A richly dressed woman, her face contorted with rage, smashed a teacup: "What does Your Majesty mean by this? Have you lost your mind over a woman of unknown origin?!"
A woman dressed as a palace maid quickly stopped her; this woman was Xiao Cui: "Your Highness, please be careful what you say; walls have ears."
The woman dressed in gorgeous clothes was Zhao Xueqi. Logically speaking, as the Princess Consort of Jing, she should naturally be made Empress now that the Prince of Jing has ascended the throne. However, the new emperor seems to have forgotten about this matter after his ascension to the throne, and none of the ministers spoke up for her.
Zhao Xueqi, however, slapped Xiao Cui across the face: "Endure, endure, endure! I lost the Empress's throne precisely because I listened to you!"
Xiao Cui covered her face and knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to Zhao Xueqi and begging for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, please calm down, Your Majesty, please calm down. It's all Xiao Cui's fault. You are right to hit or scold me, but please don't upset yourself!"
Although Xiao Cui said this, her eyes were full of mockery. She knew that her mistress was dreaming all day long, fantasizing about rising to the top in one step, and even saying that the emperor had long been deeply in love with her. It was simply absurd.
Zhao Xueqi was completely unaware of this; she was trapped deep within the palace and had no way to contact the outside world.
Zhou Changling refused to see her at all. At first, some people in the harem tried to get close to her and leaked Zhou Changling's whereabouts, but once discovered, it would be a capital offense, so no one communicated with her anymore.
Looking at Xiao Cui in front of her, Zhao Xueqi became angrier and angrier. She didn't dare to beat or scold the other palace servants, who knew if they had powerful backers? And since she had no official rank, she could only take her anger out on Xiao Cui.
Zhao Xueqi: "Find out for me right now where this woman came from!"
Zhao Xueqi acted arrogantly, as if she were still the eldest daughter of the Zhao family with the backing of the Prime Minister's mansion. Xiao Cui was respectful on the surface but quickly retreated, actually just going outside for a stroll.
Zhao Xueqi was kept in the dark and made to fight like a cornered beast; it's true that every pitiful person has something hateful about them.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed, "I've got it!"
Zhao Xueqi jumped up and shouted, "Xiao Cui!" But no one answered. Then she remembered that she had just sent Xiao Cui to inquire about that woman, and she hadn't returned yet.
Zhao Xueqi had no choice but to call someone else: "Someone come here—"
As soon as Zhao Xueqi finished speaking, a round-faced palace maid entered. She looked unfamiliar and entered cautiously, her face full of trepidation.
Xiao Yuan: "Your Majesty, Sister Xiao Cui just went out and hasn't returned yet. What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Yuan looks timid, but she speaks fluently and confidently, showing no shyness whatsoever.
Zhao Xueqi lay back down on the soft couch, playing with her nails painted with bright red nail polish, and casually asked a few questions: "You look unfamiliar. What's your name? How old are you? Where did you work before?"
Xiao Yuan kowtowed respectfully again, her voice clear and bright: "Your Majesty, my name is Xiao Yuan, I am fourteen years old this year. I used to work in the Imperial Kitchen, and later I was transferred to Your Majesty's palace. I am extremely fortunate."
Zhao Xueqi covered her mouth and chuckled, "Hehe, you little girl, you sure know how to sweet-talk."
Zhao Xueqi: "Now I have a task for you. Didn't you used to work in the Imperial Kitchen? I'm going to visit His Majesty. What do you think I should bring?"
Xiao Yuan's eyes darted around: "No matter what Your Majesty sends, the Emperor will like it. When I worked in the Imperial Kitchen, I received favors from Eunuch Wang, so I'm sure Your Majesty can get whatever you want."
Zhao Xueqi: "Hmm, that's good. Tell the Imperial Kitchen that I'm going to see the Emperor, and tell them to think carefully before proceeding."
Xiao Yuan kowtowed again: "This servant will go immediately and will certainly accomplish this."
Xiao Yuan quickly withdrew, only to find that it wasn't Eunuch Wang, but Eunuch Li Mu.
Li Mu: "You've done very well. Don't worry, your family outside the palace is taking good care of you. Everything is fine."
Xiao Yuan knelt down and thanked Li Mu: "Eunuch Li, thank you for finding a doctor to treat my mother. If it weren't for you, my mother would have been gone long ago. I will never forget your great kindness."
Li Mu accepted her bow, after all, he hadn't helped for nothing: "You just need to keep an eye on that person for me, that's enough to repay your kindness."
Looking at Xiao Yuan's grateful face, Li Mu's eyes finally softened a bit. He said, "Go to the Imperial Kitchen and find Steward Zhao. Mention my name, and he'll understand."
Li Mu watched Xiao Yuan's departing figure, not worried that she would betray him, after all, the lives of her whole family were in his hands.
It seems that the one in Zhaohua Palace can't stand being alone and is eager to cause trouble. I should remind Li Lin not to drag the Empress into this.
Li Mu also took action, while on the other side, in the Ganling Palace, Zhou Changling moved the table to the bedside, and Bai Lingxi was idly playing with his hair on the bed.
Bai Lingxi mischievously and deliberately pulled hard, hurting Zhou Changling's hair. Zhou Changling hissed in pain and wanted to scold the culprit.
When Zhou Changling turned around, he saw Bai Lingxi's beautiful eyes brimming with tears, as if she were apologizing. Her eyes were so beautiful that they took his breath away. Zhou Changling's reproachful look instantly changed.
Zhou Changling raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone still indifferent, but Bai Lingxi sensed a hint of danger in it.
Zhou Changling: "What's wrong? Are you too bored? I'll find you something to do?"
Bai Lingxi's intuition was always accurate. At this moment, she followed her heart and decided not to provoke this man any further.
Bai Lingxi shook her head like a frightened little rabbit, as if to say, "Spare me, I'm very well-behaved," as if everything just now was Zhou Changling's illusion.
Seeing how obedient she was, Zhou Changling let her off the hook, mainly because of Bai Lingxi's prominent belly. Bai Lingxi was completely unaware that she had escaped a disaster and was still smiling obediently.
However, this silence lasted only a minute. Bai Lingxi seemed to notice a white hair on Zhou Changling's head, so she quickly plucked it out, causing Zhou Changling to wince in pain again: "Ouch—"
This time, Zhou Changling decided to teach this disobedient little thing a lesson. He suddenly stood up and pushed Bai Lingxi down onto the bed. The movement was so fast that Bai Lingxi didn't have time to react. She was still holding Zhou Changling's long, shiny black hair in her hand.
Zhou Changling turned his head and looked at Bai Lingxi's hand, which was the undeniable evidence. He narrowed his eyes, seemingly pondering how to punish the little one.
Bai Lingxi only realized that she had messed up when she collapsed on the bed and couldn't move. Was this like pulling the tiger's whiskers?
Bai Lingxi's dazed look is also extremely beautiful. Being with a smart beauty is too tiring, so a silly beauty like Bai Lingxi is just right. It seems that no matter what mistake she makes, he will soften his heart.
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