Huang Guiquan, upon hearing this, was so startled that he quickly knelt beside Nian Shilan, kowtowing and saying:

“Please, Your Majesty, have mercy on this servant.”

Nian Shilan snorted coldly:

“What can I possibly do for you? You’re just managing the chores of the Imperial Household Department. Go ahead and choose someone to properly serve, that’s all.”

Then, Song Zhi whispered something in Huang Guiquan’s ear.

After hearing this, Huang Guiquan’s mouth dropped open in shock, but he still had no choice but to say to Nian Shilan: “This servant will certainly not let Hua Fei down.”

The next day, Huang Guiquan arrived at Suiyu Xuan with a number of palace maids and eunuchs.

“This servant is here to pay respects to the young mistress. These maids and eunuchs have been carefully selected to serve the young mistress.”

Huang Guiquan, with his fingers delicately posed like an orchid, looked at the newly brought servants and said to Zhen Huan.

“Of course, the people chosen by Lord Huang must be good. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong in the future, I’ll hold Lord Huang alone accountable.”

Zhen Huan spoke just as she had in her previous life, then asked Jinxi to take them down and train them properly.

Just as the maids and eunuchs were standing up, Zhen Huan had the strange feeling that she saw a familiar face.

Upon a closer look, wasn’t that Yu Ying’er?

Wasn’t she the maid who worked in the Yi Mei Garden?

How did she end up here?

Huang Guiquan was a close relative of Nian Shilan, so could this person be…?

Zhen Huan had a feeling that this matter was somehow related to Nian Shilan.

But since the people had already been delivered, it would be unwise to act rashly and alarm them.

She decided to wait and see what would happen next.

With this thought, Zhen Huan acted nonchalant, allowing Jinxi to take them away without comment.

At this moment, Huang Guiquan began to apologize:

“This servant, a few days ago, was caught up with trivial matters in the Imperial Household Department and left the task of painting the furniture in the young mistress’s quarters to Little Luzi. Who would have known that this careless dog of a servant actually forgot all about it?”

While saying this, Huang Guiquan didn’t hesitate to kick Little Luzi hard, explaining that he had specially brought Little Luzi here to apologize and let Zhen Huan decide what to do.

Liu Zhu still remembered how Huang Guiquan had wronged their mistress in the past!

Unable to hold back her anger, she glared at Huang Guiquan and said:

“We dare not accept Lord Huang’s apology. If we do, we’ll only end up hearing unpleasant things behind our backs!”

Zhen Huan quickly stopped her.

But Zhen Huan knew that Liu Zhu was acting out of concern for her—

Liu Zhu always took her sorrow as her own;

Her pain as her own;

Her joy as her own…

In front of Zhen Huan, Liu Zhu had no self, and everything she did was for her.

Zhen Huan had once said that Liu Zhu’s personality was most like hers, which meant that, in her heart, Liu Zhu was the truest reflection of her inner self.

She longed to be like Liu Zhu, to speak and do whatever she wanted, completely following her own desires.

But once inside the palace, Zhen Huan understood that, from the moment she entered, she could never live as freely as Liu Zhu.

She could only plan every step, always preparing for the worst.

And in her previous life, it was precisely Liu Zhu’s death that had taken away her innocence, making her see reality more clearly.

Zhen Huan knew that Little Luzi had been sent by Huang Guiquan to take the blame and flatter her.

But she also knew that in the harem, there were many slaves who played both sides. Huang Guiquan was far from the only one.

She couldn’t let a moment of pride give those jealous people a chance to seize on her weaknesses and say she had become arrogant.

Zhen Huan disdained doing such a thing, so she exchanged a few polite words with Huang Guiquan, letting the matter pass.

Huang Guiquan had already prepared the table in advance and eagerly brought it over.

When they returned to the palace, Zhen Huan explained to Liu Zhu why she hadn’t confronted Huang Guiquan publicly.

Liu Zhu nodded repeatedly, saying she understood and would be more careful in the future.

Liu Zhu also reminded Zhen Huan that Huang Guiquan was a distant relative of Hua Fei.

Zhen Huan was fully aware of this relationship!

In this life, because she had changed the timing and method by which she gained favor, even this matter seemed to have shifted.

Yu Ying’er, instead of being sent away due to her favor, had now been placed in Zhen Huan’s palace!

Zhen Huan couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful at the thought.

So, she had Liu Zhu call over Xiao Yunzi and Jinxi, instructing them to be extra cautious, watching over the people Huang Guiquan had brought.

They should only be assigned to do rough work.

Zhen Huan was curious to see what actions this Yu person would take.

Soon after, a small servant came to report, saying that the Emperor would arrive after lunch.

Liu Zhu, excited, reminded Zhen Huan to change into something more glamorous.

Zhen Huan laughed and said: “You little maid, what do you know? It’s better to keep it simple, the more ordinary, the better!”

Liu Zhu stuck out her tongue, playfully saying: “Now I understand, so the Emperor likes it this way!”

“Such a mischievous little thing!” Zhen Huan said, gently tapping Liu Zhu’s head, her affection for her obvious.

The Emperor had seen so many women, all wearing the same glamorous clothes, so it was inevitable they all looked the same.

Zhen Huan wanted to be different, so that the Emperor would remember her.

After lunch, Zhen Huan went with her servants to wait outside for the Emperor’s arrival.

As she saw the Emperor nearly jogging toward her, Zhen Huan thought:

No matter how many women he had in his heart, as long as she was the one in the end, that would be enough.

To achieve great things, one couldn’t fixate on small matters. Otherwise, it only brings distress and no benefit.

Living a second life, if she still couldn’t let go of these things, it would truly be a wasted life!

The Emperor extended his hands, helping Zhen Huan up as she greeted him, then glanced at her outfit:

“Pure as water and beautiful like a lotus, without needing any adornment. My Guanquiren is truly extraordinary.”

Zhen Huan lowered her head shyly, saying: “Your Majesty, don’t mind this humble servant’s lack of grace.”

The Emperor, as he had in the previous life, praised Huanbi for her blue-green attire, then took Zhen Huan into the palace.

Huanbi was pleased by the praise, but it was simply because she was happy to be complimented, not because she had any thoughts about the Emperor.

She didn’t act like in the previous life, when she was praised by the Emperor and, full of herself, wanted to follow him into the palace. She simply rejoiced in her heart.

Huanbi thought to herself:

If it wasn’t for that time she confided with her older sister, she might have considered seeking a way out for herself;

But now, with her father and older sister both acknowledging her and planning for her future,

All she had to do was stay by her older sister’s side and wait for the day she met someone she liked, then have her sister help her.

When attending to the Emperor, Zhen Huan often mentioned An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang’s friendship with her.

Once or twice, it wasn’t a big deal.

But first Shen Meizhuang, then Zhen Huan, both intentionally or unintentionally brought up An Lingrong’s name, which piqued the Emperor’s curiosity.