The next day, Yun Wan woke up to the twittering of birds.
Outside, the first rays of sunlight filtered through the window paper, instantly brightening up the room.
Yun Wan propped herself up and got out of bed. The thin silk quilt slipped from her chest, and her long, black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall.
"Fuling?"
When she opened her mouth, her voice was hoarse. Her throat was dry, so she quickly closed her mouth.
Hearing the noise outside, Fuling entered the room with a hot towel in her hand. "Auntie, you're awake!"
Leaning against the bedside railing, Yun Wan was wearing a light - colored middle robe. Her eyelids felt a bit uncomfortable. She lowered her eyes and asked, "What time is it? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Fuling handed her salt water for rinsing her mouth and wrung out the towel, waiting beside her with a smile. "Auntie, don't worry. Lin Gongzheng said that you were frightened yesterday and your body might not be well, so she took the initiative to grant you a day off."
"I saw that you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't disturb you."
Hearing that she had a day off, Yun Wan relaxed her brows. She looked down at the bed and then looked up at Fuling. "Did you move me to the bed yesterday?"
Moreover, her shoes, socks, clothes, and headdress had all been removed. When she woke up, Yun Wan didn't feel any discomfort at all. On the contrary, she felt very relaxed, and even her eyelids weren't as swollen and heavy as she had imagined after crying.
She vaguely remembered crying for a long time and then falling asleep. She had no other impressions.
"Um..."
Fuling hesitated. She touched her nose and said to Yun Wan sheepishly, "I dare not lie to you, auntie. When I came back with the water yesterday, I saw His Majesty standing at the door."
Yun Wan's expression paused. "He came?"
Fuling nodded and told her what had happened last night.
"His Majesty was afraid that you wouldn't sleep comfortably, so he carried you to the bed. He also took off your outer clothes and jewelry."
Originally, Fuling thought the basin of water she had fetched wouldn't be used, but unexpectedly, His Majesty asked her to fetch hot water again soon after.
Just like this, she witnessed the noble emperor carefully wipe Auntie's face with her own eyes. After taking off her outer clothes, he carried her to the bed.
The whole process was incredibly gentle and didn't wake the sleeping person. It was as if he was treating a unique treasure in the world with great care, which really shocked Fuling.
"When did he leave?"
"About midnight."
That meant he had stayed for about an hour. Yun Wan pursed her lips, and a complex emotion welled up in her heart.
"I see." Her tone was calm.
Seeing that she wasn't as happy as expected, Fuling was puzzled. Then she said, "Oh, right, auntie. Caiye and the other girls were worried about you. They came here briefly this morning. When they heard that you were safe and on leave, they went back."
"Also, before you woke up, Consort Shu sent someone to tell me that she wants you to go to Changchun Palace this afternoon."
She guessed that Consort Shu wanted to talk to Auntie about what had happened to Consort Shen yesterday. This morning, Fuling had heard that Consort Shen was strict with her subordinates and had harmed herself. Moreover, because she had been pestering and falsely accusing others, which had annoyed His Majesty, she had been demoted to Concubine Shen.
Although she still retained her title, after His Majesty's pronouncement, the character 'Shen' (meaning prudent) seemed extremely ironic. It would be better not to have it.
As everyone knew, His Majesty didn't have many children and was always indifferent to women. Concubine Shen had completely fallen out of favor this time. Even the Noble Consort, who had been in charge of this matter, had suffered a setback and had her power in the harem taken away.
Now, the most prominent person in the harem was Consort Shu.
Not only did she have the Third Prince by her side, but her family was also prominent. This time, she had effortlessly become the winner and turned the tables.
But only Consort Shu knew that her 'victory' was rather inexplicable.
Especially when she recalled what had happened that day, doubts arose in her heart.
Was it really because of her that His Majesty trusted Yun Wan so much?
Once the seeds of doubt were sown, they took root and germinated imperceptibly.
Therefore, when Yun Wan came, Consort Shu subconsciously sized her up. Her gaze was intense and her expression was complex, making it hard to fathom.
Yun Wan lowered her eyes, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she was uneasy. She asked, "Your Ladyship, why are you looking at me like this? Is there something wrong with me?"
Her soft voice was like the spring water in spring, clear, gentle, and pleasant to hear.
Not finding anything unusual, Consort Shu withdrew her gaze and invited her to sit down. Then she put on a smiling face. "Were you really frightened yesterday?"
A look of fear flashed across Yun Wan's eyes. "A little, but thanks to your Ladyship, I was cleared of the false charges."
Consort Shu looked apologetic. "I'm sorry to have made you suffer. I was careless to let you get involved in these disputes for no reason."
"Speaking of which, you're really smart. You knew to keep a backup plan. Otherwise, if you had really been tricked by them, I wouldn't have been able to save you."
Hearing this, Yun Wan's eyes flickered, and a hint of sarcasm flashed across the bottom of her eyes.
Save her?
If it really came to that, she would only try her best to distance herself from her, right?
She didn't show it on her face and just lowered her eyelids.
Noticing her low - spirited mood, Consort Shu thought for a moment and sighed as if in relief. "But then again, we should really thank His Majesty. If it weren't for His Majesty seeing through the true nature of Consort Shen and her maidservant at a glance and taking swift action, you would have surely been beaten with a board."
She covered her chest and observed Yun Wan's reaction from the corner of her eye.
Yun Wan just nodded and agreed. "His Majesty has sharp eyes and can see clearly. I'm extremely grateful."
Consort Shu picked up the tea and took a small sip. She said casually, "I noticed that His Majesty was quite satisfied with the incense you made that day and protected you a lot. I guess you've had a lot of tea in front of His Majesty when you went to deliver the incense on weekdays, right?"
Hearing this, Yun Wan looked puzzled. She looked at Consort Shu in confusion, with a clear and undodging look in her eyes. "Your Ladyship is joking. On weekdays, after I make the incense, I always send the little maidservants around me to deliver it. How could I have the honor to drink the tea in front of His Majesty?"
Maybe because she was frightened yesterday and didn't sleep well, there was a dark circle under her eyes.
Yun Wan covered her mouth and yawned slightly. "His Majesty's trust in me is only because of your Ladyship. After all, it was you who recommended me to His Majesty."
Seeing that there was neither joy nor shyness, nor any longing in her eyes when she mentioned Emperor Jingxuan, Consort Shu couldn't help but suspect that she was overthinking.
Looking into her clear and bright eyes, Consort Shu said with a smile, "Sister - in - law, you did a great job yesterday. You were able to adapt to the situation, which really helped me. What kind of reward do you want?"
She paused for a moment and stared deeply at her. "As long as it's within my power, just tell me."
Hearing this, a look of joy appeared on Yun Wan's face. "I miss Sui. Can your Ladyship allow me to see him? There's no need to ask him to come here and waste his study time. I'll just go and have a look at him."
It wasn't a day off today, and Sui had classes this afternoon. It would be a waste of time to go back and forth. It would be better for Yun Wan to go to see him.
Consort Shu was a bit stunned. "Is that all?"
Yun Wan nodded gently, with a hopeful look in her eyes.
Seeing this, Consort Shu readily agreed. "That's easy. I haven't seen Hui'er for some time either. Take my token and go to the Hongwen Institute in the name of visiting the Third Prince on my behalf."
