As soon as she opened her eyes, she was forcibly carried back to the East Palace by the paranoid pri

The Eastern Palace and Biyuan are still maintained in their original state. His Majesty does not allow any changes, and even the palace servants used are still the old ones.

When Xiao Taozi learned that Xiao Guanzi was coming to visit her late at night, she hurriedly put on a thick coat, opened the door of the ear room and invited him in. Without His Majesty's order, Xiao Guanzi would not have come to see her.

"You're living a good life today. After a year, you feel more energetic." Xiao Guanzi said with a careless smile.

Without a master to serve, and being the only senior maid in the Eastern Palace's Biyuan, her life was naturally much easier. But she couldn't say this out loud, otherwise the gentle Eunuch Guan in front of her would crush her into the dust in an instant.

"Eunuch Guan, what you said is true." Xiao Taozi sighed sadly, "The Queen Mother has been very kind to me. I have been thinking about her all this year. It feels like she has not left yet and is still staying in the Biyuan. So I plan to stay in the Biyuan for the rest of my life."

What a loyal maid, but Xiao Guanzi is not here to perform a big show with her.

He got down to business, "Your Majesty wants the jade bracelet that the Queen always wore when she was alive. I remember asking you to keep it. Go and get it out. I want to give it to Your Majesty."

Xiao Taozi said "ah" and walked towards Biyuan's warehouse with Xiao Guanzi.

The storeroom is filled with items that the Queen Mother had used. Palace servants wipe them every day and put them into brocade boxes, so they are clean, tidy and easy to find.

Xiao Taozi asked two palace maids to hold lanterns and look for it with her. Snow was still falling outside, which was not a good sight for the palace maids. It was a cold winter night, and even though the palace maids' clothes were winter coats, they still made their hands and feet slow in the dead of night.

"Found it!"

Xiao Taozi held a palm-sized brocade box in her hand. When she opened it, she found a jade bracelet of poor quality.

Xiao Guanzi took it in his hand, weighed it and examined it, but he couldn't see anything special about it. He thought that His Majesty might want to see the object to remind him of someone.

How could he know that this jade bracelet had been swapped by Hui Qing long ago, and even Ning Rushong hadn't noticed the flaw, let alone kept it a secret.

Xiao Guanzi put the jade bracelet back into the brocade box, and when he turned to leave, he called Xiao Taozi again, "Come with me to see His Majesty!"

In case Your Majesty has anything else to ask, there is no need to make another trip.

"Yes!" Xiao Taozi was unwilling in her heart. When His Majesty was still the prince, she was always trembling with fear in front of His Majesty, fearing that she would make the slightest mistake and lose her life.

The wind and frost outside were biting and chilly. Two palace maids were holding palace lanterns and clearing the way in front. Xiao Taozi was shivering and had her hands pulled into her sleeves, but she still couldn't stop the wind from blowing in. She thought that she would take a hot bath when she got back to loosen up her body, and she would also put on another layer of clothes tomorrow morning!

After walking for half an hour, her legs and feet were numb. Xiao Taozi had never suffered such hardship in this year. She had never stepped out of the Eastern Palace, and there was no master in the Eastern Palace. She didn't even need to serve anyone, so her body was a little delicate.

I heard that the concubines of the Eastern Palace were arranged by His Majesty in the three palaces to the west of the Imperial Palace. Regardless of their social status, they were all given the rank of Cai Nu. They were provided with food and clothing in the same way as the former Empress, and the palace servants they brought with them were also those they could use easily.

As long as they were honest and behaved themselves, they could get by. The three square palaces would be their home for the rest of their lives, and they could not blame anyone.

It was Xiao Taozi's first time to visit His Majesty's Yongding Palace. The palace was luxurious and elegant, yet also had a strong sense of emptiness and weirdness.

Xiao Guanzi led her into the inner hall, and all the lights in the hall were lit, suddenly becoming bright.

Ning Rushong had completely regained his clarity of mind during this period. He sat in front of the desk, wearing a cloak embroidered with a golden dragon pattern and a snow-white nightgown underneath. His hair was not tied up, but was loose behind him.

The brocade box was presented respectfully by Xiao Guanzi. Ning Rushong opened it. This jade bracelet was exactly the same as the one he saw last time. He held the jade bracelet close to the incense ash beads, and the two touched each other slightly, making the tinkling sound he had in his dream.

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!..."

Ning Rushong knocked silently, not daring to use too much force for fear of destroying the two things.

In the crack, he grasped at the sound that could bring him a moment of comfort, hoping to return to that dream, brush away all the blurry fog in front of his eyes, and see He Yue's face again.

In the dream, she smiled sincerely, which he hadn't seen in a long, long time.

After a while, Ning Rusong stopped and asked, "Where did this jade bracelet come from?"

At that time, He Yue was not in good health, so he simply took the bracelet off He Yue's hand without tracing its origin.

Xiao Taozi, who was kneeling below, was stunned. She could not answer for a while and could only report truthfully, "Your Majesty, I don't know for now. The Queen has a lot of jewelry. I have to look through the book to know."

"Go check!" Ning Rushong's slightly raised voice was filled with anxiety that was out of place with his usual tone.

Ning Rushong's nerves were trembling with fear. A mysterious intuition was pushing him to investigate further!

Xiao Taozi ran back to the East Palace and looked through more than a dozen booklets, but she couldn't find the origin of the jade bracelet!

"How can I not find it?!" Xiao Taozi was sweating in the winter, "Check it again from beginning to end!"

"Yes, Aunt Tao!" The palace maid next to her picked up the first booklet and started over from the beginning.