The knee pads are made of brocade and embroidered with a phoenix and peony pattern. The stitches are fine, dense, intricate and beautiful.

The Empress was delighted with it and couldn't put it down.

"Your wife has put so much thought into making even a pair of knee pads; only she could be so ingenious."

The Empress looked at Biluo with a smile.

"But why are you the one who's been to the palace lately? What's Ah Wan been busy with?"

Biluo bowed her head and replied, "Madam has caught a cold and was afraid of passing on her illness to Your Majesty, so she did not dare to enter the palace."

The Empress put down the knee pads she was holding and frowned.

Upon closer reflection, it seems that it has been quite some time since I last saw Jiang Wan.

She asked, "How many days have you been ill? Have you had the imperial physician examine you?"

Biluo recalled Jiang Wan's instructions and replied with her head down, "About seven days. Your Majesty, please rest assured, a doctor has already been consulted."

The Empress frowned even more deeply. "Seven days have passed and you're still not better; you must be quite ill. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

She gave instructions to the head palace maid beside her.

"Send someone from the Imperial Medical Academy to the General's residence to take a look. After they've done so, they should come back to me and report back."

Biluo quickly thanked the emperor.

The Empress bestowed some nourishing items upon her, which she was to take back to the General's Mansion.

When the imperial physician returned to the palace to report, it was already evening.

Just then, Emperor Jingyuan and Pei Xuan were having dinner in the Empress's palace when a palace maid came to report that Imperial Physician Song was requesting an audience.

A screen was set up inside the hall, and Physician Song stood outside the screen, bowing as he reported back.

"Your Majesty, I have already visited the General's residence. Madam Jiang is fine, please rest assured."

The Empress was serving food to Emperor Jingyuan when she heard this and said, "It's nothing serious. Why is your cold taking so long to heal?"

"this…"

Imperial Physician Song raised an eyebrow and glanced at Pei Xuan, pausing briefly before speaking.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingyuan asked, "Is Lady Jiang ill?"

Since the assassination attempt at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, he has treated Jiang Wan with great kindness, regarding her as his junior.

Emperor Jingyuan spoke personally, and Imperial Physician Song dared not refuse to answer, much less conceal anything, otherwise he would be guilty of deceiving the emperor.

He glanced at Pei Xuan, who was drinking soup to the side, and felt extremely uneasy. He was so frightened that he knelt down immediately.

"Your Majesty, Lady Jiang... Lady Jiang is well."

Emperor Jingyuan: "Are you alright?"

The Empress also looked puzzled and said in a deep voice, "Imperial Physician Song, what do you mean by that?"

"Father, Mother, there's no need to make things difficult for Physician Song."

Pei Xuan put down his soup bowl, picked up a handkerchief from the table, wiped his lips, and spoke.

"Madam Jiang is doing well. It was I who placed her under house arrest and made it public that she had caught a cold."

"Household confinement?" the Empress asked in surprise.

“That’s right,” Pei Xuan said. “Father and Mother are unaware that something happened at Song Yu’s investiture banquet. For the sake of stability in the court, I have no choice but to place Jiang Wan under house arrest.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingyuan turned and exchanged a glance with the Empress, both of them somewhat puzzled.

"Isn't it just that Song Lin forged the imperial edict? What does that have to do with Jiang Wan?" Emperor Jingyuan asked.

Pei Xuan and the court officials had all reported Song Lin's actions that day, and Emperor Jingyuan was quite angry at the time.

He had never liked Song Lin, and Song Lin had committed a serious crime with audacity, so he would not let him off easily.

However, Emperor Jingyuan wanted to wait until the cases of Yuan Shi and Song Ziyu were concluded before punishing them together, which would happen in the next few days.

Secondly, the Prefect of Jingzhao arrested several Donglai people who were disguised as commoners in the city. Donglai people were hiding in the capital, and there was a fear that they might cause trouble again.

With the Phantom Moon Cult yet to be eradicated and Donglai in turmoil, Emperor Jingyuan was preoccupied and had no energy to investigate the General's Mansion.

"During the banquet that day, Song Lin inadvertently revealed that Yuan Shi and Song Ziyu had murderous intentions towards Jiang Wan. Jiang Wan was heartbroken and asked her son to inform the Emperor of this matter. She also planned to go to the Emperor in person to request a divorce from the General's Mansion."

In just a few words, Pei Xuan briefly described the situation in a nonchalant tone.

"The marriage between the Song and Jiang families was arranged by the late Emperor. How can it be changed? To prevent her from causing trouble in front of the Emperor and causing a stir in the court and among the people, I have simply locked her up in her residence and forbade her to go out."

"We will release her when she gives up the idea of ​​divorce."

These words left Emperor Jingyuan momentarily speechless.

The Empress, however, frowned first, her face showing a thin layer of anger.

"A-Wan was betrothed to the General's Mansion by the late Emperor. How dare the Elder Madam and Song Ziyu treat her so badly? It's really too much!"

Royal marriages are not without precedents of marital discord. To show loyalty to the royal family, most families would treat the woman well, maintaining a respectful and dignified demeanor.

Those who harbor murderous intentions, like the Song family, are utterly despicable in the Empress's eyes.

"They dare to act like this, so Ah Wan must not have had a good life since she came in."

The Empress had always favored Jiang Wan, and upon hearing this, she felt only anger and heartache.

She said to Pei Xuan, "Release A-Wan immediately. I want to ask her myself how the Song family has treated her all these years!"

To everyone's surprise, Pei Xuan, who was always filial, shook his head.

"Mother, I'm afraid this is not appropriate."

Before the Empress could speak, Pei Xuan continued, "Once Jiang Wan enters the palace, she will definitely request an audience with the Emperor and beg for a divorce. At that time..."

Before he finished speaking, the Empress understood his unspoken meaning and couldn't help but glance at Emperor Jingyuan.

Emperor Jingyuan was extremely filial to his late father and certainly did not want the two families to separate.

However, Jiang Wan had saved the emperor's life and was his "benefactor." If he refused her outright, it would make the emperor seem heartless.

To avoid putting Emperor Jingyuan in a difficult position, Pei Xuan had no choice but to take the initiative and place Jiang Wan under house arrest.

If the Empress could figure it out, Emperor Jingyuan naturally understood as well.

However, he showed no relief on his face. It was as if he was thinking of something. Emperor Jingyuan asked with a deep frown.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!