Yun Fenghuang asked, “What did she say to His Majesty? How did His Majesty care about her?”

Chen Zhu smiled obsequiously, “After His Majesty went in, he enjoined all the servants to leave, and enjoined Mr. Yan Yin to lead other servants to stay outside. The servants we arranged there did not dare to be very close to them, so they could only go around to the back and pretend to work. They only heard a few unimportant words, which were probably about the life of Cai Nv Yi before she joined the Imperial Harem, whether she missed her families, how was her family composed of and the like… Cai Nv Yi was nervous at first, but later she was much more relaxed.”

The implied meaning was that Emperor Chunjia was considerate as usual. When Yun Fenghuang slept with him for the first time, the Emperor behaved similarly, didn’t he?

He first found a topic which the concubine could talk with him to chat for a while. After that, when the concubine was not nervous, afraid, or embarrassed, he would undress and sleep with her… Yun Fenghuang smiled and said, “Since this is the case, you don’t need to watch them anymore. Go to sleep then.”

Seeing that she didn’t express any dissatisfaction, Chen Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, and then paid respect before he left.

After he left, Xi Jing and Xi Le came to serve Yun Fenghuang. Xi Jing said, “My lady, you don’t need to stay so late just for this matter. The maids will definitely report to you tomorrow morning.”

Before Xi Jing finished her words, Xi Le touched her arm quietly. She was stunned for a moment, and then remembered that Yun Fenghuang had just had dinner. According to Yun Fenghuang’s custom, she always immediately returned to the inner room to sleep when the Emperor did not come. At most, she would light up beside her bed to read for a while.

However, she enjoined others to leave, and stayed alone for a while before calling them back. She was even well-dressed, and enjoined them to immediately report the news about Cai Nv Yi to her as soon as it was sent back. Chen Zhu had originally planned to let their trusted follower in Cai Nv Yi’s hall report to him just before Cai Nv Yi came to pay respect to Yun Fenghuang tomorrow morning. However, after Yun Fenghuang said this, he had to enjoin someone to secretly ask.

Could it be that the master actually loved the Emperor, so she was jealous now?

Otherwise, why didn’t she go to sleep until now?

Xi Jing thought about it. She thought that if her guess was right, she should tell the Empress if there was any chance.

Although she didn’t think that Yun Fenghuang was that kind of woman who could do everything for her sweetheart, the Empress now valued this new Jie Yu very much. She had to be cautious about any possible betrayal.

All Xi Jing’s families were controlled by the Empress, so she didn’t dare to slack off.

“Xi Le, you keep watch tonight.” Yun Fenghuang said at this time, “Xi Jing, you can go to rest.”

When Xi Jing was about to subconsciously fight for this chance, Yun Fenghuang said again, “Xi Jing and Liu Hong follow me to pay respect tomorrow.”

This was what Xi Jing wanted, so she immediately said yes.

“You have heard what did Noble Consort Gui say just now behind the screen, right?” When Xi Jing went out, Xi Le put down the bed curtain, but she did not leave. Instead, she kneeled down slowly holding the edge of the bed.

Yun Fenghuang leaned on the bed with one hand holding her cheek. The wide sleeves of her underclothes slipped down, revealing a part of snow-white arm, which looked bright in the dim candlelight and made her face more exquisite with a kind of almost coquettish beauty. She just looked at Xi Le very calmly, and chuckled after a while, “What do you think of her words? Just speak it out.”

“… My lady, I am willing to die for you!” Xi Le slammed her head on the pedal, making a muffled sound, which almost attracted the outside watchmen to ask. Therefore, she didn’t dare to slam too hard, but continued to kowtow. She said quickly with a low sound, “My lady, please forgive me and give me a chance!”

Yun Fenghuang chuckled, “Why do you panic? You are enjoined by me to hide behind the screen. How could I blame you?”

Even if Yun Fenghuang didn’t blame her, she might kill her. Xi Le knew the truth very well, so she didn’t dare to answer, but just desperately begged Yun Fenghuang to give her a chance.

“How should I give you the chance?” Yun Fenghuang sighed and said, “You are the follower of Shizi. Since you have helped Shizi to do so many things, will you be afraid? If so, I am really surprised… Or you thought that no matter what happened, you still should try hard to pass the news to Shizi?”

“My lady, you misunderstand me.” Xi Le stopped kowtowing and said hardly, “When I joined the Imperial Harem, it was a rule to take one experienced maid as the master to learn the skill of serving a noble concubine. My master was the subordinate of Dou’s Family and she had served for the Imperial City Division for a long time. Therefore, she had planned to cultivate me as the servant of Shizi.”

In order to get the attention of her master and not to be bullied by other maids with backers at that time, Xi Le had to fawn on the Imperial City Division all the time.

As a result, all her families were controlled by the Imperial City Division as hostages, and then she began to participate in the confidential matters.

Hearing this, Yun Fenghuang nodded slightly. Her guess was right. How could Xi Le, who directly arranged Shizi of Prince Regent and a concubine to date in the Imperial Harem, obey the Imperial City Division without any reason?

“However, all your families are controlled by the Imperial City Division, so how can you be devoted your life to me?” Yun Fenghuang laughed at Xi Le, “All people in the Imperial Harem say that I am restless and insincere. It seems that you do better than me!”

Xi Le gripped the edge of the bed tightly. Because of the excessive force, the blue veins on the back of her hands bulged. She was very nervous at the moment, so there was a slight gasp in her voice, “My lady, there are five children in my family and I rank the third. When I was a child, my parents didn’t love me. Since I was not lively, my sisters and brothers didn’t like me either. Later, when I was 9 years old, my parents sold me to the Imperial Harem to be a servant just for sending my brother to school. They also asked me to submit my monthly allowance… My lady, do you think that I should consider their lives?”

“But you submitted yourself to Shizi just because of their lives.” Yun Fenghuang said slightly, “The bloodline is the most difficult thing to give up. In this world, one person can change his wife or her husband, make other friends, and give birth to another child… but the biological parents can’t be changed. It’s impossible for you to not consider their lives even if you said so.”

“My lady, I can do it!” Xi Le was silent for a while, then immediately raised her head, stared at Yun Fenghuang’s eyes, and said confirmedly, “I hadn’t wanted to care their lives very early! But I have no choice!!!”

She took a deep breath and complained, “My lady, I was only nine when I entered the Imperial Harem. Without my master, I am not able to live until now at all. Besides, I was arranged to serve in Yan Fu Palace and come to serve you now! I went into the Imperial City Division with the help of my master. She was always good to me except that she repeatedly mentioned that I should be loyal to Shizi… My master knew about my family condition, but she said that the families were families, and even if they treated me badly, I couldn’t completely ignore their lives. My lady, could I oppose her? If I did, she must doubt my moral quality.”

“Later, my master passed away for some reason, and I didn’t have chance to pay back for her kindness. Thinking of her words before her death, I continued to support my family…”

“Then you tell this to me now? Aren’t you afraid that I will doubt your moral quality?” Yun Fenghuang asked, “Besides, you will run into danger when you follow the Imperial City Division, but your end may be even more miserable when something bad really happens if you follow me.”

“… My lady, you are not a vulgarian.” Xi Le pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “Other people may think I am not a good person if I complain about my families or don’t give them benefits anymore, but I think you won’t think like those people.”

She raised her head slightly, “My lady, I had no other choice but to follow the Imperial City Division before and support my family all the time… In this case, I am not reconciled to die like this if I encounter danger! I was only raised by them for eight years, but why do I have to raise them for so many years and even die for them?! I have long owed nothing to my family and have no obligation to pay them anymore!”

“But my lady, if I follow you now…”

Xi Le took a deep breath and said, “No matter what I will experience in the future, I make the choice by myself. No mater I will be rich or dangerous, I will accept the results without regret!”

She raised her hand, “My lady, I know that you don’t care about swearing, but I believe it. I dare to swear that if I lie to you, I will die desolately! My corpse will have no place to be buried! Besides, after my death, my spirit will do everything for you to pay for my sins forever!”

Yun Fenghuang squinted at her, and suddenly asked for a while, “How did your master… die?”

“My master originally served Her Highness.” Xi Le smiled bitterly, “Noble Consort Shu had a miscarriage that year, right? After the case was investigated thoroughly for a long time, Zhao Yuan Ji, who was Pin Ji at that time, was suspected. But how could Empress Dowager, Queen Mother of Honor and Her Highness allow Pin Ji to commit such a crime? Then the servants of Pin Ji became the scapegoats. Noble Consort Shu’s grade was so high, so how could insignificant maids be the scapegoats? A senior sister was one of the trusted attendants who were hit to death… Therefore, she died for Pin Ji.”

“No wonder you seemed to know more about the matter of Noble Consort Shu’s miscarriage when you talked to me about it before.” Yun Fenghuang nodded slightly, “I thought the Imperial City Division was well-informed, but I didn’t expect that it has a deep relation with you… What happened later?”

Xi Le said, “Later… I don’t know very well. Anyway, my master fell ill not long after my senior sister died. In case she caused Her Highness to be sick, she was quickly moved out. I planned to see her when I had a day off, but before that day came, some of my master’s relics were sent to me. She was dead.”

Well, it was no wonder that this maid said before that Pin Ji might be wronged, and might be the scapegoat of others…

The fact might be that the Empress did such a thing, made her cousin be the scapegoat, and then killed the servants who did the thing for her.

And Xi Le was probably too young to have the qualification to participate in it. Not only did she survive by chance, but also made the Empress regard her as a trusted attendant.

Yun Fenghuang shook her head and didn’t continue to ask. She just said, “You don’t have to panic like this. Since I allowed you to hide behind the screen to listen, I have no intention to deceive you.”

She had already said these words once, but Xi Le didn’t believe her. At this moment, she said them again, but of course, Xi Le still didn’t believe her. Xi Le had been slightly relaxed before, but her face became pale again. When she was about to say something again, Yun Fenghuang waved her hand to stop her, “After all, what the Imperial City Division and Her Highness can threaten you are just your families. But you heard the conversation just now. Although Noble Consort Gui’s grade is higher than me, she doesn’t care to do something for me now that she wants me to do something for her… Think about it. Since the Imperial City Division and Her Highness can kill all your families, with General-in-chief of the Cavalry’s power, isn’t Zheng’s Family able to do the same thing? Similarly, since the Imperial City Division and Her Highness are able to kill you, I also have many means to kill you and your families!”

“The most important thing is…”

Yun Fenghuang smiled, “Do you think you and your families are important enough to let the Imperial City Division and Her Highness protect you for a lifetime?”

Ignoring Xi Le’s trembling look, she said indifferently, “Therefore, am I necessary to kill you?”

Only if this maid cared a little about the lives of her and her families, she should know what to say and what not to say, right?

“… My lady.” Xi Le opened her mouth and was at a loss for a while.

A pair of soft hands which were as white as snow stretched out and gently pinched the maid’s chin. Yun Fenghuang’s eyes drooped slightly, and her long eyelashes like feather made a thick shadow under the candlelight filtered by the bed curtain. The emotions in her eyes couldn’t be seen clearly, and the bit of light which was bright in the deep dark seemed extraordinarily horrible. Xi Le’s body trembled with fear.

For a moment, Yun Fenghuang smiled slightly, let go of Xi Le’s chin, squeezed her cheeks, and said softly, “What are you afraid of? You are attentive in your service, and you are more flexible than Xi Jing… I am very fond of the maids like you. Unless there is no other choice, I won’t kill you. Understand?”

Xi Le froze for a moment, holding a posture to hold her breath, and didn’t dare to take any action. She didn’t dare to believe that she… passed the ordeal?

When Xi Le was still in a trance and did not know whether it was a dream, Yun Fenghuang had withdrawn her hands, covered her mouth, yawned, and immediately commanded, “Go to sleep. I am also sleepy. I have to get up early tomorrow!”

After speaking, she lowered her arms, turned over, pulled the quilt, turned her back to the maid who had not yet recovered, and lazily commanded with a sleepy voice, “Put the bed curtain well. Don’t give the mosquitoes a chance to fly in.”

“… Yes!” Xi Le responded subconsciously, and then subconsciously went out quietly. At last, she subconsciously lay on the bed used for accompanying Yun Fenghuang all night. Being stunned for a moment, she felt a huge and endless surprise of surviving from the helplessness!

Immediately, out of her understanding of Yun Fenghuang, a horrifying thought came up. Jie Yu allowed her to hide behind the screen alone to listen to the confidential conversation between the two hostesses. Was it really because Jie Yu wanted to keep safe, and there was no other person more trustworthy?

Or……

Yun Fenghuang deliberately took advantage of this thing to force her to make a choose between Gongxiang Xiao and Yun Fenghuang…?!

Xi Le thought about it. Then, her pupils gradually widened, and she was in a cold sweat on the forehead. After a while, she sighed helplessly and looked at the top of the bed curtain with a wry smile in the corner of her mouth, “Since this was the case, the truth was not important now, wasn’t it?”

At least, she survived.