Chapter 86:

Bai Youran was indeed different from Chen Yulan and her ilk. This had already been evident at the beginning of her pregnancy, and even more so now. Rumors had been circulating in the palace for about ten days that she had colluded with Lian Xiuwen to harm Shen Layue, yet she had not made any public statements nor had she visited Shen Layue’s residence, Tingyu Pavilion.

She seldom left her quarters daily and remained obediently in her palace.

Those with even a modicum of intelligence in the palace now believed she was not a simple person at all, and that they had previously underestimated her. Some clueless individuals even approached Layue with ambiguous remarks, likely hoping that Layue would angrily confront Bai Youran.

But Shen Layue was no fool. Perhaps they hadn’t understood at first, but after a year in the palace, everyone had come to grasp each other’s basic temperaments. She had never been someone who would tolerate being bullied.

That had never been the case, and it still wasn’t now.

The weather was becoming increasingly stifling. Layue gazed at the sky. This year’s climate was indeed abnormal—winter had been unusually cold, and summer was exceptionally hot.

If even ordinary people like her found the weather uncomfortable, surely a pregnant woman like Bai Youran would find it even harder to bear.

The Emperor did not visit Bai Youran every day, but every few days he would go to see her. Sometimes, after his visit, he would come to Tingyu Pavilion. Layue was perceptive and never asked about Bai Youran’s condition, focusing instead on serving the Emperor diligently.

This day was no different.

As Layue obediently prepared refreshing summer delicacies for the Emperor, he casually remarked, “You never ask about Consort Jing’s pregnancy, Yue’er.”

Layue was in the middle of serving him food when he spoke, and she paused, looking at him quietly.

The Emperor raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”

Layue smiled faintly. “Then, Your Majesty, what exactly do you expect me to ask?”

There was a hint of mild defiance in her tone. The Emperor looked at her and laughed.

Without regard for the fact that they were in the middle of dining, he pulled her into his arms. “You little girl, are you jealous?”

She didn’t act coy but instead wrapped her arms around his neck and muttered, “No, I’m not. You have more than just the two of us as concubines. Even without her, there would always be someone else. I’ve long gotten used to it.”

Despite her words, her lips were pouted high in an obvious display of displeasure.

The Emperor laughed. “Still won’t admit it. Look at you, how could you not care?”

The little girl in his arms finally became angry and pushed him away, staring him in the eye.

“Fine, I admit it—I’m jealous. So what? Nothing will change, and yet you mock me and expose me. You’re so mean, so very mean.”

Whenever Layue spoke of the Emperor, it was always with that phrase “so mean,” but somehow that one sentence, filled with both complaint and affection, always made him find her irresistibly adorable.

“Alright, alright. I was just teasing you. Even Virtuous Consort must feign kindness and concern for Consort Jing’s pregnancy, yet you remain indifferent. I was just trying to tease you. Look at you, getting ready to cry already. Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you?”

Layue argued back. “They are they, and I am I. She took you away. She has your child. I adore you so much, of course I feel sad and don’t want to ask about it. You, you thick-headed man, just don’t understand a woman’s heart.”

Hearing her say this, the Emperor couldn’t help but laugh. “Thick-headed?” Probably only she in the entire empire would dare to call him that.

He was thick-headed. He didn’t understand women’s hearts.

The Emperor shook his head, still unable to suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. Perhaps seeing him laugh so much made Layue even more upset, and she glared at him with her big eyes, clenching her little fists tightly.

“What are you angry about? You’re just a little girl, claiming to be a woman—really…”

He left the rest unsaid, continuing to look at her with a half-smile.

Layue, without hesitation, gave him a light punch.

In a low tone, she said, “Of course I’m a woman. After all, it was you who made me into one. If I were just a little girl, why would you do those things with me?”

She grew more confident as she spoke, even lifting her head to look at him, as if she had caught him in a slip of words.

The Emperor looked at her and laughed again.

If someone were to say Shen Layue had no schemes, he wouldn’t believe it. But if someone were to claim she was extremely scheming, he would still find it implausible.

This contradictory feeling only made him more eager to visit Tingyu Pavilion.

Her coquettishness, her little gestures, her cheerfulness, her thoughtfulness, even her temper and stubbornness, all fascinated him.

Moreover, since he had some suspicions about this little Yue’er, shouldn’t he come to see her more often?

That way, he could get closer to her and discover her true nature.

Thinking of the possibility that she might be a clever little fox, the Emperor felt his blood surge with excitement.

Looking at her self-righteous expression, the Emperor gently tapped her nose.

“Alright, alright. It was indeed I who made you into a woman. Then tonight, would you like to feel it again?”

As if recalling that rainy day when they had been together in the pavilion, the Emperor smiled mischievously.

Seeing the lustful expression on his face, Layue blushed slightly.

She muttered, “Hurry up and eat.”

Seeing Layue serve him a green vegetable dish, the Emperor looked puzzled. “What is this?”

This dish had never appeared in his imperial meals before, and he couldn’t even identify it.

Seeing his confusion, Layue couldn’t help but smile smugly and took a bite herself before nodding in satisfaction.

Seeing her expression, the Emperor chuckled and patted her lightly. “Stop being mysterious. Tell me quickly.”

Layue giggled before revealing, “This dish was made by Qiaoning. It’s quite hot in summer, so it’s refreshing to eat. Ta-da! Cold Tossed Watermelon Rind. I’ve even given it a name—’Emerald Delight.'”

Hearing this, the Emperor was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. “Serve me some. I must try this watermelon rind dish.”

Under Layue’s attentive service, the Emperor took a bite and nodded.

He gave a fair assessment, “It’s not particularly delicious, but in this scorching summer, eating such a light dish is quite refreshing.”

Layue wasn’t satisfied with his words.

“Isn’t it delicious? You say it’s ‘not particularly delicious.’ In this summer, others don’t even have the fortune to taste this.”

The Emperor always felt relaxed when he was with Layue, mainly because of the way she treated him. As if, when they were alone together, he was merely her husband, not the Son of Heaven, not someone she needed to flatter or please.

“Alright, alright. I indeed have the fortune. Whatever Yue’er likes must be the best.”

His words were somewhat dismissive. Layue widened her eyes, feeling a bit annoyed, and picked up a duck dish to serve him.

“I know you love meat. Here, try this. Let me tell you, in summer, nothing beats duck meat.”

Seeing her proudly chatter on, the Emperor chuckled and ruffled her hair.

“You call me thick-headed, but aren’t you just a silly little girl yourself?”

Of course, the Emperor couldn’t stay at Tingyu Pavilion all afternoon. After lunch, he left directly. In fact, he was quite a diligent emperor.

Layue had a pleasant nap.

She then heard some faint noises outside, realizing that Ta’er was talking with Jinxin.

“Jinxin…” Her voice wasn’t loud, but Jinxin hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered.

“Has the mistress woken up? Let me help you freshen up.” With that, Ta’er went to fetch water.

“What were you talking about?” Layue rubbed her eyes.

Jinxin looked a bit embarrassed. “It must have been us speaking too loudly and disturbed your rest.”

Layue shook her head. “No, I woke up on my own. I was planning to take a short nap before getting up, but I heard your voices.”

Jinxin looked embarrassed again. “Earlier, Ta’er came back from outside and heard that at noon, Concubine Chen and Bai Gengyi had some sort of argument. They ended up going to Queen Qi’s palace. Queen Qi is usually kind-hearted and originally planned to have them copy some passages from the Book of Female Virtues as punishment. However, Virtuous Consort happened to be visiting and made some remarks about Queen Qi trying to win people’s favor. The situation escalated, and now both of them are kneeling at the main gate. Queen Qi declared that they must kneel for two full hours before they can get up.”

In this summer heat, such a punishment was indeed severe.

“Do you know what it was about? Who started it?”

“Your Highness, it’s said that it was Concubine Chen. She accused Bai Gengyi of putting medicinal powder in her clothes to harm her. Bai Gengyi denied it. The two refused to back down, and Concubine Chen even physically attacked Bai Gengyi.”

Her cousin was getting more audacious, playing such petty tricks. However, considering that the person involved was Bai Xiaodie, Layue felt that if Virtuous Consort hadn’t interfered, Chen Yulan might have taken action, but it probably wouldn’t have resulted in any serious punishment.

“What kind of weather is it? Are they kneeling in the shade or under the scorching sun?”

“Of course under the scorching sun. Otherwise, how could it be considered a punishment?” Jinxin replied.

“It’s quite unusual for Queen Qi, who is usually so kind-hearted, to impose such a severe punishment.” She was always good at staying out of trouble. Back then, Virtuous Consort also seemed gentle, but that was mostly an act. However, Queen Qi didn’t seem to be pretending.

“In fact, it was Virtuous Consort who suggested it,” Ta’er entered and added.

“Really?”

Ta’er was clever. “I heard from the maids in other palaces. It seems that Queen Qi originally didn’t want to do this, but Virtuous Consort kept pushing and even proposed this punishment. Queen Qi had no choice but to comply.”

Queen Qi, Virtuous Consort, Yulan, Bai Xiaodie—was the situation really that simple?

Layue fell into deep thought.