Liu Sanzhi felt an inexplicable sense of dread upon seeing Cui Zheng and the others.
If this were in the palace, they certainly wouldn’t have made it here. But this was the temporary palace – though each consort had its separate courtyard, there was only one waiting area for announcements, with the main hall for receiving guests and the side rooms connected, just a few steps away.
Just then, a passionate sound of relief echoed from within the chamber. Everyone present except the palace maids and eunuchs were married adults who understood its meaning, causing Cui Zheng and the other two officials’ faces to cycle through various colors.
They were scholars who followed the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, practicing self-restraint and propriety. Such daylight intimacy already violated proper conduct in their eyes, let alone while Dengzhou’s disaster ran rampant and they were all working themselves to exhaustion trying to address it – yet their emperor was engaging in such outrageous behavior at this time!
“Eunuch Liu, please announce us to His Majesty, there’s urgent news from Dengzhou!” Cui Zheng, as Minister of Personnel, stepped forward with a stern face and forceful attitude.
The Empress Dowager gripped her walking stick, also suppressing her anger.
Liu Sanzhi dared not refuse. He reluctantly knocked on the door but received no response. Under the threatening gazes of all parties, he had to gather his courage to push open the door. However, as soon as one foot crossed the threshold, a porcelain pillow flew at his head. Liu Sanzhi could have dodged it but given the situation, he had to catch it. A dull pain spread across his forehead as blood trickled down, accompanied by the emperor’s furious roar: “GET OUT!”
This explosive shout caused Cui Zheng and the others’ faces to instantly darken. The Empress Dowager gripped her walking stick harder: “Outrageous! I’ll go summon him myself!”
“Empress Dowager…” Shen Xihe quickly held her back.
Emperor Youning had reached a point of complete irrationality. At this moment, he was like a beast consumed by burning desire, unable to recognize anyone. How could she let the Empress Dowager enter? She would only meet the same fate as Liu Sanzhi.
The incense was her creation – no one knew better than her how potent it was.
The incense alone didn’t have an aphrodisiac effect, but when combined with deer antler blood, stimulating its potency, even immortals would find it hard to resist.
“Empress Dowager, His Majesty is not one for debauchery. There must be some hidden circumstances here. Let’s wait a while.” Shen Xihe led the Empress Dowager to the main hall, then turned to address Cui Zheng and the others, “If it’s extremely urgent, Minister Cui might consider discussing it with the Crown Prince and the Six Ministries first. In emergencies, temporary measures can be taken. His Majesty has always cared for the common people – he won’t blame any actions that benefit the country and its people.”
Liu Sanzhi, head covered in blood, kept his head down but glanced up at Shen Xihe without speaking.
“We ministers have already discussed it, just awaiting His Majesty’s orders,” Cui Zheng said coldly.
They always discussed these matters beforehand to avoid appearing ignorant before His Majesty and being charged with dereliction of duty. Now they could only wait for His Majesty’s final decision before proceeding.
Even the Crown Prince couldn’t issue orders bypassing His Majesty in this matter – if questioned later, no one would escape responsibility.
“We ministers will wait here for His Majesty!” Minister Tao Zhuanxian also said sternly, then stood straight as a pillar at the main hall’s entrance.
Grand Secretary Wei Song looked between Cui Zheng and Tao Zhuanxian, choosing to remain silent.
Everyone’s expression was unpleasant, except for Shen Xihe who remained composed. Her face was calm, showing neither hidden satisfaction and joy nor anxiety and urgency. Liu Sanzhi couldn’t help but study Shen Xihe, feeling that this Crown Princess kept her depths hidden, possessing a kind of confident certainty.
Liu Sanzhi would never believe today’s events weren’t connected to Shen Xihe. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Shen Xihe brought the Empress Dowager to find an attacked and unconscious Consort Su while walking in the garden? And brought her back to Consort Su’s chambers?
If Shen Xihe and the Empress Dowager hadn’t happened to arrive, even if Cui Zheng and the others had urgent matters, they would have been stopped by the eunuchs he left guarding outside. The eunuchs had accompanied Shen Xihe and the Empress Dowager inside, allowing Cui Zheng and the others to burst in – otherwise, things wouldn’t have developed to this point.
Thinking of this, and of the Imperial Physician who had just been sent in – if Consort Su was here, who was the person being intimate with His Majesty? If it was Consort Su’s maid that would be one thing, but if it was…
Liu Sanzhi dared not think further.
The Imperial Physician summoned to examine Consort Su came out at this moment: “Reporting to the Empress Dowager and Crown Princess, Consort Su was attacked into unconsciousness, but fortunately wasn’t seriously injured. She should wake up shortly.”
The Empress Dowager felt somewhat relieved hearing this: “You may withdraw.”
The Imperial Physician was greatly relieved, eager to leave. Just as he reached the door, another group hurriedly arrived – none other than An Jingnan, the Protector General of Anbei. An Jingnan’s face was cold as he paid his respects to the Empress Dowager and Crown Princess before getting straight to the point: “Empress Dowager, my daughter has gone missing. Please help the Crown Princess search for her.”
The Empress Dowager’s gaze darkened: “Lady An is missing?”
“Yes, my daughter’s health had just improved somewhat, she rarely left her courtyard. Today she mysteriously disappeared – none of the guards around her courtyard saw her leave.” As An Jingnan spoke, he deliberately glanced at Shen Xihe a couple of times.
“Don’t worry, Protector General An. I’ll send people to search right away,” Shen Xihe said methodically.
As the noble ladies in the temporary palace were under Shen Xihe’s management, she naturally had to actively search when An Zhengyi went missing. She immediately instructed Zhenzhu to relay orders to the commander of the Imperial Guard on duty to search for Lady An’s whereabouts.
Finally, she added: “Protector General An, if you’re truly worried, shall I have the Crown Prince order the Court of Judicial Review to join the search?”
An Jingnan didn’t yet know what had happened. He knew Shen Xihe and the Empress Dowager were here, but hadn’t expected to find Cui Zheng and the others also present, meaning His Majesty should be here, yet His Majesty was nowhere to be seen.
He suspected his daughter had been kidnapped by Shen Xihe, but Shen Xihe’s calm demeanor caused an inexplicable unease to rise in his heart: “My apologies, Crown Princess. I was overly worried. With the Imperial Guard ensuring safety in the temporary palace, there should be no concern. No need for such a large-scale response.”
Shen Xihe raised her eyebrows slightly, somewhat disappointed. An Jingnan still retained some rationality – if things had truly become more chaotic, it would have been more entertaining…
Though the Court of Judicial Review wasn’t involved, the Imperial Guard still mobilized, since An Zhengyi had disappeared under their protection. If investigated, they couldn’t escape charges of dereliction of duty.
However, though the Imperial Guard searched everywhere possible, they couldn’t find An Zhengyi. When the commander returned to report, Liu Sanzhi broke out in a cold sweat – he was now certain of who was being intimate with His Majesty in Consort Su’s bedchamber.
“How could a perfectly healthy person just disappear?” Shen Xihe heard the report with apparent surprise, then turned to ask Consort Su’s head maid, “Are all of Consort Su’s maids accounted for?”
The maid trembled. Being able to serve at Consort Su’s side and manage her household affairs, she naturally wasn’t stupid. By now she had guessed something, but had to answer truthfully: “All present.”
“Oh…” Shen Xihe drew out the sound meaningfully, then turned to An Jingnan with a meaningful smile, “I know where Lady An is.”
“Where?” An Jingnan’s sense of foreboding grew stronger.
Her red lips curved as Shen Xihe revealed a brilliantly alluring smile: “On the dragon bed.”