Zhaohua desperately wanted to cry, but she still remembered the Crown Prince was beside her.

She could endure it.

All these years, she had endured in just this way.

She proactively gave Wei Qiang a smile. “The name really is quite interesting. I wonder who came up with such a name.”

She asked this as if nothing were amiss, but the hands hidden in her sleeves trembled incessantly.

The familiar taste of pickled radish peels, the tavern name hidden deep in her memories—could it be that Xiu Yue was still alive?

Zhaohua could only think of this possibility.

If it were just this jar of pickled radish peels, one could say it was coincidence. But adding the tavern’s name as well—how could there be such a coincidence?

She also didn’t want it to be mere coincidence.

She hoped little sister Xiu Yue was still alive.

Among the four of them, Xiu Yue had been the youngest with the most innocent nature. They had all treated Xiu Yue as a younger sister.

“It’s the beloved daughter of Grand Commander Luo, Miss Luo.” Wei Qiang provided the answer. Seeing Zhaohua’s blank expression, he smiled slightly. “You’ve been in the palace all along, so you haven’t heard of Miss Luo, have you?”

Today he had reluctantly agreed to let that troublesome young lady meet Yu Niang. Having brought up the topic, this was a good opportunity to let Yu Niang learn about that headache-inducing woman.

Zhaohua lowered her eyes to hide her disappointment and shook her head slightly. “I haven’t heard of her.”

“She’s the most beloved daughter of Grand Commander Luo, the Commander of the Embroidered Brocade Guard. Her conduct is… somewhat unorthodox.”

“Unorthodox?” Zhaohua somehow thought of the Princess.

The Princess had loved cooking and loved seeking out chefs to ask about culinary arts. At first, people had gossiped behind her back that the Princess was unorthodox.

“Yes, when she sees something she fancies, she seizes it. She also likes to keep male favorites.”

“Keep male favorites?” Zhaohua’s eyes widened.

Their Princess hadn’t been that unorthodox!

“Was that You Jian Tavern also something she seized?” Zhaohua suppressed her tension and asked.

Wei Qiang laughed. “That wasn’t the case. I heard she took it over at a high price. Because there’s a good chef, the tavern’s business is extremely good.”

It truly was enormously profitable!

Thinking of the prices, Wei Qiang couldn’t laugh anymore.

He still owed You Jian Tavern five thousand six hundred and twenty taels of silver.

And when Wei Qiang mentioned the good chef, Zhaohua’s thoughts were already churning.

Could the good chef at You Jian Tavern be Xiu Yue?

She couldn’t help thinking this, yet didn’t dare believe it.

What if it wasn’t?

Zhaohua unconsciously rubbed the gold-inlaid seven-treasure bracelet on her wrist.

All these years, she had guarded this bracelet, guarded a faint hope.

Sometimes, she truly despaired to the point of wanting to end this wretched life and go find the Princess.

But she also feared disappointing the Princess’s trust.

The Princess had never spoken empty words. If the Princess said this bracelet could be exchanged for an empire, then it certainly could be.

Wei Qiang noticed Zhaohua’s action and grasped her hand.

Zhaohua was startled and nearly revealed something amiss.

“Your Highness?”

The man’s slender fingers rested on that gold bracelet, causing Zhaohua’s heart to skip a beat.

That day, the Crown Prince had begun paying attention to this bracelet…

Zhaohua was both alarmed and afraid, her fingertips growing even colder.

“Yu Niang, Miss Luo has also taken a fancy to your bracelet.”

“Your Highness—” Zhaohua’s face turned pale.

Wei Qiang gripped her hand firmly and consoled her, “Don’t worry, I won’t let Miss Luo seize your bracelet.”

Zhaohua forced a smile. “This concubine is curious—Miss Luo has never met me, so how does she know about this bracelet?”

Wei Qiang sighed. “She took a fancy to Wei Wen’s bracelet.”

“That bracelet—”

“Naturally it’s in Miss Luo’s hands now.”

Zhaohua showed an expression of astonishment, but inwardly felt somewhat gratified.

The Princess’s belongings—she would rather they benefit unrelated people than be used by those wolves of Pingnan Prince’s Manor.

It was just a pity she had no opportunity to meet this unorthodox Miss Luo, much less any chance to confirm whether the chef at You Jian Tavern was Xiu Yue.

This Eastern Palace that countless people envied was nothing more than a cage to her.

But she couldn’t escape, nor could she.

Her identity as a maid of Qingyang Princess meant she could only survive by depending on the Crown Prince, in order to protect this bracelet.

“In the next couple of days, Miss Luo will visit the Eastern Palace as a guest. You can meet her then.”

Hearing these words, Zhaohua was truly surprised. “Your Highness?”

Wei Qiang felt extremely vexed.

He could hardly admit before Yu Niang that he was helpless against a slip of a girl.

“Don’t think too much of it. It’s just a meeting.”

“Mm.” Zhaohua lowered her head, sensibly asking no more questions.

Time always favors beauties. Though Zhaohua was no longer young, her beauty hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

Wei Qiang looked at her slender neck and beautiful head, his heart stirring. Gripping her hand, he walked toward the bed.

As night deepened, Wei Qiang allowed Zhaohua to straighten his clothing before leaving.

“Consort, do you wish to bathe?”

The palace maids serving Zhaohua knew her habits, so they came to ask.

Zhaohua nodded. As if she had no strength to speak, she was supported by two palace maids to the bathing chamber.

Her entire body submerged in the steaming wooden tub, Zhaohua dismissed the two palace maids.

Once there was no one else in the room, she plunged her head into the water. Only after a good while did she emerge, gasping for breath in great gulps.

If there was ever a time when she most wanted to end this wretched life, it was now.

Every single time, she wished she could scrub this body inside and out.

Stepping out of the wooden tub, Zhaohua changed into snow-white undergarments and entered the inner chamber.

Two maids came forward holding hand towels to dry her hair.

Zhaohua had beautiful hair—thick, black, and lustrous like the finest silk.

One palace maid wrung out her hair while sighing, “The Consort’s hair is truly beautiful.”

The unspoken words were: no wonder she could win the Crown Prince’s exclusive favor.

Zhaohua knew without needing to think, and felt even more disgusted.

“That’s enough. You may withdraw.”

“Consort, your hair isn’t dry yet.”

Zhaohua was unconcerned. “As long as it’s not dripping. In such hot weather, it will dry quickly.”

Seeing her say this, the two palace maids both performed a curtsy and withdrew.

The inner chamber was very quiet.

Zhaohua sat woodenly for a moment, then pulled open a hidden compartment at the head of the bed and took out a small ceramic bottle.

She poured out one pill and swallowed it. After thinking, she poured out another one.

Outside the door, a pair of eyes that had taken all of this in suddenly widened, revealing excitement.

Early the next morning, beside a certain artificial mountain, one palace maid handed a pill to another palace maid.

The palace maid who received the pill hurried off to report to the Crown Princess.

“After being intimate with His Highness last night, Consort Yu took such a pill?” The Crown Princess stared at the pill the palace maid held cushioned on a handkerchief, her tone icy and disgusted.

“In reply to Your Highness the Crown Princess, it was Cui Hong who serves Consort Yu who saw it with her own eyes.”

“Nanny Gui, take this pill to Imperial Physician Wang for examination. See what function it has.”

“Yes.”

Because the palace maid watching Zhaohua’s movements had finally yielded results, the Crown Princess was in good spirits.

Wei Qiang’s mood was far worse.

“What? We’re still short one thousand taels in available silver?” Early in the morning, hearing the report from his trusted eunuch Dou Ren, Wei Qiang felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him from a clear sky.

Dou Ren laughed dryly. “In reply to Your Highness, we’re short one thousand one hundred taels…”

Wei Qiang was silent for a moment before saying, “Select a fine jade pendant that doesn’t violate regulations and send it to Miss Luo together with the banknotes.”

“Yes.” Dou Ren took the jade pendant and banknotes and left the palace discreetly.