"My lord, you are wise! We servants would never dare to have any thoughts of betraying you. We will be loyal to you for life!" Qiuju quickly pulled Chunlan, who hadn't yet reacted, to kneel down. Qiuju knew that her master was giving them a warning, so she quickly pledged her loyalty.

"What are you doing, Your Highness? Why scare them? Qiu Ju and Chun Lan, get up. I was just saying it casually." Yin Qingyi glared at Yinzhen as she looked at Qiu Ju and Chun Lan, who had knelt down without a word.

"Yes, get up." Yinzhen didn't say much more. As for the little woman's threats? He never threatened anyone; he was just warning these people not to have any disloyal intentions!

Qiuju and Chunlan stood up. Even Chunlan, whose mind wasn't very bright, understood why Yinzhen had said that. However, they felt no fear. After all, they both knew one thing: as long as they didn't betray their master, they could live a good life! The word "betrayal" had never crossed their minds. It hadn't before, it wouldn't now, and it certainly wouldn't in the future!

Yin Qingyi understood why Yinzhen acted this way, but she had absolute trust in Qiuju and Chunlan. It wasn't because she believed they wouldn't betray her—relying on feelings was too unreliable, as people's hearts are fickle. Yin Qingyi's trust stemmed from a small spell she learned from Xiao Hua three days prior. This spell was similar to a loyalty charm; once cast, the person would never betray the spellcaster. The first people Yin Qingyi cast it on were Qiuju and Chunlan, as they had been with her the longest, and she couldn't bear the thought of them betraying her. As for Granny Qi, Yin Qingyi didn't cast the spell. Perhaps it was because she genuinely felt Granny Qi was someone who wouldn't betray her without needing restraint. Granny Qi had no family; her only close relative was Yinzhen. However, Yin Qingyi felt that in Granny Qi's heart, her position was already equal to Yinzhen's.

Afterwards, Yin Qingyi also cast the spell on Xiao Jinzi, but she didn't cast it on Mingyue and Feng Qing. If these two were on her side, the man beside her would become suspicious.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you. I'll be finishing my writing in a few days, and then it'll be the New Year. You're a secondary consort, and you'll be entering the palace this year too. Just keep quiet and do as little as possible. If the primary consort wants to do something, just bear with it. But I don't think she'll make things difficult for you." This was the main reason Yinzhen came to Luoxue Pavilion—to remind this young woman about entering the palace.

"Going to the palace? Can't I not go? Your Highness, you can just ask for a sick leave for me." Yin Qingyi really didn't want to go to the palace. The palace was much more dangerous than this mansion. One wrong move and it could cost her her head.

"This is your first year as a concubine. It won't be good for you if you don't go. Be good and go this year, and don't go next year, okay?" Yinzhen didn't want this little woman to go either, but this was her first year as a concubine. Going would show her status and make her stand out among the other imperial relatives and nobles.

"...Sigh~" Yin Qingyi knew that entering the palace would be beneficial to her, but overall, the benefits wouldn't be very useful to her. She really didn't want to go, but seeing how Yinzhen was thinking of her, Yin Qingyi sighed and thought, "Fine, I'll go. Once I'm in the palace, I'll be a block of wood!"

"...You, who doesn't want to enter the palace? But you, is that palace some kind of dragon's den or tiger's lair? Why are you so afraid?" Yinzhen was amused by Yin Qingyi's behavior. Everyone was vying to enter the palace, but this little woman just didn't follow the usual path. She didn't like what others liked. Well, there were things this little woman did like, such as money.

"It's not that I'm scared, it's just that there are too many rules in the palace. I have to kneel all the time, and I'm not used to it." To be honest, Yin Qingyi wasn't really scared. She mainly disliked the many rules in the palace and the many nobles. She had to bow to everyone she met, and kneel to the emperor. Whether the emperor knelt or not, she would still kneel. It would be strange if she liked entering the palace.

"I can't make you come to the palace every day. How about I make you suffer for a few days?" What could Yinzhen do? He had to pamper the one he doted on. What else could he do?

"Does Your Highness have any reward for me?" Yin Qingyi pressed her advantage, since Yinzhen felt she was being wronged, she might as well take the opportunity to write down some benefits.

"Heh, alright then, tell me what you want?" Yinzhen smiled indulgently. He didn't mind Yin Qingyi pushing her luck; he only cared that she ignored him, didn't care that he didn't need her. It wasn't that he couldn't sense that this little woman had a secret—a very secret he couldn't quite grasp. But he knew, to some extent, that this little woman was different now. It was as if before she could only depend on him for survival, but now she could leave him at any time and live a very happy life on her own. Therefore, he now only wanted to give this little woman everything she wanted, as long as she could stay by his side.

"Hmm~ Then Your Highness can look around and see if there are any unique peach groves. I want to take a look. I didn't get to see the last peach grove much, which is a real pity." After these past few months of cultivation, Yin Qingyi felt that she had reached a bottleneck and couldn't break through it no matter what she did. She was thinking about whether she should try to find another peach grove, but she couldn't contact the outside world from the backyard, let alone find a rare peach grove. But it was different for Yinzhen. His status and connections were there. If he wanted to find one, it was only a matter of time.

Why didn't she approach Yin Hengyi? Well, it's because Yin Qingyi didn't know her brother was also a very capable person. Otherwise, she would have approached him long ago. Why wait for Yinzhen to find one for her? No man is as reliable as her brother.

"A peach grove? Hmm, I'll see if I can find one. After all, these rare peach groves aren't everywhere; encountering one is already quite unusual." The words "peach grove" seemed to have struck a nerve with Yinzhen. Although his expression remained unchanged, he still felt lingering fear about what had happened when he took this young woman to the peach grove. Most importantly, this young woman's change began from that moment, and now she wanted him to find another peach grove. Yinzhen couldn't help but overthink it.

"Yes, Your Highness, you must take me to see it when you find it. You know I really like peach blossoms." Yin Qingyi's eyesight was now incredibly sharp. Of course, she could see the doubt in Yinzhen's eyes and knew that he was suspicious. However, Yin Qingyi did not panic. No matter how suspicious Yinzhen was, he would never imagine the effect of this peach grove on her.