"Qingcao, you..." Su Wan'er glanced at the beaming palace servants standing in a circle in the palace. "You may all withdraw first."
"Yes—"
"Qingcao, did the emperor ask you anything when he came today? Or did you say something you shouldn't have?"
"Does the empress mean the matter of your plan to depose the current empress?" Qingcao immediately guessed what she was worried about.
"Of course not. Although this servant is happy that the emperor is so good to you, I still know my boundaries and would never reveal a single thing." Qingcao was very sure that she could keep her mouth shut.
That was strange. Why did the emperor suddenly act like this?
Different from the previous days when she was troubled by the war, Su Wan'er had been sitting in the palace in a daze since lunch. In her mind, there were all the things Si Junlin had done for her in the past few days.
"Empress, the water is ready. Please go and take a soak." Qingcao brought a silk bathrobe and wanted to help her change clothes.
"Take a soak in what?" It was only the fifth watch. She usually read books for another two hours before taking a bath. Su Wan'er looked into the inner room and saw that her bathroom was like a flooded area. It was completely different from the usual bathtub. Were they digging a lake here in her place?
"This is the yanghua soup jointly developed by the imperial kitchen and the imperial medical department. It is said that taking a soak in this season can best soothe the nerves and help with sleep." Qingcao seemed to have prepared this speech long ago and boasted about it.
"What yanghua soup? I'm least interested in such things." Would it smell fishy? Su Wan'er subconsciously wanted to refuse.
"Empress, please go quickly. The emperor specifically instructed that you should soak for a longer time and soak continuously for days and months to be effective." Without further ado, Qingcao changed her into the bathrobe and pushed her in.
"What? For days and months?" How was that possible? She knew it was Si Junlin's doing again.
Su Wan'er calmed down and suddenly found that she was enjoying the things Si Junlin had arranged for her. She quickly shook her head. No, these tricks seemed random but were actually well - thought - out and very powerful. She must be vigilant. How could she just fall for them?!
"Empress, this is your first time soaking. You should sit here for a full half an hour." Qingcao said while scooping water and pouring it on her shoulders.
"Half an hour? That long?" She didn't have that kind of time.
"Yes. If you don't soak properly, it won't be effective."
The more Su Wan'er listened, the more something seemed off. It was just a bath, after all.
"What effect?"
"Helping with conception, empress. The emperor still has no heirs." Even she was getting anxious.
"Helping with conception?!" Su Wan'er flew into a rage. Good grief, in just one morning, Si Junlin had managed to influence her loyal Qingcao? She was still planning to go to the battlefield soon, and now they were trying to help her conceive?!
"Rinse me off. I'm not soaking anymore!"
Su Wan'er jumped out of the big pool in a few steps, very angry. The waiting maids quickly lowered their heads, and Qingcao had to rinse her off.
"Prepare the sedan chair for me. I'm going to see Si Junlin."
She almost forgot the important thing. She hadn't read today's memorials yet, and Brother Jingtian hadn't sent a letter either. She didn't know how things were going on the front line.
"Empress, please calm down!" Qingcao came out to stop her. "The emperor has ordered that he will come to our palace tonight. You don't need to go there."
"Emperor, emperor! I see that you only have the emperor in your heart now. I'm your master. Do you know that you've been deceived by him?" Su Wan'er looked at the useless girls in her palace. Si Junlin had swapped identities with her a few times. With his ability, he probably knew them like the back of his hand. Maybe while she was being forced to soak in the yanghua soup here, Si Junlin was secretly laughing in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"But, but the emperor is doing all this for the empress's own good." Qingcao didn't know what she had done wrong.
At this moment, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Si Junlin wasn't secretly laughing as Su Wan'er had guessed. Instead, he was thinking about launching a new round of tricks. There was also a seemingly powerful "military advisor" beside him.
"Brother emperor, you've always been known as someone who can pass through a field of flowers without a single petal sticking to you. Tell me, what's the quickest way to make a woman fall head - over - heels in love with you?" Si Junlin thought that although his younger brother was good - for - nothing in most aspects, he was quite reliable when it came to matters of pleasure.
"Brother emperor, you've come to the right person. I've just taken a fancy to a girl in the Hundred - Flower Tower recently. Her looks are truly one - in - a - million. Only sister - in - law in the palace can compare with her. Brother emperor, you don't know. When she smiles at you, it'll make your bones go weak." The prince laughed very proudly, as if he was right there in the scene.
Si Junlin frowned and scolded with a dark face, "Who asked you to talk about this?! " What Hundred - Flower Tower? The women there were like the sky and the earth compared to Su Wan'er.
"Uh... Then who does brother emperor want to make fall head - over - heels in love? Could it be that you've got a new favorite? Why haven't I heard about it?" Si Jingcheng thought he knew exactly how many beautiful concubines his brother emperor had.
"What do you care so much for? You just need to come up with a way for me. After it's done, I'll reward you handsomely." Si Junlin straightened his back due to his imperial dignity.
"Well... In my humble opinion, brother emperor should just use some medicine to make her unable to get out of bed for three days. After three days, I guarantee she'll be completely devoted to you." Si Jingcheng became even more proud. If he couldn't handle such a small thing, he was even worse than him.
"Use medicine?" Si Junlin was very hesitant. But Su Wan'er knew martial arts. If this method was used on her and it angered her... Not only would he suffer physically, but he probably wouldn't succeed either.
"But this woman knows some martial arts." Si Junlin tried to make himself look like a gentleman. His younger brother was really not a good influence.
"So what? By then, her hands and feet will be weak. Who can resist that?" Si Jingcheng suddenly realized something after a while. Know martial arts?
"Brother emperor, is there a woman in the palace who knows martial arts? Who on earth is it?" Wasn't the first requirement during the imperial consort selection to be gentle and dignified? Where did a concubine who knew martial arts come from?
"Ah, it can't be sister - in - law?!" Si Jingcheng's eyes widened. Oh my god, what was wrong with his brother emperor? Didn't he always look down on sister - in - law the most?
"Shut up. What are you shouting about?!" Si Junlin suppressed his shame and anger.
"Your Majesty, the empress is here." Fang Xi had been driven outside the hall by Si Junlin to guard the door. Suddenly, he saw Su Wan'er coming over alone in a hurry.
Before he could announce her arrival, Su Wan'er had already walked in.