Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The next day, after Jia Lian presented the regulations for transferring craftsmen from the Ministry of Works to Emperor Ningkang, he had just left the Daming Palace when he was suddenly summoned by the Empress Dowager.

As the palace servants walked towards the inner palace, when they reached the west gate of Chonghua Palace, four palace maids and eunuchs stayed behind, leaving only the head palace maid to say to Jia Lian, "Her Highness is enjoying the flowers in the Imperial Garden today and is now resting in Fengluan Pavilion."

After saying this, he bowed slightly to Jia Lian and continued forward.

The Imperial Garden is located between the East and West Six Palaces, behind the Kunning Palace. However, due to its limited space, its size cannot be compared with the Grand View Garden.

In the southeast corner there is a two-story building called Fengluan Pavilion.

The palace maid who led the way brought Jia Lian here, pushed open the double-panel red lacquered wooden door, and gestured: "The Empress is inside."

Jia Lian didn't move. Looking at the maid standing obediently by the door, Jia Lian suddenly asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Qin Mi..."

The palace maid glanced at Jia Lian with a hint of surprise, then added, "This servant has served the Empress Dowager for many years. The Marquis should have seen this servant before at Weiyang Palace..."

Jia Lian remained noncommittal. Although he didn't recognize the female official in front of him, he vaguely remembered that she was indeed someone who served the Empress Dowager.

"Aren't you going in to announce our arrival?"

"Her Majesty has instructed that once the Marquis arrives here, you should go directly in to see her."

After hesitating for a moment, the palace maid named Qin Mi lowered her voice: "Although I am from the Empress Dowager's palace, I served the princess for many years until she left the palace, after which I returned to Your Highness's side..."

Jia Lian's expression shifted slightly. The situation before him didn't seem like the Empress Dowager summoning him; it looked more like Princess Zhaoyang was secretly meeting with him behind the Empress Dowager's back.

With a hint of hesitation, Jia Lian entered the attic.

The attic was clean and luxurious, with an ancient incense burner, clearly a place used by nobles.

After passing through several screens, the room suddenly became spacious.

But as soon as Jia Lian stepped in, the pupils in his eyes suddenly contracted.

In the middle of a room adorned with endless silks and antique fragrance, on a huge canopy bed, the delicate body of a beautiful woman lies quietly.

Her thin inner garment could not conceal her alluring figure at all; her snow-white arms and thighs were partially exposed, perfectly showcasing her unparalleled seduction.

Especially when Jia Lian's gaze moved upwards and he saw the woman's face, he couldn't help but be shocked.

……

After the retired emperor abdicated, he moved some of his favorite concubines into Chonghua Palace, and the rest were moved to the five northern residences.

Only Consort Li, being the emperor's birth mother, was allowed by the retired emperor to remain in Changchun Palace in the Eastern Six Palaces so that the emperor could fulfill his filial duties.

At this moment, at the gate of Changchun Palace, the retired emperor, sitting on his imperial carriage, saw that Consort Li intended to follow him and calmly instructed, "You have been kind this time. Go back now. There is no need to see me off."

"Yes. However, I happen to be planning to visit the Empress Dowager at Weiyang Palace and invite her to enjoy the flowers together tomorrow. I would be so bold as to accompany the Emperor Emeritus..."

The retired emperor frowned.

To be honest, he didn't like the woman in front of him at all. If it weren't for her constant pleas and the fact that she happened to find him a world-famous painting that he had long wanted to collect, he would never have been willing to step into this palace again.

But today, after all, the other party was sincere, and he had also heard that this woman seemed to have become much closer to the Empress Dowager recently.

After all, she was one of his earliest women. Seeing her graying temples and aged face, the Emperor Emeritus's disgust dissipated somewhat, and he said, "In that case, let her be banished."

Upon hearing this, Consort Li paused for a moment before nodding quickly. Then, supported by her maid, she boarded the Emperor Emeritus's imperial carriage.

The moment she stepped forward and sat beside the retired emperor, her heart was filled with turmoil.

She couldn't even remember how many years it had been since she had ridden alongside the Emperor Emeritus.

The feeling of being moved lasted only a moment before her heart was filled with hatred again.

There was jealousy and resentment towards the woman who had taken away his position, but even more so, there was hatred towards the heartless and ungrateful man beside him.

Today, she will repay this boundless hatred and pain!

She had endured and waited for this moment for far too long.

Therefore, when she saw the old palace maid in the distance subtly gesturing to her, she nodded firmly.

Soon, a palace maid ran out of the Imperial Garden in a panic, which immediately alerted the Emperor Emeritus's attendants and guards.

The palace maid seemed to realize that she had offended the imperial carriage, and quickly scrambled forward and knelt in front of the carriage.

Before the Emperor Emeritus could speak, Consort Li shouted angrily, "Which palace servant has no manners whatsoever? Who gave you permission to run around the palace like this? Drag him away!"

"Your Majesty, please spare me! I... I saw..."

"What do you see?"

"This servant saw the Empress Dowager, and..."

Before Consort Li could speak, the Emperor Emeritus waved his hand and said, "Is the Empress Dowager in the Imperial Garden?"

"Yes……"

The retired emperor seemed to be in a good mood, and upon hearing this, he said directly, "Go to the Imperial Garden."

Seeing the usually aloof and authoritative Emperor Emeritus beam with joy upon hearing the Empress Dowager's name, he felt an even greater surge of hatred in his heart.

However, she was originally going to lead the Emperor Emeritus to the Imperial Garden, and now that the Emperor Emeritus was taking the initiative to see the Empress Dowager, that was even better.

The magnificent dragon carriage arrived before the Phoenix Pavilion, only to find the surroundings eerily quiet.

In front of the huge pavilion, there was only a lone palace maid standing guard.

The retired emperor frowned involuntarily.

Consort Li demanded of the palace maids kneeling before the pavilion, "Where is the Empress Dowager?"

The palace maids seemed to be terrified, kneeling on the ground trembling, not daring to move.

The Emperor Emeritus's expression turned cold, and he stood up from the carriage.

At a glance from the observant old eunuch beside him, several junior eunuchs rushed out, attempting to storm the door.

However, just as the eunuchs were about to touch the closed door, it opened from the inside.

A man and a woman walked out from inside.

Consort Li, who was already somewhat unable to contain her excitement, immediately changed her expression when she saw the two people who came out.

She jumped up, walked up to the Emperor Emeritus, and demanded sharply, "What are you doing here?"

The people who emerged from the Luanfeng Pavilion were none other than Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang.

However, Consort Li only questioned Princess Zhaoyang.

Princess Zhaoyang and Jia Lian exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and knelt before the imperial carriage: "Greetings to the Emperor Emeritus and the Imperial Concubine."

The retired emperor frowned, glancing at the two people in front of him, then at the wide-open, deep entrance to the Luanfeng Pavilion behind them.

"What are you doing here?"

Seemingly oblivious to the Emperor Emeritus's displeasure, Princess Zhaoyang said, "Replying to my grandfather, since I was confined to my quarters, under the guidance of my grandmother, I have come to understand your good intentions and regret my reckless behavior that has tarnished the imperial family's reputation."

However, since the granddaughter and the Marquis of Zhenyuan still had feelings for each other, and now that they had decided to sever ties, there were some things she wanted to explain to the Marquis of Zhenyuan in person.

Therefore, after hearing that Marquis Zhenyuan had entered the palace to discuss matters with his father, the emperor, he falsely conveyed the imperial edict of his grandmother and tricked Marquis Zhenyuan into coming here. Unexpectedly, he was seen by his grandfather.

"This is all my fault. If Grandfather is angry, punish only me. It has nothing to do with Marquis Zhenyuan."

……

Let's go back to the moment when Jia Lian stepped into the Luanfeng Pavilion and saw the beautiful woman on the canopy bed, her spring scenery half-revealed.

Upon seeing that the attic was empty and that such a beautiful woman was lying on the bed, a multitude of thoughts immediately flashed through Jia Lian's mind.

At first, he even thought that Princess Zhaoyang was up to some new trick again.

But he never expected that the beautiful woman who was wearing only her inner garments, with her fair thighs and jade arms exposed, would be the high and mighty, most noble person in the world—the Empress Dowager!

Although Jia Lian knew from the first time he met the Empress Dowager at the Crown Prince's villa that she was a beauty of unparalleled beauty.

However, that jade-like body, which had always been hidden beneath the majestic and luxurious palace attire and was unattainable, was now presented to him in this way, both inviting and reluctant.

This is a painting that stirs the heart!

Although the Empress Dowager disguised herself and left the palace, he had instinctively embraced her body through her clothes when rescuing her. He had also felt a fleeting moment of attraction when he was face-to-face with the Empress Dowager.

But perhaps because he didn't know the other person's identity back then, Jia Lian felt that the excitement and shock he felt back then were far less than what he felt now.

For a moment, Jia Lian wanted to tear off the few remaining clothes of the woman lying in front of him, and even recklessly and wantonly invade the breathtakingly beautiful and noble body in front of him.

But it was just a momentary impulse, and Jia Lian quickly suppressed this foolish desire.

The current situation is clearly a conspiracy.

He knew that being in such a dangerous place, the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin.

But as he turned around, he met a pair of bright eyes.

Perhaps harboring malice, Jia Lian was startled and was about to speak when the other party raised his index finger:

"Shh~"

Then, the other person pointed outside.

Jia Lian chuckled. For some reason, upon seeing Princess Zhaoyang, Jia Lian's previously tense heart suddenly calmed down.

It seems that with this woman around, no scheme or trick could harm him.

At the same time, she was secretly relieved that his reason had prevailed and he hadn't done anything to her grandmother. Otherwise…

He stepped forward, put his arms around the other person's shoulders, and asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened?"

Princess Zhaoyang seemed a little embarrassed, quietly slipping out of Jia Lian's embrace and gesturing with her eyes towards the area behind him.

Jia Lian turned around as if he had something in mind, and saw that the Empress Dowager, who had been "sleeping" on the bed, had somehow sat up and was hiding the snow-white body that he had seen before under her spring robe.

Princess Zhaoyang quickly stepped forward, took the clothes beside her and draped them over the Empress Dowager, saying, "They shouldn't be coming in again."

"Um."

The Empress Dowager nodded, and then Princess Zhaoyang, in front of Jia Lian, helped the Empress Dowager put on her clothes as if no one else was around.

At this moment, Jia Lian naturally kept his eyes straight ahead.

A brief silence fell over the room.

"this……"

Just as Jia Lian was about to ask, Princess Zhaoyang shook her head at him: "Now is not the time to explain, Erlang, it's best not to ask any more questions. Will you follow my instructions later?"

Jia Lian was not one to ramble on; he took a deep breath and nodded in response.

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said to the Empress Dowager, "I have made all the arrangements outside. Your Majesty, please return to the palace first."

"Okay, I'll leave this to you."

The Empress Dowager didn't waste any words. She patted Princess Zhaoyang's head, glanced at Jia Lian, and then walked out with Princess Zhaoyang's help.

Once no one was in the room, Jia Lian's brows furrowed again.

He knew that today's events were definitely not simple; he had probably finally encountered the legendary palace intrigue.

Moreover, the target was clearly the Empress Dowager.

Within the vast palace, there was only one person who dared to lay a hand on the Empress Dowager.

However, judging from the Empress Dowager and Princess Zhaoyang's expressions, they were clearly prepared. Therefore, Jia Lian had nothing to worry about.

Having figured this out, he plopped down on the bed where the Empress Dowager had just been lying.

The bed was warm and had a faint fragrance.