How strange!

How could a palace concubine know the secrets of the Linwu Marquis' household?

Yuwen Lan looked at Yanshu in astonishment.

He was so shocked that he forgot to restrain himself, making his gaze too direct and lingering for too long.

It made Yanshu uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but wonder, why is this person staring at her?

Of course, the reason for his staring was known only to Yuwen Lan himself, and no one else.

However, everyone in the hall had noticed.

The Empress Dowager suddenly said to Yanshu, "You've been out for a while now. Go back and rest early. I have a few words to say to His Majesty."

Yanshu felt as if she had been granted amnesty. She hurriedly bowed to the two of them, "This concubine takes her leave."

After speaking, she left the hall with her head bowed, as docile as the small flowers and grass in the courtyard's garden.

But Yuwen Lan knew she was no small flower or blade of grass.

Only after watching her leave the hall and the cotton curtains close again did he barely manage to withdraw his gaze, his mind still in shock.

What was the deal with this woman?

"As the saying goes, even a wise judge finds it hard to settle family disputes," the Empress Dowager began, "Your Majesty need not worry too much about the affairs of the Linwu Marquis' household. If those two truly cannot get along, let them divorce."

Yuwen Lan came back to his senses, "Mother is right, that was my intention as well."

The Empress Dowager smiled, "It's getting late. Would Your Majesty like to stay for dinner?"

Yuwen Lan quickly said it wasn't necessary, "There are still a few memorials in the imperial study. I won't disturb Mother any further."

With that, he rose and left the hall.

The hall fell silent. The Empress Dowager moved to the west window, with her lady-in-waiting Zhu Shu following to attend to her. Zhu Shu said, "His Majesty seems to have a different attitude towards Consort Li..."

The Empress Dowager smiled, "His Majesty is at the right age to have an heir."

Zhu Shu agreed and dared not say more.

However, she heard the Empress Dowager add, "Keep your mouths shut. Don't gossip about the affairs of my palace outside."

Everyone in the hall quickly agreed.

Returning from the Palace of Benevolent Peace, it had been just over an hour, and the sky was already pitch black.

After hastily approving a few memorials, Yuwen Lan had no appetite for dinner. As the night deepened, he lay on his large dragon bed without a hint of sleepiness.

He had been thinking for half an afternoon and an entire evening, yet he still couldn't make sense of it.

—Since she was indeed Li Yanshu herself, and there was nothing unusual about the Li family background, how did she know so many things that ordinary people didn't?

It's worth noting that she had been in the palace for three years and had never left. How could she know the secrets of officials' families that even he, the emperor, didn't know?

Could it be... that there was some secret in the Yongning Palace?

From childhood to adulthood, Yuwen Lan had seen all kinds of storms and strange occurrences, but this one thing he just couldn't figure out. It caused him to toss and turn, unable to fall asleep.

As time ticked by, the palace had fallen into complete silence.

He decided to get up, put on his clothes, and leave Qianming Palace.

Before long, Yuwen Lan had arrived at Yongning Palace.

Standing on the roof of the hall, he gently lifted a glazed tile and peeked down, just in time to see that woman sitting in front of a mirror talking to her maid—

Rendong was still excited, "His Majesty spoke so much with you today, more than with any other mistress in the palace. He must have taken a liking to you!"

Yuwen Lan had seen plenty of such wishful thinking and remained unmoved.

Yanshu, however, sighed, "You don't understand. He won't take a liking to me."

Rendong thought she was just being modest and smiled, "You're so beautiful, and His Majesty is in his prime. Why wouldn't he like you? Isn't there a saying, 'A beautiful woman can make a man do anything'?"

Yanshu didn't say anything, but sighed inwardly.

[...That gentleman in his prime isn't a normal man. No matter how beautiful she is, it won't make a difference!]

The certain someone on the roof twitched his brow, trying hard to calm himself down.

However, if this woman didn't even tell her close maid, did it mean that this secret was known only to her?

In the hall, Yanshu sighed again, "Not only will His Majesty not like me, it might even bring trouble."

Goodness, the harem was full of hungry wolves, each with eyes glowing green with hunger. If they knew the emperor had spoken a few words with her, a mere beauty, wouldn't they rush over to devour her immediately?

They wouldn't even spit out the bones!!!

Rendong disagreed, "Anyway, it was the Empress Dowager who called you today. It's not like you deliberately sought attention."

Yanshu rolled her eyes at her through the mirror, "Do you think they care whether I sought attention or not?"

That was true.

Rendong had nothing more to say, so she changed the subject, "Why did the Empress Dowager suddenly ask you to leave?"

Yanshu said, "Perhaps she doesn't want His Majesty talking to any woman other than her niece?"

Rendong continued, "Then why did the Empress Dowager call you in the first place? Really..."

Yanshu also frowned, "Exactly."

First, the Empress Dowager summoned her out of the blue, then the emperor suddenly appeared...

What game were this mother and son playing?

Unable to figure it out, she decided to summon the system first, [System, if anyone is going to harm me again, you must tell me in advance.]

System, [No problem.]

Yanshu pondered in her mind that living in constant fear of retaliation was not a long-term solution. She should start planning early.

Was there still hope of leaving the palace and becoming an ordinary person?

The certain someone on the roof raised an eyebrow. Thinking of running away?

Just then, several palace maids were seen carrying a bathtub into the room, followed by buckets of hot water being poured in. Instantly, hot mist filled the air.

—Yongning Palace was small and unlike larger palaces, it didn't have underfloor heating. Only this main room was somewhat warm, so Yanshu had to bathe like this in winter.

Her hair had already been undone earlier, and taking advantage of the steam, she quickly began to undress.

Yuwen Lan didn't avert his gaze.

Although there was some steam in the room, it didn't obstruct the view.

In his line of sight, the young woman removed her jacket, silk skirt, and undergarments one by one, revealing her exquisite true form.

Soft white snow covered miles of rivers and mountains, with a touch of red plum at the peak of the mountains, a feast for the eyes.

Who would have thought that someone who ate so much every day would have such a slender waist? It seemed as if his hand could encircle it in one grasp.

...

Since losing that ability, he had deliberately avoided women, and this was the first time he had seen such a sight.

He had to admit, it was indeed captivating.

Of course, he didn't get to look for long, as the young woman dove into the water like a fish.

She muttered softly, "So cold, so cold!"

Yuwen Lan raised an eyebrow. He didn't feel cold in the chilly wind, how cold could she be in hot water?

Yanshu was truly a bit cold.

Besides the fact that it was indeed cold today, she also felt a constant chill seeping into the room.

She muttered to herself, "Why does it feel like there's a draft somewhere?" As she spoke, she began to look around.

Just as she was about to look up at the ceiling, Yuwen Lan quickly dodged.

It was just a small gap, and she couldn't have discovered anything. But for some reason, he suddenly felt guilty, like a thief.

Not long after, he leapt down and left.

Soon after, Yanshu quickly finished her bath and came out, dried herself off, put on her nightclothes, and swiftly burrowed into her blankets.

Rendong instructed the palace maids to come in and remove the water and bathtub. She heard Yanshu ask from under the covers, "Why do I feel so chilly? Tomorrow, have someone check if there's a draft somewhere."

Rendong agreed, "I'll have Xiao Dongzi check in the morning. You should sleep now."

She tucked two hot water bottles into the blankets and closed the bed curtains.

Fresh from her bath, Yanshu felt most comfortable and fell asleep hugging the warm water bottles.

Yuwen Lan returned to his bedchamber when the night was half over.

He had early court tomorrow; if he didn't sleep now, he might as well not sleep at all.

However, when he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with the scenes he had just witnessed.

It made him toss and turn, even more unable to fall asleep.

Yanshu slept soundly through the night and woke up the next day. Rendong had already called Xiao Dongzi to climb onto the roof to check.

However, after a thorough inspection, they found nothing unusual.

Rendong laughed at her, "My lady, you're living in the imperial palace, not a thatched cottage. How could there be a draft?"

Yanshu had nothing to say, but she still felt something was off. Last night while bathing, she definitely felt a cold air circulating in the room.

The system chimed in, [Someone was peeping at you last night.]

Yanshu was stunned, [What? Someone was peeping at me???]

System, [That's absolutely correct.]

Yanshu was full of questions, [Why didn't you tell me earlier?]

System, [You didn't ask me last night.]

Yanshu felt like spitting blood, [You don't speak unless I ask? Didn't we agree that you'd warn me in advance of any danger?!!]

System, [There was no danger, thank you.]

Yanshu, [??? Being peeped at isn't dangerous?]

System: [It's just a peek, no harm done. That's all for now, this system is taking a break today.]

Yanshu: [??? Hey, since when do you get breaks???]

However, no matter how much she raged, the system remained silent.

Yanshu coughed up some blood, and had no choice but to ponder on her own—

The system said there was no danger, could it be that the one peeking at her was a eunuch?

Ugh... that's still disgusting!

But without evidence, everything was just speculation, and it wasn't good to make a fuss.

After much thought, she could only be more vigilant herself.

The busy day passed quickly, and night fell once again.

In the deep of night, Yuwen Lan once more left his sleeping chambers.

With the mystery unsolved, he certainly wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so he might as well come investigate again.

However, today that girl seemed to have gotten smarter, sending young eunuchs to patrol the courtyard.

He couldn't get on the roof again, so he slipped into the hall when no one was looking.

At this time, Yanshu was lying in wait behind the bed curtains.

She had thought about it all day and decided to catch the thief herself tonight.

So she went to bed early but didn't dare close her eyes, focusing all her energy on listening for any movement.

Just as she was about to doze off, her eyelids fighting to stay open, she suddenly heard faint footsteps outside the curtain.

She jolted awake, immediately grabbing a wooden stick and getting out of bed.

Quietly hiding by the door, she waited for the footsteps to come close, then raised the stick to strike.

But before she could succeed, her arm was swiftly caught.

She was startled and about to scream, but as soon as she opened her mouth, it was covered.

The other person seemed to be tall and strong, one hand gripping her arm, the other covering her mouth, leaving her helpless.

But Yanshu refused to submit. She twisted her body vigorously, trying to break free.

Her soft body, fragrant with a warm scent, fluttered like a fish in his arms. Yuwen Lan instinctively tightened his grip, while his mind inappropriately recalled the scene he had witnessed the night before.

Lost in thought, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his palm. He quickly snapped back to reality, only to find that the girl was actually biting him.