Yin Shuli wasn't the type to wallow in melancholy, and quickly dismissed the discomfort in her heart.
He carried the emperor back to the dragon bed, lowered the bed curtains to make it look like he had committed suicide, and then left the palace through a secret passage.
As for how he knew the location of the royal secret passage, it was all thanks to Yu Ze.
The first person he turned was Yu Ze.
This cunning and shrewd old eunuch was not actually a eunuch at first.
He was originally a lowly bodyguard to Empress Xiaode, accompanying her all the way from Jinling to the capital palace. In his youth, he was a hothead who made mistakes, suffered hardships, and was framed by treacherous people, which led to his current state.
Yu Ze had endured humiliation and hardship to get to where he was today, avenged himself, and always remembered Empress Xiaode's kindness. Therefore, when Yin Shuli approached him, he quickly agreed.
King murder, traitor, quelling chaos... Yin Shuli rose step by step to the highest position and became the new ruler of the Eastern Lin Kingdom.
But he was still not satisfied.
He never cared about the country in the first place. Call him foolish or incompetent if you will. He traded most of his life for nothing more than the right to stand upright beside her, to have her, and to possess her.
As for becoming emperor, that was just a side effect.
The first thing he did after taking power was to marry her.
However, Liu Shushu remains an obstacle.
He needs the help of the Liu family to secure his throne, and he cannot remove this obstacle for the time being, so he can only ask Qingying to make do.
However, she didn't seem to mind that much anymore.
Or rather, she didn't really care whether there were other women around him.
This made him feel flustered and helpless.
He almost killed Liu Shushu several times when he lost control, but reason always pulled him back.
We need to take it slow. First, we need to deal with Liu Yu and Liu Chengfeng, and then everything will become much simpler.
At first, he thought he would be satisfied as long as she was with him, but he found himself becoming more and more greedy, and he even wanted to have a child with her.
But he will never have his own children in his life.
He was just testing her attitude, but it broke his defenses again.
She was unwilling to bear his children, and was even so generous as to send fertility drugs to other women.
Did she not know that if the Empress gave birth to a legitimate son, she would probably have no chance to turn her life around? Of course, the possibility was extremely slim, but her actions were simply unacceptable to him.
So he deliberately ignored Qingying for a while.
He was ignoring him while simultaneously agonizing over the thought of it.
Qingying would never know that during that time, although he stayed at Fengqi Palace every night, he would sneak into her room every night and stare at her sleeping face for a long time.
In fact, he knew everything about Liu Shushu and Liu Chengfeng. Their relationship had been ambiguous for a long time, but they just hadn't broken through that barrier.
He had been waiting for the right opportunity.
However, before the opportunity could arrive, they were met with the devastating news that Qingying was on her deathbed.
I'm afraid we can't wait any longer...
——
The day of the draft arrived quickly.
After taking Liu Chenglin's medicine and resting for a while, Qingying's complexion improved, and she was able to walk again. However, she did not participate in the talent show.
According to the rules, she should have been present to observe the final selection of the imperial concubines. Liu Shushu sent someone to invite her, but she declined on the grounds that she was unwell.
Fortunately, Liu Shushu didn't make things difficult for her and told her to take care of herself.
Liu Shushu has been extremely pleased with herself lately. It is said that people are in high spirits when they are happy. Ever since she learned that Liu Qingying was dying, her complexion has become much rosier.
A new batch of women entered the palace, but she no longer felt depressed. All these women were beautiful in their own way, but none of them could compare to Liu Qingying.
She had seen Liu Qingying at her peak, a masterpiece created by the goddess Nuwa. Her appearance and temperament were so captivating that she could make anyone swoon just by standing there doing nothing.
Moreover, Liu Qingying is only seventeen years old now. Even though she is seriously ill, she can still outshine all the other beauties with a little makeup.
The day after the concubines entered the palace, they were required to go to Fengqi Palace early in the morning to pay their respects.
This is the first time the harem has been so lively since the new emperor ascended the throne.
The new concubines who entered the palace ranged in age from eighteen to thirteen. A group of young, beautiful women, each with their own unique charm, gathered together, their laughter and chatter creating a lively atmosphere.
"It's already past 5 a.m., why hasn't the Imperial Concubine arrived yet?" asked the newly appointed Consort Li.
She was the most beautiful among the young women selected for the imperial concubine examination, and thus deserved the title "beautiful".
Liu Shushu sat on the phoenix chair at the head of the table with a gentle smile and said, "Consort Liu has always been frail and fell ill after autumn. His Majesty has granted her permission not to come and pay her respects."
“Well… it would have been fine if you hadn’t come before, but today is the first day that all the sisters have entered the palace, so according to the rules, you should at least show your faces.” The speaker was Consort Du, who was on good terms with Consort Li.
"Your Majesty was indeed ill recently, and perhaps you are not feeling well enough to come today. Besides, even His Majesty has granted Your Majesty permission not to come and pay your respects. Do you perhaps have a grudge against His Majesty?" Consort Wan retorted without any politeness.
Consort Wan is Xie Shiyu. Apart from the Empress, she and Consort Li are the highest-ranking officials here.
Anyone with eyes can see that she is protecting Consort Liu. Consort Liu comes from a noble family and no one dares to offend her easily.
Unable to find a way to stop her, Du Cai Ren looked to Li Xiu Yi for help.
The other person smiled and said, "We are all sisters. Consort Du is young and speaks her mind. Why should Consort Wan take it to heart?"
"Don't wrong me. I was just stating the facts, I wasn't targeting anyone."
Liu Shushu said at the right moment, "Sister Wan has misunderstood. Consort Li did not mean that. From now on, we will all be sisters in the harem. We should be a family and live in harmony."
Just then, a loud announcement was heard from outside the door: "The Imperial Concubine has arrived!"
Everyone present, except for Liu Shushu, rose to greet her.
Surrounded by a group of palace maids, Liu Qingying walked gracefully in. She wore a long, orange-red dress embroidered with butterflies and a slender waist. The dress was layered, with the outermost layer being a light red gauze that softened the vibrant orange of the underlying layer, giving her an ethereal quality. The striking colors blended perfectly on her. The golden butterfly hairpin and the floral hair ornaments on her head were exquisitely detailed. A three-petaled lotus flower was lightly painted on her forehead, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her skin was like jade, and her lips were red and her teeth white—she showed no signs of being ill.
Her beauty possessed a fatal attraction, like a fairy from the heavens who had mistakenly descended to the mortal world and become a flower of wealth and beauty in this human realm.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." She walked up to Liu Shushu and bowed respectfully.
A shadow crossed Liu Shushu's eyes, and she raised her hand, "Sister, please rise."
"I'm late, please forgive me, my sisters." She walked to the seat below Liu Shushu and said with a slight smile.
Many people then came to their senses.
So this is the beautiful and favored concubine who outshone the empress.
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