Ruthless Host and Her Little Darling Quick Transmigration

The temperature was not scorching on the early summer evening.

Qin Baobao came out of the bathroom with her hair still wet. "Your Majesty, dry your hair before you come out, be careful not to catch a cold," Liu Qing said, chasing after her with a handkerchief.

"No." She's as strong as an ox and has never been sick since birth. How could she get sick from wet hair?

Liu Qing dared not force the issue, fearing that the emperor, who had suddenly become so fond of his wife, might accuse her of some crime.

"Bring it here!" As soon as the Emperor spoke, the eunuchs and palace maids all glanced over discreetly, and even Liu Qing was no exception. Looking up, she was met with a pair of calm eyes, cold yet with a lingering gentleness. This glance terrified Liu Qing.

Would the Emperor come up with some insidious tricks to deal with her again?

Favor, jealousy, framing, poisoning, murder… Having spent so much time in the palace, she had become involved in countless schemes and plots. Before the Emperor could even utter his second sentence, Liu Qing had already fainted from the sheer terror of her own imagination.

When she fainted, she instinctively leaned to the left, afraid of bumping into the Empress and giving the Emperor more evidence to kill her.

Of course, the handkerchief used to dry the Empress's hair also fell to the ground and was completely unusable. And you know what? Aunt Liu looked quite beautiful when she fainted.

"Little Li, go and get a new handkerchief."

Duan Jiufeng turned to look at his sister, his eyes filled with innocence. "Why doesn't the Empress change the head maid?" He fainted at first glance, thinking he was Lin Daiyu? Even Lin Daiyu wasn't this good at causing trouble; he just keeps creating problems for himself.

"This person might be a spy sent by an enemy country, specifically to sow discord between us. At least I said something this morning, but now..." The Emperor glanced at Liu Qing, his implication quite clear.

Liu Qing, who had fallen to the ground, quickly regained consciousness. In this place where people devoured each other without spitting out the bones, losing consciousness was terrifying. Liu Qing forced himself to wake up quickly, and of course, he heard the emperor's words clearly.

Your Majesty, please spare him!

With just one sentence, you changed my nationality. You're completely leaving me no way to survive!

I, Liu Qing, escaped the schemes of eunuchs and palace maids, and the power struggles among the concubines, yet I never imagined I would die at the Emperor's hands. Does that sound rather noble? For the Emperor, so busy with state affairs, to lay a hand on me, what good deeds did I accumulate in my past lives? May I descend to the underworld…

Pah! Pah! Pah! Liu Qing, what are you thinking? He's going to kill you!

Liu Qing closed her eyes and pretended to faint, too afraid to wake up. If she did, the emperor might just execute her immediately.

Liu Qing cried out in her heart, "I'll kill her however I want! But not this way! Even if she killed the little palace maid and pushed Xiao Yangzi into the well last year, she can't die here for such a fabricated crime."

She was so wronged! The most unjust case in the world! Even more unjust than the death of Consort Gu in the previous dynasty. At least Consort Gu had the emperor's favor, but she only had "fabricated charges."

Qin Baobao ignored Liu Qing on the ground, lay on the soft couch, and let Duan Jiufeng dry her hair.

The servants in the room became even more cautious. Even someone as careful as Aunt Liu was repeatedly found fault with by the emperor. Could she really be a spy from an enemy country?

Those who had originally wanted to plead for leniency also kept quiet and avoided walking around them, afraid of getting involved.

Qin Baobao lay on the soft couch and closed her eyes. "How did this girl offend you?"

"Little girl?" That familiar, suffocating title. Your Majesty, please don't torture me!

Is that an intimate term you can use? The Emperor might be jealous because of it. There's a folk term for lilies, Your Majesty, do you know it?

Duan Jiufeng stopped what he was doing and slowly approached Qin Baobao. "Sister, please don't be angry when I tell you."

Qin Baobao's ears started feeling like they were being electrocuted again, and she was feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"Speak if you want to talk, don't get so close." I had a feeling that Duan Jiufeng was doing it on purpose.

"I'm just afraid of being overheard. It's tiring to always put on airs."

Qin Baobao pushed the person away, "You speak."

"I'm just jealous of her. I'm jealous that she can always be by my sister's side. She can take care of my sister's daily needs, bathe her, and dress her."

I so wished that person were me. In my spare time, I even learned many dishes. But none of it mattered, because I was the emperor, with countless eyes watching me. I couldn't do as I pleased, I couldn't make any mistakes. Only with my sister could I temporarily be myself.

Qin Baobao felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Before she could figure it out, a large dog pounced on her.

Duan Jiufeng lay on top of his sister, taking a deep breath. To make the scene more realistic, he forced out a single tear. It dripped onto his sister's neck, cool and heartbreaking.

Alas! He was perhaps the most frustrated emperor in history. Even sleeping with his own empress required a lot of planning, and he might not even be able to eat meat in his lifetime.

He is so difficult!

He secretly took another breath to soothe his empty soul. Before he could finish his breath, Duan Jiufeng was pulled up.

It was Qin Baobao who pulled him away; who else would dare to lay a hand on him? Seeing Duan Jiufeng's red eyes, Qin Baobao breathed a long sigh of relief. She was terrified; thankfully, it was just tears.

Seeing the other person's suspicious look, Qin Baobao immediately changed the subject. "Why are you crying? Like a little child. If you don't like her, you can have her serve at the door from now on."

"Girl, why aren't you standing at the door!"

The person who had been lying motionless on the ground immediately got up upon hearing this.

This terrified everyone around. This Aunt Liu was no ordinary woman; she dared to deceive even the emperor, pretending to be dead on the ground for half a day. The key point was that she was still unharmed; with the Empress protecting her, she could live to see the end.

Aunt Liu, though over twenty, still possesses a captivating charm. Her almond-shaped eyes and high nose are no less striking than those of the young mistresses of the West Garden. Hmm, could the Emperor have taken a liking to this older aunt? Having grown accustomed to the usual delicacies, perhaps he's seeking a change? It's quite possible. We must be even more courteous to Aunt Liu from now on. Who knows, one day she might just rise to the top and become a phoenix!

"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Empress."

Liu Qing bowed and dashed to the door. Her back was straight, her posture impeccable, as if afraid of making any mistake that might provoke His Majesty the Emperor's wrath. Her idealized image of the Emperor shattered beyond repair that day.

After her two mistresses fell asleep, Liu Qing returned to her quarters, utterly exhausted. A group of chattering palace maids surrounded her, giving Liu Qing a headache. All she wanted now was a good rest.

Seeing her pale face, everyone fell silent. A cute little palace maid was pushed forward; this girl had a sweet tongue and was usually well-liked by Liu Qing.

"Sister Liu, has the Emperor taken a liking to you? Everyone says that the Emperor is making things difficult for you in order to get your attention. Sister Liu, you'll soon be able to rise to the top and become a phoenix."

"The Emperor suddenly favored the Empress and suddenly looked down on Auntie. We thought about it for a long time, and this was the only reason that seemed most appropriate."

"Don't listen to their nonsense. The Emperor's favorite is the Empress. Don't you see that all the concubines in the harem look like the Empress? I don't look like the Empress at all." In the past, she had joked like this with her other girlfriends. Now, being in the thick of it, she realized how agonizing it really was.

Over the years, the Emperor hasn't shown much affection for the Empress. Perhaps the Empress is just a substitute for another woman; however, the Emperor's sudden change is indeed somewhat strange.

She was just a lowly palace maid, powerless and without influence. Even if something went wrong, she had no say in it. It was best for her to quietly do her job and cautiously preserve her life.