Return of the Pearl

When Qianlong and Erkang gradually walked away, Ziwei did not ask about Xiao Yun's whereabouts. After Qianlong learned that Xiao Yun was in trouble, he immediately sent secret guards to conduct an in-depth investigation. However, the result of the investigation shocked Qianlong.

Qianlong never imagined that the problem was with the jewelry they were wearing. The hairpin was hollow in structure, and someone had maliciously put aphrodisiac inside it. This was really unbelievable. Who would have thought that such a sinister means was hidden in the seemingly ordinary hairpin.

This aphrodisiac can make people lose their minds and fall into a state of madness. Once it breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous. Those hairpins actually contain secrets and quietly penetrate into their bodies through the skin. Moreover, the timing of all this is calculated so precisely that it is really astonishing.

What shocked Qianlong even more was that there were several beggars who originally wanted to bully Ziwei, and as for Yun'er, their purpose was to kidnap him and sell him to a brothel.

After some investigation, Qianlong finally found out the mastermind behind the incident. When he learned the truth, he interrogated Concubine Yi directly in the temple, which terrified Concubine Yi.

Driven by fear, Concubine Yi actually gave away the Queen and claimed that she really knew nothing, but the Queen's methods were indeed clever and meticulous, and she did not leave any clues.

Qianlong was furious, but he suppressed his anger. In the end, he demoted Concubine Yi to a noble lady, fined her half a year's salary, made her copy the palace rules a hundred times, and confined her to her room for three months.

After hearing these punishments, Concubine Yi breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad that she had finally saved her life, and she no longer cared about other punishments.

At this moment, Qianlong's heart was filled with complicated emotions. He knew very well that the struggles in the harem had never stopped, but this incident made him more aware of the danger.

Qianlong secretly made up his mind to handle these disputes more carefully and not let the chaos in the harem affect the stability and peace of the court. This turmoil also gave him a deeper understanding of the situation in the harem. He knew that there would be many challenges waiting for him in the future.

In the solemn and magnificent Kunning Palace, the queen was sitting on the phoenix chair, looking forward to the good news. She had carefully planned all this and was confident that everything was under her control. She believed that Concubine Yi would be able to successfully complete the task and bring her the desired results. However, she never expected that the news she finally received was completely the opposite.

When the Queen learned that Concubine Yi had been demoted and none of the people she had sent out survived, she felt uneasy. Her expression changed slightly, her brows furrowed tightly, and her heart felt as if it were being pressed down by a huge rock, heavy and heavy.

She began to speculate that the emperor must have known what she had done, which made her feel panic, but she was secretly glad that she had acted cautiously and did not leave any direct evidence, so that the emperor could not find any handle.

The queen paced in the palace, her thoughts in a mess. She recalled every step of her plan, trying to find possible loopholes. Her eyes revealed a hint of anxiety and worry, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the corners of her clothes.

Her heart was full of contradictions. She was afraid of being discovered by the emperor, but she was unwilling to give up. She gritted her teeth and secretly made up her mind to find a way to deal with this sudden change and not let her position be threatened.

The atmosphere in Kunning Palace became extremely solemn. The queen's heart was full of struggles and calculations. She knew very well that in this harem, every step was like walking on thin ice, and a single mistake could lead to a complete loss. But she was unwilling to fail. She wanted to try every possible means to maintain her status and power and continue to call the shots in this harem.

She must make careful plans for her twelfth prince, because in her heart, the twelfth prince is only her hope and reliance. She will never tolerate other princes ascending to the supreme throne. As long as she is still there, she must do her utmost to ensure this.

Her gaze was firm and persistent, as if it could penetrate all obstacles. She knew that the road ahead was full of difficulties, but for the future of the 12th Prince, she was willing to give everything, even if it meant making enemies with the entire harem. In her heart, this maternal love was as hot as a flame and as firm as a mountain, and would not allow anyone to violate it.

Her thoughts surged like the tide, and various plans and strategies kept emerging in her mind. She wanted to pave a path to the throne for the twelfth prince so that he could stand firmly at the pinnacle of power.

After finishing the matters at hand, Qianlong did not choose to return to the palace, but stayed in the quiet Putuo Temple. Perhaps he still had fear of unknown accidents in his heart, so he chose to stay here for a while. The process of worshiping Buddha in the past few days went smoothly and nothing unusual happened.

However, Qianlong seemed to be addicted to it, and he actually picked up Xiao Yun and carried her into the room, hoping to enjoy that moment of pleasure again. But that night, Xiao Yun had already fallen into a coma and had no memory of what happened. But she still had a desire in her heart to experience that wonderful feeling again.

Thus, in this quiet temple, the passion between the two of them was ignited, like a burning flame, releasing a sound that made people blush and their hearts beat faster.

When the monks patrolling in the temple heard the embarrassing sound, their faces turned red and they wanted to step forward to stop this unethical behavior.

But he was pulled back by the abbot. Looking at the two passionate people, the abbot slowly shook his head and said, "What they are doing is really disrespectful."

The abbot's tone was filled with a hint of resignation and tolerance. He continued, "Love is what it is, nature is what it is. This is human nature. Don't worry about it. Let's go."

After saying that, the abbot quietly left with the monks, leaving Qianlong and Xiao Yun in the corner of the temple, continuing to immerse themselves in their passion, as if they had forgotten everything.

The night wind blew gently, and the leaves rustled, as if adding a touch of mystery to this forbidden scene. The burning passion was particularly eye-catching in this quiet temple, and it became an indelible memory of that night.

Concubine Yu was filled with resentment and unwillingness, with anger burning in her eyes. Ever since Ziwei was recognized by the emperor, the relationship between Yongqi and Erkang had become increasingly distant, which made her feel resentful.

So, today she actually proposed to execute both of them. She thought that if she could not be a helper to her own son, then she would never let Erkang be a helper to others.

However, to her surprise, the emperor actually issued an imperial decree to keep her mouth shut. Although Concubine Yu was not a bright mind, she knew very well that if she acted rashly, it would not only bring disaster to her family, but also implicate Yongqi. In desperation, Concubine Yu had to let Yongqi contact Erkang again to see if they could reconcile.

At this time, Concubine Yu also saw that the emperor really cared about his daughter Ziwei. She secretly thought that if Ziwei could make friends with Yongqi, it would definitely be of great benefit to her future. So, Concubine Yu began to make her own plans, and her thoughts became deeper and deeper.