Lu Meng flopped down into the shade, lying on the ground and nearly letting out a sigh of relief.
The ground is so cool!
Then she just lay there, motionless, pretending to be a dead fish.
Lu Meng was pretty good at pretending—skills including but not limited to sleeping, fainting, snoring... all the usual tricks an ordinary person might have up their sleeve.
Anyway, she was just going to lie there and play dead, not waking up no matter what. This isn’t some cultivation or martial arts novel; who would be able to tell she was faking a faint?
Lu Meng lay on the ground thoroughly enjoying herself, listening as the maidservants and new attendants she’d brought with her rushed over anxiously. Then, the usually wooden and stiff palace staff serving the Empress Dowager suddenly came to life. Some of them rushed toward Lu Meng, while two others ran into the hall to report the situation.
Just at that moment, the reigning Emperor and his court officials had finished their meeting and were bringing several princes over to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. But as soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw the servants carrying Lu Meng, trying to take her to a side chamber.
Lu Meng’s frame was slender, to put it mildly, but she was wearing layers upon layers of clothing, spread out all over the ground, making it difficult to get a grip. The little eunuchs were about her size, and the maidservants couldn’t lift her on their own, so it took two people to carry her—one holding her head, the other her feet.
The terrible marks on Lu Meng’s neck were fully exposed. When the Emperor and his entourage came in, they all saw them clearly.
It was downright ugly.
Soon, a eunuch beside the Emperor whispered a few words into his ear, and the Emperor’s expression immediately darkened.
It turned out this was the newly married concubine of the Third Prince, who had come to the palace today to pay respects to the Empress Dowager—only to be forced to kneel outside the door!
The Empress Dowager had made things difficult for her grandson’s new wife, punishing her to the point of fainting from kneeling, and the Emperor had just caught sight of it all.
The Empress Dowager was not the Emperor’s birth mother. Although their “mother-son” relationship had been decent over the years, lamb meat could never fit a dog’s body.
No matter how much respect the Emperor usually showed her as Empress Dowager, this time he paused outside her chamber, his usually imposing face lined with tension, his smile looking strained and unfriendly. His expression turned grave, radiating an intimidating aura.
After all, he had been in power for a long time. Without saying a word, the Emperor glanced at the carried-away Lu Meng, then turned around and quietly told the princes, “I just remembered I need to summon the Grand Commandant. You all go inside and pay respects to the Empress Dowager.”
With that, the Emperor turned and strode away, sleeves sweeping as he left.
Inside the hall, the Empress Dowager had been halfway through putting on airs, intending to use the excuse of an afternoon nap to make things difficult for the concubine of Prince Jian'an.
But upon hearing the Emperor’s cold departure, she, already advanced in years, felt a sudden unease.
Though the Emperor was not her biological son, he had treated her well all these years.
Back then, the two of them had worked together—court and harem alike—to defeat the Emperor’s brothers and help him ascend the throne. The Empress Dowager, a childless consort, became the ultimate winner in life, honored as the one and only Empress Dowager.
She had ruled the harem with an iron fist for years, and in her old age, she was like a living Buddha—no one dared to disrespect her. Over time, she had grown so accustomed to her “throne” that she found it hard to step down.
Who would have thought that today's incident would not only turn ugly but also be witnessed by the Emperor himself? After the Emperor left, the princes in the courtyard wore various expressions, none more flustered than the Fourth Prince—the very “culprit” behind today’s mess.
The Emperor was not his biological father, but the Fourth Prince’s mother was the legitimate daughter of the Chen family, the maternal clan of the Empress Dowager.
It was because of the Fourth Prince that the Emperor had stumbled upon the incident.
Given that the Empress Dowager doted on her own kin, it was only natural she showed him special favor. Just last night, the Fourth Prince had come to the Empress Dowager’s chambers, tearfully pouring out his grievances. He claimed that Prince Jian'an had not only sabotaged his alliance with the Vice Minister of Revenue but had also maneuvered the Emperor into granting the woman he fancied to Prince Jian'an as a concubine.
While the Empress Dowager wasn’t deeply versed in court intrigues, she understood enough. Her fourth grandson was indeed reckless and impulsive, lacking in strategy. Now that the eldest prince was dead and the crown prince had yet to be appointed, the princes were all sharpening their wits to vie for the heir apparent’s position.
Prince Jian'an was the only one among them who had left the palace to establish his own residence and had been granted a princely title. This was largely thanks to his recent campaign in the northern Jiangbei region, where he cracked down on corruption in the official salt trade, exposing a smuggling ring and earning widespread praise among court officials.
The Empress Dowager thought that Prince Jian'an would hardly care about the Vice Minister of Revenue—a man who was more of a liability than an asset.
She suspected that Prince Jian'an had deliberately snatched the woman the Fourth Prince desired, and that the root of the problem lay with the Vice Minister of Revenue’s second daughter herself.
Though she was not known for her reputation in the capital, the Vice Minister’s late wife had been one of the most talented women in the city.
She had nearly entered the palace as a consort herself, but she refused, saying she only wished to devote herself to one man. She trusted the Vice Minister’s smooth words, only to end up a victim of palace intrigue—destroyed by a favored concubine and dying a miserable death.
The Vice Minister’s late wife left behind two daughters. The elder married the renowned General of the Southern Garrisons and moved far to the frontier. The younger daughter, though living a secluded life, had captivated the Fourth Prince with just one meeting—certainly no ordinary woman.
When brothers turn against each other, it’s often over power struggles, alliances, and sometimes even women. It was especially disgraceful now, with the Fourth Prince lacking achievements and reliable supporters, making it unwise to confront the currently rising Prince Jian'an.
And so, the whole affair began.
The Empress Dowager intended to start by punishing the Vice Minister of Revenue’s second daughter, who had entangled herself with two princes—a move that also served as a warning to Prince Jian'an.
Earlier, Wu Linxuan had personally told Lu Meng to prepare—not just in terms of attire but also to brace herself for the Empress Dowager’s harsh scrutiny.
But all these swirling undercurrents and schemes were utterly crushed by Lu Meng, who flopped like a dead fish.
“Whatever you say—overthrowing power, cunning schemes, manipulations—I’m just going to lie down and take it.”
Had the Emperor arrived with the princes to find Lu Meng kneeling outside the hall, begging the Empress Dowager for an audience, he wouldn’t have spared her even a glance.
It was customary for juniors to kneel before their elders.
Yet, as soon as he entered, he saw Lu Meng being carried away by two maids who could barely hold her up—her face pale, her neck mottled with bruises. The Emperor’s anger flared instantly.
He was, of course, aware of the rivalry among the princes and the Empress Dowager’s favoritism, but no matter what, this matter couldn’t be allowed to become such a disgrace.
The Emperor, a man of dignity, stormed off in anger.
The Empress Dowager’s attempt to feign sleep failed miserably. Hastily, she had Lu Meng, who was pretending to be dead, taken to the side hall and summoned the imperial physician.
When the physician arrived and saw Lu Meng drenched in sweat, the skin on her exposed neck mottled with dark purple and black bruises, even though he was the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau and had encountered countless rare and complicated ailments, he had never seen anything like this modern-day “scraping therapy” from the twenty-first century.
He, the Empress Dowager, and everyone who had seen the marks on Lu Meng’s neck as she was dragged by the maidservants all concluded that these marks were the result of — bedroom abuse.
And just as Lu Meng had anticipated, these palace dramas would always claim it was just “a mild cold” or something similar. The old imperial physician was utterly clueless that she was faking unconsciousness!
Or rather, even if he suspected, what could he do? As a man, he had to hold a handkerchief between his hand and her pulse when taking it. Who would dare to lift her eyelids and try to wake her up?
Lu Meng felt she had mastered a life-saving secret!
After the princes had all paid their respects to the Empress Dowager, Wu Linxuan arrived at the side hall where the physician had already finished his diagnosis.
He reported directly to Wu Linxuan, “Your Highness, the Consort has been constitutionally weak since birth, unable to tolerate extreme cold or heat. Her fainting was due to physical weakness.”
“Moreover, she suffered from heatstroke today, likely from insufficient rest last night, leading to deficiency in both qi and blood. I have prescribed medicine; once Consort drinks it, she will awaken without issue.”
Wu Linxuan showed no interest whatsoever in how this so-called “dream woman” had fainted. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the woman lying behind the gauzy curtains, his mind focused on the terrifying marks on her neck—where on earth had they come from?
What shocked him most in the courtyard earlier wasn’t the Emperor, but himself. Those abuse marks—anyone familiar with intimate relations would know exactly what they meant at a glance.
Yet, although Wu Linxuan had drunk the night before, he remembered clearly that he hadn’t so much as touched a finger to this woman!
If he hadn’t asked Xin Ya just now, who confirmed that his consort had never left the sight of the maidservants, Wu Linxuan might have truly believed she’d been stripped and violated by someone else.
Wu Linxuan stood with his hands behind his back, nodding slightly at the physician, choosing to ignore the subtle derision in the old man’s words. The physician was loyal to the Empress Dowager, and this little episode… surely the news of the Consort being abused in bed would spread like wildfire.
The physician exited, but Wu Linxuan kept his eyes narrowed on Lu Meng. He mulled over many possibilities. Xin Ya had made it clear: this woman hadn’t even knelt outside the Empress Dowager’s hall for the length of a single incense stick before collapsing with those dreadful marks all over her.
Wu Linxuan rarely wasted so much thought on a woman, but finally, he arrived at the only plausible conclusion—she had done this to herself, then pretended to faint.
With that, Wu Linxuan strode quickly to the bedside, yanked aside the gauzy curtain, and said to the woman lying there, “Stop pretending. Get up and explain yourself to me.”
Silence.
Wu Linxuan sneered coldly, anger simmering in his heart. This woman was definitely no simpleton—her scheming went deeper than he had imagined.
“Get up, or else…” Wu Linxuan didn’t finish his threat.
But after waiting for a while, the person on the bed still breathed steadily, showing no sign of waking up. Lu Meng didn’t even twitch her eyelashes.
Of course, it wasn’t that she was good at pretending — the main reason was… she had actually fallen asleep!
Everyone knows that if you don’t get enough sleep in the middle of the night, a morning nap can’t make up for it, and you’ll feel drowsy all day long. At first, Lu Meng tried to fake it cautiously, but in the end, even the imperial physicians dared not touch her, much less trick or prick her. After all, she was the prince’s concubine, and there were boundaries between men and women!
Once everyone was completely at ease, her guard dropped, and naturally, she fell sound asleep.
Wu Linxuan’s hand hovered weakly over Lu Meng’s neck as he spoke in a low, threatening voice, “If you dare fake death in front of me, I’ll make sure you truly die.”
Had Lu Meng been awake, she would have jumped up, clung to Wu Linxuan’s leg, and tearfully confessed everything, hoping for leniency.
After all, you don’t mess with the boss! She was counting on the male lead to protect her prosperity and honor for life.
But she was fast asleep, soundly so, and didn’t even feel his grip on her neck.
Wu Linxuan paused for a moment, and seeing that she was truly unconscious, he withdrew his hand, though his eyes were filled with suspicion.
Could it be that she wasn’t faking? Then how did her neck get bruised like that?
Soon, Wu Linxuan had no time to dwell on how Lu Meng had gotten hurt. After speaking with the Empress Dowager, he sent Lu Meng out of the palace and was then summoned by the Emperor.
When he arrived, several princes were already gathered in the Council Hall. The Emperor found a reason to reprimand the Fourth Prince, who was the instigator of the incident, and scolded Wu Linxuan harshly as well. He also assigned a lucrative post overseeing the construction of a palace to the Sixth Prince, who had been watching the drama unfold.
The Sixth Prince was overwhelmed with gratitude, which deeply pricked Wu Linxuan’s pride. This post was no trivial matter, and Wu Linxuan was determined to find a way to reclaim it.
This whole commotion delighted the other princes immensely. The Fourth Prince didn’t even dare to seek the Empress Dowager’s sympathy anymore.
As they left the palace, the other princes went ahead, but the Fourth Prince deliberately lagged behind to walk with Wu Linxuan. After holding back for a long time, he finally couldn’t help but say, “I never thought Third Brother could be so cruel.”
“That kind of beauty… Third Brother really could bring himself to harm her,” the Fourth Prince scoffed. “Could it be because she once intended to marry me, and that’s why you took offense?”
The Fourth Prince’s name was Wu Lincheng, but in reality, he was a hopeless fool. He failed at everything except playing the field. His harem was nearly as large as the Emperor’s. Despite the many women, he called each one “sister” or “little sister,” treating them all like cherished treasures, and he was deeply tender and affectionate toward every single one.
Wu Lincheng deliberately provoked Wu Linxuan, not knowing what else to do. Wu Linxuan hadn’t wanted to respond, but since this incident would eventually spread, even if the Empress Dowager kept it quiet, the other princes would seize the opportunity to sully his name.
So Wu Linxuan decided to goad Wu Lincheng, just to vent verbally. If he could make him blunder again, all the better.
Wu Linxuan said, “She’s indeed a beauty, but don’t you think a beauty is like a blank canvas? Such a beautiful canvas, if left unpainted, isn’t that a pity?”
He was referring to the mysterious bruises on Lu Meng’s body.
Wu Lincheng’s face turned purple with frustration. He fancied himself a charming rogue, believing in mutual consent and tender affection. He could never understand Wu Linxuan’s... perverse tastes!
So he stammered, “You, you, you...” for a long time but couldn’t get a single word out. His eyes reddened with anger, but at the same time, he felt even more pity for Lu Meng.
That’s right, Wu Lincheng was a supporting character—a male side character who professed love for the heroine but only brought her misunderstandings and suffering.
In a tragic romance, there are always a few foolish supporting roles like that.
What Wu Linxuan didn’t know was that his little slip of the tongue today would eventually spiral into a rumor that he peeled beautiful women’s skin every night to use as his canvas. Had he known that, he would have kept his mouth shut tighter than a clam.
And this rumor’s origin was happening right now inside the prince’s residence, where Wu Linxuan was lounging against the imperial concubine’s couch, munching on tribute fruits.
Nothing extraordinary—grapes were actually quite sweet.
Lu Meng was currently riding high on her luck. She had fought a brilliant battle today and even heard that she had driven the emperor away in a huff. When she left the palace, the Empress Dowager hadn’t even mentioned seeing her again—probably never wanting to lay eyes on her for the rest of her life.
How wonderful!
Wu Linxuan, this boss, was truly a blessing—he had a carriage and a house, but “no father, no mother.”
The emperor was busy with state affairs, which was basically the same as not being there. The empress had been dead for many years, and Wu Linxuan’s birth mother was gone too. No wicked mother-in-law, no meddling sisters-in-law, no need to deal with complicated in-law relations.
Most importantly, Wu Linxuan didn’t like her!
Could there really be such a good thing in this world?
Lu Meng lay there, her bones melting with comfort, swinging her legs as she thought about what to eat for dinner.
Just as she was enjoying herself, a maid burst in breathlessly from outside the door: “Madam Meng, the prince is here!”
Lu Meng nearly tumbled off the imperial concubine’s couch. What was Wu Linxuan doing here now?!
Luckily, the maid was even more flustered than Lu Meng. She quickly helped her put on her shoes, tidied her clothes, and supported her to the doorway.
Wu Linxuan strode in confidently. Lu Meng crouched slightly and said, “Your Highness, I pay my respects.”
After Wu Linxuan entered the room, he sat down heavily at the table.
His eyes swept the room once, and all the maids present shrank back under his cold, sharp gaze.
Lu Meng’s heart pounded wildly. Judging by his demeanor, he didn’t seem to have come to comfort her... but rather to interrogate her.
She was terrified inside.
Still, after a moment’s thought, she stepped forward, swallowed hard, and personally poured a cup of tea for Wu Linxuan.
The tea was freshly brewed—scalding hot.
Let it be hot. It wouldn’t burn her lips anyway.
Lu Meng handed him the cup, but without warning, Wu Linxuan suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Startled, Lu Meng shivered. The scalding tea in her hand spilled directly onto Wu Linxuan’s... upper thigh.
