Chapter 115:

Before Emperor Jing left the palace, Layue truly moved to Qing’an Palace. Compared to Tingyu Pavilion, Qing’an Palace was indeed incomparable in grandeur.

Not to mention the palace’s renovation, its layout, orientation, and ventilation were all excellent.

In these days, the four senior maids, Jin Xin, Xing Er, and others, had frequently come to help. After all, the interior decorations naturally needed to suit Layue’s preferences. Now, as Layue looked around, she was genuinely delighted—everything had been arranged meticulously and thoughtfully.

After touring every corner of the palace, Layue gave Emperor Jing a satisfied smile. Her small dimples appeared faintly, making Emperor Jing feel entranced.

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s kindness; I am very pleased,” she said.

This place was not only more spacious than Tingyu Pavilion, but also exceptionally refined.

Seeing her like this, Emperor Jing raised an eyebrow. “Since you like it, then you should properly thank me.”

What he meant was obvious to Layue, who pinched his waist lightly and muttered, “Your Majesty is always thinking about that.”

“Oh? That?” He feigned seriousness.

Layue knew he was teasing her on purpose. She ignored him, rolled her eyes slightly, and continued looking around, tugging at his robe now and then in delighted surprise.

Seeing her so cheerful, Emperor Jing felt his efforts had not been in vain.

Although Layue was pregnant, Emperor Jing had not promoted her status according to the usual protocol.

He had his own considerations. The higher a position, the more cautious one must be in promoting it. It was better to raise the status of those with lower ranks, as raising one or two levels wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Did you meet Prince Six at Huici Palace the other day?” Actually, he didn’t know about it.

Layue shook her head indifferently and replied, “No, I tried to avoid him and moved away.”

Though she seemed nonchalant, Layue became cautious inside, sensing there must be something she didn’t know.

“Such a sensible, good girl,” Emperor Jing said, his lips curling in satisfaction.

Layue laughed. “What do you mean by ‘sensible good girl’? It’s only natural. Even though Prince Six is your brother, he’s still a man from outside the family. I have studied the ‘Nüjie’ since childhood and naturally know it’s inappropriate.”

Seeing her look so self-assured, Emperor Jing nodded.

“According to your logic, it was I who was overreacting.”

Layue giggled and nodded.

This earned her a playful tickle from him.

Though Emperor Jing seemed casual, Layue sensed something odd in his questions. However, she quickly buried that unease deep in her heart. Some things, naturally, needed pretending.

Late at night,

The two lay together, Layue’s fingers drawing circles on Emperor Jing’s chest.

“What are you doing?” he asked, grabbing her hand.

“Do you have something on your mind?”

“You’re leaving, can’t I have a little sadness?” Layue pouted, looking at Emperor Jing with a hint of grievance.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Jing let go of her hand and chuckled softly.

Pinching her slightly chubby face due to pregnancy, he said, “Don’t look at people like that. You’re not convincing at all; it’s too funny.”

Upon hearing this, Layue immediately turned around. He was so infuriating.

Seeing her feigned anger, Emperor Jing began to coax her gently.

Soon, the two were back to being affectionate as before.

After Emperor Jing left the palace, Layue summoned Qiaoning. “I want to eat meat, but I don’t like it greasy. Think of a way for me.”

Madam Zhou, seeing her young mistress with bright eyes, smiled.

Qiaoning thought for a moment. “I understand.”

Madam Zhou had a favorable impression of this little cook. Nowadays, slimness was considered beautiful, so a girl with a slightly plump figure was rare. Moreover, her personality was serious and meticulous.

“Okay, I’m a bit tired. I want to take a nap. You all go rest, especially you, Madam Zhou. You’re not young anymore, and a nap at noon is good for you.”

Madam Zhou smiled and replied, “Yes.”

Everyone knew Layue’s belly had grown large and that she had become very sleepy.

They didn’t linger in the room to disturb her rest, quietly closing the door behind them. Only Jin Xin remained outside the inner chamber.

Once everyone had left, Layue lay on her back, staring at the canopy above the bed.

But she had no intention of resting. Soon, a figure slipped in.

It was Qiaoning.

“Your servant greets my lady.”

Since Madam Zhou’s arrival, they had become even more cautious.

Layue sat up.

“I know it’s risky, but can you think of a way? I really want to meet my uncle.”

Sometimes people have strange intuitions. This intuition had always made Layue suspect that Prince Six must have some issues, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

Previously, when her grandmother visited the palace, she had thoroughly inquired. The Shen family indeed had no connection with Prince Six. But what about the Yue family?

Her uncle had naturally denied any connection as well, but what about smaller, indirect ties?

After thinking about it for these two days, Layue finally noticed a possible problem. Back then, the Yue family had been imprisoned due to Shen family’s involvement, but they were eventually released thanks to Zhu Yuning’s plea.

Moreover, one of the reasons that had prompted the emperor to insist on executing the Shen family might have been Prince Six’s plea and his prison visit.

Could it be that all along, what they wanted to save was not the Shen family, but the Yue family?

Layue was shocked by her own thought.

However, upon further reflection, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Qiaoning frowned tightly and shook her head.

“My lady, it’s too unsafe. Even without being pregnant, there are many eyes watching you in the palace. Especially now, with the emperor away, if anything goes wrong, you could easily be in danger.”

Qiaoning advised.

“It’s precisely because the emperor is away that I want to meet my uncle. If the emperor were here, this would be even more impossible.”

After thinking again, Qiaoning firmly said, “No, it’s impossible to ensure absolute safety.”

Seeing Layue’s disappointed expression, Qiaoning sighed.

“If my lady has any questions, feel free to ask me. You can be assured.”

Layue shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but some family secrets, even if I ask you to pass on my words, my uncle might not reveal them.”

Qiaoning seemed hesitant for a moment but finally spoke. “He will. The master will tell.”

Seeing Layue’s gaze, Qiaoning spoke softly. “My lady has never asked my surname before, have you? My surname is—Yue. Yue Qiaoning.”

Layue’s eyes widened in shock. “Yue Qiaoning? Then you are, what relation to my uncle?”

Even without Qiaoning explaining, Layue had already begun to understand.

Qiaoning showed no embarrassment. “A concubine’s daughter.”

Qiaoning showed no embarrassment, but Layue felt awkward at this belated realization. Now she understood why, when the emperor had sent people to eliminate the Yue family, Qiaoning insisted on returning to the Yue household and eventually was imprisoned with them.

“How old are you?”

Qiaoning smiled. “I could be considered your cousin.”

As for why Qiaoning was a concubine’s daughter and whether the rest of the Yue family knew about this, Layue didn’t ask further, naturally out of fear of touching on a painful subject.

Smiling slightly, Layue sweetly called, “Cousin.”

“Right. I just want to tell you, I am reliable.” Qiaoning showed no particular joy at the reunion but her expression softened.

“I’ve always felt uneasy about Prince Six. Although my uncle says there’s no connection with him, I still want to know—what about before? Was there no connection then either, or perhaps with other family members?”

Layue looked at Qiaoning seriously. “I always feel this person is a destabilizing factor. You know the emperor’s attitude toward him. I don’t want either of our families to have any entanglement with him. We haven’t harmed anyone, we haven’t done anything wrong. We must live well.”

Qiaoning had followed Layue for a long time and naturally knew her not to act without reason.

Nodding, she seriously replied, “Your servant understands. However, I suspect you won’t get the answer you’re looking for. Previously, when the master said there was no connection, there must have been none.”

“Just pass my words to my uncle. I hope he can think it through carefully.”

After Qiaoning left, Layue sat there in a daze. If her uncle indeed knew nothing, who else could she ask?

Suddenly, a figure flashed in her mind.

Emperor Jing?

Yes, Emperor Jing must know. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tested her like that.

But how could she possibly ask him? That was simply too unrealistic.

While thinking, Layue felt some discomfort in her stomach.

Looking down at her belly, she smiled. How silly of her to get stuck on such thoughts. See, even the baby was unhappy.

Indeed, although Prince Six was a potential threat, it wasn’t entirely unsolvable. Even if there were problems, she was currently favored by the emperor, and she would soon give birth to their child. For her and the child’s sake, the emperor wouldn’t treat the Shen family so harshly anymore, would he?

Moreover, her brother had already married Min Yunying, and according to the news from home, this sister-in-law was quite good.

So what was she worrying about? What was she thinking about pointlessly?

It was truly unwise to be overly anxious about things that haven’t happened.

Her tendency to get stuck in her thoughts was really not good.

Regaining her composure, Layue no longer dwelled on it. Instead, she obediently lay down, preparing to take a nap. She had already developed the habit of napping every day; if she skipped one, the baby would protest.

Earlier, Madam Zhou had mentioned that, judging from how large her belly was, she suspected Layue might be carrying twins. However, it would take some time before the doctors could confirm that when the baby grew bigger.

Thinking of this, Layue smiled sweetly. If it were twins, that would be even better!

Calmly gathering her thoughts, Layue pushed aside her petty worries and prepared for a good nap.

Meanwhile, on his way to the retreat palace, Emperor Jing received a secret report from his covert guards.

Standing by the window with his hands behind his back, Emperor Jing sneered, “He approached Yue Feng?”

“Exactly.”

“Interesting. He’s really persistent. You may leave now. Continue surveillance.”

“Yes.”

“Prince Six! Now that Yue Qingcheng is dead, and Yue Qingcheng’s daughter is nothing like her, you’re going after her niece?”

How interesting indeed!