The emperor finally went to the harem again. The women in the harem were both happy and jealous because the emperor first picked Concubine Rou's name.

When Zhuang Yuyan went to the Queen's Jingyang Palace to pay her respects the next day, she saw the women arguing with Concubine Rou in a veiled manner. However, the Queen remained the same. It was a pity that Concubine Shugui, who was equally popular with Concubine Rou, was still ill, otherwise it would have been an even more interesting show.

After paying their respects, Zhuang Yuyan was too lazy to talk to a bunch of women in secret, so she took Tingzhu and Yunxi back to Taoyu Pavilion. On the way, she saw a few eunuchs walking by in a hurry. Although their expressions were solemn, they did not look panicked.

"Master..." Ting Zhu looked at the eunuchs in confusion, "Do you want to ask what happened?"

"No need, go back," Zhuang Yuyan said calmly, "The affairs of the harem are managed by the queen, you and I don't need to be too curious."

Curiosity not only kills cats, but also people. She would rather not know what happened than cause herself trouble.

Ting Zhu nodded in agreement. He also knew that there were many things in the harem that were not allowed to be seen in the open. It was not a good thing to know too much. If something big really happened, everyone in the harem would know it sooner or later.

That afternoon, news came out that the bodies of two palace maids were found in a dry well next to the cold palace. The queen was very angry and wanted to clean up the unhealthy practices in the harem.

After hearing the whole story, Zhuang Yuyan found it very funny. This was how things were in the harem, and these two were the only ones who died. The queen just wanted to take this opportunity to warn some of the restless concubines.

In the evening, the eunuchs from the Palace Department came to Taoyu Pavilion, saying that they were ordered to inspect the palaces. Zhuang Yuyan did not stop them and allowed the eunuchs to search, but fortunately, the eunuchs were very polite and only took a quick look before leaving the rooms in a proper manner, leaving even the furnishings in their original places.

Zhuang Luoyan knew in her heart that if she was not the unpopular character today, it would be a different situation. However, the Queen's order to thoroughly investigate the six palaces was a risky method. Not to mention that there were many secrets in the harem, the power of each palace was also intertwined. If it caused panic in the harem, it would be even more troublesome.

A woman like the Empress would not fight with the women in the harem, but if she got ruthless, even the most favored ones would have to keep their tails between their legs. Favored women like Shu Guifei, Rou Fei, and Yan Guipin were also well-behaved in front of the Empress, which showed how capable the Empress was.

Of course, this is inseparable from the emperor's respect for the empress. As the saying goes, a wise monarch always favors concubines but does not neglect his wife. In the entire palace, the most scheming person is probably the emperor.

The Queen's action today was probably approved by the Emperor, and her biggest purpose was to warn everyone in the harem not to forget their duties.

He narrowed his eyes, picked up the teacup and took a sip, "Listen to the bamboo, grind the ink."

Spreading out a piece of fine rice paper, on which was written a big word "Buddha", Zhuang Yuyan picked up the brush and wrote a small Buddha under the big word "Buddha", and then threw the brush aside. Sometimes it's not bad to learn from the Buddha's nature.

Although she is a shameless woman, she is a woman, so it is her nature to hold grudges and be petty. If someone hits her on the left cheek, it is right for her to kick back.

Tingzhu and Yunxi stepped forward to take away the pen and inkstone. Looking at the majestic and awe-inspiring Buddhist characters, they actually sensed a hint of murderous aura.

She picked up the teacup and let the tea gradually smudge the Buddha characters into a blur. Then she casually pulled the rice paper off the table and said, "Let's burn it."

In the charcoal basin, the half-wet rice paper burned very slowly. Yun Xi raised her head and saw her master's cold expression through the curling green smoke. Her heart trembled, and when she lowered her head, she saw that the rice paper stained with ink had turned into ashes.

Feng Jin originally went to Concubine Yan's residence, but he felt that the smell of the incense inside was not to his liking, so after leaving Linyuexuan, he returned to Qianzheng Palace. When the palace maid was helping him to get dressed, she accidentally dropped a sachet on the ground.

Looking at the palace maid kneeling and trembling in front of him, Feng Jin frowned and glanced at the sachet on the ground. This sachet was sewn for him by Concubine Shugui. The auspicious cloud pattern on it was lifelike, giving people a sense of fairyland, so he hung it on his body. Now that the sachet fell to the ground, he thought of another woman.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life. I know my crime. Your Majesty, please spare my life." Seeing that the emperor did not respond for a long time, the palace maid was so scared that she kowtowed continuously, begging only to spare her life.

Feng Jin frowned, "Take this sachet and leave. Gao Dezhong, drive the Peach Jade Pavilion."

When the emperor arrived at Taoyu Pavilion, the light from the lantern outside the door was not bright. Under the slightly dim candlelight, there was no figure holding a lantern and waiting.

After stopping the eunuch on night watch at Taoyu Pavilion from reporting, Feng Jin walked straight into the gate.

Taoyu Pavilion was built very exquisitely, but it was not very large. Not long after Feng Jin walked, he arrived at the outer room of Zhuang Yuyan's residence. He waved away a group of eunuchs and palace maids, leaving only Gao Dezhong following behind him, and Feng Jin walked in.

Gao Dezhong heard the sound of voices in the room, so in order not to disturb his master, he lowered his head and stood quietly behind the emperor.

"Master, there is such a big bruise on your knee. I will ask someone to call the imperial physician." Yun Xi lifted up Zhuang Yuyan's trouser leg and saw that there was a bruise on the originally white and tender knee, which looked very scary.

"No need," Zhuang Yuyan was not a delicate woman. She looked at the two bruises on her knees and said indifferently, "It just looks scary, but it doesn't hurt much. You don't have to be so nervous. If you call the doctor, I'm afraid there will be more trouble."

Yun Xi frowned, knowing that what her master said was right. This was originally Concubine Yuan's making things difficult for her. If the news of Taoyu Pavilion summoning the imperial physician reached Concubine Yuan, she would probably make things difficult for her master again. "But, Master, what if the Emperor turned over your card in the next few days and saw it?"

Zhuang Yuyan tilted her head and saw the candlelight outside the window flickering. Her expression changed slightly and she said, "There is some moss growing on the bluestone road outside Taoyu Pavilion. Did you see it?"

"Yes..." Yun Xi responded in a depressed mood. She squeezed out the hot towel in her hand and covered the bruised knee with it. Then she heard her master's low gasp.

"master…"

"It's okay," Zhuang Luoyan said with a smile, "Your master has been punished a lot in the past few days, so he is not so weak. Just apply a hot towel and you can go to sleep later."

"How can I sleep with you like this?" Yun Xi also noticed the candle outside the window that was clearly going out. This was the master's earlier instruction that if the emperor suddenly came at night, they should shake a specific lantern a few times so that they could be prepared. This showed how right the master was in preparing for a rainy day.

"When the emperor didn't come to Taoyu Pavilion a few days ago, anyone who saw you would insult you. Even Concubine Ma, who is not much higher than you in rank, punished you to kneel for several hours. Now it has finally healed a little, but today your knee has a big bruise again. I feel sorry for it." Yun Xi carefully put the towel on, "It hurts a little, my master, please bear with it. Once the bruises fade, it will heal quickly."

Gao Dezhong, who was outside, was listening to the conversation inside the house. Even without seeing the emperor's expression, he knew that the emperor was not in a good mood. Seeing that the emperor was about to step in, Gao Dezhong hurriedly shouted, "The emperor is here."

After Feng Jin brought Gao Dezhong in, he saw Zhaopin kneeling on the ground wearing a loose coat, with her long black hair casually draped and no ornaments on her body. Feng Jin thought of four words: I still feel pity for her.