Wumian smiled at him again. "Enough about that. Since Your Majesty has come at this hour, you must be staying for dinner, correct? Shall I make the arrangements?"

  "Very well. I’ll leave it to the Empress," Ying Qionglou nodded.

  He thought to himself—the Empress certainly knows how to speak these days.

  Of course, she had always been talkative before, but her words had never hit the mark. Now, however… her reasoning was solid.

  After the Emperor left, Linshui was beside herself with worry. "Your Majesty, you spoke far too frankly! You even brought up the te Empress Shen—what if His Majesty gets angry?" Wumian shook her head, saying nothing as she continued with her tasks.

  Angry? Hardly.

  Ying Qionglou was not the petty type—nor did he appear to have any serious psychological issues.

  The te Emperor had passed away before he ever had the chance to consider his son a threat. Even though the te Emperor had many concubines, his retionship with Fu Taifei (Empress Dowager) had always been stable.

  His Majesty had been the legitimate eldest son—appointed Crown Prince at the age of ten. He was never meant to be anything but the future ruler.

  When he ascended the throne, the greatest challenge he faced was his uncle’s rebellion—but that, too, was swiftly dealt with. There had never been any true threat to his position.

  So why would a few honest words be unbearable for him?

  Besides, the very fact that he continued visiting Fengyi Pace was proof enough that he intended for the Empress to remain in her position.

  If he truly despised her, wouldn’t it have been easy to let her illness cim her life?

  Moreover, while Empress Shen’s family had fallen into disgrace and she herself had certainly harmed several consorts, Wumian had never once heard the Emperor speak ill of her.

  Even the Empress Dowager remained silent on the matter.

  Although the Eldest Prince’s status was awkward, he was still living well enough, wasn’t he? Being raised in the outer pace didn’t mean he was abandoned—it was for his protection.

  Looking at everything from all angles, the Emperor did not despise Empress Shen as much as people assumed. It was just that, since the Shen family had been involved in treason, it was better not to mention her at all.

  Since that was the case, why not y things out clearly? There was no need to carry every burden on her own—it was exhausting, and she had no interest in it.

  After all, wasn't stepping back from pace affairs supposed to be about enjoying an easier life? If she could, she’d even forbid the consorts from coming to greet her in the mornings. That way, she could just stay in bed every day.

  But as, being Empress came with its downsides. If she ignored everything, how long would she be able to keep this position?

  Ah, contradictions.

  As night fell, the Emperor, as he wished, held the Empress in his arms once more.

  Wumian wasn’t one to hold back. With such a handsome Emperor, how could she not indulge a little? She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her cheek to his, and murmured, "Your Majesty."

  Under the dim candlelight, Ying Qionglou pulled the st jade hairpin from Wumian’s hair, allowing it to cascade down in soft waves. She was young and beautiful. If not for her past poor temperament and ck of intelligence, Ying Qionglou might have been more willing to spoil her.

  But at this moment, he was certainly interested.

  He turned over and pressed her beneath him.

  It was a long time before the attendants were called in to assist. Once everything was cleaned up, Wumian turned her back to the Emperor and fell into a deep sleep.

  Ying Qionglou, however, looked at his little Empress with different thoughts in mind.

  She was eight years younger than him—completely different from the te Empress Shen.

  No one dared to mention the te Empress Shen anymore, but the truth was that he did not simply despise her. In fact, his feelings weren’t even primarily hatred—more like resignation.

  They had once been a young couple in love. Shen Shi had been beautiful, capable, and intelligent—she was, in every way, the perfect Crown Princess and ter, the perfect Empress.

  Her ruthlessness? Of course, he had always known. He had even protected some of his concubines from her tactics, but he could not shield them all.

  The truth was, no one could be an exceptional Crown Princess or Empress without some level of cunning. At times, he had even silently permitted her actions.

  Until the Shen family committed treason. At the time, Shen Shi herself had known nothing about it. Not only was she unaware—she had been furious and helpless.

  She was already Empress, but her family was riddled with internal strife. Her third uncle, foolishly thinking he could seize power, dragged the entire family into ruin.

  Even though she was the Empress, what benefit could she possibly gain from her uncle’s reckless rebellion? Because of his short-sightedness, he led their entire house to destruction.

  Her father and grandfather, desperate to protect the family name, had foolishly covered up the treason. One wrong step led to a lifetime of regret.

  Even though she was the Empress, she could not escape the consequences of her family’s crimes. And so, the Shen family was no more.

  Shen Shi, despite her immense power over the years, could not escape the camity that her family had brought upon her. She fell ill and never recovered.

  She knew that even if she survived, she could no longer remain Empress. Rather than be demoted to a mere criminal’s concubine, she chose to die. She still had her son and so before her death, she begged the Emperor to send the child away and protect him.

  She knew that after she was gone, those she had harmed would never let her son live. She couldn’t bme the Emperor for executing her family. After all, he had at least spared the women. And so, she had died with crity—but also with immense sorrow.

  The women of the inner pace who had come from the Eastern Pace hated her. Because in order to secure her position, Shen Shi had suppressed them all in one way or another.

  The newer consorts who had never even met her still looked down on her, disgusted by her family’s crimes.

  It was as if, because of one fw, she had been stripped of all her virtues.

  Ying Qionglou never defended her. But they had married when they were fifteen. They had a child together. Could he truly be completely indifferent?

  He did not love her completely. But he did not hate her, either.

  Today, Zhao Shi had brought up Empress Shen. And it made him think of many things. But more than anything—Zhao Shi herself had changed. That illness truly had transformed her.

  ____

  By the time Wumian was woken up, the Emperor had already left.

  She stretched zily and instructed, "Dress me up a little today—I need to have a word with Guifei."

  Not fighting for favor was one thing, but she couldn't let people trample all over her either. Guifei really wasn’t treating her like an Empress at all.

  When the consorts arrived for the morning greeting, they were startled.

  The Empress had dressed rather grandly today. She looked imposing, regal.

  After some small talk, Wumian turned to Guifei.

  "Guifei, I have something to say to you today."

  "Your Majesty, please enlighten me," Guifei said, her heart tightening.

  Was the Empress going to embarrass her in front of everyone again? She wasn’t afraid, but it would be unpleasant.

  "The Emperor visited me st night and mentioned a few things. Though I already expined myself to him, something about this matter is still not right."

  Wumian shifted comfortably in her seat, looking completely at ease.

  "If you have an issue with me, you should come and speak to me directly. Why did you trouble His Majesty instead?"

  She raised an eyebrow.

  "And if you are going to trouble His Majesty, then at least tell the truth. Tell me—what exactly did I say wrong? Which part of my actions were improper?"

  "Your Majesty is overthinking. I never intended for this to happen." Guifei stood up in defense.

  "I was merely speaking casually with His Majesty—it was not meant to be a compint. His Majesty surely did not come to reprimand Your Majesty."

  "Oh?" Wumian’s gaze sharpened.

  "So what you’re saying is that His Majesty misunderstood you? Are you suggesting that His Majesty simply heard your ‘careless words’ and ran off to gossip about them? Are you calling His Majesty loose-lipped or are you saying that he’s easily maniputed?"

  Her smile vanished.