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

"Your Majesty," Xia Yun said worriedly, looking at her pale face, "You look terrible. Perhaps we should call a royal physician to take a look."

Consort Rong closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and finally calmed the panic in her heart.

"Hmm. Go to Fengyi Palace to ask for leave, and say that I am not feeling well and will not be going to pay my respects today."

*

After taking Her Majesty's pulse, Physician Zhao said, "Her Majesty's pulse is irregular; it seems she did not sleep well last night."

Consort Rong leaned against the soft pillows, closed her eyes, and hummed softly, appearing weak and listless.

After looking around the hall and confirming that there were no outsiders, Imperial Physician Zhao lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, I have recently received news that is related to Consort Yuan."

"Consort Yuan?" Consort Rong instantly perked up, eagerly asking, "What news?"

The Imperial Physician Zhao lowered his voice even further, "Previously, the tonics that Consort Yuan had been taking were all brewed in the Hidden Winter Pavilion. But these past few days, the palace maid who was brewing the medicine for Consort Yuan caught a cold, so the task was handed over to the Imperial Hospital. When I checked the dregs, I noticed something was wrong. What Consort Yuan was taking was not a tonic at all, but... a contraceptive."

Consort Rong was stunned for a long time, unable to believe her ears.

They dare to openly drink contraceptives, and even use mild tonics to cover it up...

Behind this must be the Emperor's will.

Consort Rong suddenly burst into laughter.

His eyes and brows were full of pride and joy, and he was completely relaxed, as if he had unloaded a huge burden.

"How pitiful, how truly pitiful."

Consort Rong gently touched her temple, a cold smile curving her lips. "She thought she had won the Emperor's exclusive favor, but in the end, she can't even give birth to a child."

Her smile vanished, her eyes flashing with a chilling coldness.

"Go, spread the word, tell them..."

"Consort Yuan looks just like me, even her name is somewhat similar. She's nothing more than my—."

"substitute."

Song Shuangning, do you really think the Emperor's affection for you is genuine?

Big mistakes.

You are nothing but my shadow, a tool the Emperor uses to soothe his past affections.

Just wait, it won't be long before I let you taste what it's like to fall from the clouds into the mud.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The entire palace was filled with whispers that the Emperor's favoritism towards Consort Yuan was entirely due to her resemblance to Consort Rong in her eyes and eyebrows.

Some people gossiped behind her back, saying that Consort Yuan was nothing more than a substitute for Consort Rong; others lamented that she wasn't even a substitute, but merely a shadow.

The strangest thing is that despite the rumors spreading like wildfire throughout the city, Consort Rong's Zhaoyang Palace and Consort Yuan's Cangdong Pavilion remained completely quiet, without the slightest ripple.

That day, Tingyu stormed into the hall, picked up a celadon bottle from the table without a word, and began to scrub it furiously, as if she wanted to make sparks fly from it.

Upon hearing this, Song Shuangning looked up and, seeing her expression as if she were about to fight to the death, couldn't help but chuckle.

"Did she go to the Imperial Household Department to pick up something, or did she get into a fight? Who made Tingyu angry again?"

Tingyu put down the porcelain bottle, ran a few steps to Song Shuangning's side and squatted down, her eyes red with anger.

"My lady! You have no idea how arrogant and condescending those people are in the Imperial Household Department."

Song Shuangning held a small bookmark in her hand, placed it on the page of the book, closed the book, and gently patted the top of her head.

"They've always been like this, and you've known this for a while now. If you're still angry, I'll find a chance to teach them a lesson next time."

"Oh dear, these servants are so tolerant."

"But those gossipers, they say... they say..."

Song Shuangning laughed, "What did you say?"

"Those who gossip say that you are a substitute and shadow of Consort Rong, and that the Emperor favors you only because you look like Consort Rong."

After saying that, Tingyu looked at her mistress nervously, afraid that she would be sad or angry because of this.

Song Shuangning smiled faintly.

He stroked Tingyu's head again and patted it gently. "Are you afraid I'll be angry?"

"Um."

"If I get angry, wouldn't that be exactly what some people want?"

Tingyu was stunned: "My lady..."

"Who do you think leaked these words?" Song Shuangning asked calmly.

"It should be Consort Rong."

"That's it."

Song Shuangning picked up the teacup, skimmed off the foam with the lid, and gently blew on the hot tea, releasing a fragrant aroma.

"She wanted to make me angry, to make me feel sorry for myself, to make me feel inferior, but the more she did that, the more it proved her inferiority. Consort Rong didn't care about any of that and wouldn't pay any attention to her at all. Why would a truly confident person need to use such tricks to prove their uniqueness?"

She helped Tingyu up and said with a smile, "So, we just can't let her have her way. From now on, you should also stop looking so angry."

Tingyu was enlightened by her words and sincerely said, "This servant is still too naive. I only get angry and act impulsively when things happen. In the future, this servant will definitely think more carefully and not cause trouble for you, my lady."

Song Shuangning said gently, "It's good that you think that way."

She had just spread the word about the 'contraceptive medicine' when Consort Rong immediately dropped the bombshell about the 'substitute' and 'shadow'.

The two events, one after the other, were seamlessly connected.

Unfortunately, Consort Rong wanted her to feel inferior, but she insisted on being confident and living a more exciting life than anyone else.

If Consort Rong were to present such a 'generous gift,' wouldn't it be incredibly disrespectful of me not to accept it?

The seeds of this rumor must be sown in Xiao Yan's heart.

Therefore, we must start with Xiao Yan.

She wanted Xiao Yan to realize that this rumor was hurting her and making him feel guilty.

Secondly, she wanted to use this opportunity to showcase a unique charm that was completely different from that of Consort Rong.

Finally, and most importantly, she needed to create an opportunity—a chance for Xiao Yan to willingly clear her name.

Song Shuangning gazed at her neatly trimmed fingertips, seemingly admiring them.

She not only wanted to win Xiao Yan's heart, but also wanted him to take the initiative to silence the rumors circulating in the harem for her sake.