After a nap and a full meal, Jiang Man finally had the time to reflect on the events of the day. Why had the emperor suddenly appeared in Yufu Court and dragged her into such absurdity in broad daylight?

  She was not unattractive and could be considered a beauty, but the pace was not cking in beautiful women. She wasn't so stunning that the emperor couldn't control himself the moment he id eyes on her, right? If she had truly been that stunning, she wouldn't have had these four peaceful years.

  Moreover, it seemed like she had bitten the emperor back then. She remembered the pace maid who had instructed them when they entered the pace, teaching them to be obedient to the emperor and never overstep their bounds or harm the dragon's body. Had she bitten the emperor, does that count as harming the dragon's body? Would the emperor accuse her of disrespect and send her to the cold pace?

  A chill ran through Jiang Man's body. She thought to herself that it would be best if that didn't happen. Although she had no intention of competing for favor, she certainly didn't want to suffer in the cold pace. Life in Yufu Court wasn't great, but as long as she kept things in order, her daily needs wouldn't be too harshly treated. But if she were sent to the cold pace, she'd be reduced to eating sparingly and enduring cold, miserable days.

  Shaking her head, Jiang Man tried to rid her mind of the cold and hungry scenes, where pace servants bullied her in the cold pace.

  She reassured herself that it was already evening, she was still safely in Yufu Court, and no one had come to question her. The emperor must have forgiven her, right?

  Had the emperor not sent anyone to question her?

  Jiang Man asked Lianqiu uncertainly, “Did anyone come while I was sleeping?”

  “Lady Bai sent someone over, and so did Shi Baolin from Youn Court. They knew you were resting, so they just sat for a while before leaving.”

  Jiang Man nodded. If the emperor had been in Yufu Court, someone would have surely come to gather information. Bai Cai Ren had moved out of Yufu Court but still had a bit of a retionship with Jiang Man. Shi Baolin lived near Yufu Court, so it wasn’t surprising that they visited.

  “Is there anyone else?”

  “No one else,” Lianqiu answered with a long face but then forced a smile to reassure Jiang Man, “Don’t worry, master. Since the emperor visited Yufu Court and favored you, it means he's satisfied with you. He might have just forgotten to send any rewards, but maybe tomorrow morning they'll arrive.”

  According to pace rules, when a concubine is favored by the emperor for the first time, he would send gifts. If he liked her, she could even be promoted. However, Jiang Man had been favored, and hours had passed without any sign from the emperor. Lianqiu was genuinely worried—could it be that the emperor didn't like their master?

  “That’s not what I meant,” Jiang Man knew the pace rules, but normally, when a concubine is favored, it happens at night. She, however, had been favored in broad daylight. If the emperor didn’t want rumors about daylight trysts, he would have pretended nothing had happened. Besides, she had bitten the emperor, so she wasn't expecting any rewards.

  Lianqiu looked confused, “Then, what were you asking about?”

  “Never mind,” Jiang Man didn’t want to expin to Lianqiu why she was worried that the emperor might send someone to punish her. If she said it out loud, Lianqiu might be terrified. But judging by the current situation, it seemed the emperor was quite magnanimous. Jiang Man, in a good mood, picked up the travel journal she had been reading earlier and continued browsing.

  The next morning, when Xiao Douzi returned from the kitchen with breakfast, Jiang Man had not yet woken up. Xiao Douzi handed the food box to Lianqiu and whispered, “Lianqiu, do you know what I heard in the kitchen?”

  “What did you hear?” Lianqiu asked, intrigued by Xiao Douzi's mysterious tone.

  “The woman locked up in the cold pace was given the death sentence.”

  Lianqiu gasped, “Is that true?”

  Xiao Douzi nodded, “The little eunuchs in the kitchen were all talking about it, so it can't be fake.”

  “When did this happen? Why so suddenly?”

  “It seems it was st night.”

  “Last night…” Lianqiu muttered as she entered the room, only to realize that Jiang Man had already woken up.

  While Jiang Man was dressing, she heard Lianqiu mumbling and asked, “What happened st night?”

  Lianqiu pced the food box on the table, walked over to assist Jiang Man with her clothes, and then recounted the news that Xiao Douzi had heard in the kitchen.

  “You’re saying that Empress Zhou was given the death sentence by the emperor st night?” Jiang Man asked in shock. “Do you know why?”

  Empress Zhou had been the first wife of Emperor Yong'an, the niece of the Empress Dowager, and the mother of the First Princess. Four years ago, she had been sent to the cold pace for conspiring to harm Consort Shu and the Third Princess.

  Even though Empress Zhou had been sent to the cold pace, the emperor had never stripped her of her title. Many people specuted that the emperor was just pretending to punish her and might find an excuse to release her soon. But surprisingly, Empress Zhou had been locked up for over four years, and Emperor Yong'an seemed to have forgotten about her.

  But why had she suddenly been given the death sentence? The First Princess was about to get married, and at this time, the emperor had executed the First Princess's mother. What was the emperor thinking? Hadn't the Empress Dowager stopped this?

  Lianqiu also didn’t know the full details. When Jiang Man asked, she hesitantly suggested, “Should I send Xiao Douzi to inquire further?”

  Jiang Man thought for a moment and nodded. “Yes, tell Xiao Douzi to be careful. If he can find out more, let him; if not, let it go.”

  Lianqiu smiled, “Don’t worry, that boy is clever.”

  After breakfast, Jiang Man was uneasy. She hoped this wouldn’t involve Yufu Court. Why had the emperor come to Yufu Court yesterday of all days?

  Fortunately, Xiao Douzi didn’t keep her waiting long. Before long, Xiao Douzi returned with news.

  Lianqiu poured a cup of tea for Xiao Douzi, and once he finished drinking, Jiang Man asked, “Did you find out anything?”

  “Yes, mistress, I found out.” Xiao Douzi put down the teacup and replied, “It seems that during the banquet, the First Princess had asked the emperor to visit the empress. She was about to marry, and her only concern was the empress. She hoped the emperor could visit the empress so she could marry with peace of mind. The emperor, being considerate of the First Princess, agreed on the spot.”

  Emperor Yong'an had few sons, only four princesses, and he was very fond of them.

  “Yesterday, the emperor might have found some free time, so he went to Ganquan Pace. However, not long after entering, he came out in a fit of rage. Many people are saying that the empress must have said something she shouldn’t have, which angered the emperor.”

  Xiao Douzi paused, then lowered his voice and added, “But someone I know who works in Ganquan Pace told me that the emperor was talking calmly with the empress, but after drinking a few sips of tea, he suddenly became enraged. I suspect there was something wrong with the tea.”

  Jiang Man remained silent for a long time after hearing this. After a while, she waved her hand, signaling for Xiao Douzi to leave.