The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

After the Spring Festival, there were further changes in the appointment of officials in the imperial court.

Agui was demoted from a fourth-rank official to a fifth-rank official and transferred to the Ministry of Personnel for his negligence in a previous case of theft of treasury silver; Fuheng was promoted to Grand Secretary of the Hall of Preserving Harmony for his meritorious investigation of the assassination case; Zhaohui was transferred back to the capital and appointed as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and concurrently Commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner; Qiu Yuexiu was appointed as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel; and Zhuang Yougong was appointed as Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet.

In early spring, February, when the grass grows and the birds fly, it is the perfect time to go out for a spring outing.

One day in February, the emperor led his harem to Ganlu Temple to pray for blessings.

Upon arriving at the temple, everyone disembarked from the carriage. The Empress followed behind the Emperor, with Consort Chun and Consort Ling in the second row. The rest of the people entered the temple gate according to their respective ranks.

It was a rare treat for the concubines in the imperial harem to go out, and most of them were excited, especially the younger concubines who were beaming with joy.

As a concubine, Ruyi was at the very end of the line. She wore a purple-red qipao with square knot patterns and trim, and her hair was adorned with various pearl flowers. Her hands, covered with pearl and gemstone rings, were twirling the three pairs of earrings that the Emperor had recently bestowed upon her. These earrings were a gift from the Emperor because she often went to the Baohua Hall to pray for blessings. They were carved from agate and decorated with turquoise and coral, with a thumb-sized carved gold bead hanging down. Because they were so heavy, they even required earring posts that were more than twice as thick as ordinary needles to hold them in place. Her earlobes hurt from the weight when she wore them, but this was because the Emperor understood her sincere devotion to Buddhism.

She thought this with a calm expression, while Rong Pei beside her revealed her fierce side, and Ling Yunche looked numb.

Mo Yan had already been waiting for them in front of the temple with several nuns whose names begin with "Mo".

After everyone had offered incense and paid their respects, the Emperor selected Ruyi and Yanwan to accompany him to the meditation room for tea.

So Rongyin led the others to another meditation room.

When Yanwan entered the meditation room, she saw Ling Yunche standing at the door with his eyes lowered.

She kept her eyes down, focused on her own thoughts, and, supported by Chun Chan, walked in and bowed to the Emperor.

Ruyi had already sat down with the Emperor. Upon seeing Yanwan, she felt a surge of disgust and reluctantly bowed, staring intently at her.

Yanwan ignored her and simply said, "Xian, you may dispense with the formalities."

The three of them sat down, and Mo Yan asked the nun to brew three cups of tea.

The emperor took a sip and said, "This tea is quite good. It reminds me of the time when I enjoyed tea with Consort Shu."

He turned to Mo Yan and asked, "Where is Consort Shu?"

Mo Yan clasped his hands together and replied, "Jueqing was slightly unwell before and is still recuperating, so it is inconvenient for her to come."

The emperor slammed down his teacup: "He was perfectly fine when he arrived, how did he fall ill?"

The nun serving tea was so frightened that she knelt down, but Mo Yan remained standing, her hands clasped together in a gesture of respect, neither humble nor arrogant: "Your Majesty, although Jueqing had finished her postpartum confinement when she arrived at Ganlu Temple, her health had never been very good, and she fell ill during the cold winter. After treatment, it was found that it was due to the large amount of blood she had lost after her miscarriage, resulting in blood clots accumulating in her body. Although she has recovered now, she is still weak. Today, Your Majesty and the ladies-in-waiting have come, and it would be inappropriate for a sickly person to appear before such noble people, so this humble nun has allowed her to rest in her own room."

Yanwan was shocked by the abbess's courage and straightforwardness. After a moment, she reacted and advised the emperor, "Your Majesty, since that's the case, why don't you let Consort Shu rest, so as not to make Your Majesty sick?"

Ruyi felt that Yanwan was clearly afraid that Yihuan would distract the emperor, and she also thought it was an opportunity to strike at Yanwan, so she raised her voice and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu offended you in the past, please forgive her."

The Emperor was unsure how Ruyi would react, but he was surprised that she took the bait so easily. He then said, "Ruyi, your words always please me. How about this, where is Consort Shu staying now? I will go with Consort Ling and Consort Xian to visit her. Abbot, lead the way."

Yanwan tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, if we are going to visit, should we invite the Empress to come along?"

The Emperor said, "No need. Consort Shu is someone who has left the palace. I only went on a whim and will be back soon."

Supported by maids and eunuchs, the three arrived at Yi Huan's residence under Mo Yan's guidance. Just as they reached the door, the emperor heard the sound of chanting coming from the inner room.

Yi Huan's voice was still as melodious as a nightingale's, as she softly recited Buddhist scriptures, adding a touch of sacredness to the ethereal atmosphere.

The emperor stood quietly at the door until the chanting stopped, then gestured for Mo Yan to knock.

The door opened, and Yi Huan appeared before the three of them.

Ruyi glanced at her and saw that Yi Huan was wearing a loose-fitting gray cotton robe with wolf fur trim, wrapped up like a cotton ball. Her once black hair was now hidden under a monk's hat. Her complexion was sallow, and the butterfly-shaped pregnancy marks on her face were lighter than during her pregnancy. However, since she was not wearing any makeup, the pregnancy marks were more obvious. She was completely unadorned, except for a string of Buddhist beads on her wrist. Her hands seemed to have become rough from doing various kinds of work.

Ruyi sighed inwardly. The woman who was once so talented and beautiful was now just an ordinary nun, no different from the other nuns in the temple.

Caught off guard by these people she never thought she would see again, Yi Huan was stunned for a moment before she reacted, knelt down, and said with shame and humiliation, "This lowly concubine, Jue Qing, greets Your Majesty and the two... mistresses."

The Emperor stepped forward to help her up, seemingly with a thousand words to say, but in the end, he only managed to say, "Yihuan... I originally thought that you and Ruyi were very close sisters, so I brought Ruyi to visit you. I didn't expect you to be so ill, alas..."

Ruyi was taken aback, then her gaze turned cold.

The three entered the room, and the emperor gestured for Mo Yan to leave, then instructed Chun Chan to close the door.

Yanwan's mind raced the whole way, but she still couldn't figure out why the emperor suddenly wanted to see Yihuan. Now that she saw the emperor like this, she said, "Sister Shupin went out of the palace to pray for the emperor. She has just recovered from her illness and has been chanting scriptures non-stop. But she should take care of her own health."

Yi Huan was surprised that Ruyi remained silent, but Yan Wan was the first to show goodwill, replying gratefully, "This humble concubine thanks Consort Ling for her concern."

The Emperor said, “Consort Ling is right. Consort Shu is a nun who prayed for my well-being while still keeping her hair. It is heartbreaking to see her dressed in simple clothes and looking so haggard and thin. Ruyi and Consort Shu used to be close friends, so I suppose she feels the same way I do.”

He turned to Ruyi and said, “Ruyi, why don’t you give her something? Consort Shu is currently in a Buddhist temple. The earrings you are wearing today were a gift from me and are made of agate, turquoise, coral, and gold, which are among the seven treasures of Buddhism. Giving them to her would not only be a good deed but also fulfill your sisterly bond from the past.”

Yi Huan was shocked. Although Ruyi was on good terms with her, in this situation, the emperor's words undoubtedly meant that Ruyi, as a concubine, was to give her an ornament symbolizing the emperor's feelings.

She has always been proud and arrogant, only wanting the emperor to treat her sincerely. She even felt that the emperor's respect for the empress, which was based on mutual benefit, was not pure. How could she accept the emperor's sympathy and pity for her through her friends after he had hurt her so badly?

Besides, she hadn't worn earrings for more than half a year, and the piercings she had done before had long since closed up, leaving only a small indentation on the surface of each earlobe.

She immediately knelt down and said, "This humble concubine has already entered the Buddhist order and should therefore relinquish hairpins and ornaments to preserve a heart of contentment and quiet cultivation. I dare not accept the gifts bestowed upon me by Your Majesty and Consort Xian."

The Emperor said, “Hey, Consort Shu is practicing Buddhism with her hair still intact. Although she is in a Buddhist temple, she is like a lay Buddhist. Why be so formal? It will only ruin your sisterly relationship.”

Yanwan was truly bewildered by this turn of events and, fearing she might say the wrong thing, remained silent for a long while. She then reached out and removed a string of eighteen jade beads from her wrist, stepping forward to personally place it into Yihuan's hand, saying, "Offering alms to monks and nuns is a virtuous act. Since His Majesty has spoken, I will also offer this eighteen-bead bracelet for Abbess Jueqing to use when reciting Buddhist scriptures, thus fulfilling His Majesty's intention to care for his concubines and respect the Dharma. As for these three pairs of earrings, they are made of the seven treasures of Buddhism and also symbolize peace and harmony; they are not merely ornaments. It is inconvenient for Abbess to wear them; please keep them for now." She subtly gave Yihuan a meaningful look.

Ruyi gave Rongpei a cold glance, and Rongpei stepped forward to take off three pairs of agate and gold bead earrings for her, staring at her and handing them forward.

Yi Huan could only bow and say, "This humble concubine thanks Your Majesty for your grace, and thanks Consort Ling and Consort Xian for their generosity."

The Emperor said with satisfaction, "Very good, very good. It is rare for you sisters to be together today, so I will let Ruyi stay and have a good chat. Consort Ling, let's go."

Yanwan hesitated for a moment, then left with the emperor.

Only Ruyi, Rongpei, and Yihuan remained in the room.

Yi Huan felt embarrassed and ashamed, and had no mood for catching up. However, she thought that Ruyi was a close friend of hers and had never been too formal with etiquette in the past. Now that the Emperor and Consort Ling had left, she could relax a bit, so she wanted to stand up.

Ruyi, however, stood up first, expressionless, with vacant eyes, and walked out in a daze.

As she passed by Yi Huan, seemingly unaware of what was happening, she stepped on the back of Yi Huan's left hand. Her flowerpot-shaped foot was a few inches higher than the other concubines'. The hard and heavy paulownia wood flowerpot first pressed firmly on the back of Yi Huan's hand, then rolled down diagonally.

Yi Huan groaned in pain, while Ruyi slumped down, only managing to stay upright by grabbing the corner of the table.

Rong Pei quickly stepped forward to support Ruyi, while calling for Xiao Lingzi to come in. She completely ignored Yi Huan, who was curled up on the ground clutching her left hand, gasping for breath in pain.

Ling Yunche entered and helped Ruyi up. Rong Pei freed his hand and walked aggressively toward Yi Huan, slapping her across the face.

Yi Huan fell to the ground, his monk's hat fell off, and his hair came loose.

Her face was filled with disbelief, and she trembled as she said, "You servant, I used to be on good terms with your master, why are you humiliating me like this!"

Ruyi's eyes were vacant as she looked down at him, but she only sighed sadly before saying, "Since His Majesty has bestowed these earrings upon me, I should naturally wear them to show my respect. Ling Yunche, you stay here too. I want to take a walk alone."

Ling Yunche lowered his brows, thinking that Ruyi's enemy was also his enemy.

Before Yi Huan could even ask Ru Yi why, Ling Yunche grabbed her arms and forced her down onto the table.

She was a frail woman who had just recovered from an illness, and she could not withstand such force. She felt as if her arms were about to be broken. She cried out in pain, and Rong Pei stuffed the jade eighteen-bead bracelet that she had picked up from the ground into her mouth.

Rong Pei locked the door, took the earring, and pressed the thick needle against Yi Huan's ear. Yi Huan could feel the sharp needle tip pointing directly at the indentation of her earlobe. She let out a horrified "woo-woo" sound, twisting her body in an attempt to avoid it, but to no avail. Rong Pei then said, "Master's ear piercings have all closed, so it's really inconvenient to wear earrings. However, wearing earrings shouldn't be a trouble for Master. Whether or not they fit is my skill, and whether or not you allow me to do it is Master's own choice. Master, please bear with it. To learn a lesson, you have to endure some hardship."

Exhausted, Yi Huan closed her eyes in despair and humiliation, two lines of clear tears falling.

Rong Pei said disdainfully, "Your tears are too precious. If you must shed them, don't shed them in front of me. In my heart, your tears are no different from dirty water dripping from the eaves. But if you want to throw your tears in front of the Emperor, then I must make it clear: what Consort Xian gave you was a reward, something I put on you. If you're hurt or injured, you can come at me without a word. But if you want to throw dirty water on Consort Xian, then you can forget about it. Even in front of the Empress, you willingly accepted these earrings, not for any other reason than that you made a mistake and were still restless even in the temple. This is what you deserve." (Most of the dialogue is quoted from the original drama, the last sentence is adapted.)

Yi Huan couldn't even shed tears anymore. She just closed her eyes, like a fish on a chopping block, waiting to be humiliated and bullied.

Suddenly a loud crash came from outside the door. Then, the force on Yi Huan's back loosened, and she slid limply to the ground, spitting out the bracelet and panting heavily.

Before her, Yingluo and Moyan were locked in a fierce battle with Rong Pei and Ling Yunche. Yingluo deftly slipped to the Buddhist shrine, grabbed the stone statue, and smacked it on the head that Ling Yunche's hunched back was thrust in front of him. With a loud "clang," Ling Yunche's skin was torn, but Yingluo was thrown back and fell to the ground, secretly astonished.