Chapter 42 Chapter 42 [VIP]
Shen Youyi believed that a man's desire for a woman should be related to her physical condition. It would be difficult for a man who fell down at the slightest breeze to make her feel wary and appreciate his beauty without any precautions.
For example, the Second Emperor had the same beauty as the Empress, and his delicate features revealed a hint of tired and bored arrogance. Apart from the throne, he already had everything and had long been tired of the things that could drive countless men and women crazy.
Being in this position and possessing a frail body, there was no point in his efforts, and he would lose nothing by being wild and unrestrained.
But if he had some feelings for her, and they still existed, then it all made sense.
She was a beauty that he could never get.
"I have already surrendered my body to Your Majesty. If the Dowager ascends the throne, I am afraid that my husband and I will no longer be together."
She wiped the barely perceptible tears from the corners of her eyes with a silk handkerchief and whispered, "Your Highness knows that if the truth comes out, His Majesty will decide between the Crown Prince and the Favored Concubine. Even if I die, His Majesty may not be willing to depose the Crown Princess."
There were thousands of people making clothes, weaving and dyeing brocade for her, but Shen Youyi still kept the old habit of wearing a white handkerchief. She did not require the fabric to be expensive or rare, but only required it to be comfortable and soft.
This can be considered as a rare frugality for the imperial concubine, but she actually has another use.
The white handkerchief that had been soaked in the beauty's body fragrance for a long time fell gently on the boy's clothes. She cried out "Ah" and was about to bend down to pick it up, but it had already been picked up by someone.
She hesitated to speak, half turned away, and whispered, "I don't want it anymore."
Shen Youyi saw him casually fold the handkerchief and put it into his sleeve pocket from the corner of his eye, and he felt a little relieved. If the Second Emperor really did not live beyond the age of 25, even if he was secretly at odds with the Empress Dowager, he should know that he could not ascend to the throne.
Since I have accepted her handkerchief, I can't go to the emperor to complain and use her past to bring down the queen.
There was a hint of a smile on the corner of her lips, but he saw it and said lightly: "What does Yi Niang want to ask of me?"
Shen Youyi wanted to beg him to tell her what he knew again, but it was too hasty. She said softly: "Your Highness has a very close relationship with my brother. It is inconvenient for me to see him in my current status. Liaoyan, can you..."
She thought that what she said was not unlucky for the man. Her father and the others were not in Chang'an, and her brother was her only blood relative. It would be more appropriate for her to want to see her brother than to want to see her wife. However, the smile on the young man's pale face gradually disappeared.
"Yi Niang used these tricks against Tai Liao on me, just to see your brother?"
He had a cold expression on his face, and with a casual wave of his hand, the shining handkerchief was engulfed by the flame of the candle and quickly turned into ashes.
Shen Youyi stared blankly at the light ash stuck in her palm. How could their fathers be more difficult to serve than the other?
She came to her senses and cursed her wife secretly. How could outsiders know what she gave him?
The Second Emperor watched her changing expression gently and said kindly, "When people are proud, it's natural for them not to show off."
A few years ago, the Shen family was imprisoned, and the news of her death came from the Ye Ting Bureau. The Queen Mother who was running around to plead for Shen did not show any sadness. She was in high spirits, and her body was stained with the rare fragrance of a woman. She abandoned the yellow silk embroidered bat handkerchief usually used in the Eastern Palace, and occasionally a hint of playful bright color appeared on her cuffs.
He didn't interact much with women, but he knew that was a way women used to keep their lovers.
His expression remained calm: "It seems that when Yi Niang lost her memory, she did the same stupid thing as when she was fifteen."
Shen Youyi wanted to quibble, but those explanations were too pale and powerless, so she had to admit it: "I already liked Tailuo in my heart, and no one came to tell me the truth. People have no hindsight. After all, he rescued me and pleaded for my father. What have others done for me!"
She was almost fed up with the hypocrisy of these men. Each of them had some designs on her, but would eventually leave her. Did they still expect her to remain faithful to them?
These words had a visibly effect on him. His pale face flushed alarmingly red, and his previous calmness seemed to be just an illusion. He coughed twice, and the way he covered his heart made Shen Youyi tremble.
She felt a little pity for him, but she was more afraid that he would die here out of anger.
——He is so precious, how could it be easy for him to die from this disease?
But then I thought, she is already so sick, what can I do to her if I marry her? Am I going to just use her as a vase?
The concern in her eyes almost overflowed, and she stepped forward to pat him, but the boy gently avoided her.
"A doctor cannot heal himself. I just said that. Don't take it to heart..."
She said veiledly, "If the imperial physician were to be summoned at this time, His Majesty would be unhappy if he knew about it, and Your Majesty would be worried too."
He stared at the bold yet timid beauty in front of him with a gloomy expression, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
From the first time I saw her, this girl exuded a frivolous beauty that could make anyone angry to death.
In contrast to him, she had an endless desire for the world, and therefore was lively and innocent, but as long as he nodded, the fog would immediately dissipate.
Shen Youyi observed his condition carefully. She didn't understand pathology and medical books, but his breathing gradually stabilized, which should be a sign of improvement.
? "
"Your Highness is born noble, so it is best to take good care of yourself."
He glanced at her coldly.
These are hypocritical.
She asked for more from her father and the Empress Dowager, and disguised herself better, trying to become their favorite daughter.
But her energy is limited, and she can't ask him for help at ordinary times, so she is too lazy to pretend in front of him.
Except for the time after Xiao Che's death.
He gave her the medicine and secretly expected her response, even though her tenderness was based on interests and was so fake that it could be seen through at a glance.
But she refused to even take the medicine, so she would never come to him for help again.
Perhaps the former Concubine Wei knew another way to make the medicine, but his father and his brother who became the crown prince were not much better than him.
One was the Supreme God who had lifted her to a high position and made the six palaces look at her with admiration; the other was the young lover who had taken her virginity, but the people she cared about most in her heart were not them.
But that person is destined to disappoint her.
"Yi Niang, do you really want to see Wei Xing that much?"
The young man regained his good composure and said softly, "Why do you miss him so much?"
Shen Youyi vaguely sensed the unkindness in his tone, but didn't understand why, so she nodded: "He is my biological brother, if Your Highness feels embarrassed, forget it."
The friendship between half-brothers may not be as deep as that between siblings from the same mother. Even though it is difficult to succeed the royal family, there is only one position. The second emperor has no biological sisters from the same mother, only an older brother, and cannot understand the feelings between her and her brother.
All I can say is that the Second Emperor is still young, and he might even be jealous of her brother simply because he thinks he is a man.
What's so good about this vinegar? As long as the friendship between men and women fades, they will go their separate ways, but the close blood ties cannot be erased even after thousands of years.
Her brother was worried that she would suffer if she married a bad man, and she also wanted to marry into a good family to help her brother's career.
He smiled brightly, like a gentle spring breeze, caressing my face with the softness and warmth of raindrops: "What's so difficult about this?"
Shen Youyi had adapted to the status of Imperial Concubine for a long time, and also regarded herself as the elder of the emperors and princes. Instead, she was not used to the moodiness of the young and immature man. But she heard him say: "Wei Xing said that he wanted to go with me today."
His expression was tolerant and compassionate. "Since the Imperial Concubine is unwilling to follow the doctor's advice, I'm sure she won't believe me either. So I'll bring him along."
Shen Youyi was almost unable to contain her joy, her heart pounding, she held his hand tightly, her eyes already looking past him to the divine tablet behind her, she said in disbelief: "Brother is hiding behind too!"
She suddenly felt guilty. What her brother hated most was her casually or deliberately throwing her daughter's things to others, let alone her husband's son...
The Second Emperor could see that she was distracted, so he smiled softly and said in a gentle voice, "He is in the secret passageway of the alchemy room. I had someone start a furnace of alchemy today, and I'm afraid it will smoke Wei Xing to death."
Emperor Yuan Shuo did not use elixirs, but he did not forbid his clan members from seeking immortality. Knowing that this boy was only seeking comfort in refining elixirs, he simply gave him the alchemy room for his own amusement and let him do whatever he wanted.
Shen Youyi felt a little distressed. Even in autumn, the alchemy room was incredibly hot. But she couldn't blame others, so she said softly, "What's the big deal? Brother loved Laozi and Zhuangzi when he was a child, so he must be used to the smell of these immortals' fireworks."
She was so happy that she wanted to leave immediately. She casually pulled out a light yellow handkerchief from her bosom and handed it to him to wipe his sweat. She said in a friendly manner: "Your Highness, it's hard for you to worry so much about me. You grew up in a pile of gold and jade, and now you have to hide in the dark and suffer. This is useless. If you don't like it, it's okay to wipe your sweat and burn it again."
It was just a handkerchief, so she wouldn't feel bad about it. The maid had many more in stock, and she didn't care whether he would burn it or throw it away. As soon as the man's figure disappeared into the darkness, she immediately called the maid in to serve him.
Miaoqing saw that the imperial concubine had stayed in there for quite a while, and marveled at the favored concubine's courage. She was glad that she had not refused the job in Yaoguang Palace because the imperial concubine had fallen out of favor, so she became even more flattering. When she saw that she did not look sad after she came out, she asked about alchemy with a smile, and she was trying to please her and answered her questions patiently.
"There are internal and external elixirs. The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir that Niangluo is asking about is an external elixir. A one-turn elixir will grant immortality after two years of consumption, while a nine-turn elixir will grant immortality after two days of consumption. It emits a five-colored divine light, gathering the essence of the heavens, earth, sun, and moon. It is brilliant and colorful, emulating the Yellow Emperor's ascension to immortality in broad daylight."
Shen Youyi's mind was not on this. If eating the golden elixir could make one ascend to immortality, then there would be so many kings in ancient times who sought immortality. It would not be Emperor Yuan Shuo's turn to be the emperor. "I see a wisp of green smoke in the northwest corner. Is that where the elixir is made?"
Miao Qing replied, "His Highness the Second Prince sent someone over a few days ago to instruct us to prepare a furnace of Taiyi Jade Powder Pills. The nuns here don't have the strength to do that, so His Highness's people had to grind it inside."
The texture of this pill is extremely hard, and what is needed are things like jade powder and quartz. Some nobles insist that unmarried women grind it by hand, but the girls' hands are not strong enough to make a delicate and uniform pill, and they cannot hold the raw iron pestle. The Second Prince also looks down on the female Taoist priests who do rough work. Fortunately, he is not difficult to deal with. He adjusted the dosage of the pill formula himself and asked the guards to do it.
Shen Youyi listened to her talk about these unheard-of recipes and said she wanted to go in and take a look. No one dared to say anything bad. At most, Miaoqing was a little worried: "The smoke is so thick, I'm afraid it will choke my mother. I can't atone for my sin even if I die a thousand times."
Compared with the Second Emperor, the Imperial Concubine, as an extension of Heaven's authority, was naturally more honorable. When she felt like playing and wanted to stay in the alchemy room for a while, the servants who were refining the alchemy would retreat far outside, leaving the huge place to her alone.
As to whether the imperial concubine would destroy the furnace of elixir, it was not within the consideration of the royal family.
Even though Miaoqing was worried, she could just talk quietly with the person in charge beside the imperial concubine. She knew that although the imperial concubine traveled with a large group, she often left these people alone to stay quietly in a room and did not like people to get close to her to serve her. After giving her a few words of advice, she felt at ease and left with the maids.
Shen Youyi slowly stepped into the door, the heat wave almost hit her face, choking her and making her cough twice.
But she didn't care about all that. As soon as she closed the door, she immediately followed the clues to find the mechanism.
She pushed aside a few volumes of books and ornaments, gently knocked on the hollow wall, and tried twisting the head of the bronze auspicious beast a few times. A very narrow secret door slowly opened, and the jade ornaments on the black robe were faintly visible.
The room was so narrow that it could only accommodate one person. Shen Huaian gently brushed off his slightly wrinkled robe and tried his best to dress neatly before stepping out.
Shen Youyi didn't care whether he was dirty or not. She had woken up for several months and saw her long-lost relatives for the first time. Tears had already filled her eyes. She rushed to Shen Huai'an impatiently and choked with sobs, "Brother, are you and Aye...Aniang okay these years?"
Shen Huaian held her tightly in his arms, as if everything was silent at this moment, with only his pounding heartbeats rising and falling, trembling rapidly together.
His throat was a little dry, but he still wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, very gently and tenderly, as if he was afraid to wake her from this hard-earned dream.
"Yi Niang, have you been doing well in the past six months?"
He wanted to kiss her, but he controlled the urge.
Even just receiving her hug was enough to make him sigh with satisfaction.
But this offense was enough to scare her at this moment. He just tried hard to make her feel his response and whispered, "They are doing well. The court has returned the family property. Father-in-law is farming at home, and Mother-in-law has been re-naturalized. I send letters home every two months...but they don't know you are still alive."
Life and death are the big things, those are not important. Shen Youyi shook her head: "That's good too. If they knew that I have been through a lot, they would definitely be sad."
The emperor was able to sneak her out, not only ignoring the wrath of Heaven, but also interceding for her father and brother. It wouldn't be surprising if he wanted to replace her mother with a death row prisoner. She bit her lip and asked cautiously, "Brother, am I disappointing you?"
She ended up being the concubine of the Dowager, it was a trick of fate and she had no choice. But logically speaking, the Dowager treated her well. Even when he taught her to take medicine, he knew how to control himself and would not ask for things without restraint. Why did she fall in love with the Marquis of Lingyang and marry him?
After the death of Marquis Lingyang, she became entangled with the Queen Mother again, and finally even climbed up to his father... If she had done these things with my brother, he would never allow her to do them.
She even stopped Wang Dong from taking the medicine...
However, her brother seemed to have a breath stuck in his throat. He stared at her and shed tears, which was rare.
Shen Youyi was stunned. She rarely saw her brother lose his composure like this. Even on the eve of her entering the palace, he just stood in front of her yard and looked at her quietly for a while without even entering.
She was so excited at that time that she had no intention of going to sleep. Even though she knew he would not be happy, she guiltily pretended not to see it.
She would be the Tai Ma's concubine... his queen, and a member of the royal family. Even the father-in-law and mother-in-law would not be able to scold her.
"Why would Yi Niang think that?"
He felt a little guilty. The teenage Yiniang looked upon him as a brother and a father, and was afraid of him. He had hardly ever approved of her free-spirited actions. "You have your difficulties, too. It's my brother's incompetence that has caused you so much suffering."
Shen Youyi was worried that he would be discovered by people outside, so he tried his best to restrain himself, shook his head, and asked in a low voice: "Brother, is the medicine that the Second Prince found real?"
She must have been unwilling to take the medicine, but she couldn't understand why... What was wrong with the medicine?
Shen Huaian nodded, smiling slightly, but without any intention of blaming her: "It is mixed with realgar and cinnabar to drive away poison and calm the mind. Since Yi Niang wants a prince, of course she shouldn't use too much."
Those princes and nobles tried their best to win the heart of the beauty, but Yiniang only shared all her secrets with him.
He was also worried that she would be exposed early, but it was already very difficult for her to hold on until now without being discovered by His Majesty.
They had been drawn into a conflict for no apparent reason, and were now close to the center of it. His voice was still a little hoarse, but still gentle: "You can rest assured. The Queen Mother used the poison on you, but she still felt deeply in love with you. Even now, she is still alienating her concubines and has not raised any suspicions."
Shen Youyi couldn't believe her ears.
Such shocking words actually came out of her brother's mouth. Isn't he the most conservative?
But after five years, her brother seemed to be wavering between the Eastern Palace and the Second Emperor. As expected, they were born of the same mother and were also having multiple relationships.
She was a little confused: "Brother, was it me who got tired of the old and loved the new?"
Apart from the cause of Marquis Lingyang's death, Tai Liao seemed to be completely unaware of the rift between the two of them, and put all the blame on Marquis Lingyang and... his father.
Shen Huaian shook his head. Not long after he was released from prison, he was taken care of by the Eastern Palace. At that time, Yi Niang and Tai Liao were very affectionate. Even though they had no official status, she still tried her best to keep Tai Liao and wanted to find a better way out for him.
"Do you still remember Commander Yang who was sent to confiscate the property?"
Shen Youyi was in the palace at that time and only heard a little bit. He was the cousin of the Dowager, Yang Xiuyuan's nephew... The Dowager secretly passed a message to her, saying that even if there was something, it didn't matter, he would ask his confidants to do their best to cover up for Shen.
Destroy evidence when necessary.
His expression was clouded with gloom, but he was afraid of scaring her in his arms. He paused before saying, "Aye did have some dealings with the King of Yue, but the contents of several key letters didn't match up at all. After the house was raided, officials took inventory for several days before they appeared on the desks of the King of Zhao and the Queen Mother."
Emperor Yuanshuo left the capital, not completely trusting the young Regent, so he asked Prince Zhao, who had returned to the capital to visit the Empress Dowager, and other ministers to assist in handling the matter. Even if the Regent intended to suppress these matters, he could not save the Shen family under the watchful eyes of the public.
Shen Youyi was shocked and asked in a trembling voice, "Why?"
But as soon as she asked, she knew the answer: this devastating disaster was caused by the high branch she climbed!
Yang obeyed the Queen Mother, but she believed in Yang Xiuyuan's words even more.
She bewitched the Queen Mother so much that he wanted to make her his principal wife. Perhaps he told all these thoughts to his biological mother, hoping that she would accept this daughter-in-law.
But if she lost her qualification to become a grand consort or even her life, Yang Xiuyuan wouldn't even have to see her.
But she still served that woman's son with gratitude, looking forward to him ascending the throne and making her the queen!
Shen Huai soothed her trembling back and said softly, "I also heard some of these things... Commander Yang had a good personal relationship with Lingyang Hou. One day, after drinking, he let it slip, and the next day, he was found dead in the river. The Queen Mother was anxious to exonerate the Shen family, so she used Marquis Xiao's method, and it really cleared Aye's name and allowed you to become his godparents."
The correspondence between Shen and the King of Yue was far more than just those few letters, but a large part of them was taken away by Commander Yang. However, they were not destroyed as promised, but were pieced together into new documents.
These pieces of paper with words on them were cut into small pieces and soaked in medicine powder and water and spliced together, and the meaning changed greatly.
Only by soaking the letters in medicine again and drying them will the cracks in the patchwork be revealed.
He lowered his eyes. "It's been a long time since this happened. The Queen Mother heard that there was a family in the mountains whose daughter and parents died one after another. Before the government could even register a case, they sent you to Mount Li, hoping to have you reinstated as a concubine in the Eastern Palace."
These things roughly matched Shen Youyi's thoughts. She trembled more and more violently, feeling bitter in her heart: "Xiao Lang died in Nanzhao, and it was indeed because of me."
She refused to be the Tai Liao's concubine, and did not dare to break off completely with him. She found the current Tai Liao's concubine and asked her to tamper with the banquet, help get the Tai Liao drunk, and trick the Tai Liao into giving her to the Marquis of Lingyang.
Shen Huaian was strangely silent for a moment, and said softly: "Yi Niang, at least Xiao Hou once had your true heart."
It was undeniable that Yi Niang was equally candid with him, but it wasn't exactly the same.
She treated Xiao Che with pure love and gratitude, but she didn't necessarily realize that the affection between them was far more intimate than that between ordinary siblings.
This kind of comfort was very awkward. Shen Youyi thought, perhaps Xiao Che could be regarded as the brother-in-law who best suited her brother's wishes. Her eyes were red as she said, "But I had forgotten him a long time ago."
It is not difficult to imagine that she would fall into the palm of the Tai Liao again and become a precious bird raised by him. Shen Youyi thought of her current status and said, "Brother, I was adopted by my mother, Aye?"
But she clearly looks more like a member of the Shen family.
Shen Huaian denied this and said gently: "Yiniang, it doesn't really matter whether it is true or not. You rely on the Wei family, and why doesn't the Wei family want to rely on you?"
He looked at her lovingly: "The status of a daughter of the Wei family is enough for you to become the queen, and they also hope to become the new king's in-laws."
Shen Youyi's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Was this what she was planning?
She was distracted and didn't notice that she and her brother were too intimate.
Until my brother's fingertips entwined a strand of her black hair, his words were so gentle, but revealed his vigorous ambition.
"Yiniang, my brother hopes that your child can reach that position."
He didn't want Yiniang to give birth to a baby with her blood and that of another man, but if their love was to last, it wouldn't be about being together day and night.
They are no longer brother and sister. Then he will become a subject under her steps and a subject under her skirt.
"His Majesty is aware of your amnesia, but this poison is somewhat strange, and the palace physicians are unsure of its origin. If we delay any further, we may even have to issue an imperial edict for you."
Although her brother tried his best to comfort her, Shen Youyi's mind still "buzzed" and her voice was almost out of tune: "When did Your Majesty know!"
It had only been a short time since they reconciled, and yet Emperor Yuan Shuo already knew about it. She still wanted to take the medicine: "Brother... if that's the case, why bother with all this trouble? Isn't it the same if I take the Second Prince's medicine?"
Shen Huaian's expression became increasingly gloomy, but he spoke in a very soft voice.
"Yi Niang, a man poisoned you to get you. What do you think would be the antidote?"
Shen Youyi opened and closed her mouth, and she was shocked when she thought of the nightmares she had had on the imperial couch these days.
With such a beauty by his side, how could Tian Le not be moved? Shen Huaian said calmly, "These poisons require the male's yang energy to counteract them... I only learned about them by chance half a year ago."
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