Xiao Kui stared at the gold in her hand for a long time, then looked up at Chu Jiu Jiu, who was lying unguarded on the bed…

After a while, the curtain was gently lowered, concealing Chu Jiu Jiu’s graceful figure.

On an autumn morning, the air was crisp and cool. Chu Jiu Jiu finished her breakfast early and lay lazily on the bed.

In the original story, this matter reached the great villain. The great villain, who usually only watched the drama, happened to be free and used this to pass the time.

Anyway, she was going to see the great villain soon, so she saved the trouble of going to the Yangxin Palace to pay her respects; she could greet him properly later.

Chu Jiu Jiu lazily changed her position, continuing her “beauty reclining” pose.

Sure enough, after a while, hurried footsteps came from Li Fang Palace. Xiao Lan lifted the curtain.

Xiao Lan rushed forward anxiously: “Madam, something terrible has happened! Last night’s incident was reported to the Emperor by Consort Hui!” What should they do!?

Behind her was Xiao Kui, calm as ever. She had also walked quickly, but her footsteps seemed to have disappeared. Chu Jiu Jiu, however, was too carefree to notice these details.

“Don’t worry, the sachet has no owner, it shouldn’t be traced back to Madam,” Xiao Kui said soothingly. If she didn’t soothe her, the mistress and maid wouldn’t need to speak; their expressions would reveal everything.

That being said, Xiao Lan knew the possibility of the matter being exposed was too great.

“Madam, it’s all my fault. If I had been more careful and cautious, perhaps it wouldn’t have been discovered,” Xiao Lan said anxiously, her eyes filled with tears, constantly blaming herself.

Chu Jiu Jiu slowly got off the bed: “It’s not your fault. I asked you to do it, and you’ve done a good job.” She calmly picked up a pastry and ate it.

“Madam…” Xiao Lan was surprised that Madam didn’t blame her.  The heartache welled up in her heart; she had been misunderstanding Madam all along…

Xiao Kui expressionlessly glanced at Xiao Lan, who was moved to tears. As a death squad member, she had only seen one situation where the master would be lenient towards a servant who had made a mistake and not blame them.

That was when that servant was about to enter the underworld.

She thought Xiao Lan would soon be used by Consort Rou as a scapegoat. Even if she could escape death, she would not escape punishment.

Xiao Kui lowered her eyelids, hiding her lifeless gaze.  Everything made sense—why Consort Rou had been so kind to them these past two days.

Chu Jiu Jiu finished a pastry before getting up: “Let’s go.” She couldn’t be absent from this matter.

Xiao Lan was not affected by her composure and followed her nervously, trying to remain calm to avoid giving herself away.

Chu Jiu Jiu walked ahead, admiring the scenery along the way, showing no sign of guilt.

Near the Yu Hua Palace, concubines gathered, some to watch the excitement, others hoping to appear before the Emperor, who was rumored to be coming to Yu Hua Palace.

Inside Yu Hua Palace, Consort Hui, with her fingers elegantly posed, clutched a handkerchief, partially covering her face, weeping like a heartbroken beauty.

When other concubines asked her what happened, she just cried and refused to say a word.

Consort Li was annoyed by her crying but didn’t show it.

A slender figure gracefully entered the hall.  The woman was exquisitely beautiful, with distant eyebrows, eyes like autumn water, and a thin, rouge-colored qi-xiong ruqun (a type of dress) revealing her fair skin. Her black hair was styled in a cloud bun, showcasing her slender, jade-like neck.

Possessing unparalleled beauty, her presence seemed to brighten the hall.

Consort Li and the others seemed captivated by Chu Jiu Jiu, their eyes never leaving her since her arrival.

“This concubine greets Consort Li, and pays respects to all the sisters,” Chu Jiu Jiu curtsied.

“Sister, please rise,” Consort Li said politely, thinking about her strange inner thoughts, she felt a headache coming on, so she didn’t pretend to be friendly as she had yesterday.

“Thank you, Consort Li,” Chu Jiu Jiu finished her courtesy and stood beside the other concubines.

There weren’t many chairs in Yu Hua Palace. There were more concubines with higher ranks or the same rank as her than she could count on ten fingers, and there weren’t enough chairs for everyone.

Standing nearby, Consort Kang smelled a faint fragrance on Chu Jiu Jiu, unlike the strong scent of incense worn by other concubines.

Consort Kang quietly asked her, “Sister Rou, what fragrance are you using?” She found it very pleasant.

Chu Jiu Jiu turned her head and truthfully replied, “It’s osmanthus fragrance.”

Before Consort Kang could nod, she heard her thoughts.

【Osmanthus makes better pastries, sweet and soft. It’s a good thing I ate a piece before I left; I don’t know how long I’ll be here.】

Consort Kang hesitated for a moment before saying, “…So it’s osmanthus fragrance.”

“Osmanthus relieves the liver and soothes the emotions; made into pastries, it’s fragrant and delicious,” Chu Jiu Jiu gave a thumbs-up, silently praising the osmanthus fragrance.

Consort Kang awkwardly nodded, “Sister Rou is right. I’ll instruct the servants to try osmanthus fragrance.”

Chu Jiu Jiu quietly leaned closer, “If you make pastries… remember to give me some to try.”

The pastries in the palace weren’t enough to satisfy her. Unfortunately, they only made a small amount each day, and…in the original owner’s memory, Consort Kang was the wealthiest concubine in the palace, and her diet wasn’t as “frugal” as hers.

Consort Kang covered her face with a handkerchief, amused by her, “Sister Rou is really persistent about food.” She had never noticed such a “lively” person in the palace before. She had only heard that she was harsh to her servants and bullied concubines of lower rank.

Chu Jiu Jiu said earnestly, “Food is the priority for the people.”  She focused on maximizing her Engel coefficient; in her previous life, she had put all her money into her mouth.  She couldn’t suffer from a lack of good food.

Consort Kang, always cautious, didn’t respond to her words, simply smiling it off.

While they were whispering, Consort Hui’s crying continued, echoing through the hall.

Chu Jiu Jiu stood there bored, silently crying along with her, waiting for the Emperor.

Thus, a strange phenomenon occurred in the hall: Consort Hui was above, and Chu Jiu Jiu was below, leaving the concubines who could hear Chu Jiu Jiu’s thoughts utterly bewildered.