Chapter 156:

The voices of the two arguing were not loud, but their expressions were both grim.

By this time, Emperor Jing had already calmed down from his initial agitation. He was generally someone who did not show his emotions outwardly; thus, even today’s behavior was quite rare.

Yan Lie couldn’t control himself and finally closed his eyes to calm down. “What is good for me and what is not—how would you know? So what if Yue Feng is the daughter of a merchant? I like her regardless.”

The emperor was unconcerned. “If you truly liked her, how could you let go? You could have argued with the Empress.”

There was a hint of subtle mockery in his words.

Yan Lie’s eyes darkened slightly, and his tone worsened. “I didn’t fight hard because I realized that apart from her face, I didn’t like anything else about her—her interests, her personality, or her as a person.”

How could Emperor Jing not know this?

Yue Feng was ultimately not Yue Qingcheng; their personalities were completely opposite, like night and day.

Emperor Jing sneered but did not respond or speak further.

“As for Yue Feng, since it’s in the past, I don’t wish to discuss it anymore. As for the Empress, I will maintain a respectful relationship with her as husband and wife, so as not to disappoint her. As for the other things you mentioned, I don’t want to know.”

“Coincidentally, I also have no desire to speak further. The Empress’s health is quite frail. I only hope she can feel pleased with us.”

Leaning back in his chair, Emperor Jing spoke in a rather cold tone.

Regardless of everything else, the two had reached an agreement on this matter.

Lai Xi, standing at the door, finally exhaled in relief, no longer worried that the emperor and the sixth prince might come to blows. At least everything turned out okay in the end.

After Prince Li left, Emperor Jing read some memorials for a while but felt restless. Eventually, he packed up and headed to the Qing’an Palace to visit Shen Layue. At this moment, he especially wanted to see her.

Layue had just finished tidying up when she heard of the emperor’s arrival.

She came out with a smile, and the emperor embraced her as they entered.

Seeing the emperor’s frown, Layue gently placed her hand on his forehead.

“Your Majesty, everything will get better.”

Knowing the emperor was worried about the Empress, she comforted him.

“I have indeed harbored resentment toward the Empress before.”

After a long pause, the emperor finally spoke.

Layue paused in her massage for a moment but resumed shortly.

“As long as Your Majesty no longer holds resentment now, that’s fine.”

Layue clearly saw how deep the emperor’s feelings for the Empress were.

He gave a bitter smile. “Yes, I no longer resent her now. Because I realized that no matter what, the Empress only wished us well. Perhaps there were many wounds along the way, but in the end, we are bound by blood.”

Layue did not respond but continued massaging in silence.

“When I was young, I really liked Yan Lie. I thought he was soft and especially adorable. But eventually, I found that we became strangers. It seems that many things, by the end, are no longer what they were at the beginning.”

The emperor rambled on, clearly in need of someone to confide in at this moment.

Layue did not speak further but simply stayed with him, listening as he poured out his thoughts.

“Yan Lie said today that he no longer likes Yue Feng.”

For some reason, he brought it up again.

Layue was startled and asked in confusion, “No longer likes her? Wasn’t he always so fond of his cousin?”

The emperor shook his head. “He no longer likes her. He said that apart from her looks, Yue Feng doesn’t give him any reason to like her at all. Probably because of this, he didn’t push the matter with the Empress.”

Layue sighed inwardly.

Suddenly, she felt that everything was predestined.

Perhaps Yue Feng’s difference in personality from her mother was her greatest blessing.

And this life was different from the previous one.

She didn’t understand how Prince Li could let go of Yue Feng so easily, but upon hearing this and thinking it through, it made sense.

In the previous life, things happened suddenly. The first time Prince Li saw Yue Feng in prison, she bore an eight-tenths resemblance to her mother. At that moment, the prince must have been shocked, and precisely for this reason, he couldn’t give up on her.

But this life was different. This time, the matter of Yue Feng unfolded gradually. Over time, Prince Li fully realized that apart from her looks, she had nothing else in common with her mother. Thus, he must have felt indifferent about it.

After all, finding someone who looks similar in this world might not be difficult.

And Prince Li wasn’t just captivated by her mother’s looks. What he admired more was probably her gentle and calm nature, which Yue Feng couldn’t emulate.

For some reason, Layue felt relieved.

In this life, after experiencing so much, many things had indeed changed.

***

Although the Empress’s condition was not good, it was not extremely critical either. Thanks to the care of Grand Physician Wan and the other skilled physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau, along with the efforts of Madame Wan, her condition had temporarily stabilized.

With the Empress’s condition stabilized, the emperor’s mood finally eased somewhat.

In Xuanning Hall, Emperor Jing looked down at Lai Fu kneeling on the ground.

He carefully reviewed the investigation report in his hands, his face growing increasingly pale and grim.

Finally, he put the documents down.

“Is this everything you have found out?”

Lai Fu nodded. “Indeed. The person has already been secretly detained by me, awaiting Your Majesty’s further investigation.”

Emperor Jing never expected that the person attempting to harm him would be Chen Yulan’s father, the former Minister Chen.

Previously, because of Chen Yulan’s matter, Minister Chen had been dismissed from his post. Later, due to someone’s recommendation and the fact that Minister Chen was indeed an honest man without any major faults, Emperor Jing had assigned him to a minor position.

But precisely this minor position nearly cost him his life.

Minister Chen had accompanied his superior to arrange matters at the temple for the sacrificial ceremony and secretly tampered with the prayer hall, which caused the emperor’s accident.

Minister Chen’s intentions were clear—he wanted to kill both Emperor Jing and Shen Layue.

In his view, it was the emperor and Shen Layue who had conspired to kill his daughter, Chen Yulan. As a father, he had to avenge his only daughter.

If the emperor contracted smallpox, he would likely die. And since the emperor had frequent contact with Shen Layue, she would likely contract the disease too.

Even if she didn’t catch it, once the emperor fell ill while they were out of the palace together, Shen Layue would not survive either.

What he hadn’t expected was that although he had anticipated the emperor contracting smallpox, he hadn’t foreseen that it could be cured.

Although the secret guards were different from the Censorate, they were undoubtedly superior.

Minister Chen could not endure the torture and eventually confessed everything. Now he regretted his actions, but it was too late.

Emperor Jing never imagined that punishing a concubine who harbored malice and committed wrongdoings would lead to an assassination attempt.

This Minister Chen didn’t even consider the country’s stability. If he had succeeded in killing the emperor, the nation of Nan Qin would have been thrown into chaos, and many people would have suffered. Yet he hadn’t thought of any of this.

The emperor had always thought that if the palace concubines were managed well, they could be beneficial to him. But after experiencing these events, he increasingly felt disgusted by the concubines in the inner palace.

They all seemed like blooming flowers on the surface, but inside they were poisonous. Such a vicious woman, once punished, had even prompted her father to commit a deadly plot.

This was just Chen Yulan. What about others?

De Fei, Qi Fei, Hui Fei… would their families do the same?

The more he thought, the more terrifying it seemed. Emperor Jing looked at Lai Fu. “Has the matter been properly kept secret?”

“Your Majesty, no one else knows. So far, we have only detained Minister Chen and his wife.”

Emperor Jing knew that Chen Fu Ren was actually Layue’s aunt.

In the past, he had somewhat tolerated Chen Yulan partly because of this aunt’s relationship.

“Does Chen Fu Ren know about this?”

The emperor already knew the answer but still asked.

As expected, Lai Fu replied, “Your Majesty, yes. It was their joint plan. They had long believed that Your Majesty and Consort Shen had wronged their daughter, but had no opportunity for revenge. Minister Chen was quite patient and finally seized the chance during this sacrificial ceremony.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing sneered.

“Love, loyalty—these are all just jokes. Chen Yulan was gentle and attentive, always trying to please me. Minister Chen appeared loyal and upright but was ultimately a vicious person. Outsiders can still be guarded against, but if the women close to me are like venomous snakes, I truly feel it is my misfortune.”

Lai Fu did not expect the emperor to say such words.

“Do not let Consort Shen know about this matter.”

“Yes.”

Emperor Jing knew Layue’s character well. Although she seemed domineering on the surface, she was actually very kind-hearted. If she found out that her respected aunt had wanted her dead, she would surely be heartbroken.

It was better this way.

“Summon Zhou Nan to the palace.”

“Yes.”

After Zhou Nan entered the palace, a complete search and seizure was conducted at the Chen residence. Others were unaware of the reason and watched the Shen family’s reaction anxiously, but the Shen family was also startled, not knowing what had happened.

Still, they pretended to remain calm. Since Chen Yulan’s death, the two families had ceased all contact and become hostile. However, despite this, there were still some connections between the families. The Yue family also remained indifferent.

Actually, these two families were not completely inactive, but no one knew what was really happening.

What crime had the Chen family committed?

Zhou Nan was the emperor’s trusted aide. Since he was involved in this matter, it must be extremely important.

Layue also heard the news inside the palace but dared not inquire further. It was as if she had seen the past scene of her family being raided, and she felt an immense fear in her heart.

Even the three little children seemed to sense their mother’s unease and were unusually quiet.

Within half a day, Emperor Jing announced in the court that the Chen family had been accused of colluding with foreign enemies and had been detained entirely.

A strict interrogation would follow.

Anyone found involved would be severely punished.

Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense and fearful.