Chapter 8: Turmoil

Late at night, the Emperor left the palace and brought a woman back to his Longyan Palace. He even yielded his dragon bed to this woman of unknown origin and summoned the imperial physicians to treat the unconscious woman. Li Zhan was so distracted by the young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Changge that he naturally had no time to care about the spread of news. Consequently, the women in the palace who were still awake became aware of the matter.

With a "bang," inside Xueji's palace, the high-quality silk undergarment Xueji had just changed into was stained with scalding ginseng soup. She had knocked over the soup bowl, and the sisters Zhu and Cui, who were attending to her bedtime, knelt down in terror, bowing their heads and waiting for their violent mistress to explode in anger.

Xueji's face turned various shades of green and white, looking extremely unsightly. Her hair was disheveled, and her face, stripped of its makeup, was no more exquisite than her usual appearance; even her eyes, which were usually charming and smiling, appeared lackluster due to her jealousy and hatred. At this moment, her anger was irrepressible. Her hands were clenched into fists, her nails digging into her flesh, and her voice was shrill and acerbic, "What does the Emperor mean by this? He is openly slapping my face! It is one thing for him to use exhaustion as an excuse not to come to Changxi Palace, but he actually... he actually brought an unidentified woman back from outside the palace! How will the people in the palace view me? Where am I supposed to hide my face!"

"Your Ladyship, please calm your anger. Do not let your emotions harm your health!" Zhu'er advised cautiously.

Xueji glared at her fiercely. "How do you expect me to calm down! The Emperor brought back a woman from outside the palace; he has actually become so foolish!" The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and a flush of indignation rose to her face.

Zhu'er's eyes darted around, and she said, "Your Ladyship, this might not necessarily be a bad thing. Since the Emperor is willing to be close to women again, doesn't that mean he is no longer pining for that person? Moreover, you have the Empress Dowager backing you and you are the head of the harem. What is there to fear from a nameless woman from outside the palace?"

These words did not claim that Li Zhan bringing back a woman was a good thing, but they highlighted the best possible outcome. It had to be said that Zhu'er was quite quick-witted. Sure enough, after hearing her words, Xueji's anger dissipated significantly. Although her face still looked indignant, the fury in her eyes had mostly vanished.

"Then, I shall sleep well first, and tomorrow I will meet that vixen from outside the palace!" Finally, after disdainfully imagining the scene of her humiliating the vixen tomorrow, she felt much better. Xueji threw back the covers and finally stopped making a scene.

Zhu'er and Cui'er breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a glance, and silently walked out of the sleeping quarters.

Early the next morning, after Li Zhan had gone to the morning court, Xueji appeared at the entrance of Longyan Palace with exquisite makeup, only to find that Yinyu and Guo Bi'er were already waiting at the door, appearing to have arrived not long ago themselves. Xueji narrowed her eyes, masking her fleeting disgust, and replaced it with a gentle and soft expression, walking toward the two with a smile.

"The two younger sisters have arrived quite early. Have you also come to visit the lady the Emperor brought back?" When it came to putting on an act, Xueji was undoubtedly the undisputed number one in the palace. Her superficial manners were flawless; otherwise, the clever Changge wouldn't have been stabbed in the back by her.

Looking at Xueji, Yinyu felt a sense of fear from the bottom of her heart. After all, she had witnessed this woman's methods. However, every time she saw Xueji wearing even more magnificent clothing than her own, she couldn't help but feel jealous. She was also the Emperor's concubine! She had received favor only once, and before she could even enjoy the monarch's affection, the Emperor had grown tired of her, and now he had brought back a strange woman of unknown origin! Upon hearing the news, Yinyu had not closed her eyes all night; thus, as soon as dawn broke, she had rushed here to investigate.

"Greetings, Sister. I wish you health," Yinyu said. For now, Yinyu still had to rely on Xueji; when one is living under another's roof, one must bow one's head.

But Guo Bi'er didn't need to. Her father was a second-rank official in the imperial court, and her family background was illustrious. Although Xueji's rank was higher than hers, she was of maid-dancer origin. While Yinyu was of the same rank as her, she was merely from a maid background. How could someone of such origins become the head of the harem? Guo Bi'er had never held Xueji in high regard, and seeing her now, she simply ignored her, letting out a haughty snort and turning her head away. Sooner or later, the Emperor would raise her rank; otherwise, how could she silence Youyou or face her father in the imperial court? Thinking of this, she felt even more fearless.

Xueji's beautiful eyes narrowed. This woman, Guo Bi'er—she would let her be triumphant for now. There would be plenty of time to deal with her later. Hmph.

"Please return, little mistresses. The lady inside has not yet woken up, and the imperial physician said she needs to rest well, so it is inconvenient to receive guests," Xiao Yu-zi said as he walked out of the sleeping hall. Seeing these difficult masters at the door, his brow twitched, but he forced himself to suppress the urge to turn around and go back inside, speaking with patience.

"Eunuch Xiao Yu-zi, the two sisters and I are merely worried about the lady's health and have specifically brought supplements to visit. We will not disturb her rest," Xueji said with a smile in her beautiful eyes, perfectly embodying understanding and virtuous gentleness.

Yinyu hurriedly echoed, "I certainly will not disturb her." This would only make her realize that if she wanted to compete with her for the Emperor, there was only one path: death.

Guo Bi'er held her chin high, let out a cold snort, and was too lazy to speak.

"The Emperor has ordered, no one is allowed to..." Xiao Yu-zi looked at them with feigned difficulty and lowered his head. He didn't believe for a second that these women were being so kind as to visit the lady inside! They had specifically come during the gap when the Emperor was at court, as if he, Xiao Yu-zi, didn't know what they were plotting.

Guo Bi'er's willful, eldest-miss temperament flared up at this moment. She directly pushed aside the obstructing Xiao Yu-zi and spoke in a very arrogant tone, "I don't believe it! A mere commoner, yet so precious that she won't even let people see her!" With that, she had already entered.

"Sister, don't be impulsive!" Xueji made a move to stop Guo Bi'er, but in reality, she was using the opportunity to follow her in. As she moved, Yinyu also cleverly followed.

Xiao Yu-zi was left bewildered by this display. He only knew that if these masters saw the face of the lady inside, the harem would be turned upside down once again! If they accidentally frightened or harmed this girl, the Emperor would surely take his life—he had a premonition!

"I want to see who you—ah! A ghost! A ghost!" Guo Bi'er had practiced martial arts, so the eunuchs and maids of Longyan Palace could not stop her. She lifted the curtain haughtily, but once she saw the face of the young girl lying on the dragon bed, she was struck with terror. She let out a piercing scream and fell heavily backward, kneeling on the ground, her face deathly pale.

Hearing the commotion, Xueji felt surprised and walked in to look, only for her entire body to freeze! Gao Changge... no, it was impossible. How could it be—she had clearly seen her die before her very eyes! How could she be here! Could it be that her vengeful soul truly refused to dissipate and had come to seek revenge?! Xueji's face looked even worse than Guo Bi'er's. She bit her lip hard, grabbed Yinyu's arm behind her, and stared unblinkingly at the girl resting with closed eyes on the bed, murmuring, "No, it's impossible, how could it be... impossible, impossible..."

"Ah—the Empress! It's the Empress—the Empress has come for revenge! Empress, please don't catch me, don't catch me..." It wasn't me who killed you, it wasn't me... Yinyu was also terrified. She had betrayed her master for profit; if Gao Changge turned into a fierce ghost to seek revenge, she certainly wouldn't let her off, because she had helped Xueji kill Yin Xue, the person Gao Changge trusted most. Heavens—had Gao Changge truly returned for revenge...

Yinyu was no match for her fear; with a shudder, she fainted completely.

The news that the ghost of the Empress had returned spread through the various palaces instantly, scaring the palace residents so much that they didn't dare breathe a word, causing a period of great turmoil and uproar.