The Empress Dowager smiled and let Yue Qingyin come closer, saying with a smile, "It has been many days since I last saw you come to pay your respects, and you look much thinner today."

Yue Qingyin hurriedly said, "It is my fault for being so disrespectful. Some time ago, I said something wrong. Her Majesty the Empress ordered me to copy the palace rules in the palace to reflect on my mistakes. Therefore, I could not come to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Please forgive me, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager nodded, her smile fading slightly. "You're new here, and the Empress is your sister, yet she's been rather harsh on you."

"Your Majesty, I dare not complain about my sister. Besides, with Your Majesty's love, I do not feel wronged."

These words were spoken extremely eloquently. While saying that she did not complain, she also said that she was not wronged because she was loved by the Empress Dowager. In a subtle way, she made people feel dissatisfied with the Empress. She was indeed a teachable person.

The Empress Dowager was extremely satisfied. She raised her hand slightly and said, "Sit down and have a meal with me. I'm getting old, and I like to have young, fresh girls like you, who are like flowers, with me so that I can eat a few more bites."

Immediately, a palace maid added an extra set of chopsticks and a bowl. Yue Qingyin dared not sit down, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty's kindness is too much for me to do. If Your Majesty will not mind, may I serve you the dishes?"

The Empress Dowager nodded almost imperceptibly and smiled, "I have Yun Nianbu Cao, so I don't need you. If you really want to serve someone, you should serve His Majesty. He is the one you should serve for the rest of your life."

Yue Qingyin immediately smiled, her voice soft and gentle as if mixed with honey: "Your Majesty, I will obey your decree."

Jun Zhe listened quietly to their conversation, and when he saw Yue Qingyin reach out with her chopsticks to pick up some food, he just felt disgusted.

He put down his chopsticks and asked, "What's your name?"

"Your Majesty, I am Yue Qingyin!" Yue Qingyin's tone was tinged with shyness, truly like that of a young girl experiencing her first love.

"Oh!" Jun Zhe let out a long "oh." "So you are the Empress's sister, the second young lady of the Qinyang Prince's Mansion?"

"Exactly!"

Jun Zhe remained silent for a long while. "You just said the Empress punished you, what happened? What did you do wrong?"

Yue Qingyin felt a lump in her throat, as if something was blocking it.

She could tell from Jun Zhe's tone that he was definitely not showing favoritism towards her.

But even then, she still smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it was a palace maid in my palace, personally trained by the Empress Dowager. I said that a palace maid trained by the Empress Dowager would certainly not steal. The Empress thought I shouldn't have mentioned the Empress Dowager, so she punished me."

Jun Zhe felt anger rising in his heart.

He could tell that Yue Qingyin was being evasive and trying to cover up her grievances, and that she was downplaying the seriousness of the matter by criticizing the Empress.

He didn't know why, but he felt a surge of anger and said firmly, "The Empress has always been lenient and never punishes the innocent. I will investigate whether what you said is true or not. Even if the Empress has reprimanded you, you should reflect on whether you have made any mistakes. Now, you are taking advantage of the Empress Dowager's favor to go to the Empress Dowager's palace and stir up trouble. Do you want the Empress Dowager and the Empress to be at odds?"

Yue Qingyin was shocked; she never expected things to turn out this way.

She hurriedly knelt down. "Your Majesty, I am innocent. I dare not do this. I have been reflecting on my mistakes in seclusion for the past few days. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth."

Jun Zhe opened his mouth as if to say something, but the Empress Dowager slammed her hand heavily on the table.

"Your Majesty, that's enough! Are you so protective of the Empress that you won't even listen to me? I'm telling you, the Empress is in the wrong. Do you believe me or not?"