After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Lu Zhiyuan clapped her hands and shrugged slightly.

"How does Consort Jin want me to explain myself? Liu Ying and I are just victims. The one who really needs to explain is that idiot who forced A Luo to set fire to Ronghua Palace!"

"Lu Zhiyuan, how dare you—"

"How dare you insult Consort Jin? It seems that Your Highness has admitted that the fire at Ronghua Palace was started by A'luo at your behest."

"You have no evidence!"

“But I know Your Highness’s methods and motives!” Lu Zhiyuan’s eyes sparkled: “Consort Jin used Xiao Yebai’s life to threaten A’Luo, forcing A’Luo to set fire to Ronghua Palace. If I were burned to death, the Xie family would definitely investigate. His Majesty would investigate thoroughly to give the Xie family an explanation. A’Luo is Xiao Yebai’s person, and Xiao Yebai is to blame, his life is in danger. If I am not burned to death, the Xie family and I will also be held accountable for the fire at Ronghua Palace. In the end, it will all come down to Xiao Yebai. If Xiao Yebai dies because of this, who will be held accountable? Of course, it will be the Xie family who will be held responsible.”

Lu Zhiyuan rubbed her fingers together.

"My feud with Xiao Yebai could be between two underage children, between the eldest daughter of the Pingnan Marquis's family and the hostage from Southern Chu, or between Southern Chu and the Xie family army. The fire at Ronghua Palace could be an accident, arson, or Xie Yuandao's granddaughter taking revenge on the hostage from Southern Chu. The truth is not important; what is important is how that person with ulterior motives will pass on the message to the outside world."

Lu Zhiyuan looked directly into Consort Jin's eyes: "Whether Xiao Yebai lives or dies is not important. What is important is that he must be unlucky and become the reason for Southern Chu to send troops. It's just a pity that Consort Jin's plan has failed."

Consort Jin's expression changed.

"Guests are always welcome. Would Consort Jin like to go to the courtyard and take a look?"

Consort Jin looked puzzled, but upon entering Ronghua Palace, she realized that the seemingly large fire had not burned anything.

Although the fire was large, it was only burning the old furniture piled up at the base of the walls. Ronghua Palace had been neglected for years, with withered trees and dead grass, and after a whole day of cleaning, it had become a bare open space. This open space became a natural firebreak, separating the buildings from the fire, and apart from the palace walls being blackened by smoke, there was no damage.

The fire was extinguished too quickly, and the old furniture wasn't completely burned, leaving Lu Zhiyuan slightly disappointed. The palace used only the finest wood; if it had been burned more thoroughly, it could have been made into charcoal for winter warmth. The charcoal, once burned completely, could be made into ash, which, mixed with wood ash, could be used as fertilizer. There were two open plots in the courtyard; if they sowed some seeds and nurtured them, they could plant some medicinal herbs, fruits, and vegetables next spring.

Living in the palace, one must always plan ahead.

Within the palace, renovating a palace was no easy task. It required the emperor to instruct his ministers to propose it, which would then be submitted to the Ministry of Works for verification and approval. Even after approval, construction could not begin immediately; the Ministry of Works had to select an auspicious day. This entire process took anywhere from one to three to five years.

Lu Zhiyuan is someone who is unwilling to compromise herself.

When the palace burned down, she could use the pretext of repairs to carry out extensive renovations, and take responsibility for handling various matters on her own, without having to go through the Ministry of Works, and openly transport things from outside into the palace.

The exterior walls cannot be altered; they must remain as they are. The kitchen needs to be renovated, using a modern approach, with a carpenter making a set of modern-style cabinets. The bedrooms and guest rooms need to be changed; besides Liu Ying and Lu Yun, we also need to make room for the princess.

Judging by the time, Lu Yun should be back by now. We need to use the princess's connections to get him into the palace.

Guards? No way! Guards can't enter the inner palace; they can't be relied on if something happens.

Eunuch? Forget it! Her Lu Yun should be married with children, both sons and daughters.

Lu Zhiyuan was lost in thought and didn't notice that Consort Jin's expression was getting worse. She pinched her fingertips hard and said sternly, "Whether the abacus has failed or not, we'll see when we get to His Majesty's side."

She was dragged into the palace by her father, simply because she was the most useless daughter of the Fang family; even if she died in the palace, no one would care. From the moment she entered the palace, no one, from top to bottom, respected her. In terms of background, she was inferior to the Empress and the Imperial Concubine. In terms of appearance, she was the least outstanding among the beauties who entered the palace with her. Individually, she was just an inconspicuous weed amidst a garden of blooming flowers. In terms of talent, she was utterly inept in all the arts, being outshone in every aspect. In terms of temperament, she was inferior to Consort Rou and Consort Hui, and she didn't know the tricks of pleasing men.

Fortunately, there was an unwritten rule in the imperial harem that the emperor could not favor one woman exclusively, but must distribute his affections equally. She was fortunate enough to bear a son and a daughter for the royal family. While others rose in status because of their sons, she herself was unloved, which ultimately affected her two children.

Her daughter, Jia Rou, was betrothed by the Emperor just after she turned fifteen, simply because the Emperor was wary of the Xie family and wanted to take military power from others.

That man was a rogue soldier who, through his reckless nature, fought his way up from a cook to a general, commanding 50,000 men, all of whom were exceptionally fierce. Even the Xie family army had to be wary of them and were unwilling to clash with them.

He married three wives. His first wife, whom he married before he joined the army, died in childbirth. His second wife, whom he married when he was a centurion, was captured by the enemy and died in their camp. His third wife, whom he married when he was a lieutenant general, died less than a hundred days after their marriage, reportedly because she couldn't bear her mother-in-law's mistreatment.

Her daughter, Jia Rou, cried all night before her wedding, and her mother, the concubine, was completely helpless. She wrote to the Fang family, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea—no response whatsoever.

For years, she could only see her daughter Jiarou once a year on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Heaven knows how much suffering her daughter has endured over the years, and how much it breaks her heart as her mother.

Her son was sent to Southern Chu as a hostage as soon as he was old enough to understand, and she was forced to raise the Southern Chu prince. Every time she saw that child, she wanted to strangle him. Why couldn't her son be by her side? Why did she have to raise the prince of an enemy country and take such good care of him?

Over the years, she had caused quite a bit of trouble for that hostage from Southern Chu, but his attitude towards her was just like Lu Zhiyuan's today—he treated her as if she were nothing.

She glanced at A Luo out of the corner of her eye, gritted her teeth, and said hatefully, "It is an indisputable fact that A Luo was caught arson, and Xiao Yebai was implicated in the whole thing. I should thank you, because if you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have thought to tell Nan Chu about this."

By the light of the fire, Consort Jin examined her fingernails: "The hostage prince of Southern Chu was implicated by the Xie family's daughter, so Southern Chu certainly has a reason to send troops."

As they were talking, the Emperor and Empress arrived, accompanied by Princess Ping Le. The princess gave Lu Zhiyuan a wink, and under the guise of asking a question, slipped a tinderbox and a gold hairpin into her sleeve.

Like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, Consort Jin never dreamed that while she was leaving Jinxiu Palace to watch a play at Ronghua Palace, Princess Pingle's men had already sneaked into her room, stolen her personal belongings, and marked them as Lu Zhiyuan had instructed.

Those who harm others will ultimately suffer themselves. The real Lu Zhiyuan is not only petty but also holds grudges. She adheres to only one principle: I will not offend others unless they offend me, but if they do, I will kill them.

If the mission objective is outside the established principles, their only outcome is death!