The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

Two days later, Li Zhang finally found out everything about Physician Ji and Lü Rui.

Ji Taiyi only has one father, but his father is a gambler who owes a lot of money and recently had his finger cut off.

A young eunuch from the Imperial Hospital said this was one of the reasons why Imperial Physician Ji was not getting married; he was afraid of burdening other girls. Lately, he had been absent-minded while on duty because his father still owed a lot of money.

Green Bud comes from a poor family and lives with only her elderly mother. Therefore, it's possible that the bracelet on Green Bud's wrist was a gift from one of her masters.

Ning Shuyan stroked the teacup, then said intently, "Keep an eye on Lü Rui. If she goes anywhere or does anything unusual, report it to me."

Qiu Le nodded quickly: "Yes, my lady, don't worry."

"As for Physician Ji... let him come over to take a pulse again after some time, so as not to attract attention."

After speaking, Ning Shuyan gently rubbed her temples. Even having the emperor's favor in the harem is difficult; countless eyes are on you. The more favor the emperor bestows upon you, the more you are in the eye of the storm.

"Bring me the sachet I've embroidered; I'll finish it today."

To be honest, she wasn't good at embroidery, she was slow at it, and she was lazy. What should have been a matter of a few hours took her several days.

After Ning Shuyan finished her dinner, Xiao Yu arrived. He had a slight smile in his eyes and seemed to be in a good mood, unlike his usual solemn demeanor.

"Is there some joyous occasion? Your Majesty seems to be in a good mood."

Ning Shuyan followed beside him, smiling.

Xiao Yu turned his head and gently looked Ning Shuyan over, a hint of admiration in his eyes. He smiled and said, "You'll see when you go inside. Go to bed."

Ning Shuyan was slightly taken aback, her eyes widened, and she said in embarrassment and anxiety, "Why did Your Majesty send me to bed as soon as you arrived?"

Xiao Yu chuckled, his voice warm and gentle in the candlelight, his sharply defined features appearing extremely tender. He lightly stroked Ning Shuyan's nose: "What are you thinking about? Although I have no resistance to you, it's not like I'm... "

Ning Shuyan was both angry and embarrassed upon hearing this, her face flushing slightly, like a delicate hibiscus about to bloom in autumn: "Who told His Majesty to say we should go to bed? How could I not have impure thoughts?"

"Besides, every time you come here you do..." The rest of the sentence was left unsaid.

Xiao Yu laughed loudly upon hearing this, and gently put his arm around her slender waist, saying softly, "We can discuss that matter later. Right now, I have something to give you."

"Oh? Does Your Majesty have another surprise for me?" Ning Shuyan's eyes were full of joy.

After sitting on the bed, Ning Shuyan took off her shoes at Xiao Yu's prompting and looked at Xiao Yu curiously.

Xiao Yu lifted her foot and gently held it, revealing a blood-red gemstone anklet in his hand. Ning Shuyan exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty, this is...?"

Xiao Yu smiled slightly and put the anklet on his ankle.

The gemstone was blood-red, and on her slender ankle, it shone with an indescribable beauty and brilliance.

Xiao Yu smiled with satisfaction: "As expected, it suits Shuyan perfectly. This is pigeon blood stone. I think this color only looks good on people with fair skin. Shuyan looks stunning in it."

It is beautiful, crystal clear, without a single impurity, and perfectly flawless.

Ning Shuyan looked at the anklet and said, "But... this is not something I can wear."

It's not that the gemstone is particularly precious, but its red color is not something she should wear.

The regulations of this dynasty stipulated that imperial concubines could not wear bright red clothes, and their accessories could be tinged with red, but not too much.

A Noble Consort could wear reddish tassels or hair ornaments, while a Consort could wear red agate hairpins or red beaded bracelets. However, those below the rank of Consort were not allowed to wear such things.

This pigeon blood stone would be perfectly acceptable for a concubine to wear. However, for a beauty, it would be too ostentatious and would inevitably violate the rules.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Yu laughed and said, "It's nothing, just a few small gems, and no one will know if I wear them on my foot."

Ning Shuyan knew that Xiao Yu was a man of principle, so she really couldn't understand why he would give her this chain that she couldn't wear today.

Actually, Xiao Yu hadn't thought that much about it. It was just that when he presented the screen to Consort Zhuang, he suddenly remembered that Consort Zhuang had once asked him for this pigeon-blood stone. Looking at the color, he suddenly felt that Ning Shuyan would look extremely beautiful wearing it, so he sent it over. He had momentarily forgotten that someone of her rank couldn't wear it.

Xiao Yu thought for a moment and then added, "If you're worried about breaking the rules, then bring it from now on."

"In the future?" Ning Shuyan wondered to herself. "Will it be the rank of Imperial Concubine, or the rank of Noble Consort?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. I will keep it safe and secure."

As she was about to remove the anklet, Xiao Yu grabbed her hand: "Wear it tonight."

"It's fine to bring it inside the palace."

Ning Shuyan smiled sweetly and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty is so kind. You have given me such a precious gift. It makes what I would give Your Majesty seem rather inadequate."

Xiao Yu's eyes seemed to hold a deep, gentle gleam: "But it's a sachet. Let me see it."

Ning Shuyan walked to the side, took the sachet, but hid it behind her back, and said shyly and softly, "Your Majesty, my embroidery is not good..."

Xiao Yu straightened up and held out his hand: "Give it to me. I told you I wouldn't mind."

Ning Shuyan slowly reached out and placed the sachet in his hand, turning to look at his handsome face: "If Your Majesty doesn't like it, then leave it."

Xiao Yu's lips curled up slightly as he pulled Ning Shuyan into his arms and whispered in her ear, "I like it very much. Wear it tomorrow."

Gifts from concubines, no matter how beautiful, all look pretty much the same to me. But this sachet, which I "asked" for, is definitely different.

Xiao Yu touched the brocade pouch, where the embroidery was rather crude, but the character "An" was embroidered neatly and precisely.

Ning Shuyan looked at his hand touching it and explained, "Your Majesty not only wishes for good health, but also for peace of mind."

Xiao Yu asked in confusion, "Why does Shuyan say that?"

Ning Shuyan said softly, "Your Majesty is not only troubled by court affairs, but also worries about the people and the chaos in the harem. Your heart is uneasy, so you often don't get enough rest. I want to see Your Majesty with a smile. If your heart is at peace, wouldn't Your Majesty be happy?"

Xiao Yu gazed intently at Ning Shuyan, his eyes radiating a gentle, heavenly light: "Everyone in the world desires to sit on that dragon throne, but little do they know..."

He paused slightly, his gaze becoming somewhat unfocused: "The higher you climb, the colder it gets."

He didn't regret any of this, though. His mother's wish had always been for him to ascend the throne. So after her death, he worked his way up to win his father's favor. Knowing that his father valued the Nangong family, he devised a plan to bring Nangong Yun under his control.

Because his father was skilled in swordsmanship, he forced himself to learn it. Little did anyone know, he actually loved painting and playing the flute.

However, knowing that his mother could finally rest in peace made it all worthwhile. He also posthumously honored her as Empress Dowager, knowing this had always been her wish.