Chapter 48 You Demon
The night was as dark as ink, and the palace was heavily fortified.
In a secluded corner of the palace road, Yi Shuyao was wrapped in an inconspicuous dark cloak, with the hood pulled down very low.
Her trusted maidservant looked around warily and stuffed a heavy purse into the hands of the guard on duty in the Cold Palace.
The guard hesitated for a moment, then silently stepped aside to clear the doorway.
After confirming that no one else was watching, Yi Shuyao grabbed her trusted maid and quickly slipped through the gate of the Cold Palace.
Inside a side hall of the Cold Palace.
The candlelight was dim, casting a faint glow.
Yi Guichun sat upright on the dilapidated bed, with patched coarse cloth covering it as a bed curtain.
Whether it was her meticulously combed hair or the nail guards she still wore, everything showed her final dignity.
Xuemei was dressed even more simply, and was kneeling on the ground wiping the floor tiles, trying to make the old tiles shine like new, but it was all in vain.
"elder sister."
After Yi Shuyao stepped inside, she took off her hood and smiled with concern: "It's late and the dew is heavy. You must be suffering here, sister. I was really worried about you, so I took the opportunity to come and see you."
She gestured to the maid to place the food box she had brought on a relatively clean stone table beside her. Inside were several delicate pastries and a small pot of warm wine.
Yi Guichun raised his eyelids, his gaze falling on Yi Shuyao's face, which increasingly resembled the late Emperor's Consort Wen, and sneered:
"It's a wonder that Consort Wen still remembers me, a prisoner. What, you've gained some favor by using this face as a substitute, and now you have time to pamper this abandoned woman?"
Yi Shuyao's smile remained unchanged: "Sister, what are you saying? I came here firstly because I was worried about you, and secondly... because I had some questions that I wanted to ask you about."
She moved closer and lowered her voice: "Sister, that lowly maid Shui Xian... how exactly did she conceive the Emperor's child? Isn't there always a rumor that the Emperor... has no heir?"
This is Yi Shuyao's real purpose in risking her life to come here!
After the Yi family discovered that Yi Shuyao's appearance bore a resemblance to the late Emperor's Consort Wen, they began a years-long scheme!
Her father specially hired someone to train her according to Consort Wen's demeanor, preferences, and even expressions.
Her mother, Consort Gui, secretly spent a fortune to hire a renowned physician who had previously worked in the Imperial Hospital to meticulously treat Yi Shuyao's health for three whole years.
The purpose was to ensure that she could conceive a royal heir after being favored several times, thus securing her position in the harem and bringing unparalleled glory to her family and mother.
Yi Shuyao did not believe the claim that Emperor Zhaoheng had no heir. Before entering the palace, she firmly believed that with her years of conditioning her body, she would definitely be able to conceive a royal heir.
However, despite receiving the emperor's favor quite a few times and even secretly consulting the imperial physician to check her pulse, there is still no sign of pregnancy!
This forced her to start believing the rumors circulating outside...
Emperor Zhaoheng may truly have died without an heir!
But if the emperor really had no heir, how did that lowly Narcissus conceive the dragon's child?
She believed that Yi Guichun knew the inside story, after all, Shuixian had been Yi Guichun's maid.
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Yi Guichun's eyes; she instantly understood Yi Shuyao's purpose.
Want to uncover the secret to Narcissus's fertility-enhancing constitution? Dream on!
This secret was the most profound scheme of her mother, Madam Yi, and also the greatest shame of Yi Guichun's life!
If it weren't for a serious illness she suffered as a child that left her unable to conceive, why would her mother have fed her that expensive secret medicine from a young age, turning her into a tool for reproduction?
If this secret were to be revealed, it would not only expose her mother's scheming nature but also confirm her own flaws! She absolutely could not let this bastard born of an illegitimate child know!
Yi Guichun sneered, picked up a pastry, and his movements still carried the elegance of the past.
"That lowly servant's good fortune is bestowed upon her by Heaven; how could I possibly know? Sister, instead of worrying about others, you should think about yourself!"
Yi Shuyao sighed and said, "Why must you do this, sister? I'm only thinking of the Yi family. Father is worried day and night at home, hoping that you can get out of this predicament soon."
"If you know anything, please tell me, so I can plead for you before the Emperor!"
"Father?" Yi Guichun's eyes flashed with resentment. "If he were capable, I wouldn't be here! As for you..."
She sized Yi Shuyao up and down. "Be your substitute, please the Emperor, and figure out how to get me out of here! Don't ask about anything else!"
After that, no matter how Yi Shuyao tried to subtly probe or even use both soft and hard tactics, Yi Guichun stubbornly kept the secret that concerned her own reputation and her mother's scheming.
Yi Shuyao was filled with hatred, knowing that she wouldn't get any information out of him today.
“Since you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you.” Yi Shuyao’s smile gradually faded.
She gestured to the maid to take out all the pastries from the food box, saying, "Sister, please keep these pastries for yourself. It's late, so it's not appropriate for me to stay any longer."
After speaking, Yi Shuyao didn't look at Yi Guichun again, put her hood back on, and turned to leave.
Yi Shuyao hurried along the dimly lit palace path.
She subconsciously raised her hand and gently touched her flat stomach through her clothes, her fingertips icy cold.
Despite receiving the emperor's favor several times, nothing happened.
She has been carefully trying to conceive for three years and still can't get pregnant, so it's definitely not her problem!
If Emperor Zhaoheng really has no heir... then there must be something wrong with Shuixian's pregnancy!
Thinking of this, a ruthless glint flashed in Yi Shuyao's eyes.
Narcissus, I've finally found your Achilles' heel! We'll see...
——
Inside the Wenlan Palace.
Emperor Zhaoheng always remembered the imperial physician's instructions. The two of them only occasionally slept in the warm bath, and spent most of their time on the soft couch next to each other.
A plain white gauze dress floated on the water, mingling with the crushed flower petals.
Narcissus lay languidly, letting Emperor Zhaoheng personally wipe the water droplets off her body with a cloth.
"Is Xian'er tired?"
Emperor Zhaoheng climbed onto the bed and pulled her into his arms.
He was hot, and Narcissus felt the heat and couldn't help but shrink back, saying in a soft voice:
"I was exhausted just now, and I didn't see His Majesty slow down at all."
She glanced at him coquettishly, and Emperor Zhaoheng's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He raised his hand to brush away the stray hairs clinging to her flushed cheeks and leaned down to kiss her soft, smooth face.
"If I had been too slow just now, Xian'er would have blamed me."
Emperor Zhaoheng said in a hoarse voice, his dark eyes fixed on her face as a blush rose.
Having not been able to serve the emperor in bed for over a month, Emperor Zhaoheng felt even more pleasure than before after suddenly being satisfied.
"You're talking nonsense again."
Shuixian picked up the thin quilt from beside the bed and covered herself with it. The room was filled with steam, and the chill of early spring could not penetrate it. It felt like the height of summer.
She wasn't actually cold, but she always felt that being completely honest was too blunt.
The man clearly had no such intention. He lifted a corner of the thin quilt covering her body and leaned down to kiss her, causing Shui Xian to push him away repeatedly. She felt that at this moment, Emperor Zhaoheng was no longer like a high and mighty emperor.
Emperor Zhaoheng was still mindful of Shui Xian's pregnancy and did not go completely astray.
He covered her with the thin quilt again, held her tightly, and whispered in her ear with a smile, "Xian'er, I am so happy to finally be able to hold you in my arms again."
Narcissus cooperated with him, nestling obediently in his arms.
She felt Emperor Zhaoheng's hot, large hand gently caressing her lower abdomen. Shui Xian closed her eyes, savoring this rare moment of tenderness.
"emperor......"
She suddenly opened her eyes, turned around, and gazed at him with her shimmering, watery eyes.
"I only came to Wenlan Palace tonight to relax my body..."
Emperor Zhaoheng gently stroked her soft cheek and chuckled softly, "What's wrong? Did I not make Xian'er feel comfortable?"
"emperor!"
Shui Xian never expected that Emperor Zhaoheng, who was known for his restraint, would be so unrestrained in front of her.
"What I mean is... could you please ask the Imperial Household Department not to keep a record of this tonight?"
She gently bit her lip and said shyly:
"I don't want anyone else in the palace to know that I'm pregnant... even in Wenlan Palace."
Narcissus's big eyes blinked, and her charming yet shy demeanor made it impossible for any man to refuse her.
Emperor Zhaoheng nodded in agreement.
He still had other thoughts on his mind.
With so many beauties in the harem, although he longed for Narcissus, he had calmed down a bit and thought of the old-fashioned people from the previous dynasty.
For an emperor, having sex with a pregnant concubine is certainly not something to be praised for.
Although the imperial physician said that he was now fine, an imperial physician is an imperial physician, and a court official is a court official.
Emperor Zhaoheng thought that if this matter were to get out, he would be driven crazy by those old scholars from the previous dynasty.
"Xian'er, don't worry, I will handle it in a moment."
With the Emperor's promise, Shui Xian felt at ease and leaned into Emperor Zhaoheng's arms, feeling his reassuring heartbeat through his chest.
Narcissus, however, was thinking about something else entirely.
Since she couldn't receive the emperor's favor frequently during her pregnancy, she decided to focus on quality over quantity.
It is said that a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a stolen lover. Narcissus is determined to take the thrill to the extreme.
She nestled in Emperor Zhaoheng's arm, her fingertips gently tracing patterns on his chest. "Your Majesty, although the Imperial Household Department doesn't keep records, could you still visit Shuixian more often in the future?"
Emperor Zhaoheng chuckled in a deep voice, "Of course I will, I will visit Yongle Palace often..."
"That's not what I meant..."
Narcissus's fingertips gradually moved downwards, and she whispered, seemingly embarrassed, "Your Majesty, I am pregnant and miss you dearly..."
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice became hoarse, "Miss me? Do you miss my company or my...?"
He lowered his voice and whispered two words in her ear.
Narcissus's cheeks flushed, and her eyes, seemingly filled with water, stared straight at him. She bit her lower lip lightly and nodded frankly.
Emperor Zhaoheng sighed, seemingly with a happy kind of trouble, "You little devil."
Scalding steam rose once again from Wenlan Palace...
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