The New Year celebrations in the palace this year were also very restrained, and there was no big party like usual.

Especially when Chu Jinyao heard the news that the emperor was escorted back to the palace by Prince Su, she lost all interest in celebrating the festival.

Qin Yi certainly arranged for people to welcome the emperor at Juyongguan. In this case, Qin Yi could not possibly arrange the ceremonial guards to the gate of the Wala camp, so in addition to the ceremonial officers who went to negotiate peace, only a small team was sent to the Wala king's tent to escort the emperor. There were troops nearby to provide remote protection, and as long as they entered the territory of Dayan, the emperor could exchange for the imperial ceremonial guards.

However, no one expected that Prince Su would appear outside the Great Wall in person, pretending to be there to greet the emperor, and naturally changed the direction with the emperor, entering the Great Wall from a city, and then escorted by the army of Prince Su's fiefdom, all the way to the capital in a high-profile manner.

This was too obvious, and the face of seeking credit was too ugly.

Chu Jinyao could only sigh in his heart when he thought of this. As long as the emperor had a little understanding of the situation, he would understand that Qin Yi's previous refusal to "escort" the emperor to Beijing by Wala, and later his refusal to negotiate peace with Wala without sincerity, were all for the good of this country and even the emperor. As long as the emperor was willing to think, he could understand Qin Yi's difficulties.

But Chu Jinyao thought that the emperor would not think about it. If he had thought about these things carefully, he would not have been captured by the Oirat people from the beginning.

The more he thought about this matter, the worse it became. Chu Jinyao put it behind him and dealt with the matter of releasing the palace maids from the palace wholeheartedly.

In order to prevent the harem from interfering in government affairs, the court ladies were all selected from the people. Every three years, many young and beautiful women were carefully selected, bid farewell to their families, and walked into this magnificent and closed Forbidden City. There are red bricks and green tiles here, and the palaces are tall, but they have nothing to do with these palace ladies. They came in at the most beautiful time, and from then on, they could never leave this palace again.

Maids can only enter the palace but not leave. Even though the inner court is dark and cruel, and many women die inexplicably every year, the number of maids in the inner court increases year by year. Now, there are already 9,000 maids in the harem alone, not to mention the eunuchs, who are even more numerous. Such

a system destroys the maids and also drags down the national treasury. The annual expenditure of the harem is a terrible figure. This time, the difficulties in the capital are just an opportunity. Qin Yi can finally openly propose to release the palace maids, and Chu Jinyao is also willing to take care of herself and slowly check those who really need to leave the palace.

After Chu Jinyao secretly investigated for several days, he slowly released the news of releasing the people. At first, no one wanted to believe it and they all waited and watched. Later, as time went by, the people in the harem saw that Chu Jinyao's attitude did not seem fake, and more and more people came forward to resign voluntarily.

Chu Jinyao instructed Linglong: "The list must be carefully checked. When sending the repatriation fee, the origin, age, etc. must be checked. It cannot be claimed by others."

Linglong leaned forward and said: "I understand. Crown Princess, the first batch of palace maids are leaving the palace soon. They want to kowtow to you."

Chu Jinyao looked outside. Through the blurry window paper, he seemed to see those lonely and weak figures. Chu Jinyao finally shook his head: "No need. It was His Highness's intention to let them leave the palace. If they really want to thank someone, living well in the future and contributing to this country will be the best reward."

Linglong half-knelt, accepted the order and left. When Madam Hong came in, she happened to see a group of palace maids walking out. They looked nervous and happy, but they all felt relieved. Seeing this scene, Madam Hong was inexplicably moved.

She remembered that when she entered the palace, she was also so nervous and happy, until the cruel and severe palace life gradually smoothed her character and her spirit, and in the end, even the past was gone. After so many years, what has the world outside the red palace wall become? No matter

how rich and glorious this palace is, what does it have to do with her. This is the blessing of the ladies, not theirs. It has been so long that Madam Hong can hardly remember what her hometown looks like, and she can't remember whether there is a stream flowing in front of her house.

Kikyo saw Nanny Hong through the half-open window and hurriedly called out, "Nanny Hong is here? Come in!"

Nanny Hong wiped her hands on her skirt, walked quietly into the main hall, and saluted to Chu Jinyao, "Greetings to the Crown Princess. Long live the Crown Princess."

"Nanny Hong is here. I called you here today to ask you about leaving the palace." Chu Jinyao raised her head and looked at her with a slight smile, "I promised you before, and now His Highness happens to have the intention, so I will lend you flowers to offer to him. I wonder if you have any plans to leave the palace?"

Nanny Hong stood there in a daze. At that moment, she seemed to feel that the palace and the Crown Princess in front of her were spinning. When she finally came to her senses, she saw that all the maids in the palace were looking at her with a smile.

Nanny Hong finally understood and quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Crown Princess!"

"It's nothing. As we agreed before, are you going to the Changxing Marquis' Mansion to raise my sister and niece, or to the manor in the suburbs of Beijing?"

All this happened so suddenly that Nanny Hong felt dizzy. She managed to calm down and said, "Crown Princess, let me go back and think about it, and I'll report back to you tomorrow."

Chu Jinyao smiled and nodded: "Nanny, there is no need to rush to make a decision. You should think carefully about where to go after leaving the palace. It is estimated that the Emperor and Prince Su will arrive in the capital in two days. There will be a lot of things to do tomorrow, and I'm afraid the matter of leaving the palace will have to be postponed for a few days. During this time, Nanny Hong can think about it slowly."

Nanny Hong thanked her again and slowly left the room. After getting outside, Madam Hong realized through the green glazed tiles of the East Palace that the sun was actually shining brightly today, and the sky was clear, high, and blue, which made people happy.

The news that the emperor would return to the palace in the next two days was quietly spreading among the palaces, and Empress Xiao Qi, who had been in seclusion for many days, actually heard it. When she heard the news that the emperor was coming back, she thought her eyes would never cry again, but tears suddenly fell.

"Your Majesty..." Empress Xiao Qi's tears fell, and a long-awaited light burst out of her eyes. She subconsciously wanted to ask someone to come over to do her makeup, but Empress Xiao Qi called several times, but no one answered. Empress Xiao Qi was immediately furious. The emperor was coming back, and her temper as the empress that the emperor had favored was also revived. She stood up angrily and walked out quickly.

When she walked outside, she found that it was already dark. Empress Xiao Qi cried every day during this period, and most of the time she cried in front of the candles in the palace. She even blurred the time. Empress Xiao Qi never thought that she would be so depressed, but from now on, such a drowsy day, unable to distinguish day from night, will never happen again.

Empress Xiao Qi stood at the gate of the palace and shouted several times, and finally a palace maid came hurriedly from the back hall. Qiu Shuang bowed to the empress and asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, what are you going to do?"

Empress Xiao Qi looked at the people in front of her with disgust: "I am going to dress up. Where have you been just now, you bastards? It has only been a few days, have you forgotten your duty to serve others?"

"How dare I." Qiu Shuang lowered her head and said respectfully, "It is my negligence. Your Highness, please wait inside. I will come right away after I wash my hands." Empress Xiao

Qi glared at Qiu Shuang and then walked to the inner room. Qiu Shuang was a maid assigned to Kunning Palace when she first entered the palace. At that time, Empress Xiao Qi was upset about her sister's old lover, and her temper changed completely. Qiu Shuang came to Kunning Palace at this time. Empress Xiao Qi had no idea how Qiu Shuang later rose to the position of senior palace maid. As the empress, how could she pay attention to a lowly palace maid?

Qiu Shuang came quickly and brought a pot of tea. She poured tea for Empress Xiao Qi slowly and steadily, with the elegance of the palace in every move. Empress Xiao Qi couldn't get used to it. She took the tea and touched the warm blue and white porcelain cup. She felt something incongruous.

"Why is this tea warm?" Qiu Shuang had only been out for a short time. How could she make tea in such a short time and let the temperature reach the level that was just right for drinking?

Qiu Shuang kept smiling: "Your Majesty, the things you need are always kept warm on the stove."

After all, the little Queen had been the empress for many years, and she was already alert. She frowned and looked outside: "Where is Lan Yu? She is the one who serves me with food and drink. It's been so long, why don't I see her?"

Qiu Shuang sighed slightly, and suddenly a strange smile appeared on her face: "Your Majesty, Aunt Lan Yu is indeed loyal to you. Now, she is waiting to serve you downstairs."

The little Queen turned around in surprise, and before she could understand anything, someone grabbed her neck. Then, a stream of warm tea forced its way into her throat, slowly passing through her esophagus, bringing an almost unbearable burning sensation.

Suddenly, there was a sound of a stool falling to the ground in the magnificent Kunning Palace, and there was also a faint crackling sound, as if someone was scratching the ground with their fingernails, which was particularly irritating in the silent palace. But not long after, everything returned to dead silence.

Madam Hong's eyes were dark, and someone covered her mouth and dragged her forward. Suddenly, she was pushed hard, and she stumbled to the ground, and her eyes were bright again.

Finally, she could see again, and before Madam Hong could breathe a sigh of relief, she realized that she was in Kunning Palace. Years of experience in the palace told her that she was in trouble today.

"Madame Hong, long time no see."

Madame Hong half-prostrated herself on the ground, and tried to straighten up to make herself look neater: "Miss Qiu Shuang, what do you mean?"

"Madame Hong, when the queen arranged for you to go there, she should have told you a long time ago. Why do I see that you seem to be rather unhappy there lately?"

Madame Hong's body trembled uncontrollably. Tomorrow, or one more day, she would be able to talk to the Crown Princess and completely get out of this quagmire. Why did it have to be tonight?

Madam Hong tried her best to calm herself down: "I always remember the teachings of the queen and dare not neglect them."

"Okay, since you said so, the queen will give you a chance to prove your loyalty."

Madam Hong's throat was dry, and she swallowed hard before she spoke: "What?"

Qiu Shuang threw a packet of medicine powder in front of Madam Hong and said: "Take this packet of medicine with you now, and hide it with the Crown Princess when you go back. As long as you complete it well, the queen will let you leave the palace and let you reunite with your niece."

A few years ago, Madam Hong's hometown suffered a disaster. It took Madam Hong a long time to find out that all her family members died, leaving only a weak niece.

So she was eager to leave the palace and go back to her hometown to find her niece, who was her only relative.

But now, Nanny Hong looked at the ordinary paper bag in front of her and couldn't pick it up for a long time: "Miss Qiu Shuang, we are alive thanks to the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. The Emperor will return to the palace in two days, this..."

"You talk too much nonsense, do you still want your niece's life?"

Nanny Hong closed her eyes tightly, and there was no grief on her no longer young face, which was the guilt and hatred for her own powerlessness: "Miss Qiu Shuang, I am naturally on the side of the Empress. But, let me ask the Empress Shufei, is my niece really still alive?"

"Of course." Qiu Shuang raised one eyebrow, looking down at Nanny Hong, "What do you mean, are you doubting the Empress?"

"How dare I." Nanny Hong reached out and picked up the medicine bag, holding it tightly in her palm. She stood up and seemed to be walking out. When she reached the tall and heavy wooden door, she suddenly asked, "Miss Qiu Shuang, since you have sent a message, it is enough to find a place outside Ciqing Palace. Why do you bring me to Kunning Palace?"

Qiu Shuang narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "You talk too much. Why do you care about these things?"

Madam Hong looked at the quiet Kunning Palace in the night sky. The outline was like a giant beast lurking in the darkness, as if it could devour everything that happened inside. Madam Hong suddenly turned around and pushed Qiu Shuang hard. Qiu Shuang was knocked to the ground without warning. Qiu Shuang was furious from the bottom of her heart, but before the people hiding in the dark could run out, she saw Madam Hong herself hitting the red pillar under the palace eaves with great force, almost using all her strength.

With a "bang", Nanny Hong's stiff body slowly slid down from the red pillar. Qiu Shuang covered her mouth in shock when she saw this scene. She mustered up the courage to feel Nanny Hong's breath, and immediately retracted her hand as if it was burned. She cursed "crazy" under her breath, quickly covered her eyes, and ran out of the back door.

In Bailu Palace, the person in front of the mirror heard the report and gently raised her soft and beautiful eyebrows: "Is the pillar dead?"

Qiu Shuang lowered her head and whispered: "Yes."

Concubine Shu threw the spiral ink in her hand to the ground with a clang, and the well-maintained face in the mirror actually revealed a gloomy and vicious look that was completely inconsistent with her temperament.

"Well, she didn't live in vain, she can actually see my plan." Concubine Shu sneered, her eyes gradually became crazy, "Unfortunately, she still doesn't understand me well enough. When have I ever failed in what I wanted to do? Even if she died, it would be impossible."

Concubine Shu stood up, and in a blink of an eye she returned to the appearance of the familiar Concubine Shu in the harem: "Come on, get ready."