tallest building

On July 20th, Wen Mingqian was officially conferred the title of Noble Lady and moved into Mingjing Palace.

People outside couldn't help but gossip when they heard about it, after all, it was quite a novel thing.

But some people don't find it strange.

Wen Mingqian's original background was not bad. Although she was not a virgin, she rose higher and higher with each step.

Even after the divorce, she became the adopted daughter of the eldest princess, and later a palace lady-in-waiting.

Although they have a son, that son is not a burden; he is a prodigy that many people envy.

If an ordinary woman gets divorced and takes her son with her, her life will likely be very miserable.

So, comparing people is a recipe for disaster, and comparing goods is a recipe for disaster.

On the morning of the second day after Wen Mingqian was promoted, he went to the Empress's palace to pay his respects as required.

At this moment, all the concubines in the palace arrived, as the Empress had specially ordered someone to inform them in advance.

In recent years, due to her poor health, the Empress has often excused herself from paying respects to the palace officials. Today, she has specially invited these people, which is naturally a sign of respect for Wen Mingqian.

"Your Majesty, I am a little late today. Please forgive me," Wen Mingqian said hastily after bowing.

"We're all sisters, so let's skip the formalities. Please sit down." The Empress was in high spirits and in a very good mood. "You live far away, and getting ready is more complicated than usual, so it's normal that it takes you longer."

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. I am indeed not quite used to it yet," Wen Ming said modestly. "Please forgive my embarrassment, ladies."

"Please sit down! Serve tea to Consort Wen," the Empress said. "I was just telling them that I had a very interesting dream last night."

"I wonder what dream Your Majesty had?" Wen Mingqian was also very interested.

"I dreamt that I was strolling alone in the Imperial Garden, but for some reason, the flowers in the garden were either withered or faded, and there was a sense of decay."

Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but feel depressed, and I thought of calling someone to take good care of it.

Unexpectedly, an old man with white hair and beard suddenly appeared in front of me. He held a withered branch in his hand and told me that the reason why the plants in the Imperial Garden were withered was because the main root had rotted.

I asked him what should be done. He said it was alright, as long as the branch he was holding was planted properly in the ground, and if the branch survived, the whole garden would survive.

In my dream, I was half-believing and half-doubting, and in a daze, I took the branch in my hand.

Seeing a patch of loose soil on the ground, I planted it. Watching the branch sprout new buds, I excitedly reached out to touch it, but unexpectedly pricked my hand and woke up. The Empress recounted in detail, "I woke up to find it was already the fifth watch of the night, and slept very soundly that night."

"Your Majesty's dream is a very auspicious omen!" Consort Jing said with a beaming smile. "This back garden is just like the inner palace. When Her Majesty the Empress was unwell, weren't the flowers and trees withered and pale?"

Now, having received divine guidance in a dream and witnessing withered trees springing back to life, this surely foretells that Her Majesty the Empress will henceforth enjoy peace, prosperity, and longevity.

When she said that, everyone agreed, and the Empress was indeed even happier.

After talking for a while, everyone dispersed. Wen Mingqian walked along the road, with Xiaoyue by her side.

Now, Xiaoyue's status has risen accordingly, and she has become the head maid of Mingjing Palace, something she never dared to imagine before.

However, she was extremely loyal to Wen Mingqian, and Wen Mingqian was naturally willing to help her. "Please slow down, sir, the gravel path here is a bit slippery!" Xiaoyue reminded her, "It's been dewy this morning and evening, and the trees are providing shade, so it won't dry easily."

"It's alright, I didn't feel slippery at all." Wen Mingqian said, but his foot suddenly slipped and he fell to the side.

Xiaoyue rushed to help him up, anxiously asking, "Are you alright, sir?"

"I think I twisted my ankle." Wen Mingqian frowned slightly, a look of pain on his face. "I need a few more people to help me up. I can't put any weight on my right foot."

Given Wen Mingqian's current rank, she is entitled to four palace maids to attend to her, and these maids all rushed over to help her.

Having finally returned to the palace, they immediately went to summon the imperial physician.

Su Qingyun came over and took a look: "Your Highness has sprained your ankle. Fortunately, no bone was broken, but you still need to take good care of it. Leg problems are the most important, as they support the weight of the whole body. Don't be impatient; make sure it's completely healed before you put your foot down."

When the Empress heard about Wen Mingqian's sprained ankle, she immediately sent Chunying to check on him.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine. The imperial physician also said that I just need to rest for a while and everything else is alright," Wen Mingqian said to Chunying with a smile. "It was all because I wasn't careful while walking."

Chunying returned to the palace to report to the Empress, and a while later, Yu Lu also returned from outside the palace.

"Your Majesty, this servant has gone to see the Immortal Master Qingxu. The county magistrate said that Your Majesty's dream was a good omen, indicating that your fortunes are gradually improving."

As for Consort Wen, she will inevitably suffer from minor illnesses and ailments from now on, which is unavoidable, since she is now there to protect the Empress from disasters.

Just like the armor worn by soldiers on the battlefield, when swords come, they naturally cut into the armor, thus protecting their bodies.” Yu Lu told the Empress Qingxuzi’s words in detail.

The Empress feigned surprise upon hearing this, saying, "How could this be? The Immortal Master didn't mention this before. He only said that if we found someone like this to live in the Mirror Palace, the harem would be at peace."

"The Immortal Master said that the Empress is kind and he was afraid that she would not be able to bear it if he told her everything, so he kept it a secret," Yu Lu said. "In the end, the Empress is the most noble and important person in the world, and it would be impossible to resolve this without such assistance."

As for Consort Wen, she was also a blessed person, but her fate was destined to bring misfortune. By averting disaster for the Empress, wasn't she also accumulating good fortune for herself?

Upon hearing this, the Empress understood that Wen Mingqian was her scapegoat, shielding her from disaster and misfortune.

Those with weak fates simply cannot withstand it. Even if Wen Mingqian has a strong fate, he will most likely suffer great losses.

After all, even the hardest stone cannot withstand the wear and tear of time, let alone a person.

But Yu Lu didn't say it out loud, and neither did she. She only said, "It's too much for her to suffer like this. I feel very sorry for her. I'll have the imperial physician treat her properly and send her some of the best tonics from my own collection. Tell her not to worry and to rest well."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. I'll take care of it right away," Yu Lu quickly agreed.

He had no doubts about this matter and was convinced that Qingxuzi was a person of great skill.

Otherwise, how could the Empress's spirits have improved so much? And Wen Mingqian twisted his ankle as soon as he was granted the title of Noble Lady.

This is clearly transferring the bad luck from the Empress to her.

He felt a pang of pity for Wen Mingqian, but what could he do? When the emperor commands death, the subject has no choice but to die. Who could refuse the empress's request to be a scapegoat? (End of Chapter)