Chapter 42: Peaceful Days

Ever since the Imperial Physician came to examine her, Noble Lady Shen knew something was wrong. A sense of unease began to grow in her heart, though she still held onto a sliver of hope—until Jin Zhi, one of the Empress’s attendants, came over with an expressionless face and said, “Noble Lady Shen, the matter has been concluded. You may return and rest.”

Noble Lady Shen’s heart sank instantly.

She had been found out.

Her face turned deathly pale.

Her heart felt heavy, but she simply pressed her lips together and said nothing, didn’t beg for mercy either.

She had never expected Consort Yu to react so quickly and immediately summon the Imperial Physician to re-examine her. That was something completely beyond her expectations.

At this moment, Noble Lady Shen still didn’t know that Shen Qing had already used the trick of fainting once before, which was precisely why Consort Yu had seen through her act of feigning weakness so swiftly.

The only benefit from this incident was that Consort Yu, having gone through this ordeal, might quiet down for a while. At least Noble Lady Shen wouldn’t have to suffer punishment every day.

Originally, she had thought that if this matter reached the Emperor, he would believe in her innocence and feel sorry for her. This way, not only could she undermine Consort Yu, but also gain the Emperor’s sympathy. If she could catch his eye, she would have a future. But now that she’d been found out, her heart was truly filled with grievance. She only resorted to this because she had no other way. Consort Yu was so overbearing—besides leveraging the Empress against her, what else could she have done?

By the time Shen Qing heard about Noble Lady Shen’s situation, it was already dark.

Chunhua said, “I heard it alarmed His Majesty. That Noble Lady Shen was carried away, and even Consort Yu was scolded by the Emperor.”

Shen Qing found this quite amusing. “She fainted right at the gates of Fengyi Palace?”

Chunhua replied, “That’s right. Lots of people saw it.”

Thinking of Noble Lady Shen’s usual demeanor, Shen Qing thought to herself that this woman was indeed bold. Then she said, “Seems like no one came out of this well. His Majesty probably won’t be fond of the harem for a while.”

Chunhua didn’t fully understand.

Shen Qing smiled and explained, “His Majesty hates palace scheming the most.”

It was true—Xuanyuan Ling had probably developed PTSD from watching too much of the harem infighting during his childhood. Even though he knew the inner palace could never be truly clean, he still desired it to be.

Ideally, women would always remain pure and innocent. But how could an innocent woman survive in the harem?

No—more accurately, if a woman truly couldn’t grasp Xuanyuan Ling’s mind, she probably wouldn’t stay favored for long anyway.

Take Consort Yu, for example. Compared to when she first entered the palace, she was a far cry from what she used to be.

It was all quite ironic.

It was like a man who claimed to love obedient and sensible women. But humans, especially women, often grew arrogant when spoiled. Even the most obedient woman, when cherished for too long, would inevitably develop thoughts of her own.

Yet the Emperor would never stop having physical relations with other women, all while expecting one woman to forever remain the version he liked most. How was that even possible?

If one truly loved someone, how could they not feel jealousy?

Once jealousy set in, how could a person remain unchanged?

Unless… the love was fake.

The affection was an act.

Only those who never truly liked the Emperor could consistently present themselves as the version he liked best, could remain unchanged by jealousy.

The more Shen Qing thought about it, the more ironic it seemed. Genuine feelings were never rational. But the Emperor didn’t like irrationality. So really, there was no point in tormenting oneself—eating and drinking well was what mattered most. Fall in love with the Emperor? What, was the food from the Imperial Kitchen suddenly not tasty anymore?

At least from this incident, both Consort Yu and the Empress would calm down for a while. With the two most prominent women in the palace quiet, Shen Qing could also feel at ease.

And in the days that followed, Shen Qing’s prediction was indeed proven right.

Xuanyuan Ling, feeling disgusted by the scheming in the harem, didn’t visit the inner palace for several days.

It wasn’t until seven days later that Xuanyuan Ling came again to Zhaohua Palace.

Unexpectedly, the palace doors were tightly shut.

After staying away from the inner palace for so many days, he finally made a visit—only to be turned away?

Zhao Hai was so startled that he hurried forward himself to knock on the door.

Fragrant Rhythm (Fang Yun) came to open the door, and upon seeing Xuanyuan Ling, she was so frightened that she dropped to her knees.

With a dark expression, Xuanyuan Ling strode inside. What was that girl doing behind closed doors in broad daylight? Was she up to something indecent?

When Shen Qing saw Xuanyuan Ling, she clearly realized the door was still shut, and a hint of panic crossed her face.

Xuanyuan Ling was displeased. He knew Shen Qing would occasionally act out in private, but he indulged her within limits. It was one thing to have someone secretly keep watch while she fooled around in her chambers, but actually closing the palace doors?

What was this—guarding against him too?

“I didn’t do it on purpose, please don’t be angry, Your Majesty.” Seeing his displeasure, Shen Qing appeared hesitant in her actions and somewhat cautious in demeanor.

Xuanyuan Ling said sternly, “Tell me honestly—what exactly have you been up to in secret?”

“Nothing, truly nothing,” Shen Qing quickly tried to explain, but then seemed unsure how to put it. In the end, she said softly, “The other day, the whole palace was talking about how Noble Lady Shen got punished by Consort Yu.”

“My quarters are close to the Imperial Garden, and there’s always foot traffic. That’s why I shut the doors during the day, thinking that if Your Majesty summoned me, someone would surely come to inform me.” At this point, she added earnestly, “I always open the doors at dinner time.”

What she was really saying was: I didn’t close the door to avoid you, I swear.

Xuanyuan Ling picked up on the meaning—she was afraid Consort Yu might implicate her too, and that’s why she shut herself in.

Hearing this, he felt a bit more at ease.