Qinghe watched as the smile on Azi's face slowly disappeared, and her current expression was truly unfathomable. She cautiously asked, "Master? Are you alright?"
Azi gently shook her head: "It's alright, don't worry, let's take another look ahead."
She continued walking forward until she reached the entrance of the main hall. With nothing blocking her view, she stood on the high steps, watching the scene below.
Those below were unaware of her arrival. The concubines and palace servants dared not look up. Emperor Jingcheng had his back to her, so no one noticed her for a moment.
Consort Shu lay prostrate on the ground, pleading for Consort Xian with tears streaming down her face: "Your Majesty, Consort Mu has been in the palace for many years. Even if she has no merits, she has worked hard. Your Majesty, please spare her life!"
The concubines echoed, "Yes, Your Majesty! Please, Your Majesty, have mercy!"
Consort Shu lowered her head and sobbed, gently wiping away imaginary tears with her handkerchief: "Your Majesty, this palace is lonely. Although Consort Mu is a bit reckless, she has brought a lot of joy to the other concubines. She is kind by nature. I beg Your Majesty to show her special mercy!"
Listening to Consort Shu's sincere words, if the other concubines didn't know the purpose of their trip and Consort Shu's true nature, they would probably really think that she and Mu Wanyu were sisters!
Emperor Jingcheng kept his distance from the beautiful women before him, coldly glancing at them: "I don't know yet who colluded with her to break into my palace, but you'd better watch yourselves, or you'll suffer the same fate as Consort Mu."
"Your Majesty!" Consort Shu exclaimed in surprise, not expecting the emperor to say such a thing, and looked up to look at him.
Unexpectedly, she met Azi's gaze. Startled, she opened her mouth, swallowing the rest of her words.
Consort Shu stared wide-eyed at the woman before her. Her light purple palace dress accentuated her allure, and her figure was exquisite. Her long, black hair simply cascaded down her chest, and her pure and beautiful face was radiant. Her large, clear eyes were as still as water, devoid of much emotion.
However, Consort Shu swore that she had never seen such a beautiful and refined woman, who also possessed a unique exotic charm that surpassed the entire harem.
No wonder the Emperor likes her so much; if she were a man, he would like her just as much.
But now she is destined to be his enemy.
When Di Jingcheng saw that she suddenly stopped talking, he glanced at her and saw that she was staring behind him. He felt a chill run down his spine and sensed that something was wrong. He turned around abruptly.
When Di Jingcheng saw the little girl standing behind him, his pupils contracted sharply, and he felt a pang of panic. Why was Azi here? What had she heard? Would she be saddened and heartbroken to see these women?
Di Jingcheng rushed to her side, looking at her staring blankly down below, his heart filled with heartache.
He took the cloak from Qinghe's hand, wrapped it around the little girl, and held her in his arms.
Hearing the emperor's exclamation, the concubines below instinctively raised their eyes to peek, all utterly astonished. Like Consort Tong, they were stunned by the girl's beauty, and also by the emperor's tender affection.
Amidst the surprised, envious, and jealous gazes of the crowd, Di Jingcheng paid no heed to them, his attitude changing drastically.
"Baby, you're awake? Are you bored? Shall I take you for a walk?"
With his back to everyone, Emperor Jingcheng lowered his head and kissed her forehead. His imposing figure obscured the petite girl, and the concubines could only see her exquisite embroidered shoes and the hem of her dress.
Azi snapped out of her daze and leaned against him, feeling somewhat melancholy. She really didn't know what to do. Why were there so many women? Was all of this because of her?
Di Jingcheng noticed her dejected mood and immediately picked her up and carried her to the bedchamber.
Zheng He asked Zheng San to stay behind, and he and Qinghe quickly followed.
When everyone saw the emperor personally carrying the girl of unknown identity away, they were blinded by jealousy and wished that the person in the emperor's arms was themselves.
Their expressions were already quite unpleasant, their faces bruised and purple, their hands twisted together, and the handkerchiefs in their hands had lost their original smoothness.
After regaining her composure, Consort Shu stopped crying now that the Emperor had left. She pretended to wipe away her tears and spoke gently, "Eunuch Zheng, what does the Emperor mean..."
"Your Highness, I cannot presume to know His Majesty's meaning, but since His Majesty has not given any orders, I will have to trouble you ladies." Zheng San shook his head helplessly, implying that without the Emperor's permission, they could only kneel here.
The concubines were quite resentful about this, but dared not say anything. They could only look resentfully at Consort Shu and the unconscious Consort Xian in front of them, feeling extremely unlucky.
They could only kneel in the courtyard of Qianyuan Hall, exposed to the cold wind. Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven, but as evening fell, snow began to drift down from the sky.
After Mu Wanyu fell into a coma, two consciousnesses fought for ownership of her body. Mu Wanyu, who was rejected by the emperor, was already in a state of madness, tearing at the clothes and hair of the strange soul (who had transmigrated). The other one was not to be outdone, and the two fought fiercely in the dark space, completely forgetting the current situation.
Mu Wanyu (ancient time) was a pampered young lady, and she was no match for the other woman. She was defeated in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and she fell to the ground in a sorry state, looking at the woman in front of her who looked exactly like her with hatred in her eyes: "Who are you!"
Another woman, also named Mu Wanyu (a time traveler), straightened her disheveled clothes, ran her fingers through her tangled long hair, and rolled her eyes: "I am Mu Wanyu."
Mu Wanyu (ancient version) on the ground stared wide-eyed at the woman before her, her eyes filled with disbelief. She raised a trembling arm to accuse her, her emotions on the verge of collapse.
"You're talking nonsense! I am Mu Wanyu, and this body is mine. I am the daughter of a Grand Secretary of the Western Jing Dynasty, and the current Emperor's Consort. You imposter! How dare you impersonate me!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Wanyu (the transmigrator), who was standing, felt somewhat guilty. She had originally thought that the original owner of this body had died in the lotus pond accident, and there had been no abnormalities before. She never expected that the two souls would meet directly this time, and even coexist in one body.
She blinked and said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to impersonate you. I just don't know why I entered your body, and we have the same name and look the same, could it be... that we are the same person?"
Mu Wanyu (ancient) on the ground snorted coldly: "What a joke! You, a wandering ghost, think you can possess my body? That's wishful thinking! Get out of here!"
She calmed down a bit, though she was still agitated, she regained her composure.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and said sarcastically, "You wicked woman, what have you done to make the Emperor despise me!" Mu Wanyu (ancient) turned her head and stared intently at Mu Wanyu (time travel) standing there, wishing she could skin her alive, but she didn't have the ability to do so at the moment.
When Mu Wanyu (the transmigrator) met her gaze, she shifted her feet uncomfortably. She remembered that when she first arrived, she had actually fallen for the emperor, which led to her being demoted, and now she was in dire straits. She felt a wave of regret and shame.
She stammered, "Um... um, how would I know? As soon as I woke up, the Emperor never gave me a kind look, and I was framed by the concubines in the harem quite a few times." She had no way to explain her predicament.
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