Is there nothing that can be done?
Zhang Wanrou sneered in her heart. If Zhang Wanyin had truly wanted to save her, she only needed to send a message to Xiao Wenyi in advance and stall for a little more time!
But she clearly had no intention of saving her from the very beginning!
However, it does not matter. If Zhang Wanyin will not save her, Xiao Wenyi naturally will! Furthermore, she can use this to win over Xiao Wenyi's heart once again, and it will also make him feel disappointment toward Zhang Wanyin!
It is said that since that day, Xiao Wenyi has not visited Yonghe Palace again.
A sweet smile appeared on Zhang Wanrou's face as she took Zhang Wanyin's arm and said, "Elder Sister, of course Rou'er understands! That day, the situation was so sudden, and the people of the Empress and the Empress Dowager were all pressuring you, Elder Sister. I saw it all with my own eyes!"
"Although I was desperate at the time, I understand that you, Elder Sister, also had many things you were forced to do against your will!"
"It is just that I have been living in fear these past few days, afraid that you, Elder Sister, would blame me for making such a grave mistake and implicating you..."
Listening to these words, Zhang Wanyin could not help but size her up, with a hint of doubt arising.
Logically speaking, since she trusts her blindly, she should feel at ease, but why does she feel in her heart that something is not quite right?
"Elder Sister, I no longer cling to the Emperor now; sometimes I even drive him away! Please rest assured, I will never make the same mistake again and cause you trouble, Elder Sister!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Wanyin's expression turned cold, and even her tone became urgent: "How can that be? How can you drive the Emperor away?!"
Seeing her so agitated, Zhang Wanrou looked stunned, "Elder Sister, what is wrong with you?"
Realizing she had lost her composure, Zhang Wanyin quickly adjusted her tone and said meaningfully: "What I mean, Elder Sister, is that the Emperor's favor is the foundation for us women in the harem to establish ourselves! How can you not cherish the opportunity and instead push the Emperor away?"
"What if the Emperor gets angry and you lose his favor? How will you ever conceive a Prince?"
Seeing the look of doubt in Zhang Wanrou's eyes, Zhang Wanyin's heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that she has sensed something with that look of hers?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she saw Zhang Wanrou smile at her again, completely guileless: "Elder Sister, it does not matter even if I cannot conceive a Prince!"
"You are now in charge of the harem, Elder Sister. With your protection, even if I have no child to rely on, I will surely be able to enjoy a life of luxury in the harem! Is that not so?"
Hearing this, Zhang Wanyin was so angry she almost slapped her!
Finally, she took a few deep breaths to calm her emotions.
"Wanrou, you must remember that in this world, no one can protect another for a lifetime! Only one can become their own lifelong reliance!"
"If you have no children, even if I can protect you for a while, can I protect you for a lifetime?"
Zhang Wanrou opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but Zhang Wanyin interrupted her directly: "Also, the reason Father had you enter the palace is to conceive a Prince and give birth to a Prince! Only in this way can our Zhang Family have a chance to reach the pinnacle! You must not fail Father's expectations, do you understand!"
Zhang Wanrou stood to the side, unable to help but sneer in her heart: Why should the glory of your Zhang Family be exchanged for my life and my child?
She lowered her head, hiding all the cold emotions in her eyes, and then replied obediently: "Elder Sister, I understand. I will remember what you and Father have said..."
Hearing this answer, Zhang Wanyin's expression softened slightly: "Is your body feeling better? Has the Imperial Physician come to see you?"
"Replying to Elder Sister, the Imperial Physician comes to take my pulse every day and says that my body is much better."
Zhang Wanyin hummed and asked again: "Then did the Imperial Physician say whether your injury would affect your fertility?"
"No, no!!" Zhang Wanrou quickly waved her hands and replied earnestly: "Imperial Physician Hua said that as long as I recuperate well, I will be fully recovered in half a month!"
In other words, it will take another half month before she can conceive again? Thinking of this, Zhang Wanyin frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
"I have some high-quality tonics; I will have someone send some over to you later. You should eat more tonics and rest well!"
"After half a month, I will find a way to have the Emperor favor you once more. This time, you must conceive! Do you hear me?!"
Zhang Wanrou's face flushed, and she nodded shyly, "Rou'er understands, thank you, Elder Sister."
Having said what needed to be said, Zhang Wanyin left.
Zhang Wanrou saw her out gently, "Take care, Elder Sister. Once my body is better, I will go to Yonghe Palace to visit you."
Zhang Wanyin's expression was indifferent; she no longer had any patience to keep up the act.
The smile on Zhang Wanrou's face vanished the moment the group left, replaced by an ice-cold expression.
Do I need your charity for the Emperor's favor?
In the afternoon.
Zhang Wanrou said to Qing Ning: "Go and have the small kitchen prepare some things; I will go over to make some soup in a while."
"Make soup?" Qing Ning thought she wanted to drink some kind of soup, so she said: "What soup would you like to drink, Empress? Tell this servant, and I will go make it for you."
Zhang Wanrou changed into a short-sleeved shirt with narrow cuffs, paired with a sky-blue long skirt, and her long, black hair was pinned up, "No need, I am not making it for myself."
It only took a few breaths for Qing Ning to understand, "Yes, this servant will go and order it now!"
...
After reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study for the entire day, his forehead began to ache again.
Just as he put down a memorial and wanted to rub his forehead, he saw Cheng Fang bring in a letter.
"Your Majesty, this is a letter from Dongshan."
After Xiao Wenyi opened the letter, his originally calm expression instantly turned as gloomy as water, as if a rainstorm would pour down the next second.
With a "slap," the letter was slammed heavily onto the table.
"A tiny Dongshan actually dares to assassinate an Imperial Court Prefect! This truly opens my eyes!"
Cheng Fang was startled and asked: "Your Majesty, was Lord Zhang Cheng assassinated? Lord Zhang is the third-rank Prefect you personally appointed; how could anyone dare to assassinate him?!"
"Why would it be impossible? The memorial has already been submitted!" Xiao Wenyi hummed, his gaze ice-cold.
Seeing that he was quite angry, Cheng Fang quickly served a cup of cold tea, "Your Majesty, is Lord Zhang alright? Have the assassins been caught?"
Xiao Wenyi drank some water, and his emotions finally calmed down a bit: "He is fine, and the assassins have been caught. It is said to be the work of the Dongshan Prefect. The people have already been taken into custody."
"It is good that they were caught! It is good that they were caught." Cheng Fang had just let out a sigh of relief when he saw the Emperor looking at him with a deep gaze.
He immediately perked up and said: "Your Majesty, the Dongshan Prefect is only a fifth-rank official; where would he get the guts to assassinate a third-rank official? Could it be that Lord Zhang discovered something, and the Prefect was driven to desperation?"
A cold sneer flashed across Xiao Wenyi's eyes, and then he stood up and stretched his body.
"Cheng Fang, do you know where Dongshan is under the jurisdiction of?"
Cheng Fang followed behind him and replied respectfully: "This servant knows; Dongshan is under the jurisdiction of Jinan Prefecture."
Xiao Wenyi hummed and asked again: "Then do you know who the Administration Commissioner and the Surveillance Commissioner of Jinan Prefecture are?"
Cheng Fang looked troubled, "This, this servant does not know."
Xiao Wenyi looked back at him, seemingly judging whether his "I don't know" was credible.
However, this old fellow was very meticulous, and he could not tell at all.
But he did not care and said: "They are Jiang Pingrao and Zheng Gaoji."
Hearing these two names, Cheng Fang paused for a moment before reacting: "Are they the Jiang Family from the Empress's maternal clan, and the Zheng Family, who are brothers-in-law to the Jiang Family?"
Xiao Wenyi did not speak, tacitly agreeing.
Seeing that he did not intend to speak, Cheng Fang braced himself and asked: "But Your Majesty, regarding what the Dongshan Prefect did, how did you come to mention those two?"
Xiao Wenyi looked back at him and chuckled meaningfully: "Cheng Fang, you are not being honest! How could you not know what I mean?"
Cheng Fang quickly lowered his head and played dumb: "Your Majesty, you are teasing this servant again."
Xiao Wenyi chuckled, "Forget it, you are a slippery one, I will not make things difficult for you."
Fortunately, that Zhang Cheng is a smart man and was not blinded by the surface phenomena. It seems that choosing him to go to Dongshan this time was truly the right choice!
No longer thinking about this matter, he turned to ask: "What has Consort Ning done today?"
"Ning" was the title Xiao Wenyi bestowed upon Zhang Wanrou.
Cheng Fang lowered his head and smiled: "Sanxi just brought news that Consort Ning has been busy in the small kitchen making some kind of soup for an hour now."
"Boiling soup?" Xiao Wenyi was startled and looked over with curiosity, "She knows how to boil soup? Could it be that it is for me to drink?"
Cheng Fang quickly flattered him: "Consort Ning is your concubine, Your Majesty. If she cooks in person, it is naturally for you, Your Majesty. Is there any need to doubt that?"
The corners of Xiao Wenyi's mouth curled up. He looked at the memorials that were mostly processed and said: "Prepare the carriage!"
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