Consort Lin hurriedly bowed and said, “Your Majesty, Sister Jiang and I both reside in the Palace of Tranquility. I live in Suxin Courtyard.”
Chu Yi said nothing. His cold gaze merely swept over her.
Only then did Consort Lin secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Her subtle expression, however, did not escape either the Empress or Ziyan.
The Empress sneered inwardly.
The imperial harem truly is a nest of intrigue. Every single one of them is scheming.
Having grown up within the palace walls, she loathed this place, where everyone wore masks and hid ulterior motives.
Fortunately, she would not remain trapped here forever.
Soon… she would finally be free.
Imperial Physician Lu and Imperial Physician Qin discussed Jiang Yunshu’s condition before deciding on a treatment plan.
They would first use acupuncture to clear the blocked meridians, then administer an antidote decoction.
She should recover completely within two or three days.
Once the acupuncture was finished…
Jiang Yunshu slowly regained consciousness.
The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Chu Yi standing before her.
To her surprise…
She actually caught a trace of panic in the tyrant emperor’s eyes.
She smiled weakly.
“Your Majesty… why are you here?”
As she spoke, she tried to sit up and pay her respects.
Chu Yi’s face darkened. Pressing a hand against her wrist, he stopped her.
“What are you getting up for? You’re already this sick, and you still don’t know it?”
Jiang Yunshu smiled faintly.
“I’m not sick, Your Majesty. I’m only a little tired. I simply slept a bit longer.”
She had barely managed to prop herself up before her body gave out and she collapsed back onto the bed.
Seeing her like this, Chu Yi scolded in a low voice,
“Do you have a death wish? Lie still and behave.”
No one had ever seen Chu Yi treat another person with such gentleness.
Not the Empress.
Certainly not Consort Lin.
Consort Lin’s heart burned with resentment.
That wretched woman! She gets sick once, and His Majesty already treasures her in his heart!
After being reprimanded, Jiang Yunshu obediently lay back on the couch, looking at him with pitiful, aggrieved eyes.
“Your Majesty… what’s wrong with me?”
“You’ve been poisoned.”
Jiang Yunshu’s beautiful eyes widened.
“Poisoned? How could that be? I rarely even leave my quarters. Where would poison come from?”
Chu Yi had neither the patience to explain nor the desire to hear her continue talking.
He merely fixed her with a cold stare.
She instantly fell silent.
Imperial Physician Lu removed the silver needles, wrote out the antidote prescription, and left with the others to prepare the medicine.
The Empress and Consort Lin quietly withdrew as well.
The hall immediately fell silent.
Chu Yi sat there with a dark expression, his face frighteningly grim.
Jiang Yunshu gently tugged at his sleeve.
“Your Majesty…”
He turned to her.
“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t. But, Your Majesty… you’ve forgotten what I told you before.”
“I said that whenever something troubles you, you should let it out instead of bottling it up. If you keep everything inside, your heart will suffer.”
Looking at her…
His heart suddenly softened.
She herself was lying here sick…
Yet she was still worrying whether he had been silently bearing his anger.
He gently held her soft, delicate hand.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not angry.”
“I simply think this harem has become far too unruly.”
“They dared poison you right under my nose.”
He had merely favored her a few more times.
Yet someone had already rushed to eliminate her.
A nest of venomous women.
Jiang Yunshu blinked her tear-filled phoenix eyes.
“But I’m alright now. I’m perfectly fine.”
“So don’t brood over it anymore, Your Majesty.”
“With Your Majesty’s imperial blessing protecting me, disaster will turn into fortune, and misfortune into safety.”
Seeing the playful expression on her pale little face…
Even now, she was trying to cheer him up.
He gently stroked her brows.
“Focus on recovering.”
“I’ll come see you again later.”
“I’ll have Wang An select a new group of palace servants for you. Replace every one of them.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yunshu immediately grabbed his hand.
“Your Majesty… don’t.”
“I’m sentimental.”
“They’ve taken very good care of me.”
“Don’t replace them.”
“Just because Dingxiang had a problem doesn’t mean everyone else does.”
What a tyrant…
To him, human lives were as insignificant as blades of grass.
Seeing how much she cared, Chu Yi relented.
“Very well. We won’t replace them.”
Only then did the tension on Jiang Yunshu’s face ease.
Chu Yi rose and headed toward the door.
Watching his departing figure, Jiang Yunshu called out once more,
“Your Majesty… promise me you’ll be happy.”
Chu Yi turned sideways and looked at the pale, sickly girl who was still smiling.
She was so small.
Yet as resilient as a willow branch.
Though life was difficult, she still chose to live with joy.
Unlike him.
He stood in darkness, lived beneath the weight of hatred, and seemed to exist for nothing but revenge.
She was like a warm ray of sunlight…
Slowly shining into the depths of his heart.
The corners of his lips unconsciously lifted.
His gaze became as gentle as water.
“Alright.”
Standing nearby, Wang An couldn’t hide the joy on his face.
This little mistress truly is a precious soul.
He had accompanied the emperor through the years when His Majesty had been held hostage in an enemy kingdom.
He knew how bleak those days had been.
He knew how heavy the chains upon the emperor’s shoulders were.
He knew better than anyone how painfully His Majesty had lived.
To the emperor…
A smile was as rare as winter sunshine.
Yet this young mistress had made him smile.
She was like warm sunlight itself, impossible not to be drawn toward.
Heavens…
At last you’ve shown our emperor a little mercy by sending someone like her.
Among all the women in the harem, Wang An had dealt with every single one.
Who was sincere…
Who was pretending…
Who was human…
And who hid the heart of a demon…
He could tell at a glance.
After Chu Yi left…
Erya, Ziyan, Lanyi, and Li You hurried into the chamber, all wearing worried expressions.
“Young Mistress! Are you really alright?”
Especially Erya, whose eyes had turned red.
“Young Mistress… you scared this servant to death.”
Ziyan also looked deeply concerned.
“Young Mistress, are you hungry? You’ve been unconscious for so long. You must be weak.”
“I’ll go to the kitchen and bring you some porridge.”
Looking at the genuine concern in their eyes, Jiang Yunshu felt warmth in her heart.
They had almost…
Been beaten to death by the tyrant because of her.
This move had been far too dangerous.
She had nearly turned them into innocent sacrifices.
The thought left her shaken.
She tightly held Erya’s and Ziyan’s hands.
“I’m fine.”
“I am rather hungry.”
“Ziyan, fetch me some light porridge.”
After saying that, she turned to Li You.
“Li You, keep a close watch on Suxin Courtyard.”
Then she instructed another eunuch,
“Xiao Zuozi, keep an eye on the Office of Punishments as well. The moment you hear anything, report to me immediately.”
At present, Noble Lady An’s father was highly favored by Chu Yi.
Even if she exposed Noble Lady An now…
The emperor probably wouldn’t do much to her.
The one she truly needed to watch was Consort Lin.
She looked innocent and simple-minded…
Yet concealed herself extraordinarily well.
Since they lived so close together, Jiang Yunshu would have to be especially wary of her.
She only wondered…
After suffering such a grave injustice and enduring so much pain…
Would that tyrant emperor feel sorry enough for her to promote her rank?
Even if he didn’t…
It didn’t matter.
There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
After arranging everything, the palace servants dispersed to carry out their duties.
Only Erya remained behind, still wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, her face filled with guilt.
“It’s all my fault, Young Mistress.”
“If I hadn’t known Dingxiang… none of this would’ve happened to you…”
No one knew that Jiang Yunshu had secretly used acupuncture on herself to deliberately worsen her pulse and symptoms.
She had told no one.
Thus, everyone in the palace believed she had fallen gravely ill because of Dingxiang.
Looking at the guilt-ridden Erya, Jiang Yunshu smiled gently.
“I’m fine now, aren’t I?”
“Stop crying.”
“If you cry too much, your face won’t be pretty anymore.”
Erya wiped her eyes again, but still couldn’t stop the tears.
Jiang Yunshu gently patted her hand.
“You don’t need to stay here and serve me.”
“Go to the Imperial Medical Academy and keep an eye on my medicine.”
Erya immediately shook her head.
“I’ll have Lanyi go instead.”
“This servant has to stay here and take care of Young Mistress.”