Yu Miaohua had a minor grievance about her overwhelming charm. She could only console herself that being favored was better than being ignored.
Wait—she nearly forgot the most important thing. Who was it that framed her?
Tilting her petite, palm-sized face upward, Yu Miaohua asked, "Your Majesty, who was it that plotted against me?"
She couldn’t fathom who would hold such deep-seated resentment toward her. Back then, she had only just entered the palace, and the Emperor had been preoccupied with court affairs. None of the new consorts had even had the chance to receive his favor yet. If not for her decent family background, she wouldn’t have been granted the title of Talented Lady.
Pei Lingyue replied indifferently, "It was Consort Ming and the Lin Family’s doing."
Yu Miaohua’s eyes widened slightly. It was her? When she was younger and visited her maternal grandparents’ home, she had even played with Lin Shu. After entering the palace, Lin Shu had subtly hinted at forming an alliance with her—only to turn around and scheme her way into the cold palace. What kind of grudge was this?
Yu Miaohua didn’t even care to know the reason behind the betrayal. She had a clear conscience, and if Lin Shu chose to strike at her, it only proved her lack of character—deserving nothing but scorn. A radiant smile graced her lips as she said, "This humble consort thanks Your Majesty for clearing my name."
Pei Lingyue had half-expected her to feign magnanimity by pleading for mercy on Lin Shu’s behalf, but she didn’t even mention it.
"The Guanju Palace has been prepared. You may move in today."
Yu Miaohua was stunned—the Emperor worked fast! Though she often joked to her system that the cold palace was a serene, spacious villa, who wouldn’t prefer a better residence? Yu Miaohua was nothing if not practical.
Since her reinstatement had been sudden, the necessary attendants hadn’t been arranged yet. Only two maids, who had accompanied her into exile, remained by her side.
Pei Lingyue left four servants behind to assist with packing before departing gracefully.
Yu Miaohua didn’t have many belongings, so the packing was quick. She didn’t stand on ceremony—her personal items could be handled by Qingluo and Cuiwei. The servants the Emperor left behind had other uses…
"Uproot all the vegetables in the courtyard and put them in pots. Be careful not to damage the roots."
"The chickens must all be taken with us."
"And dismantle the door." When they first arrived at the cold palace, the door had been broken beyond repair, offering no protection against the wind. The current one had been painstakingly fixed by Yu Miaohua and Qingluo themselves!
Cuiwei was puzzled. "Miss, even if we take the door, we can’t use it at Guanju Palace."
Yu Miaohua replied flatly, "We can chop it for firewood. No need to leave it for the next person."
With Lin Shu’s schemes exposed, she was likely the next occupant of the cold palace. Yu Miaohua refused to let her benefit in any way.
Cuiwei’s eyes lit up with understanding, her expression turning indignant.
From then on, she took charge of the task with fervor. Her memory was sharper than Yu Miaohua’s—she wouldn’t let Lin Shu take advantage of even the smallest thing.
"This table leg was reattached by us—chop it off."
"These bowls and chopsticks were bought with our money—take them all."
"The mosquito net must be removed too."
"If we hadn’t fertilized this jujube tree, it would’ve died long ago. We saved its life—dig it up and take it with us!"
The palace servants Pei Lingyue had left behind were unflappable. Even as they were ordered to dig up trees and dismantle doors, not a single one batted an eye or showed any hint of surprise.
At most, they mused inwardly: His Majesty’s new favorite is certainly… a woman of strong principles.
After Yu Miaohua and her group made such a mess, by the time they left the cold palace, the place was utterly dilapidated—even more so than before their arrival.
With a loud thud, the table that had its legs chopped off lost its balance in the wind and crashed to the ground, the sound almost like a farewell salute to their departure.
...
Yu Miaohua would have preferred to keep a low profile. Having just left the cold palace, it was best not to attract unnecessary hostility. However, with the commotion of her relocation, staying inconspicuous was impossible. Especially after Lin Shu’s arrest, all eyes in the imperial harem were now fixed on her.
Soon, news of her affairs spread among the well-informed concubines.
"What? The Emperor personally went to the cold palace to bring Yu Miaohua back?"
"Yu Miaohua has been promoted to Noble Lady?"
Consort De, Song Xuelan, stared in shock at the palace maid reporting the news. She had anticipated that if Yu Miaohua were cleared of false accusations, she would receive compensation—but never expected her to skip the rank of Beauty entirely and rise directly to Noble Lady. Back when she had borne the Emperor’s children, she hadn’t received such favor.
Even Consort De couldn’t help feeling a pang of envy. After stewing in it for a moment, she composed herself. "Yu Miaohua has suffered unjustly. As the mistress of this palace, I too bear some responsibility for failing to notice the wrongdoing. Prepare the side hall properly—don’t slight her. Retrieve that coral from the treasury and prepare a few gifts to send her way."
After all, it wasn’t her who had framed Yu Miaohua—it was Consort Ming. She had been the victim, poisoned and bedridden for months. Unless Yu Miaohua was a fool, she wouldn’t hold a grudge against her. As a high-ranking consort, she had to maintain grace and magnanimity.
On the bright side, if Yu Miaohua gained favor, the Emperor would likely visit their palace more often—which would benefit her as well.
Consort De’s maid kept her head bowed. "Your Highness, His Majesty has granted Yu Miaohua residence in Guanju Palace." When she first heard the news, she could hardly believe it and had to confirm with several sources before accepting it as fact.
Consort De’s grip tightened on her chair...
Guanju Palace—it had to be Guanju Palace!
Was the Emperor truly so fond of Yu Miaohua? When Yu Miaohua first entered the palace, the Emperor hadn’t shown such interest! What virtue or ability did she possess to deserve this?
The Emperor’s decision also sent a clear message: in his eyes, Yu Miaohua was worthy of being a palace’s primary consort. Otherwise, why would he grant her Guanju Palace? The only things she lacked now were seniority and an heir.
Song Xuelan could only console herself: she had both a son and a daughter. No matter how favored Yu Miaohua became, she could never surpass her position. All she had to do was remain steady. She couldn’t afford to act as impulsively as those younger, less composed sisters who resorted to petty schemes. Well, in a few days, she would send the Emperor some of her homemade soup. Last time, he had been so moved he told her not to trouble herself again, lest she burn her hands.
After a long silence, Consort De finally spoke. "Bring out that box of southern pearls His Majesty gifted me last month. Tomorrow, add them to Yu Miaohua’s congratulatory presents."
While Consort De and other consorts with children managed to maintain their composure, some of the lower-ranked concubines—who had been striving desperately for the Emperor’s favor—were struck dumb by the news of Yu Miaohua’s promotion.
For the first half of the year, the Emperor had been wholly absorbed in state affairs. No matter how much they longed to compete for his attention, they had no choice but to wait, growing increasingly restless. Just when they thought the Emperor might finally return to the harem, before they could even make their moves, Yu Miaohua appeared out of nowhere and stole the spotlight.
How could they tolerate this?
If things continued like this, Yu Miaohua would feast while they’d be left with scraps.
Consort Yu truly has her ways. After spending half a year in the cold palace, not only did she not fade from the Emperor’s memory, but she even managed to turn the tables against all odds.
How infuriating! Consort De is utterly useless! When Yu Miaohua was in the cold palace, why didn’t Consort De just crush her outright? Instead, she gave her the chance to rise again.
For a time, the number of shattered teacups in the imperial harem skyrocketed, and many gritted their teeth at the mere mention of Yu Miaohua’s name.
……
With the prospect of obtaining high-quality seeds soon, Pei Lingyue was in excellent spirits. That evening, his appetite was so hearty that he ate an extra half-bowl of rice.
After dinner, the usually diligent emperor continued reviewing memorials.
Among them was a secret report from the Crown Prince, delivered that afternoon.
Previously, several audacious officials had dared to embezzle disaster relief funds. Pei Lingyue had dispatched trusted aides to investigate the situation in the affected regions, while the Crown Prince disguised himself and left with the team. To the outside world, it was announced that the Crown Prince was overseeing the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
From the secret report submitted, the Crown Prince had gained a deeper understanding of the people’s livelihood. Some of the policy insights mentioned in the report made Pei Lingyue’s eyes light up.
The Crown Prince had been intelligent and humble since childhood, neither arrogant nor indulgent, treating others with courtesy. Pei Lingyue was quite satisfied with this heir.
After finishing the secret report, Pei Lingyue did not forget about Yu Miaohua’s affairs.
The palace servants had been efficient. Once everything was packed and arranged, they reported back to Pei Lingyue.
Upon hearing that Yu Miaohua had ordered them to tear down the cold palace, Pei Lingyue’s eyelid twitched.
This Consort Yu truly had a unique personality—she openly despised someone without pretense. Dealing with someone like her at least meant not worrying about hidden daggers behind sweet words or duplicity.
Given the divine blessings she carried, which could bring great benefits to Great Qi, he was willing to extend her a bit more protection.
With a glance, he selected a few servants to attend to her.
"Find two palace maids skilled in tending crops and send them to Guanju Palace. If she wants to pass the time farming, let her be. Also, assign a maid well-versed in medicine to prevent her from falling victim to schemes again."
The eunuch Chai Xiu respectfully acknowledged the order and immediately set about arranging it. In his heart, he elevated Yu Miaohua’s status even further—she deserved even greater reverence. The fact that the Emperor, burdened with endless state affairs, remembered her casual remark showed just how favored she was.
Late that night, Pei Lingyue even secretly ordered his shadow guards to bring him the contents of Yu Miaohua’s private chest.
Though the order seemed baffling, the loyal shadow guards obeyed without question.
Once the items were in his hands, Pei Lingyue dismissed his attendants and uncovered the seeds tucked deep inside the chest, along with a folded diagram.
To avoid alerting Yu Miaohua, no matter how covetous he was of the seeds, Pei Lingyue restrained himself to secretly taking only a small handful.
He unfolded the diagram—this must be the divine map the deity had spoken of.
Naturally, anything produced by the system was of exceptional quality. To avoid drawing too much attention, the map was not in color but in black and white. However, the problem was its staggering detail—it depicted not only the territories of Great Qi but also the surrounding nations: Liang Country, Half-Moon Country, Yue Country, and the Tuochuan Empire.
Pei Lingyue possessed maps of Great Qi’s domains, but none of other countries were this exhaustive, with mountains, water sources, and deserts all meticulously marked.
The value of this map alone justified any reward he could bestow upon Yu Miaohua.
At this moment, Pei Lingyue made peace with Consort De’s medicinal soups and the concubines who constantly pestered him with trivial matters.
He forgave them all!
If it weren't for how insufferable they had been, he wouldn’t have hidden in the orchard, and who knows how much longer he might have missed Yu Miaohua.
This must have been the silent protection of his ancestors, reminding him not to let Yu Miaohua slip away.
Pei Lingyue decided he would visit the ancestral temple this New Year and offer extra incense at their tablets.
Pei Lingyue also found the location of the Champa rice on the map—it turned out to be on an island in Yue Country. The map even thoughtfully included an illustration of the rice.
He resolved to send someone there to retrieve it.
Now that he knew the exact location, he wasn’t as fixated on the bag of Champa rice seeds. Sooner or later, he would have them all!
To avoid being discovered by Yu Miaohua, Pei Lingyue had to copy the map himself—after all, it had to be returned. He couldn’t even delegate the task, as the map was far too important to be casually viewed by others. He also couldn’t risk exposing the divine peculiarities surrounding Yu Miaohua.
Before the rooster crowed, Pei Lingyue finally finished copying the map and had his shadow guard return the original.
Drawing all night was unexpectedly exhausting.
There was no morning court session today, but the disciplined Pei Lingyue didn’t even take a nap. Instead, he began reviewing memorials.
After working through a few, he grew hungry and ordered some pastries. While eating, he asked, "What is Consort Yu doing now?"
Chai Xiu had been keeping a close eye on Guanju Palace. That morning, he had personally selected a group of servants, reprimanded them, and sent them to serve there.
Lowering his voice, he replied, "Guanju Palace is quite lively at the moment. Consort Xu and the others have gone to congratulate Consort Yu in person."
Consort Xu?
Pei Lingyue knew her temperament well—she was rather spoiled. Back when she was his favorite, she had once demanded Guanju Palace for herself, only to be flatly refused. Given her nature, she likely still harbored resentment.
Usually, Pei Lingyue could ignore the concubines’ petty squabbles as long as they didn’t reach his ears. With the empress keeping them in check, they never dared to go too far.
But Yu Miaohua was different!
The deity within her seemed eager for her to vie for favor. If Consort Xu made a move, might it trigger a new task?
At that thought, Pei Lingyue could no longer sit still. The memorials lost all appeal in an instant.
He stood abruptly. "Let’s go—to Guanju Palace."
