"The emperor has been taking that miraculous medicine every day, and his health is truly robust," Ming Ruyi grumbled discontentedly. The master of Tianmen Mountain was quite an interesting character.
"Your Highness, let the Crown Prince handle it. If we intervene, it would be like helping the Crown Prince," a subordinate advised.
Ming Ruyi listened indifferently as his subordinate reported on the situation in the capital. "The emperor is still vigorous in his old age, suppressing the grown - up Crown Prince. This is not a good thing in the long run."
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager is still ill... What you're doing..."
"It's fine. The Empress Dowager's illness is a spiritual one. This time, I'll make the Crown Prince feel really 'comfortable'..." It was no big deal for a man to be lustful. The last time there were rumors about the Crown Prince and the concubines in the harem, although it really scared the Crown Prince, the emperor didn't seem to care. It was truly against human ethics.
Ming Ruyi secretly instructed his men to send a few beauties from the Southern Regions to the Crown Prince after the New Year, of course, without it being traced back to him. "What's the fun in a peaceful world? It should be more chaotic!"
Rong Shuang'er had been quite carefree these days. No one in the Rong family was forcing her to go on blind dates or get married, and the queen no longer tried to find her a "good family".
The Duchess of the Duke's Mansion grew increasingly anxious as she watched her daughter. "My daughter, what are you going to do?"
"Daughter thinks it's great now. It's almost the New Year, mother. We should increase the monthly allowances for each branch of the family."
After half a year of upheaval, the people in the Duke Rong's Mansion had come to understand that the eldest miss knew how to balance rewards and punishments. If someone pleased her, she would give more benefits.
Although the duchess was weak - willed, the eldest miss was extremely assertive. No one knew whose personality she had inherited! The people in the mansion were becoming more and more well - behaved, except for Rong Qing'er's step - mother, who still felt resentful. However, Rong Qing'er's whereabouts were unknown, and she had offended the Prince Yu's Mansion. Her branch of the family no longer dared to cause trouble, as a simple "seniority and precedence must be observed" could silence them.
In fact, Rong Shuang'er was not as strong as others thought. She had no other choice. She saw that the situation was unstable and didn't want to be the queen's pawn. Although her reputation was ruined, she had managed to protect herself. Cooperating with the Prince of Zhongzhou wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Moreover, that man was really good - looking. Looking at her own heroic and charming face in the mirror, Rong Shuang'er raised her eyebrows. The Prince of Zhongzhou looked more like a woman than she did, making people can't help but want to protect him.
It was a pity that the Prince of Zhongzhou was not in the capital at the moment.
"Shuang'er, you've offended the Prince of Zhongzhou like this. Your father..." The duchess was very worried.
"It's okay, mother. Don't worry! Compared to Rong Qing'er, I just want to live a peaceful life now..."
Thinking of Rong Qing'er's offense against the Prince Yu, Rong Shuang'er felt a lingering fear. Since the Prince Yu was betrothed, all the noble families in the capital knew that Zhongli Mingye was infatuated with the daughter of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion. Rong Qing'er was so reckless that she was used as a tool by the queen. Now that she was dead, it was a fitting end.
The queen always said that the Prince Yu's betrothal was because the daughter of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion had rendered a great service to the royal family. But could this alone make her the future princess of the Prince Yu? Rong Shuang'er didn't believe it. Who was the Prince Yu? Unless he took the initiative, this betrothal would never happen.
Just like when the queen bestowed Rong Qing'er on him, but since the Prince Yu didn't want her, he simply gave her a dead end. Not to mention that Rong Qing'er didn't return to the capital. Even if she did, she wouldn't have a good ending!
It's easy to find priceless treasures, but hard to find a devoted lover. Rong Shuang'er was slightly tipsy. Now that her reputation was completely ruined, it seemed that her fate of living alone for the rest of her life had come true.
The duchess was quite worried. Her eldest daughter was already seventeen. If she didn't get engaged soon, how could she get married in the future? The duke had offended the royal family because of Rong Qing'er's incident last time, so he had to be very cautious. But who could guarantee that he wouldn't be tempted?
Concubine Shu lit some incense and kept chanting Buddhist scriptures. Her maid had made many paper cranes for good luck. "Your Highness, why are you doing this?"
"Ye'er is in Liuzhou. Although he's far from the capital, he can't escape from the intrigues," Concubine Shu said worriedly.
She was actually not so weak that she had to be ill all year round. She just did it to make others feel at ease. She recalled her first encounter with the emperor twenty years ago. They were deeply in love and understood each other well. But unfortunately, there were too many women in the palace who were in love with the emperor.
Fortunately, the Shu family had been law - abiding over the years. Although the emperor valued Zhongli Mingye, he didn't pay too much attention to Concubine Shu.
The maid came in with a lot of gifts. "Your Highness, the Prince Yu has sent you a lot of New Year gifts."
"I'll take a look. He said in the letter that there were some rare medicinal herbs carefully selected by Miss Song."
Thinking of Song Jinyu, Concubine Shu felt very pleased. "Fortunately, Ye'er has her. I can rest assured."
"If they live happily as husband and wife in the future, it will fulfill my wish."
Concubine Shu ordered people to prepare return gifts, planning to send them with the palace's gifts during the Lantern Festival. After a while, she seemed to remember something. "Someone, prepare some pastries." After much thought, she realized that her concessions over the years had not stopped that woman from trying to harm Ye'er.
Now, she didn't want to give in anymore.
Only by being in favor could she ensure that Ye'er and Jinyu could live a peaceful life.
When the emperor saw Concubine Shu, he was quite surprised. She had always been cold and distant towards him, but he didn't know why she was so affectionate today.
"My love, why is this?"
"I've been feeling much better recently, so I stewed some tremella and snow pear soup." She gently opened the lid, picked up a spoon with her fair hand, and served the emperor some food.
After a long silence, the emperor said, "You... Ye'er takes after you. You're both so cold - hearted. Sometimes, I feel sorry for you two." The emperor sighed. "But... sitting on this throne, I'm also helpless."
The emperor was happy that Concubine Shu took the initiative to get close to him. But he also knew what her purpose was. Although he didn't like to be manipulated, she was an exception.
Concubine Shu gently massaged the emperor's shoulders. "Your Majesty, I have no other requests. I only hope that you and Ye'er will be safe and happy."
Safety and happiness were the most luxurious things in the cruel struggle for the throne. Holding Concubine Shu's soft hand, the emperor gave a soft smile. "I know what to do."
Among all the concubines in the harem, Concubine Shu was the most worry - free. She never caused any trouble and had been getting closer to Buddhism in recent years. Even when the queen tried to pick on her, she could easily resolve the issues.
Zhongli Mingye was the same. He often understood the emperor's mind. This was very rare. The emperor's gaze was far - reaching, and no one knew what he was thinking.