Chapter 13: Temptation — “You seductive creature, lift your head.”

Tang Lin’er was so frightened that she fell seriously ill, and her pregnancy became unstable as well. She experienced spotting for several days and had no choice but to summon a doctor daily to use moxibustion to help stabilize the fetus.

Shen Xingwan had visited her twice. Each time, Tang Lin’er remained buried under her quilt, refusing to see anyone.

Shen Xingwan lifted the corner of the quilt and saw her pale and haggard face, filled with fear and anxiety. She couldn’t help but furrow her brows.

“This can’t go on. I’m afraid she’s under some kind of spiritual oppression. We should probably invite someone to perform a ritual to dispel the fear.”

Ruyi stood to the side, constantly wiping away tears as she sobbed and complained, “That Miss Lu is truly awful. She knew our young lady is pregnant and still went out of her way to scare her like that. Miss, what are we supposed to do?”

Shen Xingwan let out a sigh, her tone filled with helplessness.

“What can we do? I already questioned her. She claimed she only sent a kitten to Lin’er to cheer her up. Who would’ve thought the maid escorting it didn’t take care and let it suffocate to death? She’s already sold that little maid off.”

“She clearly did it on purpose! She wanted to frighten our young lady into miscarrying.”

“Watch your words.” Shen Xingwan gave Ruyi a sharp look. Ruyi immediately lost her momentum and lowered her head timidly.

“There are many women in the Grand Commandant’s residence, and the inner court is full of conflict. Lu Yuzhi has never been an easy person to deal with since she was young.”

Shen Xingwan softened her tone and gently touched Tang Lin’er’s forehead, speaking soothingly, “In the future, you’ll be living with her. You’re bound to be humiliated by her sooner or later. Right now, the most important thing is to stay strong and take care of your health.”

Tang Lin’er closed her eyes, and two lines of tears slid down from the corners.

Shen Xingwan tucked the quilt around her. “I originally came to invite you to the spring hunt. Since you’re not well, I’ll decline on your behalf. Just focus on resting and keeping the baby safe.”

“Yes.”

Tang Lin’er responded softly, then turned her head away and said nothing more.

Shen Xingwan rose to her feet and returned to her room to change into her riding outfit. She then set out with Prime Minister Shen to the imperial hunting grounds.

The royal spring hunt was a major event that the royal family highly valued. To maintain military preparedness, the emperor hosted a large-scale spring hunt every year, with princes, noble sons, and civil and military officials all participating.

Although Shen Xingwan came from a family of scholars, she had learned horseback riding and archery alongside her older brother since childhood. Though she hadn’t become a young general like him, she could easily ride and shoot small game like rabbits and geese.

She wore a bright red riding outfit, the narrow sleeves and waist hugging her like flames. She rode a snow-white steed and galloped into the field with confidence. Her jet-black hair, tied into a ponytail, danced in the wind—a true image of a heroic rider, standing out strikingly among the black-armored crowd.

Unlike the other noble ladies who arrived in carriages and watched from tents, Shen Xingwan personally took a bow and arrows and, like the ministers, rode into the woods to demonstrate her skills.

Her gaze swept around, ears attuned. It didn’t take long for her to lock onto a gray rabbit’s trail.

She immediately drew her bow and nocked an arrow. As she narrowed her eyes and prepared to release the string, an arrow whistled past her ear and struck the rabbit to the ground.

Startled, Shen Xingwan turned her head in shock and saw Yan Jinghuan riding toward her from behind.

Seeing her glaring at him, Yan Jinghuan chuckled and put away his bow. He glanced to the side, and one of his attendants immediately stepped forward and picked up the rabbit.

“It’s yours,” he said with a slight curve of his lips, smiling faintly.

The clever attendant quickly brought the rabbit over and placed it into the basket carried by Shen Xingwan’s servant.

“That doesn’t count,” Shen Xingwan pouted. “You snatched my prey. You’ll have to compensate me with a deer.”

Yan Jinghuan tugged on the reins and slowly guided his horse beside hers, his gaze falling on her puffed-up cheeks. The smile in his eyes deepened. “Alright.”

Seeing him agree so easily, Shen Xingwan couldn’t help but change her mind. “That was too quick. Now the price has gone up. Two deer.”

“Alright.”

“…”

Shen Xingwan glanced at him sideways. What a perfect sucker. So easy to talk to.

But she had something on her mind and didn’t want to banter too much. Feeling slightly guilty, she avoided his gaze and said, “Let’s head that way. I just heard deer cries coming from there—there must be deer.”

His gaze was too intense. Shen Xingwan didn’t dare look at him anymore. After speaking, she quickly urged her horse forward.

She deliberately rode in a winding path until they reached a remote area. Yan Jinghuan glanced around and said, “There are no signs of deer here. Let me take you elsewhere.”

Seeing he was about to leave, Shen Xingwan quickly glanced at the time. Then, covering her head, she let out a soft groan and pretended to feel dizzy, slumping as if she were about to fall off her horse.

As her body tilted, Yan Jinghuan immediately spurred his horse forward, reached out, and caught her. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden cry rang out nearby.

“Help!”

The voice was childish and grew louder as it approached.

Yan Jinghuan’s expression sharpened. His arm tightened around Shen Xingwan’s waist, and with a burst of strength, he pulled her from her horse into his embrace.

He pulled his cloak over her, holding her securely in his arms, and swept a sharp gaze toward the attendants. The guards immediately rushed forward to investigate.

Swords were drawn and the bushes hacked open, clearing a path. Yan Jinghuan urged his horse forward.

“Help!”

A small figure in light blue came tumbling out of the bushes, crawling and stumbling. He seemed injured, his clothes stained with blood.

The bushes behind him rustled wildly, as if something were chasing him. The guards quickly swarmed forward, and whatever was behind the bushes vanished.

The small figure’s hair had come undone. Terrified, he collapsed at Yan Jinghuan’s horse’s hooves, trembling in a ball and crying softly.

A guard stepped forward to grab him, but upon seeing his face, immediately knelt in salute. “Fourteenth Prince.”

“Zihui?”

Yan Jinghuan frowned and signaled for the guard to help the boy up. He asked, “What happened? You were supposed to be hunting. Where are your attendants?”

Wei Zihui was still in shock. He looked terrified as he cried, “Third Brother—Third Brother tried to kill me!”

Yan Jinghuan glanced down at Shen Xingwan in his arms. She was curled up like a frightened animal, her eyes tightly shut, looking terribly uncomfortable.

“Swallow those words,” he said coldly. “When you see the Emperor later, don’t speak nonsense.”

Though Wei Zihui was only about nine years old, he had grown up in the palace and understood the danger in his words. He didn’t say more and merely nodded.

Later, in front of the Emperor’s main tent, Wei Zihui didn’t expose that the Third Prince had sent someone to kill him. He only said he was injured while hunting a leopard and was saved by Yan Jinghuan.

The Imperial Noble Consort, who was by the Emperor’s side, finally relaxed her expression and smiled gently. She softly said to the Emperor, “This Fourteenth Prince, really. So young and already trying to hunt like others. Thankfully, he wasn’t fatally injured. He should focus on his studies from now on.”

She shifted her gaze lightly, casting a meaningful glance at Yan Jinghuan, who stood beside Wei Zihui.

“This time, he was lucky someone saved him. Next time, that might not be the case.”

Cough cough… The Emperor coughed violently, clutching the medicinal sachet near his nose and taking in a breath of its fragrance. “Since the Prince Regent saved Zihui, it’s fate. By imperial decree, I hereby appoint Prince Regent Yan Jinghuan as Zihui’s teacher, to instruct him in literature and martial arts.”

“Your Majesty?” The Imperial Noble Consort widened her eyes and looked at the Emperor. “Doesn’t Zihui already have a tutor? This…”

“Those fools are unfit—they’ll only ruin my son.” The Emperor looked at the Imperial Noble Consort. “It’s settled.”

The Imperial Noble Consort was speechless, her face flushing red and pale by turns. She turned to glance at Wei Zilin among the gathered princes.

Wei Zilin’s expression was also poor. He didn’t even notice the hint his mother was giving him; he just kept staring at a figure in red among the colorful noble ladies in the distance.

Shen Xingwan was holding a teacup, leisurely skimming off the foam and taking a few sips.

She felt relaxed, and even the chirping noble ladies around her seemed much more pleasing to the eye.

Today, she had deliberately come to lure Yan Jinghuan into saving Wei Zihui.

In her previous life, during this same spring hunt, the young prince Wei Zihui was severely injured in the southern forest and, due to improper treatment, became paralyzed and bedridden. He later died in depression.

Later, once, when Wei Zilin was drunk, he boasted to her with great pride, vividly recounting how he had plotted and tormented his imperial brothers.

Shen Xingwan was deeply horrified by his cruelty and cold-bloodedness.

But he also brainwashed her, saying the struggle for the throne was treacherous, and which emperor didn’t ascend by stepping over a sea of blood and mountains of corpses?

As long as he ruled diligently and loved the people after ascending the throne, he would still be remembered as a wise and noble emperor for the ages.

Shen Xingwan didn’t know whether Wei Zilin would become a wise ruler.

She only knew that she would destroy him, step by step!

Before Shen Xingwan could finish her tea, a young palace maid stepped forward respectfully, bowed, and said, “Greetings, Miss Shen. Her Highness the Imperial Noble Consort summons you. Please come with me.”

The surrounding noble ladies all turned their heads, immediately whispering to one another.

Who didn’t know that the Imperial Noble Consort was the mother of the Third Prince, Wei Zilin? Shen Xingwan had forcefully withdrawn from the engagement bestowed by the Emperor to the Third Prince, and now the Imperial Noble Consort was summoning her—what for?

Shen Xingwan also felt uneasy, but the palace maid was urging her, so she could only set down her teacup and follow her to the Imperial Noble Consort’s tent.

The palace maid respectfully lifted the curtain. Shen Xingwan took a deep breath and slowly stepped into the large tent.

The curtain fell behind her, cutting off most of the light, and the tent instantly dimmed. A pair of purple bronze crane-shaped incense burners emitted a cloying sweet fragrance that filled Shen Xingwan’s nose.

“Shen, why haven’t you come to greet Her Highness the Imperial Noble Consort?”

A low rebuke rang out. Shen Xingwan lowered her head and obediently walked deeper into the tent.

Layer after layer of gauzy drapes were lifted as she passed, until Shen Xingwan finally saw the Imperial Noble Consort reclining with her eyes closed on a chaise.

She was dressed in an opulent golden-red phoenix robe, her skirts flowing elegantly around her. A small palace maid knelt on the floor, gently massaging her legs with a pair of small golden hammers.

“Insolent girl.”

The matron standing beside the Imperial Noble Consort scolded, “You see Her Highness and still haven’t knelt?”

Shen Xingwan immediately knelt to the floor, lowered her head, and performed a proper greeting. “This humble daughter, Shen Xingwan, pays her respects to Her Highness the Imperial Noble Consort. May Your Highness enjoy fortune and longevity.”

The Imperial Noble Consort reclined with her eyes shut, neither opening them nor bidding her to rise.

Shen Xingwan knelt there for a long time, unable to tell whether the Imperial Noble Consort was awake or asleep.

The thick long-pile carpet beneath her felt soft. Shen Xingwan kept her head lowered, staring at the intricate patterns in a daze.

She distinctly remembered how, in her past life, the Imperial Noble Consort had treated her very kindly. Ever since her engagement with the Third Prince, he would often bring her to the palace to meet his mother.

At that time, the Imperial Noble Consort would always greet her with a loving smile and take her hand, saying:

“If Zilin ever bullies you, just come tell me. I’ll deal with him!”

Back then, Wei Zilin would always smile with a blush, saying, “Mother is so biased. But I love her too much to ever dare bully her.”

But now, this Imperial Noble Consort before her exuded a cold and oppressive aura. It was as if she had become an entirely different person from the one in her previous life.

“So, you’re the Shen girl?”

Just as Shen Xingwan was lost in thought, the Imperial Noble Consort lazily spoke.

Shen Xingwan straightened her back and replied, “In response to Your Highness, yes, this humble daughter is.”

A cold snort escaped the Imperial Noble Consort as she slowly opened her eyes.

“You seductive wench. Raise your head.”