In the afternoon, Guan Zhiyue waited in the courtyard, but instead of Li Qishang, she was greeted by Consort Xian, one of Li Qiji's four wives.

"The Virtuous Consort has arrived."

The eunuch announcing the arrival at the door disturbed Guan Zhiyue, who was lightly asleep in the corridor, causing her to frown in displeasure.

"Sister He, what brings you to my cold palace today?" Guan Zhiyue asked, looking at He Jiao, also known as Consort Xian, who walked in with a happy expression.

"Your sister greets Her Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed!"

Guan Zhiyue looked at the little girl who was squatting in front of her and bowing, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, get up now!"

"Come and sit down, what brings you to my cold palace today?"

He Jiao, looking quite unceremonious, excitedly sat down next to Guan Zhiyue and said with a grin, "Sister, don't be angry, I really wanted to come see you, but unfortunately..."

As He Jiao spoke, she glanced at the old nanny beside her. Guan Zhiyue also turned her head to look over and saw that the nanny next to He Jiao was looking down, seemingly lost in thought.

Guan Zhiyue didn't bother to pay attention to it, and simply changed the subject, saying, "The weather has been terribly cold lately, you should wear more clothes."

"Hehe, thanks for your concern, sister."

"Oh, it's so comfortable here, sister! There aren't so many rules and regulations to restrict us. It's like paradise on earth!"

Guan Zhiyue laughed and teased, "You little brat, do you even know what paradise on earth is?"

He Jiao quickly grabbed Guan Zhiyue's hand and said, "Little sister knows everything, but she still envies big sister."

"Oh? What makes you say that? My sister actually envies my life in the cold palace. Perhaps you also want to come here..."

Upon hearing this, He Jiao widened her eyes and said with a grin, "No, I don't want to, and you're not allowed to think about it either, sister."

Guan Zhiyue nodded knowingly and said, "Oh, how should I put it?"

He Jiao smiled, gently picked up a cup of tea from the table, and drank it down. Her eyes immediately lit up.

"Sister, the water here is so sweet!"

Guan Zhiyue smiled and poured her another glass, which He Jiao picked up without any hesitation and drank in large gulps.

"Sister, the water here is so delicious!"

"Then when my sister leaves later, should I take a pot with me?" Guan Zhiyue said with a smile.

He Jiao's eyes widened, and she turned her head to look at Guan Zhiyue, nodding sharply. But then she seemed to remember something.

"I heard that my sister went home to visit her family a few days ago and stayed for more than ten days. She is so lucky."

Guan Zhiyue sensed He Jiao's disappointment and looked at her with some confusion, as if to say, "Can't you go back too?"

"Sister, we can only stay at home for a short while, we can't stay overnight."

"Oh, I see!"

Guan Zhiyue seemed to remember something and changed the subject: "Have your family members ever come to the palace to visit you?"

"That's true. When I'm not busy in the palace, I'll send a letter to my mother, asking her to come and see me."

"Then you are truly blessed."

He Jiao didn't understand why Guan Zhiyue would say that, and quickly looked at her with an incredulous expression, saying, "What do you mean by that, sister? Don't you have any of your own family members to come to the palace to keep you company? You could at least chat with me, right?"

Guan Zhiyue shook her head with a wry smile, looking at He Jiao's bewildered expression, and felt that this girl was becoming more and more adorable.

"Now that I'm confined to the cold palace, how can I invite my family to visit me? Besides, my grandmother is an elderly woman, and she's had a long and arduous journey..."

He Jiao sensed Guan Zhiyue's desolation, but she took a deep breath, mustered her spirits, and quietly whispered in Guan Zhiyue's ear, "Good sister, don't worry about it. I have a good idea to tell you."

Guan Zhiyue looked at He Jiao with some curiosity.

“I’m going to try to attract the Emperor’s attention. We’ve been in the palace for so long and haven’t even seen the Emperor yet. Isn’t that embarrassing? My father said the Emperor is exceptionally handsome and very good-looking, so I want to go and see him.”

"However, as you know, elder sister, the emperor treats us like decorations. He never asks us to serve him in bed or anything like that. It's really difficult. Even the ministers in the court have come to see the emperor and asked him to have more children, but they have all been refused."

As Guan Zhiyue listened to He Jiao talk about that scoundrel, her thoughts drifted back to that night. Was the man she wanted to strangle really the god these women were talking about?

Is he really as aloof from women as the rumors suggest? But why did he sleep in the same bed with me that night? And why was he in her room, acting so aggressively, like a husband catching his wife cheating?

He Jiao noticed Guan Zhiyue's brows, which sometimes relaxed and sometimes furrowed, and was puzzled. She gently nudged Guan Zhiyue, who was lost in thought.

"Sister, what are you thinking about? Are you even listening to me?"

Guan Zhiyue snapped out of her daze and looked at He Jiao, saying, "Um, ah, what's wrong? Where were you?"

He Jiao looked at Guan Zhiyue, who was in a daze, and looked at her curiously. It seemed that Guan Zhiyue had been distracted when He Jiao mentioned the Emperor. Could it be that the Empress had already met the Emperor?

"Sister, are you perhaps hiding something from your younger sister?"

Guan Zhiyue turned her head to look at He Jiao, who was looking at her with a curious expression. She blinked her big eyes incessantly, looking quite innocent.

What do you mean?

"Sister, have you seen the Emperor?"

Guan Zhiyue rolled her eyes, picked up a glass of water from the table, and said something without even looking at He Jiao.

"No, wait for you to go and check it out, then come back and tell me."

Upon hearing this, He Jiao was extremely excited. She happily took Guan Zhiyue's hand and whispered her grand plan into her ear.

"So, are you sure you can see the Emperor this way?"

"That's right, my sister has inquired and found out that the Emperor goes to the Flowing Wine Pool to bathe every night."

Guan Zhiyue felt a sense of familiarity upon hearing the name, but couldn't quite place it. She then cautioned, "You must be careful. This emperor is not someone we can afford to offend."

He Jiao patted her chest and assured him, "Don't worry, little sister will definitely see the Emperor as soon as possible, so I can have a baby and then I can eat and drink for free in the palace. Just imagine, I won't have to manage the household affairs and I'll have so many people serving me. Oh my, it's just too great."

Guan Zhiyue looked at He Jiao, who was so excited, and gently tugged at He Jiao, who was in a state of daydreaming.

"He Jiao, tell me honestly, are you sure you came up with this method yourself?"

He Jiao raised her head proudly and gave Guan Zhiyue a raised eyebrow, indicating that it was indeed her masterpiece.

Guan Zhiyue smacked her lips, indicating that she should pray for good luck and go ahead with her seduction plan!

"Well then, good luck, sister!"

He Jiao proudly raised her chin and said happily, "Haha, I will definitely succeed."

Guan Zhiyue looked at He Jiao, who seemed somewhat dazed, swallowed hard, and raised her right fist in a gesture of encouragement.

Having finished her business and noticing it was getting late, He Jiao happily led her servants back to the palace to make preparations. Tonight, she was going to do something very important...