Seeing Shen Wei take the antidote, Li Yuanjing couldn’t help but recall the slow-acting poison she had ingested.
The Empress was ruthless, having bribed the Imperial Physician to increase the dosage of herbs in Shen Wei’s contraceptive soup. If not discovered in time, Shen Wei might not have lived much longer.
And it wasn’t just Shen Wei who suffered—the Empress Dowager and Leyou had also nearly fallen victim.
The Empress represented the Tantai family.
Li Yuanjing fell into a brief silence.
Meanwhile, inside Qinghua Palace, Tantai Yinxue, dressed in an elegant purple gown, waited patiently.
Since childhood, she had been the jewel of the Tantai family—a refined lady of exceptional beauty and talent, well-versed in literature. Compared to the fading flowers of the harem, who had lost their youthful allure, Tantai Yinxue held an absolute advantage in age.
The Empress was useless, but Tantai Yinxue was ambitious.
She would never be as foolish as Tantai Shuya, digging her own grave. Tantai Yinxue planned to adopt the Empress’s children, bear a prince of her own, and, with the support of the Tantai family, ascend to the throne as Empress.
She wanted to become the new mother of the nation!
Tantai Yinxue secretly believed that with her noble lineage, the Emperor would surely confer upon her the title of Noble Lady. If luck favored her, she might even be directly named a Concubine and summoned to the imperial bedchamber that very night.
Qinghua Palace was silent, everyone awaiting the Emperor’s decree.
Among the noblewomen, Lu Yun clenched her handkerchief, a sense of crisis rising within her. In her dreams, after Empress Tantai Shuya’s death, the Tantai family had sent Tantai Yinxue into the palace.
Tantai Yinxue had enjoyed the Emperor’s favor for a time, but later, when the Tantai family angered the Emperor, the main branch was exterminated, and the collateral branches were exiled to the bitter northern lands. Tantai Yinxue was consigned to the Cold Palace, where she died in despair, leaving little mark on the harem.
“Strange… this differs from the future in my dream,” Lu Yun murmured to herself.
At that moment, the Emperor’s low voice resonated from behind the beaded curtain: “Truly a daughter of the Tantai family—peerless in music and breathtaking in beauty. Dressed in purple, you bloom like a wisteria.”
Tantai Yinxue’s cheeks flushed, her heart pounding.
Though burdened with her family’s ambitions, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of attraction toward the young and handsome Emperor.
To monopolize his favor would be a blessing indeed.
Then, the Emperor’s unhurried voice rang out once more: “Huayang Palace is planted with many wisterias. We confer upon you the rank of Jieyu, and you shall reside in Huayang Palace.”
The announcement sent shockwaves through the hall.
Tantai Yinxue, brimming with confidence, widened her eyes in disbelief. She had expected at least the title of Noble Lady, yet the Emperor had granted her only the lowly rank of Jieyu.
According to the Qing dynasty’s harem hierarchy, the ranks descended as follows: Empress, Imperial Concubine, Consort, Concubine, Noble Lady, Jieyu, and Beauty.
Li Yuanjing had not only relegated Tantai Yinxue to Jieyu but also denied her a private residence, forcing her to share Huayang Palace with Concubine Lan.
Tantai Yinxue nearly lost control, tears of humiliation welling in her eyes. But Madam Tantai stepped forward, firmly grasping her hand and whispering, “Bow and give thanks.”
Madam Tantai sighed inwardly.
The Emperor’s lingering resentment toward the Empress had extended to the Tantai family. But time would temper his wrath.
As long as Tantai Yinxue won his favor and bore him a son, the family’s fortunes would rise again.
Tantai Yinxue was no fool—she quickly grasped Madam Tantai’s meaning. Once inside the palace, she would have opportunities to shine.
With her stunning looks and the secret arts taught by experienced matrons, she could ensnare the Emperor’s heart the moment he stepped into her bedchamber.
Thus, Tantai Yinxue knelt in gratitude, her face betraying no resentment, her gaze still filled with admiration for the Emperor.
After the conferment, Tantai Yinxue followed the eunuch from the Internal Affairs Office to prepare for her entry into the palace.
Concubine Lan, the mistress of Huayang Palace, tightened her grip on her handkerchief. “Once you step into my domain, don’t expect to make waves,” she thought darkly.
With the minor drama concluded, the musicians resumed their performances, and the banquet’s lively atmosphere returned.
Li Yuanjing swirled his wine cup, his gaze drifting toward Shen Wei, who had just finished her antidote and was now nibbling on a candied date to mask the bitterness, her dark eyes darting around curiously.
Through the beaded curtain, their eyes met by chance.
Li Yuanjing arched a brow, his expression teasing: “We only made her a Jieyu. Are you pleased?”
Shen Wei feigned ignorance, lowering her head in pretended shyness—though the corners of her lips curled upward.
Li Yuanjing found her guilty expression adorable, like a mischievous kitten caught red-handed.
He saw right through her act—drinking the antidote in front of him was a clumsy reminder of past grievances.
Yet it secretly delighted him. The arrival of a stunning newcomer had made his Weiwei jealous.
Jealousy meant she cared.
He adored her little schemes and the way she pretended not to care.
Shen Wei continued her “guilty” tea-sipping, inwardly awarding herself full marks for her performance—playing the “jealous concubine caught in the act” was no easy feat, but it had worked.
As the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet neared its end, a minister arrived with updates on the southern floods, prompting Li Yuanjing to depart early for Chang’an Palace.
With the Emperor gone, the festivities soon concluded.
Lu Xuan, who had remained inconspicuous throughout, finally relaxed.
She couldn’t reveal her pregnancy at the banquet—not with the ambitious Tantai Yinxue entering the palace and the ever-watchful Imperial Concubine lying in wait.
Then, Consort Zhang Miaoyu suddenly clutched her stomach, moaning in pain.
“Your Majesty! This humble one is in agony—I cannot move… Please summon an Imperial Physician.”
Imperial banquets always had physicians stationed outside for emergencies.
The Empress Dowager nodded, and an elderly matron fetched Moxun, the Imperial Physician.
Dressed in his official blue robe and cap, Moxun stood three feet away, swiftly observing Zhang Miaoyu’s face and fingers.
After a moment, he bowed. “May this servant request the lady’s maid to press along the edge of Consort Zhang’s left index finger, from tip to base, ten times?”
The maid complied.
Within minutes, Zhang Miaoyu’s pain vanished. Astonished, she exclaimed, “How remarkable! Without even taking my pulse, you cured me!”
The other ladies watched in fascination.
Moxun cleared his throat and bowed to the Empress Dowager. “Your Majesty, esteemed ladies, this humble one began studying medicine at the age of one. My skills are such that minor ailments require no pulse-taking—observation suffices. Only grave illnesses demand a diagnosis.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.
Shen Wei, playing the part of the amazed spectator, widened her eyes. “Truly?”
