Return of the Pearl

The queen came to the Yangxin Palace in anger, intending to hold the emperor accountable, but she never expected to return in such disappointment. She walked out slowly with heavy steps, and every step seemed to carry endless loss and resentment.

The queen's eyes were dull and her once proud head was now lowered, her face full of loneliness and frustration. Her heart was filled with resentment and unwillingness, but she could do nothing about it. The hem of her skirt swayed gently with her steps, as if telling of her grievances and helplessness.

As she left, one could see her figure trembling slightly, as if she was suppressing the grief in her heart. Her steps were a little staggering, as if every step was extremely difficult. Behind her was the empty and silent palace, as if mocking her failure and loneliness.

The moment she stepped out of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, she stopped, raised her head slightly, looked at the blue sky, her eyes filled with tears, and her heart was filled with helplessness and sighs about her fate. She knew that from this moment on, her status and dignity had suffered another heavy blow. She shook her head helplessly, turned and left, leaving behind only a lonely and desolate back, gradually disappearing from people's sight.

Xiao Luzi stood in the distance and saw the queen walking out of the Yangxin Palace with a gloomy expression. The lonely figure made his heart tighten. He immediately understood that the queen must have been punished by the emperor. So, he did not dare to delay for a moment, and hurriedly walked into the inner hall with a somewhat flustered pace to apologize.

After entering the inner hall, Xiao Luzi lowered his head and looked extremely nervous, not even daring to make a sound. His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, which slid down his cheeks. On his slightly pale face, a shocking bloodstain was particularly conspicuous.

The bloodstain extended from his left cheek to the corner of his mouth, as if it had been scratched by something sharp. Blood was still seeping from the wound, making it look extremely hideous and terrifying.

At this moment, Xiao Yun's sharp eyes caught the particularly conspicuous bloodstain on Xiao Luzi's face. A look of concern immediately appeared on her face, and she asked with a hint of anxiety in her voice: "Eunuch Lu, what happened to you?"

When Qianlong heard Xiao Yun's voice, he slowly shifted his gaze from Xiao Yun's beautiful face and instead stayed on Xiao Luzi. A barely perceptible doubt flashed in his eyes, as if he was waiting for Xiao Luzi's explanation, and there was also a hint of concern in his eyes.

Xiao Luzi knelt on the ground with his knees, his whole body trembling slightly with fear, and his voice trembled obviously as he said in panic: "I am fine. I have come here specially to apologize to the emperor. I failed to stop the queen. I deserve to be punished. I hope the emperor will punish me." His eyes were full of uneasiness and worry, and the deep fear seemed to devour him.

Qianlong was naturally clear in his mind. He knew very well that Xiao Luzi had done his utmost. He gazed at Xiao Luzi quietly, a subtle flicker of tenderness and understanding in his eyes. Then, he waved his hand and said calmly, "Get up. Go to the storehouse and get the tribute carpets from Ryukyu. Cover the entire Yangxin Hall and the Jianjia Palace with carpets as well."

After hearing the emperor's words, Xiao Luzi slowly stood up, with fear and uneasiness still lingering on his face. He took the order and left, each step seeming so heavy, as if each step was carrying an extremely heavy burden.

Xiao Luzi took slow but firm steps, and each step seemed to be filled with endless worries. Xiao Luzi was grateful in his heart, secretly feeling that the emperor did not blame him. Otherwise, he would have been unable to escape the punishment today, and it would have been an unbearable disaster.

Kunning Palace

After the queen returned to her bedroom, the resentment in her heart became more and more intense, surging like a tide. She knew very well that the emperor was threatening her with the twelfth prince. If she dared to act rashly again, she would probably not be able to escape the punishment.

She was not afraid of the emperor's love, but his loyalty, because once the emperor became loyal, he would be cruel and ruthless to others.

At this moment, the queen seemed to have suddenly understood a lot of things as if she had been enlightened. No matter what, she was the queen, the master of the harem, and the legitimate mother. The one who should be more anxious than her now should be Concubine Ling.

After all, before Concubine Xiao was crowned a concubine, Concubine Ling was the most favored, and now she wasn't the one being most affected. So why should she be so anxious and angry? Wouldn't it be better to just sit back and watch the tigers fight? Thinking of this, the Queen's mood actually brightened considerably, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

As the Empress had predicted, Xiao Luzi made a grand entrance to the Imperial Household Department to collect the tribute carpets from Ryukyu. With such a large quantity, how could this not alarm the harem? Everyone had heard of the Emperor's preference for Concubine Xiao.

Some concubines had never even seen Concubine Xiao. She was already so favored before she was even named a concubine, which was already against the etiquette. Now the emperor's favor towards her was even greater than before. Indeed, some people had already begun to plan to deal with her.

When she heard the news, a barely perceptible cunning flashed across the queen's face, her eyes revealed a hint of calculation, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly, revealing a smug smile.

As for the other concubines, some showed jealousy, while others were worried. Each of them had her own little calculations in her mind. The entire harem seemed to be shrouded in a tense and subtle atmosphere.

Yanxi Palace

Concubine Ling harbored great hostility towards Concubine Xiao. She tried her best to guard against her, but in the end, she still failed to prevent her from becoming the emperor's concubine, which made Concubine Ling feel extremely annoyed and frustrated.

At this moment, Concubine Ling was indeed in deep distress, her heart was tangled like a tangled mess, but she knew very well that she could not act rashly and could not be as reckless and impulsive as the Queen. She preferred the method of killing people invisibly, making plans before taking action, and every step was carefully calculated. What she wanted was not momentary pleasure, but long-term victory.

Concubine Ling sat quietly in her bedroom, her eyes slightly closed, her thoughts surging like the tide. Sometimes a sinister look flashed across her face, and sometimes a hint of determination was revealed. She was secretly planning in her heart how to find Concubine Xiao's flaws and how to give her a fatal blow. She wanted to let Concubine Xiao know that she, Concubine Ling, was not someone to be trifled with, and she had enough wisdom and means to deal with all challenges.

In this harem, Concubine Ling is like a ferocious beast waiting for an opportunity to strike, quietly waiting for the right time to come. She will not act rashly, but once she does, she will definitely put Concubine Xiao into an irretrievable situation.

She wanted to make everyone understand that she, Concubine Ling, was the real ruler of the harem, and no one could easily shake her position. Her heart was filled with firm belief, a determination to never give up until her goal was achieved, a ruthlessness that would do anything for her own benefit, and all of this would be reflected in her actions, which would attract people's attention.