Chapter 55: Unwilling

That's a problem.

Concubine Shu pondered for a moment and said, "According to palace rules, as an incense master, you should live in the incense bureau, just like everyone else. But you are also my sister-in-law, so you are different from other incense masters. Therefore, I will reserve the side hall of Changchun Palace for you. As for where you live, it is entirely up to you."

After saying this, she turned to Yun Wan, "However, I promised you the opportunity to see Chang Sui every three days. I will arrange for you to stay in Changchun Palace. Firstly, it will be convenient for you to stay there, and secondly, you won't be able to wander around and cause gossip."

"As for how long you'll be staying at the Incense Bureau, I can give you a rough estimate. It could be as long as six months, or as short as three months. After all, it takes some time to find a new incense master."

After she finished her explanation, Yun Wan nodded silently: "I'll take note of it."

Seeing that she was not dissatisfied, Shufei's eyes flashed with satisfaction.

Sure enough, her third sister-in-law was a person who was easy to control, and her decision was right.

Having achieved the desired result, Concubine Shu readily let Yun Wan go.

It was already dusk when Yun Wan came out of Changchun Palace. Along the way, she was extremely calm, without any ripples in her heart.

The setting sun in the sky was like fire, with gold and red intertwined, and half of the imperial city was filled with orange clouds.

As he stepped onto the carriage, Yun Wan suddenly looked back and saw the blood-red sunset, as if a bowl of blood had been spilled in the sky, set against the red palace walls, mysterious and majestic.

Yun Wan stared at the high palace wall for a moment, and only got into the carriage after Yueya reminded him.

........

On top of the city wall, majestic and towering as if close to the sky, Emperor Jingxuan, wearing a black and gold robe, gazed into the distance in the direction of the palace gate. The point focused in his pupils gradually moved away until it disappeared.

Jiang Fusheng appeared quietly, "Your Majesty, everything has been arranged."

Emperor Jingxuan stood tall and straight, with a majestic figure from behind. He nodded when he heard this.

He ordered in a cold voice: "Madam likes white jade items. The utensils in the house are mainly made of white jade. If there are not enough, please use my private treasury."

"Madam likes quietness, so the servants should not be too talkative, and irrelevant people should not disturb her."

"Madam likes light colors, so please don't mix the clothes you send her... Never mind, Madam is beautiful and looks good in anything, so I'll mix some of the colors and send them to her."

"Madam, you have a light palate and it's easy to forget the time when mixing perfume. Please remember to have snacks and tea ready at all times."

“.........”

Jiang Fusheng listened quietly, and couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He thought that His Majesty was even more thoughtful than him.

If he had known this, he would not have gone to so much trouble to arrange it. Now he has to start all over again.

"Madam, Madam..."

Emperor Jingxuan murmured, a hint of tenderness flashing across his brows.

He knew his wife was unhappy, but how could he be willing to let go?

Arriving at Duke Lu's mansion, Yun Wan got off the carriage. The servant waiting at the door hurried forward and said, "Third Madam, the Duke wants to see you."

Yun Wan responded calmly and followed him to the front yard.

In the front hall, Lu Yuanduo had been waiting for a long time. He was wearing a dark purple court robe with auspicious cloud patterns and a gold and jade belt around his waist. It seemed that he had just returned from duty.

When he saw Yun Wan, he asked directly, "Why did the Concubine Shu come to see you today?"

Looking closely, there was worry hidden between his brows.

Yun Wan met his gaze and said in an uncharacteristically cold tone, "Duke, isn't it clear? Why are you asking so much?"

Lu Yuanduo was stunned for a moment, then frowned: "What do you mean by that? I only learned about Concubine Shu summoning you to the palace after I got off duty."

Yun Wan: "The Bureau of Incense is short of an incense master. Her Majesty the Concubine has ordered me to enter the palace in three days to take over the position."

She was too lazy to waste words and explained the whole thing in a few words.

After hearing this, Lu Yuanduo's face suddenly changed, "Nonsense!"

"You are a member of the Lu family, not some irrelevant person from the outside world. The palace is full of deep waters, not to mention the Ministry of Fragrance. How could she let you into the palace to be ordered around?!"

All his anger was directed at Concubine Shu. He didn't need to think too much, just by listening to her he could guess what Concubine Shu was planning.

Suddenly, he looked at Yun Wan fiercely, "So you suspect that I am in collusion with Concubine Shu?"

Yun Wan said nothing, but her face clearly showed: Isn’t it?

Lu Yuanduo was choked and felt suffocated.

He took two deep breaths to calm his turbulent emotions, and tried to explain to her in a gentle tone: "Yun Wan, I assure you that this is not my wish. If you don't tell me, I will be kept in the dark."

Shufei is his sister. The Lu family, Shufei and the third prince have always been in the same boat. In the past, Shufei would discuss any important matters with her brother first.

But this time, whether it was summoning Yun Wan or ordering her to join the Sixiang Bureau, Lu Yuanduo only found out about it later.

In short, Concubine Shu never thought of discussing with him, or she only regarded Yun Wan as a tool to win the favor of the emperor.

Lu Yuanduo looked grim and felt very depressed.

He asked himself if he had treated his biological sister Shufei well. Everything he did in the court was not only for the Lu family, but also for Shufei and the third prince.

But what Shufei is doing now undoubtedly makes Lu Yuanduo feel chilled.

Yun Wan was stunned for a moment, as if she was surprised by his explanation, but she quickly said self-deprecatingly, "Whether it is true or not, it doesn't matter. The Concubine Shu has already consulted the Emperor on this matter. His Majesty has spoken, and I have to go even if I don't want to."

As she said this, tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced herself not to let them fall.

Lu Yuanduo felt a dull pain in his chest. He raised his hand and then lowered it again. His dark eyes were filled with seriousness.

"If you don't want to, I'll go and tell His Majesty, it's just a perfumer. There's no perfumer in the capital, but there are definitely some in other places. I'll ask people to look for one everywhere, and I'll definitely find a suitable one!"

Hope flashed in her clear eyes, but then quickly faded away. Yun Wan forced a smile and said, "No need. I have already promised Her Majesty that I will enter the palace in three days. Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about it. Farewell!"

After she finished speaking, she couldn't wait to leave, as if she was afraid of losing her composure in the next second.

But Lu Yuanduo clearly saw the tears sliding down the corners of her eyes when she turned around.

That day, the candlelight in the study in the front yard burned all night.

The next morning, a gift of compensation was delivered from the front yard.

Yueya hurried in and handed a note to Yunwan mysteriously, "This is what the Duke found in the jewelry box that the Duke sent."

Yun Wan opened the note and saw the contents at a glance.

There were only two names written on it, along with the corresponding palaces and contact information.

Yueya: "Madam, what does it mean?"

Yun Wan stared at the last sentence above——

'Only yours'

She curled her lips and chuckled: "The Lu family has an informant planted in the palace."

Now she has two people at her disposal.

Yun Wan knew that this was Lu Yuanduo's apology and compensation.

She knew very well that Lu Yuanduo always stood on the side of his younger sister, Concubine Shu, but Yun Wan would be satisfied as long as there was a chance to create a rift between the two.