The document is clear to the world

Chapter 78

Qiu Ming looked up at me and said, "Lu Hong sent someone to deliver a message saying that Third Master may know some things he shouldn't know, and that you should be careful."

I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair. "Have they returned to the palace yet?"

"It'll only be a matter of two or three days. If you don't want him to return to the palace, you have your own ways to prevent him from showing up."

"It's quite something that you, Master Qiuming, are to keep your wicked thoughts to yourself." I frowned slightly. "He's just a Third Master; I don't believe he can break the heavens."

"I was just saying, it wouldn't be worth it to ruin your game with this terrible move," Qiu Ming said with a sneer. "I was just worried you'd get anxious and upset, wasn't I?"

"How much more anxious can I get?"

"I heard that none of the women in your manor have been seeking out An Sheng lately?"

"Your information network is pretty good." I chuckled dryly, but I had no time to think about women right now.

"Third Master is back, and it seems the situation is more favorable to the Emperor," Qiu Ming finally said, making a fitting remark.

“We can’t delay any longer.” I suddenly opened my eyes. “Go and send a message to Lu Hong, telling him to lead his army to attack the capital step by step. Tell him that I will personally stand on the city wall and wait for him to break through the capital so that we can join forces.”

Qiu Ming coughed lightly, "You don't need to rush this. After Third Master escaped, Lu Hong mustered his troops and set off. They should have captured Helin by now."

Qiu Ming nodded, feeling there was no point in staying any longer, and got up to leave. I called him back, and after thinking it over, I finally took out a prescription and handed it to him, saying, "Get the medicine according to the prescription, and find a way to get it to me without alerting the enemy."

Qiu Ming glanced at the prescription, then at me, and said, "I understand."

My left hand unconsciously clenched, and I even broke out in a cold sweat.

Chapter 40 Illusion

Through the light gauze curtain, one could vaguely see Physician Xu sometimes frowning and sometimes stroking his beard. After a long while, he finally smiled and nodded, stood up and took a few steps back, saying, "The examination is complete, Madam."

I leaned back on the soft couch, withdrew my hand, and lowered my sleeve. The maids on both sides pulled up the curtains and then retreated. I stood up and looked at the imperial physician, who was five steps away. "I have been feeling weak lately and can't speak properly. Imperial physician, please come a couple of steps closer to speak with me."

Physician Xu curtsied and took two steps closer, saying, "That's natural, Madam's lineage—"

"Physician Xu," I interrupted him, raising my voice and saying seriously, "Are you simply saying yes or no?"

Physician Xu was puzzled at first, but after a long pause, he realized what he meant and lowered his head, saying, "Yes."

Just as I expected, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me. I propped myself up on the bed curtains with one hand, glancing at the bewildered and trembling imperial physician out of the corner of my eye. I frowned. “The reward on the table is for the imperial physician. Take it all. But you should also know that some things are easier to keep to yourself than to say out loud.”

Physician Xu hurriedly knelt down, "This humble servant understands Madam's meaning."

I closed my eyes wearily and waved my hand, "You've received your reward, now you may leave."

He sat alone in the attic for half a day, facing the window, thinking about too many things, things he should and shouldn't think about. He sat there until the last rays of sunset faded on the horizon, then the door opened, and there was Xiaoyu. She looked at me with a complicated expression, and said those four words with trepidation, "He's back."

Those who are meant to come back will come back. I straightened my clothes, gently pushed up my hair, and calmly stood up. "Where?"

"It's strange that in the back hall, after meeting the Emperor, they immediately ordered someone to fetch Seventh Master, saying they had something to discuss." Xiaoyu said hesitantly, "They've never had anything to say to each other before, when did they become so close?"

"The rear hall?" I walked to the door and flung it open. The night wind that rushed in seemed to devour every inch of warmth in the room.

Holding the tea, he casually walked towards the back hall. Unexpectedly, he was stopped as soon as he entered the front hall.

"The two princes have ordered that important matters need to be discussed, and no outsiders are allowed to approach." The voice was cold and aloof, yet it was clear that it belonged to a young man.

I smiled faintly. I looked up at the person blocking my way. The smile almost froze on my lips. If anything unexpected could throw us off balance, my first instinct was that this person would make me lose my composure.

"This official looks unfamiliar." I stared at him without moving, my mind racing. I just wanted to know what was going on.

"My name is Xiao Yi. I am a disciple of the Third Master and have served as his personal bodyguard for many years." He answered politely. "Madam said I look unfamiliar. I suppose it's because I often accompany the Prince on campaigns and don't frequently enter the palace."

Are the two gentlemen in the rear hall?

"yes."

"Since it's classified, it's not convenient for me to go in." I smiled. "I'll just wait here for Seventh Master to come out."

Xiao Yi nodded, offering no further reply, and simply stood in the front hall, motionless like a statue.

When Third Master came out, his face was extremely pale. He left without saying a word and took Xiao Yi away. I carried the tea into the back hall. It was empty, and I didn't know where Lu Li was hiding. I put the tea on the table and saw a half-open scroll on the side of the table. I subconsciously unfolded the painting and looked at the person in the painting. Instantly, I understood Lu Hong's instructions.

"You've come." I turned around and saw Lu Li hiding in the shadows not far away.

I looked at the portrait with great interest. "It's about 30-40% similar. I don't smile much in Da Meng. Did the painter imagine that smile before putting brush to paper?"

He emerged from the shadows, and I could then see the sweat on his forehead. He was actually panicked!

I waved the scroll around. "Did Third Master use this to threaten you?"

"yes."

Have you replied?

"not yet."

"Don't agree to him." I smiled. "Even if you go along with Third Master's wishes, he will still betray you. This is a rare opportunity to make a contribution."

"Has the Emperor found out? Have you considered what the consequences will be?"

"It's nothing more than digging three feet into the ground to find my corpse and verify its authenticity." It's just unclear whether it was his shovel that was faster or Lu Hong's action that was faster.

Aren't you afraid?

I didn't answer him directly; I'm afraid I'd long forgotten what fear was. "I just don't want...those people to disturb Xiaoxia's peaceful slumber underground."

"I won't let them touch the coffin," he said, clenching his fist tightly.

"What terms did he discuss with you?" I suddenly realized that this question seemed worth asking.

"He wants Lan Ruo."

"He only wants one woman." I shook my head. Had I overestimated him?

He said he had a way to get the throne, but he had no way to get this woman.

"There aren't many princes as devoted as the Third Prince," I said nonchalantly. "It's really inopportune for him to come to you with these conditions at this time. You're losing two people at once. You'll lose your wife and then your son."

Lu Li stared at me blankly, unable to utter a word for a long time. Perhaps he felt he was in the wrong, and he didn't care at all about my sarcastic remarks.

"This painting is nice, I'll take it back with me." I rolled up the portrait and held it in my hand.

When are you returning home?

I turned halfway around and said, "Seventh Master's mansion has many people, he doesn't need my food."

He was speechless. I walked out, only to hear a long sigh behind me, "I see... I have no way to deal with you either."

When I saw Xiao Yi again, I watched him from a distance as he went to court with the other ministers. He was now a highly sought-after figure, no longer the unruly youth he once was. After the Third Prince returned to the capital, Xiao Yi gained even more imperial favor, attending court for several days in a row to discuss military matters. His courage and insight were said to have impressed even Lu Li. A few days later, news spread that the Emperor had bestowed a marriage upon Xiao Yi; the Emperor was going to marry his most beloved youngest daughter, Princess Yu Ning, to him.

I had no interest in those matters of personal feelings; my only concern was when Lu Hong's army would arrive in the capital.

Consort Ding was ill for a month, and I served her until she recovered. The day before I left the palace, I went to Qianruo Palace to visit Consort Rong and had a long, intimate conversation with her. Consort Rong was only twenty-two or twenty-three years old, but she had a mature and composed demeanor. It seems that the harem is a place to temper one's character.

"Xiao Zheng, you're even distracted while playing chess today." Consort Rong smiled at me, shook her head, scattered the chess pieces, and called over several girls to bring tea and snacks. "It's been several days since I've seen you bring Xiao Yu. Speaking of tea and snacks, her cooking is still the best."

"I haven't seen her for several days either."

"I heard... she's ill." Consort Rong glanced at me and said indifferently, "How could you not know? She dismissed the imperial physicians and is bearing the burden alone. I really don't know what she's planning. What do you think..."

I noticed the fleeting worry that crossed Consort Rong's face as she hesitated to speak, and for some reason, I became nervous. "What do you know?"

“She seems to have a lover. I happened to run into them once in the Imperial Garden. As for who it is, I won’t say. You know that the girl and Madam Pang survived because of the Seventh Prince’s kindness. It’s not surprising that she’s the Seventh Prince’s woman.” Consort Rong secretly glanced at me and bit her lip slightly. “Such things have happened in the palace before. There have been girls who lost their lives because of this. I just hope I’m overthinking it. But when I think back to the last time we had tea together, she changed to flower tea. At the time, I just thought her taste had changed, but after thinking about it a bit more, I felt more and more that something was wrong.”

I felt an increasing heaviness in my chest, and I couldn't sit still any longer. I left Qiannuo Palace and hurried towards Consort Lin's palace. Consort Lin's maids said that Xiaoyu was recuperating, but I pushed the door open without hesitation and saw Xiaoyu staring at the door being flung open, her face pale.

Seeing her expression, I inexplicably calmed down again, turned around and closed the door. I walked to the table and sat down next to her, looking at the jasmine tea beside her and smiling, "When did you take a liking to flower tea?"

Having weathered many storms, she remained composed and said, "These past few days, while I've been ill, I've been drinking some herbal tea to nourish my body. I learned this from you and the maids in the inner palace when I was serving the Emperor."

"You're certainly putting in the effort," I said with a half-smile.

"You came here today because you need something?"

"I'm just here to try out the medicine."

Xiaoyu's eyes darkened. "Medicine?"

I quickly gestured for her to come closer and whispered in her ear, "You know, there are plenty of women in my household who are pregnant lately. I asked Qiu Ming for some medicine, which is said to be able to induce a miscarriage without anyone noticing, and without any pain, whether you're pregnant or not. I'm wondering if there really is such a miraculous medicine that doesn't cause pain after taking it? That's why I came to you to try it out."

Xiaoyu fell silent, her brows furrowed.

I pulled a small celadon bottle from my sleeve and pushed it straight at him. "What? You didn't expect me to be such a jealous and wicked person, did you? In the past, I sat in the main seat, and because of my status, I couldn't do anything too outrageous. I also had to put on a show of being a virtuous wife and loving mother. Things are very different now. Which concubine in a mansion has ever had a peaceful life? As for me, I'll just make a fuss."

Xiaoyu looked at me calmly, then smiled knowingly, "Okay, I'll try." She took a breath, opened the bottle, poured out a few drops, and tears immediately filled her eyes. She closed her eyes and forcefully poured the tears into her mouth, chewing them fiercely with the salty taste on her lips. "No matter what, isn't this what you wanted? I'll eat it. I know no one can tolerate this child."

I gently blew on the tea froth. "If you want to protect your child, you must first establish a firm foothold yourself."

Xiaoyu turned her head to the side, looking at me with tears in her eyes.

“They say a woman who is about to become a mother shouldn’t cry.” I reached out and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Whether you persist or give up, I don’t care. I have no right to decide the life that belongs to you, but I need you to tell me that you can live on, and that you can still live well.”

Xiaoyu paused, then loosened her tightly clenched lips. "You..."

"If there really is such a medicine, I would like to try it." I smiled and shook my head, playing with the celadon bottle. "Zhi'er's throat has been uncomfortable these past two days, so I got some throat-soothing medicine from the imperial physician. Is it sweet or bitter? It's quite a struggle to coax Zhi'er to take the medicine."

Xiaoyu wiped away her tears with slight embarrassment and stammered, "It's sweet."

"That's good." I said, looking her over. "How many months has it been? Can you still hide it?"

“Almost six months,” Xiaoyu said, lowering her head.

"You volunteered to serve Consort Lin without any attendants because of this?"

"Consort Lin has a peaceful life and doesn't really need to do anything. I'm afraid that if she wanders around Chaoyang Palace every day, it won't be able to keep up with the situation."

"You did the right thing." I nodded. Xiaoyu had considered things quite thoroughly. "Does Seventh Master know?"

Xiaoyu lowered her head even further, "Back then, it was Seventh Master who saved me and my master. How can I implicate him again?"

I looked at her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright, I really don't know what to say to you."

After giving her a few words of advice to take good care of herself, she left the inner palace. She found Consort Rong waiting there in the distance and hurried over. "Why are you standing here in this windy weather?"

"I'll wait for you." Consort Rong looked at me, speaking as if she was worried about me.

"What, are you afraid I'll strangle her?" I said, winking. "Do I look like that kind of tough guy?"

"Why are you being so magnanimous?" Consort Rong glanced at me. "Are you stupid?"

I chuckled and waved my hand. "Those two words really don't apply to me. Have you ever heard of a concubine being magnanimous? If you're going to talk about magnanimity, you should tell our tigress in the manor."

"I never would have guessed that girl had such a skill."

I sighed silently. "This kind of thing—it's not entirely her fault. Besides, she's been keeping it a secret to save face for Lu Li."

"I'm upset because of you," Consort Rong said, poking my forehead hard.