That being said, Xiao Dingyuan's hands were indeed quite honest.

In just a short while, Gu Jiangli was wearing a warm fox fur coat.

Gu Jiangli couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly.

Doesn't Xiao Dingyuan know whether she has clothes to wear?

The palace maids and eunuchs treated her coldly as a matter of course. Even if the palace made the best warm clothes, they would never send them to her!

It would be good enough if she could have one meal a day so she wouldn't starve to death!

Two years! He has no idea how she got through those two years!

Didn't she know it was windy in the yard?

Doesn't she know it's getting cold and winter is coming soon?

If she hadn't specifically waited for him in this courtyard, she would have gone back to her room to sleep long ago!

Gu Jiangli thought to herself, but her eyes gradually filled with tears, which were about to fall.

With a choked voice, she said, "Your Majesty, I am not cold. I just saw that the moon was very beautiful tonight, which reminded me of the first night I entered the palace. The moon was just as beautiful then, and I was so engrossed in it that I forgot the time. I did not mean to be cold here."

Xiao Dingyuan fell silent after hearing her words.

Gu Jiangli is only nineteen years old this year. She has been in the palace for two and a half years, but she has been confined to Yilan Palace for two of those years.

Looking around, this place hardly resembles a palace or harem.

Weeds grew everywhere, and there were some spider webs in the cracks of the door.

You can see the empty inner room through the threshold at a glance. Apart from a dining table and a dilapidated bed, there is nothing else.

She was once the apple of General Hu Ben's eye, but now she's ended up like this...

Xiao Dingyuan felt a pang of heartache, and his gaze towards Gu Jiangli was filled with a hint of guilt.

Even her voice softened considerably: "You... have suffered."

Gu Jiangli felt secretly pleased.

Knowing remorse is the best cosmetic procedure a man can undergo!

"No, no, I am not suffering. This is all what I deserve."

"If what I did had happened to someone else, Your Majesty would probably have already taken that person's life."

"But Your Majesty has not treated me in this way. I will never forget Your Majesty's great kindness. How could I complain about not living a good life?"

His sensible demeanor made Xiao Dingyuan feel even more sorry for him.

"It's good that you think that way."

After saying that, he made another decision.

Since Gu Jiangli has become so sensible, there's no point in making things difficult for her anymore.

"Wen Deqing, send someone to renovate Yilan Palace tomorrow. It's overgrown with weeds, and there's nowhere to stand."

Wen Deqing immediately replied from behind him, "Yes, this servant will take care of it right away."

Gu Jiangli adopted a look of being deeply grateful for the emperor's favor, saying, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."

Xiao Dingyuan's warm, large hand supported her, unwilling for her to kneel again.

This action made Gu Jiangli secretly think, "Good."

It seems that tonight is a good opportunity to take down Xiao Dingyuan!

However, to keep him, we must first get rid of that Taoist priest of unknown origin.

The Taoist priest's gaze made her very uncomfortable; she felt as if he was about to drool over her at any moment.

"Your Majesty, I wonder what important matter brings you here tonight with that Taoist priest? I just heard the Taoist priest point at me and say something about a 'heavenly calamity'?"