Wan Ge sat down gracefully, took the teacup handed to her by a palace maid, then looked up at Consort Ling in front of her and said calmly, "Why are you looking at me like that, little sister?"

Ling Meiren knelt down on the ground: "Today, I offended you unintentionally, and I hope you can forgive me."

Wan Ge put the tea aside and then answered him, "Since you said it was unintentional, why should I hold it against you?"

Ling Meiren was stunned for a moment, then looked up in disbelief: "What do you mean, sister? You're not going to hold it against me?"

"What? You still want me to hold a grudge against you?"

"Of course not!" Ling replied, then wondered if she had answered too quickly.

Wan Ge didn't seem to care about that, and simply asked her, "How did you come to that conclusion?"

Wan Ge thought the other party would need a long time.

As a result, the other party came knocking on the door in less than a day, which was something Wange really didn't expect.

Consort Ling replied, "I had already disregarded life and death when I decided to enter the palace. I would do anything for my aunt. But Your Majesty is right. Even if I die, they will never be good to my aunt."

Therefore, I have come to apologize to Your Majesty. You may do whatever you wish, but could you please protect my concubine? I can do anything for Your Majesty.”

Wan Ge glanced at her again indifferently: "What can you do for me?"

Lady Ling replied, "The Ling family has long harbored rebellious intentions. If Your Majesty is willing to cooperate with me, I will definitely be able to help Your Majesty find evidence of your crimes."

Wan Ge put the teacup aside, her tone becoming much more serious: "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Your Majesty, I know!" Consort Ling's eyes were particularly firm; at this moment, she seemed to have truly found her purpose.

"Alright, I'll give you that chance." Unexpectedly, there was a surprise. Of course, Wan Ge knew that Ling Qingxiao had ulterior motives, but at the moment, no one had any evidence.

If Ling Meiren can really help him obtain the evidence, then the male and female protagonists' plan may fall through.

After saying that, Wan Ge looked at her again and asked, "Do you know how serious the crime of attempting to imitate is? Will you really help me?"

"I know, so I only beg Your Majesty to save my mother." At this moment, she no longer wanted to call her mother "aunt"; she was her mother and always would be.

"I heard that the matriarch of the Ling family treated you quite well, yet you've abandoned her?"

Ling Meiren gave a self-deprecating laugh: "If Grandmother Tang Ruozhen really cared about my mother and me, how could my mother and I be struggling in the mansion? And why would she persuade me to enter the palace? Apart from the Empress, how many people in the palace now aren't pawns?"

The concubines in this harem are either pawns or discarded pawns.

At first, she thought that by competing for the emperor's favor, she might be able to use the emperor's power to protect her concubine. However, she found that apart from the empress, the emperor was unwilling to see any other concubines. Moreover, he was heavily guarded, and she had no chance to get close to him.

In the end, she had no choice but to abandon her original idea and take things one step at a time in the palace. As for what tomorrow would bring, that was up to fate.

As it turns out, blindly listening to the Ling family would eventually lead to her utter ruin, but thankfully she pulled back from the brink in time.

Wan Ge assured the other party, "Don't worry, I will have someone protect your aunt. As for what you mentioned... I hope to get it as soon as possible."

"Also, don't try to pull any tricks. The Ling family isn't something you can just protect as you please."

Ling Meiren immediately replied, "Yes, I will definitely get it as soon as possible."

…

After the other party left, Wan Ge asked someone to inquire about Xie Wenjun's schedule for the day.

Not long after she asked the question, Xie Wenjun appeared in front of her.

Before Wan Ge could even speak, the other person cupped her cheeks and kissed her. The other palace maids and eunuchs, seeing this, all sensibly left.

Wan Ge could sense that he seemed very unhappy; his emotions had indeed been affected by someone.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is hard to say.

Wan Ge let the other person kiss her, allowing them to vent their emotions. Once the other person had calmed down a bit, Wan Ge finally spoke: "Did something unpleasant happen during your meeting with the envoy today?"

Xie Wenjun paused slightly, then hugged her tightly and replied, "No."

Wan Ge frowned subconsciously. The other party denied it too quickly, which only confirmed the truth. She remembered what Ling Meiren had said.

She said the princess from the neighboring country was the person Xie Wenjun liked. Although Wan Ge knew that what the other party said was not true, the person stirring up Xie Wenjun's emotions might very well be the princess from the neighboring country.

However, this doesn't seem like affection. On the contrary, it feels like Xie Wenjun would like to stab the other person in the back. How could someone like this be someone he likes?

Wan Ge knew the other party was unwilling to talk about it, so she didn't ask any further questions.

…

However, on the third day after the envoy arrived in the capital, Wan Ge still witnessed some things.

It's unclear what the neighboring princess said, but Xie Wenjun suddenly grabbed her by the neck. Seeing this, the eunuchs nearby quickly urged Xie Wenjun to let go.

After all, the other party is a princess who came to marry into a foreign land. If she were to die now, and at His Majesty's hands, it would certainly cause trouble.

Seeing how much His Majesty wanted to kill her, she didn't know what had happened between them, or why His Majesty hated her so much.

The eunuch stood by and tried to persuade her for a long time. As Princess Ningguo's struggles gradually weakened and her face turned pale, it seemed that she would die at any moment. The eunuch was really anxious.

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