Holding her breath and steadying her spirit, Hua Chun tried to make her breathing sound like that of someone deeply asleep, occasionally smacking her lips for good measure. Her expression was innocent and unknowing, as if she were dreaming of something delightful.

Yuwen Jie observed her calmly, and only after appreciating her performance for a while did he speak. “So you like sleeping without taking off your shoes?”

What? Hua Chun was startled, gritting her teeth.

She had forgotten—when she’d pounced onto the bed just now, she hadn’t had a chance to take off her shoes, and now her feet were still hanging off the edge of the bed frame, clearly not the look of someone in a deep sleep.

She’d let him watch the whole show for nothing!

Opening her eyes, Hua Chun smiled, yawned, and took off her shoes, looking at him with half-open eyes and pretending nothing had happened. “Why has Your Majesty come?”

Sitting up straight, Yuwen Jie asked flatly, “Can I not come?”

“…Of course you can, but didn’t you already select Consort Huo’s token?”

Without answering her question, Yuwen Jie simply shed his outer robe and, looking rather exhausted, climbed into bed, scooping her into his arms and holding her like a doll before closing his eyes.

What was going on here? Hua Chun blinked, and after waiting a good while, all she got was his long, even breathing, as if he were truly worn out—he’d fallen asleep remarkably fast.

If he’d come here on a whim like this, tomorrow she’d probably have to face Huo Xianrou’s stormy wrath, and that thought made Hua Chun a bit melancholy. Still, the weather had turned cold, and having someone come warm her bed wasn’t such a bad thing.

Falling asleep with mixed feelings, she woke early the next morning to find the person beside her already gone.

A little dazed, she called Qing Niao over to ask. “Was I dreaming yesterday, or what? Did the Emperor really come?”

“He did come.” Qing Niao nodded. “And he happened to overhear you talking about the price list.”

Huh? Hua Chun shuddered. “He heard all of that?”

“The palace servants in the courtyard said His Majesty stood outside our door for the time it takes an incense stick to burn,” Qing Niao said, pursing her lips. “If nothing’s off, he must have heard everything.”

“Then why didn’t he say anything about it, just came to sleep beside me and left?” Hua Chun raised an eyebrow. “He’s a customer too, after all—the least he could do is offer some feedback!”

Qing Niao: “…”

Normally, if the Emperor happened to overhear something like last night’s conversation, one ought to go tremblingly beg forgiveness. Where on earth did her mistress get the nerve—fearing neither heaven nor earth—to actually ask the Emperor for feedback!

Hua Chun got up, tidied herself, and then waited in the Yangxin Hall. She had a feeling that with the court undergoing a change of personnel these past two days, the Emperor would surely be swamped, and when he got swamped, he’d come looking for her help—meaning she’d essentially landed a high-paying job.

Her hunch proved correct. In the afternoon, a servant from Zichen Hall crept over, quite furtively, carrying a black cloak.

“Your Ladyship, His Majesty requests your presence at Zichen Hall.”

“All right.” Hua Chun made to leave, but he stopped her and held out the cloak.

“I have to wear this?” Hua Chun raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“It’s His Majesty’s decree—apologies for the inconvenience, my lady,” the servant said, watching her put it on before pulling the dark, unassuming hood up to cover her head.

Was this some kind of underground rendezvous?

Pursing her lips, Hua Chun went along with it anyway and headed to Zichen Hall. The moment she arrived, before she could even offer her greetings, the Emperor spoke. “Come here. Handle these memorials.”

Her eyes brightened slightly. Hua Chun coughed twice and scurried over obsequiously. “Your Majesty, everyone’s labor deserves compensation. This concubine thinks you ought to pay her a wage. What do you think?”

Glancing at her, Yuwen Jie said, “Calculate it according to your price list. There are two hundred memorials today.”

Wow! Hua Chun immediately brightened. Here she’d thought being a consort was just being a consort, but she could earn two hundred taels of silver in a single day—more than the Emperor’s own salary. She could strut around the palace without a care!

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

“Work carefully and don’t make any mistakes,” the sovereign said, rising and draping on his cloak. “I’ll come check tonight.”

Hua Chun nodded, then asked curiously, “Where is Your Majesty off to?”

“Consort Huo is ill. I’m going to keep her company.”

“…”

Tying the sash of his cloak, the sovereign turned back. “What, unhappy?”

Hua Chun had already earnestly picked up her vermillion brush and started drawing circles. “No. Off you go, Your Majesty. I’ve got things covered here.”

“Mm.” Yuwen Jie nodded and strode out of Zichen Hall in large steps.

Qing Niao took the brush from her hand to help write, and Hua Chun sighed, looking at the empty hall. “Here I am slaving away while he goes off to enjoy himself—there really is so much unfairness in this world.”

Glancing up at her, Qing Niao reminded her, “You do get paid.”

“Oh right, for the sake of the wages, I’ll let it go.” Taking a deep breath, Hua Chun seriously began reading through the memorials, then told Qing Niao which parts needed revision.

Huo Xianrou had fallen unconscious, and after examining her for a long while, the imperial physician could only say, “It’s possibly that the incense burner contained too much of a sedating compound, which isn’t good for Consort Huo’s health either.”

The sovereign frowned and turned to give an order. “Remove all the incense from this palace.”

“Yes.”

Huo Zichong stood off to the side, his expression also somewhat worried. Seeing the person on the bed stir, he called out softly, “Fourth Sister?”

Huo Xianrou opened her eyes, glanced at Huo Zichong, then turned to the sovereign and said pitifully, “What happened to this concubine?”

“There was something wrong with the incense in your palace,” the Emperor said, his expression stern. “I’ll have Consort Shu investigate thoroughly.”

Incense? Huo Xianrou gritted her teeth and said mournfully, “Isn’t all the incense in this concubine’s palace provided by Consort Shu herself? Your Majesty wants her to investigate herself? What could that possibly turn up?”

“She provided it?”

“Yes. Ever since Your Majesty handed her the authority, everything in this palace has been distributed by her,” Huo Xianrou said, her eyes reddening. “It’s one thing that so much has gone missing and this concubine hasn’t wanted to make an issue of it, but now there’s something impure in the incense, leaving this concubine too weak to attend Your Majesty at night…”

This was a serious matter indeed!

The sovereign pressed his lips together and asked in a low voice, “Who do you think should investigate this?”

Her eyes darted about, and Consort Huo said, “This concubine thinks Consort Hua is rather clever—she was able to uncover Noble Consort Hui’s scheme last time. She ought to be able to bring justice this time too.”

His heart sank, and Yuwen Jie’s face took on a look of disdain. “Those petty tricks of hers are nothing worth mentioning. Give her one chance to prove herself and she already gets carried away—give her another and I’m afraid she won’t even put me in her eyes anymore.”

“Ah?” Consort Huo blinked, startled. “Isn’t Consort Hua someone who understands the rules well?”

“Only on the surface.” The sovereign waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to say more. “This matter should still go to Worthy Consort Xi—she is, after all, a veteran of this palace, and her word carries weight.”

“Very well.” Consort Huo nodded.

Judging from the Emperor’s words, it seemed Consort Hua’s fall from favor had something to do with her temperament? Huo Xianrou thought to herself secretly—the Emperor didn’t like people who made a show of themselves. It seemed she, too, would need to be more careful going forward.