That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

Chapter 135 Holding her hand…

On the way to Fengyi Palace, several concubines behind Consort Shu were chatting, and their conversation quickly turned to Song Shuangning.

"Speaking of which, I really envy Consort Yuan." Consort Chen, who was of slightly higher rank, twirled her handkerchief, her tone full of envy. "Although she was given the title of being confined to her quarters, it was confinement to the Zichen Palace. Being able to stay by the Emperor's side every day, this is not a punishment at all, but clearly an incredible blessing that others can only dream of."

Consort Shan's tone was almost dripping with sourness, "Isn't that right? If it were me, I'd probably be more than happy to be 'confined' like this every day, to be by the Emperor's side. It would be much better than wasting these long days in my own palace."

As everyone was chatting animatedly, Consort Shu in front suddenly turned around, her tone rather speechless.

"What good is being confined? Even if she's locked up in the Zichen Palace, what good will it do? She's just trapped in a 'gilded cage,' unable to even see the sun clearly outside, gaining not a shred of freedom. You all envy her, but I think she's truly pitiful."

Another concubine chimed in with a laugh, "Your Highness, Consort Shu, you have such a clear and insightful mindset."

Consort Shu raised her eyebrows and said, "It's not that I have a good mindset. Now that I have a daughter, I've figured it out. Why should I be so attached to the favor and love in the palace? Why should I make things difficult for myself at every turn?"

Consort Chen said, "I haven't seen the Third Princess for many days, and I've been missing her terribly. After paying my respects, I'll go back with Your Majesty to see her and share in Your Majesty's good fortune."

Upon hearing this, Consort Shu's smile deepened, her eyes brimming with the tenderness of a mother.

"Of course it's good. An'er changes every day and is becoming more and more lovable."

……

The time for paying respects had arrived. The Empress had just stepped out from the side hall, her gaze sweeping indifferently over the crowd below, when she suddenly spoke:

"Concubine Qing."

When Consort Qing's name was called, her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly stood up and curtsied: "Your Majesty, I am here."

The Empress slowly sat down. "I've recently heard an interesting story. Consort Qing, do you admit your mistake?"

Consort Qing's face suddenly turned pale, her fingertips gripping the hem of her robe tightly. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I have no idea what transgression I have committed. Please enlighten me!"

"Explicitly?" The Empress chuckled lightly, her tone suddenly turning cold.

"Chen Baolin confessed that you, Chen Baolin, and Consort Song secretly colluded to frame Consort Yuan and ruin her reputation. As for Consort Song's death, you may also be involved. Do I make myself clear?"

Consort Qing panicked completely upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, please be wise! This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me! This is merely Chen Baolin's side of the story. She must be harboring resentment and deliberately framing me."

The Empress coldly observed her flustered appearance, her tone growing even icier: "Since that's the case, I won't waste any more words. Send all the palace servants in your palace to the Censorate for thorough questioning."

She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping heavily over Consort Qing's pale face, before continuing, "I have already informed the Emperor of this matter. The Emperor said that although you have not committed any major offenses in your years in the palace, you have made numerous minor mistakes. This time, your rank will be demoted as a warning to others. I hope you will behave yourself in the future."

The Emperor's intention is to demote her to the rank of Xiuyi.

Consort Qing said aggrievedly, "Your Majesty the Empress..."

Why is she always being targeted?

She was, after all, a princess of Yunshuo Kingdom. After entering the palace for half a year, her rank had not risen but fallen. If this got out, wouldn't she become a laughing stock in the palace?

Why is it that Consort Yuan Zhao is allowed to stay in the Zichen Palace every day under the pretext of being confined to her quarters?

But she is to be demoted and punished, losing all face?

The Emperor is biased, so biased.

The Empress sighed and said, "From now on, you must restrain your temper and be careful with your words and actions."

"Your Majesty, I obey." Consort Qing replied reluctantly.

The concubines in this palace have always loved to stick together in groups.

Consort Shao and Consort Xu both favored Consort Yuan and were very protective of her.

Consort Shu also favored Consort Yuan.

Consort De remained aloof, paying no heed to the power struggles within the harem.

The crowd subtly formed a faction, openly and secretly undermining her.

Only the Empress treated her relatively kindly, occasionally offering a few words of advice and protecting her.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As dusk settled in, the sky grew completely dark.

Zichen Palace.

Song Shuangning nestled on the soft couch and suddenly yawned lazily.

Why have I been feeling sleepy so early these past few days?

Just as she was in a daze, Ah Liu brought in a bowl of lily and lotus seed soup. "Your Majesty, this was just cooked by the Imperial Kitchen. Please eat it while it's hot."

Song Shuangning stared at the bowl of lotus seed soup on the table, her eyes darkening. "Put it down. I'll eat it later."

After A-Liu left, Song Shuangning picked up the bowl and poured the contents directly into the spittoon.

The timing was perfect.

It must have been the Emperor who tampered with the lotus seed soup.

About half an hour later, Song Shuangning was so sleepy that she couldn't keep her eyes open, so she fell asleep on the couch.

While she was still conscious, only one question remained in her mind:

She didn't touch the lotus seed soup, so why is she still so sleepy?

The night was deep.

Xiao Yan pushed open the door and entered, his gaze sweeping over the empty bed.

Turning around again, I finally saw a figure curled up on the soft couch.

Xiao Yan sighed helplessly, his fingertips gently brushing the stray hairs at her temples.

"I'll just snuggle up here and sleep; I'm not afraid of catching a cold."

Without much thought, he bent down and picked the person up horizontally, walked steadily to the bedside, gently put the person down, and pulled the brocade quilt over his head, tucking him in tightly in a few quick movements.

"You're such a worry."

He gently lay down beside Song Shuangning.

For some reason, it was a bit hot tonight, and his nightgown was damp with a thin layer of sweat. Xiao Yan tossed and turned a couple of times, then turned to face Song Shuangning and quietly gazed at her sleeping face.

He couldn't resist in the end and grabbed her hand.

……

……

He slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky.

Song Shuangning struggled to sit up, but as soon as she moved her left hand, she felt a soreness and couldn't muster any strength.

I walked up to the bronze mirror and looked at myself. My lips were alright today, but...

There was a faint red mark on the back of her neck.

They've really gone all out!

She reached out to grab the carved comb from the dressing table, but couldn't get a grip on it.

stunned for a moment.

Song Shuangning realized what Xiao Yan had done with her hands, her ears suddenly turned bright red, and she felt her whole hand was burning hot. She hurriedly went to wash her hands.

This is insane! Xiao Yan is going way too far. Is this something a human could do?

Song Shuangning stood with her hands on her hips, looking sullen.

We absolutely cannot let Xiao Yan succeed again tonight.

Her gaze swept across the hall inch by inch, finally settling on the incense burner. She looked at the wisp of smoke, so faint it was almost invisible, and realized that the crux of her problem lay in this incense.

It was her oversight.

Every day at noon and in the evening, when Ah Liu sees that the incense is burning weakly and about to burn out, she will add some new incense blocks to the incense burner.

This repetitive behavior, day after day, became a flaw she had never noticed.

That night, Song Shuangning removed all the remaining incense from the incense burner and drank two bowls of strong, clear tea.

Sure enough, the drowsy and lethargic feeling of the previous two days was gone, and I was perfectly clear-headed.

When it was time for her to fall into a deep sleep, she composed herself, lay back on the bed, pulled the quilt over half her face, closed her eyes, and pretended to be fast asleep.

She wanted to see what kind of "beast in human clothing" that the emperor would do tonight without the cover of this incense!