After these words, the Palace Discipline Office fell momentarily silent, with only the occasional soft pop from the vigorously burning candles.

Imperial Physician Hu, having finished his report, remained frozen in place with his head bowed for quite some time before the Emperor finally gave a light laugh.

“Imperial Physician Hu must exert his utmost effort. I… look forward to hearing the details later.”

Gu Yi, standing to the side, lowered her head and glimpsed Imperial Physician Hu sweating profusely, the beads of sweat on his temples gleaming coldly, his collar already soaked to a deep blue.

She suddenly realized that Xiao Gouzi’s skill at cold mockery was truly suffocating.

She had just blinked her eyes.

“Talent Gu.”

She heard Xiaoyan’s ice-cold voice in her ear.

She hurriedly curtsied again, “This concubine greets Your Majesty.” Please, just be human for once!

Xiaoyan saw her with her head bowed, her long lashes like feather fans, drooping submissively.

“Talent Gu has had quite an encounter tonight. You must have been frightened.”

Gu Yi shook her head, “Your Majesty’s concern overwhelms this concubine with trepidation.”

“However, Talent Gu… why were you lingering in the Western Garden corridor at sunset?”

Sensing the criticism in his words, Gu Yi felt indignant.

Was it wrong for her to play ball in the Cold Palace?

“Your Majesty, please forgive me. This concubine was momentarily absorbed in the ball game today and lost track of time. Due to my poor skill, I accidentally struck the ball over the wall…”

“Raise your head.”

Gu Yi’s words were suddenly interrupted by him. Though confused, she could only obey and raise her head.

She saw Xiaoyan’s gaze fixed unwaveringly on her face, seemingly searching, puzzled, like rippling waves in a deep pool, glistening silently.

Gu Yi opened her mouth, but instantly forgot what she had intended to say.

Xiaoyan examined her features closely—her eyebrows arched like the moon, her apricot-shaped eyes seeming to contain a smile even when she wasn’t smiling.

Talent Gu—he indeed had never seen this person before.

After looking for a moment, he turned to glance at Eunuch Gao, half a step behind him. “Escort Talent Gu back to her palace.”

Eunuch Gao acknowledged the order.

Gu Yi saw two palace attendants step forward swiftly and bow, saying, “Talent, please.”

She nodded, curtsied, and said, “This concubine takes her leave.”

Outside the Palace Discipline Office, the two palace attendants took two yellow lanterns handed to them by the guards and led the way, escorting Gu Yi back to Pingcui Palace in the Western Garden.

The corridor was pitch-black, with only a small patch of flickering yellow light cast by the lanterns.

As Gu Yi walked, she contemplated that, given the circumstances, Huaihua must not have died by falling into the well in the previous cycle.

The reason the Palace Discipline Office hadn’t noticed anything unusual might have been because she was in the well, her body bloated from soaking, making the abnormality of her fingers go unnoticed.

But why had Qi Chuang testified that there was nothing unusual about the well?

Was he deliberately covering up?

If so, who was he protecting?

Or perhaps… was the person who killed Huaihua truly someone who left no trace?

Gu Yi thought of the gray shadow that had flashed past earlier, and her calf instinctively twitched.

Could it have been that gray-robed person from the Fish-Watching Pavilion in the Imperial Garden?

After thinking it through, she felt her brain capacity was truly insufficient.

Why did she feel like she was reading a pirated book, with so many hidden storylines never even mentioned?

Huaihua, a second-class palace maid to a minor character, harbored such deep grievances?

While Gu Yi was lost in these chaotic thoughts, she had unwittingly arrived outside Pingcui Palace.

The palace attendants bowed and said, “Talent, we have arrived. The night is deep, and in half a quarter hour, the gates will be locked. Talent should retire early.”

She thanked them, “Thank you for guiding the way,” and then turned to enter Pingcui Palace.

Tao Jia stood under the eaves, and seeing the lantern’s glow, rushed out to meet her. “Talent, are you all right? Did the Palace Discipline Office give you any trouble?”

Gu Yi heard her voice and fixed her gaze on the approaching figure.

Tao Jia was startled by her stare, then smiled, “Why is Talent examining this servant so closely?”

Gu Yi gave a thin smile, “It’s nothing. There have been many events today, and I’m just a bit tired. Let’s prepare for washing up early.”

The first night watch drum sounded.

In the west side hall of Xiuyi Palace, the candles burned long into the night.

Su Xue was the new personal palace maid assigned to Beauty Wan.

Seeing that Beauty Wan was still embroidering a skirt by lamplight, she couldn’t help advising, “Beauty, the night is deep. You’ve been embroidering all day. Please rest a while and don’t strain your eyes.”

Zhao Wan paused her work and raised her head to look at the moon’s shadow through the gauze window.

“Is it already so late…” She lowered her eyes and caressed the moonlight skirt in her hands, the hem swaying, brilliant as moonlight.

Su Xue smiled, “Beauty has such skill. This skirt is so beautiful. If Beauty wears it and sees His Majesty, it will surely win the imperial heart.”

Imperial heart.

Zhao Wan’s heart was truly uneasy.

Ah Yan already knew she was the girl from Cang County in Ji Prefecture to whom he had given jade years ago.

Though he had bestowed upon her the title of Beauty Wan, she knew he had not placed her in his heart.

Moreover, he already knew she was a descendant of Zhao Jie.

The Crown Prince’s tutor, the Junior Mentor to the Crown Prince.

She sighed and put down her needlework. “Let’s prepare for washing up.”

Early the next morning, the sky was clear and bright.

After paying her respects in the main hall of Xiuyi Palace, Zhao Wan changed into her newly made moonlight skirt and went to tour the Imperial Garden.

In the garden, the peach grove had just begun to bear fruit.

After the court was dismissed, Eunuch Gao took great pains to persuade the Emperor for a long time before finally convincing him to tour the garden.

“Your Majesty is diligent in state affairs, but should also relax a bit. Right now, the peach garden has just started bearing fruit. Though they’re small and not yet ready to be picked, wouldn’t it be enjoyable to admire the scenery and take a stroll?”

Xiaoyan assented indifferently.

Without changing out of his court robes, he headed toward the peach garden in the Imperial Garden.

As they reached the peach grove, they heard a melodious female voice.

She was singing “The Garden Has Peaches.”

Eunuch Gao’s heart sank, and a sideways glance confirmed that the Emperor’s expression had indeed darkened.

Who could be so blind to propriety!

Xiaoyan lightened his footsteps and walked several steps into the grove.

A figure was hidden among the trees.

Xiaoyan was momentarily dazzled and closed his eyes briefly, finding the flowing light on her skirt particularly eye-catching.

He saw her standing beneath a peach tree with overlapping green leaves, rising on tiptoe to pick peaches.

His heart stirred slightly—this scene seemed familiar.

Eunuch Gao’s skill in reading facial expressions had reached a state of perfection. He saw the Emperor display a rare look of bewilderment, with a hint of nostalgic desire to speak but ultimately remain silent in his gaze, firmly locked on the figure beneath the peach tree.

His spirits immediately lifted.

Heaven was smiling upon them!

Zhao Wan detected the subtle noise behind her and slowly turned around, her gaze unexpectedly meeting the Emperor’s.

She bowed, “This concubine greets Your Majesty.”

Eunuch Gao looked and was even more delighted.

It was a beauty, and none other than Beauty Wan who had been bestowed her title by the lake that night!

He smiled and turned his head to glance at the Emperor.

But he saw the Emperor’s expression suddenly change, with no trace of affection remaining in his eyes, only a cold stare at the person before him.

Good heavens!

In just a moment, the Emperor left without saying a word, turning on his heel.

Zhao Wan stood beneath the tree, her expression rigid, her face deathly pale, no longer as graceful as when she had arrived.

*

Gu Yi slept until the sun was high, awakened by the heat.

She opened her eyes, her back damp with sweat, but didn’t want to move from the wooden couch, merely casually grabbing a fan from beside her pillow to fan herself.

To be honest, living in Pingcui Palace was truly not bad.

No need to pay respects to anyone every day, nor worry about visitors.

It was just a bit hot without ice.

She huffed and puffed as she fanned herself for a while before Tao Jia finally entered the room with a basin of water.

“Is Talent awake? This servant has fetched well water for Talent. Wipe your body, and you won’t feel hot anymore.”

Gu Yi lifted the gauze curtain and rose, seeing Tao Jia throw a snow-white cloth into the porcelain basin, gently kneading it with her slender fingers.

She took the ice-cold cloth and thanked her.

After the Hour of the Monkey (3-5 PM), Gu Yi picked up the mallet and went to the courtyard to practice chuiwan.

Though there had been complications yesterday, she couldn’t neglect her chuiwan practice.

This was the fastest way she knew to accumulate money.

Everything for silver.

However, in today’s practice, she slightly reduced her force, focusing on the ball’s path. Out of ten strikes, only one or two hit the brick wall.

Xiaoyan stood outside the vermilion palace wall, silently waiting, occasionally hearing the thudding sounds.

The wooden ball gently struck the stone wall.

She was indeed absorbed in the ball game.

He had walked alone to the Western Garden, inadvertently arriving at this spot, standing silently outside the walls of Pingcui Palace.

Even he couldn’t clearly explain why.

If he had suspicions about Talent Gu, he should have realized she hadn’t lied last night upon hearing the sound of the ball game, and then left immediately.

But he didn’t move, standing there silently for a long time.

Not seeing the person, not hearing her voice, only the occasional sound of the ball being struck.

It was absurd.

He was being utterly absurd.

The fiery heat of July had subsided after several downpours, making the weather a bit cooler.

Master Wu of the Imperial Household Department finally saw the day he had been waiting for—the day the Emperor would turn the jade tablets.

In the past, he had always eagerly anticipated this day, longing for it like waiting for the stars and moon.

Every day, he would gently wipe the jade-green tablets with silk, regularly touching up the gold paint to outline the characters.

But he would always go with hope and return with disappointment, left only with a heart full of desolation.

Because of this, Master Wu had attended several Buddhist ceremonies in recent days and had begun to study Buddhism.

Learning to let go of attachments.

He carried the pear-wood gilt tray, held high above his head, taking small steps into the hall.

In his heart, he recited: let go of attachments.

The Emperor looked down at him from the jade steps.

Master Wu knelt and bowed, “Greetings to Your Majesty.”

The Emperor moved, descending the jade steps.

Master Wu’s heart leaped with joy, but he suppressed it again.

Let go of attachments.

The Emperor scanned the neatly arranged jade tablets on the tray, then suddenly reached out his hand.

Master Wu’s breath caught slightly, feeling his heart instantly rise to his throat.

The agony of waiting.

But he saw those slender fingers merely hover over the jade tablet of Beauty Wan from Xiuyi Palace, without making any other movement.

Let go of attachments.

Zhao Wan.

A descendant of Zhao Jie.

Only her exact relationship to Zhao Jie remained unclear.

Xiaoyan frowned in deep thought. The Zhao family was a prestigious lineage, highly respected among scholars. Master Zhao Jie was known for his integrity and had been admired by countless scholars. After his mysterious death, his reputation had only grown.

Xiaoyan’s gaze moved past that row to the very end of the tray, where he saw the jade tablet of Talent Gu from Pingcui Palace.

The jade carving felt cool to the touch.

Seeing that the Emperor remained motionless for a long time.

Master Wu was once again in despair and was about to kneel to take his leave.

A soft ‘click’ sound.

The Emperor had, incredibly, turned over a jade tablet.

This was undoubtedly the most exquisite sound Master Wu had heard in the past two years, like the harmony of forest and spring.

An attachment, if fulfilled, is no longer an attachment.

Master Wu’s heart pounded like a drum, his throat tight as he declared, “Your Majesty is wise.”

He bowed deeply and quickly retreated from the hall, only then peeking to see which jade tablet in the tray had been turned.

Talent Gu of Pingcui Palace—what a blessing!