Consort Shu had not heard any rumors. She sat in the main seat of Yining Palace, took the tea handed to her by Caiyue, and slowly savored it.
A trembling palace maid was kneeling on the ground.
Consort Shu suddenly laughed out loud: "Look how scared you are. I don't eat people. If you don't know, you don't know. You can go back now, Xiaoyu."
The young palace maid on the ground trembled in terror upon hearing her laughter, her eyes blinking as tears nearly welled up. As soon as Consort Shu told her to leave, she scrambled away and disappeared from Yining Palace.
Caiyue looked at the leisurely-looking Consort Shu and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, are you just letting Xiaoyu go back like this?"
Consort Shu handed her the tea, then stood up and smoothed her robes. "What's the rush? She's still useful. It's normal that we never find anything in the main hall. If you spread the word about today, some people will get restless."
"This servant understands."
"Be more efficient and clean in your work."
"Your Majesty, please rest assured."
It is said that only a few people in the main hall knew about Ranla Azi's entry into the palace; the rest of the people were unaware of it. Moreover, the main hall was tight-lipped, so it was even more impossible for a palace maid like Xiaoyu, who was responsible for sweeping the backyard, to know.
More importantly, she didn't want to help Consort Shu anymore, but she couldn't get out of the situation, so she could only pretend to be confused.
Zhaoxia Hall
Consort Xian, reeking of alcohol, lay sprawled on the low table in the main hall, pouring wine into her mouth repeatedly. The clear liquid dripped from the corners of her lips, soaking her clothes.
No matter how Yilan tried to persuade her, she couldn't. After returning from outside the palace, Consort Xian had already drunk quite a bit of wine.
Last night, around midnight, Consort Xian was so drunk that she was unconscious. Yet, people still helped to get her to bed and rest, and only after tidying up the room did they go outside to keep watch.
Unexpectedly, Consort Xian woke up early and asked them for wine again.
Seeing her in pain, Yilan felt sorry for her and didn't dare to stop her. She could only stay by her side and watch over her. After drinking for a whole day, she really couldn't take it anymore.
Her face was full of anxiety: "Your Highness, you've been drinking all day. Be careful of your health, or His Majesty will be worried." As Yilan spoke, she stepped forward and tried to snatch the wine cup and wine pot from her hands, but Consort Xian just wouldn't let go.
In their struggle, the two stumbled and fell to the ground, dropping what they were holding and spilling wine everywhere. Ignoring her own discomfort, Yilan crawled towards the Consort Xian lying on the ground.
"Your Highness, are you alright? Is anything hurting?" She anxiously checked Consort Xian's body.
Unfortunately, Consort Xian could no longer understand what she was saying. Her hands were waving in the air, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing, and she kept calling out the name of Emperor Jingcheng.
Yilan felt that her empress had suffered too much. Before entering the palace, she was favored by the emperor, but after entering the palace, she was not favored. Finally, the empress was deposed, but the emperor just couldn't see her empress.
My lady has sacrificed so much for the Emperor, but he will never see her. This time, leaving the palace, I witnessed that heartbreaking scene... Alas...
Consort Xian kept fidgeting, so Yilan called someone in to feed her a hangover soup and cleaned her up before finally settling her on the bed.
Consort Xian continued waving her arms: "Wine, wine, bring me wine! Yilan!...Even you're bullying me, boohoo!"
Yilan felt terrible seeing her cry like a child.
She comforted Consort Xian for a while before getting up and instructing the maids beside her, "Take good care of Her Highness. If Her Highness feels unwell, please call the imperial physician immediately. I'm going out for a bit."
Several maids curtsied and said, "Don't worry, Sister Yilan."
Inside the Qian Yuan Palace, after finishing their lunch, Emperor Jingcheng and Azi took a nap together on the bed. Emperor Jingcheng never had the habit of taking a nap, but the little one in his arms was so sleepy after lunch that she could barely keep her eyes open, so she wanted him to take a nap too. He had no choice but to listen to his precious darling.
He lay on the bed, quietly watching the little girl sleeping soundly in his arms. Her little face was rosy, and her little mouth was slightly pouting, making her so adorable that one wanted to cherish her.
Azi's small hands gripped the man's shirt tightly, as if afraid he would leave.
Di Jingcheng couldn't help but recall his previous life, where the two of them had shared countless heartwarming moments, but in the end... He truly deserved to die, but since he had begged the Heavenly Dao to grant him a second chance at life, he would certainly not repeat the same mistakes.
He gently stroked her delicate face, lowered his head and kissed her tenderly, his affection filled with love and longing.
As if sensing the man's movements, Azi turned her face to one side in dissatisfaction and continued to sleep.
Di Jingcheng watched as she arched her little head and moved her little mouth, looking incredibly cute, which melted his heart.
So he leaned forward again, his tall body enveloping her petite frame in his arms, but he stopped causing trouble and just gazed at her intently.
The inner palace was filled with warmth, but Zheng San outside felt only annoyance. Yilan, the head maid of Consort Xian's palace, was kneeling at the palace gate, begging to see the emperor. She looked at him with tears in her eyes and pleaded with him. He felt both pity and annoyance.
The Emperor is not someone a servant can see whenever she wants, especially not one who's all crying and wailing. Isn't that just going to annoy the Emperor?
However, everyone was serving their master, and as a palace maid, she couldn't do anything about it. Zheng San felt that she was quite pitiful.
Zheng San kindly tried to persuade her, but Yilan stubbornly knelt there, only stopping her from making a fuss. So he ignored her, closed the palace gate, and went back inside to guard the outside.
The weather was already very cold, and the icy floor tiles sent chills down one's spine. Although Yilan was wearing a padded jacket, her lips turned purple from the cold, and her small face was stiff. The cold wind could not awaken any feeling in her.
Her teeth were chattering, and she had been kneeling for half an hour. Her knees must have been in terrible shape, but she was numb.
Her eyes were fixed stubbornly on the tightly closed vermilion palace gates, and she felt utterly desolate. Her mistress must have suffered a hundred times more than she had. Her suffering was nothing compared to the fact that she had to see the Emperor.
Di Jingcheng calculated the time; Azi had been asleep for an hour, and he felt that if she slept any longer, she wouldn't be able to sleep at night. He gently stroked the girl's back: "Azi, Azi, wake up! Wake up!"
Hearing the sound, the little girl in his arms turned over, wanting to continue sleeping. Di Jingcheng smiled helplessly and raised his voice slightly: "Azi, my baby, it's time to get up! Wake up! Let's go out for a walk. Didn't you clamor to see the palace at lunch? If you keep sleeping, it'll be dark!"
Di Jingcheng called her name patiently and gently, occasionally kissing her sandalwood lips to make sure he wouldn't frighten her.
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