At midnight, a gentle breeze blew in, scattering the bed curtains. Only one candle was lit in the room, making it appear dim.
Nian Yuyao leaned against the bed, closed her eyes, and waited quietly for Yinzhen's arrival.
......
When Yinzhen stepped into the room, he saw that it was dark and assumed that she had fallen asleep, so he walked even more lightly.
He walked to the bedside, looked down at her, and saw that she looked somewhat haggard, which made his heart ache.
Her cheeks were sunken, her eye sockets were deeply sunken, and her originally fair skin had turned yellowish.
However, these were all acts that Nian Yuyao was putting on for others to see, so that everyone would think she had fallen out of favor.
Yinzhen reached out and touched her forehead…
At this moment, she opened her eyes and said softly, "Your Majesty, you have arrived."
Yinzhen nodded. "I thought you didn't understand what I meant, so you locked the door and left me outside."
Nian Yuyao smiled slightly, "The meaning is so obvious, if I still don't understand, then I am truly foolish."
Yinzhen gently held her hand, his eyes full of affection: "I'm sorry, I made you suffer during the day."
"Your Majesty understands that you have your own reasons for doing this." After saying this, she looked at Yinzhen with expectation, wanting to know why he did this.
Although she had some guesses, she felt more at ease only after he told her.
"You understand my heart best. If it were anyone else, they would have already cried and made a scene to inform the six palaces." Yinzhen said with heartache, "I did this only so that you and Fupei can survive."
Sure enough, it was for her.
The fact that Nian Yuyao's children had died one after another aroused Yinzhen's suspicion. In addition, the imperial physician said that Nian Yuyao could not have any more children after giving birth to Fupei. Therefore, Yinzhen put all his heart into this matter, and he wanted to save Nian Yuyao's last child.
Yinzhen knew better than anyone that those who targeted him were mostly people close to him. Just as he was thinking about how to get rid of Nian Yuyao's people, Songyin came to him.
During Nian Yuyao's postpartum period, Songyin began to flirt with him from time to time, her hand would always accidentally touch his private parts, and then she would pretend to be shy.
At first, Yinzhen ignored her, but Songyin was persistent and tried to trick him into drinking the tea.
However, how could Yinzhen not see through these little tricks? To understand them, he had to play along. So he accepted the tea, but instead of drinking it, he switched it when she wasn't looking.
It wasn't until the drug took effect that Yinzhen understood what she wanted to do. Seeing her aroused state, he ordered an ugly guard to have sex with her. When she was about to wake up, he told the guard to leave.
So Songyin had always been favored by Yinzhen. When she woke up, she pretended to be utterly despondent, as if she wanted to bang her head against the wall, having somehow learned a trick from somewhere. She wanted Yinzhen to think she was different from the other concubines, thus arousing his curiosity.
Yinzhen watched her performance indifferently. If he didn't think she was still useful, he would have executed her on the spot.
So he suppressed the churning in his stomach, spoke kindly to her, and said he would give her a title, which finally calmed her down.
Songyin, however, was not satisfied and went further, wanting the people who originally served Nian Yuyao to give their former master a hard time.
But this was exactly what Yinzhen wanted, as it would allow those wicked people in Nian Yuyao's palace to leave.
I thought that Songyin let Cuizhu stay because of the bond between mistress and servant, and that she couldn't bear to be too cruel, so that Yinzhen would think she still had some conscience. I never expected that the person who stayed was the most vicious one.
Thinking of this, he clenched his fists, a cold glint in his eyes.
Nian Yuyao took in all these expressions. She felt no comfort, having already forgotten the grievances of the day. However, there was one thing she couldn't understand: "If that's the case, then why did Your Majesty release that wicked woman, Cuizhu? Doesn't Your Majesty know that raising a tiger will only lead to trouble?"
“What tiger is she!” Yinzhen smiled. “If I do this, it will only make everyone think that I like Songyin very much, thus turning their attention to her, and you can get through this safely and raise Fupei well.”
“Hmm…” Nian Yuyao nodded, now she understood Yinzhen’s good intentions.
Then Yinzhen thought of something and sighed several times.
"What's wrong?" Nian Yuyao asked with concern.
"It's a pity I haven't caught who colluded with her yet, otherwise I would have them both beaten to death by now." Yinzhen's brows furrowed even deeper.
Indeed, Song Yin had only agreed to the agreement two days prior, but Fu Pei had been harmed ten days earlier. At that time, she was still a servant girl, and without someone controlling her behind the scenes, how could she have accomplished such a thing?
Just take the matter of tricking Cuizhu into drinking the medicine as an example. As a servant girl, it's impossible for the imperial physician to give her such medicine for no reason.
"Your Majesty, you have done very well. As long as you still have me in your heart, I am truly content," Nian Yuyao said softly.
Just then, the call of a cuckoo sounded outside the door. Yinzhen looked out the door, his eyes filled with reluctance, and said, "Yuyao, I can't stay with you. That wretched woman should be waking up soon."
"Okay, go ahead, don't worry about me," Nian Yuyao said with a smile and a wave.
After Yinzhen left, Nian Yuyao sat up and leaned against the headboard, looking at the scenery outside the window with a somewhat unfocused gaze.
She reached out and rubbed her temples, then looked at Fu Pei in his swaddling clothes, and unknowingly fell asleep.
...
The next morning, a light rain began to fall, making the air feel incredibly moist.
When Nian Yuyao woke up and saw Fu Pei smiling at her, her heart melted.
What was supposed to be a heartwarming scene was ruined by a message from a palace maid.
"Your Highness, Consort Yin wishes to come and pay her respects," a palace maid whispered from outside the door.
Upon hearing this, Nian Yuyao's face immediately darkened, and she said unhappily, "I appreciate her kindness, but I am still in my postpartum period and it is inconvenient for me to see anyone. Please ask her to go back!"
Before the words were even finished and before the palace maid could reply, they heard someone push the door open and enter.
Nian Yuyao looked up and saw a woman in a pink cloak walk in. She had fox-like eyes, a seductive figure, and her features were not particularly delicate, but her lips were tender and luscious, as red as cherries, giving her a very alluring feeling.
This is Song Yin, who has turned away from the Lord.
Before Nian Yuyao could speak, Songyin spoke first: "This concubine pays her respects to Consort Nian. I should have come yesterday, but I was too busy with palace affairs to find the time. Today I finally have some free time, so I specially brought some tonics, hoping to gain Consort Nian's forgiveness." After speaking, she presented a simple food box.
Seeing the tonics in the food box, Nian Yuyao narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled calmly.
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