Li Wenhuan's sobbing was interrupted by a slap from Madam Li, who angrily said, "You wretch, if you keep spouting nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
"Consort Qi!!!" Enraged, Yinzhen threw the teacup away. "What exactly happened in all of this! Hongshi! Tell me!"
"Your Majesty, Father..." Hongshi stammered, unsure of what to say, but Li Wenhuan covered her face and interrupted, "Let me speak, Your Majesty. Consort Qi heard that the Ulanara family was selecting girls of marriageable age, so she insisted that her family also select one. I am a distant relative of the Li family, though I share the same surname, I am from a collateral branch. However, I was chosen because of my suitable age and seniority. The purpose of sending me to the palace to pay my respects to the Consort is actually to have me serve Your Majesty."
"You're talking nonsense!" Li screamed.
Li Wenhuan wiped her face and kowtowed: "This humble woman dares not speak presumptuously, but the truth is indeed so. It's just that when this humble woman entered the palace, she happened to see the Third Prince paying his respects to Consort Qi. And because Consort Qi wanted to talk with the mistress of the Li family, she asked this humble woman to wait outside the palace. Then the Third Prince invited this humble woman to stroll in the Imperial Garden."
"This is my first time entering the palace, and I don't know anything about these things. Who knew that the Third Prince would lead me all the way here, and then pull me into the room..."
Everyone's expressions changed upon hearing this. Li Wenhuan prostrated herself on the ground and cried, "I don't know what to do afterward. The Third Prince used sweet words to comfort me, saying that he would ask for me to be made a concubine after the mourning period. I mentioned that I was the Third Prince's aunt by seniority, and that my family was preparing to give me to the Emperor... But the Third Prince said that my body was now defiled, and if I didn't agree, he would send me to be a courtesan..."
Qian Shengyan was stunned, and Yinzhen, who was sitting next to her, was equally astonished, his face full of doubt and uncertainty.
"The Third Prince was afraid that people would discover my existence, so he made me dress up as a palace maid and serve in the courtyard..." Li Wenhuan wanted to say more, but Hongshi finally couldn't listen anymore. He suddenly jumped up, shouting, "Shut up, you shut up!" and then slapped her across the face!
The slap was so powerful that Li Wenhuan cried out and fell to the ground. Hongshi was about to jump up and down when Yinzhen, already enraged, stood up, picked up Qian Shengyan's teacup, and smashed it at Hongshi: "You unfilial son, how dare you!!"
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry, please take care of your health..." Qian Shengyan felt that Yinzhen was trembling with anger, so she quickly hugged Yinzhen's arm to comfort him. She had also been shocked by what Li Wenhuan had said, never expecting that Hongshi would dare to be so bold.
Just randomly pulling someone into the house...
Even after learning about Li Wenhuan's seniority, Hongshi still didn't hesitate to let him stay, and even started a uniform play...
Hongshi was still shouting, "What she said is all lies! All lies!"
Only then did Madam Li realize what had happened, and she hurriedly said, "It's all because of this vile woman who seduced the prince! Your Majesty, it's all her fault! The Third Prince is still young, he's just a child!"
Dong Eshi kept crying, her cries growing more and more mournful. The whole room was in chaos. Qian Shengyan felt the person she was holding sway twice, and then fall straight backward.
She glanced down, then cried out in alarm, "Guards! Guards!!! Quickly summon the imperial physician, summon the imperial physician!"
Yinzhen was so angry at the mess that he fainted!
Fifteen minutes later, Qian Shengyan looked at Yinzhen, who had finally woken up slowly under the acupuncture and massage of the imperial physician, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
She held Yinzhen's hand, her worry this time genuine: "Your Majesty... how are you feeling?"
"Yanyan..." Yinzhen grasped her hand, took a few quick breaths, then let out a long exhale. After a long while, he said bitterly, "If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault. It is my fault..."
“If His Majesty says that, what will happen to Hongli and Hongzhou? And what about Fuerguochun and Hongshan? They all depend on His Majesty to guide them,” Qian Shengyan gently comforted. “The Third Prince is probably still too young and acts impulsively. After being restrained for more than half a year, the Third Prince Xu has been holding back…”
Yinzhen patted her hand, signaling her to stop talking. He sat up, supporting himself on the headboard, and glanced at the physician.
Liu, the imperial physician, lowered his head and said, "His Majesty fainted due to a sudden surge of anger, and also suffers from some fever, but otherwise he is fine."
Yinzhen nodded, but Qian Shengyan didn't understand: "What is a feverish symptom? How should it be treated?"
Yinzhen did not stop Qian Shengyan from inquiring about the illness, and then Physician Liu launched into a long lecture, which Qian Shengyan found confusing. In the end, she vaguely understood that Yinzhen was in a bad mood.
"Your Majesty can usually eat some foods that clear heat and purge fire, and nourish yin and dryness, without needing to take any special medicine," said Imperial Physician Liu.
Qian Shengyan nodded. She remembered that Doctor Zhou had also said that Yinzhen was prone to getting overheated, so it seemed that she really needed to pay attention to it.
Yinzhen had already sat up by himself and was being helped to put on his boots by a young eunuch. He asked, "Where is Hongshi?"
"Ah, His Majesty suddenly fainted, which startled me... I..." Qian Shengyan said somewhat embarrassedly, "Consort Qi, the Third Prince, and that Miss Li are all kneeling outside..."
Yinzhen was taken aback, then understood. He wasn't angry, but just smiled and said, "It's rare for someone like you to lose their temper."
When Yinzhen suddenly fainted, Qian Shengyan was extremely anxious. However, Li Shi was crying in a shrill voice. She was furious and ordered a concubine and a prince to kneel in the courtyard and wait until the emperor woke up before they could get up.
Although she had broken the rules, she was now a powerful imperial concubine, and such a major event had occurred, so no one could find fault with her.
Yinzhen got up and stretched, his steps still a little unsteady. Qian Shengyan quickly stepped forward to support him. He shook his head slightly and took Qian Shengyan's hand: "I don't want to deal with them right now. Let them kneel for now."
"Alright, then I'll help Your Majesty back first." Qian Shengyan's eyes were still red; she had truly been frightened just now.
If Yinzhen doesn't make it here, then... she's not sure whose name is written behind that "Upright and Bright" plaque now.
Despite her selfish motives, when the man lay there lifeless, the first thing Qian Shengyan thought of wasn't her son, but rather, "It's no good."
He can't just die like this. He has only just ascended the throne, his ambitions are yet to be realized, and so many political views have yet to be expressed. He can't die, he absolutely can't!
So she panicked, she screamed, and she sternly ordered the eldest prince to kneel as punishment, completely unlike her usual self.
Oh, so she was so good to Yinzhen.
After that, no matter how good Yinzhen was to her, she could enjoy it without feeling guilty...
Back at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Qian Shengyan took Yinzhen directly to the West Warm Pavilion, pinned him to the bed, and brazenly stripped off his imperial robes: "Your Majesty, you should rest more. Your Majesty and the children are counting on you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
