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Moreover, His Majesty, the "principal," stood right behind Master Lian. Didn’t that mean Master Lian was about to be punished?...

Jin Xi felt somewhat reluctant. Even though her own master harbored different thoughts, she also couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Lian Hua, especially since she had gained a great deal of admiration for her today.

Compared to the other concubines in the palace, she still felt Master Lian was more genuine and more worthy of her master’s association.

In the past, she had always heard that Master Lian was bad, but after spending time together, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Seeing is believing while hearing may be deceiving.

She thought Master Lian did not resemble the manipulative, seductive vixen others described.

They merely understood too little before; her master had not interacted privately with Master Lian, hence the negative assumptions.

The Emperor, standing behind Lian Hua, the "principal," felt his forehead’s vein throbbing when he heard the words meant to deceive him.

His eyes involuntarily narrowed dangerously, staring at the top of Lian Hua’s head as though he wanted to see through this little white-eyed wolf thoroughly.

Fine, this little white-eyed wolf has learned this trick to fool him. Now he understood why this little white-eyed wolf put so much earnest effort into learning, far more seriously than with her poetry studies.

From what he knew of her, the thought of successfully deceiving him would probably make this little white-eyed wolf laugh in her sleep.

There, there, this little white-eyed wolf, instead of learning from the good, learned from an outsider, and what a mess she’s learnt at that. It is quite an eyesore to behold.

In vain, he had been concerned that Canglan Court might be disturbed by the movements of the Harem, fearing that in Nanny Qi’s absence, there would be no one to keep order, so he had made a special trip to check.

His concern was misplaced. Not only was the little white-eyed wolf enjoying peaceful days, but her mind was also full of ideas on how to deceive him. Ha!

Very well, it seemed her bottom might be itching then, and just so, his hand was itching too. He wanted to see how this little white-eyed wolf intended to deceive him!

Concubine Fang Pin asked with some skepticism, "Sister Lian didn’t say anything?"

She had clearly heard the word "deceive"; it sounded like a treacherously disloyal remark. Could it have been a misconception?

No, that’s not right. She heard the words ’no longer learning.

’ How to describe Sister Lian? It didn’t match her usual style of being sentimental and lamenting the spring’s passing; all these melancholic emotions seemed off when it came to Sister Lian.

Her expression really didn’t appear to be genuinely learned.

But perhaps she had a talent for poetry in other areas.

Earlier when she had asked Sister Lian for poems expressing longing and adoration, Sister Lian said she wasn’t adept in that area and merely casually mentioned a few, explained their meanings, and let Sister Lian ponder the expressions on her own, then said she would revert to the styles she was comfortable with.

Well then, to each their own, her expertise was the result of many years of practice, not something others could easily learn.

The Emperor, watching these two, who were blissfully unaware, especially the one propping up her chin like a little white-eyed wolf, made his teeth itch with hatred.

He let out a cold laugh and directly interjected, "She has other things she is no longer learning. You may leave first."

The sudden sound of a person in the background gave Concubine Fang Pin quite the fright. She quickly turned her head and saw the Emperor standing behind Lian Hua, staring at her with an unfriendly expression.

Concubine Fang Pin panicked and exclaimed, "Your Majesty!"

She hurriedly got up to salute: "Paying my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be in good health." Her heart began to race with fear.

Despite her genuine desire for favor, everyone in the palace yearned for it. Before coming here, she even toyed with the idea of asking Lian Hua to share some of her favor with her. But, truth be told, she was somewhat afraid of the Emperor.

Especially when His Majesty’s face grew cold, those were her most fearful moments.

In the palace, she was known to complain about ailments to everyone she met, even daring to feign weakness like Xi Zi holding her heart in front of Nanny Qi.

But she never dared to put on such airs or whine unnecessarily in front of the Emperor, as she had learned her lesson the hard way when she first entered the palace, an experience that still sent shivers down her spine.

Ever since she understood the ways of the world, she remembered her mother lamenting the changing seasons, occasionally reciting poetry, which her father dearly admired. By constant exposure, she gradually learned to do the same.

Her mother often said that a woman must have her own unique traits to stand out and capture a man’s heart.

Judging from the fact that her father had only one lesser concubine who was not favored, it was evident that her mother’s tactics were effective, showcasing her mother’s formidable skills in managing her husband.

Thus, when she read about Xi Zi clutching her heart, she became enchanted with the imagined image of Xi Zi and truly started to believe she was her, feeling occasional pangs of pain in her chest.

Her mother agreed, saying that her appearance was not bad, and by mimicking Xi Zi’s gesture of frailty and pity, she could evoke sympathy and compassion in others. So she continued to practice and emulate this.

When she first entered the palace, still naive, she thought to win His Majesty’s heart by imitating Xi Zi, telling him that her heart ached and asking for his examination.

She vividly remembers His Majesty’s expression at that time.

She saw His Majesty’s face, utterly indifferent, his voice cold and devoid of warmth as he said, "If you are ill, seek the Imperial Physician. What need have you for me? If it’s a heart disease beyond cure, and you wish for your chest to be cut open to see the lesion, I grant permission."

Scared witless at the time, she hastily apologized and fled from His Majesty’s sight, never again daring to be pretentious or talk more than necessary in his presence.

She truly felt that His Majesty was not joking at the time and genuinely harbored a killing intent; if she hadn’t been sensible, she might have actually been killed.

This fright lingered with her for a long time, causing her to stay within her own palace and not venture out for a long period.

Only later did she learn that she had walked into a minefield.

At the time, the Empress was still alive, the Rebel Prince was plotting his rebellion, and the former court and the harem were facing enemies on all sides.

Many in the harem were the Rebel Prince’s spies, and even some of the Late Emperor’s concubines were colluding with him. She was unaware of all this.

At the time, His Majesty may well have suspected her of being one of the Rebel Prince’s people, trying to get close to him...

However, after this incident, she did not change her affectations in front of others.

One reason was due to long exposure since childhood; she had gotten too deep into character, and Xi Zi holding her heart had become etched into her very bones.

Without this act, she did not know how else to behave like a normal person on a daily basis.

The second, and most important reason, was that she gradually realized that it’s difficult to protect oneself in the palace, especially in the harem of the Late Empress, which was in utter chaos with everyone fighting for themselves.

Even the harem, after His Majesty had reorganized it and put Noble Consort Xue in charge, was not an easy place to be. She instinctively felt that Noble Consort Xue was not an easy person to deal with.

Back then, her choices were limited: either align with Noble Consort Xue, pose no threat like Consort Zhen, or have the strength of Consort Xu De. Otherwise, survival was tough, as evidenced by those who did not get along with the Noble Consort gradually disappearing from the palace.

With her modest family background and no exceptional cleverness, if not for being chosen by the Former Empress Dowager to enter the palace, she would have preferred to marry a decent household and live as a fragile woman, cherished and pampered by her husband.

She later discovered that her act served her well in the palace; few envied her and she was considered an oddity. Those of higher status couldn’t be bothered with her and even looked down on her, while those of lower status did not want to offend her.