The cold emperor reigns supreme, the arrogant empress begs for a truce.

Chapter 311: Daring Not to Offend Leng Yuling

Along the way, the palace maids and eunuchs who saw Leng Yuling were so surprised that they forgot to bow. Only after Leng Yuling had gone far away did they start to discuss: "Wasn't that person from Jingling Palace put in confinement by the Emperor? When did the Emperor lift the confinement?"

The palace maid beside her whispered, "Although the Emperor has put you in confinement, Jingling Palace is still the palace where he appears most often." The person sighed and said, "We shouldn't try to guess the Emperor's thoughts, lest we offend someone without even knowing it."

After saying that, they turned and left.

Although Leng Yuling and the others had already gone far away, Ziyan and Caihe both knew that Leng Yuling had become the latest news in the palace along the way.

Caihe was still very worried. She walked up to Leng Yuling and whispered, "Your Highness, everyone in the palace knows that you have been confined. Isn't it inappropriate for you to move around so openly now?"

Leng Yuling glanced at her, smiled, but didn't say anything.

Although Ziyan was also somewhat worried, she was not as cautious as Caihe. She was only worried that more unfavorable words about Leng Yuling would spread in the palace, unlike Caihe who was worried that Mozhen would punish Leng Yuling.

As soon as she entered the gates of Shangqian Palace, she saw Li Quan waiting at the entrance. He was taken aback when he saw Leng Yuling, and hurriedly walked in, bowed, and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

As he spoke, he glanced behind him, afraid that his voice was too loud and that Mo Zhen inside the room would hear him. He knew that Leng Yuling had been placed under house arrest by Mo Zhen, and he also knew that Mo Zhen had not yet lifted the arrest. Yet now he saw Leng Yuling appear in Shangqian Palace.

Seeing Li Quan's worried expression, Leng Yuling smiled and asked, "What's wrong, Eunuch Li? Are you surprised to see me?"

“Indeed…” Seemingly realizing he had misspoke, Li Quancai changed his words, “Your Majesty, this servant was just curious why you… came to see the Emperor?”

He had seen Leng Yuling act and behave even more boldly than this before, but he was still quite surprised to see it again, since Leng Yuling had become much more restrained after giving birth.

He had thought that Leng Yuling had learned the rules of the palace and had restrained her temperament, but today, upon seeing her, she seemed to be the same as always.

“Your Majesty, His Majesty is currently reviewing memorials. Why don’t you go back first? I will tell His Majesty about your visit later.” Li Quan was advising Leng Yuling to leave, and also reminding her not to anger Mo Zhen at this time.

Even if Mo Zhen doted on her, he was still the emperor. Her blatant departure from Jingling Palace was clearly a challenge to imperial authority, so Li Quan was naturally worried for her.

Leng Yuling, however, seemed oblivious to everything. She glanced around before fixing her gaze on a pavilion not far away, pointing to it and saying, "Then I'll sit there for a while. I'll go see His Majesty when he's free."

“But this…” Li Quan looked at Leng Yuling with difficulty, gritted his teeth and said, “Your Majesty, this is not in accordance with the rules.”

"What rules?" Leng Yuling blinked. Clearly, Li Quan wasn't referring to her leaving Jingling Palace without Mo Zhen's permission.

Li Quan was taken aback. Seeing that Leng Yuling clearly didn't understand, he explained in a low voice, "This... without the Emperor's decree, no concubine can enter Shangqian Palace without permission."

“I didn’t go in, I’ll just sit outside for a while.” With that, Leng Yuling completely ignored Li Quan’s words and gestured for Ziyan to help her walk towards the pavilion.

Li Quan watched from behind, his forehead instantly covered in sweat. He couldn't afford to offend Mo Zhen, but he also dared not easily provoke Leng Yuling's methods.

Even Mo Xuan didn't trust Leng Yuling, so how could she possibly take a mere eunuch like him seriously? The fact that she spoke to him so politely was already a great favor to him. If it were her old personality, she would have been kicked by Leng Yuling in a heartbeat for saying those things.

But what should he do now? He didn't dare to go in and tell Mo Zhen that Leng Yuling had arrived. But if Leng Yuling waited here for too long, she would eventually break in, and then he would die an even more miserable death.

Just as Li Quan was at a loss, a young eunuch came over and, seeing his anxious appearance, asked curiously, "Eunuch Li, what trouble have you encountered?"

"Big trouble is coming." Li Quan looked in Leng Yuling's direction. The little eunuch followed his gaze and saw Leng Yuling enjoying tea and snacks.

Although they were some distance apart, he still recognized Leng Yuling and knew that she was the Crown Prince's mother. He just didn't know why she was here. He had been serving Mo Zhen inside the room and hadn't heard Mo Zhen say he wanted to see Leng Yuling.

"Eunuch Li, was Her Majesty summoned by the Emperor?"

"That's good." Li Quan sighed, wiped the sweat from his forehead, shook his hands, and turned to go inside. But he heard Zi Yan approach and say, "Eunuch Li, our lady said that there is a palace maid in Shangqian Palace who makes very good desserts. The lady would like to try some."

"Alright, Miss Ziyan, please ask Her Majesty to wait a moment. This servant will give the order right away."

If it were any other concubine, Li Quan would have replied with very formal words, but now it was Leng Yuling who wanted dessert. Although Li Quan didn't know what Leng Yuling wanted to do, he could only serve this mistress well.

Li Quan had someone summon Amber, who was serving the emperor, and said, "The Empress of Jingling Palace is here and wants to eat the desserts you made. Quickly make a serving and send it over."

Amber was taken aback, then asked with a smile, "Should we prepare it here and send it to Jingling Palace?" She was very puzzled, and felt that she was a palace maid of Shangqian Palace, and it was not Mo Zhen who gave the order, so she was naturally unwilling to go. Thinking of this, she said, "This servant is a palace maid of Shangqian Palace. Without the Emperor's order, this servant dares not do anything for the mistress of the former palace."

Li Quan's eyes hardened. He felt that this maid was clueless and shook his head, saying, "Can the ladies of other palaces compare to the ladies of Jingling Palace? The ladies of Jingling Palace are the Crown Prince's mother, and she is currently in Shangqian Palace. If you don't serve her, you can expect to be punished!"

After hearing Li Quan's words, Amber realized that Leng Yuling was actually inside Shangqian Palace!

But then, as if remembering something, she asked in a low, ingratiating voice, "But I heard that the Lady of Jingling Palace has long been confined by the Emperor. Why is she here in Shangqian Palace? Did the Emperor summon her?"

Li Quan sighed, feeling that Amber had far too many questions. He didn't want to answer them, but fearing that Leng Yuling would get impatient if she waited too long, he urged Amber to hurry up and finish.

"Just do your job, it's none of our business as servants." After pausing, Li Quan added, "If you want to keep your head, don't anger the Empress of Jingling Palace."