Hearing the commotion outside the palace, Donghua rushed in. At the sight of Dongfang Yi, pale on the bed, her eyes welled up with tears. "Your Majesty, how could you be so foolish!" she exclaimed.
She never expected Dongfang Yi to dash forward and take the floggings for Concubine Shu.
Dongfang Yi looked at the distressed girl before her, hooked her lips into a smile, and ruffled her hair. "Don't be sad, Donghua. I'm fine," she said.
Then she asked, "How is Concubine Shu?"
She remembered that Concubine Shu had also been whipped.
"She's in the side hall. The wound has been treated. She's just waiting for Your Majesty to wake up," Donghua replied.
"Go and fetch her here," Dongfang Yi said.
Soon, Concubine Shu appeared before her. Her eyes were still red, and half of her forearm was bared, showing the swelling. It seemed that the whip had hit her arm.
As soon as she saw Dongfang Yi, she knelt at her feet and began to cry. "Your Majesty, the Queen, what good deeds have I done to deserve your protection? The whip was like a ferocious beast. Just a touch would leave a wound, yet you took so many lashes for me," she sobbed, gasping for breath. It was clear that she had been greatly frightened.
Dongfang Yi stroked her hair. "This incident started because of me. I won't let anyone get hurt, especially you," she said.
She had always liked Concubine Shu's straightforward and unpretentious personality. She was not affected by the corrupt atmosphere in the palace, which was why Dongfang Yi was so willing to protect her.
Dongfang Yi was a woman who loved deeply those she liked and hated fiercely those she disliked. Perhaps it was this distinct personality that made her stand out.
She helped Concubine Shu up and said, "Don't be afraid. After this incident, the Empress Dowager probably won't cause us any more trouble. Rest assured, everything will soon come to light."
Her firm look gave the women around her a sense of security. Concubine Shu nodded heavily in response.
Dongfang Yi gave her some more instructions and then sent someone to escort her back to her palace.
When everything had settled down, Dongfang Yi felt extremely hungry. She realized that she hadn't eaten for a whole day and asked Donghua to arrange a meal.
On the other side, Helian Qi rushed to Lanfang Garden. His face was cold all the way, but when he saw Yaoji, he forced a smile.
Although he hated the woman before him to the core, the plan was not over yet, and he had to continue the act.
"Your Majesty, Yaoji heard that you saved the Queen from the Empress Dowager today," Yaoji said as soon as they met.
Helian Qi expected that others would be suspicious of his high - profile rescue of Dongfang Yi, but he had already thought of a countermeasure.
So he replied, "The Queen cannot be injured. Otherwise, how can we explain it to the Southern Neighboring Country?"
He sounded heartless, as if all he did was just to give an explanation to the Southern Neighboring Country.
Yaoji immediately smiled seductively, putting her hands on his shoulders. A faint fragrance wafted into his nose, followed by a soft touch.
It was said that the women from the Southern Neighboring Country were open - minded. Yaoji seemed to be a typical example.
But Helian Qi remained unmoved. Instead, he felt nauseous. Since he fell in love with Dongfang Yi, he would feel uncomfortable when any other woman got close to him.
Subconsciously, he pushed the woman snuggling in his arms away.
Yaoji immediately stared at him suspiciously.
"You are still a princess. Such behavior will stain your innocence. When everything is settled, I will make arrangements for you," he said.
Although Yaoji was suspicious, she thought that Dongsheng had always attached great importance to rules and traditions. So she had a bit of understanding for his actions.
Even though she was still a bit unwilling in her heart, she was always confident in her beauty and never doubted that men would be attracted to her. It was this arrogance that led her step by step into the abyss without realizing it.
Helian Qi comforted her a few more words and then left Lanfang Garden. As soon as he turned around, the smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a terrifying coldness.
The sky was getting dark. The moon was extremely charming tonight, with a few stars twinkling. It was a sign that tomorrow would be a sunny day.
Now the entire harem had fallen completely silent. Only the guards and palace servants were patrolling the palace roads.
The cold wind whistled, and the whole palace was shrouded in an extremely strange atmosphere. Beneath the calm surface, there was turmoil. Everyone in the palace had their own motives.
In the palace of Concubine Chu, she was sitting upright on the grand chair. Beside her was Concubine Lian, who had come secretly at night.
Concubine Lian was holding a small emerald - green bottle in her hand.
"Your Majesty, this is the love - inducing incense I newly developed. This time, there will surely be no mistakes," Concubine Lian said. Her bright eyes were filled with shrewd calculations.
After Concubine Chu summoned her to the palace that night, she had gone back and started making this incense. It was only completed today.
This time, she had tripled the dose of the ingredient in the incense. Now, as long as someone smelled it, they would fall into a state of passion.
But Concubine Chu was a bit skeptical. Since she had experienced a failure before, she had become more vigilant.
After thinking for a while, she called in a young maid. She poured the love - inducing incense out of the green porcelain bottle, diluted it with water, and held it under the maid's nose.
As soon as the maid smelled the fragrance, her eyes became blurred, and her breathing became rapid.
Concubine Chu quickly splashed a cup of tea on her. The maid came to her senses and immediately knelt on the ground to plead for forgiveness.
Concubine Chu waved her hand to signal the maid to leave. Then she looked at Concubine Lian with admiration and said, "Good. If I regain the Emperor's favor, you will surely be rewarded."
Hearing this, Concubine Lian got up to express her gratitude and then left Concubine Chu's palace.
Behind her, Concubine Chu stared intently at the bottle of love - inducing incense in her hand. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
It was as if she had already seen her plan succeed.
Helian Qi had helped her up that day, which meant that he still had feelings for her.
Although she heard today that he had rescued that little slut Dongfang Yi from the Empress Dowager in a high - profile way, the informant reported that it was just for the sake of giving an explanation to the Southern Neighboring Country.
So as long as she seized the opportunity and bewitched Helian Qi at this time, when Nangong Liuyun returned in triumph, she could carry out her plan more conveniently.
Wouldn't everything be under her control then? Thinking of this, she couldn't help but burst into wild laughter in her heart.