Su Xiaoqi woke up in Shen Yun's embrace.
She opened her big eyes and gazed at Shen Yun.
He had his eyes closed, his long eyelashes like a pair of fans covering his eyes, curled and beautiful.
Su Xiaoqi felt a stir of emotion as she watched, and couldn't help but reach out to gently caress him.
She traced his slender eyelashes, then his deep-set eye sockets, his high-bridged nose, and his tightly pursed, thin lips.
Lips like his always belonged to someone with a shallow heart.
But in his affection for her, Su Xiaoqi couldn't discern any trace of shallowness.
She continued down to his chin, his neck...
"Pfft," Shen Yun finally couldn't hold back his laughter.
He had actually woken up much earlier, but had not opened his eyes immediately.
He greatly enjoyed holding Su Xiaoqi, holding her quietly.
Doing nothing at all, just breathing in the faint orchid fragrance emanating from her, a pure, elegant feeling pervading his heart.
This feeling was wonderful, bringing peace and tranquility.
Just as he was savoring it, a burning breath that could not be ignored brushed against his face.
Then his wife's delicate hand touched his face.
He had intended to open his eyes at the first moment.
But he suddenly felt curious, wondering what his wife would do.
So he kept his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.
Who knew his wife's hand was so restless.
After touching the features on his face, it was not enough.
It continued to move towards his chest.
Although he was not ticklish, nor afraid of the cold, he felt he had to stop her.
Otherwise, he feared he might not be able to resist consuming her again.
His wrist caught by Shen Yun, Su Xiaoqi blinked her peach-blossom eyes and accused him aggrievedly:
"Ah, husband, you were pretending to sleep and deceived me."
Shen Yun said helplessly, "Wife never asked if I was asleep or awake, so how can I be pretending to sleep and deceiving wife?"
Su Xiaoqi thought about it and realized it made sense.
Shen Yun had his eyes closed, and it was she who had assumed he was asleep.
This gave her the idea to secretly take advantage, uh, have intimate contact.
Who knew she was caught red-handed? She felt both shy and ashamed, burying herself deeper into Shen Yun's embrace.
Shen Yun bit her earlobe playfully, "Wife, do not make trouble. If you continue, this husband will not be able to go out to handle official duties today."
Su Xiaoqi understood his implication and quickly rolled out of his arms.
She did not want any more; Shen Yun had been too vigorous last night, and her waist felt almost broken.
The two got up. Shen Yun dressed and then said, "Wife knows this husband's true intentions. This husband must thank wife."
These words were rather nonsensical.
Su Xiaoqi did not understand.
"Regarding the Emperor's matter, what wife did was correct. The timing for Prince Duan was too hasty for the New Year's festival."
Therefore, extending the life of Emperor Xingzhao was the right thing to do.
Su Xiaoqi had stumbled upon the right course of action by accident.
"That's right, have Mei Xin made any moves recently? And what about Zhao Xiaohua and the others?"
Su Xiaoqi had been very busy lately, too busy to investigate these people. However, based on her intuition, these people were not to be trifled with, so she felt it was necessary to monitor their actions more closely.
Shen Yun replied, "Mei Xin has not. Zhao Xiaohua's whereabouts are unpredictable."
What Shen Yun did not tell Su Xiaoqi was that Zhao Xiaohua had already displayed formidable strength without their knowledge.
And now she stood on the side of the Crown Prince. She seemed divinely aided.
She could foresee everything and devise flawless strategies, putting them in a very passive position.
While they were discussing Zhao Xiaohua, Zhao Xiaohua was also discussing the Su Xiaoqi couple.
"What? They went into the palace and even treated the Emperor?" Zhao Xiaohua was somewhat surprised that Su Xiaoqi's connections were indeed so broad.
Liang Xinran huffed, "It's all thanks to my troublesome good Imperial Sister, Liang Man."
"It's nothing, it's nothing. No matter how skilled Su Xiaoqi's medical art is, unless she possesses a miraculous medicine for reviving the dead, what can she achieve by treating the Emperor?"
In her previous life, the Emperor had died during the New Year festival.
This was the will of heaven, could her medical skills change the will of heaven?
Zhao Xiaohua was dismissive.
But she felt that if Su Xiaoqi was allowed to enter and exit the palace unchecked and cause a stir, it would still attract too much attention.
She immediately spun her eyes, thought of something, and excitedly slapped the table, saying, "Your Highness, I have a plan that can disrupt their arrangements."
Liang Xinran had recently won against Prince Duan several times, not only in court but also in state affairs, thanks to Zhao Xiaohua.
He followed her words almost to the letter and was now filled with interest, saying, "Please do share."
"Your Highness, I heard that when the Emperor was young, he was deeply fond of the third young lady of the Yu family. Is this true?"
Liang Xinran seemed to be lost in some memory. His eyes flickered, and he said somewhat unnaturally,
"That's right. Father Emperor saw the third young lady of the Yu family, who was then only ten years old, at a Chongyang Festival palace banquet and became infatuated.
He proposed to take her as a concubine, but Old Duke Yu refused.
At that time, the Empress was still alive, and she intended to betroth the third young lady of the Yu family to Liang Xinyi as the Crown Princess, and she argued with Father Emperor about it. The matter was then left unresolved.
At the time, everyone thought the Emperor was merely indulging a temporary fancy and would forget about it after some time when rejected by many parties.
But no one expected that Father Emperor would actually take it to heart.
When the third young lady of the Yu family turned thirteen, he proposed to take her as a concubine again.
He even spread word that he would directly grant her the title of Imperial Noble Consort, second only to the Empress."
Zhao Xiaohua was somewhat surprised. She was someone who had experienced a past life.
But at that time, with her status, she had no way of knowing such imperial secrets. Hearing this now, she was greatly astonished.
"The Emperor loved her so deeply, the third young lady of the Yu family should have entered the palace as a consort. Why is it that now, there is no such title for her among the imperial consorts in the palace?"
Liang Xinran became angry and snorted, "Hmph, a person without good fortune. Not only did she refuse my Father Emperor, but she also fled in the middle of the night and disappeared."
Zhao Xiaohua was even more surprised. Such a woman was truly one of a kind.
Few women in the world would refuse to become an emperor's concubine, right?
And to enter the palace immediately with the status of Imperial Noble Consort, second only to the Empress.
One must know that the Empress at that time was already seriously ill and on the verge of death.
Anyone could have imagined that with the Emperor's affection for the third young lady of the Yu family, she would eventually become the Empress.
However, to everyone's surprise, she ran away, disappearing without a trace.
For Zhao Xiaohua, who was constantly pursuing power and status, she could not comprehend it and kept sighing, "This is truly strange, then where did she go?"
Liang Xinran replied, "We didn't know at the time. Later, we heard that she went to Northern Chu and married the King of Northern Chu."
Zhao Xiaohua's eyes widened, her eyeballs almost rolling out.
She had thought that the third young lady of the Yu family had avoided Emperor Xingzhao because she viewed power and status as dirt.
But then she turned around and married another king, which left her speechless.
"Hmph, these two had been in love for many years. That King of Northern Chu was a hostage held in our Great Liang Dynasty."
Liang Xinran was extremely resentful that the third young lady of the Yu family had abandoned his Father Emperor to marry into Northern Chu.
In fact, there was one thing he did not mention.
The reason his imperial concubine, Consort Huang, was favored above all others in the harem was because she resembled the third young lady of the Yu family back then.
Of course, since they were not blood sisters, they could not resemble each other completely.
But they shared the same peach-blossom eyes, the same exquisite nose, the same facial structure...
It could only be said that his imperial mother was beautiful, which also brought him, her son, considerable favor.
However, this favor, while beneficial, could not be spoken of, especially not to his imperial mother.
Who would want to be treated as a substitute for over twenty years?
"I heard that Su Xiaoqi also looks very much like the third young lady of the Yu family back then," Zhao Xiaohua began to offer her plan.
Her plan was simple but absolutely effective, capable of killing without drawing blood, yet striking at the heart.
Liang Xinran exclaimed "Well done!" upon hearing it, though his face showed a hint of regret.
"I also saw that woman. She was indeed refined and elegant. It would have been a pity for her to be with my Father Emperor..."
Zhao Xiaohua saw his lustful desire and said with exasperation, "Your Highness, those who achieve great things do not quibble over minor details.
She is merely an ordinary woman. When you ascend to the throne, what kind of woman will you not have?"
"Hahaha, well said, 'ascend to the throne.' Just wait. When I become emperor, as long as her beauty remains, I won't care how many hands she has passed through, hahaha..."
Zhao Xiaohua pulled at the corner of her mouth, lowered her head, and rolled her eyes speechlessly.
She thought to herself, this is why people like you can never achieve great things.
All your painstaking efforts will only be for the benefit of others.