Su Baiyue was sent all the way to the Imperial City, and on her very first day of entering the palace, the eager new emperor tucked her away into a secluded palace, as if hiding a gem in a golden house.

“What’s the background of this girl?”

The attendants assigned to Su Baiyue were all the new emperor’s people. Those who were clueless about Su Baiyue’s details gathered in small groups to chat.

Now, with the Xingyuan King’s influence at its peak and the new empress being his daughter, the new emperor, to avoid clashing directly with such a powerful figure, even had to sneak around with his palace maids—let alone bringing a great beauty like Su Baiyue into the palace, which indeed took much effort.

“No matter her background, if our Empress finds out, she might also meet a tragic fate due to her beauty.” The current new empress was extremely jealous. She herself could indulge in the company of thousands of male consorts, casting a perfect aura over the emperor, yet he was confined to only her.

Naturally, the new emperor was resentful but helpless. Now that the Xingyuan King’s mansion held such power, even this widely coveted woman was beyond his control, and he could only watch as a concubine who was secretly impregnated by him was beaten to death by the new empress without saying a word.

Su Baiyue gleaned some insights into the current palace dynamics from the palace maids’ conversations, truly puzzled as to how the new emperor dared to hide her right under the new empress’s nose.

Luckily, she was always one to stay calm. Despite the bumpy journey here, she still managed to eat and sleep well. She was only somewhat puzzled why Lu Gan hadn’t promptly followed her. But then she thought, maybe the male lead simply didn’t care about her, otherwise why hasn’t there been any movement at all?

It wasn’t until the new emperor stealthily made his way through the underground tunnel to Su Baiyue, babbling incessantly for an entire day, that she finally understood why Lu Gan hadn’t come after her. That foolish male lead simply had no idea she had been taken by the new emperor!

Previously, the emperor had sent an envoy to Weinan, a capable man who managed to keep Lu Gan in the snowy mountains behind the palace for half a month, just to hunt the white fox that the emperor had “dreamed of,” claiming it was to make a fur coat for the new empress.

Of course, this was just to torment Lu Gan. But the unenlightened Lu Gan actually followed the envoy and spent over half a month in the mountains, indeed managing to hunt down a white fox.

But when he returned with the white fox, he found the Weinan mansion in disarray.

Their noble and holy young mistress, as beautiful as the goddess in the heavens, was gone.

During Lu Gan’s hunting trip, the mountain was sealed off, and no messages could get through, so it was over a month before he realized his wife was missing.

Lu Gan was not a fool. He immediately suspected the envoy.

After being brutally interrogated, the envoy, unable to hold back, finally revealed Su Baiyue’s whereabouts.

In the dim dungeon, the blood-soaked envoy was bound to a wooden post, his head bowed, neither dead nor alive. A man in a dark robe, holding a sharp dagger, stood on the blood-stained floor, his face as cold as a demon, making even Liu Chen dare not approach recklessly.

The envoy’s body was stabbed over a hundred times. Each stab avoided vital organs, keeping him alive in agony, unable to live or die.

Even Liu Chen, hardened by the cruelty of battlefields, couldn’t help covering his nose and mouth. He stepped forward, lowering his voice, “Brother-in-law, this new emperor is nothing good, driven by lust! How dare he lay hands on my sister!”

Back in the day, it was the new emperor who shamelessly pursued Liu Chen’s sister. Later, he was too afraid to take his own sister as his wife. And now, in a fit of jealousy from the new empress, he had the audacity to abduct her, which was utterly despicable!

Liu Chen was still unaware of the “secret” exchanges of acidic poems between Su Baiyue and the new emperor, meant to provoke Lu Gan. He simply thought his sister must have caught the new emperor’s eye for her beauty, leading to her misfortune.

Lu Gan’s eyes briefly hardened, and with a swift thrust, he plunged the dagger straight into the envoy’s head, his movements smooth and practiced, as if slicing open a melon. The fleshy lump that was the envoy finally breathed his last.

Seeing this, Liu Chen swallowed hard. Lately, he felt a slight chill in his heart with every extra glance he took at his brother-in-law, realizing he never truly understood him. It was as shocking as discovering the wife you sleep with every night suddenly turns into a man.

“Brother Lu, I must rescue my sister. If you’re afraid, just wait in Weinan for my return,” Liu Chen said, pausing as he looked at the now-dead envoy, slightly troubled.

The death of the emperor’s envoy in Weinan could be a significant lever against them, potentially uprooting their entire mansion.

“Let’s go together,” the silent man finally spoke, his voice hoarse, his eyes bloodshot.

“How can we rescue her, then? The emperor must have prepared thoroughly if he dared to be so bold,” Liu Chen said, observing Lu Gan’s somber expression, feeling somewhat intimidated.

Lu Gan slowly lowered his gaze, pinching the stack of acidic poems hidden in his sleeve, his lips curving into a barely perceptible smile. Yet that smile didn’t reach his eyes, chilling like the depths of a cold pool.

Seeing this expression on Lu Gan, Liu Chen found his remaining words stuck in his throat, unable to voice them.

“She will be rescued,” the man said, slowly grasping the dagger stuck in the envoy’s head, then casually taking it out, wiping it with a white cloth before tucking it back into his sleeve.

Liu Chen pursed his lips, feeling a bit embarrassed to speak, “If—if something happens to my sister, or if the new emperor… defiles her…”

The man beside Liu Chen lowered his eyes, his expression surprisingly gentle compared to his previous demonic demeanor.

“My wife, she is the best.”

With these words from Lu Gan, Liu Chen finally felt at ease.

As long as his beloved sister didn’t take any drastic steps, he, as her brother, would always protect her. Even if Brother Lu despised her, their Weinan mansion would keep her safe for life.

At this moment, Su Baiyue, who the entire Weinan mansion feared might harm herself, was nestled in her bedding, listening to the palace maids gossiping outside.

These palace maids, with nothing better to do after eating their fill, would hide under the eaves and talk. Today, Su Baiyue heard that the new empress had taken a new male consort, and tomorrow, that Xingyuan King was openly quarreling with the new emperor in the court. It was indeed a series of intriguing dramas.

“Hey, did you hear? At this grand banquet, that famous General Rakshasa actually brought the white fox from the emperor’s dreams.”

“I heard that even the envoy died hunting this white fox.”

“Exactly.” The palace maids were quite resentful but dared only whisper among themselves. “Ever since the Empress took over the harem, she’s been extravagant, demanding everything from a Star-Picking Tower to a Moon-Watching Pavilion, reportedly draining our national treasury. And this white fox was also something she pestered the emperor for.”

“I think that white fox is a symbol of good fortune. The emperor initially only wanted it alive to keep in the zoo, but the Empress Dowager demanded its fur, insisting on having it dead or alive.”

Su Baiyue, wrapped in her bedding, rolled over. A delicate fruit platter and dew-laden morning drink sat on the small table before her. Once again, she was back to living her fairy-like days of sipping dew and eating fruits, hee hee hee.

“This Empress is nothing but a reincarnation of Daji or Bao Si, bound to meet a dire end someday…” The rest of the conversation was too sedative, and even the palace maids knew to keep silent.

Su Baiyue stuffed five small fruits into her mouth, her cheeks puffing up like balloons, her teeth chattering from the cold as she chewed vigorously and swallowed, then gulped down a large bowl of water, hoping to fill up on liquids.

Although she had only been in the palace for a few days, combined with the bumpy month on the road, the flesh that Lu Gan had nurtured her with had long since disappeared with the fat. Now, she felt as light as a paper doll, softly collapsing on the couch, feeling even hungrier with each breath.

Why hasn’t the male lead staged a rebellion yet, QAQ.

After gulping a few breaths of air, Su Baiyue suddenly heard some noises coming from the tunnel entrance. It was the new emperor crawling out of the tunnel again.

To be honest, when Su Baiyue first saw the new emperor emerging from the tunnel entrance, she was truly startled, then it wasn’t her fault that she gave the new emperor a wallop.

The new emperor, his head trembling under a white bandage, came out of the tunnel entrance, trembling and cautious, peering around like a groundhog to avoid being clobbered again.

“Ling’er.”

The new emperor smiled obsequiously.

Su Baiyue sat expressionlessly on the couch, her attire pure white like snow.

The new emperor, well aware of Su Baiyue’s temperament, had laid white silk all over the hall. He took off his shoes and socks, his expression nervous yet excited as he shuffled closer to Su Baiyue, then took another step.

Su Baiyue indifferently lifted her eyelids for a glance, and the new emperor immediately halted, not daring to cross the line.

In everyone’s hearts, Su Baiyue was the moon in the sky, the clouds in the air, the snow on the mountains—beautiful to behold but not to be defiled. But in Lu Gan’s heart, Su Baiyue was his heart, his liver, his spleen, lungs, and kidneys. He not only wanted to defile her but also to play while doing so.

“Ling’er, when Lu Gan comes to the palace to present his gift, I will take care of him and no longer let that dirty creature bother you.”

“To the palace?” Su Baiyue gently parted her lips, her slender and soft body slowly leaning back, revealing a pair of jade feet in embroidered socks, her ankles’ skin soft as jade, emitting a fragrant glow.

The beauty, dressed in thin clothes, appeared frail yet enchanting, her black hair smooth and clinging to her skin, presenting a stark contrast between her icy demeanor and her seductive pose.

The new emperor, spellbound, rubbed his hands in anticipation, immediately laying out his entire plan to Su Baiyue.

The new emperor’s plan was simple: once Lu Gan entered the palace for the banquet, he would find an excuse to capture him and deal with him, thereby making Su Baiyue a rightful widow. Even if he couldn’t be with her openly under the empress’s watch, he could still enjoy a life together with her. Ultimately, it was his jealousy, envy, and hatred for Lu Gan, Su Baiyue’s first man, that drove him to eliminate him.

Su Baiyue nodded knowingly, her gaze shifting to the new emperor, a mix of sympathy and regret on her face.

Inviting the wolf into the house would only lead to swallowing poison.

“Well, Ling’er, I, I want to…” The new emperor, cautiously taking a few more steps forward, wanted to kiss his beloved beauty and hold her hand.

Su Baiyue clearly understood the new emperor’s intentions, but for some reason, while she could tolerate kissing and hand-holding with Lu Gan, she just couldn’t bear even a touch from the new emperor.

Pulling out her feather duster from her sleeve, Su Baiyue held it against the new emperor’s head, then poked forward.

The new emperor turned and left the scene with regret, making vows of undying love as he departed.

Fragile and unable to fend for herself, Su Baiyue thought, “Watch out, or I might just twist off your skull.”