It was just past the Hour of the Dragon.

Outside the palace hall, there was a desolate silence, with only a few sparrows on the branches chirping and fluttering their wings as they flew into the blue sky.

The bird shadows hastily passed over the ornate windows, leaving only the branches crossing obliquely.

Gu Yi let out another long breath, attempting to clear the muddled air in her chest.

After a good while, she finally made up her mind, pounded the bed, and sat up.

“Prepare, of course we must prepare!” Having said this, she angrily pulled out the triangular sachet from under her pillow and handed the gold peanut inside to Tao Jia. “Go quickly this morning to make arrangements!”

Tao Jia smiled sweetly, accepted it with a nod, and replied, “Mm. The beauty is wise!”

Gu Yi pulled open the layers of bed curtains and said with renewed spirit, “Help me wash up!”

Come on, the fifteenth of the sixth month, let’s just get through this damn day!

At exactly the Hour of the Snake.

Eunuch Gao led Judge Xu and Chief Physician Gao from the Imperial Medical Academy into Tianlu Pavilion.

The Emperor had just finished the morning court session and had not yet removed his court attire—a dark-colored, round-collared, narrow-sleeved yellow robe with golden dragons coiling across the chest and shoulders, a jade belt around his waist, and a black gauze winged hat on his head.

His eyes stared directly at the visitors, his face terrifyingly stern, as cold as frost and snow.

Judge Xu and Chief Physician Gao immediately knelt and bowed deeply, “Your humble servants pay respects to Your Majesty.”

The Emperor, however, remained silent.

Cold sweat drenched Chief Physician Gao’s back as his hands rested on the blue brick floor, trembling slightly.

Footsteps approached, and his heart pounded like a drum, almost leaping out of his throat.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a sword being unsheathed, and his right hand instantly felt a piercing pain!

He cried out “Ah!” as large beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Looking up, he saw that his right hand had been pierced through by a long sword, its tip pinning his palm to the ground. His skin split and flesh gaped open, blood forming beads that instantly stained a small area of the blue brick floor red.

Chief Physician Gao’s face turned ashen, his whole body shaking like a sieve, as he hurriedly kowtowed and said, “May Your Majesty’s anger be appeased! May Your Majesty forgive my crime!”

The Emperor’s icy tone reached his ears, “Gao Xiyuan, you concocted the mother pearl drug and poisoned Consort Liu of Tanyuan Hall. Your heart is condemnable. What punishment do you deserve…” His voice was chilling.

The last trace of hope in Chief Physician Gao’s mind vanished. With his right hand immobilized, he could only knock his head against the floor with loud thuds, “Your Majesty, forgive my crime, spare this lowly one’s life, Your Majesty, forgive…”

Xiaoyan pulled out the long sword, and Chief Physician Gao, as if granted a great pardon, barely managed to raise his head. In the next moment, blood spurted three feet from his throat, and he could speak no more.

Judge Xu knelt to the right of Chief Physician Gao, the egret insignia on his green sixth-rank official robe now covered in blood. His face and arms were spattered with red stains.

The smell of blood was thick, penetrating everywhere.

He prostrated himself on the ground, his back rigidly motionless.

The Emperor dragged a long sword and slowly walked to stand before him, asking, “Judge Xu has failed in his supervisory duties. Does he share the same guilt as Gao Xiyuan?”

Judge Xu struck his head against the ground, urgently defending himself. “This official knew nothing of Gao Xiyuan’s actions… Your Majesty, spare me, Your Majesty, forgive my crime!”

The room was silent except for the harsh scraping sound of the iron sword being dragged across the blue brick floor.

Judge Xu kowtowed for a good while, his forehead in severe pain, his head spinning, and feeling almost nauseated, but the boundless fear made his limbs ice cold.

Then he heard the Emperor say, “Judge Xu has been at the Imperial Medical Academy for many years. Perhaps it’s time to find a place for retirement…”

In the side hall of Tianlu Pavilion, Lu Chao sat motionless on a round stool, finally waiting for Eunuch Gao’s arrival.

“Master!”

He turned his head and saw that Eunuch Gao’s face was slightly pale, with crimson bloodstains all over the divided hem of his blue robe.

Lu Chao swallowed and tremblingly rose to pour him a cup of tea, “Master… drink… drink some water.”

Eunuch Gao waved his hand.

He had no appetite at the moment and only gestured for Lu Chao to put down the items.

Lu Chao dared not speak further. He took out the silver ingot, several gold leaves, and a gold peanut from his waist pouch and dumped them all on the long rosewood table in front of Eunuch Gao.

“Master, then… your disciple will take his leave first.”

Eunuch Gao frowned and waved his hand, “Get out.”

The Emperor’s mood had been getting worse and worse lately, with the hours he spent awake at night far exceeding the hours he slept.

Alas.

Eunuch Gao sighed quietly in his heart.

At one quarter past the Hour of the Snake.

Gu Yi and the female protagonist met again outside the gate of Huan Yi Ju.

Zhao Wan was still wearing that death Barbie pink palace garment as she gracefully walked toward her.

Gu Yi looked at her face and immediately felt a sour, desolate sense of time having passed and circumstances changed.

Zhao Wan curtsied, “This servant pays respects to the beauty.”

Gu Yi handed the water-blue silk to Zhao Wan, and right on cue, the white rabbit jade pendant at Zhao Wan’s waist slipped and fell to the ground.

Gu Yi, one step ahead of her, silently picked up the white rabbit jade pendant and said coldly, “How does a mere palace maid from Huan Yi Ju come to possess such a jade?”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wan, perhaps intimidated by her imposing manner, knelt on the ground and lowered her head, saying, “This jade is a family heirloom of this servant. I hope the beauty will return to this servant.”

Gu Yi felt bitter inside, but her voice grew even colder, “This jade is no ordinary item. You’re just a palace maid—what talk is there of family heirlooms? You need to say no more. This jade… You will never get it back…”

Zhao Wan lightly bit her rouged lips and kowtowed, “I beg the beauty’s mercy. This servant… this jade is truly a treasured possession of this servant. This servant begs the beauty to show leniency…”

Gu Yi was silent for a moment, then blinked and said, “Come to Xiu Yidian in two days with the silk to find me—not earlier, not later. Perhaps… I might change my mind…”

Zhao Wan’s eyelashes trembled slightly, “This servant… this servant obeys…”

Gu Yi, holding the white rabbit jade pendant, turned and left, exhausted in both body and mind.

She returned to the side hall of Xiu Yidian, took a manuscript storybook, and went straight to find Concubine Qi.

Just like last time, Concubine Qi accepted the task of the storybook.

The task of saving money must not be relaxed!

As the sun’s shadow slanted slightly, Gu Yi slowly walked back to the west side hall of Xiu Yidian.

She dismissed Tao Jia, lifted the curtain, and sat alone on the wooden couch.

The summer sunlight fell warm on her shoulders, like the embrace of an old lover.

She sat motionless for a full hour, until her buttocks grew numb.

Her mind was in turmoil, replaying the events back and forth no less than a hundred times.

The main plot had indeed deviated.

Fuzhou was a side story not in the original book.

Xiaoyan’s southern tour ambush was originally supposed to happen outside Qingzhou, on the Luo River.

The ambusher, Bogu, according to the book’s description—tall, lean, with a curly beard covering his face—should have been the knife-wielding man in the tea garden that day.

But why had Bogu appeared in Fuzhou, and how did he know of Xiaoyan’s whereabouts to appear precisely at the Zhou family tea garden?

And the reason Xiaoyan went to Fuzhou…

Gu Yi had to admit… perhaps it was because Beauty Gu hadn’t died, and Gu Changtong had been made an official, creating a series of butterfly effects that deviated from the plot.

What to do!

This time, what should she do?

At this thought, Gu Yi felt as if a handful of wild grass had been stuffed into her heart, making her dejected and miserable.

After carefully enduring for so long, to be sent back to square one—anyone would be depressed for ten days or half a month…

Gu Yi couldn’t help but shed tears in her heart, but she couldn’t cry outwardly.

At three-quarters past the Hour of the Monkey.

Manager Wu from the Palace Service Department, carrying a jade tablet, walked slowly into Tianlu Pavilion with lowered eyes.

After just a short moment, he withdrew.

He shook his head at Eunuch Gao.

Indeed, today again there was no selection tablet.

Eunuch Gao sighed, “Then come and try again next month.”

Since becoming the manager of the Palace Service Department, Wu often felt that his life was hanging by a thread.

Though the six palaces existed, they were essentially empty.

Moreover, with the central palace vacant and the Emperor without an heir.

His position as manager of the Palace Service Department would be finished sooner or later!

*

Early the next morning, just past the Hour of the Dragon.

Gu Yi and Concubine Qi went together to the main hall of Xiu Yidian to sit on the cold bench.

Seeing that Gu Yi was unusually silent, just sitting on the round stool with gloomy eyes and slightly swollen eyelids, Concubine Qi asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong with Beauty Gu? Are you feeling unwell?”

Gu Yi smiled bitterly, “I’m just wondering how long we’ll have to sit here?”

Concubine Qi looked at the sunlight outside the window, “I think it’s been half an hour already. In a little while, Concubine Wang should send someone.”

No sooner had she spoken than a palace maid indeed emerged from behind a screen embroidered with mountains and waters, “My apologies to both beauties, but the Concubine is practicing calligraphy this morning and has no time to receive guests. Please return, both beauties.”

Listening to her speak, Gu Yi found the voice somewhat familiar. Looking more carefully, she saw that the palace maid was wearing cyan clothes and had an apple-shaped face with slightly protruding cheekbones.

She hesitantly asked, “Are you… Huaihua?”

Huaihua, not knowing why Beauty Gu would remember her, curtseyed and said, “This servant is indeed Huaihua.”

Gu Yi gave an “Mm” and turned her eyes away.

After leaving the main hall of Xiu Yidian, Qi Yun rarely took the initiative to speak, “The lotus ponds are at their peak in summer. Since we have nothing else to do, why doesn’t Beauty Gu come with me to stroll in the Imperial Garden?”

Gu Yi smiled gently, “That would be lovely.”

The two left Xiu Yidian and walked along the vermilion high walls toward the Imperial Garden.

Qi Yun was not naturally talkative, but seeing that Gu Yi looked quite gloomy today, she opened up and said, “It’s been some time since entering the palace. Has Beauty Gu grown accustomed to it?”

Gu Yi nodded, “I’ve grown accustomed.” Accustomed to the point of desperation.

But Qi Yun sighed softly, “But… I’m still somewhat unaccustomed…”

Gu Yi turned her head to see Qi Yun raise her eyebrows and add, “No more depressing talk. Many people outside want to enter the palace but can’t…”

Gu Yi pondered deeply. Concubine Qi had always been a quiet, unassuming person who treated the imperial palace as if it were a cold palace.

Perhaps she could live more freely after leaving the palace in the future.

Just who knows if she would have had the chance to wait for that day?

The two walked in silence to the lotus pond, where pink and white lotuses stood gracefully intertwined in the water.

In the distance, across the pond, they saw a beautiful figure slowly walking around the lake, surrounded by palace attendants.

Concubine Gong, in a mountain-yellow colored robe and skirt accented with dark blue stripes, said with a smile, “Both beauties are in good spirits, coming to the garden to admire the lotus flowers?”

Gu Yi and Qi Yun both curtseyed, “We greet the Concubine.”

Concubine Gong’s gaze swept over their faces, and she smiled lightly, “Since the sisters entered the palace, I believe you have not yet had an audience with His Majesty. Unfortunately, I heard that yesterday His Majesty again did not select anyone… It’s truly a pity…”

A cold-hearted emperor—your lonely days in the back palace are still ahead.

Qi Yun looked indifferent, while Gu Yi thought to herself, What’s there to pity? Tomorrow the selection will be made up.

Just, she didn’t know if tonight she would… encounter Xiaoyan again.

Seeing the two remain silent, Concubine Gong turned to Chunya behind her and said, “Send someone to Xiu Yidian later to present pearl flowers to both beauties…”

“Thank you, Concubine.”

Concubine Gong smiled and sighed, “Between sisters, there’s no need for such formality… The hour grows late now… back to Zhaifang Hall.”

Gu Yi guessed that she still intended to contend with Concubine Wang of Xiu Yidian, so she curtseyed again, “We respectfully see the Concubine off.”