“I admire you very much for being able to remarry a good husband despite facing so much gossip.”

As the Duke’s wife said this, her eyes fixed on Yun Chu’s face.

Yun Chu keenly sensed that the emotion in the Duke’s wife’s eyes wasn’t admiration, but rather… jealousy?

She set down her chopsticks and spoke. “I haven’t felt much gossip—more of it has been blessings from everyone.”

The Duke’s wife looked at Yun Chu’s face, her lips pressing together.

Prince Pingxi’s willingness to marry a woman who had been married before was probably largely due to this bright and captivating face.

Even without much affection between them, they could reach this point.

And she…

She revealed a faint smile. “Then I also wish you and Prince Pingxi mutual respect and devotion until your hair turns white with age.”

Though these were words of blessing, Yun Chu couldn’t sense even half a trace of sincerity.

She wondered whether she had once offended the Duke’s wife, or whether Chu Yi had offended her, or if it was simply a matter of different positions…

When the banquet was halfway through, the Emperor accidentally spilled wine on his collar and stood up to go to the back room to change clothes.

The Duke’s wife, who was sitting beside Yun Chu, also stood up and left her seat at this time.

“Princess Consort of Pingxi.” Fang Xinyan suddenly walked up to Yun Chu while supporting her belly. “Besides corn poppies, the Eastern Palace also has crabapple blossoms. Would you like to go take a look?”

Yun Chu said indifferently, “No need.”

Fang Xinyan’s expression darkened. “Is the Princess Consort of Pingxi refusing to give me face?”

“Heh!” Du Ling, sitting nearby, let out a cold laugh. “Why would a dignified primary consort need to give face to you, a secondary consort? How ridiculous.”

Fang Xinyan immediately became angry.

“I say.” Du Ling pulled her lips into a smile. “Secondary Consort Fang once cried, made scenes, and threatened suicide for Prince Pingxi—everyone in the capital knows this. Now Secondary Consort Fang repeatedly pesters the Princess Consort of Pingxi. People will think the Crown Prince’s secondary consort still harbors romantic feelings for Prince Pingxi. The Crown Prince is magnanimous and naturally won’t take issue, but if this reaches the Empress’s ears, tsk tsk…”

Fang Xinyan’s expression grew very dark.

Ever since Prince Pingxi Chu Yi had rejected her, she had long since lost those kinds of thoughts.

What remained was mostly unwillingness!

Because of her unwillingness, she was jealous of Yun Chu and wanted to embarrass her.

But every time she picked a fight, Yun Chu deflected it neither too softly nor too harshly, making that unwillingness increasingly difficult to dispel.

She took a deep breath, flicked her sleeve, and left.

She didn’t want to see Yun Chu’s face anymore. She left her seat directly and walked toward the back. In any case, she was pregnant—leaving early wouldn’t draw any criticism.

Walking to where the flowers bloomed abundantly in the back, she suddenly faintly heard voices speaking.

It was a man and woman talking.

She hadn’t seen the Crown Prince at the banquet earlier. Could it be the Crown Prince alone with that newly entered minor consort admiring flowers in the back courtyard?

Fang Xinyan’s brows furrowed. She carefully walked in that direction but saw someone guarding the path.

This was the Eastern Palace’s back courtyard, a place she walked through countless times daily. Naturally, she knew there was another route, so she circled around the abundant flowers and walked over carefully.

The voices grew increasingly clear.

“Erlang, lately my chest has been aching…”

“I’ll have several imperial physicians go to the Duke’s manor to examine you…”

Hearing these voices clearly, Fang Xinyan gave a violent shudder.

“I”—wasn’t that the Emperor?

Duke’s manor—wasn’t that the Duke’s wife?

Her gaze pierced through the flourishing flowers and trees to see a man and woman nestled beneath a flowering tree. The Emperor was embracing the Duke’s wife!

“Heaven…”

Fang Xinyan couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

She immediately covered her lips.

But it was already too late.

The Emperor heard the sound and abruptly released the person in his embrace.

The Duke’s wife’s brows darkened. She walked toward the sound, then raised her hand and delivered a vicious slap.

“How dare you spy on His Majesty—you’re truly tired of living!”

Fang Xinyan’s face immediately burned with stinging pain.

Her knees went weak and she fell to the ground, instinctively protecting her belly.

“Your… Your Majesty…” She raised her face. “It’s… it’s this concubine!”

The Emperor recognized her—the youngest daughter of the Fang Family, also the Crown Prince’s secondary consort.

His face was covered with a layer of frost. That chill enveloped Fang Xinyan’s head, making her tremble.

She had stumbled upon such a great secret. She didn’t know how His Majesty would deal with her…

“This concubine… saw nothing, heard nothing.” Fang Xinyan collapsed on the ground, her voice also trembling.

The Emperor rubbed his fingers together. “Over these years, every person who stumbled upon this secret never saw the sun of the next day.”

The Duke’s wife lowered her eyes.

In the earliest days when she and the Emperor were together, they were discovered by a very senior matron. The next day, that matron died in her own room.

Later, they were discovered by a young lady from an aristocratic family. The next day, that young lady fell ill, languished in her sickbed, and soon after fragantly perished.

Another time, they were accidentally discovered by a third-rank minister. Very quickly, that minister was demoted for making errors, exiled to a remote border region, and died on the road…

Even Eunuch Gao, whom the Emperor trusted most, didn’t know the specific relationship between her and the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, this concubine truly saw nothing, knows nothing…”

Fang Xinyan simply couldn’t believe the Emperor actually wanted to kill her.

Frightened, her belly suddenly contracted. The pain made her roll continuously on the ground until she rolled to the Duke’s wife’s feet.

“She’s with child.” The Duke’s wife spoke slowly. “It’s the Crown Prince’s child, Erlang’s grandchild. Does Erlang truly have the heart to kill her?”

The Emperor turned to look at her. “Jingshu, you’re still so kindhearted.”

The Duke’s wife pressed her lips together. “Perhaps as one ages, one develops a merciful heart. Since she says she knows nothing, Erlang should let her go.”

Her long lashes concealed the emotion in her eyes.

She had been with the Emperor in places that couldn’t see light for over twenty years…

She also wanted, like the Empress, to walk openly and aboveboard beside the Emperor…

She also wanted, like Yun Chu of Prince Pingxi’s manor, to receive envy and blessings from everyone…

In the past, she didn’t dare think such things because she had been married, her husband had died, and she was old.

But Yun Chu had married Chu Yi. If they could do it, why couldn’t she?

The Emperor looked down at Fang Xinyan curled up at his feet and said coldly, “If any rumors spread outside, do you know what the consequences will be?”

“I know, I know!” Fang Xinyan nodded vigorously, her face pale. “This concubine will… will withdraw now.”

She crawled and rolled away from where the flowers bloomed abundantly. Walking outside, she finally saw her maid.

The maid didn’t know what had happened, but could hear some sounds and didn’t know why her mistress had angered His Majesty.

The maid hurriedly helped Fang Xinyan up, then cried out, “Blood… Secondary Consort is bleeding…”

Fang Xinyan had already been frightened out of her wits. Looking down and seeing fresh red blood on her skirt, her vision went black and she collapsed directly onto the maid.

The maid was greatly alarmed and hurriedly called for people to help…