Unaware of the approaching danger, Li Meiren was currently embroidering flowers in the courtyard of Jingfu Pavilion.
Ban Xia hurried in carrying a food box, excitedly calling out to Li Meiren as soon as she entered: "Meiren, the Imperial Kitchen had many extra pastries today. Our Jingfu Pavilion also received a portion of chestnut cakes. Come taste them quickly." As she spoke, she arranged the pastries on the table.
The pastries were exquisitely small and emitted warmth, releasing a sweet fragrance as soon as they were brought out.
They were even more delicate and beautiful than the pastries they usually bought from the Imperial Kitchen with silver.
Li Meiren asked in surprise: "Such fine pastries, how did Jingfu Pavilion get a share?"
Ban Xia whispered: "This servant only overheard a young eunuch say that these pastries were originally meant for His Majesty. The Emperor was troubled by some matter and flew into a great rage, even throwing his chopsticks and sending back the entire morning meal. The ladies of other palaces didn't dare to cross His Majesty's bad mood and refused the pastries, so we got them by chance."
Li Meiren hadn't heard news of the Tianyou Emperor for a long time, and upon suddenly hearing it, she felt little emotion.
Having fallen from grace, she had come to understand that all imperial favor was illusory. Only when her son became emperor and she became empress dowager would it be real.
Having fallen to such circumstances, she wasn't afraid of crossing anyone's bad luck.
Food was what mattered most.
This plate of chestnut cakes would normally cost one tael of silver.
As Li Meiren reached her hand toward the pastries on the table, several sharp gazes from the tall, lush tree branches in the distance remained fixed on her hand without blinking.
The pastries had been poisoned. Just a small amount wouldn't take effect immediately, but would cause a person to pass away silently in their sleep, without even the Imperial Physicians detecting anything amiss.
Two inches, one inch… Several shadow guards unconsciously relaxed their nerves.
If nothing went wrong, Li Meiren wouldn't live through the night.
However, Li Meiren's hand that was reaching for the pastry suddenly changed direction and directly picked up the plate instead. Standing up, she said to Ban Xia: "The Imperial Study must be having their meal right now. Let's bring these pastries to Xiao Qi."
A nearby shadow guard nearly slipped and fell from the tree.
What kind of thought process did this Li Meiren have: Could the Imperial Study be lacking food for the princes? If these pastries were truly delivered to the Imperial Study, even if only the Seventh Prince ate them, their heads wouldn't be enough to pay for it. If by some mishap the Seventh Prince shared the pastries with other princes, then their entire Dark Guard Camp wouldn't be enough to serve as compensation.
The shadow guards exchanged glances and reached a consensus: They must stop Li Meiren.
In the time it took them to communicate, Li Meiren had already left Jingfu Pavilion with Ban Xia carrying the food box. As the two walked through the Imperial Garden, just as one shadow guard was about to use a hidden weapon to knock over the food box, Consort Yun directly approached from the opposite direction.
As they passed each other, she casually knocked over Li Meiren's food box. Then she exclaimed "Oh my!" and repeatedly apologized: "Sister Li, it's all my fault for not watching where I was walking. Oh my, such fine pastries, how did they end up on the ground?"
Li Meiren stared at the shattered pastries on the ground, then raised her head to glare angrily at Consort Yun.
The shadow guards immediately withdrew their hands and watched from the sidelines.
Ban Xia gritted her teeth and said angrily: "This servant clearly saw that Consort Yun did it on purpose."
Consort Yun immediately slapped Ban Xia and scolded: "When masters are speaking, what right does a maid have to interrupt? If you don't want those eyes anymore, I'll have them dug out. Don't be like your mistress, talking nonsense and falsely accusing people!"
A few days ago, Consort Yun had offended Wen Guifei. Knowing that Wen Guifei despised Li Meiren, she deliberately made things difficult for Li Meiren today, hoping Wen Guifei might no longer be angry with her.
Li Meiren pulled Ban Xia behind her and retorted, "At least I'm not like some who rely on their master's power to bully others everywhere!"
"Who are you calling someone who relies on their master's power?" Consort Yun glared angrily. "Watch your words! Aren't you afraid your Seventh Prince won't live to grow up?"
Slap!
Li Meiren raised her hand and struck without hesitation. She could tolerate anything, but she could not bear anyone cursing her son.
Consort Yun never expected her to dare strike, and she froze for a moment, clutching her cheek, before reaching out to grab Li Meiren's hair…
The shadow guards were too far away to hear what was being said, and in the end, all they saw was Li Meiren and Consort Yun fighting.
The commotion grew so loud that more and more consorts gathered in the Imperial Garden. Eventually, even Empress Jiang was alerted, and Li Meiren and Consort Yun were summoned to Fengqi Palace.
Strictly speaking, Consort Yun was a cousin of the Tianyou Emperor. Her grandfather was the biological elder brother of Consort Zhou. When Princess Roushan was sent away for a political marriage, Consort Zhou had sought help from the Zhou family, but they ignored her. After the Tianyou Emperor brought Princess Roushan back, the Zhou family eagerly sent Consort Yun into the palace.
Who would have thought the Tianyou Emperor didn’t acknowledge this cousin at all? When Consort Yun and Li Meiren entered the palace together, the Emperor favored Li Meiren first, leaving Consort Yun neglected.
Consort Yun had secretly resented Li Meiren for a long time. After Li Meiren fell out of favor, she often caused trouble for her.
Partly to take revenge on Li Meiren, and partly to curry favor with Wen Guifei.
Empress Jiang was aware of this but chose to turn a blind eye.
Now that the matter had been brought before her, she could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Consort Yun knelt before her, her hair disheveled, weeping pitifully. "Empress, Li Meiren has overstepped her bounds. You must punish her severely!"
Empress Jiang was displeased inwardly, but her expression remained neutral. Li Meiren had been chosen by her to enter the palace. Although she was now disgraced, harming Li Meiren would also be a slap in the face to Empress Jiang, as it would help Wen Guifei.
How could she let Wen Guifei have her way?
Empress Jiang turned to Li Meiren. "Do you have anything to say?"
Li Meiren wiped her face fiercely and said coldly, "It was Consort Yun who cursed my Xiao Qi first."
Empress Jiang seized on this point and immediately turned stern, reprimanding, "Consort Yun, even if the Seventh Prince is not favored, he is still a descendant of the imperial lineage. Cursing him is no different from cursing His Majesty!"
Consort Yun’s heart sank. "Empress, I only said it casually…"
"Enough!" Empress Jiang waved her hand. "Since both of you are at fault, you shall be punished together."
In the end, Li Meiren was punished for overstepping her bounds, while Consort Yun was punished for striking first and insulting a prince. Both were ordered to kneel in the corridor outside Fengqi Palace.
The shadow guards exchanged glances, unsure whether Li Meiren was unlucky or fortunate this time.
No one could be allowed to die in the Empress’s palace, no matter what.
The shadow guards couldn’t decide what to do and hurried back to report to the Tianyou Emperor.
The Tianyou Emperor, who was reviewing memorials, frowned, his stomach cramping from hunger. He turned to Feng Zongguan and said, "Go personally to deliver the decree. I will go to Fengqi Palace shortly. Tell the Empress to prepare."
The Empress knew he despised Li Meiren. Knowing he was coming, she would never keep Li Meiren in Fengqi Palace.
As long as Li Meiren left, it would be easier to take action.
Feng Zongguan nodded and hurried off.
Once Feng Zongguan left, the Tianyou Emperor immediately stood up and headed to Yanbo Pavilion near the Imperial Garden.
The Misty Wave Pavilion stood three stories high, usually guarded by sentinels. From the third floor, one could clearly see the lotus pond opposite the Imperial Garden.
The lotus leaves in the pond had withered, and the north wind stirred layer upon layer of ripples across the water.
A quarter of an hour later, Ban Xia supported Li Meiren, whose legs had grown sore and numb, as they passed by the lotus pond.
At the edge of the pond, where the Seventh Prince had once fallen into the water, hung an inconspicuous scrap of fabric from a garment.
Li Meiren paused for two seconds, then walked directly toward the edge of the pond.
As she reached for the scrap of fabric, a pebble, moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, struck her ankle with perfect accuracy. Her ankle gave way, and she tumbled headfirst into the lotus pond.
Ban Xia, who was accompanying her, screamed and called for help everywhere, but the entire Imperial Garden was eerily quiet, with no one passing by at all.
Li Meiren bobbed up and down in the lotus pond. After a few minutes, she finally ceased all movement and sank completely beneath the surface.
The Tianyou Emperor closed his eyes: "This trouble has been thoroughly eradicated!"
Once a person is dead, there’s no way to turn back time.
He released the thumb ring he had been gripping tightly and ordered, "After the Imperial Study session ends, take the Seventh Prince directly to the Empress for temporary care. Do not let anyone inform him about Li Meiren’s fate. As for Duan Dianshi, have Chancellor Jiang find a pretext to dismiss him from his post. Let him take Li Meiren’s body back and ensure the Ministry of Revenue provides sufficient silver. Then, assign people to monitor the Duan family’s movements closely."
Just as he finished giving orders, Li Meiren, who had already sunk to the bottom of the lake, suddenly emerged from the lotus pond. Her hair was disheveled, her whole body dripping wet, and she looked utterly disheveled. Clutching a lively green fish in her hand, she climbed ashore.
The Tianyou Emperor’s face darkened as he looked at the shadow guard who had already knelt before him.
The shadow guard bowed his head, trembling inwardly: it was their failure. They had investigated Li Meiren inside and out but never imagined she knew how to swim.
The Tianyou Emperor flicked his sleeve and was about to descend from the Misty Wave Pavilion when, the next moment, he found himself back at the railing on the third floor, gazing into the distance from on high.
The Tianyou Emperor wore a pained expression: "Again!"
After his frustration, he felt a slight confusion: What was worth turning back time for just falling into the water? Was Li Meiren trying to avoid the lotus pond?
But he soon realized something was amiss: After Li Meiren walked over from the opposite side, she noticed the inconspicuous scrap of fabric, approached the edge of the lotus pond, then twisted her ankle and fell headfirst into the pond again… After sinking, she emerged clutching a fish and climbed ashore…
If Li Meiren were the one controlling the reversal of time, she should remember clearly what would happen each time, just as he did.
If she knew she would fall into the water, she would certainly not approach the lotus pond again.
But she didn’t avoid the lotus pond this time, unlike how she had previously avoided Wen Guifei.
Could it be that he had guessed wrong earlier? Was Li Meiren not the culprit forcibly reversing his time?
The Tianyou Emperor frowned, watching as Li Meiren fell into the water, climbed out, fell in again, and climbed out once more… repeating the cycle eight times.
The lively fish’s tail seemed almost close enough to slap him in the face.
No sane person would be so bored as to repeat the same process eight times just to experience catching a fish?
Moreover, after eight attempts, she only managed to catch one fish!
On the eighth time, after Li Meiren climbed ashore holding the fish, time finally returned to normal. She directly handed the fish to the terrified and weeping Ban Xia: "Alright, stop wailing. The chestnut cakes are gone, so take this fish back and prepare it. When Xiao Qi returns, we’ll make fish soup for him."
Ban Xia, holding the fish, stared blankly for a moment and asked, "Meiren, you know how to swim?"
Li Meiren: "Of course I can. I was just tangled in water weeds earlier, so I dove down to free myself and happened to catch a fish while I was at it." Her eyes sparkled. "There are fish in this pond. From now on, we can come here every day to catch fish and nourish Xiao Qi."
The Tianyou Emperor rubbed his temples. The shadow guard beside him had already dropped to his knees with a thud.
It was their oversight.
This Li Meiren was truly difficult to kill!
The lead shadow guard immediately vowed, "Your Majesty, before the Seventh Prince returns, we will definitely eliminate Li Meiren!" With that, he vanished along with several other shadow guards.
The Tianyou Emperor snapped, "No need!"
The shadow guards halted in confusion.
The Tianyou Emperor took a deep breath and said, "Just assign two people to continue monitoring Li Meiren. There's no need to take action for now!"
He didn't want to let any suspicious individuals slip by, but he wasn't a tyrant who killed indiscriminately either.
The shadow guards acknowledged the order and disappeared on the spot.
The Tianyou Emperor descended from Yanbo Pavilion and took another route to Fengqi Palace.
Empress Jiang stood at the palace entrance to personally welcome him: "Your humble consort greets Your Majesty."
The Tianyou Emperor promptly helped her up, saying calmly, "There's no need for such formality, Empress."
The Emperor and Empress walked side by side toward the main hall. As they walked, Empress Jiang said gently, "I heard Your Majesty didn't eat much during the morning meal. I prepared some soup—would you like to try it?"
The Tianyou Emperor's furrowed brow relaxed slightly, and he sighed, "In this palace, only the Empress is truly considerate."
Empress Jiang's mother had once been Princess Roushan's chief palace maid, and Chancellor Jiang had previously served as Princess Roushan's retainer.
During his youth, the Tianyou Emperor had been cared for by Chancellor Jiang and his wife, and he had grown up alongside Empress Jiang, making their bond deeper than his connection with Wen Guifei.
When appointing the Crown Prince, the Tianyou Emperor had also favored the child in Empress Jiang's womb.
Empress Jiang's womb had proven fruitful, the Crown Prince was excellent, and he was very satisfied.
Empress Jiang's lips curved into a smile. After the Tianyou Emperor sat at the round table, she clapped her hands, and the palace attendants immediately brought over a large pot of soup.
Empress Jiang personally lifted the white porcelain lid and said to the Tianyou Emperor with a smile, "River fish are plump and delicious this season. I personally stewed this fish soup to nourish you, Your Majesty."
The Tianyou Emperor's smile froze.
Fish again!
He stared at the fish in the soup bowl, as if seeing the fish Li Meiren had repeatedly pulled from the river.
Empress Jiang, completely unaware, ladled a bowl of rich fish soup and placed it by his hand, urging gently, "Your Majesty, please drink it while it's hot.Not wanting to reject Empress Jiang's kindness, the Tianyou Emperor slowly finished the fish soup.
But as soon as he set the bowl down, it was refilled.
Empress Jiang repeated her gentle urging: "Your Majesty, please drink it while it's hot."
The Tianyou Emperor remained still. Empress Jiang grew uneasy: "Does Your Majesty dislike my cooking?"
"No." The Tianyou Emperor closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and finished the fish soup—only for the bowl to be refilled again.
After this repeated seven times, the Tianyou Emperor: Urgh—
He vomited!
The Tianyou Emperor: Spread the word—I will never drink fish soup again in this lifetime!