The crabapple tree is fragrant in the tent, and the bright moon is in my arms

The main hall of Yanxi Palace.

Hua Ni pushed open the door and found the room dark and gloomy. She did not open the window like she did last time, but just glanced at the empty charcoal basin.

It was as cold inside as outside.

The person curled up on the bed without moving, everything was empty, against the backdrop of the dazzling pearl curtain, the position of the imperial concubine seemed to be in name only.

Hua Ni walked in the hall, her skirt dragging on the ground. She stretched out her fingers, casually stroked the golden vase, looked at the dust on her fingertips, and blew gently.

"My Lady Concubine, are you doing well?"

The person on the bed seemed to wake up and trembled suddenly: "Hua Ni...you are finally here."

"If the Queen wants to see me, I will come."

Hua Ni washed her hands, dusted them off without much concern, and tied up the bed curtains: "Your Majesty has given Cai Yue to me."

Concubine Gao stood up, her waist-length hair was disheveled and she was wearing a gray dress that covered her whole body like a ball of black mist.

But Hua Ni knew that her pair of resentful eyes were staring at her.

It was so dark that even the bright winter sunlight could shine through the window, but not a single ray of light could get in.

Gao Lian'er was like an animal hiding in the dark, crawling on the bed, not saying a word.

After Hua Ni lit a red candle, she suddenly let out a hoarse scream: "No!"

However, Hua Ni calmly lit the second one, and her charming cheeks became even more beautiful under the firelight.

Concubine Gao stretched out her hand, wanting to stop her, but when she saw her exposed wrist, she quickly retracted her hand.

He could only warn her hoarsely: "Hua Ni, put it out!"

The whole room finally lit up.

Looking around, there were broken pieces of bronze mirror on the ground, and even the water in the basin was very little, so little that... I couldn't even see my reflection in the water.

I can't see what I look like.

Hua Ni finally faced her and looked down at her.

He raised his dark red lips and said, "My lady, it's so dark, aren't you afraid of bumping into yourself?"

Concubine Gao was trembling. Only her eyes were exposed. She was sobbing and crying on the bed.

"You were promoted. In just one month, you climbed to the position of concubine. How did you do it! How did you do it!" Concubine Gao suddenly stopped sobbing and stared at her.

"I've crippled your legs, so you can't jump. How can His Majesty favor you?"

Her soft and clear eyes were filled with bloodshot, and there was no trace of their former selves left.

Hua Ni stroked her hair. The crabapple hairpin on her head with tassels dangled gently. She smiled and said, "Madam, what do you think?"

Concubine Gao looked at the exquisite long hairpin, gritted her teeth, and her jaw seemed to be broken: "Bitch...you can use any method..."

"Yes, the bitch you mentioned has become the one on His Majesty's bed, and you, the high and mighty Imperial Concubine, are trapped in the palace, neither a human nor a human..."

Hua Ni's eyes froze: "Ghost or not."

"I am not a ghost! Not a ghost!"

Concubine Gao screamed in despair, her slender nails grasping the quilt, her chaotic eyes bursting with clarity: "I'll trade you the news about the queen for my body, Hua Ni, you're here, you must heal me!"

She stretched out her hand, which should have been a snow-white wrist.

That flawless skin was nurtured by Hua Ni's medicinal bath.

But now, it is covered with red bumps, so densely packed that there is not even a piece of intact skin to be seen.

It doesn't hurt or itch, it doesn't go away or disappear, and there is no cure.

Hua Ni looked at her and sighed: "How could this happen..."

Her eyes showed pity and she stretched out her hand to check, but suddenly withdrew her hand when she saw Concubine Gao's expectant gaze.

He tilted his head and smiled: "It's really ugly."

Concubine Gao was stunned, her hand just suspended in mid-air, the hope in her eyes gradually turned into tears and hatred. She slowly withdrew her hand and looked at the woman sitting on the chair.

She sat crookedly like a snake.

"Flower Neon..."

"I have told you everything I know..."

"Hua Ni, why don't you save me..."

Concubine Gao murmured, each word becoming hoarser than the last.

"Gao Lian'er." Hua Ni suddenly called her by her name, just like she always called her by her name.

"There are only three days until New Year's Eve. How long have you not been out? One month, two months, or three months?" Hua Ni counted and looked at the top of the beam: "This year is a cold winter, and the snow is thick and heavy."

"My name is not yours..."

"Am I a bitch, or am I a dancer?" Hua Ni looked at her and said, "Gao Lian'er, now you are asking me for something, and I will help you with a few pieces of evidence against the queen?"

She smiled charmingly: "Am I not the Queen's, huh?"

"The Queen's people." Gao Lian'er sneered: "She won't tolerate you. When you reach a higher position, she will tear you down and eat you till there is nothing left."

"Hua Ni, I have given you a trump card. Even if the queen abandons you in the end, I can still leave you a breath. Do you understand?"

"Hahahaha!" Hua Ni laughed out loud, as if she had heard something very funny: "My Lady Imperial Concubine, you are gentle, noble, and affectionate, why did you give your heart to a man?"

Hua Ni stood up. Her skirt was very similar to Zhao Yue's, with a fishtail waist. Her waist was particularly thin, and it swayed gracefully when she walked, like a delicate flower.

Anyone who sees her will think of Zhaoyue, but only she can and dares to imitate her, making His Majesty love her so much that she can't let go.

Hua Ni laughed so hard that tears were about to come out. She came to Concubine Gao, sat on the bed, got close to Gao Lian'er, leaned forward and looked at her.

The flower ornament on her forehead was as red as blood, the same color as Gao Lian'er's eyes.

"His Majesty never mentioned you once in my bed. No... He won't mention you to anyone now. And you still wanted to heal this miserable body to seduce him and tell him about your grievances. And when you were close to him..."

Hua Ni's hand stroked her shoulder, her warm breath inexplicably eerie: "You will remember the heavy rain that night, how the whip fell on your body that night, and what kind of look he had when he saw your injuries."

Gao Lian'er kept shaking. Zhu Dingyuan's cold and gloomy eyes appeared in front of her. His fingers were cold and without any warmth. After he left, not even a single imperial physician had come to Yanxi Palace.

"Your Majesty's gentle eyes look at you like the cold winter outside, so cold that your bones ache. Gao Lian'er, you have long been abandoned. You, Gao, have long become a caged bird with broken wings."

Hua Ni's face was close at hand, and her narrow eyes narrowed: "You are still indulging in false love. You have ruined yourself by yourself."

Gao Lian'er's eyes were hollow, and she shed four lines of tears: "I was plotted to this point. I was plotted to this point by the Queen, by Ning Ruxin..."

"That's right. You've had a smooth life. How could you understand that you have to work hard to climb up after entering the palace? How many dirty tricks have you seen?"

Hua Ni's smile was so dazzling in her eyes.

"Since you put the Lost Soul Leaf, why can't you be a little more ruthless, huh?"

"Since you know that I was deliberately placed by the Queen's side to make you angry, why can't you hold it in? Why can you learn to dance for the favor of His Majesty, but why am I a bitch for imitating Zhaoyue to win favor?"

Hua Ni's low voice penetrated her ears. There was a loud bang outside and heavy rain began to fall, shaking the entire Yanxi Palace.

Her voice also seemed to become shrill: "Tell me, Gao Lian'er, why did you humiliate me? Why did you make me unable to dance again!"

There was thunder and lightning, and the room suddenly became bright.

Gao Lian'er ripped off the mask on her face. Hua Ni's eyes were filled with hatred: "Just because I stole his favor, just because I'm lowly!"

Hua Ni pinched her face which was covered with red rashes and looked scary and weird. She was not afraid at all. Her tears fell on the back of her hand: "Who hurt you?"

Gao Lian'er was terrified. She looked at Hua Ni's face, her eyelashes trembling, and her face was hurt from being pinched.

The bright red fingertips sank into her flesh.

She opened her lips and said, "The white ball... was given to me by Ning Ruxin... Caiyue said... my chief eunuch had close ties with Yaohuayuan, and it must be her fault that I am now... it must be her..."

"I was wrong, Hua Ni. I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time, okay? I will never scold you again. I will be obedient in the future and only listen to you. You will be the queen in the future, and I will let Gao help you..."

"I am the bitch... Please help me this time, Lady Huapin... I beg you."

Her face was bleeding from being pinched, but you couldn't see where the wound was. The blood just kept flowing. She looked like a demon, extremely ugly.

Hua Ni slowly loosened her hands, her fingers were covered in blood. She slowly smeared the blood on Gao Lian'er's body. The tears in her eyes disappeared, leaving only mockery.

"Save you, what are you going to do?"

"Kill Ning Ruxin and overthrow the queen. You will be the queen from now on, okay? I will help you kill Zhaoyue as well, okay? You must feel bad for imitating her to gain favor, right?"

Gao Lian'er spoke anxiously, she thought Hua Ni was going to save her. She knelt on the bed happily and almost laughed out loud.

However, Hua Ni laughed out loud faster than her.

She opened the window and let the raindrops drift in obliquely, falling on her body and her hair.

It fluttered and swayed, adding a touch of softness to her charming cheeks.

Hua Ni hooked her finger at Gao Lian'er: "Come here."

Gao Lian'er got out of bed. She hadn't been out of bed for a long time. Her knees went weak and she knelt on the ground. She raised her eyes and looked at the woman who was staring at her in front of the window. She took a deep breath and stood up with the help of the bed.

"Climb over here."

Gao Lian'er's eyes were bloodshot. She looked at her silently for a long time, then bent her back, knelt down, and crawled to her feet like a dog, just like Hua Ni had done before.

Wait until her shivering stops, then raise your eyes to look up at her.

But Hua Ni did not show the same pride and sneer she had before.

There are only deep and calm eyes.

But Hua Ni raised the corner of her mouth and said, "I can't save you, because I was the one who poisoned you."

Gao Lian'er's pupils shrank, her soul trembled, and she bit the tip of her tongue fiercely.