Zhang Miaoyu let out a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this and plopped down onto the nearby rosewood chair. "That’s good. So, the rumor about you giving Doctor Mo a handkerchief is false?"
Shen Wei shrugged. "I did give him a handkerchief."
Zhang Miaoyu nearly fell off her chair. Her eyes widened, and she stammered, "Th-th-then, is it also true that you were alone with Doctor Mo during the day, with your clothes in disarray?"
Shen Wei nodded. "It’s true. I’ve been going to the Imperial Hospital these past few days to spend time with Doctor Mo."
Zhang Miaoyu’s face turned ashen.
Her expression twisted into one of exasperation as she grabbed Shen Wei’s sleeve. "You—you’re utterly reckless! With so many eyes watching in the imperial harem, how could you do such a thing? What about Le You? What about Chengtai and Chengyou? How could you—how could you—I don’t even know what to say to you!"
She paced around anxiously.
Doctor Mo was handsome and refined, and many palace maids secretly admired him. But Shen Wei was already an imperial consort, the emperor’s favorite! How could she also develop feelings for Doctor Mo?
Zhang Miaoyu couldn’t comprehend it. She even wondered if Shen Wei had been cursed to commit such an outrageous scandal.
After a moment of frantic deliberation, Zhang Miaoyu suddenly stood up, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes. "I’ll go poison Doctor Mo. Dead men tell no tales—this way, we can still protect you."
With that, she lifted her skirts and made to rush out. Shen Wei quickly grabbed her, urgently dissuading her. "No! Sister Miaoyu, don’t act rashly. His Majesty will handle this matter."
Zhang Miaoyu froze in shock. "His Majesty... knows about you and Doctor Mo?"
Shen Wei smiled. "He’s known for a while."
Zhang Miaoyu turned into a statue, stiffly rooted to the spot.
After a long pause, she swallowed hard, her face twisting with disbelief as she muttered, "Who would’ve thought... His Majesty actually has such... peculiar tastes..."
Shen Wei couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh.
...
After the morning court session, Li Yuanjing kept the Ministry of War officials behind to discuss strategies for dealing with the barbarians at the border.
It wasn’t until noon that he finished drafting an imperial decree, ordering it to be delivered posthaste to Liangzhou City. Shen Mieyue and Sun Qingmei were both rare talents in warfare, and with their combined forces with the Yue Kingdom’s army, they would surely repel the barbarians.
They might even expand Da Qing’s territory by annexing the barbarians’ lands.
Expanding the empire’s borders had always been the ambition of every ruler.
"Your Majesty, the midday meal has been prepared. Please eat, or Consort Chen will worry again," De Shun reminded softly as he entered Chang’an Palace with a bow.
Li Yuanjing set down the memorial in his hand. "Where did the palace rumors originate?"
De Shun bowed even lower. "Your Majesty, this servant investigated carefully. Yesterday, Consort Shen went to the Imperial Hospital to review the Empress Dowager’s medical records, then visited Doctor Mo’s residence. A senior maid from Changxin Palace, Little Qin, accidentally barged in and saw Consort Shen and Doctor Mo in disarray... The rumors spread like wildfire."
De Shun didn’t dare hide anything, reporting truthfully.
He knew Consort Chen well—she wouldn’t have carelessly exposed such a glaring mistake. Clearly, this was intentional.
Li Yuanjing’s dark eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice icy. "A maid from Changxin Palace dared to barge into a physician’s residence uninvited?"
De Shun replied awkwardly, "This... this servant isn’t certain."
The more Li Yuanjing thought about it, the angrier he became. A mere palace maid wouldn’t have the audacity—this had to be Changxin Palace stirring up trouble.
Lu Xuan was pregnant, yet she still refused to behave. The Lu family in Yunzhou was also growing restless, greedily swallowing the assets left behind by the Xie family.
Li Yuanjing even suspected that Lu Xuan was targeting Shen Wei to suppress the Shen family and elevate the Lu family.
"Go to Changxin Palace," he ordered coldly.
...
...
In Changxin Palace, Lu Xuan was having her midday meal.
Her mind was unsettled.
Last night, two eunuchs had been beaten to death, and the palace gossip had mostly died down. But Lu Xuan was restless, her jealousy gnawing at her like a flood eroding her sanity. She never imagined the emperor would shield Shen Wei to this extent!
Lu Xuan felt an overwhelming sense of threat.
She had to eliminate Shen Wei.
If Shen Wei gained more power, the Lu family would never rise again.
"Mother, have a drumstick," came her son’s soft voice. Li Chengjue held out a braised chicken leg, his dark, gem-like eyes sparkling.
Lu Xuan’s heart softened, her expression easing. "But you love drumsticks the most. Why give it to me?"
Li Chengjue replied obediently, "I want Mother to be happy. You’ve been sad a lot lately."
Lu Xuan’s nose stung. She nodded gently. "Good child."
Every woman in the harem with children fought for their family’s sake. Seeing her son so thoughtful and well-behaved only strengthened Lu Xuan’s resolve to remove Shen Wei.
Just as the mother and son were enjoying the drumstick, a palace attendant announced—
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Lu Xuan’s heart leaped with joy. She quickly set down her jade chopsticks and took Li Chengjue to the entrance to greet the emperor.
It had been a long time since the emperor last visited for a meal, and his sudden appearance today left Lu Xuan pleasantly surprised.
The imperial procession halted at the gates of Changxin Palace, and Li Yuanjing’s handsome face came into view.
Lu Xuan’s nose tingled again. Though the emperor was heartless, her love for him was genuine. Seeing how much he doted on Shen Wei filled her with envy.
She stepped forward to curtsy.
Li Chengjue also ran over happily, clumsily performing the court etiquette he’d learned from the palace maids. "This child... greets Father."
Li Yuanjing’s expression was unreadable as he nodded. "Rise."
Lu Xuan followed him into the inner chamber, where a table laden with exquisite dishes steamed with fragrant heat. Little Qin had already brought out fresh jade chopsticks and a bowl, placing them respectfully at the head seat.
Li Yuanjing sat but did not eat.
His gaze fell on Lu Xuan’s belly, his tone calm. "Two more months?"
Lu Xuan’s delicate face flushed with shy delight as she nodded gently. "Your Majesty is correct. In two months, I will give birth. The imperial physician says the child is very lively."
Seeing the emperor’s concern for her condition, Lu Xuan’s heart fluttered again.
It was as if they had returned to the harmonious days of the past.
Li Yuanjing said, "Since you’re with child, you should rest peacefully and refrain from scheming."
The smile on Lu Xuan’s lips froze. She blinked in momentary confusion before quickly masking her reaction with an innocent look, as if she didn’t understand his meaning.
Li Yuanjing turned to the maid waiting by the table. "Your name is Little Qin?"
Little Qin hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. This servant is Little Qin."
Her back prickled with cold sweat. The emperor’s emotionless tone filled her with dread.
Her throat tightened with unease.
The next moment, she heard the emperor’s chilling voice.
"A scheming troublemaker like you has no place in the imperial harem."
"Drag her out and beat her to death. Send the body back to the Lu residence in Yunzhou. Let Duke of Lu reflect deeply on his failings."
