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Jade Orchid walked over gracefully, holding a handkerchief. She casually greeted Qing Wu with a curtsey and then looked up with a smile, asking, "Where are you headed, my lord? If you don't know the way, perhaps I could escort you?"
Usually, she carried herself with a bit of arrogance, even when speaking to Qing Wu, often revealing such demeanor. It was rare to see her smile so pleasantly now.
Qing Wu remained silent, coldly assessing her with a composed expression.
—Her face was flushed, and her clothing was slightly disheveled.
Especially around the collar...
Her silence made Jade Orchid feel somewhat annoyed.
Shaking her handkerchief, Jade Orchid spoke dismissively, "My lord is quite favored by His Majesty in the palace. To obtain such a rare item today, it’s not impossible for you to rise even further in the future. However—"
She glanced around to ensure no one else was present, then playfully leaned closer to Qing Wu, covering her mouth with the handkerchief as she whispered, "However, I heard that you have already met with the Heir Apparent of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion? And that the Heir Apparent even saved you once? With both sides involved now, my lord should think carefully about which one truly deserves your attention."
Her words implied that Qing Wu had intentionally gotten close to Huo Yun'ai and Wen Qingyue.
Qing Wu's expression instantly turned cold.
Beside them, Azalea scolded, "Such audacity from a servant! Lord Liu conducts himself with integrity; how dare you speak so recklessly!"
"I speak recklessly?"
Jade Orchid scoffed lightly, ready to retort. Suddenly, a cold breeze swept by. Her eyes darted around as she regained some composure. She quickly raised her hand to touch her flushed cheeks and neck and roughly performed another curtsey. "I must have been overheated just now. My lord, please forgive my indiscretion."
"If you think little of me, there’s no need to feign closeness. As for forgiveness—"
Qing Wu glanced at her coldly and said, "Your words do not even reach my ears. Why should I care?"
Upon hearing this, Jade Orchid's pretty face turned pale and then flushed, alternating between white and red.
After a moment, she coldly huffed, "If my words do not reach your ears, why are you still connected to Wen Heir? Isn't it because you have kept our previous conversation in your heart?"
With that, she silently opened and closed her lips. She flicked her handkerchief and continued to walk gracefully.
Azalea spat behind her and angrily remarked, "What nonsense is she talking!"
She had clearly seen it before. Jade Orchid's silent words were nothing but "hypocritical."
A person of stature conducts themselves with integrity; how could she be so casually slandered?
However, Qing Wu remained calm and composed, quietly watching her figure as she gradually walked away.
After a moment, she turned her head and lightly asked Azalea, "Do you think there is something off about her behavior?"
Azalea had been furious earlier and hadn't paid much attention. Now, after hearing Qing Wu's words, she focused intently.
Upon closer inspection, she indeed noticed something amiss.
"Hey? She looks quite strange. Why does she seem like a cat or dog walking with its tail between its legs, fidgeting endlessly?"
Although Azalea's words were rough, Qing Wu understood her meaning.
Qing Wu also felt that Jade Orchid's walking posture was a bit inappropriate. It looked graceful, yet it swayed a bit too much.
It was as if...
It was as if her legs were somewhat weak, forcing her to walk like that.
Recalling how Jade Orchid had raised her hand to touch her cheek and neck earlier, the faint pink marks that suddenly appeared at her collar made Qing Wu furrow her brows slightly, and she suddenly understood.
—Those unintentional marks that had been revealed were clearly traces left after a kiss.
Thinking back to what Cai Ping had said, that Jade Orchid had someone special in the palace...
Qing Wu raised her eyes to look at Jade Orchid's path, and after a moment, she glanced back at where Jade Orchid had come from.
She softly asked Azalea, "How many people know about the Emperor sending me mangoes?"
"Mangoes?" Azalea was puzzled by Qing Wu's question. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "These were brought over just a short while ago. As for who knows now, besides Uncle Yu and Li Gonggong, it’s probably only the people from the Imperial Kitchen."
The people from the Imperial Kitchen had taken two baskets of mangoes to Huo Yun'ai. After Huo Yun'ai kept some, they took the rest away.
At this point, Azalea began to understand and whispered to Qing Wu, "We covered this basket tightly, yet she still knows there are mangoes inside. That's quite strange."
Qing Wu lightly responded with an "mm." She had completely lost the desire to wander around now. After giving Azalea a command, she turned back along the path she had come.
Upon returning to Ningxin Pavilion, Dou Mama was quite surprised. Seeing Qing Wu's cold expression, clearly holding back anger, she hurried over to ask her, "Miss, did something happen today?"
Qing Wu asked Azalea to put things away inside the house. Once it was just her and Dou Mama left, she lowered her voice to discuss what had just happened.
Yen Mama had previously mentioned that there were often disturbances at the Sewing Workshop at night, which kept her from sleeping well. Dou Mama was aware of this. The last time they went to Cai Ping's place, Dou Mama accompanied her, so she also knew about the situation with Jade Orchid.
Upon hearing Qing Wu's description, Dou Mama's expression changed instantly.
The way Jade Orchid walked clearly indicated that she was secretly meeting someone and had made some substantial progress.
After contemplating for a long time, she whispered to Qing Wu, "Disrupting the palace is a serious crime. I need to discuss this matter with Uncle Yu before we can come up with a definite plan."
Such filthy matters were not something she could directly address, so she couldn't elaborate further with Qing Wu.
Uncle Yu was a trusted aide of Huo Yun'ai and often handled various affairs for him. Those related to Zheng An also went through Uncle Yu. Consulting him would not only provide some information but also make him aware of the situation. If those people were to take any action, they could be prepared in advance.
Qing Wu understood the seriousness of this matter, especially since Jade Orchid was associated with Zheng An; they could not afford to be careless. She nodded in agreement.
During her recent illness, when Huo Yun'ai came to visit her, Qing Wu had already brought up Doctor Luo's suggestion regarding Yue Ying and explained the pros and cons, detailing the importance of Yue Ying's assistance.
At that time, Huo Yun'ai remained expressionless and simply told her to wait until she recovered before worrying about such matters.
Now that she had healed and would soon be able to leave the palace in a day or two, Qing Wu decided to bring it up again.
It was now dinner time.
Huo Yun'ai had already sent everyone else away, leaving only Qing Wu to attend to him. Once the palace doors were closed, he pulled Qing Wu to sit beside him.
At this moment, he was carefully selecting delicious dishes for Qing Wu and placing them in the bowl in front of her. Hearing her mention Yue Ying, he continued without pause, saying, "If you think it's good, then let's proceed."
He always considered matters from a broader perspective, typically making decisions only after weighing everything thoroughly.
Now, his agreement came too smoothly, without even a hint of hesitation, which made Qing Wu feel somewhat uncertain. "…Really?"
Just because she thought it was good, could it really be implemented?
Huo Yun'ai smiled gently. Setting down his utensils, he looked at her earnestly and said, "I can entrust the entire harem to you. This is merely a simple matter; why would I make things difficult for you?"
His words were quite clever.
"Entrusting the entire harem to you" not only meant letting Qing Wu manage the palace maids but also subtly hinted that he was willing to allow her to take charge of the harem.
Qing Wu might not have understood at first, but seeing his expression now made it clear what he meant.
Her cheeks flushed bright red as she hurriedly lowered her gaze to the dishes in front of her, no longer daring to look at him.
Huo Yun'ai calmly continued with what he was doing, softly saying, "In a few days, once this matter is resolved, we can make it happen. If you have nothing else to do, you might as well think about how to renovate Phoenix Palace. Once it's settled, I can have someone prepare in advance."
Phoenix Palace was the residence of the Queen.
Qing Wu was both embarrassed and indignant as she angrily poked at the dishes with her chopsticks and huffed, "Who says they want to move in there in the future?"
"Oh?" Huo Yun'ai raised an eyebrow lightly and nodded, saying, "That's true. If you don't want to move later on, it might be better to move in today to avoid any long nights filled with dreams."
Qing Wu was annoyed and glared at him.
Huo Yun'ai found it amusing and lightly chuckled as he raised his finger to gently tap her forehead. Afraid of being too forceful, he quickly extended his slender index finger to gently massage her.
"Don't worry. Just wait a few more days," he said softly.
Not only did his heart belong to her. In her heart, had she ever truly let go of anyone else?
Even if she was too shy to admit it, he already knew her feelings.
However, it wasn't the right time yet.
Just a little longer, and the timing would be perfect.
...
Since February Chuyi was Qing Wu's birthday, and it was the first birthday celebration they had shared together after so many years, Huo Yun'ai didn't want her to feel rushed. He decided to give her a few extra days off, allowing her to rest at home from the twenty-fifth day of the first month until February Chuyi.
The reason was easy to find.
—Lord Liu had fallen ill due to overworking in the palace. The Emperor, appreciating her sincere dedication, granted him a leave of several days.
Huo Yun'ai even took this opportunity to send several nourishing medicinal herbs to Liu Residence.
By the twenty-fifth, Qing Wu had already returned to Liu Residence early. Meanwhile, Uncle Yu, needing to deliver those boxes of medicinal herbs to Liu Residence and convey the Emperor's decree allowing Lord Liu to take leave, went along as well.
When saying goodbye to the Master, Li Zi and Uncle Yu joked that after hearing of the Emperor's grace, everyone would surely be grateful upon seeing those precious medicinal herbs, thanking the Emperor for his kindness.
However, Uncle Yu secretly wiped his sweat and said that things might not be that simple.
Recently, there have been many affairs in the palace. If it were really that easy and smooth, the Emperor would have simply sent Li Zi along. Why did he insist on having him go?
As expected.
After the items were delivered and the imperial decree was conveyed, the masters of Liu Residence and the two from the Marquisate went through the motions of thanking the Emperor for his grace. Then, they very politely stopped Uncle Yu.
Especially Zhenyuan Marquis, Master Wen.
He was already an impatient person, and under extreme worry, he couldn't even bother with pleasantries. With wide eyes, he straightforwardly asked, "The girl fell ill recently? She was fine before leaving; how did she get sick?"
Uncle Yu didn't want to blame Qing Wu for the cause of the incident, nor did he dare to say it was due to His Majesty's influence.
Although his smile appeared quite natural on the surface, cold sweat gradually trickled down his forehead.
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