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nThe atmosphere outside the bedroom was oppressive to the max. Expressionless, the emperor looked at the bloody hammer. The empress stood at the side with an unsightly expression, making Noble Consort Shu and the others even less daring to talk rashly.

n“There are many duties to take care of in the imperial harem. Originally, We thought you all could manage the harem well. But in the end, so many bad things happened.” Feng Jin was very unhappy. He swept the porcelain teacup with blue flower decorations at his side to the ground. All of a sudden, he stood. Looked at the four women. Following that, he turned to the empress. “We don’t care what method you use. You must find this poisonous woman. We cannot use such a woman in the imperial harem.”

nThe empress curtsied. “This concubine will definitely get to the bottom of this.” The emperor had given this task to her. At the very least, this proved that this matter had nothing to do with her. As for the others… The empress’ gaze chilled. She also itched to know just who caused her authority in the harem to be shaken.

n“You all are dismissed,” said Feng Jin, waving, not wanting to see them anymore.

nThey saluted him and then left Xihe Palace in silence. Using Heyu’s hand for support, the empress sighed. “This palace never thought such a vicious-hearted person would be in the harem. It truly frightens people.”

n“It’s not only Your Majesty the empress who is surprised. This concubine is very frightened too,” said Noble Consort Shu with a smile. “What a pity that Xianrong Zhao was framed. If she hadn’t been framed back then, then her nametag would not have been removed from the selection. And perhaps, she could have avoided this happening to her.”

n“Who would know what happens in the future?” said Noble Consort Xian, tone carrying pity. “We can only blame this vicious person who has set their heart on harming Xianrong Zhao. How unfortunate that Xianrong Zhao is so young, yet already suffered such a torment. Thankfully, she could keep her life. Otherwise…” A sigh left her lips.

nThe empress looked at Noble Consort Shu, before boarding her sedan. “This palace will certainly investigate this matter thoroughly. Hopefully the culprit won’t think they can escape punishment by luck.”

n“Respectfully sending off Your Majesty the empress.” A smile blooming on her lips, Noble Consort Shu watched the empress leave. Once the sedan was a few steps away, her smile gradually dimmed. Then she turned toward Noble Consort Xian with an insincere smile. “Noble Consort Xian is actually concerned about Xianrong Zhao.” Following that, she climbed onto her sedan to leave without waiting for Noble Consort Xian’s response.

nSilent, Consort Ning watched as the other three crossed swords with their words. Once they had left, she boarded her own sedan. Looked back at the front doors of Xihe Palace. The lanterns swayed in the night breeze, giving off an unspeakable sense of desolation.

nOnce again, Xihe Palace grew quiet. Feng Jin sat on a chair outside the bedroom. He still did not move even after his newly-presented tea lost all its steam.

n“Your Majesty, it’s getting late.” As the steward eunuch that always stayed by the emperor’s side, Gao Dezhong knew that the emperor’s emotions were in disorder. So he needed to console him.

n“We know.” Feng Jin rose to his feet. Just when Gao Dezhong thought he wanted to leave, he saw Feng Jin turn around and enter the bedroom.

nIn the past, Gao Dezhong often came here; there used to be many fragrances, yet no scent of medicine. But today, there was not even one fragrance here. The only smell around was a pungent medicinal scent. On a corner shelf sat a bonsai pine tree, still fresh and green as before. And a water lily that did not have a sliver of green left.

nThe moment Yunxi, who was in the middle of attending to Zhuang Laoyan at the bedside, caught sight of the emperor, she curtsied without a sound and retreated a few steps.

nFeng Jin sat on the side of the bed. Reached out and softly touched a pale cheek. And he found it very hot to the touch. At that moment, his expression changed slightly. “Why does she have a fever?”

nYunxi’s brows furrowed. “Reporting to Your Majesty, the imperial physician said Her Highness was seriously injured and a fever would definitely break out at night. What’s to be feared is that her fever would not subside.”

n“Since this is the case, let’s have the imperial physicians stay on duty outside the bedroom overnight.” Feng Jin took the towel presented by Yunxi and gently placed it onto Zhuang Laoyan’s forehead. “Have someone send over a pot of hot strong wine.”

nAfter the strong wine had arrived, Feng Jin did not want Yunxi and the others to step forward and help. Carefully, he wiped Zhuang Laoyan’s forehead, palms, soles, and back with the hot and strong wine. Once he pulled the covers tightly over her body, he said, “Take care of your master carefully. If anything happens, report to Us at once.”

nIt was already close to the fourth watch. He couldn’t stay at Xihe Palace any longer, and could only instruct the palace maids there. However, Feng Jin still felt worried, so he also sent over a few experienced older female servants. Only after that did he leave without worry.

nDon’t support theft; read this at sleepchaser’s wordpress.

nFollowing the end of court, Feng Jin did not return to Qianzheng Palace. Rather, he made for Xihe Palace to check on Xianrong Zhao. Seeing that her fever had subsided, he then made for Jingyang Palace in a rush.

n“These are the palaces that borrowed servants from Xihe Palace?” Feng Jin flipped over the small booklet, expressionless.

nAfter the empress heard the heavy word “borrow,” she said smoothly, “Reporting to Your Majesty, every name has been recorded here.”

n“Changtian House, Hele Palace, Linyue Pavilion, Yimei Pavilion…” said Feng Jin. Following that, he placed the small booklet in passing onto a small table. “Looks like Zhaorong Xu, Consort Rou, Noble Imperial Concubine Yan, and Xiuyi Su are lacking servants. We have actually neglected them severely.

n“Summon them over for a questioning. We really want to know just how We are neglecting them severely!” Then his tone grew heavier as he said, “They even have to borrow servants from other places!”

nThe empress fell silent for a moment, before saying, “This concubine also never expected they would borrow servants from Xihe Palace.”

nOn that same day, news spread in the palace: Consort Rou was punished to having her name tag removed for one month; Noble Imperial Concubine Yan and Xiuyi Su had their name tags removed for three months; Zhaorong Xu was scolded by the emperor in front of Jingyang Palace’s servants. Other than having her name tag removed for three months, she was also punished to forfeit one year’s salary. The emperor had been so angry that he said she was unsuitable as a zhaorong.

nThe next time Zhuang Laoyan woke up, it was already the period of Wu. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Imperial Physician Mao’s tired face. Before she could even speak, Imperial Physician Mao’s face stirred up with emotions and he kneeled with a bang. He said many auspicious things, and a few imperial physicians rushed forth at once. They all kowtowed to her and said auspicious things as well.

n“Just stand and talk. This palace has a terrible headache.”

nAs soon as Zhuang Laoyan had spoken, she thought her voice sounded soft to the point of pitiful. Her throat was also dry.

nHowever, the imperial physicians could still hear what she had said. And they grew quiet one after the other.

nForcing herself to drink a few sips of soup made with tributary jujubes and longans, Zhuang Laoyan had a bit more energy. But she had a splitting headache. She didn’t dare to move around too much. If something happened to her brain, even if she didn’t die, death would be a better option.

n“Your Highness, this slave has already sent people to report to His Majesty,” said Tingzhu, handing the bowl to the palace maid behind her. She carefully wiped Zhuang Laoyan’s face. “After His Majesty finished court in the morning, he came to check on Your Highness. However, Your Highness was still asleep. His Majesty sat for a little while before leaving.”

n“Really?” A complicated smile spread across Zhuang Laoyan’s lips. “I thought His Majesty would not come here anymore.”

n“How could We not return here?” At that moment, Feng Jin entered the room in large strides, ignoring the crowd of people paying respects to him. He stopped Zhuang Laoyan from sitting up to salute him. “Don’t move. Your brain is injured severely, yet you still move around. Do you not want to live anymore?”

nLooking at Zhuang Laoyan who had her head lowered, Feng Jin said more gently, “We know you were sad that We haven’t come over recently. We won’t do this anymore. You have to be good; don’t let something like this happen again and scare Us.”

n“There are many people in the harem. Even if something happens to this concubine, Your Majesty will—”

n“Don’t talk nonsense!” said Feng Jin in a low voice. “Other people are other people. We want you to properly take care of yourself. Don’t think about other people.”

n“But Your Majesty, you clearly knew this concubine wouldn’t go search for the kite, so why did your honored self not trust me?!” Zhuang Laoyan looked at him, eyes red. “Your Majesty said to let them be free together. Why would this concubine retrieve them?”

nThe imperial physicians, court eunuchs, and palace maids all wished they didn’t have ears at this moment. They did not dare to hear such words of complaint from Xianrong Zhao.

nFeng Jin couldn’t look directly at her reddened eyes. He averted his gaze. After a good while of silence, he said, “We made a mistake. Once you’ve recovered, We will make it up to you properly.”

nZhuang Laoyan closed her red eyes. Her tears flowed down her cheeks. Flowed down to the hair by her temples.

nReaching out to wipe away the warm tears, Feng Jin felt choked up in his heart. Sorrowful. He adjusted the covers over her. “We will investigate this case thoroughly. Your current appearance causes Us sorrow.”

nThe eyes that were shut tightly twitched. But in the end, they did not open.

nA sigh, Feng Jin turned around to look at everyone else. With a flat tone, he said, “You should know how you ought to service Xianrong Zhao. If something happens to her, you don’t need to stand here anymore.”

nNot glancing at their frightened expressions, Feng Jin looked at Zhuang Laoyan a few more times. However, the other party did not open her eyes. He stood there for another short while, then left.

nAfter he did, Zhuang Laoyan opened her eyes. It was obviously a sorrowful gaze, yet within it existed a trace of a smile.

nIf some things came too easily, people would not treasure them. However, if those things might disappear, people would wake up and find them to be treasures, would hate to lose them. The love women gave to men was the same. If a woman always gave a man her heart without saying anything, said man would at first feel guilty about it. But later on, he would find it only natural that she did so. As long as one let the man experience the chance of losing her love, he would realize that their relationship was precious.

nAlthough Feng Jin was a man, he was also an emperor. As such, women were too easy for him to obtain. A woman’s love was perhaps precious to him, but not overly precious once it was in his hands. As long as he personally harmed this love, he would suddenly realize that love was difficult. Isn’t this mentality scummy?

nAfter Feng Jin exited Xihe Palace, his expression darkened. He felt unhappy. Naturally, the people around him didn’t feel good either. “Did you people find out which palaces had servants who were near Xihe Palace yesterday?”

n“Reporting to Your Majesty, there were many servants who appeared near Xihe Palace last night. On the day of Xianrong Zhao’s attack, the servants of Her Majesty the empress, the two noble consorts, Consort Rou, Consort Ning, Zhaorong Xu, Xiuyi Su, Noble Imperial Concubine Yan, Noble Imperial Concubine Jiang, and Imperial Concubine Lin all went near Xihe Palace.” A pause, and Gao Dezhong said, “This slave thinks we cannot rely only on this to say whether a servant harmed Xianrong Zhao.”

n“Naturally, this won’t be enough to be sure. If someone really wanted to harm another person, they could send people to hide in all directions around Xihe Palace in advance. The person who harmed the victim also does not have to leave the premises immediately. The best method would be to wait until the next day, when the news spread, and then leave among the chaos.” Feng Jin sneered. “In a place such as the imperial harem, who wouldn’t have a heart to exploit others and harm others?”

nGao Dezhong’s heart trembled. Since the emperor had said this, what did he mean?

n“It doesn’t matter how many people passed by Xihe Palace. Investigate them all thoroughly. Among those people, keep careful watch on the ones who were late to their shift or inexplicably disappeared for an hour. Or are just the slightest bit suspicious,” said Feng Jin coldly. “If We want to fully understand something, no one can hide it from Us.”

nA chill spread across Gao Dezhong’s back. The emperor was truly furious this time.

nIf a woman always gave a man her heart without saying anything, said man would at first feel guilty about it. But later on, he would find it only natural that she did so. As long as one let the man experience the chance of losing her love, he would realize that their relationship was precious.

nDang, our girl ZL here playing FJ like a fiddle.

nI enjoyed reading all of your comments and theories from the last chapter. I think we had a winner among the replies hahaha.

nFor those of you still interested in advanced chapters, please read this post for more information. There are only two advanced chapters left this month, so if you pledge for a tier that gives 3 chapters now, you’re basically my suga daddi.

nIf you like this chapter, please rate

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nTwelfth chapter of The Times Spent in Pretense is out! You can read it here.

nAnother plug for the new BL tl group me and my friends formed: Perpetual Daydreams! I’ve started moving all of my BL novels there. Click here if you’re interested.

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