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Chapter 24: Retaliation Plan

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Ling Xiao’s gaze also aroused He Baolin’s attention. She looked in Ling Xiao’s direction and suddenly stood up when she saw clearly that it was him.

Ling Xiao regretted that he could not longer continue to watch the scene of Mo Qi getting beaten up and unhurriedly got up. He patted the dust away from his clothes and walked over to He Baolin to pay the proper courtesy.

He Baolin’s gaze was complicated as she looked at Ling Xiao, wanting to say something, but hesitated. In the end, she coldly humphed and hatefully stamped her foot once, then turned around to leave with her maids.

Ling Xiao frowned at her back figure.

It looks like the matter about the Emperor rewarding him wasn’t just known to the three Imperial Highnesses…

This He Baolin also had her own thoughts.

However, He Balin had always feared the strong. Although Ling Xiao was still a servant with his position as a Eunuch Steward, he had received the Emperor’s favor. Not only that, he had also received all sorts of privileges from the Emperor, which showed that he was not only just a simple Eunuch Steward in the Emperor’s heart. He Baolin did not dare to provoke Ling Xiao while he was in his current position.

As such, she directly took her people and left.

Ling Xiao looked away, but was suddenly slapped in the back. Taking the pain, Ling Xiao turned around to see a miserable Mo Qi with her snot and tears running as she threw herself into his embrace.

Ling Xiao hurriedly dodged out of the way and looked at her in disdain, asking, “Palace Woman Mo, what are you doing?”

“Ling Xiao~” Mo Qi cried out.

Ling Xiao looked at her mockingly.

“Ling Xiao, they are all bullying me! Where have you been!” Mo Qi sobbed, yet when she opened her eyes, they were radiant.

Ling Xiao saw that and sneered, “Mo Qi, I always wanted to tell you something.”

After saying that, he approached Mo Qi and continued in a loathing tone, “Your acting is really bad.”

Mo Qi stared blankly and her weeping ended spontaneously. She clenched her teeth and hatefully glared at Ling Xiao, her gaze full of unwillingness.

“Why can you obtain the Emperor’s favor? Why can you mix into this palace like a fish back in water? Why are you not helping me! Why!”

Since she was seen through, Mo Qi did not bother to act anymore and directly looked at Ling Xiao with a face full of jealousy. She was also extremely resentful at Ling Xiao for not helping her.

“I regret it! Ling Xiao, I shouldn’t have let you enter the palace!”

“Ha!” Ling Xiao laughed at what she said, “It’s a pity that it’s already too late!”

“……” Mo Qi glared at Ling Xiao with her clenched teeth and finally said, “I want you to help me with something, will you help or not!”

Ling Xiao sneered once.

Mo Qi bit her lips, “If you don’t help me, I’ll tell the Emperor your secret!”

Ling Xiao rolled his eyes when he heard that. He thought Mo Qi would have matured some after experiencing the setbacks this time, but he didn’t expect that she was as stupid as before.

“Leaving aside how you are unable to see the Emperor, even if you were able to, by the time you had those thoughts, the Prime Minister would not let you off.” His icy eyes gazed at Mo Qi as he stated.

Mo Qi was intimidated by Ling Xiao’s sinister gaze and retreated a step. She clenched her fist and said, “Do you want to bet? Bet whether or not I will live to tell the Emperor the secret?”

Ling Xiao gave Mo Qi a glance, his face full of contempt, “Do as you wish. If you can do it, then I’ll wait for it.”

Ling Xiao moved past Mo Qi after he finished his words. Seeing that her threat didn’t work against Ling Xiao, Mo Qi just watched his back figure as he left.

Ling Xiao was her only chance. Her only chance at leaving Chu Xiu Palace, this trashy place!

Even though she knew that the Ling Xiao now was not the same one that cherished and protected her, she still could not let him go!

Since threatening him didn’t work, then…

Mo Qi suddenly rushed forward and hugged Ling Xiao from behind.

Ling Xiao shook and grabbed her hand, coldly turning around, “What are you doing? Palace Woman Mo, did you forget that after the Emperor flipped your plate, you are now the Emperor’s woman. Did you forget that?”

Mo Qi looked upward and enchantingly smiled, “This kind of matter, as long as you don’t speak of it nor do I speak of it, how would the Emperor know? Ling Xiao~ I have always known your intentions, you want me right? As long as you help me, I can give everything to you. My heart, myself… my body… I can give it all to you.”

Mo Qi slightly pushed aside the shoulder of her clothing as she said so and exposed her fragrant shoulder. Ling Xiao’s face also thoroughly darkened, his face ugly like he had eaten a fly, and he abruptly pushed away Mo Qi, cursing her, “Whore!”

After being pushed to the ground, with her battered and exhausted appearance as well as her long messy hair covering half her face, she looked wan and sallow. None of her former beauty showed.

She started to sob, her tears dropping as she went into wretched mode.

“Ling Xiao, is it really that hard for you to just help me? If you helped me I would forever remember you.”

“Just this one time, just this one time okay?” Mo Qi cried and said, “I heard Elder Lin speak a few days ago about how some noble guest was coming over from the neighboring country. The Emperor is going to hold a banquet in the Imperial Garden and intended to have us show the noble guest a talent. Besides the three concubines, the rest of us women must all prepare some sort of talent to show.”

Ling Xiao stared blankly. He did remember this matter. It had happened in his last life and was organized by Steward Xu. But in this lifetime, Steward Xu was gone, so it must go through him. Even so, he had not heard anything about it. Rather, the ones that heard about it were Mo Qi and Elder Lin.

Ling Xiao collected himself. The news they’d gotten should have come from the Prime Minister and just been decided by the Emperor. So perhaps it just hadn’t been passed down to him yet.

While he thought that, he looked down at Mo Qi and asked, “So you want me to help you display a talent?”

This was what Mo Qi done in his past lifetime, and in this lifetime, Mo Qi also fiercely nodded her head, “My appearance has been damaged these days, nor do I have any talent I can depend on. The banquet is my only opportunity, but if I rely on myself, I can’t do it. Ling Xiao, help me, you’re an art student and your talent has always been outstanding. Although you are a man, you are bound to have a way. You always have been the smartest.”

Ling Xiao pursed his lips. It was true that in his last lifetime, he had used his own way of helping Mo Qi. It was also because of that that Mo Qi gained another stubborn pursuer…

In this lifetime, he really had no reason to help her.

However… Ling Xiao made a fist. Mo Qi had made countless errors in the Emperor’s palace to the point that, if it were any other person, they would have died thousands of times by now. Even so, Mo Qi was still alive and well right now.

What was even more unfathomable was that even though the Emperor was fully aware that Mo Qi and Lan Wei were passing each other letters with unclear and unknown sentiments of each other, he still decided to leave Mo Qi be. Even the Prime Minister’s Household only suffered a small penalty.

This had caused Ling Xiao to be very shocked. Ling Xiao had also thought about just how much he needed to do for Mo Qi to finally be forced to commit suicide on orders and not leave a stain on him at the same time… but he hadn’t figured out any good means at all.

However, now the chance had come.

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