In a secluded corner of Zhilan Palace, a dog hole about ten centimeters wide stood in the corner of the wall. A snow-white puppy sat in front of it, its round eyes staring at the dog hole. The expression on its face seemed a little conflicted, which was inexplicably funny.

In my mind, I could see two little figures, one black and one white, fighting. The white one said, "I am the ruler of a nation; how can I do something as uncivilized as crawling through a dog hole? If word gets out, I'll be a laughingstock."

The little black man said, 'Now I'm a dog, so what if I crawl through a dog hole? Nobody knows I'm the emperor.'

The two little figures were fighting fiercely in his mind, and Situ Yuan's expression became increasingly complicated and ferocious.

"Oh dear, Little White, why did you run off again?" A pair of hands suddenly reached out and grabbed the puppy's soft belly, lifting it into the air. Situ Yuan's face showed an expression of anger and helplessness.

"Little White, the Empress treats you so well, why do you always run off?" Xue Li stroked the little white dog's head and began her daily nagging again. Situ Yuan was tired of hearing it, but he couldn't do anything about it, so he could only silently lie down and pretend he was deaf.

"Speaking of which, His Majesty hasn't shown his face for almost a month. The Empress said that today I must go to the Golden Dragon Hall to request an audience with His Majesty." Xue Li suddenly blurted out these words, causing Situ Yuan to immediately prick up his ears and listen attentively.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that his body hadn't been taken over by the dog; otherwise, where would his lifelong reputation be? He was determined to go to the Golden Dragon Palace to check on the situation.

"Woof woof woof—" the puppy barked excitedly, its round head constantly stretching in one direction. Sherry instantly understood what it meant and found it somewhat amusing.

"Xiao Bai, are you going to see the Empress like this?" Xue Li was originally an ordinary palace maid. She was able to settle down in Zhi Lan Palace because Wu You valued her. Therefore, she cared a lot about Wu You's affairs.

Situ Yuan was struggling so hard that Xue Li could barely hold him. She thought that Wu You would go to the Golden Dragon Palace to pay his respects in half an hour, so it wouldn't hurt to take Xiao Bai with her now.

"I can take you there, but you must not get close to the Empress, or she will feel unwell," Shirley couldn't help but warn, even though she knew the little dog might not understand.

Situ Yuan couldn't help but roll his eyes. He'd only just learned that Consort Rou was allergic to dog hair; she was truly delicate. Fine, if she didn't want to get close, she didn't want to. He wasn't even targeting her anyway.

With the Emperor absent for so long, unease inevitably arose in the harem and the court. The concubines discussed seeking an audience with him, for only by seeing his face could they feel at ease. Wuyou, being the most noble concubine besides Mu Yanran, was naturally among those encouraged.

Today, Wuyou was dressed in a light blue palace dress, with a white veil in her hand, and walked with elegant and composed steps. She ran into Situ Yuan right in front of her.

Seeing Wuyou dressed as if she were about to go out, Situ Yuan's eyes lit up. Firstly, he had arrived just in time, and secondly, Wuyou's outfit today was truly stunning. It wasn't the kind of dazzling brilliance that Mu Yanran possessed, but rather a gentle and graceful quality.

Sometimes, when Situ Yuan was tired, he would come to Consort Rou's palace to relax, which was one of the reasons why Consort Rou was favored. Today, however, Consort Rou gave people a refreshing feeling, and her gentle and warm temperament was even more obvious.

Unfortunately, she is the daughter of the Bai family.

"No need for formalities." Wuyou waved her hand casually. "I need to go to the Golden Dragon Palace to request an audience. You may leave now."

Wuyou walked hurriedly, looking quite anxious. Upon hearing this, Situ Yuan panicked, leaping out of Xue Li's arms with all four paws and rushing towards Wuyou.

"Your Majesty—" Lian Qiao and the others panicked, as their lady's allergy to dog hair was extremely severe.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Situ Yuan had already grabbed Wuyou's skirt, determined not to give up, while Wuyou's face turned red at a visible speed.

"Ahem..." Wuyou covered her mouth with her hand and coughed lightly, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes. "Don't blame Xiaobai. Go back and tell the ladies that I'm afraid I can't go with them."

"Your Majesty—quickly summon the imperial physician, quickly summon the imperial physician—" Zhilan Palace instantly descended into chaos, with people carrying people away and calling for the imperial physician, while Situ Yuan was ignored.

Fearing he would be trampled to death, Situ Yuan immediately hid in a corner. Looking at the chaotic scene, Situ Yuan was somewhat disdainful. The people under Consort Rou were far too flustered and truly did not understand the rules.

Oh, right, this is a perfect opportunity to visit the Golden Dragon Palace.

In the beautiful Imperial Garden, a group of concubines were heading towards the Golden Dragon Hall. Emperor Situ Yuan was not a man who cared much about women, and it was normal for him not to appear in the harem every day. However, it was very strange for him to be absent from the court for several days. It was bound to cause a stir in the harem, and they couldn't help but go to the Golden Dragon Hall in groups to check things out.

At this moment, a concubine suddenly let out a terrifying scream, staggering backward and knocking down a group of palace maids and servants behind her, like dominoes falling down in an instant.

The scene instantly descended into chaos as a snow-white ball of fluff ran headlong past the crowd.

"Ah! Quickly, catch that damned dog for me!" Consort Li, dressed in a rose-red palace gown, screamed in fright. She had been startled by something under her feet, but it turned out to be a damned dog. She was determined to make it pay.

The Imperial Garden instantly descended into chaos. Palace servants attacked the snow-white puppy with tools. Although Situ Yuan was agile and resourceful, he inevitably took a few hits, and his snow-white fur became stained with blood and dust.

Consort Li, having been helped to her feet by the palace servants, looked at the dust on her skirt with a face full of anger. Her small, snow-white mouth commanded, "You all beat him hard for me, beat him to death."

Consort Li, a legitimate princess of Qin, bore the heavy responsibility of maintaining peace between the two nations. Her noble status placed her in a three-way power struggle with Mu Yanran within the harem. Hearing Consort Li's words, the palace servants intensified their efforts, determined to capture Situ Yuan.

Woof woof woof—Situ Yuan darted east and west, his white fur covered in leaves and dust, with streaks of blood mixed in. He was filled with both anger and helplessness.

Unexpectedly, the charming and lovely Consort Li in front of him was actually so vicious and cruel behind his back, not even sparing a poor little animal.

At that moment, a thought vaguely flashed through Situ Yuan's mind: Did all the women in the harem have another face behind his back? One face to his face and another behind his back?

"Her Imperial Concubine has arrived!"