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

The next day, before the red marks on Song Shuangning's face had faded, she sent someone to ask for leave on the grounds of feeling unwell.

Consort Song breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that she had asked for leave.

If others saw the slap mark on Song Shuangning's face, she wouldn't know how to explain it. After all, she was in the wrong first, and others would only think she was unreasonable and domineering.

Fortunately, Song Shuangning was quick-witted enough to ask for leave.

At 9:00 AM, the Empress sent someone to visit Consort Song at the Hidden Winter Pavilion, and Consort Song began to worry again.

Song Shuangning wore a thin veil over her face, but the handprint was still visible through the veil.

She did it on purpose; even if the Empress hadn't sent anyone to ask, she would still wander around wearing this veil that couldn't cover anything at all.

Qingdai roughly guessed what was going on and asked softly, "Her Majesty the Empress is concerned about your health, Your Highness. Seeing that you haven't summoned the imperial physician yet, she was worried and specially sent me to check on you. Your Highness, should I go and invite the imperial physician over?"

Song Shuangning coughed a few times in an affected manner: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I... have a slight cold, but it's nothing serious, there's no need to call the imperial physician."

"Then this servant will not disturb you any longer. Please rest well, Your Highness."

After Qingdai returned to Fengyi Palace, she told the Empress what she had seen.

The Empress slowly traced the detailed map of the birthday banquet in half a month with her fingertips, and sighed softly, "She is too weak-willed and somewhat stupid, and does not know how to make use of her own advantages."

Qingdai didn't immediately grasp the concept. "Her own advantages?"

What are Song Meiren's personal advantages?

The Queen smiled and said, "Her face is her advantage."

"Consort Song has been with the Emperor since the Crown Prince's residence. I know her personality well, and the Emperor knows it well too. This is why the Emperor has never liked her. Even her fourth prince, who died young, was never able to be included in the imperial family register."

Consort Song was too direct and never concealed her intentions; in fact, she was sometimes unscrupulous in achieving them.

Today is the first day of the lunar month. According to ancestral rules, the Emperor will come to dine with the Empress and stay overnight at the Phoenix Palace.

The Empress personally served Xiao Yan a bowl of ginseng and astragalus chicken soup. "Your Majesty," she said, "this ginseng and astragalus chicken soup was specially prepared by the Imperial Kitchen at my request. It contains many nourishing ingredients and has been simmered for three hours. Please try it while it's hot and see if it suits your taste."

"Your Majesty is very kind."

There's ginseng soup on both sides; what kind of flower can it possibly bloom?

The Empress turned to Qingdai and asked, "I instructed you to deliver this to Cangdong Pavilion. Has Consort Song received it?"

"Song Meiren?" Xiao Yan paused, his silver chopsticks still holding food, and slowly turned his head to the side.

The Empress smiled gently and said, "Today, Consort Song asked for leave when she came to pay her respects. Consort Song has always been well-mannered and knows her place. Even after serving the Emperor, she would still insist on coming to pay her respects. Today, she must have been feeling unwell to ask for leave. I was worried that it might be a lingering illness from when she went into the water to save Wan'er half a month ago. That's why I instructed Qingdai to send Consort Song a bowl of ginseng and astragalus chicken soup, which contains many nourishing ingredients. I think it will be good for Consort Song's health."

Xiao Yan nodded: "Your Majesty is very kind."

The Empress lowered her head and smiled, "This is all I should do."

She has done all she could; hopefully, Song Meiren will be more sensible.

Song Shuangning also took the initiative to have the Imperial Household Department remove the green plaques.

Consort Song had not expected Song Shuangning to be so sensible, keeping the slapping incident a secret, and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Consort Song summoned Song Shuangning over, and when Song Shuangning arrived, she took her hand and said softly, "That day, it was because my elder sister lost her temper and was in a bad mood that she took action."

Song Shuangning spoke gently without a trace of resentment, "Elder sister, what are you saying? I have never blamed you."

Consort Song offered a few more words of gentle comfort and handed over several bottles of high-quality ointment to reduce swelling and redness.

After returning home, Song Shuangning asked Tingyu to put the plaster away.

She sat at the dressing table, looking at her still swollen face, her eyes full of smiles. If the swelling went down, wouldn't all the pain she had suffered have been for nothing?

Three or four days later, Xiao Yan's fingertips casually traced a row of green nameplates, but Song Shuangning's nameplate was still nowhere to be seen. His brows furrowed slightly. "Is Consort Song still not well?"

Li Fuquan: "This...this servant doesn't know either."

Xiao Yan glanced at him displeasedly: "What did the imperial physician say?"

"Consort Song did not summon the imperial physician..." This was also the reason why Li Fuquan could not answer.

"Didn't they summon the imperial physician?"

Since she is ill, why not call the imperial physician? Her body is indeed somewhat frail.

With no interest in reviewing the memorials, Xiao Yan stood up and said, "Let's go to the Hidden Winter Pavilion."

Xiao Yan entered the Hidden Winter Pavilion with light steps, without letting anyone announce his arrival. When he reached the door, he overheard the conversation between the master and servant inside the hall.

"Ouch—it hurts a little."

"Then this servant will be gentle, my lady. The injury on your face will probably take several more days to heal."

The injury on his face?

Xiao Yan paused and listened intently for a moment before pushing open the door and entering.

The two women, mistress and maid, were fiddling with something at the dressing table when Song Shuangning turned around at the sound, her eyes widening in alarm: "Your Majesty?"

Then, realizing something, she immediately turned her head, curled her lips into a smile, and put on her veil.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. The most striking feature was the clear, still-present red mark on Song Shuangning's face. The handprint still glowed with a lingering redness, making it particularly eye-catching in the soft light.

"Your Majesty, I was unaware of Your Majesty's arrival and was unable to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Xiao Yan's tone turned serious: "What happened to the injury on your face?"

Song Shuangning said in a trembling voice, "This concubine...this concubine...bumped into it by accident."

"Does Consort Song know the consequences of deceiving the emperor?"

Xiao Yan squinted at Song Shuangning, somewhat angry. How could this woman be so stupid! He had already come all this way, yet she still wanted to keep it a secret.

Tingyu knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, the slap on my face was from Consort Song! That day, when Your Majesty sent over some gifts, I immediately picked out a lot to give to Consort Song. But Consort Song not only didn't appreciate it, she also said that I was deliberately showing off, and in the end, she even hit me."

"Listen to the rain!"

"Your Highness, it's been four or five days, and your injuries haven't healed yet. It's clear that Consort Song was ruthless."

"Stop talking, listen to the rain!"

"Your palace maid is more insightful than you." With that, Xiao Yan reached out and removed her veil.

When Xiao Yan saw the injury on her face clearly, his expression turned frighteningly grim.

Song Shuangning's eyes were veiled with tears as she timidly tugged at Xiao Yan's sleeve.

"Your Majesty, I did not mean to deceive you. Consort Song is, after all, my elder sister. I did not want to make a scene and disturb Your Majesty's peace."

"I'm afraid too... afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Song Shuangning bit her lip, holding back her tears: "I'm afraid this matter will escalate, and my elder sister will be even less tolerant of me."

Xiao Yan pinched her chin: "You don't believe what I said that day?"

What happened that day?

—Please, I will protect you.

"Of course I believe you, but I can't always rely on you. I also don't want to put Your Majesty in a difficult position."

The hall fell silent. Song Shuangning's heart raced. Would the Emperor believe her words?

Xiao Yan said, "Li Fuquan, bring me the best ointment."

This face is so pleasing to the eye; it would be a shame if it left scars.

"Be smarter next time, and remember to come to me if you are wronged."

"Will the Emperor stand up for his concubines?"

They're pushing their luck.

Xiao Yan said calmly, "Yes."

"Waaaaah!" Song Shuangning cried and threw herself into Xiao Yan's arms. "Waaaah, thank you so much, Your Majesty. In this world, Your Majesty is the second person to treat me so well. I am so touched and so happy."

"Who was the first person?" Xiao Yan didn't know why his focus was on this.

"The first person to treat the concubine well was her aunt."

Li Fuquan said that she had not had a good life in the mansion before. Because she was a concubine's daughter, she was often bullied by her older brothers and sisters who were born of the principal wife. Her father and the mistress were also particularly biased towards her. She could only rely on her concubine for survival in the mansion. It is truly rare that she could maintain her kind heart under such circumstances.

The plaster arrived, and Xiao Yan picked up some with his fingertips and applied it to Song Shuangning's face.

Song Shuangning hissed and stepped back, saying in a delicate voice, "It hurts."

"Pretentious." Even though she said that, her movements became much gentler.

Out of pity for the injury on her face, Xiao Yan did not let her serve him in bed tonight, and the two of them went to bed under separate quilts.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, half-asleep and half-awake, Xiao Yan suddenly felt his quilt being tugged. The next moment, a soft, warm body with a faint fragrance nestled quietly into his arms.

"Song Shuangning".

"I'm cold," Song Shuangning said aggrievedly, and then pressed her foot against Xiao Yan's leg, making Xiao Yan shiver from the cold.

"Just this once."

"Your Majesty, I love you so much!" Song Shuangning nestled happily into Xiao Yan's arms.

Xiao Yan slightly curled the corners of his lips.

A good night's sleep.