That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

Under the eaves of the side hall, Consort Shen stopped and whispered to the palace maid behind her, "Where is my sachet?"

The palace maid hurriedly took it out from her sleeve and handed it to her. Consort Shen took it and tied it around her waist.

Inside the hall, Xiao Yan had changed out of his outer robe, which had been soaked with wine, and was now only wearing a moon-white inner robe.

Xiao Yan looked up at the sound of her voice, his gaze sweeping over her indifferently. "What are you doing here?"

The Emperor's coldness towards her made Consort Shen feel extremely wronged. "This concubine is here to help Your Majesty undress, as instructed by my aunt."

"No need," Xiao Yan's tone was distant, almost cold. "We don't need you here. Go down."

Consort Shen bit her lip, refusing to back down. Instead, she stepped forward and said, "I am your concubine, and these close services are simply my duty."

Xiao Yan didn't even spare Shen Jieyu a glance, and went straight behind the screen.

Shen Jieyu pinched her palm and followed him inside.

Behind the screen, Xiao Yan's voice suddenly rang out, "I've said it before, you're not needed here."

Consort Shen bit her lip: "If Your Majesty sends me away, my aunt will surely hold a grudge against me. I beg Your Majesty not to send me away."

Xiao Yan sneered, "Aren't you two, aunt and niece, always close?"

The Emperor's words were barbed, making her feel suffocated.

She was bewildered and helpless. She didn't know what she had done wrong to make the emperor hate her so much.

Shen Jieyu bit her lip, as if making up her mind, lifted her skirt and went around to the back of the screen, where she hugged Xiao Yan from behind.

Xiao Yan was startled, then frowned and pushed her away with such force that Shen Jieyu was knocked to the ground.

Shen Jieyu fell to the ground, her back hitting the screen, the pain making her vision go black.

She looked at the Emperor's cold, hard profile, her voice trembling: "What have I done wrong that Your Majesty dislikes me so much? What is it that I have done wrong to offend Your Majesty so much? Please tell me, Your Majesty."

Don't hurt her like this anymore.

"Shen, get out."

Xiao Yan's gaze was deep. The Empress Dowager's family was all like this; once they got involved, they were like dog skin plasters or maggots clinging to bones, impossible to shake off.

Consort Shen gazed at his unmoving back, tears streaming silently down her face. Her voice was hoarse and mournful: "I have loved Your Majesty for many years; my heart has long belonged to you. Since entering the palace, I have prayed every day, hoping that one day I can truly be by Your Majesty's side, serving you. Your Majesty, please don't despise me. I beg you... please have pity on me and let me serve you just this once."

Xiao Yan raised his hand and tugged at his clothes, a strange heat suddenly spreading throughout his body.

The charcoal fire inside the hall wasn't burning very well, and it hadn't felt hot before, but now it felt like being enveloped in a heatwave.

Shen Jieyu gripped the hem of her skirt with her fingertips.

She knew the medication was taking effect.

With trembling hands, she slowly untied her belt and gently removed her outer robe, her thin figure trembling slightly.

Xiao Yan caught a glint in her eyes, his gaze turning icy. "Shen, this is the last time I'm telling you, get out!"

Consort Shen seemed not to hear him. She stood up unsteadily, grabbed Xiao Yan's arm, and pleaded pitifully and humbly, "Your Majesty, please don't send me away."

Another wave of heat rose from his dantian.

Xiao Yan immediately realized that either the wine or the incense in the palace was the problem.

If it were alcohol, the medicine would not have taken so long to work.

It must be the incense from inside the palace.

He felt a tightness in his chest from anger, a trace of sadness flashing through his mind:

His mother, for the sake of Lady Shen and her niece, was willing to resort to such despicable and underhanded methods against him, the emperor. The last remaining bond between him and the Empress Dowager was about to crumble completely.

The heat within him intensified, and Xiao Yan abruptly pushed her away, "Get away."

Consort Shen fell to the ground, a self-deprecating smile curving her lips. Even so, the Emperor still refused to touch her.

Li Fuquan hurriedly returned carrying a neatly folded set of civilian clothes.

"emperor."

Li Fuquan inadvertently caught a glimpse of Consort Shen's disheveled clothes behind the screen. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly averted his gaze, deftly helping the Emperor to get dressed.

Xiao Yan suppressed his excitement and walked silently toward the main hall.

When the Empress Dowager saw him enter, she said, "Have you changed? Sit down and have some more to eat."

Xiao Yan sneered, actually acting as if nothing had happened.

"Your Majesty, you've got some tricks up your sleeve. You'd even resort to such despicable tactics for the sake of the Shen family. In your heart, are the duties between ruler and subject, or the affection between mother and son, less important than a pawn in the Shen family's game?"

A look of surprise crossed the Empress Dowager's face. "What is the Emperor saying? What kind of despicable trick is this?"

Xiao Yan raised his hand to dismiss the palace servants. His words were like icy blades, "Wasn't the aphrodisiac incense in the palace something the Empress Dowager deliberately arranged?"

"It seems I have never understood my mother. For the sake of the Shen family, she would use such despicable means against me."

"From this day forward, I will never set foot in Shou Kang Palace again."

The Empress Dowager's face changed instantly, and she panicked. She hurriedly stood up to explain, "I have never ordered any incense, my son, listen to your mother."

Xiao Yan refused to listen to a single word of explanation, flicked his sleeves, and strode away without looking back.

The Empress Dowager hurriedly chased after him, her voice trembling with tears: "My son, I really didn't..."

But when she chased after him, she only saw Xiao Yan's resolute back.

She couldn't help but shed tears.

This was the second time she had shed tears for this child. The first time was right after she gave birth, when the late emperor ordered the prince to be taken to Empress Dowager Dehui's palace.

****

On the imperial carriage, Xiao Yan's eyes were like a cold pool, and his whole body exuded a chilling and terrifying aura.

Fortunately, he hadn't inhaled much of the aphrodisiac incense, and his agitation was still under control.

The imperial carriage moved extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at Yaohua Palace.

The cheerful laughter coming from inside the hall was clearly audible, and Xiao Yan's lips unconsciously curved into a faint smile, his solemn expression softening slightly.

"emperor?"

The candlelight was soft and warm as Song Shuangning sat before her dressing table. Tingyu and Tinglu were quickly and efficiently doing her hair and makeup. The three women, mistress and servant, each wore a smile.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh: "What are you doing?"

Tinglu and Tingyu took the opportunity to slip away.

Xiao Yan's face was flushed.

Song Shuangning reached out and touched Xiao Yan's forehead. "Why is Your Majesty's face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xiao Yan held her hand. "I'm fine."

"Ningning, I feel terrible."

A thousand words stuck in his throat, but Xiao Yan swallowed them back. He didn't want her to be involved in these troubles and to suffer because of them.

Song Shuangning was puzzled. Just now she said she was fine, but now she said she felt unwell.

"Where does Your Majesty feel unwell?"

Xiao Yan didn't answer, but followed her lips and kissed her.

Later, Song Shuangning cried and accused Xiao Yan of being too fierce. Xiao Yan rushed to comfort her, but he didn't become gentle at all.

He told Song Shuangning that he had been drugged with an aphrodisiac. Before Song Shuangning could even think about who in the palace would dare to give the Emperor an aphrodisiac, she fainted.