"The people around me, sister, do you suspect Su Mo'er?" Da Yu'er asked, her eyes wide.
“No… how could it be Su Mo’er?” Hailanzhu quickly shook her head.
"Who could it be?" Dayuer asked, puzzled.
Hailanzhu pondered for a moment and said, "Didn't you ever suspect Jill?"
“Jill…she?” Da Yu’er’s eyes showed confusion.
Hailanzhu continued, "She left Guanju Palace an hour ago. Even if she walks slowly, she should have arrived at Yongfu Palace long ago. Why didn't she come here when the little princess made such a commotion?"
"Perhaps she has other things to do." Da Yu'er was still somewhat skeptical, after all, Ji'er had always been by her side, and she had spent more time with her than with Huang Taiji.
Hailanzhu initially wanted to tell Namuzhong everything he had said, but upon closer reflection, she realized there were many inappropriate considerations. Her relationship with Dayuer had only temporarily improved; it hadn't returned to its former state. If she were to reveal it rashly, it might backfire, making Dayuer feel that her change of heart was purposeful.
Thinking of this, she stopped talking and agreed, "Maybe so, I was overthinking it." But she paused and finally reminded her, "Jill is your personal maid and is loyal to you. For her to put aside her young master's affairs to attend to her own, it must be a very important matter. When she comes back, you must take good care of her."
"Of course I will." Da Yu'er nodded with a faint smile, unaware of the worry that flashed in Hai Lanzhu's eyes.
Just then, footsteps could be heard outside.
Hailanzhu looked up and saw a woman dressed in a green dress, with a beautiful and delicate face, who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, running towards her in a panic.
Before she could speak, the woman anxiously reported, "Your Highness, the Emperor has come to Guanju Palace and is waiting for you in the main hall." After speaking, she turned her gaze to Dayuer, full of provocation.
Hailanzhu frowned slightly and whispered in Dayuer's ear, "Who is she?"
Da Yu'er was startled and replied softly, "She's your personal maid, Hui-ge. Don't you remember her, sister?"
Hailanzhu rubbed her temples weakly, "I think I injured my head because of falling into the water, and I can't remember many things."
Fortunately, she fell into the water this time, otherwise she wouldn't know how to explain it.
“I see…” Dayuer did not doubt it, but urged, “Now that the Emperor has come, sister, you should hurry back to the palace! Don’t keep the Emperor waiting.”
"Alright!" Hailanzhu nodded, and with Dayuer seeing her off, she left with Huige.
After leaving Yongfu Palace, the sun was already slightly tilted to the west, and the afterglow shone on the golden bricks of the imperial city, shimmering with a hazy and sacred light.
Hailanzhu neither refused nor spoke when Huige offered her help, letting her approach her side as she walked forward step by step.
Finally, Hui-ge couldn't resist asking, "Why didn't Your Highness take me with you when you went to Yongfu Palace?"
Hailanzhu glanced at her sideways and said, "As my servant, you were not by my side to take care of me when I was seriously ill, yet you ask me if I didn't call you?"
Despite being reprimanded, Hui-ge showed no fear. Instead, she smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I'm here to avenge your drowning."
"What did you say?" Hailanzhu's gaze suddenly turned cold, and her expression became even more serious. "Revenge? How will you take revenge?"
"Doesn't Your Majesty already know?" Hui-ge retorted.
Hailanzhu frowned, guessing immediately, "You mean the little princess was poisoned?"
"Exactly."
Seeing Hui Ge's beaming face, Hailanzhu felt an urge to skin him alive and tear him apart! Suppressing her anger, she pretended to be calm and said, "You are my person, how dare you enter Yongfu's storeroom?"
Hui-ge said smugly, "Thanks to that brainless Jill, otherwise how would I have had a chance?"
After Jill left Guanju Palace, she ran into Huige. As soon as Huige saw Jill's swollen face, she rushed over to care for her and took out some high-quality anti-swelling medicine to apply to Jill's face. Jill was very moved by this and took Huige to Yongfu Palace to give her a hairpin as a token of her gratitude.
However, the swelling-reducing medicine contained a lot of sleeping pills, and Jill soon fell into a coma. Hui Ge took the opportunity to get Jill's key, sneaked into the storeroom, and poured mercury into the fan ribs.
Unfortunately, Hailanzhu did not believe these words at all, because there were too many loopholes in them.
But she still praised him, saying, "You did a great job. I will definitely not let your efforts go to waste. I will reward you handsomely later!"
From Hui-ge's confession, it's clear that the original owner approved of the evil deeds she secretly committed for her. Therefore, Hai-lan-zhu had no choice but to go along with her for the time being.
Upon hearing this, Hui-ge was overjoyed. "This servant will certainly serve Your Highness well and live up to your expectations."
Hailanzhu gave a cold smile, then quickly returned to normal.
As the two talked, they arrived at the entrance of Guanju Palace. Hailanzhu looked into the distance and saw a tall figure wearing a golden dragon robe walking back and forth in the palace. Needless to say, that person was the current emperor, Huang Taiji.
Upon seeing him, her heart began to pound wildly. Hailanzhu understood that this was because the original owner of the body was infatuated. She was merely imagining the original owner's thoughts, and as for the original owner's physical instincts, she had no control over them at all.
Hailanzhu took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and stepped inside.
As they approached, they finally saw Huang Taiji's face clearly. He had a handsome face with distinct features, deep and sharp eyes, and thin, knife-cut lips beneath a high, straight nose. He exuded an aura of imperial dignity, which explained why the original owner of this body would fall in love with someone seventeen years her senior.
In ancient times, a man who was seventeen years old would have been old enough to be her father.
"Lan'er, where have you been? I was so worried about you." As soon as Huang Taiji saw Hailanzhu, he immediately stepped forward, took her cold hand, and comforted her softly.
Hailanzhu lowered her eyes and said, "I heard that the little princess was not feeling well, so I went to visit her. I apologize for keeping Your Majesty waiting."
"You, your own health isn't very good, yet you still go to see others. How can I be at ease with that?" Huang Taiji affectionately pinched Hailanzhu's nose.
"Your Majesty is joking. The little princess is your child. How can you say she is someone else's?" Hailanzhu said helplessly.
Indeed, this is the bias that history acknowledges. In Huang Taiji's heart, Hailanzhu's status was higher than anyone else's, even his own flesh and blood.
Huang Taiji looked at Hailanzhu and said, "The little princess is being cared for by the imperial physicians, so you don't need to worry."
Upon hearing this, Hailanzhu could only agree, "Your Majesty, I understand."
Fearing that Hailanzhu would be displeased, Huang Taiji explained that once she had fully recovered, she could move freely around the harem, and if she still felt bored, he would take her out of the palace for entertainment.
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