Chapter 173

Chapter 8.17 – Goddess of the Harem

Shangfu Bureau.

When Yan Yunuo was busy with the work she had on hand, she saw Xu Bingyue stealthily returning from through the back door, still wearing an inner servant’s uniform.

“Bingyue, why did you go?”

Yan Yunuo quickly walked to Xu Bingyue, took her hand and dragged her to a corner, and whispered, “Where on earth have you been? Liao Siyi was still looking for you earlier!”

“What?”

Hearing Yan Yunuo’s words, Xu Bingyue’s face changed: “Sister Yunuo, what should I do? Quickly, save me.”

“Now you know to worry? I’ll help you deal with it. Now, explain what you’re doing dressed like this? Do you not want to live anymore?”

Yan Yunuo looked at Xu Bingyue worriedly. She didn’t care about working in her place, but she was worried about the safety of this sister. After Su Wan’s accident, Yan Yunuo didn’t want anything to happen to the people around her again.

“I……”

Xu Bingyue’s gaze flashed: “I went out to meet a friend. He is in the front palace, so I can only change into the inner servant’s uniform and get in.”

“You – this girl – is so courageous!”

Yan Yunuo shook her head and sighed, then raised her hand and gently patted Xu Bingyue’s shoulder: “Fine, quickly change your clothes before anyone sees!”

“Yes, I got it!”

Xu Bingyue hurried back to her room. When she was changing her clothes, she saw the token that Chen Shengbei gave to her. Her eyes softened and she carefully held the token in the palm of her hand. She felt that the token still seemed to hold Chen Shengbei’s warmth, and Xu Bingyue couldn’t stop herself from blushing…

Three days later.

When Xu Bingyue came to the north guard camp again, Chen Shengbei had already been waiting for a long time.

“Sister Bingyue, this is my reply to Xiao Wan, and also this.”

Chen Shengbei put a small bag of broken silver on Xu Bingyue’s palm: “These are for your hard work.”

Seeing the silver handed over by Chen Shengbei, Xu Bingyue’s pretty face became cold: “Did Brother Chen treat me as an outsider? I’m Sister’s Su Wan’s good little sister, how can I take Brother Chen’s silver? What kind of person do you think I am?”

“This……”

Seeing Xu Bingyue getting angry, a look of embarrassment also flashed past Chen Shengbei’s handsome face. He has never believed that there will be any true sisterhood in the back palace, but now it seems that the relationship between Xu Bingyue and Su Wan was really good.

Chen Shengbei remembered Su Wan telling him in her reply that she had a few particularly good sisters in the back palace and that Xu Bingyue was one of them.

“Don’t be angry, I was rude. I apologize.”

Chen Shengbei looked at Xu Bingyue apologetically. Seeing that he took the initiative to apologize to her, Xu Bingyue smiled and blinked her pretty eyes: “Forget it, I will forgive you this time! But just this once, okay! ~”

If any other man was in his place, the crisp voice trailing off coquettishly would have already evoked some feelings in them, but unfortunately Chen Shengbei was born slow in the feelings department, so at this time, he did not notice Xu Bingyue’s special intentions towards him……

After coming out of the guard barracks, Xu Bingyue hummed a little song along the way. It seemed to her that Brother Chen was a little closer to her today. She didn’t believe that with her methods, she would lose to Su Wan, who was more dead than alive in the Xinzheku.

The two people can communicate now but can’t see each other. When Su Wan can’t endure anymore in the Xinzheku someday, she can take the opportunity to comfort Big Brother Chen, and what comes after will be as natural as flowing water.

With a happy mood, Xu Bingyue cheerfully returned to the Shangfu Bureau from the back door again. This time she was not seen by anyone. After she returned to her room and changed her clothes, Xu Bingyue carefully took Chen Shengbei’s letter and put it under her pillow. She didn’t have to rush to deliver the letter. It’s fine to let Su Wan wait a few more days, hmph hmph.

After tidying herself up using the reflection from the bronze mirror, Xu Bingyue slowly walked out of the side room where she lived in a water-blue palace dress. The moment she stepped out, she saw Yan Yunuo’s brilliant smile that almost seemed to shine.

“Sister Yunuo, what happened? Why are you so happy?”

Xu Bingyue looked at Yan Yunuo’s smiling face with curiosity on her face, while silently cursing her in her heart. Did Liao Siyi promote Yan Yunuo?

That Liao Siyi really became more muddle-headed as he got older, his mind was dysfunctional. Yan Yunuo is hardworking, but she was really stupid. Such a person cannot survive for long in the back palace.

“Bingyue, Bingyue, look who’s back?”

At this time, Yan Yunuo couldn’t detect the abnormality in Xu Bingyue’s eyes. She just grabbed Xu Bingyue’s hand with excitement and pointed at the courtyard gate.

That is……

Seeing that familiar figure slowly walking through the door, Xu Bingyue’s expression – that had been concealed so well – finally turned cold for a split of a second, but soon changed into a simple and innocent smile: “Sister Xiaowan, you are back?”

That’s right, Su Wan is back!

Seeing Xu Bingyue forcing a smiling face in front of her, Su Wan just smiled faintly: “Yes, don’t you feel surprised?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Xu Bingyue’s smile was a little reluctant: “Sister Xiaowan, how did you come out of Xinzheku so soon?”

Xu Bingyue remembered that Su Wan was assigned to Xinzheku for one month! It hasn’t even been that long, so how could she come out so quickly? This was simply inconceivable!

“This is thanks to Sister Yuqing, no, she should be called Beauty Yan.”

Su Wan spoke carefully. Hearing her words, Yan Yunuo and Xu Bingyue were both taken aback —

They didn’t know about Yan Yuqing being awarded the title of ‘Beauty’ by His Majesty. They, in the Shangfu Bureau, didn’t know at all.

In fact, this incident just happened yesterday and not many people in the back palace knew about it. Of course, this was the time period that Su Rui and Su Wan had picked. The two of them had already seen through Yan Yuqing and Xu Bingyue’s character.

Once Yan Yuqing was promoted, she would definitely find a reliable and loyal person like in the original plot. In the original world, she chose Su Wan and this time she would still choose Su Wan.

Yan Yuqing knew that Su Wan was more thoughtful and quick-witted than Yan Yunuo. The most important thing was that she saw Su Wan being punished for Yan Yunuo. She also felt that Su Wan was a person who placed importance on sentiment and righteousness. Yan Yuqing then pleaded for Su Wan before the Emperor. This way, Su Wan would feel indebted to her her whole life and would do anything for her……

At this time, Jinfangzhai.

Yan Yuqing was bathing under the services of two maids, lying languidly in the bathtub. Yan Yuqing looked at her white and crystal clear skin and her mind was blank for a moment. She remembered that His Majesty was very enthusiastic last night, so why were there no marks left on her body?

Had it not been for the feelings of weakness this morning and that smear of bright red on the dragon bed, Yan Yuqing would really have thought that everything that happened last night was a dream.

Ahem, in fact, she did have a spring dream.

How could Su Rui touch her?

It was great being an Emperor. Was there anything the imperial city lacked? There were many special medicines in the imperial hospital that the Emperor could use to bestow favor on a concubine. Among them, there was a fragrance from the western regions that would give people hallucinations……

So last night, in fact, it was Yan Yuqin who was “happy” all night alone. Su Rui and Su Wan were discussing the next step in the study together until the middle of the night. In the end, the two directly hugged and fell asleep in the warm room.

As for the bloodstains on the dragon bed, that was specially prepared by Steward Wang. As the extremely competent all-rounder steward of the inner palace, Uncle Wang will always be great……

The back palace was a place where there were no secrets and where secrets could not be hidden forever.

It was just midday when the news of how the Emperor bestowed favor onto a palace maid, instead of Liu Giuren, had spread to every corner of the back palace. He had gone to the Cultural Affairs Bureau and had given the title of ‘Beauty’ to the little palace maid.

At this time, there were people watching the excitement, there were also others who took pleasure in another’s misfortune, and there were even people who felt sympathy, and of course, the most anxious and flustered was Liu Guiren, she didn’t expect that she would be made a fool by Yan Yuqing —

Did that damned girl really think she could always be favored because of her youth and beauty?

How dare you have the audacity to step on me to get promoted! One day, I will drag you from the heavens and throw you into hell and let you know the fate of a traitor…..