Chu Lian's eyes, which seemed to be drooping, were filled with a mocking smile. Indeed, her hard work had not been in vain, and it was only a brief encounter that made Xiurong take notice of her now.

  The old man took out a token and Chu Lian hurriedly knelt down to thank him.

  Beside her, Chu Wanru was overjoyed. The Emperor had only seen her once and yet he had already given a token to Chu Lianru for her sake. From now on, she would surely be favored by the Emperor. At that time, not to mention Zeng Lan, that lowly woman, even the legendary imperial concubine who was said to be cherished by the Emperor would have to step down.

  Thinking so, Chu Wanru's face became even more joyful, and in her heart, she secretly rejoiced at the arrival of this younger sister today, as well as the good idea of releasing paper kites.

  Xu Rong's gaze lingered on Chu Lianruo's face for a moment before he turned and left.

  Li Gonggong, who had been by the Emperor's side for a long time, naturally saw the Emperor's unusual attention to the Crown Prince's consort at a glance. It was well-known that the Crown Prince liked men, and it seemed that he only had a nominal relationship with his wife, but not a real one. If he wanted to find a way to bring Chu Lian into the palace, the Emperor would surely be overjoyed. Thinking this, Li Gonggong's aged face revealed a meaningful smile.

  With today's encounter, Chu Wanruo's mood naturally improved a lot, and her attitude towards Chu Lianruo was even more enthusiastic, as if she had forgotten how she used to bully this younger sister.

  Chu Lianruo and Chu Wanruo chatted with each other for a while, then got up and bid farewell.

  Today was another day of practicing Tai Chi with this group of people, Chu Lian felt suffocated in her chest and after getting on the carriage, she let out a sigh of relief, closed her eyes to calm herself.

  Although she was reborn for the sake of revenge, her previous life's self was still a dignified and elegant empress. Such childish play-acting was not something she would have deigned to do. Now that she had to act like this, it was truly embarrassing. Moreover, being unable to avenge her family while the person she hated with a burning passion stood right in front of her was a heart-wrenching thing.

  Thinking of Xiurong's face, which is now within arm's reach, Chulian's slender eyebrows have already been raised high. Xiurong, just you wait, one day I'll make you taste the flavor of being a prisoner under my feet, and I'll also let you know what it feels like to have your fate controlled by someone else.

  Returning to the mansion, Chulianruo went straight back to the Qian Niao Pavilion. Although it was already late and she was extremely tired, Chulianruo still headed towards Youmeng's residence. To her, Youmeng was like a benefactor, and she had developed a habit of visiting him and Lianjing every night before sleep.

  Just as they were walking in the corridor, before they could enter the house, Mei Cui came running over with a slightly flustered expression. Chu Lian's face changed and her eyes sank.

  Upon seeing Chu Lianruo, Mei Zhuang hastily paid her respects and said: "Concubine Wang, Yu Dajie and Lan Jing Ajie are nowhere to be found."

  Chu Lianruo's body shook, and she pushed open the door to rush inside. The personal belongings of the two people were already gone. Chu Lianruo paused for a moment, then sighed: "It seems that Mr. You and Aunt Lan have left on their own."

  Chu Lian sat on the bed, and suddenly felt a silent sense of loss in her heart. Since her rebirth, she had always placed revenge in the most important position, but also cherished those who truly treated her with kindness by her side. In her previous life, she had encountered unkind people, and those who were as close to her as sisters had harmed the child in her womb, even taking her own life; the man she had wholeheartedly regarded as her life had taken the lives of her family members without batting an eye.