The pce maids around the emperor also worked in shifts. During the handover, the maids at the entrance of Chengqian Pce looked at Mu Qianqian in surprise: "You..."


    Mu Qianqian kept her gaze straight ahead, standing at the entrance, ignoring their stares.


    What was the matter?


    Was it just because she revealed a face strikingly simr to that of the Empress?


    Was it only fair for Jiang Xinyue to be as beautiful as a flower, while Mu Qianqian couldn''t be as stunning as a fish-drowning, goose-falling beauty?


    When Wang Dequan followed the emperor to the side hall, his eyes immediately fell upon the radiant Mu Qianqian.


    Like the others, she wore the attire of a pce maid, but her figure was more graceful than any other maid''s, especially her face, which bore such a striking resemnce to the Empress that it was impossible not to notice.


    The emperor''s steps faltered for a moment. Indeed, could she no longer restrain herself?


    He showed no particr expression, and Mu Qianqian couldn''t help but lower her head in disappointment. She and another maid pushed open the door to allow the emperor and Wang Dequan to enter.


    Wang Dequan''s cold and sharp eyes lingered on Mu Qianqian for a moment, making her feel as though her breath had been stolen.


    But she had to climb higher. She had to win the emperor''s heart. This was her destined path.


    As long as the Empress died while the emperor still loved her most, she would be his eternal white moonlight.


    And Mu Qianqian, as her substitute, could stay by the emperor''s side, slowly warming his wounded and lonely heart.


    What the Empress could achieve, she could achieve too.


    After all, didn''t they look so much alike?


    "Bang!"


    "Ah!"


    A young maid had just stepped out of the Internal Affairs Department when she collided with a fat, big-eared eunuch. The eunuch''s face twisted into a menacing expression, and he pped the maid to the ground: "Are you blind? How dare you bump into anyone? Next time, keep your eyes wide open, or you''ll face the consequences. Don''t think that just because you''re a maid from the Empress''s pce, you can act recklessly. There are plenty of ways to make you suffer."


    Before the young maid could even defend herself, the fat eunuch left with his entourage.


    "How unreasonable! He was the one who bumped into me, yet he med me for it."


    "Don''t say anymore. Avoid trouble. That''s Eunuch Hong from the Pce Eunuch Office, one of its managing eunuchs."


    Before the Empress became the emperor''s exclusive favorite, the Pce Eunuch Office had been a powerful entity in the pce, with everyone seeking to curry favor.


    But after the Empress rose to prominence, the Pce Eunuch Office became a mere decoration, no longer able to profit from bribes. Naturally, its members resented everyone from Kunning Pce.


    The young maid got up from the ground, arge wound on her lip, blood trickling down her chin.


    She took the handkerchief offered by a kind-hearted maid and wiped away her tears and blood: "It''s fine. He was wrong. I''m not just a maid from Kunning Pce; I''m also under the care of Shuang Jiang, the first-ss maid. For now, I don''t want to cause trouble for our mistress. But once she recovers, I''ll make sure he pays for this."


    Both the Empress and Xi Que had said that no one could bully anyone from Kunning Pce.


    Those who dared would pay a hundredfold for their actions.


    "Has the Empress woken up yet?"


    As soon as Xi Que returned from outside, her first task was to inquire outside Jiang Xinyue''s birthing chamber.


    Shuang Jiang shook her head: "Yan the Imperial Physician is still inside performing acupuncture. A few medical maids are assisting, but there''s no sign of her waking yet."


    Xi Que''s face was filled with anger: "What went wrong? We''ve been so vignt. How could someone still slip through unnoticed?"


    Her seemingly casual remark reminded Shuang Jiang of something. She thought carefully, her expression growing more serious: "No... Xi Que... Could it be someone from Consort Liang, Concubine Shu, Noble Consort Ye... or even Consort Shi?"


    Even the most meticulous ns could have ws. At that time, everyone''s attention had been focused on the birthing chamber. Those in charge had been stationed in various ces to handle emergencies.


    This meant that others might have had the opportunity to act from elsewhere.


    "Are you saying..."


    Both of them simultaneously thought of Nanny Xiang''s bowl of fish soup.


    "Where''s the bowl?"


    "It''s still in the kitchen!"


    "Hurry and bring it to Yan the Imperial Physician for examination. Don''t let the kitchen maid wash it."


    Nanny Xiang sat on a low stool, repeatedly recalling the events: "Xi Que, Shuang Jiang, I truly can''t remember. That day, I had the entire soup-making process supervised. The two maids were trusted members of our own team. They couldn''t have poisoned it!"


    "But Yan the Imperial Physician has already detected poison in the bowl of fish soup the Empress drank. Thankfully, the dosage was small. If it had beenrger, the Empress would have already bled to death."


    "p!"


    Nanny Xiang suddenly pped herself hard across the face: "It''s all my fault! My fault! I was too careless. If anything happens to the Empress, even if I offer my life inpensation, it wouldn''t be enough..."


    "p!"


    She pped herself again, this time even harder.


    Shuang Jiang quickly grabbed her hand: "Xi Que, now is not the time to me Nanny Xiang. The more critical the situation, the more we must unite to find the culprit. Nanny Xiang only wanted to help the Empress recover quickly by preparing the fish soup."


    Xi Que understood this well.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But herdy... reduced to this state because of a bowl of fish soup... she simply couldn''t bear it.


    Those heartless scoundrels, why couldn''t they leave her mistress alone? Why did they seize every opportunity to harm her?


    What had her mistress done wrong?


    Climbing higher...


    Everyone wanted to climb higher. Who wanted to be trampled underfoot and humiliated?


    But while pursuing fame and fortune, one must at least remain human. Being human requires a moral bottom line!


    Her mistress had worked tirelessly to reach her current position, but Xi Que could swear on her life that they had never actively harmed anyone.


    Because what her mistress did most was to capture the emperor''s heart.


    As long as the emperor''s heart belonged to her, anyone who tried to harm her would face dire consequences.


    Shuang Jiang knelt down, her gentle gazeforting Nanny Xiang: "Don''t panic. Think carefully. There must be something you''ve overlooked."


    Nanny Xiang wiped her tears, her breathing gradually calming.


    She had already recalled the events countless times: "Yesterday..."


    Yanxi Pce—


    A plump eunuch walked out, weighing a money pouch in his hand. Feeling its satisfying weight, he smiled with satisfaction.


    Beside him was a tall, thin young eunuch: "Godfather, that''s someone from the Empress''s pce. Aren''t we..."


    Eunuch Hong snorted coldly: "What''s there to fear? The Empress has been in aa since giving birth to the Seventh Prince and Third Princess yesterday. With her life hanging by a thread, she has no time to worry about the affairs of us lowly servants. Don''t overthink it."


    "Ah? How does Godfather know?"


    The pce was still immersed in the joy and shock of the Empress giving birth to twins. Apart from a few high-ranking consorts, no one knew what had happened in Kunning Pce.