This summer, there was a severe drought in the Gyeonggi region.

At first, the streets were filled with starving people and bones were scattered all over the fields. Everyone fled, and countless people left their homes.

Qin Lixue was a Jinshi graduate. He served as county magistrate for one year and played an important role in drought relief.

Faced with the drought, he did not hesitate to order the granaries to be opened and grain to be released to relieve the people's urgent needs.

Later, they joined forces with officials and gentry to provide work-for-relief, and they managed to hold out for two months before the imperial court transported grain, and they even had enough energy to help neighboring counties.

There were also two vice ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and one doctor of the Ministry of Works, all of whom made political achievements that shocked the court and the public this year.

The emperor was very pleased. While rewarding them with gold and silver, he also held a banquet to honor them.

Some people felt that it was inappropriate, but people with discerning eyes smelled the smell of impending storm.

Behind these two assistant ministers stood the Liu and Lin families. Behind Qin Lixue stood many schools of thought that became new nobles through the imperial examination. The doctor of the Ministry of Works was a complete scholar from a poor family.

In other words, the emperor specially selected representatives of the three forces.

The emperor smiled and called out the names of several people one by one, inviting them to have a drink together.

When Qin Lixue's name was called, the emperor gently raised the wine glass in his hand to congratulate him on his marriage last month.

Qin Lixue humbly responded to the emperor with a carefully prepared birthday speech, which not only wished the emperor a long life, but also cleverly incorporated beautiful expectations for the country's future, which made the emperor very happy.

When the emperor's gaze shifted away, the smile on Qin Lixue's face disappeared quietly like smoke blown away by the wind.

His eyes casually swept across the concubines present, but he did not find the person he was worried about among them.

Qin Lixue heard that she had been in the palace for a year but had never served in the emperor's bedchamber and had not been promoted in rank, and was still a concubine.

Because of her low status, she was not qualified to attend the banquet.

As a result, they lost even the chance to look at each other from a distance.

He silently clenched his fists, then unclenched them after a moment, sighing helplessly.

My love, why do you have to love me so deeply?

I have married a new wife, and you are now the emperor's concubine.

The fate between you and me has ended, and it is difficult to continue the previous relationship.

Qin Lixuemeng poured himself a glass of wine and hid the last bit of sadness in his heart.

Unfortunately, Wu Qing couldn't see this scene.

If Wu Qing saw this, she would just pat the other person's shoulder speechlessly and say:

"My friend, don't be too confident as a man. Wu promised that she was just not liked by the emperor, not that she would remain a virgin for you."

"The moment you listened to your mother and chose to give up on her, she gave up on you."

"Why do you think Wu Da Ying would like a heartless man?"

Wu Qing doesn't like this role at all.

In the original book, it was because he was obsessed with Wu Da Ying that Wu Da Ying was eventually sentenced to death by the emperor.

The eldest brother was delusional and firmly believed that Wu Da Ying still had feelings for him, so he secretly sent a love letter deep into the palace.

At that time, the heroine was caught up in rumors of infidelity. After discovering this, the heroine cleverly used this incident to get rid of the rumors and turned the emperor's attention to Wu Da Ying.

The innocent Wu Da Ying thus became a victim of this power game.

Whenever Wu Qing thought of this, he became furious with Qin Lixue.

Being too confident in your life is a disease and needs to be treated!

After the emperor exchanged greetings with several important ministers, he withdrew his gaze and refocused on the wonderful performance before him.

The Queen was not present. Among the three concubines, Concubine Lin's status was undoubtedly the most prominent.

According to Concubine Lin's usual personality, when the Queen was not around, she would show off her power to demonstrate the Emperor's favor to her.

But today, she held her chin up and watched the palace maid's dance with full concentration.

The imperial concubine ignored the looks from others and talked in a low voice with Qingfang beside her, smiling widely, without any arrogance at all.

This was very different from her usual appearance and attracted some people's attention.

Concubine De smiled and said, "The Dance and Music Department is very thoughtful. This flying flower dance performance is so wonderful that even the Imperial Concubine, who never likes singing and dancing, was fascinated by it."

When the emperor heard the word "imperial concubine", his attention was indeed drawn.

Concubine De added: "Especially the maid spinning in the middle, her demeanor is one-third of the charm of the Imperial Concubine back then."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone turned their eyes to the palace maid.

Her eyebrows are gently curved like willow leaves, her eyes are affectionate like almonds, and her skin is as white as jade and crystal clear.

Looking at her more closely, her figure was light and graceful, like a willow branch swaying gracefully in the wind.

It's not just three points, it's clearly seven points similar!

Concubine Lin glanced at him and smiled faintly, "Indeed, there are some similarities."

After saying this, the imperial concubine lowered her head and tasted another piece of cake.

She didn't respond, letting Defei's words fall to the ground.

Concubine De was stunned. She didn't expect Concubine Lin to respond so calmly, causing her carefully prepared plan to fail in an instant.

In the past, if someone mentioned that someone looked like her, Concubine Lin would fly into a rage and make a huge fuss.

Especially something as sensitive as dancing for the emperor.

The last palace maid who won the emperor's favor by dancing has disappeared quietly in the imperial concubine's palace.

This matter has become an unspoken secret among everyone in the palace.

Concubine De frowned slightly, and the look she gave Concubine Gui became a little more inquiring.

The emperor asked with concern: "Why is the imperial concubine so silent today? Are you feeling unwell?"

Concubine Lin opened her red lips and revealed a gentle smile.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I was just attracted by the exquisite skills of the Dance and Music Department today. If it weren't for Your Majesty's birthday, I'm afraid I would never have the chance to see such a beautiful dance."

The emperor was slightly tipsy and spoke more casually: "If you like, I will order them to go to Linhua Palace and dance just for you."

Defei pursed her lips, and dissatisfaction flashed across her eyes, but she quickly concealed it.

How shameful is this?

The Emperor dotes on Concubine Lin too much!

Concubine Lin shook her head and refused gently: "How can your Majesty do this? How can you let me enjoy such a beautiful dance alone? This will make me the concubine. "

Her eyes wandered around, fixed on the palace maid in the middle of the crowd who looked somewhat similar to her, and said in a charming voice:

"If the emperor really loves me, please let the most beautiful one come to my palace. I like her very much and I want to learn dancing from her."

The emperor laughed: "You are of noble status, why do you need to learn these skills? Since you like her, she is yours."

In just a few words, the beautiful dancer in the middle became a slave in Linhua Palace.

Even though the emperor had some interest in the dancer in the middle, it was just some interest.

When the dancer in the middle heard this, she closed her eyes, breathed a sigh of relief, and felt relieved.

Concubine Lin picked up the teacup and took a sip, a smile appearing on the corner of her mouth.

A dancer who looks so much like her?

How could such a coincidence happen?

This must be directed at her.

In that case, why doesn't she just go with the flow, take advantage of the situation and ask for the dancer directly.

If Wu Qing were here, she would definitely recognize the dancer's true identity - the heroine's sister.