Meng Yuxiu transferred half of the troops guarding the forbidden area. When he and Chang Lili arrived at the Light Machinery Department, a soldier came to report that his mother was still missing.

"I need to find her," Chang Lili asked urgently, her hands clenched into fists. "Which direction did she go?"

The soldier pointed to a spot and said, "The old man came down the mountain in this direction."

She turned to leave, but Meng Yuxiu grabbed her arm. He took her hand in his, his palms damp with cold sweat, and said in a deep voice, "I'll go with you."

The two ran through the vast forest, calling out to their grandmother, but there was no response, and they saw no sign of her.

The soldiers sent to search for the person were all extremely anxious, and without exception, they all reported that they had not found the person.

Chang Lili stood there panting. The sky was gradually darkening, and she felt the surroundings getting colder and colder. Her heart felt empty, as if a cold wind was blowing through her chest.

"Don't worry, I'll send someone back to ask. Maybe your mother-in-law went back on her own," Meng Yuxiu said gently, trying to comfort her.

Chang Lili nodded, her eyes filled with only a faint hope.

As expected, it was getting dark, and my mother-in-law still hadn't gone back.

"It's Hu Pin, it must be him! It's Hu Pin and Xiao Shu'er!" Chang Lili said in grief and indignation, then turned to leave.

Meng Yuxiu grabbed her arm: "Where are you going?"

“I’m going to see Xiao Shu’er. I’ll agree to whatever she asks, as long as she lets my mother-in-law go.” Chang Lili’s eyes gleamed.

"Don't be impulsive. If you go like this, you might not be able to save your mother-in-law and you'll just be throwing yourself into the lion's den," Meng Yuxiu said, frowning.

Chang Lili's face showed pain: "But I can't think of any other way."

"I'll think of a way," Meng Yuxiu said firmly yet gently.

In the palace, ever since Consort Lan was brought out of the cold palace by the Emperor, she has regained his favor.

The palace, which had just enjoyed a period of quiet and peace, has once again become turbulent and unsettled.

Consort Lan was attacked by assassins and barely survived. It can be said that she was blessed with good fortune after surviving such a calamity, and the Emperor's favor towards her was even greater than before.

The empress was naturally displeased, and so the struggle between the two sides began again.

"Spending all day in Huilan Palace?" Upon hearing this report from her personal maid, the Empress's face showed surprise and resentment, which quickly turned into disdain and contempt. "She does have some seductive tricks up her sleeve. Could it be that she's still thinking of bearing the Emperor's child and ousting me from my position as Empress?"

The maid said in a disdainful tone, "Your Highness, she is truly delusional. She doesn't even know her own status, yet she dares to dream of shining as brightly as the sun and moon!"

The Empress was very pleased with these words, and her expression immediately softened, even showing a faint smile. She said, "Of course she's delusional, but the Emperor is so heartbroken over her now, he really doesn't respect me, the Empress!"

"Yes, Your Highness," the maid said, her voice rising and falling with indignation. "I heard that Consort Lan is always complaining about the heat, and His Majesty even went to the Crown Prince to ask for an ancient jade bracelet that was once a tribute from a small country. It is said that the bracelet keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer."

Upon hearing this, the Empress angrily exclaimed, "What? They actually laid hands on us, mother and son!" She asked urgently, "So Ling'er just gave her the thing like that?"

In the Empress's view, her son had always disliked such intrigues and preferred to keep the peace. However, the maid said, "His Highness didn't pay much attention to her at all. He just said that this thing had been there for so many years and no one knew where it had been thrown away."

Upon hearing this, the Empress smiled with satisfaction and said, "Although Ling'er often disobeys me, he always knows what he should and shouldn't do."

The maidservant quickly echoed her.

The Empress's expression changed, and she said coldly, "However, this Consort Lan was lucky to survive. I will not let her off so easily."

After saying that, she suddenly lowered her voice and whispered a few words to the maid beside her. The maid bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, leave this matter to me."

The Huilan Palace, rearranged according to Consort Lan's wishes, was dazzling and magnificent, so much so that it was breathtaking. Even the Empress's Kunning Palace could not compare.

This shows just how much the Emperor dotes on her now.

When it was time to prepare dinner, Consort Lan carefully took out the prescription hidden in her dressing box. It listed foods such as sea cucumber, mutton, loach, donkey meat, and snake meat, and looked like a recipe.

She copied the recipe in her hand and handed it to her personal maid, saying, "Take this to the Imperial Kitchen and have them prepare it and send it to me."

The maid took the menu, responded, and was about to leave when Consort Lan grabbed her and said, "Go and invite His Majesty to dine here with me tonight."

After the maid left, Consort Lan carefully unfolded the recipe and looked at it. With a smile on her lips, she carefully folded it and put it back on the dressing table.

The foods on this recipe all have nourishing and aphrodisiac effects.

Consort Lan stroked her belly, thinking of the child she had lost, and grief welled up within her. But then she clenched her fists. She had to conceive a royal child again, otherwise she would only ever be an unknown concubine. Only by conceiving a child could she compete with the Empress.

She sat in front of her dressing table, letting her maidservant carefully style her hair and makeup. By the time she was dressed in her gorgeous clothes, it was almost time for dinner.

Consort Lan, filled with anticipation, put on a charming smile, dismissed the maid who was going to do her hair and makeup, sat in front of the mirror, looked at her beautiful face, and then admired her pregnant belly.

"Child, you must come quickly, come and make your mother proud," she said, feeling wronged.

She had been assassinated before, barely escaping with her life, and it took a great deal of effort to prevent any scars from remaining on her body.

Although the identity of the assassin remains unknown, Consort Lan already has the answer in her heart. In this harem, only the Empress would dare to act so boldly. She has always been ruthless and always eliminates problems completely.

Light footsteps approached, and the ferocious look on Consort Lan's face vanished, replaced by a dignified demeanor. She said, "Is dinner ready? Are you servants so unruly these days? Do you intend to enter my Huilan Palace now..."

Suddenly, her voice caught in her throat, and her face, heavily made up, revealed a pale complexion.

"Who...who are you? What do you want?" she asked, her voice trembling.

A gleaming silver knife was held across her snow-white neck. In the bronze mirror, Consort Lan saw that the one holding the knife was actually a woman dressed as a palace maid, with a ferocious face.

The palace maid sneered, "You vicious woman, today I can finally avenge my mistress!"

As the palace maid was about to slit her own throat, Consort Lan, who had experienced life and death before, still had a sliver of clarity in her mind, which was filled with fear.

"Wait! You can't kill me! I am Consort Lan! Besides, I have no grudge against you. Why would you want to kill me? You must have the wrong person!"

The palace maid froze, her eyes blazing with hatred: "Consort Lan? You're the one I want! How could I be wrong? Even if you turn to ashes, I'll still recognize you!"