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

After waiting outside for a long time, and then being left out in the cold for half a day after entering the hall, the bowl of ice cream had long since melted beyond recognition.

Song Shuangning stared at the sticky ice cream, then lowered her gaze in disappointment. "The ice cream has melted. This was made by my own hands."

Seeing her pitiful look, Xiao Yan felt a little guilty, remembering that he had made her stand outside for so long, and his tone softened: "Thank you for your hard work, Ningning."

But then she suddenly remembered that she had once voluntarily gone to Zhenxing Pavilion, but what was her attitude then? Not only did she keep giving her the cold shoulder, but she also suddenly told her to go back.

Xiao Yan hardened his stance again, "I remember last time Ningning also gave me a hard time and told me to go back."

Song Shuangning: "..." She holds grudges.

"I was really in pain and heartbroken at that time. Your Majesty didn't care about me at all," Song Shuangning said, turning the tables on him.

Her eyes reddened again, as if she was about to cry again.

"Alright, that's enough." Xiao Yan rubbed her head. If he brought up the past again, she would be overwhelmed with tears.

The moment their eyes met, the atmosphere became sticky again. Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with pity, while Song Shuangning's eyes held aggrieved accusations against Xiao Yan. Their breaths were almost touching, and they leaned closer to each other without prior arrangement.

The moment their lips touched, Xiao Yan had only one thought: this little girl must have been a vixen in her past life.

Xiao Yan kissed her lips, and Song Shuangning responded with a slight tremor. The kiss deepened as Xiao Yan's tongue traced the shape of her lips, gently and tenderly.

Two weeks had passed, and this kiss stirred emotions in both of them.

Xiao Yan gently bit her lower lip, then picked her up and carried her into the inner room. Although it was still daytime, it wasn't the first time they had done that kind of thing in broad daylight.

Xiao Yan was no longer so embarrassed.

As for Song Shuangning, she finally understood what her feelings for Xiao Yan were. It wasn't love, it was a physical attraction. She reached out and hooked her arm around Xiao Yan's neck, thinking: Xiao Yan must feel the same way about her.

Xiao Yan kissed her cheek, "I won't hurt you."

Song Shuangning gave a shy and coquettish "Mmm".

Love's threads are secretly intertwined, longing ripples, and the warm hibiscus-scented curtains ripple like green waves. A room filled with the beauty of spring.

One hour later.

Xiao Yan reached out and touched the woman's temples, which were damp with sweat, a gentle smile flashing in his eyes.

Song Shuangning was already asleep from exhaustion, unaware that the man beside her had already gotten up.

Xiao Yan sat on the dragon throne, gently tapped the table, and looked at Li Fuquan: "Have people been spreading rumors about Consort Song lately?"

Li Fuquan hesitantly explained the whole story in detail.

He had heard about what happened yesterday, but since the Emperor was still angry, he didn't dare to bring it up rashly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's face immediately darkened. "Consort Jiang can't even control the maids in her own palace. She's been demoted to the rank of Consort. The Empress's previous punishment was too lenient. That maid should be beaten to death. From now on, anyone who dares to disobey their superiors or speak ill of the Emperor will be punished the same way."

Only that fool was kind enough not to argue with them.

Li Fuquan felt a chill run down his spine, and only dared to mutter to himself: The Emperor seems to care a lot about Consort Song, and Consort Jiang is also a muddle-headed person, indulging servants to gossip about the Emperor.

When Song Shuangning woke up, all the candles in the palace were lit. Looking at the clothes that she could no longer wear, she helplessly called out to Tingyu.

Tingyu entered at the sound of her voice, her gaze filled with worry and shyness—and this was still daytime! The Emperor was truly something else. She couldn't help but ask softly with concern, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Song Shuangning's cheeks flushed slightly. "No."

"His Majesty specifically instructed me to prepare clean clothes. Shall I help you up to change?"

"Hmm." Xiao Yan arrived just as I changed my clothes.

"Stay for dinner, but I have important matters to attend to tonight, so I won't keep you." He paused, then added, "However, Ningning may stay if she wishes."

Song Shuangning turned her face away shyly, "This concubine should go back."

She looked incredibly cute, and Xiao Yan chuckled, "Alright."

After having dinner, it was completely dark before we returned to Pillow Star Pavilion.

As soon as she returned, Quanlu told her, "My lady, the letter you sent has received a reply."

"Doctor Zhang only had an elderly mother and a daughter who had just turned fifteen. They lived a very frugal life. He himself didn't have much money to spare, but every year he had to send a lot of money back to help support his family. Doctor Zhang and his family rarely had any contact with other people."

Song Shuangning stroked her chin and pondered to herself, "The imperial physician is, after all, an official of the court, and his salary must be quite high. How could he be living such a frugal life?"

"There's another thing Laifu told me. A couple of years ago, Physician Zhang secretly took ginseng and other precious medicinal herbs. Physician Chen caught him in the act and threatened to report it to the Emperor and the Empress. Physician Zhang begged and pleaded, and that's how he kept quiet. But afterwards, Physician Chen used this to blackmail Physician Zhang and repeatedly demanded money from him. Very few people know about this. Laifu only found out by overhearing."

That makes sense.

If there were a royal physician at her disposal, she would feel more at ease.

"Thank you for your hard work," Song Shuangning said.

Quanlu smiled and said, "This is what a servant should do."

The next day, Song Shuangning asked Physician Zhang for help, claiming she was feeling unwell.

Physician Zhang looked puzzled: "That's strange, Your Highness's pulse is normal. Is there anything wrong with you, Your Highness?"

Song Shuangning rubbed her temples: "I've been feeling really tired these past two days."

"Then I will prescribe you a calming herbal medicine," said Physician Zhang.

Do you have a daughter?

Physician Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed slightly: "Your Highness, how did you know?"

"That's not important." Song Shuangning fiddled with the jade bracelet on her wrist.

"Physician Zhang, the salaries of imperial physicians are already quite generous, so why do your mother and daughter live such a meager existence?"

Physician Zhang understood; the young mistress had sent someone to investigate him.

"My daughter has suffered from heart disease since childhood. Every spring and autumn, she experiences palpitations and shortness of breath. She needs to take expensive medicinal herbs such as musk and ginseng year-round, and the cost of medicine consumes most of her monthly salary."

So, there's a reason why Physician Zhang took ginseng and other medicinal herbs without permission.

Song Shuangning smiled and said, "It must be more than that. I've also heard that you have a grudge against Physician Chen."

Physician Zhang's face turned ashen; the young mistress had thoroughly investigated his background.

He kowtowed heavily, his voice filled with fear and pleading: "Your Majesty, I have no choice. I beg you not to tell anyone about this. I will do my best to fulfill any of Your Majesty's orders in the future. I only ask that Your Majesty spare my life."

Song Shuangning said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this, but have you considered that Physician Chen might use it to blackmail you for the rest of your life?"

"But I have no other choice."

"Besides him, there is no other way to end this once and for all."

Physician Zhang stared blankly at Song Shuangning.

Song Shuangning said, "If Physician Zhang is willing to work for me, you don't need to worry about your daughter's medicine money. I can also eliminate Physician Chen, this major threat, for you. Physician Zhang, are you willing to trust me?"

"Your Majesty, I am willing! I thank you, Your Majesty. I am willing to go through fire and water for you." Physician Zhang kowtowed again.

Song Shuangning smiled slightly. If she remembered correctly, Physician Chen was Yun Zhaorong's man.