Lan Miao slipped into the Qionghua Palace.
She never expected that the three people behind her would be so audacious. They were still chasing her, walking in a hurry and winding around. They seemed afraid of alerting others, but they didn't want to let Lan Miao go.
The Qionghua Palace was huge.
Inside, long corridors criss - crossed, walkways were intricate, and rooms were connected to one another.
They hadn't encountered any guards or palace servants yet. They must have entered through the back door.
Lan Miao's mind raced. It seemed that the three who were chasing her didn't know who she was. When she rushed out, she was dressed simply without any jewelry. So they thought she was just an outsider who had accidentally broken into the palace. There had been many outsiders in the palace these days because of the Qi State mission. It was not surprising for them to think so.
They were so fearless because they must have planned to shift the blame onto her even if they were discovered.
She couldn't panic.
Seeing that she couldn't shake off the three people.
Lan Miao bravely opened the doors.
One door after another was opened. She rushed around recklessly. The three people behind her were like ghosts, always closely following but not daring to make a big noise.
Lan Miao was about to collapse.
Just when her strength was almost exhausted, a door in front of her opened by itself.
Lan Miao panicked.
She stumbled and fell into the arms of the person in front of her.
She looked up and immediately felt a sense of relief. All her fear and nervousness dissipated like clouds.
Emperor Jingxiang was right in front of her...
"Your Majesty?"
"You're safe now."
Emperor Jingxiang hugged the person in his arms tightly and smiled. He had been thinking about Lan Miao, and the next moment, she fell into his arms. It was like a dream.
He tightened his grip on Lan Miao's slender shoulders.
She felt ice - cold all over.
Lan Miao didn't have time to be surprised. She suddenly turned around and saw that the expressions of the three people chasing her changed from surprise to panic. They even took steps back to the corner.
"Arrest them. They're up to no good."
Lan Miao was extremely calm, with a coldness like that of early winter. Her aura suddenly changed at this moment.
Emperor Jingxiang supported her shoulders.
He gave a look to the guards beside him.
The guards immediately rushed forward as ordered. It seemed as if Lan Miao had commanded them to arrest the three people who had been chasing her.
After the people were arrested, Emperor Jingxiang supported Lan Miao and returned to the main hall.
Just then, Concubine Jia and the Imperial Concubine happened to walk out of the inner hall with their respective servants. Lan Miao, who hadn't had time to relax, widened her pupils in shock. She quickly pushed away Emperor Jingxiang's hand and suddenly knelt on the ground.
Emperor Jingxiang's eyes darkened.
His hand grasped at nothing.
He felt a sense of powerlessness as if hitting cotton.
Concubine Jia and the Imperial Concubine walked over at the same time and stood beside Emperor Jingxiang, one on the left and the other on the right.
The maid who was being held down on the ground by the guards didn't know who the person she had been chasing was. When she saw the Imperial Concubine and the others coming, she shouted loudly like seeing a savior.
"Your Majesty, this woman is the thief. This servant saw her being sneaky."
The person she was referring to was Lan Miao.
Just as Lan Miao was about to defend herself, she saw Emperor Jingxiang's face turn cold. He said in a cold voice,
"Drag her out and give her a caning."
The maid shivered all over. She still didn't understand what had happened. She was dragged out by the guards, still shouting, "Spare me, Your Majesty. This servant really didn't do anything..."
The remaining two little eunuchs were trembling. They finally realized that the person they had been chasing might be someone extraordinary.
This scene made the Imperial Concubine's heart skip a beat.
"What on earth happened?"
The Imperial Concubine's gaze shifted to Lan Miao, with a bit of resentment and hatred.
But Emperor Jingxiang ignored everyone's gazes and slowly helped Lan Miao up. "Are you okay?"
"Your Majesty, this concubine has something to report..."
Lan Miao shook her head and quietly withdrew her hand from Emperor Jingxiang's. Her beautiful eyes sparkled because of the long - time chase. When the two looked at each other, Lan Miao stared at Emperor Jingxiang desperately, as if reminding him to be careful.
But Emperor Jingxiang stared at her with great interest. He understood what she meant but didn't follow her hint.
Lan Miao felt tired.
With the Imperial Concubine and Concubine Jia here, she couldn't ask to report to Emperor Jingxiang alone. It would seem as if there was something between her and Emperor Jingxiang...
Lan Miao could only quietly tell what she had heard.
After Emperor Jingxiang listened, he fell into deep thought.
Concubine Jia timely let her eyes turn red. She wiped away her tears and gently cried to Emperor Jingxiang, "Your Majesty, how could such a thing happen? Your Majesty must stand up for this concubine and Ming Ye."
The Imperial Concubine couldn't hold back her temper when she saw this. She sternly scolded Lan Miao, "What nonsense are you talking about? How dare you bring the words you heard from so far away in front of His Majesty and talk nonsense? You..."
"Shut up."
Emperor Jingxiang swept a cold look at her.
The Imperial Concubine stopped embarrassedly.
Concubine Jia's eyes twitched.
"Investigate."
With just one word from Emperor Jingxiang, An He immediately responded. He signaled the guards to drag the two bewildered little eunuchs out to investigate the matter in detail.
The Imperial Concubine's face turned deathly pale, but she couldn't stop anything.
"My lady has worked hard. Xue'er is fine. She's resting behind the hall. My lady should go and rest too. Leave the rest to me."
Emperor Jingxiang finally stopped teasing Lan Miao and said seriously.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Lan Miao breathed a sigh of relief.
She slowly bowed and stepped back. She left the hall with Han Bi. She could feel a pair of eyes following her like a shadow.
It was as if she had been seen through.
Although Concubine Jia had been crying, she had been observing the situation in the hall. She saw every interaction between Emperor Jingxiang and Lan Miao clearly. She sighed in her heart. I'm afraid I'll have a strong rival in the future.
---
Yu Jia and Xue'er had already been taken to a side hall in another part of the Qionghua Palace to rest. It was warm inside. As soon as Lan Miao entered, the coldness on her body gradually faded.
Xue'er was still talking to Yu Jia. When she saw Lan Miao coming in, she immediately rushed up.
A flash of envy crossed Yu Jia's eyes.
"Mother, why did you come here?" Xue'er asked excitedly.
Lan Miao's nose felt sour.
"Isn't mother worried about you? Are you okay, Xue'er? Did you get burned by the fire?"
She quickly checked up and down to see if Xue'er was injured anywhere.
Xue'er curved her eyes and smiled naively.
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt at all. Neither is Yu Jia."
"That's good."
Lan Miao hugged Xue'er tightly.
Only by holding her in her arms could Lan Miao's uneasiness completely disappear. The two hugged for a while longer. Then Xue'er supported Lan Miao to the couch to rest.
While Lan Miao was happy, she keenly noticed that Yu Jia seemed a bit unhappy.
"Xue'er, what happened to the princess?"
"Yu Jia is a bit sad. She was scolded by that Concubine Jia."
Xue'er whispered in Lan Miao's ear.
After saying that, Xue'er got out of Lan Miao's arms and pulled Yu Jia's little hand. She looked up and said, "Yu Jia, come here. My mother's arms are so warm."
Yu Jia was a bit embarrassed and was about to wave her hand. But Lan Miao naturally pulled her into her arms, one on each side.
She stroked Yu Jia's head.
"It's best that you're all okay."
The sorrow on Yu Jia's face dissipated a bit. She shyly smiled.
"When the fire started, what did you see? Did you see where the fire started?"
Xue'er's eyes lit up.
"I saw it. The target exploded first, like fireworks. Yu Jia, the Prince of Li, and the Third Prince and I were all practicing archery there. The Third Prince was the closest to the target. He was the most seriously injured. Yu Jia and I weren't hurt."
"Yes... If Xue'er hadn't pulled the Prince of Li, he might have been hurt too." Yu Jia nodded, recalling the scene at that time.
Lan Miao listened to their words one after another and thought of what she had overheard the two little eunuchs say.
She sighed in her heart.
The Emperor is still in his prime. Is there already a struggle for the heir apparent in the harem?