The maidservant is too charming. I want to help her become the queen.

In Yanqing Palace.

Lu Qingqing came to the front of Concubine Xian, stopped, took a deep breath, then slowly knelt down and bowed deeply. She was extremely respectful and meticulous.

"I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Concubine. May Her Majesty be blessed with good health."

Her voice was clear and soft, full of respect for the virtuous concubine.

Both the virtuous concubine and the queen were very polite, and in this regard, Lu Qingqing had always done very well in front of them.

However, Concubine Xian didn't even raise her eyes.

She leaned back on the chaise longue, holding a yellowed ancient book in her hand. The scent of ink wafting from the pages, intertwined with the faint scent of tea in the hall, created a tranquility that was isolated from the world.

Obviously, she was very unhappy with Lu Qingqing's sudden visit.

Lu Qingqing was still kneeling below.

For a long time, there was no sound in the hall except for the sound of books turning pages.

It's not a solution to keep wasting time like this.

Lu Qingqing took the initiative and tore off the mask around her face.

Only then did the virtuous concubine put down the book in her hand. She slanted her eyes slightly, and glanced at her slowly with a bit of scrutiny and curiosity.

The voice was neither anxious nor impatient. Although it was gentle, it contained an inviolable majesty.

"Mr. Lu, are you coming here to call me to task?"

When Lu Qingqing heard what Concubine Xian said, she knew that she had misunderstood what she meant.

She knelt on the ground and kowtowed, and hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, you have misunderstood. I came here today to ask for your help."

Lu Qingqing's explanation softened Concubine Xian's defensive attitude.

"Oh? In that case, please stand up and sit down to answer the question."

Lu Qingqing knelt for too long, and when she stood up, her knees ached like needles, causing her to frown. She could only limp to a seat with the help of Erxi.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do for you? If you need help, why do you have to come to me?"

After hearing what Concubine Xian said, Lu Qingqing felt that this might work!

Her eyes were firm and her words were sonorous.

"I would like to ask Your Majesty to help me find the real culprit who destroyed my appearance!"

In fact, Concubine Xian didn't really care how badly Lu Qingqing's appearance was destroyed. But when she said "the real culprit behind the scenes", Concubine Xian was interested in finding out the truth.

"At the birthday banquet, I heard Doctor Dou say that you had a reaction to alcohol. Do you suspect that someone is deliberately harming you?"

Lu Qingqing knew that what she was going to say next would inevitably offend Concubine Xian. In order to avoid causing Concubine Xian's disgust, she struggled to stand up and bowed deeply again.

"To be honest, Madam, since you were the one who organized this birthday banquet, the first person I suspected was actually you."

"But then I calmed down and thought about it. It would be foolish to openly plot against me at the birthday banquet I hosted. Your Majesty is a kind and virtuous woman. You would never do such a clumsy and self-destructive act. Such a trick is totally inconsistent with your character and wisdom."

"So I came to ask Your Majesty, who else can be in charge of the Wanshou Festival besides Your Majesty?"

The virtuous concubine's affection gradually relaxed. She leaned on the chaise longue behind her, twisting a string of red jade Buddhist beads in her hands. Each bead made a low, water-like collision sound as it rotated with her fingers.

She suddenly realized that she had underestimated Lu Qingqing before. She only knew that she had a stunning appearance, but she didn't know that she had such courage to be so frank. Now it seems that the future development of this little noble person may not be underestimated.

"How do you know that I will definitely help you?"

"My Lady, you once invited the Emperor to come and help me out of my predicament. I didn't know whether you would help me, but after this incident, I trust you, so I am willing to tell you all my doubts."

Perhaps it was Lu Qingqing's honesty that touched Concubine Xian.

Xian Fei pondered for a long time, and then slowly said, "Anyone who can get the Ministry of Internal Affairs to pull that huge statue at the banquet will naturally be able to interfere in other matters of the Wanshou Festival."

It is obvious who the virtuous concubine is referring to.

Lu Qingqing stood up and thanked her, "Thank you for your guidance, Madam. I understand."

After Lu Qingqing left.

The virtuous concubine continued to fiddle with the red jade beads in her hand, seeming to have doubts in her heart.

She wanted to use Lu Qingqing to remove the obstacle of Concubine Shu, but she was also worried that this little noblewoman might grow up to be her biggest rival in the future.

After Lu Qingqing returned to Yinglan Pavilion, she immediately told Xiaotao to take out the bottle of Fairy Jade Cream.

A few days ago, she only took the medicine prescribed by Doctor Dou and did not use Xiao Tao's secret recipe immediately, so the rash on her face did not heal completely.

Now she learned from Concubine Xian that the person who ruined her appearance might be Concubine Shu, so she needed to make the rash on her face heal faster.

Xiaotao took out the ointment and carefully applied it to Lu Qingqing.

"My lady, I don't understand why you didn't use the ointment a few days ago, but waited until today to start using it?"

Lu Qingqing looked at Xiaotao in the bronze mirror and smiled calmly.

"My scarred face has been seen by Concubine Shu and Concubine Xian. Now everyone in the palace must know that my appearance is completely ruined. Tell me, if my appearance suddenly returns to normal, who would be the most panicked?"

Xiao Tao suddenly realized that he was a rich man and nodded repeatedly.

"Oh, young master, I understand. We are going to catch the enemy by surprise!"

Lu Qingqing's face was filled with satisfaction, with admiration flashing in her eyes, "Xiao Tao is so smart!"

With the help of the Fairy Jade Cream, and Xiao Tao's additional dietary therapy for Lu Qingqing, within three days, all the scars on Lu Qingqing's face disappeared, and her appearance returned to its former radiance.

"Sanpang, I asked you to find out the whereabouts of Concubine Shu. How is your investigation going?"

Since returning from Concubine Xian that day, Lu Qingqing instructed Sanpang to keep an eye on Concubine Shu's whereabouts every day so that he could create the illusion of meeting Concubine Shu by chance later.

"My lord, Concubine Shu goes to the Imperial Garden every afternoon to stroll around. Are we going to the Imperial Garden today as well?"

That's right, today.

By the afternoon, although Lu Qingqing's appearance had recovered, she still wore a face veil, but she specifically asked Erxi to tie it loosely.

In addition, she knew very well that Concubine Shu particularly liked gorgeous dressing style, so she specially changed into a lake blue gold-woven peacock feather dress today, with the purpose of attracting Concubine Shu's attention.

When Lu Qingqing passed by the Imperial Garden, she saw Concubine Shu feeding the fish beside the koi pond as expected.

She is like a blooming peony, wearing a gorgeous yet elegant rose-red dress, the hem of which sways gently in the wind. In her hand, she tightly holds an exquisite wooden fish food box, the texture of which is clear, exuding a simple and elegant atmosphere, while her other hand rests lightly on the railing of the pavilion next to the koi pond.

Concubine Shu saw Lu Qingqing passing by, and immediately ordered her maid Furong to call Lu Qingqing to her side.

Her words were sharp and her voice was stern. As she spoke, she used a clamp to throw the fish food in her hand towards Lu Qingqing's dress. The fish food drew a cold arc in the air and then scattered on Lu Qingqing's dress, as if it was a silent mockery and provocation to her.

"I was confined to my room for several days because of you. Now I am out of here in good health. I heard that you have a rash on your face, which has ruined your appearance. Do you think this is retribution for your confinement?"

The fish food was sticky and made Lu Qingqing's dress dirty. But she did not retreat a single step and continued to respond to Concubine Shu in a dignified manner.

"I dare not. Doctor Dou said that I got the rash on my face because of alcohol. It is a problem of my personal constitution and has nothing to do with Your Majesty."

Concubine Shu was so angry at Lu Qingqing's indifference.

"You are still being stubborn. You were born a little palace maid, and now you have lost your looks. I want to see how long you can keep being stubborn!"

"Slap me in the face!"

Concubine Shu was holding her breath. Now that she was favored by the emperor, she could do whatever she wanted! She just wanted to humiliate Lu Qingqing in person!

Unexpectedly, just as Furong was about to slap her, Lu Qingqing's head suddenly tilted, and the slap did not hit her face, but instead lifted her face towel.

Under the veil, there was still the peerless beauty that made Concubine Shu hate her.

Concubine Shu was panicked and shouted, "What's wrong with you? It's only been a few days, where is the rash on your face? How could it heal so quickly?!"

Hearing what Concubine Shu said, Lu Qingqing was immediately certain that the person who designed to ruin her appearance was Concubine Shu!

She took the opportunity to ask Concubine Shu, "Madam Shu, what do you mean? When do you think the rash on my face will heal?"

Concubine Shu was stumped by Lu Qingqing's questioning. She was busy trying to make up a lie and hesitating.

"I...I mean, I heard that your appearance was completely ruined. It seems...it seems that the rumors are not true! I am tired and will not argue with you..."

After saying that, he threw away the fish food in his hand and quickly left the imperial garden.