At the same time, as the setting sun cast a blood-red glow, Meng Ruoyun was gazing intently at the sky inside the Luoxia Palace. She had been in the palace for three years, and for more than two of those years, she and His Majesty had been as loving as husband and wife.

She also thought she was his wife, but the slander and vying for his favor made him suspicious of her. Meng Ruoyun recalled that man's distrustful eyes, and at this moment, she could not hide the pain in her heart.

Fine, since he doesn't believe her and she's too lazy to explain, so what if she's banished to the cold palace?

She lived a clean and honest life.

Meng Ruoyun's personal maid returned with charcoal and told her about the day's events in the palace. She mentioned that the Sixteenth Princess had just gotten married yesterday, but today she had a fight with her husband's family. Madam Jin had specially invited a nanny from the Empress to discipline the princess.

After hearing this, Meng Ruoyun sighed. She roughly understood why the Sixteenth Princess was making a scene.

"Foolish woman." Meng Ruoyun shook her head, her gaze fixed on the setting sun in the sky: Young Master Jin admired her, but she was confined to the deep palace, falling in love with a heartless emperor.

She frowned again: "Having the opportunity to choose for herself and marry a good man like Young Master Jin is something many people can only dream of. Why is she so competitive?"

Turning to the palace maid, he said, "It's getting cold these past few days. I just finished sewing some winter clothes for my father. Why don't you take them to Young Master Jin first?"

She could never reciprocate his feelings in this lifetime, so all she could do was make him some clothes in return.

"Your Highness, isn't this inappropriate?" the palace maid said with some concern. "You are His Majesty's concubine, how can you give yourself to another man..."

"My relationship with Young Master Jin is purely platonic, why would I care about such things?" Meng Ruoyun frowned and looked at the palace maid with displeasure: "You are my personal maid, you should know that although Young Master Jin and I have some interactions, they are only gentlemanly friendships. Don't say such things to me again."

The palace maid wanted to say something, but seeing her expression, she could only nod and say, "Yes, Your Highness."

...

By the time they returned to the Jin residence from the palace, it was already late. Hongping jumped off the carriage and knocked on the carriage wall: "Princess, we've arrived at the gate of the Jin residence."

Bai Yan then reached out her hand, and Hong Ping helped her down from the carriage.

The coachman knocked on the door for quite some time before it slowly opened. It was already late at night, but the house was brightly lit inside, with a large crowd waiting.

At the front, Madam Jin stood in the courtyard with a cold face, next to a stern-faced old woman dressed in palace attire.