Finally, Song Jingxi collapsed onto the scarlet carpet, utterly exhausted, and said in a plaintive tone, "Your Majesty, I am truly powerless. Are you still unwilling to make arrangements?"

The way she fell was quite coincidental; half of her clothes slipped off her shoulder, revealing her playful little pink nipple.

Jiang Wang didn't even glance at it, silently drank the tea in his bowl, and ordered the carriage to be prepared at the Taiji Hall.

Song Jingxi's eyes flickered with resentment. She stood up and said she was respectfully seeing off the Emperor, but her heart was filled with sorrow.

Is it possible that she will never be able to truly serve the emperor in her lifetime? Unfortunately, everyone is now watching her, waiting to see if she is truly favored or if it is just a passing fancy by the emperor. The empress dowager is even hoping that she will give birth to a royal heir so that she can turn the tide.

But she had never even been close to His Majesty's body, so how could she possibly conceive a royal heir! The thought of Consort Song, who had been favored all her life but remained a virgin, becoming the talk of the town and a laughingstock after her death made her feel as if she were being roasted on a fire, with someone hammering her temples.

She didn't know how long this situation would last, and she had to find a way to consummate her marriage with His Majesty as soon as possible.

She had considered tampering with the spices, but the acacia incense was forbidden, and if discovered, she would likely lose her life. What other way was there to keep His Majesty around without being discovered?

As usual, after the morning court session, Jiang Wang kept a few ministers in the Imperial Study to discuss matters. Shen Bochun had dark circles under his eyes, and the Duke of Wei teased him, "What have you been up to all night, Lord Shen? Your eyelids are all dark circles. Lord Shen is still young, you should take care of your health!"

These words caused a stir in the study. Jiang Wang's gaze fell on Shen Bochun's eyes, and he suddenly felt a sense of kinship. He said with a half-smile, "It seems that Lord Shen also has something on his mind."

Shen Bochun looked distressed and apologized repeatedly, "Your Majesty, I have been sleeping poorly these past few days and haven't been sleeping well at night. I apologize for making you laugh."

Sleeping lightly? Perhaps you're preoccupied with other matters!

Although he did not leave the palace, he knew everything that was happening outside.

The thought that the girl would rather meddle in other people's business than return to the palace made him extremely annoyed, like a cat scratching at his heart.

"Oh?" Duke Wei chuckled twice, looking skeptical, and said, "I recently heard an interesting story."

Shen Bochun's face darkened, and he immediately guessed what the Duke of Wei might want to say.

As expected, the Duke of Wei spoke frankly: "I heard that things have been a bit chaotic in your household lately. Third Master Shen's concubine gave birth to a big, healthy boy, while Third Master Shen's legal wife hastily left the capital for the ancestral home in Jiangzhou. I wonder if Lord Shen is troubled by this matter?"

As Shen Bochun listened, a mocking smile crept onto his lips: "It seems that the Duke of Wei has listened to quite a bit of gossip from common women over the years."

He paused for a moment, then bowed respectfully to the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, I do not know how my brother’s family affairs got out. However, I have never been in the habit of meddling in other people’s family affairs. I am afraid that my words just now offended the Duke of Wei. I hope Your Majesty will punish me.”

The Duke of Wei was deeply distressed by these veiled and overt sarcastic remarks.

No wonder people say that a civil official's words are worth ten thousand soldiers. This Shen Bochun is really a scoundrel. He actually tried to sow discord between the emperor and the emperor over a few words.

"Lord Shen's words are too extreme. They were just a few jokes; how could one take them seriously?" Duke Wei chuckled, still appearing nonchalant. "However, according to Lord Shen, it seems this matter is indeed true?"

"Whether it's true or false, it doesn't matter. I am currently in office. If Your Highness is curious, why don't you go and ask me yourself?"

The two men, who were not young, started arguing back and forth.

Jiang Wang didn't stop him. Anyway, he had been in a bad mood these past few days and couldn't stand seeing others doing well. Let them make a scene, the bigger the better.

Too lazy to care, he simply turned around and went to the warm pavilion behind the study to lie down and rest when no one was looking.

But as soon as I close my eyes, all I see in my mind is Shen Mingzhuang's pretty and charming appearance. She is so beautiful that no one can replace her, and she is so lively that those who try to imitate her can only capture her form but not her spirit.

It was against the rules for Shen Mingzhuang to stay overnight at the Shen family's residence, but Jiang Wang couldn't control her in the palace, so she simply let it go this time and had a copy of all her usual belongings sent to the Shen residence as usual.

With Lin Shi gone, the Shen family became much quieter.

Shen Ming'e would go to Biyue Tower to see her younger brother every day at dawn. Shen Mingzhuang went twice but found it boring, so he simply started studying Buddhist scriptures in Cuixuan Residence.

Whenever she felt confused and disoriented, she would read Buddhist scriptures and study them carefully. Her troubled mind would calm down, and gradually she came to understand their deeper meaning.

She wanted to prevent the Tianzhong Kingdom from perishing in her hands, so she chose to help Jiang Wang turn the tide. The Huainan matter was resolved, and Jiang Wang began to rectify officialdom and sent people to investigate the people's conditions. Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, but she fell into trouble again, this time about herself.

She wanted to live a good life with Jiang Wang, but she forgot that Jiang Wang had never given her a promise of being together for life. She was blinded by love and forgot that he was not Young Master Jiang, but the high and mighty monarch Jiang Wang. The things he carried on his shoulders would never allow him to make such a promise to her.

But it's a man's nature that makes it difficult for him to keep such a promise.

Thinking about all this, she felt that these things were too ethereal, and her initial intentions, which stemmed from genuine feelings, seemed somewhat insignificant at this moment. She also overestimated her position in Jiang Wang's heart.

He still loved her appearance the most, but beauty fades and love will eventually wane as her looks fade. Was she going to spend her precious life doing something so superficial?

"No way, no way!" The chubby boy jumped up immediately upon hearing Shen Mingzhuang's thoughts. "You...you...you don't want to become a monk, do you?"

It felt it necessary to interrupt the beautiful woman's wild thoughts; if things continued like this, she might really have to become a nun.

Shen Mingzhuang was startled by the chubby boy's sudden outburst. "What's wrong with being a nun? Isn't it said that people suffer in this world? If you stay away from worldly affairs, can't you avoid suffering?"

The chubby boy couldn't help but sigh, "You're not serious, are you?"

...

As night fell, Shen Mingzhuang leaned against the wall in her room, listening to the sound of wind and snow outside. The kang (a heated brick bed) inside was heated, and she sat there, staring blankly out the window that was slightly ajar.

Snowflakes fell softly, gradually whitening the world. She rested her chin on her elbow, wondering what Jiang Wang was doing at this moment.