[Oh, as soon as Jiang Yan arrived, Emperor Xue quickly took Ruan Ruan away. Emperor Xue is a bit too cautious about giving rivals any chance!]

[No chances for the rival, Emperor Xue is possessive!]

[Sigh, when will Jiang Yan have a chance? I really like the dramatic scenes.]

Ye Xingyu also considered leaving, but he couldn’t go anywhere. He could only sit there uncomfortably.

After Xue Wu and Ruan Qiu left, Qin Shuangyu’s expression changed. She turned to Jiang Yan and said, “The task I assigned to you last time wasn’t done thoroughly.”

“The madness drug you provided to Qiu Yingying seems to have lost its effect.” Qin Shuangyu continued, “Lady Qi used the drug on the Empress. Initially mad for half a month, the Empress suddenly became clear-headed and is now demanding to see the Emperor.”

“Prepare another dose for her, and this time, no room for error. Understand?” Qin Shuangyu reclined lazily, her smile radiant, but her words carried a chilling tone, “If she remains clear-headed, be mindful of your own neck.”

[The person in most danger in the palace is unexpectedly the royal physician! One mistake and he’ll face extermination!]

[There was once a royal physician who had an affair with a palace lady, he ended up castrating himself (smoking emoji).]

[Being a royal physician is really high-risk. Seeing this, both Jiang Yan and Xue Wu are in danger.]

Ye Xingyu stared at Jiang Yan in shock, not expecting him to have such a role this time.

Qin Shuangyu glanced at Ye Xingyu and continued saying with a smile, “What are you pretending for? The method to drug Empress Wan was your idea. Since you wanted to marry the Emperor so badly, I can spare his life if you truly desire it.”

Jiang Yan looked at Ye Xingyu in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Ye Xingyu to harbor such intentions towards Xue Wu.

Ye Xingyu hastily reached out, “No, no, no, Empress Dowager, I don’t like the Emperor at all!”

Absolutely not. He couldn’t be paired with Xue Wu. Such a CP would be suppressed from above.

“Alright then.” Qin Shuangyu was pleased. She didn’t want anyone ruining her Xue-Ruan CP. Suddenly, she found Ye Xingyu more agreeable. “If you don’t like him, that’s fine. I’ll find another young talent for you.”

[Ye Xingyu: Absolutely rejected.]

[Ye Xingyu’s survival instincts are strong, hahaha!]

[Quickly, check this out! Xue Wu and Ruan Qiu haven’t left!]

[They’re so openly eavesdropping. Is this even okay? Hahaha.]

As Xue Wu and Ruan Qiu walked out of the main door, Ruan Qiu tugged at Xue Wu’s sleeve, pointing to the now-closed door.

Xue Wu immediately understood. Both of them approached the door, pretending to leave, and started eavesdropping on the conversation inside.

The palace maid who initially intended to remind them to leave and inform the Empress Dowager was startled when she met their gaze, making her silently lower her head.

Upon hearing the mention of the “Empress”, Ruan Qiu instinctively glanced at Xue Wu. Then, hearing about Ye Xingyu’s role as a County Princess wanting to marry the Emperor, her expression became somewhat peculiar. When she learned about the Empress Dowager’s intention to harm Xue Wu, she furrowed her brows, tugging at Xue Wu’s sleeve to signal they could leave. 

The director didn’t expect Ruan Qiu to eavesdrop so openly. He quickly signaled Qin Shuangyu not to speak any further, preventing the leakage of more plot details that might lead to a situation similar to the previous one.

Watching Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu leave the door, heading towards the Emperor’s sleeping quarters, the director decided not to provide them with new plot clues that day.

Unaware of being targeted by the director, Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu, walking away, were still contemplating when the Empress Dowager would make a move. Xue Wu, looking at Ruan Qiu, recalled the odd look she gave him earlier, thinking about it while Ruan Qiu was in a daze. After a few seconds, he said, “I don’t want the harem.”

Ruan Qiu turned her head, questioning, “Hmm?”

“I have no desire to establish a harem.” Xue Wu said, “If I truly love someone, I would never let her suffer in the harem. Instead, I would stay with her day and night, accompanying her throughout her life.”

[Although it sounds like the lines of a playboy, when paired with Xue Wu’s face and the deep look in his eyes, it’s genuinely touching!]

[I finally understand why so many girls are deceived by playboys (facepalm).]

[The one with a harem is the Emperor, what does that have to do with our Xue Wu?!]

Ruan Qiu blinked, feeling that Xue Wu might be trying to play up their relationship. After contemplating for a few seconds, she responded, “Then I wish the emperor… can find such a person soon.”

Originally, she wanted to add, “I hope I can be the one in the Emperor’s heart,” but she felt that such a move might be too aggressive and could cause a backlash from the audience, so she refrained.

[The person he’s talking about is you, silly girl!]

[Ruan Qiu’s eyelash-fluttering just now looked so heartbreaking; did she misunderstand that Xue Wu likes someone else? No!]

[Xue Wu, are you hesitating? Confess quickly!]

As if hearing the audience’s plaintive voices in the barrage, Xue Wu chuckled lightly, “Well, thank you for your kind words. I will surely make her understand my feelings soon.”

Ruan Qiu looked puzzled, “Hmm?”

[Come on, Ruan Qiu, quickly catch on! He’s talking about you!]

[I’m so anxious! I wish I could rush into the screen and make them confess to each other, then quickly proceed to the love, marriage, and having children trilogy!]

[Darn it! They have me in their hands; I want them to confess and get together quickly, but I can’t bear to see the end of their current ambiguous period!]

Seeing that Ruan Qiu didn’t grasp his meaning, Xue Wu didn’t insist, as he was prepared to take it slow. He smiled and said to Ruan Qiu, “Let’s go, and check out the main hall.”

The main hall was where the Emperor’s court scenes were filmed, very spacious but Xue Wu felt it was necessary to investigate, to see if they could find any clues.

As Xue Wu and Ruan Qiu arrived at the main hall, on the other side, Jiang Yan, accompanied by the young medicine apprentice, left the Empress Dowager’s quarters. Following behind, unaware that the Empress Dowager was using the pretext of fetching medicine to secretly acquire poison, was Zhou Ping.