Meeting Shen Xihe's seemingly amused gaze, the eloquent Crown Prince could only respond with a simple-minded, foolish smile in an attempt to muddle through.
Shen Xihe gently rubbed the fish bait between her fingertips, as if unconsciously: "It seems... you've spared no effort in scheming against me."
"Ahem." Xiao Huayong cleared his throat lightly to cover up, coaxing her gently, "My life has not been long, merely twenty years. In calculating people, hearts, and matters, I could be said to have left no stone unturned. Only when I met you did I exhaust all my schemes and still fail to win you over. These are just some wild words of self-encouragement after repeated setbacks. Youyou, please don't take them to heart."
Her fingers paused, and Shen Xihe looked up at Xiao Huayong, who wore a warm and attentive smile. She felt that his words, which seemed like an attempt to smooth things over, were actually the truth.
That statement might indeed have been his way of picking himself up after being rejected by her or having his heart wounded, returning home frustrated and unwilling, then gathering his spirits and impulsively uttering words of encouragement to himself.
Thinking this, Shen Xihe pursed her lips into a faint smile, her gaze becoming extremely tolerant. She chuckled softly: "Alright, I won't take it to heart."
Even someone as astute as Xiao Huayong couldn't figure out which of his words had pleased his wife. Her smile, though not radiant, was highly infectious, clearly indicating her joyful mood.
As her face lit up with a smile, Xiao Huayong felt that time stood still in tranquility; even the oppressive summer air lost its restlessness, leaving only fragrance behind.
He wished he could cling to her all day long, even if it was just sitting by her side watching her—whether she was reading at her desk, embroidering by the window, playing the zither in the small pavilion, or standing quietly watching Duanming frolic...
Wherever she was in sight, his heart would be completely at peace.
By August, the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and the Empress Dowager's birthday was also near. Since it wasn't a major celebration, no grand arrangements were made. However, the disaster in Dengzhou had not eased but instead worsened. Everyone's attention was consumed by the Dengzhou crisis; except for An Zhengyi, even the Youning Emperor had no extra energy to focus on Shen Xihe's every move.
On this day, another memorial arrived from Dengzhou. After reading it, the Youning Emperor looked grave. Dengzhou was suffering from severe water shortages, and the people were growing restless, eager to relocate. All available water sources had been mobilized, consuming vast financial and material resources, yet it was still like trying to put out a burning cartload of firewood with a cup of water.
The Eighth Prince, Prince Jing Xiao Changyan, petitioned for permission to allow the people to relocate, with the government organizing and settling them.
This posed a significant problem: Where would they relocate to? In what place would they be settled? Besides Dengzhou, the surrounding areas were also suffering from severe drought. Should everyone be relocated? If so, how would they be settled? Would mass relocation cause widespread panic?
If not everyone was relocated, how would the people outside Dengzhou be appeased? Moreover, if the court ordered relocation, how would those who stubbornly refused to move be handled? A series of such questions made it difficult to implement Xiao Changyan's proposal immediately.
The Youning Emperor urgently summoned the Three Departments, the Six Ministries, and relevant court officials to discuss the matter. Opinions were divided, each with its own pros and cons. In the end, the meeting devolved into arguments without reaching a conclusion, infuriating the Youning Emperor, who stormed off in anger.
The temporary palace had a library tower, reserved for the emperor and the royal family to read. The Youning Emperor often visited this place, nestled in a serene bamboo grove. Wind chimes made of bamboo plaques hung under the eaves; when the wind blew, they chimed with a clear sound that, far from being noisy, resembled the wooden fish in an old monk's hands, possessing a magical quality that soothed and calmed the mind.As soon as the Youning Emperor stepped into the library, the heavy gloom in his heart dissipated considerably. Liu Sanzhi brought over the book the emperor had been reading earlier, while the eunuchs remained stationed outside. Liu Sanzhi stood by quietly in attendance, the only movement in the room being the delicate fragrance wafting from the incense burner.
Before long, sounds came from outside, but the emperor seemed not to hear them. Liu Sanzhi went out briefly and returned to bow. "Your Majesty, the young masters from the Zhenbeihou and Pingyao Marquis households have hunted a sika deer and obtained premium antler blood. Would Your Majesty care to partake?"
Antler blood was a superior tonic, especially when freshly drawn—a rare delicacy.
Having passed the age of forty, the Youning Emperor paid particular attention to health preservation. Upon hearing this, he nodded. "Bring a bowl."
The potent supplement was served in an exquisite palm-sized bowl, delivered personally by the imperial physician who not only examined the antler blood but also checked the emperor's pulse to confirm he could withstand its effects before the emperor drank it.
After waiting roughly the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, with the emperor showing no discomfort, the physician withdrew.
After the physician left, the incense continued to curl upwards. Time passed slowly, and within half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the emperor suddenly felt a surge of intense heat rushing violently to his lower abdomen. He abruptly stood up, fists slamming onto the table with a bang, and gritted his teeth. "Liu Sanzhi, seal the library!"
With that, the emperor strode away. He vaguely sensed he had been tricked but wanted to know who would dare scheme against him. Though he considered summoning Shu Fei, he felt that staying put would make it harder to restrain the agitation within him. Instead, leaving the room and moving about helped him maintain composure without revealing his disgraceful state.
Exiting the library, he found no one approaching him. This was the temporary palace, and given the emperor's restraint regarding women, there were no palace maids around—only eunuchs. Clinging to his last shred of clarity, he headed toward Shu Fei's palace, the nearest to the library.
"Your Majesty..." A eunuch, seeing the emperor striding swiftly, began to bow and announce him, but before he could finish speaking, the emperor had already vanished from sight.
"Where is Shu Fei?" the emperor demanded in a low voice upon seeing Shu Fei's chief maid.
"Her Highness is taking her midday rest..." Before the maid could finish, the emperor hurried into the bedchamber.
The bedchamber was filled with a pleasant fragrance, with breezes stirring the layers of hanging curtains. Catching a glimpse of a slender figure lying facing inward, the emperor's heart burned even hotter. Shedding his outer robe, he pressed close.
An Zhengyi was conscious but weak all over, unable to speak. Feeling a robust body press against her and hearing the emperor's voice, she widened her eyes. She had thought that if the emperor turned her over, he would recognize her and everything could still be rectified. But she never expected the drugged emperor to be too impatient to approach from the front...
Liu Sanzhi stood guard outside Shu Fei's bedchamber, his eyes widening as he watched the Crown Princess and the Empress Dowager arrive with the unconscious Shu Fei. Shu Fei's chief maid also looked pale and panicked.
If Shu Fei was here, then who was in the bedchamber?
"Liu Sanzhi, why are you here?" the Empress Dowager asked in surprise.
That day, the Crown Princess had accompanied her on a garden stroll, where they happened upon Shu Fei, who had inexplicably fainted. They brought Shu Fei back to her palace and summoned the imperial physician for an examination. Upon arriving at the bedchamber, they found Liu Sanzhi guarding outside, the door tightly shut, and the sounds of intimate relations intermittently drifting out...
The Empress Dowager's face changed.Before Liu Sanzhi could explain, the Ministers of Personnel, the Grand Secretary, and the Minister of Works hurried in. Minister of Personnel Cui Zheng, who had not yet heard the ambiguous sounds, said: "Eunuch Liu, urgent news from Dengzhou. We must see His Majesty."
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