Li Yunyan resumed her happy life every day.
It's exciting to think about.
The Empress's injuries healed in a little over half a month, and it took her another half month to regain control of the palace from Consort Hui.
She transformed back into the haughty and dignified empress. The day after regaining power, she resumed the daily greetings.
Li Yunyan had been getting used to being lazy lately, sleeping until she naturally woke up every day. Suddenly having to get up so early made her feel uncomfortable all over.
She squinted as Xiangxia helped her sit in front of an exquisite sandalwood dressing table, letting the palace maid comb her hair into an elaborate and intricate updo.
It was nearly mid-December, and a light snow was falling from the sky, as if dressing nature in a thin veil, creating a dreamlike and beautiful scene.
"Your Majesty, it's cold outside, please wear more layers today!"
Li Yunyan opened her eyes a crack, glimpsed the pure white outside, and nodded.
Today she wore a thin inner jacket, a honey-colored brocade long skirt with floral patterns and gold trim, and a pure white fox fur cloak.
On the hood of her cloak, gold and silver chains were interwoven, strung with pure white pearls. As she walked, they swayed and shone brightly in the sunlight, highlighting her ethereal beauty and making her seem otherworldly.
After Xiangxia finished dressing her up, she was immediately stunned and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, you are so beautiful!"
Li Yunyan was now alert. She smiled and took the delicate hand warmer handed to her by the palace maid. She parted her red lips slightly and said, "Let's go, or it will be too late."
She arrived right on time, and by the time she entered Fengyi Palace, all the concubines in the harem had already arrived.
She was the last one.
All eyes were on her.
The Empress's brow twitched slightly. She recognized at a glance that the white fox fur coat Li Yunyan was wearing today was a tribute that had just been presented last month. She hadn't expected His Majesty to bestow it upon her so soon!
In the past, wouldn't the Empress have chosen all the good things first, before the people below could get a chance to get them?
She lowered her eyes, concealing the fire blazing within them.
After Li Yunyan gracefully walked to her designated seat and sat down, the Empress started a conversation with the concubines.
What happened last month has become a distant memory for the imperial harem. Two of the concubines who fell into the water died of illness, and the rest were essentially banished to the cold palace, with no chance of ever seeing the light of day again.
The other concubines acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to chat with the Empress with their usual ingratiating smiles.
However, what made Li Yunyan feel relieved was that everyone had witnessed He Beiyi's infatuation with her, and no one was so tactless as to openly or secretly criticize her anymore, which brought her some peace and quiet.
She ate her tea and snacks in small bites. The pastry chef in the Empress's palace was probably hired from outside, and the taste was something you couldn't get in the Imperial Kitchen. It was the only good thing about the Phoenix Palace.
The Empress was also a cautious person. Ever since she drank those three cups of tea, all the food she ate afterwards was clean and there was nothing dirty in it.
Today's jujube paste was particularly to her liking, and she ate several pieces without realizing it. When she picked up the peach shortbread from another plate, the moment she put it to her mouth and smelled it, she immediately felt it was incredibly greasy.
She couldn't help but let out a soft "yue" involuntarily.
Her voice was so abrupt that everyone's eyes turned to her.
Li Yunyan quickly put down the peach shortbread, took a sip of tea to relieve the discomfort in her throat, and patted her chest with her hand.
Xiangxia had been closely watching Li Yunyan's every move from outside. Seeing her like this, she didn't think twice and ran out immediately.
"Consort Li, what's wrong with you?"
The Empress asked with concern.
Li Yunyan pulled her hands back under her wide sleeves and placed her fingers on her wrists to feel the pulse.
really!
I've been having so much fun lately! I almost forgot about this!
She put on a shy expression and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Perhaps it's because of the recent cold weather that I haven't been resting well, so I feel a little unwell."
The Empress, dignified and generous, carefully instructed, "Consort Li is the apple of His Majesty's eye; she must take good care of her health."
Li Yunyan blushed and lowered her head, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand!"
Consort Hui, having been through similar experiences, understood perfectly well what was going on in her reaction!
A slight smile played at the corners of her lips.
Unexpectedly, Consort Li is quite clever; she managed to become pregnant under such circumstances.
She's a pro at annoying the Empress!
Consort Hui spoke slowly in a languid voice, “Looking at Consort Li like this now reminds me of when I was pregnant with Anchang. I also felt nauseous just from the smell.”
Pregnant?!
These two words shattered the entire hall and tore apart the Empress's feigned dignified expression.
She looked at Li Yunyan in disbelief. She had great confidence in her medicine and had never made a mistake over the years, so she hadn't thought about it in that direction before!
Now that I think about it, wasn't that a sign of pregnancy?
She had been pregnant before, and she knew that feeling, savoring the sweet yet bitter memories in the quiet of countless nights.
Her voice trembled slightly, and her carefully groomed fingers gripped the armrest tightly as she tried her best to maintain her composure. She asked calmly, "Consort Li, when was the last time you changed your clothes?"
Li Yunyan looked at Consort Hui and then at the Empress with a blank expression. Only after hearing the Empress's question did she suddenly realize what was going on.
She pondered for a moment, her expression a mixture of nervousness and joy, and said uncertainly, "It seems like, it was last month, or maybe the month before last, I can't quite remember!"
"How could you forget something so important!"
The Empress's anger came out of nowhere, and Li Yunyan looked at the Empress with a frightened expression, like a startled little rabbit.
The Empress gritted her teeth secretly; she absolutely could not let this matter get out of Fengyi Palace!
She wanted to make it all a misunderstanding!
She glanced subtly at Granny Qi, who stood beside her. Granny Qi understood and was about to quietly slip away when a eunuch's voice came from outside announcing their arrival—
"His Majesty has arrived!"
The Empress had only one thought at that moment: It's all over!
Upon hearing the announcement, all the concubines immediately stood up and bowed to He Beiyi, who was striding towards them.
He Beiyi walked straight to Li Yunyan, supported her body as she tried to bend down, and said gently, "I have said that Yan'er does not need to bow anymore."
A blush crept onto Li Yunyan's face. She glared at him reproachfully and said softly, "Your Majesty, we are outside now, and etiquette must not be disregarded!"
He raised his hand and pinched her smooth little face. "I heard you weren't feeling well, so I brought the imperial physician with me. Are you feeling better now?"
Li Yunyan looked up and stared in surprise at Xiangxia, who was craning her neck outside the door. She mentally gave her another thumbs up.
Such a clever girl, could we make her into a pendant and take her to the next little world?
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