The Dangerous Encounter
"Report to the palace tomorrow morning.”
The officer said
Suyin squealed happily after they left the hall.
“We got accepted!”
Rouxi looked toward the distant imperial palace standing proudly on top of the hill.
Tomorrow…
She would finally return to the place where her life was destroyed.day, the palace gates opened slowly as new servants entered one after another.
Rouxi lifted her eyes toward the massive golden palace before her. Memories instantly flooded her mind.
She remembered walking through these halls proudly as the princess of Shengdong years ago when diplomatic meetings were held between kingdoms.
Back then, she walked beside Gu Yichen.
Now, she returned as nothing more than a servant hiding behind a fake identity.“How ironic,” she thought bitterly.
The servants were led into a large courtyard where an older woman stood waiting for them.
“I am Madam Zhao,” the woman announced coldly. “From today onward, you belong to the imperial palace. Follow the rules carefully if you wish to survive here.”
The word survive caught Rouxi’s attention.
It seemed the palace was still as dangerous as ever.
Madam Zhao began assigning duties to everyone.
“Suyin, kitchen hall.”“Yes, Madam!”
“Li Yue…” Madam Zhao glanced at Rouxi for a moment before continuing. “You will serve in the eastern library.”
Rouxi lowered her head politely.
“Yes, Madam.”
But inwardly, she was surprised.
The eastern library was located near the emperor’s private chambers.
This meant she would have more opportunities to observe Gu Yichen closely.
Perhaps fate itself wanted her revenge to begin sooner.As the servants prepared to leave, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed across the courtyard.
Everyone immediately knelt.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
Rouxi’s body froze.
A familiar figure dressed in black and gold robes slowly walked past the servants.
Gu Yichen.
Even after three years, his presence remained overwhelming. His cold eyes carried authority powerful enough to silence an entire crowd.Rouxi lowered her head instantly, hiding the hatred burning inside her eyes.
Gu Yichen suddenly stopped walking.
The atmosphere turned tense.
Rouxi’s heart tightened slightly as his gaze landed on her.
For a brief moment, silence filled the courtyard.
Then—
“You.”
His deep voice echoed calmly.
Rouxi slowly looked up.
Gu Yichen stared directly at her face with narrowed eyes, as though trying to remember something long forgotten.“Have we met before?” he asked.
The entire courtyard fell silent.
Every servant lowered their heads nervously, afraid of attracting the emperor’s attention. Yet Gu Yichen’s gaze remained fixed on Bai Rouxi.
Her heartbeat quickened slightly, but her expression stayed calm.
If he recognized her now, everything would end before it even began.
Rouxi slowly lowered her eyes respectfully.
“Your Majesty must be mistaken,” she said softly. “This servant has never met the emperor before.”
Gu Yichen continued staring at her.
For some reason, the woman before him felt strangely familiar. Not her face…
But her eyes.
Cold.
Calm.
Dangerous.
They reminded him of someone he could never forget.
Bai Rouxi.
The woman he personally watched disappear in the flames of Shengdong.
But that was impossible.
Rouxi was dead.
At least… that was what he believed for the past three years.
After a long moment, Gu Yichen finally looked away.
“Perhaps I was mistaken,” he said coldly.
The servants secretly sighed in relief.
Madam Zhao quickly stepped forward nervously. “Forgive the disturbance, Your Majesty.”
Gu Yichen said nothing and continued walking away with his guards following behind him.
Only after he disappeared did the tension in the courtyard disappear.
Suyin quickly grabbed Rouxi’s arm.
“You scared me to death!” she whispered. “Why would the emperor suddenly speak to you?”
Rouxi forced a faint smile.
“I don’t know.”
But inside, her hands were already trembling.
Gu Yichen’s instincts were sharper than she expected.
One small mistake could expose her identity completely.
—
Later that evening, Rouxi arrived at the eastern library.
The room was massive, filled with ancient books, scrolls, and expensive paintings. Candles illuminated the quiet hall while guards stood outside the entrance.
“This place hasn’t changed,” Rouxi thought.
She carefully organized the books while secretly observing the palace surroundings.
If she wanted revenge, she needed information first.
Gu Yichen was no longer the prince she once knew. He was now the emperor controlling countless soldiers and ministers. Attacking him recklessly would only lead to her death.
She had to destroy him slowly.
Just as Rouxi reached for another scroll, footsteps suddenly echoed behind her.
Her body stiffened instantly.
“You’re the new servant.”
Gu Yichen’s voice.
Rouxi quickly turned around and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Gu Yichen stood near the doorway dressed in black robes embroidered with golden dragons. Without his crown, he looked less like an emperor and more like the cold prince she once loved.
The sight made Rouxi’s chest ache painfully.
Gu Yichen walked toward her slowly.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Li Yue.”
“And where are you from?”
“A small village near the southern mountains.”
Gu Yichen stopped in front of her.
“Look at me.”
Rouxi slowly lifted her eyes.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Gu Yichen suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Rouxi’s eyes widened slightly.
His grip was firm but not painful.
“These hands…” he murmured quietly.
Rouxi’s heart tightened.
Years ago, Bai Rouxi trained with swords daily. Unlike ordinary noblewomen, her hands carried faint scars from military training.
Gu Yichen had once held those same hands countless times.
“You don’t seem like an ordinary village girl,” he said coldly.
Rouxi quickly pulled her hand away and lowered her head.
“This servant learned martial arts from her late father,” she answered calmly.
Gu Yichen stared at her silently again.
Before he could speak further, a guard suddenly rushed inside.
“Your Majesty!”
Gu Yichen frowned slightly. “What is it?”
“The ministers are waiting for you in the main hall.”
Gu Yichen’s expression darkened slightly with annoyance.
After one final glance at Rouxi, he turned away.
“Continue your work,” he ordered before leaving the library.
The moment he disappeared, Rouxi finally released the breath she had been holding.
“That was close…”
She looked down at her trembling hands.
Gu Yichen was already beginning to suspect her.
If this continued, her revenge plan might fail before it even started.
But then—
Her eyes slowly turned cold again.
“No,” she whispered quietly.
“This time… I will not lose.”
___
Night quietly covered the imperial palace.
The corridors became silent as servants returned to their quarters, but Bai Rouxi remained inside the eastern library arranging scrolls beneath the dim candlelight.
Her expression was calm, yet her mind was restless.
Gu Yichen’s suspicion had already begun.
That was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
She could not afford another mistake.
Rouxi carefully placed a scroll back onto the shelf before noticing something unusual.
One section of the bookshelf was slightly open.
Her eyes narrowed.
“This wasn’t here before…”
Slowly, she pushed the shelf aside and revealed a hidden compartment behind it. Inside lay several old documents covered in dust.
Rouxi quickly picked one up.
The moment she opened it, her expression changed.
Military reports.
And among them…
Documents related to Shengdong.
Her fingers tightened slightly as she continued reading.
Three years ago, before the war began, someone inside Shengdong had secretly provided information to Gu Yichen.
Battle strategies.
Weaknesses in the kingdom’s defense.
Secret military routes.
Someone had betrayed Shengdong from within.
Rouxi’s breathing became heavier.
“No wonder the palace fell so quickly…”
Before she could continue reading, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed outside the library.
Rouxi immediately hid the documents back inside the compartment just as the doors opened.
A beautiful woman dressed in luxurious red robes entered the room.
Her appearance was elegant, but her sharp eyes carried arrogance.
Rouxi instantly recognized her.
Noble Consort Lin.
The daughter of the prime minister and currently the emperor’s favorite woman.
Consort Lin glanced at Rouxi coldly.
“You’re the new servant?”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Consort Lin slowly walked around the library while examining her.
“You have quite a beautiful face for a servant.”
Rouxi remained silent.
Women inside the palace were dangerous creatures. One wrong answer could cost a person’s life.
Consort Lin suddenly stopped near her.
“I heard His Majesty spoke to you today,” she said calmly, though her eyes were cold. “Interesting.”
Rouxi lowered her head politely.
“This servant merely answered His Majesty’s questions.”
Consort Lin smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in it.
“You should remember your position carefully. Some people are not worthy of raising their heads too high inside this palace.”
The warning was clear.
Rouxi calmly replied, “This servant understands.”
Consort Lin stared at her for a moment longer before turning around.
“Good.”
She left the library gracefully with her maids following behind her.
The moment the doors closed, Rouxi’s eyes turned cold.
“The palace truly hasn’t changed,” she thought bitterly.
Schemes.
Jealousy.
Power struggles.
Everyone wore masks while hiding daggers behind their backs.
Suddenly, another memory flashed through her mind.
Years ago, before Shengdong fell, Prime Minister Lin had secretly opposed her influence in court. He hated the fact that a woman held military authority greater than many men.
Could the Lin family have been involved in Shengdong’s destruction?
Rouxi’s eyes darkened dangerously.
Perhaps Gu Yichen was not the only enemy she needed to destroy.
—
Meanwhile, inside the emperor’s chambers, Gu Yichen stood silently by the window.
Moonlight reflected across his cold face while a guard knelt behind him.
“Investigate the new servant called Li Yue,” Gu Yichen ordered calmly.
The guard lowered his head immediately.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After the guard left, Gu Yichen slowly closed his eyes.
That woman…
The more he looked at her, the stronger the strange feeling became.
Especially her eyes.
For the first time in years, the memory of Bai Rouxi resurfaced clearly in his mind.
Her proud expression.
Her cold voice.
The way she once looked at him with complete trust.
A bitter smile suddenly appeared on his lips.
“Rouxi…”
For three years, he had tried to forget her.
Yet somehow, this mysterious servant was slowly disturbing the peace he had built inside his heart.
Gu Yichen opened his eyes again, his gaze dark and unreadable.
“If you truly are alive…” he murmured quietly.
“Then why have you returned?”
