Qiao Qiu knew exactly what Qiao Dong was planning. Rather than let her succeed, she decided to strike first. It was just a wrestling match, wasn't it? She could act that way, and so could she.

Qiao Dong was stunned. She hadn't used any force at all, so how did she fall?

The emperor walked over and saw Qiao Qiu fall down. For some reason, he suddenly wanted to laugh, and he had a strange feeling about it.

Before he could think it through, Qiao Dongfu bowed to him and said, "Your Majesty, I greet you."

Honglan helped Qiao Qiu up and stepped forward to bow.

"Your Majesty, I have come to pay my respects."

"Why does my beloved concubine perform such a grand ceremony?" the emperor asked, putting his arm around Qiao Dong's shoulder and looking at Qiao Qiu with a smile in his peach blossom eyes.

Qiao Qiu answered without blinking, "I was so happy to hear that the Emperor was coming that I didn't see the road clearly and tripped and fell."

The lie was quite clever; the emperor glanced at it and saw that the ground was clearly flat.

Qiao Dong nestled in the emperor's arms and said in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, please don't blame my sister. She didn't mean to."

Upon hearing this voice, Qiao Qiu shuddered, goosebumps erupting all over her body.

The emperor had been watching Qiao Qiu closely. From the beginning until now, she had remained very composed. He had assumed she was someone who could remain unfazed even if Mount Tai collapsed before her. It wasn't until he heard Qiao Dong's voice and saw how she couldn't bear it that he realized she also had things she couldn't bear.

"Very well, for the sake of my beloved consort, I will not pursue this matter any further."

Qiao Qiu rolled her eyes inwardly. There was no intention to pursue this matter in the first place, was there?

"Your Majesty~~~"

Qiao Dong called out shyly and affectionately, the last syllable lingering, which made Qiao Qiu's face turn green and goosebumps fall all over her body; she still felt disgusted.

Qiao Qiu suppressed the urge to rub her arms and curtsied to the emperor. "I will take my leave now, Your Majesty, without disturbing your enjoyment." She desperately wanted to leave this place. To hell with vying for favor!

"Qiao Cairen is quite perceptive, and she's somewhat different from what's been said about her."

The emperor didn't allow her to leave. Instead, he praised her and started studying her, which confused Qiao Qiu. Didn't this guy dislike Qiao Qiu quite a bit?

Qiao Qiu's eyes darted around, and she suddenly realized that she seemed too calm. Where was the Qiao Qiu she used to be? She lowered her head, feigning confusion, and asked, "Rumors? What rumors? Who would dare spread such nonsense?"

At this point, she suddenly remembered that these past two days, while she was sleeping in Xianghu Courtyard, there was always a pair of eyes watching her. Could it be that the emperor had sent them? Qiao Qiu felt that this idea was a bit bold, but it didn't seem impossible.

"I say you're willful and capricious, I say you're unreasonable and argumentative, I say you're audacious and reckless, I say you're sharp-tongued and mean-spirited." The emperor released Qiao Dong and walked to Qiao Qiu.

Qiao Qiu looked up and suddenly saw a refined and handsome face. Her breath caught in her throat; those captivating peach blossom eyes seemed to bewitch her, making her heart pound wildly. She blinked, barely managing to suppress her fluttering heart, and awkwardly took two steps back, stepping on the hem of her trailing skirt. She lowered her head and replied, "I don't know who's spreading these rumors. Everyone at home knows I'm willful and capricious, but no one knows I'm unreasonable or argumentative. I'm bold like my father, but not reckless. As for being sharp-tongued and mean, they're probably just spreading rumors because they've upset me."

This was the first time the emperor had seen Qiao Qiu's eyes so closely. He felt as if he were looking at stars twinkling within them, as captivating as the stars themselves, and for such a fleeting moment, he seemed unable to get enough of them. Seeing her hastily retreat in fright, he felt a mixture of amusement and heartache.

Heartache? Why would he use that word? The emperor's eyes darkened, and he asked calmly, "According to you, you are willful and capricious, but why do you appear so eloquent and sharp-tongued in front of me, yet not at all willful?"

Qiao Dong twisted her handkerchief behind her, staring at Qiao Qiu with hatred. She had loved him too, and knew what such an interest represented, but she couldn't say anything. No, she had to send Qiao Qiu to the Cold Palace as soon as possible.

Qiao Qiu curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, at home, I feel very safe because my father dotes on me, my mother loves me, and my grandmother pampers me. I can do whatever I want, say whatever I want, and do whatever I want without any worries. It's okay to be a little willful. But in front of Your Majesty, if I say or do something wrong, will Your Majesty dote on me like my father does, love me like my mother does, and pamper me like my grandmother does? I've been thinking about this for the past two days. When I heard Your Majesty talking about this and that last night, I suddenly realized that I must mature and stop acting like a child. Your Majesty is so busy; how can I possibly trouble you?"

After hearing this, the emperor was deeply moved and sighed, "What a wonderful sentence, 'How could I possibly cause trouble for Your Majesty?' I never imagined that my beloved consort was so thoughtful. I have truly misunderstood her."

"Your Majesty, then this concubine will take her leave."

"Go ahead." Qiao Qiu had already said this much, how could he still hold on to her?

Qiao Qiu curtsied and, with Hong Lan in tow, turned and left. After walking a short distance, she patted her chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but laugh. This silly emperor hadn't realized what was going on yet; he'd understand soon enough.

Qiao Qiu walked briskly back to Xianghu Courtyard with her hands behind her back.

The emperor watched Qiao Qiu's retreating figure for a while, thinking about her words. He was still moved, but he felt that something was not quite right.

Qiao Dong was very anxious, but there was nothing she could do. Having spent her whole life with the Emperor, she knew very well what kind of woman he liked. As long as she put her heart into it, the Emperor's heart would eventually return to her.

Qiao Qiu is a problem; she must find a way to get rid of her.

...

In the afternoon, after finishing his court duties, the Emperor recalled Qiao Qiu's words and suddenly realized that this young girl was actually scolding him. First, she said the palace couldn't compare to the Prime Minister's residence, then she said he had too many women and couldn't take care of them all—clearly accusing him of being a womanizer. To think that he, with his illustrious reputation, who had defeated the Regent and the Empress Dowager, had been outmaneuvered by a mere maid.

The emperor looked up, revealing a pair of alluring peach blossom eyes, "Little Shunzi, tonight, summon Consort Qiao to serve you in bed."

"Yes." Xiao Shunzi turned and left.

The emperor smiled, wanting to see what expression this girl would have if she knew she was the one serving him tonight. She spent the last two nights stargazing and singing, huh?

After a while, the emperor dismissed everyone in the imperial study, and the secret guards climbed in through the window.

"how?"

"Your Majesty, Consort Qiao was very surprised, her expression was strange, and in the end she seemed to have made up her mind."

The emperor looked up from the memorials, his face showing mild anger. "What do you mean by 'going all out'? Is it really that terrifying to have her serve me in bed?" Then, as if remembering something, he dismissed the guards, lowered his head and continued to review the memorials, but the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

...

Xianghu Academy.

Qiao Qiu dismissed everyone and paced back and forth in the inner room, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

Although she knew this day would come sooner or later, she didn't expect it to be so soon! The key point is that she just cursed the emperor today. Is he lacking in curses? Could cursing him make him serve her in bed?

Qiao Qiu paused, a dark glint flashing in her large eyes. Something was wrong; perhaps the rumor was that she wasn't going to serve the emperor.