Shang Shaoyan was carried to Zhaoyang Palace with his eyes closed, and he almost fell asleep as the palanquin swayed along the way.
Granny Li cried very sadly. If Shang Shaoyan hadn't already rehearsed the scene with her, she would have really thought she had a terminal illness.
That palace maid was even more extreme; she silently shed tears the whole way, and when she occasionally encountered familiar palace servants, she would wail a few times, "Princess Heyang, please hold on!"
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
She suddenly regretted faking fainting; she never expected there to be so many drama queens around her.
Soon, she felt herself being lifted onto a small bed, and a slightly hoarse yet magnetic female voice rang out: "Poor thing, Princess Heyang has been tortured into fainting by the Empress. Liu'er, go and report to His Majesty that I was just about to arrange a marriage with the Duke of Zhenguo's family, and things have turned out like this..."
The dramatic palace maid sobbed and pulled Li Mama away.
Shang Shaoyan realized that he and Consort Zhao were the only ones left in the room. He slowly opened his eyes and asked weakly, "Where is this? Who are you? What happened to me?"
Consort Zhao affectionately patted Shang Shaoyan's head: "This is Zhaoyang Palace, and I am Consort Zhao. You just received a reprimand from the Empress and fainted as soon as you came out. My good child, you must have suffered some injustice, and you may have to lie in bed for three to five days."
Shang Shaoyan knew that this was the palace and there were many things that could not be said, so she choked up slightly and said, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness. I am deeply grateful."
Seeing that Shang Shaoyan was sensible, Consort Zhao smiled and said, "Good boy, after the imperial physician has come, I will send someone to take you home."
Shang Shaoyan nodded, and was about to say something when a palace maid came in: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu requests an audience."
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
She knew it! This person who wanted to forcibly take her brother wouldn't let her go!
Consort Zhao frowned: "Su Shi? What is she doing here?"
The fact that they wouldn't even call each other by their nicknames shows just how bad their relationship is.
The palace maid was also somewhat puzzled: "They said they heard that Shang Erniang had fainted, so they came to check on her."
"Shang Erniang..." Consort Zhao pondered these two words silently, her mind filled with doubts. Logically speaking, Consort Shu and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion should have no connection whatsoever, and Shang Shaoyan's public title has always been Princess Heyang. Why would Madam Su address him in this way?
When Shang Shaoyan saw the confusion on Consort Zhao's face, he almost knelt down before Consort Shu—where did this idiot come from, as if she was afraid others wouldn't know that she had a connection with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?
Although she knew exactly what was going on, the palace was full of people and eyes, so she could only pretend not to know. With her beautiful, clear phoenix eyes wide open, she looked at Consort Zhao with a confused expression: "Your Highness, what's wrong with Consort Shu...?"
Shang Shaoyan's acting skills have always been good, and Consort Zhao didn't even realize that she was pretending to be stupid. Upon hearing this, she frowned and said, "I don't know what kind of madness she has."
Despite saying that, they still summoned Consort Shu in.
Soon, a delicate fragrance wafted by, followed by a slender, beautiful young woman.
Shang Shaoyan secretly observed her and found that Su Qianqian truly lived up to her name, being slender, delicate, and pitiful to behold.
At the same time, Consort Shu was also sizing up Shang Shaoyan—Shang Shaoyan and Shang Yunlan looked about 80% alike, with the remaining 20% being that Shang Yunlan was gentle and refined, while Shang Shaoyan was charming and alluring.
Looking at the woman who shared a close blood relationship with her beloved and resembled her in appearance, she couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill: "Princess Heyang has always been renowned for her beauty. I had seen her a few times before I entered the palace, but perhaps the princess doesn't remember me."
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
What a beautiful name? What beautiful name?
She felt it was outrageous, but smiled respectfully and said, "I am unworthy of Your Highness's praise. I am so foolish that I did not remember Your Highness. Please forgive me."
Consort Zhao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Shang Shaoyan's words implied "I'm not familiar with you"—she didn't want the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to have anything to do with that idiot Su Qianqian.
Consort Shu was not annoyed, and still smiled gently: "I just wanted to see if you were alright. I noticed that you don't look too well, so I suppose you need to rest for a few more days."
At this moment, both Consort Zhao and Shang Shaoyan felt a sense of relief, thinking, "Consort Shu has finally made something of herself."
That's right, trip up Empress Li, go all out.
Consort Shu hadn't actually thought that much about it—she genuinely felt that Shang Shaoyan's complexion was bad (he had applied pearl powder) and his lips were pale (he had deliberately not applied rouge), which is why she spoke of concern.
Consort Zhao, being so close, naturally noticed the oddity of Shang Shaoyan's makeup.
Shang Shaoyan rested for a while before the imperial physician came.
The imperial physician, surnamed Mao, was seventy years old and worked for Consort Zhao. He took Shang Shaoyan's pulse and felt that Princess Heyang was in excellent health. However, remembering Consort Zhao's instructions, he pondered for a moment and sighed, "Princess Heyang has suffered a great shock, which has caused her to have palpitations. If she does not take good care of herself, she may develop angina in the future."
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