People on the shore were still calling out to her.

Gu Jiangli is a good swimmer, but the water in this pool is so cold and icy that it affects her swimming ability.

Fortunately, the pool wasn't particularly deep. She struggled to lift her head and surface, trying to breathe in the fresh air.

"My lord!"

At the edge of the pool, Gu Jiangli immediately recognized an old friend he knew very well.

Lotus was dressed in palace maid's attire, her face covered with tears of worry and fear.

She desperately wanted to jump into the water and save herself, but unfortunately, she was restrained by several palace maids.

Beside the lotus flower was none other than Consort Lan, who had pushed her into the pond.

As soon as Gu Jiangli climbed ashore, Hehua used all her strength to shake off the palace maid's hand that was holding her down, and quickly ran to Gu Jiangli's side.

Lotus took off her palace maid's outer robe and hurriedly draped it over Gu Jiangli.

"My lady, you scared me to death! Thank goodness you're alright..." Lotus's choked voice was heartbreaking to hear.

Gu Jiangli couldn't help but shiver. The weather had just turned to winter, and with another gust of cold wind blowing, her frail body could hardly withstand it.

In addition, she had just experienced the memory and was still a little dizzy. Fortunately, Lotus was there to support her, which prevented her from falling to the ground.

Water droplets kept dripping from her clothes onto the ground, and her elegant hair ornaments were all disheveled, making her look extremely pathetic.

At this very moment, Lan Jieyu said as if she were watching a joke:

"Oh, so you can swim. Then why haven't you surfaced for so long? Who are you trying to fool?"

Lan Jieyu's tone was just as I remembered: sharp, sarcastic, and domineering.

Lotus, feeling indignant, spoke up from the side:

"Consort Lan, my mistress has never offended you. Why have you gone to such lengths? You are both concubines in the harem, yet you secretly pushed my mistress into the pond. Don't you have any sense of rules and law?"

Lotus was also furious; even though her voice was trembling with tears, every word she spoke was forceful.

Lan Jieyu's eyes narrowed. "Shut up! Who do you think you are, giving me the right to criticize you!"

“I am naturally not as noble as Consort Lan, but my mistress is a Consort just like you, and is no less than you. Even if your behavior today were to be brought before His Majesty, you would still be the one to be punished!”

Consort Lan, having just entered the palace, had never been treated like this before. She was immediately filled with rage and gritted her teeth, saying:

"You little brat, I'll show you today what status and hierarchy really mean!"

Having said that, she raised her right hand high. If it were to fall heavily, it would surely leave a five-finger slap mark on Lotus's face.

Once Gu Jiangli had recovered his spirits, he strode forward and swiftly grabbed Lan Jieyu's arm.

"You...! Let go!"

Gu Jiangli did not let go, and glared back fiercely.

But before she could speak, a father-in-law's shrill roar came from afar:

"stop!"

Gu Jiangli and Lan Jieyu both looked in the direction of the voice.

The eunuch was wearing a purplish-red checkered robe, which Gu Jiangli recognized at a glance as the color reserved for eunuchs serving the emperor.

Behind the father-in-law was a sedan chair, in which sat a man with a cold expression.

He rested his chin on his hand, his face pale and visibly exhausted. His beautiful eyes were fixed on their direction, but it was impossible to discern any emotion in them.

Without a doubt, this man is the current emperor.

They were the targets of her mission.

Just as Zai Zai said, he wouldn't live long. Judging from his complexion, he certainly didn't look like a healthy person.

Consort Lan recognized the emperor, broke free of his hand, and knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty, I, Lan Hui'er, greet you. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."

Her movements were practiced and her voice became sweet and gentle, her face filled with shyness and adoration, showing no trace of her previous arrogance.

Gu Jiangli sneered and knelt down as well, saying, "Greetings to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."

The emperor remained silent, but the eunuch spoke on his behalf: "What are you two ladies doing? Are you going to fight each other, being concubines in the harem?"

In my memory, the emperor was taciturn, and the eunuch Liu beside him was like a mind reader, understanding his thoughts and always speaking on his behalf.

The situation is the same now.

Hearing Liu Gonggong's questioning tone, Lan Jieyu immediately pouted and began to complain.

"Eunuch Liu, you don't know this, how could I possibly lay a hand on Consort Gu? You must have seen it just now, Consort Gu was grabbing my hand and wouldn't let go, trying to attack me!"

"That's not how it is!" Lotus knelt down and moved out from behind Gu Jiangli. "Your Majesty, Eunuch Liu, it was Consort Lan who was malicious and pushed Consort Gu into the pool. It's freezing cold, but luckily Consort Gu is good at swimming, otherwise she wouldn't be able to get out of this Taiqing Pool today!"

“My lady has just come out of the water and hasn’t recovered yet. Who knew that Consort Lan would try to hit her again? Consort Gu was only stopping her instinctively. I beg Your Majesty and Your Eunuch to see the truth!”

Lotus kowtowed directly to the ground, her humble and tearful appearance truly touching.

Liu Gonggong glanced at Gu Jiangli; water was still dripping from her body, confirming that she had indeed fallen into the pool.

"Laan Jieyu, did you do the deed that Gu Jieyu fell into the pool?"

Lan Huier immediately waved her hand and shook her head, "Of course not, Consort Gu accidentally fell in. I was even thinking of having someone go into the water to rescue her. Besides, my uncle is the current prime minister. If I really wanted to push her into the water, would I need to do it myself?"

Liu Gonggong was taken aback and looked at the emperor in the sedan chair behind him with a questioning expression.

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