The resentment towards having to go to court at the fifth watch lasted until the next day.
After sending away Su Wan'er, who was clearly in a bad mood after waking up, Si Junlin was reminded by the maid that there was a visitor. Only then did he remember the routine of receiving greetings.
He casually drew two thick eyebrows but immediately wiped them off. Staring at his face in the bronze mirror, he saw a delicate, radiant, fair and translucent complexion.
He had forgotten that Su Wan'er was a delicate flower. He'd better not ruin her face. Si Junlin smiled and motioned for the maid to open the palace door. Soon, a familiar figure entered.
The woman was wearing a peach - colored dress, with a slender waist and a delicate face.
It was actually Concubine Mei. Wasn't she too weak to even get out of bed?
Noticing her bright clothes, Si Junlin frowned. That day in the imperial garden, Concubine Mei had cried and said she wanted to go with her child. But just a few days later, all the previous grief was gone.
"Your Majesty the Queen has finally opened the palace gate. I waited for you yesterday and the day before but didn't see you. I even thought of not coming today, fearing that my body, just after a miscarriage, might offend you," Concubine Mei covered her mouth as she spoke, her eyes curving into a smile.
"Are you feeling better?" Si Junlin was puzzled.
Wasn't it said yesterday that Concubine Mei was in a daze, unable to eat or get out of bed? How could she seem like nothing had happened in the blink of an eye?
As soon as he said this, he saw a strange look on Concubine Mei's face. She let out two soft exclamations and leaned on the pear - wood chair with a smile. "Your Majesty the Queen is really magnanimous. You still have the mind to care about my health. I thought you'd be so angry that you'd want to strangle me."
Si Junlin's face darkened. Concubine Mei had always presented herself as a weak woman in the past. He didn't know that she could be so sharp - tongued.
She sneered to herself. "You're really powerful when the Emperor is away. I'm also curious. What method did you use to coax the Emperor into forgetting about my miscarriage and side with you whole - heartedly? Did the Queen find some witnesses to prove that you weren't there at that time?"
"What do you mean?" Si Junlin faintly sensed something strange. It seemed that things were not as he had thought, just as Concubine Mei was not who he had seen.
Concubine Mei proudly lifted the corner of her mouth. "You still haven't figured it out yet, have you? You still don't know why I had a miscarriage. Well, who would be willing to sacrifice their own child to frame someone else... So even the Emperor believed it, didn't he?"
"But you did it," Si Junlin said calmly. Suddenly, the stubborn look of Su Wan'er that day flashed through his mind.
"How dare I, Your Majesty," Concubine Mei looked down at her bright red nails. "Man proposes, God disposes. That day, I went to the imperial garden to digest food. I accidentally stepped on the empty steps and felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. Just as I was about to call the imperial doctor, I saw the Queen walking from afar."
Concubine Mei paused for a moment and looked at Si Junlin pityingly. "I thought that since I couldn't save the child even if I went back, I might as well frame it on the Queen. If I could pull you down, I would be the most favored concubine... Maybe the Emperor would even make me the Queen!"
Si Junlin re - evaluated the woman in front of him. He even wondered if he had been blind before, actually thinking she was weak and pitiful.
"Didn't the Concubine think about the consequences?"
Concubine Mei couldn't help laughing. "Your Majesty the Queen should think about yourself first. The news that you tried to harm the imperial heir has spread throughout the harem. I'm afraid your position won't last long."
Hearing her sneer, Si Junlin felt deeply disgusted. "Don't dream. The Mei family has a shallow foundation. It can't produce a Queen."
"You!" Concubine Mei suddenly stood up. Being hit right in the heart, she gasped in anger and sneered, "It's not up to you. It's up to the Emperor. Let's wait and see!"
Concubine Mei left. Before leaving, she deliberately kicked the table. Si Junlin let out a deep sigh and rubbed his temples hard.
It turned out that being a Queen was not easy. There were elders making things difficult and concubines being two - faced. Although this Queen usually seemed carefree, who knew how hard it was for her in private.
If Su Wan'er were sitting here, how would she deal with Concubine Mei's provocation? Si Junlin pondered for a moment and suddenly laughed.
If it were her, she might not even realize that Concubine Mei was subtly mocking her.
...
When the sky was fully bright, Su Wan'er returned from the court. All the way back to the imperial study, she was almost exhausted.
She had no doubt that if things continued like this, she would suddenly die on the way to court.
Getting up to work at the fifth watch. Was this something a human could do?
As usual, she was supposed to read the memorials with Si Junlin... Si Junlin would read while she lay on the table sleeping.
Turning her head to look at Si Junlin, who was sitting upright, Su Wan'er actually thought he looked very elegant and good - looking. Ashamed, she covered her face. Sure enough, she received a disdainful look from him.
It had only been two or three days, but she had already gotten used to staying with Si Junlin all day long. She even had the illusion that "this is the way it should be."
After hesitating for a long time, she reached out and tugged at Si Junlin's sleeve. Under his cold gaze, she stammered, "I never knew why you didn't trust the Su family before. But today I finally understand this feeling. It turns out that everyone has their own little thoughts. Being an Emperor is not that easy, nor is it that majestic."
Si Junlin's hand paused. The brush on the memorial left a long stroke. He calmly closed the memorial and said, "Tell me. Who stimulated you?"