Baby, don't be afraid, I'll accompany you to the heavens and the seas!

Ever since the students of the Imperial Academy witnessed the beauty of Fang Rong, the tutor of the Crown Prince, their attendance rate at the academy has become exceptionally high.

The story of Luo Gongzi's stunningly beautiful appearance has spread throughout the capital!

People were curious about what this woman, whose beauty was said to rival that of the Crown Prince's tutor, actually looked like.

The rumors spread like wildfire, becoming increasingly bizarre!

Some say that this young master Luo is an immortal from the southern border, with a ghostly yet divine appearance. After death, he can transform into a snake, a dragon, and a serpent before ascending to immortality.

Besides the trending topics about Qianqianluo's beauty and background, another matter in the capital has topped the trending list: Emperor Qingtingmo has just ascended the throne, and court officials have strongly petitioned for him to take concubines to fill his harem. They also intend to decide the position of Crown Prince's wife in this concubine selection.

Youthful sentiments are always poetic; why need rouge and makeup?

On the high platform of Linchang Gate, Empress Lin, dressed in a flamboyant phoenix robe inlaid with jade and gold, had her exquisitely painted phoenix eyes filled with tears of indignation and shame after the Crown Prince's carriage disappeared from sight.

Lin Qinrou's jade-like fingers, stained with rouge-red floral liquid, gripped the phoenix robe and hem tightly. Her trembling, slender figure appeared pitiful and forlorn in the afterglow of the high platform.

"Your Majesty, this servant has already invited Physician Ma to Qinrou Palace." Cong Shang's forehead was still dripping with sweat, but he didn't bother to wipe it away as he rushed to the high platform at Linchang Gate to report the situation.

"Hmm, have someone give you some gifts!" The Empress remained standing on the high platform, staring intently in the direction of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

"Yes, Bai'er will take care of it right away!!" Bai Si, the Empress's trusted palace maid, immediately accepted the order, took away a group of palace maids, and left the space alone for the Empress and Cong Shang.

"What?! A letter from General Lin?!" Empress Lin asked indifferently, then turned around and, supported by Cong Shang, slowly walked along the palace path leading to Qinrou Palace.

"Your Majesty, the previous dynasty intends to enrich the harem for our Emperor and select a virtuous woman for the Crown Prince to secure the position of Crown Princess and stabilize the court!" Cong Shang bowed low and carefully helped Empress Lin.

"Is that so? To fill the harem? To stabilize the court?!"

Upon hearing the Empress's sarcastic question, the merchant guard remained silent, not daring to utter another word.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!!" Upon arriving at Qinrou Palace, a group of palace maids bowed and greeted Lin Qinrou.

"All of you, leave!" Knowing that the Empress had important matters to attend to, Bai Si readily dismissed all the palace maids serving Qinrou Palace.

"Your Majesty, this is the list of imperial concubines to be selected this year, submitted by the Minister of Rites. Please take a look!"

Lin Qinrou took the roster handed to her by her trusted eunuch, Tu, and unfolded the scroll, staring thoughtfully at the names of the beautiful young women who were about to enter the palace.

"Gui Ningzhi, is this Gui Ningzhi the youngest daughter of Prime Minister Gui of the Gui family?!" The Empress's jade-like fingers, adorned with brightly colored nail polish, paused at the top of the roster, and she asked the eunuch beside her thoughtfully, propping her head up with her hand.

"Your Majesty is wise; Gui Ningzhi did indeed participate in this Consort Selection Ceremony!"

"As far as I know, Gui Ningzhi is very fond of our Crown Prince."

"This servant also heard from people in the palace that Miss Gui often waits for the Crown Prince at the school and gives him personally woven sachets!"

"Is that so?! What does the Crown Prince mean by this?!" The Empress pondered the situation, also wanting to choose a virtuous woman for the Crown Prince as soon as possible to consolidate her own position and power!

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince disliked it and refused it outright!" Cong Shang stepped forward and reported.

"Hmm, then, who is this Mo Fanfan?! I have lived in the capital for a long time and have never heard of a family with such a surname in the capital!"

Lin Qinrou abruptly closed the list of concubines, sipped the hot tea that the palace maid had cooled, and asked the person next to her with great confusion.

"Your Majesty, this is the Mo family, a clan that has been stationed at the high tower in the northern desert for generations! This woman is none other than Mo Fanfan, the youngest daughter of the family who saved the Crown Prince's life back then!!" Eunuch Tu answered first, looking at the Empress with a fawning expression.

Upon hearing the name of the Northern Desert Tower, Lin Qinrou felt her heart pound and her hand trembled visibly as she placed the teacup down.

Exhausted, she propped up her jeweled temples and waved them away, saying she needed some time to calm down.

The Ministry of Rites had already prepared the list of Consort Cai's names, and trusted confidants from each palace were sent to collect copies.

Jinyan Palace and Badge Palace also received the roster.

Zhang Jinyan threw the roster directly into the fire, and then found a pretext to have Xiao Fuzi punish the palace maids while he sat in a chair and watched.

The wailing continued in Jin Huan Palace, and the blood was repeatedly washed away by the guards, the pungent smell even reaching the neighboring palace of Consort Yang.

Inside the Palace of Badges, Green Sleeves and Jade Pearl were receiving the roster sent by the Ministry of Rites, intending to present it to the Empress who was calming her mind and copying scriptures in the inner palace.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

"Your Majesty, spare me!!!"

"Waaah, Your Majesty, please don't banish this servant from the palace!"

"Your Majesty, this servant truly has no idea who took the jewels from the makeup box this morning?!"

"You shameless hussy!! You dare lie~~ Men, smash her mouth to pieces~≈!!"

Eunuch Fu grabbed the dying palace maid kneeling on the ground and made a move to drag her out.

Hearing these noises, Yuzhu nervously hid herself behind her green sleeves.

Because Yu Zhu was originally a servant of Jin Yan Palace, she couldn't bear the beatings anymore. On a winter night, she stopped the Imperial Concubine's carriage and begged Consort Yang to take her in. When Yang Huizhang saw Yu Zhu lying in a pool of blood in front of the carriage, his heart softened and he took her in.

"Yuzhu!! Don't be afraid, hmph! We're in the Badge Palace now, that shrew won't dare to bully you!!" Green Sleeves turned around and pulled the trembling, crying Yuzhu into her arms, gently patting her back to comfort her.

"Sister Greensleeves, Pearl's alright!!"

"Let's hurry and present the roster to the Imperial Concubine! No, no, we mustn't delay!" Yu Zhu stepped out of Green Sleeves' embrace and said with a faint smile.

"Good good!!!"

"Pearl is the most considerate! Let's go, let's go find the Imperial Concubine, hahaha!!"

Green Sleeves grabbed Jade Pearl and, in a carefree manner, dragged her along as they ran wildly through the boundless moonlight of the Palace of Badges.

The study in the inner palace of the Badge Palace.

Yang Huizhang was lovingly stroking the baby in her belly, her head lowered as she held a pen and wrote Buddhist scriptures with a charming smile.

Stacks of Xuan paper, covered with elegant calligraphy, lay quietly beside her, while the calming sandalwood incense wafted and swirled in the inner study.

After writing for a while, Yang Huizhang was about to lay out the last roll of Xuan paper when he heard Green Sleeve's loud, carefree laughter.

"Hahaha, Yuzhu, why are you shy?!"

"Sister Greensleeves, how could you say such a thing?"

"You, you're so annoying!! I'm going to tell the Imperial Concubine, you, you're so annoying!!" Yu Zhu blushed with embarrassment as Green Sleeve pressed her for an answer about whether she had a suitable husband and how old she was.

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! How can you be so thin-skinned? Hahahahahaha!!!"

"What could be so embarrassing for my Yuzhu?!" Yang Huizhang asked gently as he left the study.

In an instant, the night wind swept through, carrying with it a rich fragrance of seasonal flowers and herbs, filling the courtyard of the Herald Palace.

Magnolia blossoms fall profusely, staining the exceptionally bright moonlight of the capital in March!

The moonlight spilled onto Yang Weizhang's delicate body, making her, dressed in plain clothes, look less like a favored concubine of the emperor in the imperial palace and more like a white lotus blooming in the stagnant pool of the palace.