Because of this imperial decree, Qian Shengyan had been forcing herself to stay awake, and it was around midnight when she finally saw the exhausted Yinzhen.
"Still not asleep?" Yinzhen sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Qian Shengyan, who was sitting there wrapped in the quilt with her eyes barely open, and his voice softened.
Qian Shengyan grabbed his hand: "I'm worried about the Emperor."
"Alas." Yinzhen sighed. He was also heartbroken to make this decision today, but, "When I close my eyes, I can see every word Hongshi wrote to Yunsi... It was truly a genuine expression of his feelings and so sincere."
“I have never treated him badly, yet in his words, he has become… a cold-hearted person…” Yinzhen closed his eyes, his pupils bloodshot. “He trusted Yinsi so much, and yet he… speaks ill of me like this…”
"Is a monthly allowance of three hundred taels of silver too little? Is it a shackle for me to find him a learned man as his tutor? I..."
He couldn't continue.
Qian Shengyan felt a pang of sympathy. She gave Su Peisheng a look, signaling everyone to leave. Then, she knelt on the bed, straightened her upper body, hugged Yinzhen's head, and patted his back.
She hated Hongshi, but... she couldn't bear to see Yinzhen so distressed. This feeling, though somewhat contradictory, truly reflected her current state.
She gently patted Yinzhen, unsure of what words to say to comfort him. No matter how bad the child was, he was still his son. Anyone would be heartbroken to have raised such an ungrateful child after all that effort.
That night, neither of them slept much. Yinzhen was silent for a moment, then began to ramble on about his sons.
Before Hongshi, he had two other grown sons whom Qian Shengyan had never met. But that night, she learned about the two children from Yinzhen.
As dawn broke, Yinzhen, who had not slept all night, felt somewhat better. It was as if he had bid farewell to the past, and when he stood up again, he reverted to his cold and aloof imperial demeanor.
He even joked with Qian Shengyan: "From now on, Hongli will be my eldest son."
Qian Shengyan made a helpless expression, while Yinzhen curled his lips and spread his arms to let Su Peisheng help him change his clothes. He then leaned down and pinched Qian Shengyan's cheek: "Two dark circles under your eyes, go take a nap. I'll have my breakfast up ahead."
"Your Majesty should also rest for a while," Qian Shengyan said, glancing at Su Peisheng. "After breakfast, I'll persuade Your Majesty to take a nap."
“Yes, sir,” Su Peisheng replied.
Yinzhen smiled, squeezed Qian Shengyan's hand, gave her a few more instructions, and finally left.
It wasn't even dawn yet outside. Qian Shengyan was exhausted from chatting all night. She yawned, lay back down, and fell into a deep sleep.
Upon waking up, Qian Shengyan heard that the Emperor had stripped Longkodo of his title of Grand Tutor and dismissed Nian Gengyao from his post as a sinecure banner officer.
The once powerful general is now an ordinary person, and he has lost all his title.
"Your Highness, Consort Hua has summoned the imperial physician again," Green Willow whispered. Qian Shengyan scoffed, "Let her be."
"It's said that Consort Hua is seriously ill and can no longer get out of bed," Green Willow continued.
Qian Shengyan remained silent, but Qingxue tugged at Lvliu, signaling her to stop talking.
It was common knowledge in the palace that Consort Hua was nearing her end.
But after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li was still confined to the palace. Hongshi had already moved out of the Forbidden City, but Nian was still barely surviving. Every day, besides calling the imperial physician, she would ask Qian Shengyan to come over.
Qian Shengyan was so annoyed with her that she refused to go. So, Lady Nian sent people to invite her every day. In the end, it was only after Yinzhen spoke up and forbade Ying Shui Lan Xiang's servants from running around anymore that she was spared this ordeal.
Besides the Nian family, the Ulanara family has also been trying to get Qian Shengyan to come over recently.
It was really hot in August, but the garden was still cool. Qian Shengyan declined twice, but since the other party was the Empress, she was too embarrassed to keep refusing. So she chose a cooler evening and took Qingxue and Lvliu to the Lotus Pavilion.
The place that Yinzhen originally said he wanted to live in is now reserved for the Empress.
Ulanara was waiting in the hall. When she saw Qian Shengyan enter, she unconsciously stood up for a moment before sitting down with a complicated expression: "The Imperial Concubine has arrived."
In the palace and gardens today, the term "Imperial Consort" refers to only one person.
After curtsying, Qian Shengyan sat down to the side and tried her best to put on a professional smile: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have been suffering from the summer heat lately and often feel tired."
"It's alright. Summer is unbearable, and I often lose my appetite myself," Ulanara said with a forced smile.
She had indeed lost a lot of weight. Ever since Hongshi was imprisoned in Fengxian Hall, she had been restless, but until now, she still hadn't been able to find out any accurate information.
The entire Forbidden City was firmly in the Emperor's hands. As Empress, she was truly unworthy of the title. Apart from the glory and prestige of the position, she had nothing of substance.
"Consort Xi, I won't beat around the bush with you. I just want to know, what exactly happened to Hongshi?" Ulanara had called Qian Shengyan several times but she couldn't come. She had a rough idea of why. Fearing that there might be more changes, she simply asked directly, "As you know, Consort Xi, I did raise Hongshi for a period of time. I am indeed very worried about him right now."
"I think it would be better if Your Majesty didn't ask," Qian Shengyan said directly without hesitation. "Moreover, Your Majesty should not forget that Hongshi is now the son of Prince Lian."
"I just want to know why..." Ulanara slammed her hand on the armrest in anger, but she suppressed her rage. "He is, after all, the Emperor's eldest son! Since ancient times, even when a prince is adopted, there is no reason for the eldest son to be adopted!"
"Your Majesty, I am too foolish to answer your questions," Qian Shengyan said in a low voice.
Ulanara stood up angrily: "Consort Xi!"
"Your Majesty, I am here," Qian Shengyan said meekly, though she felt a little disgusted.
Ulanara's goal over the years has been very clear: she wanted a son. First, she tried every means to give birth to one. If she couldn't give birth, she would snatch one. If she couldn't snatch one, she would even sacrifice lives to snatch one.
She's already the Empress. As long as she continues to live, she'll at least be a Holy Mother Empress Dowager. Wouldn't it be better for her to enjoy her remaining years in peace?
Qian Shengyan didn't know what was wrong with her lately; she just felt uninterested in everything. She sat for a while longer, but seeing that Ulanara was only preoccupied with her anger and had nothing to say to her, she took her leave.
"Your Highness doesn't seem to be in good spirits. Shall we call Physician Zhou to take her pulse?" Qingxue suggested cautiously, observing her complexion.
Qian Shengyan shook her head: "I've had my pulse checked every ten days, so I should be fine. It's just that it's too hot today, and I can't muster the energy to do anything."
Qingxue didn't insist. She checked the number of days on Qian Shengyan's period again, and everything was normal, so she wasn't pregnant.
To everyone's surprise, that very night, Qian Shengyan developed a fever and kept crying out in pain, her mind hazy.
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