Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

The following day, spring rain fell in Yunjing City.

The entire imperial city was shrouded in a misty rain, the drizzle actually making the greenery grow extremely fast.

Qiaoyu set up a small tea table for Wei Rong in the corridor, letting her brew a pot of Kung Fu tea herself.

The tea leaves were rinsed twice, and then boiling water was poured in, resulting in a greenish-blue tea soup.

The aroma of Longjing tea filled the entire courtyard.

A few new leaves have sprouted in the lotus pond, but the leaves are still curled up and sway wildly when hit by the rain.

The palace servants were busy running around, and since it was raining, they were exempt from paying their respects, which made Wei Rong seem extremely leisurely.

At noon, Qiaoyu brought news that she had gone to the Imperial Household Department with an oil-paper umbrella. When she returned, her skirt was splashed with water, but she didn't care and happily squatted down in front of Wei Rong.

"I heard that during court today, several officials impeached the Shen family, demanding that His Majesty produce the results of his investigation, whether it proves that Consort Xian killed someone or that she did not."

Wei Rong was not surprised; her willingness to go to great lengths to escalate the situation was precisely to incite public outrage.

Naturally, some people will be unhappy with the Shen family, while others will stand up for them.

Therefore, even if Xiao Heng wanted to cover it up, he still had to give the public an answer.

"and then?"

Wei Rong took a sip of the tea and found it still astringent.

She used to have no particular requirements for tea; as long as it tasted like tea, that was enough.

But ever since she tasted Lingxianrupao, with its incredibly smooth and fragrant taste that had no bitterness at all, she realized that there are differences between teas.

She spent the whole morning trying and used up several kettles of water, but she still couldn't brew the exact same tea as Ling Xianru.

She only took one bite before putting it down.

I don't know exactly where the problem lies.

Qiaoyu watched her fiddling around and said, "Then His Majesty was clearly prepared; he actually pinned the blame on a maid in the Chuxiu Palace, claiming that Consort Xian was unaware of the situation!"

"Such a clumsy lie, and the courtiers actually bought it?"

"Of course we won't buy it," Qiaoyu said angrily. "But His Majesty is determined, as if he can't tolerate even the slightest stain on Consort Xian's reputation. What's worse, that old nanny was beaten to death on the spot outside the Meridian Gate. I wonder who His Majesty is trying to scare by killing the chicken to warn the monkey."

Xiao Heng's actions not only chilled the hearts of the court officials, but also disregarded his own reputation.

It seems he truly loves Shen Mingxiu to the core.

"However—" Qiaoyu changed the subject: "It would be unreasonable to leave Consort Xian completely untouched. His Majesty has decreed that Consort Xian has been stripped of her title of Consort and demoted to the rank of Consort due to her lax management and the resulting upheaval. She will be confined to Chuxiu Palace for a month to reflect on her mistakes."

Although she was punished, with the old nanny taking the blame, stripping her of her title as a concubine was only a light punishment.

This punishment was merely a way to silence Wei Rong and her court officials.

Wei Rong gave a cold laugh: "I hope Xiao Heng won't regret it in the future."

She had witnessed Shen Mingxiu's ruthlessness and methods. This person was not one to stay at home. With the imperial concubine selection imminent, who knew how many troubles would arise in the palace.

But at least things have come to a conclusion.

Although Xiao Heng's perfunctory and cover-up tactics stirred up a small wave of discussion, the imperial decree could not be disobeyed. Anyone who dared to defy the emperor would be openly going against him.

There's not much need for that.

Moreover, with the talent show just around the corner, families with daughters are racking their brains to make arrangements for their families' future.

On the day of the interview, Wei Rong excused herself by saying she was feeling unwell and did not attend.

I heard that Feng Zuyi went there, and Xiao Heng, in order to deal with the situation, appointed several important people.

There wasn't much conflict with their social standing, but I'd heard they were all quite good-looking.

Given Xiao Heng's personality, he would naturally not allow the harem to interfere in politics, so the status of these few noble ladies naturally meant little concern.

In the days following the talent show, Xiao Heng picked up several girls in succession.

Qiaoyu was afraid that Wei Rong would be sad, so she instructed the people in Fengluan Palace to be more careful when serving her during those days. She herself also went to the small kitchen several times to stew snow pear and white fungus soup for Wei Rong.

Wei Rong was both amused and exasperated: "This isn't the first time the palace has welcomed new concubines, why am I so anxious and upset?"

"That's different," Qiaoyu sighed worriedly. "I remember when His Majesty first ascended the throne and held his first grand selection, you sat by the window all night on the night Consort Li and Consort Xing were to serve him in bed."

When Xiao Heng wanted to consolidate his throne, the concubines he appointed all had significant connections to the previous dynasty, so that any change in one would have far-reaching consequences.

Back when he lived in the mansion, Xiao Heng had no concubines or mistresses, because when he married Wei Rong, he promised that he would not fall in love with a second woman.

Therefore, when he first chose Wei Rong, he gave her many rewards, saying that he was not in control of his own destiny and that as emperor, he would always be subject to various constraints.

Having witnessed the unwavering love between her parents, Wei Rong initially did indeed suffer from sleepless nights.

It wasn't out of jealousy, but to convince myself to accept it.

Choosing Xiao Heng meant that one day, vows of eternal love would be worthless in the face of imperial power, and many promises were destined to be broken.

So much so that when Xiao Heng later brought Shen Mingxiu back, she felt nothing but anger at being betrayed, and no disappointment.

Because in a thousand days and nights, she had learned to see clearly the interests within this imperial city and the various methods employed by the emperor.

How could she possibly care about talent shows these days?

Xiao Heng lay on Shen Mingxiu's bed, on the pillow of a new concubine, which made no difference to her.

Perhaps the one who can't sleep is Shen Mingxiu.

What does it matter if they secretly pledged their lives to each other, or if she is showered with love and affection? Xiao Heng still has to balance his interests, leaving her alone in her empty room.

Wei Rong didn't want it herself.

Having made the decision not to have Xiao Heng, she wouldn't let any of his actions hurt her anymore.

"It would be best if it weren't," Qiaoyu murmured. "Your Majesty should be happy every day."

Wei Rong's prediction was correct; it was clearly Shen Mingxiu who couldn't sleep.

The rain at the end of February was truly unpredictable and inconclusive. Due to the bad weather, all the palaces kept their gates closed and people rarely went out.

But the news spread like wildfire.

Several maids were chattering under the eaves, talking about the interesting things that happened last night.

"It is said that Consort Xian summoned His Majesty from Consort Yu's palace in the middle of the night, citing abdominal pain as the reason. However, when Imperial Physician An went to examine His Majesty, no news came out."

"She's in crisis. She's lost her title of Imperial Concubine. If a new concubine comes to power, she'll fall out of favor."

Wei Rong overheard this and casually asked, "Stomach ache?"

The maids chattered again: "Your Highness, that's what the eunuch who went to deliver the message said, but Consort Xian always likes to use this excuse."

"Yes, Your Majesty, it's just a tactic to win favor."

Qiaoyu knew that Wei Rong wouldn't ask "What's wrong, Your Highness?" without reason.

"No, Imperial Physician Qian has been out of the palace these past few days. Let him come and check my pulse to make sure I'm feeling well."