Pei Lingyue had already planned to find an excuse to transfer Li Yiluo to another position. Yet, to his surprise, Li went so far as to collaborate with the envoys from Daliang. Pei Lingyue refused to believe Li was unaware of the envoys' true intentions.
Knowing full well how crucial Yu Miaohua was to the state of Qi, Li Yiluo had still prioritized his selfish interests, hiding behind the banner of loyalty to the emperor in an attempt to drag her into the mud—no wonder he couldn’t even see the possibility of dialogue.
Once again, Yu Miaohua’s meticulous judgment proved its worth.
Pei Lingyue said coolly, "Li Yiluo, driven by personal gain, slandered the Wise Consort and betrayed the emperor’s grace. He is hereby stripped of his official position, and his descendants for three generations shall never be eligible for government service."
Li Yiluo’s face paled. While he had braced himself for the loss of his position, the ban on his descendants' future was a devastating blow—it would cut off his family’s prospects entirely.
Was the emperor’s punishment not too severe?
The image of his bright and clever youngest son flashed in his mind, and tears welled in Li Yiluo’s eyes. "Your Majesty…"
Pei Lingyue remained impassive. "Your wife has managed your household dutifully and honored your parents, yet you showed no gratitude. The jewels and jade you acquired were squandered on your mistress, disregarding your wife’s dignity. You elevated a concubine above your lawful wife—what defense do you have?"
At the mention of "jewels and jade," Li Yiluo turned as red as a strangled quail, unable to utter a word—the emperor knew everything.
Other officials who had initially thought the punishment excessive now wore thoughtful expressions. The mention of the jewels suggested Li Yiluo’s impeachment today had been orchestrated by someone else. The emperor’s ruthless stance was likely a warning to others.
But who was behind it?
Given that both the Crown Prince and the Marquis of Wulie had intervened, the ministers quickly ruled out the Crown Prince’s faction.
Pei Lingyue rose from the throne, hands clasped behind his back. His calm demeanor radiated an unfathomable authority that made others avert their eyes.
"The Wise Consort is peerless in grace and pure of heart. It is only natural that she attracts admiration. Human emotions are difficult to control."
"If Prince Yuheng indeed harbors feelings for her, it merely proves his good taste. What does that have to do with her?"
"If such trivial matters waste the court’s time again, do not blame me for showing no mercy."
Pei Lingyou abruptly looked up at Pei Lingyue.
The emperor knew about Yuheng’s feelings.
And yet, he chose to forgive.
Pei Lingyou couldn’t define the emotions swirling within him.
With a long exhale, he acknowledged his own inferiority. Had someone coveted his own favored consort, he would never have been so lenient—especially not toward a former political rival.
Bowing deeply, Pei Lingyou conceded with genuine respect.
...
While Li Yiluo was impeaching Pei Yuheng, Yu Miaohua was enjoying a slice of watermelon. Compared to modern varieties, the ancient melon was less sweet and full of seeds. Breeding a modern watermelon with this era’s technology was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Midway through her snack, the system’s panicked voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
[Ahhh! Host, someone is trying to smear you and Pei Yuheng! They accused him of coveting you in court, spreading rumors that the two of you are involved!]
Had she not been one of the subjects of the scandal, Yu Miaohua might have scoffed—wasn’t half of it true?
Recalling her own conduct, she reassured herself. Her interactions with Pei Yuheng had always been in the presence of others. The only time they were alone—when she sought the glassmaking reward—she had even reported it to the emperor. No real issue there.
[This will severely damage your reputation among the court officials! Host has triggered Main Mission 4.4: Regain the trust of the court and preserve the divine maiden’s image. Reward upon completion: Relatively advanced ancient greenhouse vegetable cultivation techniques, including "winter cellar crops" and "manure-heated beds."]
Yu Miaohua: "..."
So, she was supposed to attend court and prove her innocence?
Her brows furrowed as a surge of indignation rose within her.
Why should she have to justify herself? If a married man were pursued by others, people would praise his charm—never accuse him of impropriety. It might even become a celebrated romantic anecdote. Yet for her, it was a scandal. And those men? Their achievements paled in comparison to hers.
Taking a deep breath, she sneered at the system.
[Believe it or not—I don’t care. If Pei Yuheng likes me, it just means I’m desirable. Plenty of people adore me. Am I supposed to defend my virtue for every admirer? Since when was that the rule?]
She refused the mission, too incensed by its premise.
[Ahhh! Host, calm down! Don’t be angry! Have some more watermelon to cool off?]
The system tiptoed around her temper, not daring to push as it usually did.
This only annoyed Yu Miaohua further.
[This melon tastes terrible.]
[Should we exchange for modern watermelon seedlings from the shop?]
[No. Even if we did, we’d only get one harvest.]
Subsequent generations of seeds would degrade in quality.
[Ahhh! Host! We’ve completed the mission!! Congratulations on finishing Main Mission 4.4: Regain the trust of the court and preserve the divine maiden’s image. Reward has been issued!]
[The court officials truly trust you!]
Yu Miaohua’s anger gave way to shock and confusion. The mission was done?
Did she hold such high prestige among the ministers?
To avoid accusations of meddling in state affairs, Yu Miaohua hadn’t sought details. But the Empress Dowager and Empress, believing she had been wronged, summoned her to offer comfort. They showered her with gifts and recounted the court proceedings in full.
Hearing how many had defended her, Yu Miaohua felt she had done well in winning people over.
Suddenly, a realization struck her. "Does the emperor know who bribed Li Yiluo?"
The Empress Dowager curled her lip. "Qiongming Palace."
Yu Miaohua’s first thought was Concubine Xian. But then she reconsidered—Concubine Xian had even lost her main hall residence. She wouldn’t dare such a bold move now.
Qiongming Palace housed more than just Concubine Xian. There was also that Daliang princess.
Her eyes lit up with understanding. "So it was her."
The princess really had it out for her, always keeping her in the crosshairs.
[As the protagonist of a palace intrigue novel, enduring humiliation is not our style. Host has triggered Main Mission 4.5: Provoke the princess at Qiongming Palace and make her faint from rage. Reward upon completion: A map of silver ore deposits within Daliang’s borders.]
[Wow! I love this reward!]
Yu Miaohua didn’t consider Daliang innocent. Chu Yunxia was confined to Qiongming Palace—without Daliang’s agents gathering intel and bribing officials, today’s incident would never have happened.
Besides, Chu Yunxia’s hostility stemmed from deliberate indoctrination by the Daliang royal family.
Compared to Chu Yunxia, Yu Miaohua harbored even greater hatred for Daliang—the true culprit behind all the suffering. Taking their silver mines was just a small act of revenge against them.
[Host, I’m starting to like Chu Yunxia. Both of today’s missions were triggered because of her. She’s such an easy way to rack up KPI!]
[This message has been recalled.]
[……Even if you recalled it, I still saw it!!]
Yu Miaohua was speechless.
Not only had Yu Miaohua seen it, but the Empress Dowager and the Empress had as well.
The Empress couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Now the Emperor would be even more convinced that bringing the Daliang princess into the harem was the most brilliant decision he’d ever made.
She exchanged a glance with the Empress Dowager, signaling her to keep Yu Miaohua occupied for a while longer, then excused herself under the pretense of handling palace affairs.
In reality, she quietly made her way to Qian Yuan Palace and mentioned the two missions to the Emperor.
Pei Lingyue nearly laughed out loud. Ever since Chu Yunxia arrived, she had triggered countless related missions.
And this time’s mission rewards? It was impossible not to be tempted.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he had an idea. He summoned Yu Miaohua.
When Yu Miaohua arrived, she was about to pull out a handkerchief to dab at her eyes and perform her signature "tears before words" act, but Pei Lingyue spoke first: "I was just about to send the edict to Qiongming Palace. Miaohua, would you like to be the one to deliver it?"
Yu Miaohua’s act was instantly derailed. Realizing what was happening, she broke into a radiant smile. "It would be my honor."
Pei Lingyue continued, "I know you’ve suffered this time, so I’ve decided to move Hua Bin out of the main hall. Her lack of virtue makes her unworthy of residing there."
A timely gift—the Emperor’s move was clearly helping her complete the mission.
Yu Miaohua nodded. "I’d be more than happy to deliver the edict."
"Will Concubine Xian be moved back into the main hall?"
[Ugh, between Concubine Xian and Chu Yunxia, I can’t decide which one I dislike more.]
Pei Lingyue thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Let it remain vacant for now."
Lingyou had been behaving lately, but Concubine Xian, despite her seemingly docile demeanor, was still scheming—apparently trying to adopt another child.
He had given her plenty of chances, but she insisted on walking the path of no return. Pei Lingyue no longer felt inclined to forgive her. If she moved in now, she’d only have to move out again later. To save everyone the trouble, it was better to leave the hall empty.
Yu Miaohua waited for the Emperor to finish drafting the edict, then happily took it to Qiongming Palace.
……
Inside Qiongming Palace, Chu Yunxia was so furious that she swept everything off the table—crash! Porcelain shards littered the floor.
Though her main focus was on the relationship between the Crown Prince and Yu Miaohua, after uncovering evidence of Yu Miaohua and Pei Yuheng’s collusion, she had still instructed the Daliang envoys to act.
She had thought it was a surefire plan, but she never expected so many officials to speak up in Yu Miaohua’s defense. She had severely underestimated Yu Miaohua’s standing among the Great Qi courtiers.
What worried her even more was whether the Emperor would trace this back to her.
How could Yu Miaohua escape unscathed from such a situation? Was the Emperor really that infatuated with her? So much so that he would ignore evidence right before his eyes, even treating it as proof of her charm—as if it were some kind of honor? Did he have no dignity as an emperor?
"Your Highness, Consort Hui is here," Chang Ru hurried in to report.
Chu Yunxia bit her lower lip. "I won’t see her."
Yu Miaohua was undoubtedly here to gloat. Why subject herself to humiliation?
Wait—gloating?
If Yu Miaohua was here so soon, did that mean she already knew the truth? What about the Emperor?
At this thought, Chu Yunxia’s lips turned pale, her panic unmistakable.
Chang Ru said, "You must see her. Consort Hui has brought an imperial edict. You cannot defy it."
Any remaining hope in Chu Yunxia’s heart shattered. If not for her maid Wu catching her in time, she would have collapsed on the spot.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to walk to the main hall.
Yu Miaohua had originally planned to play the role of the villainess to the fullest, taunting Chu Yunxia mercilessly. But seeing her like this, she suddenly lost interest.
There was no need.
With a detached expression, she recited the edict.
Chu Yunxia’s face turned ashen. "No, the main hall is mine. I refuse to move to the side chamber."
The side chamber was so small—how could she endure such humiliation?
Yu Miaohua said coolly, "The side chamber suits you well. It’s smaller, so you won’t have to worry about running out of ice and constantly begging the Daliang envoys for more."
"I am a princess of Daliang!"
Great Qi couldn’t treat her like this.
Yu Miaohua narrowed her eyes. "If you’d rather be a Daliang princess than a Great Qi concubine, I can request an edict to send you back to Daliang. How does that sound?"
Send her back?
Chu Yunxia felt as if she’d been struck dumb. If she were sent back in disgrace, Daliang would treat her as nothing but a shameful burden. Her father would surely gift her away again without a second thought.
She couldn’t let that happen.
She hadn’t yet become the Great Qi Emperor’s favored consort, hadn’t secured her position as the future Empress Dowager. She refused to give up now.
Suppressing her hatred, she forced out the words through clenched teeth, "This concubine accepts the edict."
Remembering her mission, Yu Miaohua couldn’t resist one last jab before leaving. "The Emperor has already escorted the Daliang envoys out of the capital. Hua Bin, you might want to be careful with how many bowls and chopsticks you break—a concubine’s allowance is limited. Once you’ve broken them all, there won’t be any envoys to bring you new ones."
"I suggest you switch to wooden bowls. They’re durable—hard to break."
With that, she turned and left. Behind her, a loud thud echoed, followed by the system’s voice in her mind.
[Congratulations, Host, for completing Main Mission 4.5: Provoke the princess at Qiongming Palace and make her faint. Mission rewards have been issued.]
Meanwhile, when Concubine Xian learned that Chu Yunxia had been evicted from the main hall, she burst into laughter.
Her maid was equally delighted.
"Wonderful, Your Highness! Now Consort Hui won’t dare to steal your allowances so brazenly."
But as she laughed, Concubine Xian’s expression darkened.
Even if Chu Yunxia had brought this upon herself, the Emperor still showed no intention of letting her move into the main hall.
He still distrusted her.
How long would it take to erase that distrust?
Was her situation really any better than Chu Yunxia’s?
A child—she desperately needed a new child.
……
Yu Miaohua found an opportunity to deliver both rewards to Pei Lingyue, then left the rest to him.
What frustrated her was that, thanks to the morning court incident, everyone already knew about the birthday gift she’d prepared for her mother. Half the surprise was ruined.
Damn it!
Soon, it was Wang Yaning’s birthday. Yu Miaohua had secured the Emperor’s permission to leave the palace and celebrate with her mother.
The Yu family was no longer what it used to be—they were now an influential force in the capital. Countless people were eager to use this occasion to curry favor with them.
Yu Miaohua’s father was still away on official duties, so Wang Yaning took advantage of his absence to keep the celebrations low-key—no grand banquet, no accepting gifts, just a small gathering with close relatives over two modest tables.
She even went so far as to leave for the estate a day early, taking her younger daughter with her.
As for the household staff, they were instructed to refuse any gifts, no matter who sent them.
This meant Yu Miaohua could simply head straight to the estate that day.
Except…
This time, she wasn’t going alone. Pei Chiyan was accompanying her.
Pei Chiyan was there as the emperor and empress’s representative to offer birthday congratulations.
Yu Miaohua didn’t refuse his presence—on one hand, the crown prince’s attendance would bring honor to her mother, and on the other, it would publicly reinforce her close ties with the Phoenix Palace, deterring those who sought to sow discord.
…Not at all because the emperor had bestowed a trove of rare treasures as birthday gifts.
This time, she brought both Qingluo and Cuiwei with her. The two maids shared her carriage, buzzing with excitement.
Qingluo whispered, “Before entering the palace, we couldn’t even dream of days like this. The night before you entered the palace, you even cried under the covers.”
Yu Miaohua denied it. “I don’t remember that.”
Even now, she didn’t consider entering the palace a blessing. If not for binding with the system and awakening her past-life memories, she’d still be languishing in the cold palace.
After nearly an hour in the carriage, they finally arrived at the estate.
Yu Miaohua couldn’t linger too long at the banquet—she had to return before the palace gates were locked for the night.
Wang Yaning and the others had already received word of her arrival and were waiting. The moment Yu Miaohua stepped down, they all came out to greet her.
Before they could bow, Yu Miaohua quickly said, “No need for formalities.”
Pei Chiyan added, “Madam, you may treat me as a junior from a family friend.”
Wang Yaning appeared composed, but inwardly, she was nervous—her daughter hadn’t mentioned the crown prince’s visit!
Taking a deep breath, she said, “Young Master Pei, please come inside.” Since the crown prince seemed intent on keeping a low profile, she wouldn’t reveal his identity.
The guards unloaded the birthday gifts from the carriage.
Yu Miaohua immediately looped her arm through her mother’s and led her inside.
Wang Yaning tried to pull her hand free—but couldn’t.
She sighed helplessly. Even as a child, her daughter had loved holding her hand like this. Despite growing up, some things never changed.
Yet, despite herself, the corners of her lips curled slightly upward.
Since Pei Chiyan preferred to remain incognito, the Yu and Wang families did their best to treat him as an ordinary guest.
At first, they were stiff and formal, but once Pei Chiyan began sharing stories of his travels, the atmosphere quickly warmed.
Yu Miaohua’s uncle, Wang Ruilin, was surprised. He’d assumed the young crown prince, raised in luxury and rarely venturing beyond the palace, would know little of common folk’s lives. Yet his understanding of the people’s hardships surpassed even Wang Ruilin’s…
Could it be that the crown prince often snuck out of the palace in secret?
Seeing them getting along well, Yu Miaohua relaxed.
[Host! Meeting the parents! This is the legendary “meeting the parents”!]
[…You really will ship anything, won’t you?]
Yu Miaohua was exasperated with the system. The crown prince was merely here on behalf of the emperor and empress, yet it twisted the situation into some kind of family introduction.
But she had more important matters to attend to.
“Mother, come see the birthday gifts I prepared for you.”
She directed the servants to carry the gifts into her mother’s bedroom and dismissed everyone else.
Her younger sister, Yu Miaoping, tried to stay, but Yu Miaohua shooed her out. “I need to talk to Mother alone.”
Yu Miaoping, realizing she had plenty of time to monopolize their mother later—while her sister was the pitiable one with limited opportunities—obediently left, even standing guard outside the door.
Once alone, Yu Miaohua immediately produced the Life-Extending Pill.
She also checked the lifespans of five people—Yu Miaoping was a must, as were her two married cousins, especially since one was pregnant. In these times, childbirth was like crossing the gates of the underworld, a harrowing ordeal.
Speaking of pregnancy, Yu Miaohua thought of Noble Lady Sun and used one of the slots on her.
The last was reserved for Consort Yuan Huirou.
When the results appeared, Yu Miaohua was stunned—her sister Yu Miaoping would live only to 41, despite being the healthiest among them.
Noble Lady Sun had less than a year left, passing on the nineteenth day of the first month next year.
Was it due to complications during childbirth?
Yu Miaohua resolved to personally oversee the delivery. If necessary, she’d exchange another Life-Extending Pill for her.
Her cousins’ lifespans stretched past fifty, so they weren’t a concern.
As for Yu Miaoping, Yu Miaohua needed to uncover the cause of her early death and reserve a Life-Extending Pill for her.
Suppressing her unease, she popped the pill straight into her mother’s mouth.
Before Wang Yaning could react, something icy melted on her tongue.
Then she saw the blue-glazed vial in her daughter’s hand—the swirling mist design was unmistakable.
“You—how could you just give this to me?” She kept her voice hushed. “Why didn’t you take it yourself?”
Yu Miaohua pouted. “Mother, don’t worry. I have the face of longevity—I don’t need this.”
“When Father holds his birthday celebration in the capital, I’ll force one on him too.”
Wang Yaning understood why her daughter kept this secret. If people knew she could casually produce Life-Extending Pills… the consequences were unthinkable.
Yes, this had to remain hidden—even from Yu Miaoping, lest the girl’s youthful excitement betray them.
Yu Miaohua then proudly showed off the custom porcelain she’d commissioned.
At the sight of the familiar paintings, Wang Yaning’s eyes reddened. “That little rascal Yu Miaoping must have sneaked these drawings out.”
And because of these gifts, her daughter had nearly been slandered.
“Well? Do you like them?”
“How could I not?”
Such heartfelt devotion—who wouldn’t cherish it?
With these two daughters, she had no regrets in this life.
As the guest of honor, she knew she shouldn’t linger in her room. But these rare, private moments with her daughter made Wang Yaning wish time would slow.
Since only the Yu and Wang families were present, everyone understood Wang Yaning’s desire for privacy.
It wasn’t until the banquet began that Yu Miaohua returned to her seat.
Because of the palace curfew, she had to leave after eating only half her fill.
Reluctant to go, she consoled herself—compared to the past, things were much better now.
As an imperial consort, with her mother holding the title of a ranked noblewoman, they could meet monthly in the palace.
On the return journey, she and Pei Chiyan still rode in separate carriages.
With nightfall, the guards slowed their pace.
Suddenly, the carriage halted. A guard reported, “Master, there are two people lying on the road ahead.”
Since revealing identities was unwise outside, the guards addressed them simply as “master.”
Yu Miaohua frowned. “Who are they? Be cautious when checking—your safety comes first.”
Lying on the main road at this hour… could they be targeting her?
[System… are these the legendary assassins?]
["...It shouldn't be, Host. Both of them are defenseless, with no hidden weapons or poison on them."]
Yu Miaohua knew her system took her safety seriously. If it said so, then there likely wasn’t any danger.
She stepped down from the carriage without hesitation.
"You shouldn’t have come here." Pei Chiyan had already disembarked, his cold gaze fixed on the two slender figures ahead.
Yu Miaohua rubbed her nose. "I just wanted to see what was happening."
Most of the guards stood protectively in front of them, three with swords drawn and pointed at the two figures on the ground, while another held a lantern, illuminating their faces.
The two women slowly rose to their feet, lifting their heads to reveal strikingly beautiful and delicate features.
A soft, fragile voice reached Yu Miaohua’s ears.
"Is that Noble Consort Hui ahead? We must speak with her—we have something urgent to tell her. We cannot bear to let her live trapped in a web of lies."
"If you don’t trust us, you may bind us. We won’t resist."
Qingluo hurried forward to inspect them, then quickly returned.
"Your Highness, those two women... they resemble you somewhat."
Yu Miaohua’s expression turned peculiar. What a coincidence—on her way back to the palace, she’d encountered women who looked like her.
[Wait, Host, don’t tell me my father secretly raised illegitimate daughters behind my mother’s back?]
At the mention of resemblance, Yu Miaohua’s first thought was whether they might be long-lost half-sisters.
[...Your father would weep if he heard you say that!]
Alright, so that wasn’t the case.
Yu Miaohua knew these two posed no physical threat, but the others weren’t aware of that—they’d never let her approach them carelessly.
So she ordered the guards, "Bind them both and bring them before me."
The two women offered no resistance, allowing themselves to be tied up without protest.
Moments later, Yu Miaohua got a clear look at their faces—the one in the moon-white dress had a profile and demeanor somewhat like hers, especially in the side view. The other had similar eyes. Yet, once brought before her, they only dared a fleeting glance before lowering their heads again.
Yu Miaohua asked, "Who are you two? Who sent you to intercept me?"
The woman in the moon-white dress bit her lip before answering, "We... we are sisters raised by the Marquis of Wulie on his estate. There’s another sister besides us."
"The Marquis trained us to imitate Your Highness’s every gesture, intending to mold us into replacements—to steal your favor."
"Though we are lowly, we have always admired Your Highness’s virtue. We couldn’t bring ourselves to carry out such deceit. So we seized an opportunity to escape."
"We overheard the steward mention that today is the birthday of the Yu family’s matriarch. They debated whether to send gifts to the estate, so we fled beforehand and waited here for Your Highness."
Yu Miaohua’s expression turned wry. "How very noble of you."
"And how exactly did the Marquis plan to get you into the imperial harem?"
She didn’t believe a single word they said.
The younger girl continued, "His Highness the Crown Prince would have arranged everything."
A cold voice cut in. "Are you referring to me? Why would I need to send you into the palace to steal favor? You overestimate yourselves."
Only a handful of people could refer to themselves as "this prince." The two girls jerked their heads up, staring at the strikingly handsome young man beside Yu Miaohua—they had noticed him earlier but assumed he was her cousin.
He was the Crown Prince?
The two women felt as if they’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
