"This servant is useless! Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Chen Yu'an didn't dare complain even after being struck, instead carefully trying to soothe him. "However, since the person Your Majesty seeks is neither a palace maid nor a eunuch, perhaps she is one of the noble ladies who entered the palace last time to celebrate the Empress Dowager's Qianqiu. In the coming days, new consorts will be entering the palace…"
"Perhaps that woman is among them. If so, this servant could quietly investigate among them?"
Chen Yu'an knelt there after speaking, waiting for Lu Yao's response.
Lu Yao glanced at him, and at some thought, angrily kicked him twice more. "Then why are you still standing there gaping? Go investigate at once!"
"This servant obeys!"
Having taken his beating, Chen Yu'an quickly rose and fled as if his life depended on it.
Lu Yao sat there with a grim expression.
After a long moment, he forcibly drove away the memory of that woman's seductive gasps from his mind, then coldly ordered water to be brought.
The news spread through the harem.
Yikun Gong.
"What did you say? His Majesty was in the Yushufang, didn't favor anyone, yet called for water?" Consort Rong's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.
"Yes, I heard that Eunuch Chen has been searching for someone these past few days, having nearly investigated every palace maid and eunuch in the harem without finding the person. I believe His Majesty's unusual behavior today may be related to this mysterious person." The head palace maid Yuxin spoke with a respectful tone.
"Heh."
Consort Rong let out a cold laugh, her delicate makeup twisting somewhat. "It must be some bold little vixen who used some means to seduce His Majesty in private, leaving him so unable to forget her."
"But Your Ladyship, I heard that Eunuch Chen was searching with a handkerchief. During the search, a palace maid claimed the handkerchief was hers, but when she was brought before His Majesty and spoke, he recognized that her voice wasn't the woman he was looking for. He flew into a terrible rage and ordered the maid dragged away and beaten to death… It seems His Majesty even said that if he found this woman, he would have her executed along with her entire family—Zhu Qi Jiuzu. Given how angry His Majesty was, it seems more like he's seeking revenge." Yuxin said with a slight frown.
"That's because you don't understand men, nor do you understand His Majesty. If he truly only wanted to execute her entire family, why would merely thinking of her in the Yushufang stir such desire in him? Moreover, he'd rather call for water himself than find a woman to relieve his needs… His Majesty has taken her to heart."
Consort Rong spoke in a leisurely tone, yet her fingers, painted with bright red Koudan, suddenly plucked a fresh flower from the table, pinched it between her fingertips, and crushed it viciously. "Have someone watch the Yuqian closely! The moment there's any news of that woman, report to me immediately!"
"This servant obeys!" Yuxin quickly acknowledged.
"Bitch… daring to seduce His Majesty right under my nose!"
Consort Rong's red lips curled coldly and cruelly. Suddenly she raised her hand and, without warning, swept the entire priceless vase from the table. The vase shattered into pieces, reduced to a useless object.
Meanwhile.
In the other palaces, everyone was scrambling to find news of the woman His Majesty had ordered searched for, yet all came up empty-handed.
The mistresses of each palace refused to accept this, all keeping watch on the Yuqian, hoping to learn sooner who this woman was that had captured His Majesty's heart.
Princess Pingyang, upon hearing the commotion in the various palaces, quickly wrote a letter and had someone secretly deliver it out of the palace.
The letter soon reached Yun Wu's hands.
After reading it, she burned it to ashes, then pondered for a moment before calling her maidservant Yuan Rong to her side and whispering a few instructions.
"Rest assured, Miss. This servant understands."
Yuan Rong had a clever, adorable face. Having received her orders, she immediately left the residence and carried out Yun Wu's instructions properly.
That night.
Yun Wu mixed and prepared the items Yuan Rong had brought back, finally producing a lustrous pearl. Together with other pearls, it was strung into a necklace and placed in a Zhuanglian box before her.
At that moment, Tuan Jiao entered carrying a food box.
"Miss, I just saw Liu Fang from the eldest young lady's courtyard lurking suspiciously outside our courtyard. I don't know what mischief she's plotting this time."
The food box contained several pastries Yun Wu had instructed her to have made in the kitchen, intended to bring into the palace tomorrow.
"I'm entering the palace tomorrow. How could she be content knowing she can no longer control me? At a time like this, she's bound to do something to make me look foolish once I'm in the palace."
Yun Wu accepted the fragrant tea Yuan Rong handed her, speaking with an understanding tone. After a moment's thought, she decisively ordered, "Find a way to let her succeed in what she wants to do."
With that, she glanced at Tuan Jiao.
Tuan Jiao's beautiful eyes shifted, and she immediately understood her meaning, quickly acknowledging the order.
Early the next morning, Tuan Jiao told her the deed was done.
"Bring this food box and come with me to see Father." Yun Wu glanced at the food box on the table, which had clearly been tampered with, curled her lips, and rose to her feet.
Tuan Jiao quickly followed.
In the front hall, Yun Qingnan and Madam Wen were already waiting there.
"Father, Mother, today I am to enter the palace, and what worries me most is Father.
"Others say Father does not dote on his daughter, but I know Father's difficulties. Father is stern on the surface but kind at heart—strict in appearance, yet truly earnest in teaching me the proper ways of conducting myself."
Yun Wu spoke with sincere words, taking out the pastries from the food box and offering them to Yun Qingnan with both hands. "At this parting, I have nothing else to honor you with, Father. These pastries were meant for me to bring into the palace. Please, Father and Mother, do taste them, and I hope you will not disdain them."
Her heartfelt words moved Yun Qingnan slightly.
After all, she was his own flesh and blood…
Though her birth mother had erred and betrayed him.
Perhaps he should no longer hold her mother's mistakes against her.
With that thought, Yun Qingnan accepted the pastries and savored them carefully.
Madam Wen thought her behavior was nothing but pretense, but she still pinched her nose and took a bite.
One pastry was quickly finished.
"Father, Mother, please have some tea." Yun Wu then served tea to both of them.
After a cup of tea went down, Madam Wen could no longer hold back a cold laugh: "Sudden kindness is either treachery or theft. What scheme are you playing at this early hour? Don't tell me you're trying to get your father to give you more silver?"
"If Father is willing to give more, I would not decline. Once in the palace, there will be many places to grease, and this is for the benefit of the Yun family, not for myself."
Yun Wu spoke calmly, her words quite reasonable.
Yun Qingnan immediately nodded: "Steward, draw another thousand taels of silver from the accounts and give them to the Second Miss."
The steward beside him hurriedly acknowledged.
But at that moment, Yun Qingnan suddenly felt an unbearable itch all over his body. He couldn't help but raise his hand to scratch, only to discover that red rashes had broken out all over his arm!
Madam Wen was the same.
She couldn't control herself and soon scratched her skin raw, angrily pointing at Yun Wu's nose and cursing: "You vicious little wretch! Now that you're going to the palace, you deliberately poisoned the pastries to harm your father and me, didn't you!"
"Mother, what are you saying! Father is my pillar of support from now on—why would I be so muddle-headed as to harm him?"
Yun Wu looked utterly innocent.
Then, as if suddenly recalling something, she said with absolute certainty, "I understand now, Father—it was Sister who did this!
"These pastries were made by the kitchen staff last night, meant for me to bring to the palace.
"Tuan Jiao said she had seen Sister's maid Liu Fang sneaking around earlier, up to no good.
"I thought since I was about to enter the palace, she couldn't do much harm, so I didn't take it to heart.
"Who would have thought—she actually swapped out my pastries!
"Father, if I had brought those pastries into the palace unaware and offered them to the other young ladies entering with me, the consequences… I fear our Yun family would be in deep trouble!"
Yun Qingnan's expression changed drastically at these words.
Enduring the maddening itch like ants crawling all over his body, he roared in irritation: "Go fetch the Eldest Miss at once!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
When who should appear but Yun Liao, dressed in all her finery, accompanied by two maidservants.
She didn't notice anything amiss with her parents, only saw that the pastry box on the table was open, and assumed Yun Wu had already eaten the pastries. A smug smile spread across her face as she asked, "Little sister, you should eat a few more of these homemade pastries—after all, once you enter the palace, you'll never get to taste them again!"
These words were as good as a confession.
"Wretched fool!"
A sharp smack rang out!
Yun Liao let out a shriek as her face took a heavy blow. She stared in disbelief at her father, who had always doted on her. "You hit me? Have you lost your mind?!"
"Idiot!"
Yun Qingnan was so furious his head throbbed.
To have done such a reckless thing that endangered the entire family—if not for the child she carried in her belly, he wouldn't have stopped at just one slap. He would have kicked her straight to the ground!