Chapter 45:

“Do I remember correctly, Yue’er’s mother was from the Yue family in the Ministry of Rites? But I heard that your mother passed away due to complications when giving birth to your younger sister? How could she have been the one to make such arrangements?”

Layue looked surprised at Emperor Jing, not expecting him to know about this.

Seeing her slightly open mouth, Emperor Jing gently tapped her nose.

“What’s wrong?”

Coming back to her senses, Layue didn’t mind showing her surprise—it would be strange if she weren’t surprised.

“I’m a bit surprised that Your Majesty knows this,” she said, tugging his sleeve. She seemed to recall her mother and grew a little sad.

“My grandmother told me about it. Actually, a year before that, my mother had already begun selecting a concubine for my father, and she chose my cousin. Everything had been arranged, and they were going to formally welcome the concubine after my mother gave birth. But then that tragedy happened.”

Seeing her sadness, he lifted her chin and looked at her face.

“I once met your mother when I was young. She should be about five years younger than me. Everyone in the capital praised Lady Yue as gentle and virtuous. I remember, among the Four Beauties of the capital, Yue’er’s mother was one of them. Speaking of which, Yue’er doesn’t really resemble your mother.”

“Your Majesty has a good memory. Indeed, I don’t look like my mother. People often say that I resemble my grandmother more when she was young, while my younger sister looks more like my mother.” As she spoke, she seemed to recall something and grew even more melancholy.

“What’s wrong?”

Emperor Jing placed his hand on her shoulder and gently patted her.

Shaking her head, she spoke with a hint of sorrow. “Sometimes, looking too much like someone isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

Though she didn’t elaborate, Emperor Jing understood. He had already learned about this during his previous investigation of Shen Layue—how Shen’s father treated Shen Yi coldly and indifferently.

Everyone knew that Shen deeply loved his late wife, and since Lady Yue passed away due to complications from childbirth, it was natural for him to feel grief.

“Yes, looking too much like someone isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

“Speaking of it, the Yue family doesn’t seem to interact much with the Shen family.”

Layue gave a bitter smile. “The Yue family now is not the same as before. My uncle enjoys business matters, while my father is a scholar, so they rarely find common ground.”

Speaking of Layue’s maternal uncle’s family, it was indeed an interesting clan. Originally, Lord Yue had reached the position of Minister of Rites. But his only son—Layue’s uncle—was neither talented in literature nor in martial arts.

Although he lacked talent in both areas, he was deeply passionate about commerce, which made the Yue family much wealthier than many noble families. Although their social status was not high, they seemed quite content.

In the Southern Qin Kingdom, whether one pursued literature or martial arts, as long as one worked hard, there would always be a place for them. But the Yue family, originally a prestigious family with the Minister of Rites at its head, turned instead to commerce—something that surprised many.

“The decline of the Yue family is indeed something to sigh about.”

Layue shook her head. “That’s not how I see it. If my uncle enjoys business, why must he necessarily pursue literature or martial arts? As long as one is happy, what does it matter?”

Hearing her childish words, Emperor Jing smiled slightly but inwardly disagreed. After all, she was still young and didn’t understand the complexities of the world.

“You don’t seem to have much contact with your uncle’s family, yet you speak of them with affection,” Emperor Jing observed keenly.

Layue nodded sincerely. “Regardless, he is still my maternal uncle. Although he isn’t particularly affectionate towards me, he is family. In crucial moments, he still thinks about my siblings and me. That’s better than those who pretend to be close while secretly plotting behind your back.”

Layue’s words carried an implication, but Emperor Jing simply smiled without responding.

He gently patted her bottom. “Don’t think too much about it. It’s already late; go back and rest. I still have some official matters to attend to, and if you stay, you’ll interrupt your peaceful dreams.”

Though this wasn’t truly his reason, he spoke it with ease.

Layue pouted slightly and stood up to gather her clothes. Everyone in the palace knew Emperor Jing’s rule—whenever he dismissed a concubine, they would obediently leave with a gentle and virtuous demeanor.

But Layue was different. Though she didn’t complain, her expression clearly revealed her thoughts.

“Good girl,” he said, treating her like a beloved little animal as he patted her head.

She made a face at him and summoned the palace maid.

It was already the middle of the night.

As Layue sat in the swaying palanquin, her mind was restless.

She knew that the Emperor’s affectionate behavior on the desk in his office was not due to passion. On the contrary, she felt that this was definitely related to the Sixth Prince. Otherwise, with his cautious nature, how could he have left those memorials so carelessly?

The following questions only deepened her confusion—why had he suddenly taken an interest in her family, especially her mother and maternal uncle?

Layue clenched her fists, her mind racing.

There were too many doubts, and she couldn’t see the truth clearly.

People often said that lies were mostly truths mixed with a small portion of falsehoods. And that small portion was enough to cover up the real truth. The large portion of truth made others believe the lie without question. Layue didn’t know whether the Emperor would fully trust her, but she knew that mixing truth and falsehood was a better way to confuse people.

Since the Emperor used the memorials to test her, this matter must be related to the Sixth Prince. And although Zhu Yuning had acted more suspiciously, the Emperor had still chosen to test her. This could only mean that there was something she didn’t yet know.

Why? What was the reason?

Her mother had passed away early, yet today the Emperor brought her up, along with her uncle.

Others thought she had a cold relationship with her uncle, but they didn’t know the truth.

In her previous life, when she was in the palace and had fallen out of favor, it was her uncle who had sent people to provide her with a large sum of money. Because of his financial support, she had been able to live comfortably no matter what happened.

She had once secretly met her uncle and was puzzled why he had been so cold to her before but was now willing to help so generously. That was when she learned that her uncle didn’t dislike them at all—in fact, he cared deeply for them, which was why he had to appear cold.

He had said, “The world looks down on merchants, but many things can be viewed from a business perspective. Your mother is gone, and although your father seems cold towards you, he still loves you deeply. Your grandmother was even more worried that you would be mistreated by a stepmother, so she took you to live with her. To be frank, among all the Shen children, she loves you two the most. But have you ever considered that if I were to show open affection for you, even if it were normal, others might think that I’m worried about how you are being treated, or that you aren’t as helpless as you seem. Now, even your grandmother believes that you are pitiful, with no support from your maternal uncle. It is precisely because you are living with her and spending time together daily that she loves you more. You must understand, no matter how much I care for you, I can’t bring you back to the Yue family. Since you must live in the Shen household, gaining their genuine affection is the most important thing.”

After hearing this, Layue finally felt at peace.

Later, the Yue family was imprisoned due to Shen Shuping’s act of murder.

Although Song Yuning later persuaded the Emperor to cancel the punishment, the Yue family’s assets had already been seized.

In this new life, she hadn’t contacted her uncle yet, choosing instead to let things follow their natural course. But why had the Emperor brought this up today? Was the truth behind their family’s downfall really just due to her brother’s murder?

Could there be other hidden reasons she didn’t yet know?

The more Layue thought, the more uneasy she felt.

The Sixth Prince’s gaze, Zhu Yuning’s outburst, the Emperor’s questioning, and the past conflicts and rescues—all of it connected like a thread.

Frowning deeply, Layue knew that although the disaster was still ten years away, she couldn’t afford to sit idle. Although she shouldn’t act rashly and risk the Emperor’s suspicion, she also couldn’t let things develop unchecked.

Bai Xiaodie had entered the palace, and without the original catalyst, she had felt a bit relieved. But now, her heart was suddenly filled with unease again.

Still, she didn’t feel overly distressed. In her past life, there had been many joys and sorrows, and though she had avoided some of them in this life, new challenges were inevitable. As long as she stayed calm and faced things bravely, this time around, she, Shen Layue, would not be as powerless as before.

“Stop the palanquin…” The voice rang out, and Layue snapped back to reality.

Perhaps because of the cold weather, she gave a slight signal to the palace maid and quickly entered her courtyard.

Despite the troubling thoughts, she still slept well that night.

In the morning, recalling the previous night’s events, she smiled brightly. It seemed she had indeed become more careful and thoughtful, knowing that no matter what happened, she shouldn’t be too hard on herself.

She would think carefully before taking any action.

As for her uncle, whether or not she contacted him, he would eventually reach out to her. There was no need to act rashly now. This was a time to be especially cautious.

As for Xiaodengzi, regardless of whether he had found anything, he would surely report her actions to the Empress Dowager. What remained to be seen was whether those two would truly try to harm her.

This morning’s soft and sticky jade rice porridge had a few red beans added, and some honey was mixed in after it was cooked. Layue found it especially delicious.

“This porridge is really good today,” Layue praised.

Since being granted the title of concubine, she had been allowed her own private kitchen, but she rarely used it except for breakfast, which puzzled many.

Jin Xin smiled. “This is a new little maid assigned here a couple of days ago. They say she used to work in the Imperial Kitchen.”

Layue smiled even more happily. “Call her in. Since she made such good porridge, I should reward her properly.”