Seeing Chen Nian sitting on the other side of the Empress, Han Xiang was immediately excited.

I never expected to see my little sister when I came to see the Empress.

Why would Princess Hanxiang come to see me?

Because Hanxiang has not yet been officially made a concubine, she is still called Princess Hanxiang.

"Having just arrived, Hanxiang wishes to pay her respects to Her Majesty the Empress."

Compared to her indifference towards the Emperor and the coldness of Jinlingzi and Yinlingzi, Hanxiang was much more respectful towards the Empress.

"Now that you have seen me, Princess Hanxiang, please leave."

Hearing Hanxiang's words, the Empress nodded proudly.

She's a well-behaved person, but we still can't disturb the time she spends with Niannian.

Hanxiang looked at the arrogance on the Empress's face, a faint smile in her eyes.

Sister Huairou is right, the Empress is a proud and arrogant person.

This palace is great; I should be able to catch my breath here.

"Alright, Hanxiang will take her leave now."

Upon hearing the Empress's words, Hanxiang bowed and prepared to take her leave. Because she was not yet very skilled at the etiquette, her clothes slipped slightly, inadvertently revealing a silver glint on her wrist.

Jin Lingzi and Yin Lingzi breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Hanxiang had indeed come to pay her respects to the Empress. They bowed and prepared to take their leave.

"Wait a moment--"

Upon seeing something that looked extremely familiar, the Empress hurriedly spoke up to stop it.

The Empress's words stirred Jin Lingzi and Yin Lingzi's hearts once again.

"Wait a moment, I have prepared a new set of clothes for Princess Hanxiang. Why don't you stay and try them on to see if they fit? If they don't fit, we can make alterations in time. It's almost lunchtime, so why don't you stay and have lunch with me, Princess Hanxiang? I also have some rules to remind you of."

Noticing the sudden tension in the two maids following behind Hanxiang, the Empress, having fought her way through the inner palace, could not help but sense something was amiss. She quickly concealed her emotions and resumed her dignified and graceful demeanor in front of everyone.

Only Chen Nian, sitting beside the Empress, noticed the Empress's slightly trembling hand.

...

"Where did this come from?"

After instructing Rong Momo to stay with Chen Nian and have her stay for dinner, the Empress dismissed everyone else and took Han Xiang into the inner palace.

“Sister Huairou gave it to me. She said that the Empress is a very good woman, and if I ever enter the palace, I must find Her Majesty the Empress.”

"Did Huairou give it to you? How do you know Huairou?"

Upon hearing Hanxiang's words, the Empress was extremely excited, but she quickly calmed down and sharply scrutinized Hanxiang in front of her.

"Sister Huairou asked me to tell you something: don't feel guilty."

Despite the Empress's oppressive gaze, Hanxiang calmly met her eyes.

With just one sentence, the Empress lowered her guard, and her straight back bent considerably.

She grew up with Huairou, the Emperor, and Prince Rui, and they had a deep friendship. Unexpectedly, when they grew up, the two of them fell in love with the same man—the Emperor.

However, they did not have any grudges because of this incident. They could see that the emperor liked Huairou, and the two were in love at the time. The emperor was planning to make Huairou's sister empress, but she had already given up on that idea.

However, at a palace banquet and a misunderstanding, she was rumored to be having an affair with the emperor, and under pressure, the emperor married her.

This is also why the emperor disliked her.

Even after the investigation revealed that she was innocent and had nothing to do with the incident, she still had a falling out with the Emperor, and Huairou separated from him.

Even though Huairou later told herself and often comforted herself that she no longer liked the emperor, she still felt that she had taken Huairou's place.

Fortunately, Huairou and Prince Rui were very happy later, which eased her guilt a little. The couple lived a fulfilling and colorful life, leaving her with no way to make amends. Fortunately, Yongxuan was born later, giving her something to make amends for.

"Sit down. You came to see me not just to tell me about you and Sister Huairou, right?"

Pulling her scattered thoughts back, the Empress felt utterly drained and slowly sat down, gesturing for Hanxiang to sit as well.

"Your Majesty, I have two other matters to discuss. There is something I would like to ask you to keep safe."

Hanxiang didn't beat around the bush anymore. Jinlingzi and Yinlingzi wouldn't let her stay with the Empress for long. She sat down as instructed, took out something she had hidden on her person, and handed it to the Empress.

"What's this?"

The empress took the item from the hand and examined it.

"A treasure of the Hui people".

Hanxiang spoke softly.

The Hui people imprisoned her for many years like criminals; this is perhaps a small compensation for her.

"A treasure of the Hui people? You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll embezzle it?"

Seeing Hanxiang's calm expression, the Empress continued to play with the small jade bottle in her hand.

"Sister Huairou said that Her Majesty the Empress is one of the few people in the palace who can be trusted."

Hanxiang remained calm.

"Okay, I'll keep this for you. Just send someone to pick it up whenever you need it."

The Empress raised an eyebrow at Hanxiang's words, then nodded, agreeing to keep them safe for her.

"Is there anything else?"

The Empress continued to ask.

"Please, Your Majesty, help me find two reliable palace maids."

Thinking of Jinlingzi and Yinlingzi who had been watching her, Hanxiang carried them.

"Don't you have palace maids?"

Upon hearing what Hanxiang had said, the Empress became suspicious.

She noticed something was off about the two, but she didn't expect Hanxiang to want to change her maid.

...

"Very well, I agree to the matter concerning the palace maid."

A chill flashed in the Empress's eyes as she heard what Hanxiang whispered to her.

Duan is someone even his younger sister in Huairou protects; he can't let anyone bully him.

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