The beloved is reborn as a substitute, and the tyrant begs for forgiveness every night.

With mixed thoughts, Father Jiang left Old Madam Jiang's courtyard, while Xu Leyao's carriage stopped at the palace gate.

"Miss Jiang, you will have to walk the rest of the way. Please get off the carriage."

Upon hearing this, Xu Leyao had a slight premonition.

She helped Pearl down from the carriage, and saw that the carriage was now parked at the palace gate.

Looking at the majestic palace, the solemn guards outside, and Li Huanian standing beside her with a beaming smile, Xu Leyao felt as if this scene was from another world.

When Zheng Zhihe first ascended the throne, all the women in his residence entered the palace through this door.

Now, however, it's two people walking this path again.

Putting aside the memories lingering in her mind, Xu Leyao nodded to Li Huanian.

"Please lead the way, Eunuch Li."

Li Huanian nodded and then walked ahead.

I've been in contact with Xu Leyao for a while now.

Li Huanian thought that this master would definitely not have a short time in the future.

Even when facing a eunuch like herself, she was able to remain humble in victory and undeterred in defeat. This was truly remarkable among the women of the imperial harem.

After all, the respect that the concubines in the harem showed to eunuchs like them was superficial, and it was all for the sake of Zheng Zhihe, who stood behind them.

However, he did not sense any disdain from Xu Leyao.

Furthermore, judging solely from Xu Leyao's behavior, Li Huanian believed he had not sensed any intention to exploit her.

Having worked alongside Zheng Zhihe for so many years, becoming the chief steward is no easy feat.

Li Huanian believed that he had a certain ability to judge people.

But he had seen far too many unusual things in Xu Leyao.

No wonder Zheng Zhihe is so infatuated with Xu Leyao!

Even though Xu Leyao's coming-of-age ceremony hadn't arrived yet, Zheng Zhihe still took the risk of bringing her into the palace to see her.

Xu Leyao had no idea that Li Huanian, who was leading the way, had so many thoughts in his mind.

Walking on this familiar road again, she was filled with many emotions.

I used to think that this place was just a square patch of sky no matter where you looked, and it was so boring.

Even Xu Leyao, who had not yet been officially named empress at the time, had plans to escape from here.

Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on them, and Xu Leyao had to stay behind because of the Xu family.

In the end, it was because of Xu Leyao that the entire Xu family was wiped out.

The cycle of cause and effect, retribution is unhappy.

As she pondered, Xu Leyao lowered her head slightly.

Zhu'er didn't dare to look around, but simply supported Xu Leyao from the side.

By the time the group arrived outside the study in the Qiankun Hall, it was nearly noon.

After walking for so long, Xu Leyao's face turned pale.

Jiang Yuwei's body hasn't undergone proper training, so it's naturally not as good as it used to be.

Li Huanian noticed her slight movement of her ankle, but didn't point it out.

He looked at Xu Leyao with a smile.

"Miss Jiang, please wait here for a moment while I go and report to His Majesty."

Hearing Li Huanian's words, Xu Leyao nodded.

"Thank you, Eunuch Li."

Li Huanian shook his head without saying a word and went into the study.

Xu Leyao didn't have to wait long before Li Huanian came out again to invite her in.

But as she stood there, she suddenly asked a question.

"Is this a place I can enter?"

Faced with her question, Li Huanian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“Miss Jiang is certainly allowed to enter, after all, she has already obtained the Emperor’s permission. This place is truly a wonderful place; all the concubines in the harem would kill to get in.”

Li Huanian's words were quite meaningful.

Xu Leyao pretended to hesitate.

She knew, of course, that this was Zheng Zhihe's study, where he handled official business.

That's why Xu Leyao acted this way.

She didn't believe Zheng Zhihe had told her that he had just approached the palace and wanted her to go to the study.

If she were to see something she shouldn't, Xu Leyao currently has no way to deal with it.

Seeing Xu Leyao hesitate, Li Huanian urged her again.

No matter what he said, Xu Leyao kept shaking her head and refusing.

“Eunuch Li, this place looks like a study to me. As the daughter of an official, it is not appropriate for me to enter. If His Majesty has any instructions, please just tell me.”

Li Huanian never expected that Xu Leyao would be so stubborn.

But her behavior just happened to suit the wishes of the person inside.

Yes, this is yet another test.

Although Zheng Zhihe had seen that the Jiang family was extremely obedient to his imperial decree, he was not sure whether the Jiang family members were truly sincere.

Furthermore, he now even suspects whether Xu Leyao was deliberately cultivated by them and sent to his side.

As a result, Zheng Zhihe had another idea to test the waters.

This led to Xu Leyao's current situation of being approached by the palace.

Otherwise, even if Xu Leyao were to enter the palace, she should have been summoned by the Empress.

Now that there is no Empress, we should ask the Imperial Concubine for her opinion.

At the very least, it should be Jiang's mother handing over the imperial edict to bring Xu Leyao into the palace.

But this harem is Zheng Zhihe's harem after all, so it is only natural for him to bypass those imperial concubines and summon Xu Leyao.

However, Zheng Zhihe's purpose in entering the palace was to test Xu Leyao.

He could accept that Xu Leyao was deliberately cultivated by the Jiang family and sent to his side.

But he couldn't accept that Xu Leyao wasn't sincere towards him.

He was a high and mighty emperor, and it was an honor for Xu Leyao to gain his favor.

If Xu Leyao really entered the study today, Zheng Zhihe couldn't help but wonder if she had long coveted matters of the court.

Therefore, not going in is the best option.

Although Xu Leyao didn't understand Zheng Zhihe's intentions, she knew he wasn't a kind person.

The study was where he handled official business.

If someone were to witness what was happening in the imperial court, it could very well lead to their death.

Even when she was empress, she was not allowed to freely enter or leave the study.

In other words, Zheng Zhihe never allowed his concubines to get close to him when he was handling official business.

It was only because Xu Leyao had once been the Empress that she was allowed to go in and say a few words.

She is just a young lady from the Jiang family now, not yet a concubine in the imperial harem, so how could she possibly enter the imperial study?

For a relationship to be successful, it must be based on mutual consent between the two people involved.

After confirming that Xu Leyao truly had no intention of entering the Imperial Study, Li Huanian put on a helpless expression and went in to report to Zheng Zhihe.

"Did she really say that?"

Zheng Zhihe put down his vermilion brush and raised an eyebrow.

Li Huanian nodded, bending slightly forward.

"Miss Jiang is extremely well-mannered and will never step into the area."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhihe's face immediately broke into a smile.

He wasn't unaware that Xu Leyao was also a smart person.

A smart person would never do something stupid.