her so much that she took a step back and almost fell into the lotus pond again. Fortunately, Yilan was there to support her.

Consort Xian thought to herself, "Damn it! Do they want to drown me again?"

Consort Xian subtly withdrew her hand, walked to an open space far from the lotus pond, and rubbed her temples: "I am tired today. My two sisters, please enjoy yourselves. Yilan, let's go."

Unexpectedly, Liu Meiren stepped forward and clung to her arm, saying coquettishly, "Sister, don't go! I've heard that you've come up with many fun ways lately. Teach us!"

Consort Xian got goosebumps just listening to her sweet, coquettish voice, but she was like a piece of chewing gum that she couldn't shake off.

A dark thought suddenly arose in her mind: "My two younger sisters, I would be happy to take you to play, but I don't have any tools with me right now. Please go to the pavilion in the middle of the lake and wait for me. I will go back and get my things and come back."

However, Consort Li and Lady Liu did not play by the rules. The two of them each pulled her on one side and walked towards the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Consort Xian looked at Yilan as if to say, "Save me, I don't want to die!"

Yilan had no words to express her suffering; what could she say?

“My lords, His Majesty has just ordered that we not approach the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Shall we go somewhere else to play?” Yilan had no choice but to bring up the Emperor.

Before Consort Li and Consort Liu could even receive the imperial decree, they arrived at the Imperial Garden. At this point, they had no time to spare for Yilan and directly led Consort Xian to the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

The two were making their own plans. Meeting the emperor would naturally be a good thing; if they could win his favor, they would rise to the top in one fell swoop.

Even if we can't see the Emperor, we still have to teach Consort Xian a lesson. After all, she used to be arrogant and domineering, but after falling into the water, she seems to have become a different person. If we don't take advantage of her now, when will we?

"Sister, look how beautiful these lotus flowers are! The fish over there must be plump and delicious too!"

"Yes, yes, the younger sisters see that their older sister hasn't caught any fish, so it's good for them to go over there and take a look."

The two chatted back and forth, pulling Consort Xian forward, and sure enough, they saw Emperor Jingcheng feeding the fish with several palace servants in the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Emperor Jingcheng was already in a bad mood, and upon hearing the noise from not far away, he glanced at Zheng He with displeasure.

Zheng He gave his apprentice a wink. What was going on?

Zheng San was on the verge of tears, never expecting anyone to dare defy the imperial decree! He had no choice but to quietly leave to check the situation.

"This servant greets Consort Xian and the two young mistresses. With His Majesty here, it would be best if the three of you did not disturb him. It would be better to keep your distance from the pavilion in the middle of the lake and the lotus pond in the future, so as not to displease His Majesty."

Consort Xian seemed to have seen a savior: "I know that my two sisters are too kind to refuse. I was going to go back, but it seems that I have no choice but to return to the palace now."

After speaking, Consort Xian turned around and tried to escape. Consort Li and Consort Liu dared not offend Zheng San, so they said a few polite words.

Before the three of them could leave, Di Jingcheng came over, and a group of people hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects.

Consort Li and Consort Liu looked at the tall, handsome, and noble man before them, their eyes sparkling with affection, unable to hide their love: "Your Majesty, we pay our respects!"

Consort Xian cursed under her breath, but outwardly bowed respectfully, intending to feign death. Unexpectedly, Emperor Jingcheng's impatient voice rang out: "Consort Xian, your behavior seems to have become quite erratic since you fell into the water."

Hearing the emperor's cold voice, Consort Xian was startled and subconsciously looked up. She was stunned by the man's figure, temperament, and appearance. What a handsome man!

He's her type! But... his life seems to be in danger right now.

"Your Majesty, I... Your Majesty, I have made a mistake. Please punish me!" Never mind, I'll admit my mistake first.

Emperor Jingcheng snorted coldly: "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. If you behave yourselves, I might spare your lives."

After he finished speaking, he strode away from the lotus pond.

Consort Xian came to her senses, looked at the two concubines who were frightened by the emperor, and shook her head helplessly: "Yilan, let's go back."

The farce at the Lakeside Pavilion was over. Consort Xian was fined three months' salary, and the other two were confined to their quarters for a month. The news had spread throughout the palace, and no one dared to approach the area anymore, but some still stubbornly hoped to create a chance encounter with the Emperor.

After returning home, Consort Xian often saw Emperor Jingcheng's handsome face in her mind, and even dreamed of their sweet romance. She found it unbelievable that she, a modern, educated woman, could be so infatuated with an ancient man! It was ridiculous! Although she had been single for 25 years, it was still too absurd for her to be like this!

She's been so annoyed these past few days!

Seeing that she was extremely troubled, Yilan hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Your Highness, you seem to have something on your mind?"

Consort Xian sat up in bed, feeling irritated. "Yilan, I think I like the Emperor." She was very distressed.

Yilan smiled and said, "Your Majesty has always liked the Emperor. She begged him for several months to get into the palace, so it's normal for Your Majesty to be troubled by this."

Consort Xian was shocked. Good heavens! So Consort Xian had been in love with the Emperor all along! But thankfully, this way no one would suspect her identity.

She pouted in distress: "Good Yilan, what should I do?"

"Your Majesty, you used to always take the initiative to see the Emperor and bring him food, and I thought you enjoyed it. However, after Your Majesty woke up from the water, you don't seem to be as enthusiastic towards the Emperor as before. I think it's because the Emperor didn't come to your rescue that day, which hurt your feelings." Yilan's voice grew softer as she spoke.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!