The Imperial Noble Consort’s Bedchamber

A beautiful woman lounged lazily on a chaise longue.

Her face was adorned with exquisite makeup, transforming her already pretty features into a striking and elegant appearance.

This was the Imperial Noble Consort, formerly the secondary consort of Prince Yuan, Ren Yan.

When Ren Yan married Prince Yuan as his secondary consort, she was overjoyed and could hardly believe such a fortunate event had befallen her.

In her youth, who didn’t admire handsome and charming men?

Among the young noblemen in the capital at the time, Prince Yuan was among the most outstanding.

What’s more, he was the emperor’s most beloved son.

Ren Yan’s marriage to Prince Yuan was, of course, due to her prestigious family background.

Her grandfather was Marquis Ren Wei, a title passed down through generations, with the first Marquis Ren Wei having contributed greatly to the founding of the dynasty.

On her maternal side, her grandfather was the Minister of Rites, and her mother was the eldest legitimate daughter of that Minister.

Although the Minister of Rites didn’t hold enormous power, his status was highly respected.

The late emperor, feeling guilty towards Prince Yuan, had put considerable thought into selecting his secondary consort.

Ren Yan came from a good family, but in the beauty-filled capital, her looks were not particularly outstanding.

She had a delicate, pretty face that many other women in the capital also possessed.

So back then, Ren Yan had never expected to marry Prince Yuan.

Even though she was a secondary consort, Prince Yuan’s first wife had left no children, so what difference did it make between her and the first wife?

Later, when Prince Yuan ascended the throne, everyone assumed she would naturally become empress, but unexpectedly, the emperor conferred the title of empress upon his late first wife, while she became the Imperial Noble Consort.

Although her rank was the highest in the imperial harem, what did it matter? A concubine was still a concubine.

And her son, the eldest prince, now seven years old, had gone from being the legitimate eldest son of the prince to the emperor’s eldest illegitimate son—a ridiculous turn of events.

Even though the emperor had named his first wife as empress, shouldn’t Ren Yan have at least been made the secondary empress?

But what was the reality?

After discussing with her family, the Imperial Noble Consort believed that the emperor was concerned about their family’s influence being too great, which was why she hadn’t been named empress.

Her family’s advice was to remain patient.

The emperor had fought his way to the throne and wasn’t someone who could be easily pressured.

If anyone tried to confront him head-on, they would gain nothing.

Thus, the Imperial Noble Consort followed her family’s advice, maintaining an image of kindness and virtue within the palace.

But despite this, the Imperial Noble Consort was far from happy.

She had gone from a legitimate wife to a concubine, and her son had gone from being the legitimate eldest son to an illegitimate eldest son.

What had they done to deserve this?

Today, Du Ke had entered the palace twice and had yet to leave, and the emperor had even kept him for dinner.

Half of the noble families in the capital were trying to find out what was going on.

Living in the capital, one had to pay attention to every move made within the palace.

The Imperial Noble Consort was also investigating.

She was confident about the Du family because they had no women in the imperial harem, and Du Ke was the emperor’s trusted aide.

Since the emperor was still young, Du Ke wouldn’t align himself with any particular prince.

The Imperial Noble Consort asked, “Well, have you found out anything?”

A maidservant responded quietly, “Though we haven’t discovered the reason for Minister Du’s visit, after his second entrance into the palace, the emperor summoned Imperial Physician Qiu. They stayed in the imperial study for over an hour. Afterward, Imperial Physician Qiu left with two basins of water and returned to the Imperial Academy of Medicine.”

The Imperial Noble Consort frowned. “Two basins of water? Why would he carry two basins of water to the Imperial Academy of Medicine? Did he take them from the imperial study?”

The maid replied, “Yes, those two basins of water were prepared by the emperor’s order before Imperial Physician Qiu entered the study. Many in the palace saw this. However, no one saw what went on inside. It’s said that only the emperor, Minister Du, Imperial Physician Qiu, and the Grand Chamberlain were present.”

The Imperial Noble Consort scoffed, “There’s no way to ask what happened from any of those people, and we can’t even try. Du Ke and the Grand Chamberlain are the emperor’s closest confidants.

Who would be brave enough to ask what they were doing in the imperial study?

As for Imperial Physician Qiu, he’s off-limits too. If he were to accuse you of prying into the emperor’s health, it would be disastrous.

Whether the emperor is healthy or not is not something the physician can disclose, nor is it something others should ask about.”

After some thought, the Imperial Noble Consort asked, “Was there any difference between the water when it was carried in and when it was carried out?”

The maid replied, “I asked around. The water was clear and clean when it was brought in. It was also clear and clean when it was brought out. The only difference is that the water was a little cold when it came out.”

“A little cold?” The Imperial Noble Consort couldn’t make sense of this. “Keep digging for more information.”

The maid responded, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Meanwhile, Du Ke, who was dining with the Emperor, had a great appetite.

Did he feel uncomfortable eating with the Emperor?

Not at all.

First, he was genuinely hungry.

Second, the dishes prepared by the imperial chefs were indeed delicious.

Lastly, being overly cautious in front of the Emperor could backfire; sometimes, he preferred to see your true nature.

Thus, Du Ke always showed his true self while dining with the Emperor.

Seeing Du Ke eat heartily, the Emperor couldn’t help but say, “Every time I eat with you, Du Ke, my appetite improves.”

Privately, the Emperor found Du Ke quite approachable.

Du Ke replied, “It’s because the food is delicious, Your Majesty. It’s a rare treat for me, so I can’t let this great food go to waste.”

The Emperor chuckled, “Then eat more. Let’s talk about how Lady Qin first came up with the idea of using land from the military camps to solve the soldiers’ food problems, and now she’s proposed using saltpeter to make ice. It might not be appropriate to reward her too generously.”

Du Ke responded, “Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. Lady Qin has indeed made contributions, but as a citizen of Qiguo, it is only right for her to relieve the Emperor’s burdens. Being rewarded by you is already a great fortune; how could she dare to complain about the rewards being insufficient?”

The Emperor shook his head, “Du Ke, as the ruler of a nation, I must be fair in rewarding and punishing. Her contributions are significant and deserve proper recognition. Just for those two achievements, if I only reward her with silver, wouldn’t that seem too stingy?”

Du Ke quickly assured, “She wouldn’t dare think so.”

Although Du Ke didn’t know the Emperor’s thoughts, he understood that he could not speak on behalf of Lady Qin regarding her rewards.

The Emperor didn’t continue; in fact, he already had some ideas about what to reward her with.

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Bai Li Village

Bai Li Village’s most impressive sight was the Qin family’s large house.

Especially on this three-mu sloped land, with only this one courtyard, anyone passing by couldn’t help but take a second look.

The house had been built a long time ago but had remained unoccupied.

However, Qin’s mother would go to open the door and clean the dust every month, letting the house air out.

Even if her son and daughter-in-law weren’t home, just seeing the house made her happy.

Last year, when her daughter-in-law left, she entrusted them with a hundred taels of silver to help build the house.

The blue-brick house was completed, and the courtyard was paved with blue bricks as well.

Since there was extra silver left, Qin’s father used the surplus to buy land.

The land was under the name of the daughter-in-law, but currently, it was the elder branch that was farming it.

The eldest son didn’t need to worry Qin’s father and mother.

The third son and younger daughter were with the eldest son, so they didn’t need their attention either.

The eldest daughter was already married, and now their biggest concern was the second son.

Qin Shouye was sixteen this year, at the age for matchmaking.

Since Qin Fang had achieved success, many people wanted to arrange marriages for Qin Shouye.

Among those who came to propose, Han’s mother was particularly persistent with Qin’s mother.

Han’s mother returned from the border, frightened by how difficult Han Zhen had become.

However, she met Qin Fang’s wife at the family residence in the border area and noticed someone was attending to her.

Since the house was built with the daughter-in-law’s dowry, she suspected that the dowry must be considerable.

With the elder brother and sister-in-law having money, how could they not care for their younger siblings?

She just happened to have a niece who was perfect for Qin Fang’s second brother, Qin Shouye, so Han’s mother was especially enthusiastic about this matter.

“Qin’s family… Qin’s family…” Han’s mother passed by Qin Fang’s house and saw the large house’s door open.

She stood at the entrance, peering inside.

Qin’s mother was cleaning the house when she heard Han’s mother’s voice and came out. “What’s going on, Old Han’s family?”

Han’s mother smiled flatteringly, her voice very warm, “Qin’s family, how are you considering Shouye’s marriage? My niece is quite sought after; everyone in the ten-mile radius praises her!”

Qin’s mother knew Han’s mother’s character well.

Whether her niece was genuinely that good or not, even if she was, she wouldn’t dare to consider it due to such a relative.

However, she remained polite. “Our eldest son’s wife said that Shouye is still young, so she’s first checking to see if there are suitable girls. Therefore, Shouye’s marriage isn’t urgent.”

Of course, Qin’s mother’s words were just an excuse, but it was a good one.

With their family’s improved circumstances, although she was worried about her son’s marriage, she couldn’t rush it.

Since the eldest couple was not around, she wanted to find a decent girl for the second son.

If the girl was not honest and merely compared herself with the eldest son’s wife, like those from the second branch, she would not dare to accept them.

Han’s mother replied, “Let Qin Fang’s wife choose? Wouldn’t the girls she picks be from her side? Now that she’s not around to serve you, how can you expect her to choose someone who’s not on your side?”

Qin’s mother casually responded, “My son and daughter-in-law have good connections; I’m more than happy. Besides, both of us are in good health, so we don’t need them to be around to serve us.”

Han’s mother protested, “What you said isn’t…”

“Elder Aunt… Elder Aunt… We have guests at home! Grandma says you need to hurry back.” Niu Dan’s loud voice echoed outside.

Upon hearing this, Qin’s mother asked, “What guests?”

Niu Dan replied, “I’m not sure. They came on horseback and said they were sent by elder brother. They brought a lot of things too.”

When Qin’s mother heard it was someone sent by her eldest son, she promptly closed the door and hurried back to the old house with great joy.

Speaking of which, the last letter she received was at the end of last year, when her eldest son’s wife sent them New Year’s goods.

She hadn’t received any news this year, so Qin’s mother was feeling anxious.