Chapter 34: Consort Yu Has an Accident

Xuanyuan Ling had always known that this little girl liked him. She had been obvious enough about it in the past. But now, after these heartfelt words poured out, he was momentarily stirred—so this girl liked him this much?

Liked him so much that she couldn’t control herself.

Suddenly, he felt that him losing control in bed and always wanting more, even being overly lustful, didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.

Originally, he’d had some complaints in his heart—that Shen Qing’s delicate appearance was too seductive, and her personality was even more so.

But it turned out Shen Qing was conflicted too.

Her words were truly heart-wrenching.

Even the last bit of Xuanyuan Ling’s guilt—over his indulgence in beauty in bed—was swept away by Shen Qing.

He wasn’t the only one losing control to beauty.

Didn’t this little girl crave his company just as much?

That knot in his heart naturally dissolved.

Unconsciously, Xuanyuan Ling’s lips curled into a smile.

Seeing that he understood, Shen Qing looked at him eagerly and asked again, “Your Majesty is wiser than this concubine. What should I do? I will do whatever Your Majesty says.”

“Weren’t you quite bold before?” Xuanyuan Ling was in a good mood now and pinched her nose teasingly.

Shen Qing blushed from the pinch on her cheek.

She was already beautiful, but now with her cheeks glowing red, she looked even more stunning.

Those heartfelt words of hers made Xuanyuan Ling feel as if his heart was soaking in warm water—utterly comfortable and content. Then, seeing her so delicate and charming, he couldn’t help himself. He lowered his head and gently kissed her lips.

Stretching out his arms, he pulled her whole body into his embrace as if holding a child, placing Shen Qing on his lap, and then kissed her slowly and tenderly.

While kissing, he murmured, “Hmm? During shuttlecock, in front of so many people, you still dared to whisper to me.”

“Being picky with food in front of me?”

“Complaining about the heat, disliking me?”

“Where did all that courage go?”

Shen Qing braced her hand against Xuanyuan Ling’s chest, seemingly overwhelmed with shyness. “This concubine is timid.”

Those words made one’s heart melt—and earlier, though she hadn’t said “I like you” directly, everything she said screamed care and affection.

Xuanyuan Ling was in an excellent mood now. Not only was his earlier frustration and anger completely gone, but he also felt extremely happy.

He deliberately said, “Your temperament is delicate and jealous—your mother must’ve known this and warned you, yet you still didn’t listen to her. You couldn’t even manage that?”

Shen Qing looked utterly devastated.

Xuanyuan Ling burst into hearty laughter.

Shen Qing thought to herself: This wretched emperor is full of mischief.

“Forget it, I’m a grown man. No need to argue with you over this…”

Shen Qing’s smile became even more endearing at his words.

Xuanyuan Ling genuinely hadn’t intended to act like a beast. He had come today to properly visit Shen Qing and hadn’t planned to stay overnight.

But now, after thinking about it, he decided to stay.

The next morning, Xuanyuan Ling left early for court. This time, seeing Shen Qing still asleep, he didn’t wake her.

When Shen Qing woke up and learned that Xuanyuan Ling had already left, she simply nodded and called for breakfast.

As she ate, she thought to herself—she knew Xuanyuan Ling had had an unfortunate childhood, tightly bound by rules. He deeply resented but was forced to follow them.

But things were different now.

Last night, Xuanyuan Ling had tacitly accepted her delicate nature. He even thought it wasn’t a big issue. He didn’t mind her jealousy either—that was a huge improvement!

Yes, she had to keep working hard.

Shen Qing was feeling quite motivated.

Meanwhile, other parts of the palace were not blind.

When Beauty Qiao bullied Liangren Shen, it wasn’t like she crippled her—just a bit of quarreling. But the punishment was so severe—first from the Empress, then from the Emperor. If that didn’t prove that Liangren Shen was favored, what would?

Even the imperial kitchen was now giving her special treatment.

Aside from the pregnant Consort Yu and Noble Lady Fang, for a concubine like Liangren to have the imperial kitchen’s attention—that was the clearest sign of favor.

Speaking of Noble Lady Fang and Consort Yu, their pregnancies were quite different.

Noble Lady Fang was discreet in caring for her pregnancy. She valued it greatly. Though she held a grudge against Consort Yu, she knew revenge could wait. For now, having a safe delivery was most important. Her attendants urged her to stay calm and she really paid no attention to outside matters.

But Consort Yu was different. Though she knew the child in her belly was important, this wasn’t her first pregnancy. She had given birth to imperial twins before. She couldn’t help but still long for the Emperor’s attention. It had been so long since she’d seen Xuanyuan Ling that she started inquiring about him again, only to hear things that broke her heart.

One day he doted on this one, the next day on another. When she heard that Beauty Qiao had been harshly punished by Xuanyuan Ling, she was secretly pleased.

In the harem, even favor doesn’t last long.

But then, she heard that Shen Qing had been injured, and the Emperor not only visited her, he even stayed the night.

From the beginning, Consort Yu had disliked Shen Qing precisely because she was so pretty—any man would be drawn to her. She hadn’t expected that even after being ignored for so long, Shen Qing could still be so bold.

Consort Yu immediately smashed something in a fit of rage.

Whether it was due to anger or how forcefully she had thrown the object, she suddenly felt a faint pain in her abdomen. Frowning, she instinctively pressed her belly.

Wenqiu saw this and grew nervous. “Your Ladyship, is your stomach hurting?”

“That wretched girl pissed me off!” Consort Yu felt discomfort only briefly and soon recovered. She believed it was just from the anger. Looking at the broken teacups and teapots on the floor, she found them an eyesore and said irritably, “I want to go out for a walk. Make the arrangements.”

Wenqiu was still worried. “Your Ladyship, how about summoning the imperial physician first?”

“I’m over four months pregnant now. Everything’s stable—it’s fine.” Consort Yu really believed this. After all, she had safely given birth to a pair of imperial twins. This wasn’t her first pregnancy, and she was more confident.

Wenqiu knew Consort Yu would never risk the child lightly, so she went to prepare the sedan chair.

Before long, four eunuchs carried Consort Yu to the imperial garden to admire the lotus flowers and feed the fish—looking at living things always lifted the mood.

Getting down from the sedan chair, Consort Yu slowly walked toward the pavilion. Just then, she suddenly stepped on something round and smooth. Her foot slipped, catching her completely off guard. Although Wenqiu tried to hold her up, Consort Yu still fell hard to the ground. At once, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, and a wave of sheer terror surged over her.