At night, the Zichen Palace was bathed in golden halos, utterly quiet.
Ling Shan was like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, circling around the bronze pomegranate tree that was almost as tall as her.
Her eyes were alight with greed, and she was on the verge of drooling.
What an inhumane injustice this was!
A single pomegranate seed from those red ones could cover a poor person's entire lifetime of expenses.
How could she not be envious?
Each pomegranate seed on this bronze tree was distinct, each emitting a captivating glow.
It tempted people to commit a crime and reach out their sinful hands.
There were so many rich people. Couldn't she be one of them?
She was so envious that her mouth watered.
Thud!
Ling Shan covered her forehead with her finger, her eyes wide as she stared at the culprit.
[What are you looking at, you useless fool? Your saliva is about to drip. Don't say you're with me when you're outside.]
Ling Shan: "..."
She dared not show her anger, only cursing the dog - tyrant in her heart.
Jun Wuyuan saw the hint of grievance floating in her moist almond eyes and unconsciously rubbed his fingertips.
"Do you like this?"
Ling Shan nodded sincerely: "I like it. I like it so much."
Was His Majesty about to give her something?
"Then look at it more if you like it."
Huh?
Ling Shan stared at him in disbelief with wide - open eyes.
Seeing her greedy look, a hint of amusement flashed across Jun Wuyuan's eyes. He couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair.
In an extremely annoying tone, he said, "Anyway, just looking at it more won't make it yours. I'm going to take a bath. You don't need to serve me today."
[Look how considerate I am. The fool must be extremely touched and might even admire me a bit more. Tsk.]
Ling Shan: "..."
Touched?
She was not the least bit... "moved"!
Ling Shan watched Jun Wuyuan leave with a forced smile, cursing in her heart.
Then she turned to look at the bronze pomegranate tree and thought to herself:
One day, she would make the dog - tyrant beg her to accept this treasure.
You ignore me today, but you won't be able to reach me tomorrow.
With this ambition, Ling Shan withdrew her gaze. She took two steps and then stopped as a thought flashed through her mind.
Wait.
Why was she still here?
Ling Shan's eyes suddenly widened as she scanned the surroundings.
This was the Zichen Palace!
The sleeping quarters of that dog - tyrant Jun Wuyuan!
The place where she had slept during the day!
Jun Wuyuan had gone to take a bath. Did that mean she was going to sleep in the same bed as him in the Zichen Palace tonight?
Just as she was thinking, Ban Chun led two maids to take her to take a bath and change clothes.
Familiar with the process after two times, Ling Shan was sitting on a small couch not far from the dragon bed, having her hair dried by someone.
Her long black hair was beautiful, but it was really troublesome to manage.
Especially after she came to this world, it was inconvenient to wash and groom, so taking care of her hair was even more time - consuming and laborious.
It turned out that the feeling of being served was so addictive.
It was a kind of spiritual corrosion, eroding her will step by step.
It was really too comfortable.
So comfortable that Ling Shan couldn't help but close her eyes and almost hummed a little song with her legs crossed.
She completely forgot about the important thing she had been thinking about before taking a bath and changing clothes.
Her thoughts drifted and landed on the person in the Cining Palace.
She wondered what precious treasure the Queen Mother had chosen to give her. It was already dark, but the gift hadn't arrived yet.
And that dog - tyrant Jun Wuyuan. Not only had he not given her the promised reward, but he had also been so stingy as to mock her for just looking at the bronze pomegranate tree. He was truly "brimming with evil".
The angrier Ling Shan got, the sleepier she became.
---
On the other hand, the Cining Palace was filled with a cold and menacing atmosphere.
Wang Chengbi, who was usually domineering and aggressive outside, keenly sensed something was wrong at this moment. She knelt timidly in the main hall, not daring to say a word.
The Queen Mother's face was as cold as water, and the pressure she exuded without saying a word was like a mountain pressing down.
Wang Chengbi felt embarrassed and aggrieved. She lowered her head as if she was being obedient and admitting her mistake.
She didn't understand. Since such a major assassination had happened, as a noblewoman of the Wang family and the highest - ranking concubine in the harem, why couldn't she go to the Chengtian Gate to welcome the emperor?
Even if she had violated the Queen Mother's punishment of house arrest...
Speaking of this house arrest, Wang Chengbi was filled with anger.
The Queen Mother, her aunt, had put her under house arrest for that low - born maid Ling Shan.
Why?
Wang Chengbi knew the plans of her family and the Queen Mother, but she just couldn't understand.
Why did the Queen Mother choose that low - born person over her?
Wang Chengbi couldn't accept that she was even inferior to a low - born maid.
Especially after seeing Jun Wuyuan holding that bitch today, Wang Chengbi wished she could kill her.
She had been chasing after Jun Wuyuan for so long. Not only had she never received kind words, hugs, or kisses from him, but she hadn't even gotten a single proper look.
Yet Jun Wuyuan not only protected and held that bitch Ling Shan but also tenderly called her "Shanshan".
Wang Chengbi's heart was filled with bitter jealousy, like the taste of Chinese goldthread roots.
That bitch, she would never...
"Do you know your mistake?"
The Queen Mother's cold voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Wang Chengbi's almost uncontrollable jealousy and unwillingness.
She instinctively looked up, and the grievance and jealousy in her eyes hadn't had time to fade.
The Queen Mother, sitting high above, saw it all clearly. A hint of disappointed displeasure flashed across her deep eyes.
Under the Queen Mother's sharp gaze, Wang Chengbi shivered. Only then did she realize and quickly suppress her emotions.
With a respectful face, she said, "Aunt, niece knows her mistake. Please don't be angry, aunt. Niece really won't dare to do it again."
"Bi'er, the children I like most are the smart, sensible, and obedient ones. If you keep making the same mistakes, my patience won't be so good. Do you understand?"
Even when the Queen Mother, a person who had stained her hands with countless lives, was smiling as she spoke, it was enough to scare Wang Chengbi, a novice.
Seeing Wang Chengbi's trembling body, the coldness in the Queen Mother's eyes faded a bit.
After all, Wang Chengbi was her niece. Even though she was often so angry at her foolishness that her head ached, she wouldn't really do anything to her.
Unless...
"Aunt, niece won't dare to do it again. Please forgive niece this time." Wang Chengbi's voice trembled.
"A Qin, help Bi'er up."
The Queen Mother knew well the principle of giving a slap and then a sweet date, especially when it came to her niece. Her face softened a bit.
"Good child, that's right. I'm your aunt. How could I harm you?
She's just a low - born maid. She's not worthy of your attention. Once she has completed her mission and is of no more use, she's just a discarded chess piece. Why should you care?"