The host and the protagonist had a happy ending again [Quick Transmigration]

Xu Ran had never married, and the late emperor's concubines had long since moved to the temporary palace, so the palace seemed unusually desolate in the evening.

It was already late autumn, and there wasn't much to see in the Imperial Garden. Xu Ran picked a red leaf and asked the system with great interest.

Do you know where this forest leads?

The system snapped a picture of the palace onto Xu Ran's mind.

Xu Ran looked at a cluster of red dots deep in the woods. "What are these?"

The system froze: "..."

"You didn't know the map you gave me?" Xu Ran raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

"Um... I found it in the database."

Xu Ran chuckled, "Alright, let's go take a look."

The further you go in, the more desolate and bleak it becomes, truly resembling a place rarely visited by humans.

"Host, there's smoke over there!"

Smoke rose as someone started a fire to cook.

Xu Ran looked up and squinted slightly. There was such a dilapidated palace in the imperial palace. The tiles were broken and the plaque was covered in dust. The words "Yuhua Palace" could be vaguely made out.

Jade symbolizes nobility; splendor symbolizes prosperity.

The artificial lake next to the palace has been abandoned for a long time. The lake surface is silent and still, with a gentle autumn breeze and a damp, misty atmosphere.

The name "Yuhua Palace" is quite ironic here.

The system slammed against Xu Ran's shoulder with a "whoosh," and asked, "Host, where is this?"

Xu Ran looked around and pondered, "Do you know what it means to keep a mistress in a gilded cage?"

System: Huh?

Hearing the commotion, a woman in her thirties came out carrying a dough ball, muttering with a smile, "Who's here so quietly?"

Xu Ran looked up and saw that the woman's eyes instantly turned to fear. The dough in her hand fell to the ground with a "plop". Her lips trembled and she couldn't say a word. Her feet seemed to be stuck to the ground, and her legs were shaking. She was motionless, as if she had seen a ghost.

Xu Ran was puzzled, "Do I look that scary?"

The system shook its head. "She looks even scarier."

The woman's exposed skin was smooth and delicate, but the pockmarked marks on her face were chilling to look at, as if she had been scratched countless times by a sharp object, making it impossible to recognize her original appearance.

Footsteps came from inside. "Yuehua, what's wrong?"

  

A clear, melodious female voice rang out, and a woman of similar age, wearing a veil, stepped out. She was also stunned when she saw Xu Ran, but reacted quickly, pulling Yuehua to bow and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Xu Ran looked at her indifferently, "Who are you? Since you recognize me, tell me what's going on. Are there places in the palace I don't know about?"

Isn't he the master of the palace? Why is this place not in the original owner's memories?

The woman lowered her eyes and replied, "My name is Yu Ying, and I am..."

Xu Ran frowned. "What is it?"

The woman hesitated, "I and Yuehua were both musicians who served the late emperor in the past."

Yu Ying and Yue Hua, from Yu Hua Palace, these two must have been extremely favored.

"Since she is Father Emperor's concubine, why didn't she go to the imperial palace?"

Yu Ying bowed again, "I'm afraid of offending Your Majesty's ears. My wife and I are of lowly birth. Although we were fortunate enough to serve the late Emperor, we had no official status. After the late Emperor passed away, the Dowager Consort left the palace. My wife and I originally intended to die to save ourselves. Fortunately, the Regent Prince was kind and allowed us to remain in Yuhua Palace and not be disturbed by others."

Xu Ran's expression shifted slightly, her meaning unclear. "The Regent?"

Yu Ying said, "Yes, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Xu Ran chuckled softly, "Has the Regent ever been here?"

Yu Ying paused slightly, "The Regent is very busy and has not come before."

Xu Ran smiled, neither confirming nor denying, "In that case, you can continue to stay in Yuhua Palace. There's no need to worry."

Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Xu Ran walked away, Yu Ying gazed at that tall and handsome figure, her eyes deep and unfathomable, and a soft sigh dissipated into the wind.

A gentle breeze lifted her veil, revealing a face streaked with wrinkles, as clear as moonlight.

Yuehua frantically gripped her hand, "Sister, he..."

Zhao Fu was worried that Xu Ran had caught a cold, so he went back to Ninghui Palace to get a cloak. When he returned, he found that the emperor had already disappeared. He was so frightened that he almost had a heart attack.

Seeing Xu Ran come out, he hurriedly went up to tie his cloak, looking miserable, "Your Majesty, you scared this servant to death."

Xu Ran chuckled, "What could possibly happen in the palace?"

In the past, there were assassins lurking in the palace, but after Pei Guan massacred the palace, such incidents never happened again.

"By the way," Xu Ran looked at Zhao Fu, "I didn't know anything about Yuhua Palace before."

Zhao Fu said, "You mean Madam Yu and Madam Yue? No one in the palace dares to mention these two. Now, more than ten years have passed, and not many people remember them."

Xu Ran raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

"This servant heard it from my master back then. His Majesty was young at the time, and I forgot to tell you about it. These two ladies were originally musicians in the song and dance hall. Because of their beautiful appearance and their knowledge of poetry and songs, they were favored by the late emperor. Although they were never given a title, they were still extremely favored. The Yuhua Palace was specially built for them, and everyone in the palace called them 'Ladies'."

Xu Ran recalled the two women; their features were indeed exceptionally striking. "And then what happened?"

"Later, Lady Yue angered the Imperial Concubine for some unknown reason, and Lady Yu's face was also slashed by the Imperial Concubine's men. The late Emperor was furious for a long time, but since the Imperial Concubine came from a marquis's family, he could not punish her for the sake of two women without official status, and the matter was left unresolved."

"The two ladies lost their beauty and thus lost the late emperor's favor. After that, they lived in Yuhua Palace and rarely came out."

Xu Ran was born to the late Empress, but the late Empress was frail, and the Consort had always held absolute power in the palace, so this makes sense.

Xu Ran asked, "In which year did this happen?"

Zhao Fu replied, "It was the year before His Majesty was born."

"I see. Let's go back to Ninghui Palace." Xu Ran's words were vague.

The system notification popped up, "Host, is there a problem?"

Xu Ran asked, "Don't you think Madam Yu's features look somewhat familiar?"

System: Huh?

Xu Ran's tone was casual, "Go back to Yuhua Palace and eavesdrop. I think that Madam Yu is the original owner's birth mother."

system:!!!

"I'm going to eavesdrop right now!"