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After practicing for about an hour, she was drenched in sweat. For the past six months, she had been training day and night. Although her skills had somewhat recovered, they were still far from what they had been in her previous life. She could not afford to waste any time on training. Unfortunately, the Palace was not a suitable place for practicing. However, she only had three years; if she wanted to achieve her plans, she needed to make an early move!
Thus, she could only practice a little whenever possible.
Calculating that it was almost time for Mu Fengyan to finish the morning court session, she tidied herself up, hurriedly took a shower, and went to Qinghua Palace.
Just as she arrived, not long after, a Palace Maid rushed over to summon her, saying that Mu Fengyan had finished the morning court and was currently in the Imperial Study discussing matters with the officials, ordering her to attend.
Yin Luo did not dare to delay and quickly followed the Palace Maid.
The atmosphere in the Imperial Study was much more serious compared to the sleeping quarters, especially during such discussions.
Li An De saw her arrive and quickly beckoned her over, saying, "The tea is ready. Hurry and bring it in. Remember, do not linger inside; after delivering the tea, come out quickly!"
Yin Luo acknowledged and took the tea brought by a nearby Palace Maid, then walked briskly inside.
Some officials were speaking. Yin Luo kept her gaze straight ahead and directly served the tea to Mu Fengyan at the head of the table.
Upon seeing her enter, Mu Fengyan glanced at her but did not pause; instead, he turned his attention back to the speaker without revealing any signs of distraction.
Yin Luo felt relieved and took the second cup of tea to serve the person sitting at the front of the officials—Mu Changqing.
He was still dressed in black attire with a black Ghost Mask.
When Yin Luo brought him tea, he clearly did not focus on her at all; he didn’t even look at her once. It wasn’t until she had served tea to everyone and exited the Imperial Study that she considered her task successfully completed while concealing her identity.
Li An De saw that she had not made a mistake and breathed a sigh of relief, allowing Yin Luo to stand by her side. He quietly said to her, "The Emperor wants you to serve him during his meal shortly."
Yin Luo nodded and said, "Thank you, Li Gonggong, for relaying the message!"
Li An De responded and looked her up and down, saying, "Jinghao, I can tell that the Emperor likes you very much. In the future, be careful to serve him well; this is a good position. The Emperor is generally friendly towards people, especially those close to him, so you will surely benefit from it."
"I dare not presume. Serving the Emperor is my duty; I will focus solely on doing my job well and seek nothing else."
Upon hearing this, Li An De nodded in appreciation and said, "You are quite perceptive."
He examined Yin Luo again, stopping at her face. "Moreover, your appearance is ordinary; you would definitely not be recognized in a crowd. You are steady in your work and have potential... Here’s the deal: I will go to the Internal Affairs Bureau later and put in a good word for you. From now on, you will be the Emperor's personal maid and the head Palace Maid of Qinghua Palace. You must do well and not let me down for the effort I have put into this."
"Thank you, Li Gonggong, for your promotion. Jinghao will remember this!" Yin Luo hurriedly bowed in gratitude. Li An De waved his hand and pointed towards the voices inside the hall, saying, "As a servant, you must not only manage your own mouth but also your ears. What you should hear, keep in mind; what you should not hear, let it scatter with the wind. Do you understand?"
Yin Luo quickly replied, "Yes, I will remember!"
Seeing her obedient demeanor, Li An De nodded and said no more.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, there was some movement inside. Li An De hurriedly went to open the door, and then a group of ministers streamed out.
Mu Changqing was the last to leave; he walked steadily with deep-set eyes, looking straight ahead without glancing aside. Yin Luo watched his back for a moment before retracting her gaze and greeting Mu Fengyan, who had just come out.
As Mu Fengyan’s gaze swept past Mu Changqing, he suddenly stretched lazily, placing his hands on his hips to loosen his waist muscles. He turned to Li An De and said, "This morning has worn me out. Li An De, come with me to the Imperial Garden for a stroll and some fresh air."
Li An De responded promptly and hurried to follow. Mu Fengyan then turned back slightly and pointed at Yin Luo and another Palace Maid, saying, "You two come along as well."
The two responded, and only then did he swagger ahead, seemingly truly tired, as he stretched his shins along the way.
The Imperial Garden was particularly large, and Mu Fengyan chose a spot with the best view, Duxiu Palace.
A solitary beauty, overlooking the Harem.
It was a tall palace with lofty pavilions. Mu Fengyan found an excuse to send away the Palace Maid and Li An De, taking Yin Luo up to the highest level. Pointing at the densely packed palaces below, he said, "Look, from this angle you can see the entire Palace. When I had free time in the past, I would come here. Speaking of which, this Palace is mine, but the place where I can give orders has never been here."
Yin Luo stood at the edge, gazing at the endless palaces, and smiled as she said, "Yes, when one day the Emperor stands here, looking down at all the palaces, thinking about the country and its people, that is when he truly controls everything and becomes a real emperor!"
Mu Fengyan fell silent, gazing far at the continuous palaces with a determined light flashing in his eyes.
Li An De returned shortly after and brought another piece of news: he had encountered Consort Jin on the way, so now Consort Jin was waiting below Duxiu Palace.
Upon hearing this, Mu Fengyan glanced back at Yin Luo and turned to say, "Then I shall go down to take a look."
He stepped down, with Li An De and Yin Luo naturally following.
When Consort Jin saw Mu Fengyan coming down, she hurriedly bowed. Mu Fengyan helped her up and said, "These formalities have never mattered much to me."
Consort Jin smiled and replied, "The Emperor has always been unrestrained and naturally does not care about them. However, without rules there can be no order; especially in the Harem. As a role model, I must be mindful of everything and cannot be negligent."
Mu Fengyan looked at her and reached out to smooth a stray lock of hair from her temple. Consort Jin revealed a slightly shy smile. Mu Fengyan then took her hand and said, "With you watching over this Harem, I can rest assured."
"This is what I should do," she replied.
Mu Fengyan and Consort Jin traveled together until they reached a Pavilion to rest. As they sat down, her gaze unintentionally fell on Yin Luo's face, and she exclaimed, "Has the Emperor changed Palace Maids? Was the previous Jinghao not serving well?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Fengyan glanced at Yin Luo and smiled, saying, "This is all Li An De's arrangement; I don't concern myself with such trivial matters."
Li An De, feeling that Mu Fengyan subtly shifted the responsibility onto him, silently cursed but stepped forward with a smile, saying, "This Jinghao is a newly entered Palace Maid. She is steady in her work and clever in nature. I thought she was quite likable, so I selfishly moved her to the Emperor's side for a trial. Consort Jin, please do not blame me."
Consort Jin smiled and replied, "Li An De, you have quite the silver tongue! The arrangement of Palace Maids has always been your responsibility, and you are indeed very thoughtful. I merely asked a question; I did not intend to punish you!"
Li An De bowed in acknowledgment and turned his head to look at Jinghao, saying, "Jinghao, have you not greeted Consort Jin?"
Yin Luo hurriedly stepped forward, lowering her head respectfully as she said, "I am Jinghao, here to pay my respects to Consort Jin."
Consort Jin examined Yin Luo closely and nodded, saying, "You seem quite perceptive. That's good; the Emperor has a free spirit, and having perceptive people like you around him makes me feel at ease."
"Why does your tone sound like the Empress's?" Mu Fengyan showed a hint of displeasure. Seeing this, Consort Jin quickly smiled and said, "Your Majesty should not be unhappy; the Empress Dowager only wishes the best for you."
"What does it matter if it's for my good? That doesn't mean I have to listen to her every word!"
Mu Fengyan turned his head to look at her: "Yunshang, I have always felt most comfortable with you because you know what I like and dislike. Why has your temperament changed now?"
Consort Jin paused, her expression stiffening. She quickly stood up and knelt beside Mu Fengyan, saying, "Your Majesty, forgive me; Yunshang will not mention it again."
Mu Fengyan glanced at her with a sigh and helped her up, saying, "Enough. I dislike this kneeling in the palace. I have matters to attend to and cannot stay with you longer. Li An De, return to the palace."
Li An De quickly responded and glanced at Consort Jin. Her face clearly showed disappointment, but she could only stand there watching as Mu Fengyan left.
Yin Luo bowed to her and then followed.
Mu Fengyan walked ahead with great momentum, which indeed reflected his angry mood.
However, he did not return to the palace; he simply sought another place and ordered Li An De, "You go and bring me some tea. I want the best Tieguanyin for the tribute."
Li An De paused and said, "The Tieguanyin is in the Qinghua Hall. I will go get it right away, but it may take some time. Your Majesty, please do not rush."
Mu Fengyan waved his hand at him, and Li An De left, reminding Yin Luo before departing, "Serve the Emperor well!"
Yin Luo obediently responded, and then he turned to leave to fetch the tea leaves.
Mu Fengyan stood there irritably looking at the autumn scenery of the imperial garden. As he watched Li An De's figure disappear, his expression immediately changed, and there was no longer a trace of anger on his face. "Luoluo, come sit here."
He pointed to a spot beside him, looking quite pleased.
Yin Luo raised her head to glance at him, clearly reproaching him: "Your Majesty should consider what kind of place this is. So many eyes are watching. If I sit here now, I'm afraid my life will be in danger by tomorrow!"
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