Thinking that her future might be tied to that of her mistress, Caiyan swallowed back the words of advice she had to give Jiang Jiaojiao.

She and Granny Qu also saw Young Master Wei outside the courtyard. That man exuded warmth even without smiling, and any girl would feel happy upon seeing him.

The young masters of noble families are indeed different; when he passed by, the air was filled with a faint fragrance of roses.

Caiyan suddenly realized what was happening and quickly turned to walk outside.

"Miss, do you still remember that box of rose incense?"

"Jasmine scent will do."

Caiyan stopped and reminded him, "When Young Master Wei passed by me, I smelled a faint fragrance of roses."

Jiang Jiaojiao yawned. "I'm sleepy. You can use rose scented oil instead."

I need to make sure I'm well-rested tonight so I can be full of energy when I bump into my crush tomorrow.

Caiyan found some rose incense and lit it, and it wasn't until the third watch of the night that she finished infusing the clothes her mistress was to wear.

Inside the palace.

The Jiaofang Palace was brightly lit, and palace maids and eunuchs were running out one after another.

Imperial physicians came in batch after batch.

Lady Wei sat before the Empress and held her hand tightly. "Your Majesty, you must hold on! The entire Wei family is counting on you."

The empress on the couch looked haggard, and even the candlelight in the palace couldn't illuminate her cheeks.

"Mother, please call me Ziyu. This Empress is truly working hard, and I am exhausted." After saying this, the Empress gasped for breath, as if these words had taken a great deal of her strength.

The maid behind Madam Wei glanced outside, suppressing her tears and daring not to utter a sound.

“My Yu’er, you will get better. Once you get better, don’t worry about the royal offspring. At worst, you can raise one of the children in the harem to keep by your side.”

When the topic of offspring came up, the Empress's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a string of tears rolled down her cheeks.

From Crown Princess to Empress, she gave birth to only one princess in more than ten years.

Despite her best efforts to prevent other women from giving birth to the emperor's son before her, she still couldn't stop two women in the harem from having children with the emperor.

A few days ago, she felt nauseous and vomited, and her period had been irregular.

Thinking she had recovered and was pregnant, she immediately summoned the imperial physician to take her pulse.

The imperial physician said that her body was weak and her blood and qi were insufficient, and that she would never be able to get pregnant in this lifetime.

As a result, he was overcome with anger and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Illness strikes like a landslide; after only two days in bed, she felt extremely weak.

Especially at night, I have nightmares as soon as I close my eyes. I always see the Black and White Impermanence holding iron chains to lock me up.

Wei Ziyu closed her slightly sunken eyes and said in a weak voice, "Mother, if I don't make it, choose another sister from the Wei clan to enter the palace. Min'er cannot be given to someone else to raise."

Lady Wei finally couldn't hold back her tears. "Yu'er, don't talk nonsense. You'll get better. The imperial physician just said that it's because you've been worrying too much and your body is weak. There are plenty of tonics in the palace. You will definitely get better."

The palace maids and nannies standing to the side all lowered their heads.

These past few days, the imperial physicians have been coming to the Jiaofang Palace to take the Empress's pulse.

The imperial physician said that the empress's body was like a leaky wall, and the tonics she had taken had vanished without a trace.

Seeing that the Empress seemed to be asleep, Lady Wei gently put down her daughter's hand.

She wiped away her tears and walked out of the bedroom.

She summoned a young eunuch and asked, "What is the Emperor doing? Why did he only come to see me for a moment before leaving today?"

"Madam, how dare this servant inquire about the Emperor's whereabouts? That's a capital offense!" The little eunuch trembled with fear.

The little eunuch thought to himself, "If it weren't for the Empress's family coming today, the Emperor probably wouldn't have even glanced at me."

With so many beauties in the harem, how could the emperor possibly keep track of them all?

Even though the eunuch knew that the emperor was currently indulging in pleasure in the newly acquired Beauty Palace, he dared not say anything.

If Lady Wei were to rush over in anger, disturbing the Emperor's enjoyment, and it were later discovered that she had revealed the Emperor's whereabouts, would she even want her own life?

Lady Wei only came to her senses after asking the question. That was the Emperor, a man of noble status, not an ordinary family's son-in-law. No matter how much glory he bestowed upon the Wei family, he would not allow her to act recklessly in the palace.

The palace, with its high walls, red walls and green tiles, and its magnificent golden splendor, still inspires awe.

The following day, Lady Wei returned to the Prime Minister's residence.

As soon as she entered the gate, Old Madam Wei summoned her for questioning.

"What happened to Her Majesty the Empress? Why did you all keep it from me?" Old Madam Wei asked sternly.

"Mother, don't worry. Yu'er hasn't been able to conceive for many years. She's been holding a grudge and is feeling very upset. She vomited blood and is now weak."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Madam Wei's eyes. "It's not that she's weak. I reminded you years ago to discuss with Yu'er about sending another daughter from the Wei family into the palace."

"You and Yu'er were so adamant in your disagreement, and look what happened? You didn't give birth to a prince, so how can you hold onto your position as empress?" Old Madam Wei said, glaring fiercely at Madam Wei.

Madam Wei was a shrewd woman. Many years ago, when the Empress returned to the mansion, she had the family physician take the Empress's pulse.

The imperial physician had privately told Madam Wei that the Empress was weak and anemic, and her menstruation was never regular, not to mention that the Emperor only occasionally stayed overnight in the Jiaofang Palace.

It was extremely difficult for the Empress to conceive.

The Empress and her daughter were worried that their half-sister would enter the palace, give birth to a prince, and gain the Emperor's favor, so they refused to listen to Madam Wei's suggestion.

"Her Majesty the Empress is currently ill. A new batch of young ladies has just been selected to enter the palace this year. It's pointless for Mother to bring this up now. Yu'er's health is poor. The most urgent thing is for us to send more tonics to the palace."

Madam Wei had her own plans. Her daughter was just weak and would get better with rest.

Her husband held a high-ranking position, the emperor still relied on the Wei family, and her legitimate sons were all serving the court. She should be content.

Whether the emperor would favor someone if she sent them to the palace is another matter.

Most importantly, she didn't want others to look down on her just because they had gained favor overnight.

Old Madam Wei could see through her eldest daughter-in-law's thoughts. She waved her hand helplessly and said, "Go, let you go. I'm an old woman with my neck buried in yellow earth. I can only manage you for a while, not forever."

Meanwhile, Wei Mingzhou took a thousand taels of silver from the mistress and happily left the mansion with his servant.

As the carriage left the city, the servant asked, "Young master, are we really going to Qinglian Temple?"

Wei Mingzhou leaned lazily against the small couch in the carriage, his eyes half-closed. "Why not go? Grandmother has taken the money, so you, young master, should at least take a talisman back for her."

The servant smiled obsequiously, "Young master must be going to see if Miss Du has also gone to pray for blessings."

Wei Mingzhou glanced at the servant sitting at the carriage door and said, "Don't talk nonsense. It's still far from settled. If you see Miss Du later, you'd better be respectful."

Servant: "..." He said I was talking nonsense, but I clearly took it to heart.

Many people visit Qinglian Temple.

Right behind Wei Mingzhou's carriage, an inconspicuous carriage followed closely.