Having many handsome men means no worries; pampering them all keeps me in good spirits.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qingyan... was lying alone on the tatami mat in the inn, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She tried everything—counting sheep, stars, even counting pigs...

I always feel like I don't get enough sleep, but now that I have time to sleep, I can't fall asleep...

Looking out the window, I see the sky is already past dawn. Without the human wake-up call from the eunuch, I kind of miss it…

Jiang Qingyan rolled over, feeling a little annoyed... It was all that innkeeper's fault! She had clearly given him a meaningful look, but he insisted there were four rooms! Otherwise, she could have shared a room with Lu Nian!

She suddenly longed to return to the palace, to her Chaoyang Palace! At least at this hour she could attend court and listen to the ministers' gossip, which was better than lying here quietly alone…

The night is long and lonely!

Suddenly remembering something, Jiang Qingyan frowned. She wondered if Mo Ting, that guy who loved to use his teleportation ability, had been sneaking off to Chaoyang Palace lately... and whether that fake emperor had been exposed yet...

As I was thinking this, even my eyelids started twitching. A twitching left eyelid means good fortune, a twitching right eyelid means bad luck. What's with both eyelids twitching at the same time?

Could it be that the fake emperor was exposed by Mo Ting? Jiang Qingyan suddenly got up and left the room, knocking on Yi Luo's door...

Yi Luo was fast asleep when she heard a knock on the door. She was so startled that she almost fell to the ground. She quickly sat up and asked alertly, "Who is it?"

Jiang Qingyan leaned against the door and whispered, "It's me! Open the door quickly!"

Judging from the voice, the person outside the door must be the Emperor. Yi Luo quickly got up, opened the door, and welcomed her in.

"Your Majesty, why are you here at this hour instead of sleeping? Is there something important you need to discuss with me?" Yi Luo asked Jiang Qingyan seriously.

Jiang Qingyan beckoned to him, signaling him to lower his head, then whispered in his ear, "Is your assassin reliable? Do you think he might give himself away? My eyelids keep twitching; I have this uneasy feeling..."

Yi Luo pondered for a moment. Although Yu Ying's professional skills were still very strong among the assassins, they had been out of the palace for three days after all, and the Regent was shrewd... He wasn't sure if anything might happen along the way...

But they were still outside the palace, and making wild guesses here would not help. They could only quicken their pace and hurry back to the palace to change their identities.

Lu Nian's injuries have already been treated with Zhenyu Powder, and presumably his injuries will be mostly healed by today. So let's set off back to the palace immediately...

"Your Majesty, please do not worry. Your humble servant will go and wake General Lu. We will return to the palace immediately!" Yi Luo cupped his hands in greeting, turned around, and strode out of the room.

Seeing Yi Luo's reaction, Jiang Qingyan felt even more uncertain. If this fake emperor were exposed and used by someone with ulterior motives, it would surely lead to great trouble...

A moment later, Yi Luo led Lu Nian back to the room. Jiang Qingyan looked up and asked, "If we go back to the palace now, what about the green medicine?"

The two scratched their heads. Oh right, they almost forgot, there was also a green medicine…

Jiang Qingyan pondered for a moment, then stared at Lu Nian and said, "How about we take Lvyao back to the General's Mansion first? After I return to the palace and check on the situation, we can find a pretext to bring her into the palace."

Lu Nian nodded; this was the only option for now.

The three then decided that Yi Luo would take Jiang Qingyan back to the palace first, while Lu Nian would stay at the inn and wait for Lü Yao to wake up so he could explain the situation to her. They would then take her back to the General's Mansion to wait.

Before parting, Jiang Qingyan hugged Lu Nian's neck and kissed him deeply for a long time... Later, after being urged by Yi Luo, who had a black line on his face, they reluctantly separated.

Yi Luo's lightness skill was excellent, and the two returned to the palace in less than half an hour.

Meanwhile, inside the Chaoyang Palace, Yu Ying was being helped by palace maids to wash and change. His gaze was vacant, and cold sweat poured from his forehead, which the maids tried to wipe away but couldn't.

As a loyal bodyguard who had committed such a heinous act, he should have taken his own life. Yet, he found a stain of blood on the bed... He knew that the Emperor had never favored Consort Xia. If the Emperor were to discover this, the consequences for Consort Xia would be unimaginable.

It all started because of him. He did something so beastly, but he absolutely cannot reveal it... His life is as worthless as a blade of grass, but he cannot harm Xia Meiren...

"Thank goodness, I made it to the morning court!" Jiang Qingyan gasped for breath as she hid outside the Chaoyang Palace.

Yi Luo glanced at her. He was the one who carried the Emperor all the way back using his lightness skill, so why did the Emperor look more tired than him?

A moment later, seeing the palace maids leave one by one, Jiang Qingyan hurriedly ran in and anxiously asked the dazed Yu Ying, "I'm back! How have you been these past few days? Did you give yourself away?"

Upon seeing Jiang Qingyan return, Yu Ying immediately knelt down to pay his respects, then shook his head, "Your Majesty, I did not give anything away."

He didn't give himself away; in fact, he even became the woman the man favored...

But Jiang Qingyan had no idea that she had been cuckolded. She patted Yu Ying on the shoulder with gratitude, "Young man, you've worked hard. I'll have Yi Luo promote you and reward you with more silver later!"

Yi Luo, standing to the side, was speechless... He impersonated the emperor for three days and was promoted and rewarded with silver, while he had been flying around with her for those three days and hadn't even offered him anything in return...

"Alright, you two may leave. I need to pack up and head to court." Jiang Qingyan waved her hand, signaling them to leave quickly.

After the two left, Jiang Qingyan rummaged through her chest and found a dragon robe, which she put on haphazardly. She then casually tidied her hair, nodded in satisfaction at herself in the mirror, and then pushed open the door and strode out.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Wang, waiting outside the hall, was utterly exasperated… Who was it that dressed and groomed the Emperor today? Why are his clothes so disheveled? And his hair is a complete mess! He'll have to punish them severely after court!

Looking at the time, it seemed too late to repack; attending court was the priority!

And so, amidst the strange looks from the ministers, Jiang Qingyan strode into the Hall of Supreme Harmony…

Oh dear, I usually have to go to court at this time every day, and I'm always tired and annoyed. But after not coming for a few days, I actually miss this feeling. Even these ministers seem particularly pleasing to the eye today!

Jiang Qingyan smiled and waved to the ministers, then her gaze fell on Mo Ting, who stood in the distance with a cold expression…

She noticed he was standing further away, still expressionless, not even glancing at her. She even had to search for a long time before she finally spotted him…

So many days have passed, and he's still angry.

So what if I didn't make him stay to sleep with me that day? He's holding a grudge ever since? What a petty man!

Sigh, since I'm in a good mood today, I'll try to coax him properly after court!