Chapter 25: Kneel

Shen Rushuang tightened her grip on her sleeves. "It is fine, Your Majesty. I shall wait here."

"Silly child." The Empress Dowager stepped down and gently touched her cheek. "You should return. I will keep watch here. Childbirth is no easy matter and will likely take quite some time. You are still young—what if you are truly frightened?"

As she spoke, Ye Yanchen strolled into the room.

Shen Rushuang followed the Empress Dowager’s lead and bowed.

"Is the Dowager Consort well?" Ye Yanchen asked.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, the Dowager Consort is fine," the Empress Dowager replied with a smile, though she maintained a deliberate distance from the Emperor. "It will simply take time for the birth. If a son is born, it will fulfill the late Emperor’s final wish."

The Emperor’s expression remained indifferent. "Indeed. This is the child my father looked forward to, the bloodline of the Imperial family."

He enunciated the last few words slowly, his tone rising in a way that sounded inexplicably like a question.

Ever since learning the secret of the Consort Dowager Xian, Shen Rushuang had become sensitive. She looked up and stole a glance at Ye Yanchen. His face was cold and his eyes detached, like the perennial snow on a high mountain peak that never melts.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty," the Empress Dowager said, seemingly oblivious to the Emperor’s strange tone, her face wearing its usual warm smile.

"Childbirth is a perilous business. I leave it to your care, Mother."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Ye Yanchen said a few more words and then left, not even sparing a glance for Shen Rushuang.

Shen Rushuang felt a surge of anxiety, thinking of the wine she had delivered the day before.

"Your Majesty, about what I sent yesterday..."

"Do not worry. It was not poison; it was merely an aphrodisiac," the Empress Dowager said lightly.

That aphrodisiac was potent; it was not something easily withstood. Yet, the fact that the Emperor would rather endure it than favor Shen Rushuang spoke volumes. As the situation changed, the methods for handling it had to change as well.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Shen Rushuang and smiled. "You should go back, too."

...

Outside the palace, in Liusha Alley.

When Lu Yuerong awoke, her body ached and her head throbbed. She turned over and saw the man’s smooth, bare back. She froze, and the memories of the previous day flooded back into her mind.

"Yuerong, are you awake?" The man beside her stirred as well.

Lu Yuerong’s body stiffened.

Xie Liwen hurriedly and tenderly draped an outer robe over her. "Although the weather is pleasant, do not be so reckless. Take care not to catch a cold."

"Is there any discomfort? Everything was my fault yesterday." He looked at her anxiously. "You clung to me so desperately last night, and I have such deep feelings for you—how could I possibly resist such provocation?"

He quickly added, "But no matter the faults, they are all mine. I failed to uphold the proprieties and caused you to lose your purity. Strike me!"

He took Lu Yuerong’s slender wrist and pressed it against his own face.

After she struck him twice, Lu Yuerong quickly stopped him. Her eyes were still hazy with sleep, making her look endearing. "Xie-lang, I have no regrets."

"Truly?" Xie Liwen was overjoyed to hear her say this. His movements softened. "What would you like for breakfast? I will have a servant buy it for you."

"I would like something sweet."

"Very well."

Xie Liwen rose, dressed, and went out to give some instructions before calling for Binglian.

Binglian’s face was pale, filled with fear. She had never imagined that Master Xie would bring her mistress to this courtyard! This was neither the Lu residence nor the Xie residence. They had even spent the night together in such an improper manner! If the Head Mistress were to find out, she would be lucky to escape with her life.

"Binglian, go and attend to your mistress. Help her dress."

Binglian hurried inside and shut the door.

"Mistress, you..." Binglian was so anxious she was on the verge of tears. "How could Master Xie bring you here? He is truly audacious!"

"Enough." Lu Yuerong glared at her. "I think you are the one with the audacity, daring to criticize your master!"

Binglian had not expected that even after losing her purity, Lu Yuerong would still side with Xie Liwen.

"Mistress!"

"What happened last night was indeed impulsive. But perhaps it was fated." Lu Yuerong’s expression was relaxed, and she began to console Binglian instead. "Xie-lang and I were meant to be married anyway; this is just consummating the union a little earlier."

"But if the Head Mistress finds out..."

"Binglian, this is not for you to worry about. Help me up and tidy me up."

Binglian dared not speak further.

After sharing a meal with Xie Liwen, Lu Yuerong changed into a page’s attire and returned to the Lu residence with Binglian.

Because the Head Mistress had been preoccupied with the matter of Lu Shuyao’s return and how to deal with Concubine Liu and Lu Shuyao, she had not noticed that her daughter had been away from home for an entire night.

Lu Shuyao had hurried back to the palace the night before, which had brought a sigh of relief to the Head Mistress. But every time she thought about how she now had to bow and offer flattery to this concubine-born daughter, she felt exceptionally awkward and miserable. Had she not been provoked by Lu Shuyao yesterday, she would never have spoken such harsh words to her own daughter.

Thinking her daughter might still be reflecting on her behavior at Qingfeng Garden, the Head Mistress felt a pang of sympathy. She went to Qingfeng Garden early, intending to have a heart-to-heart talk with her. To her surprise, she discovered that her daughter was missing.

The Head Mistress’s face turned livid, and a hidden rage burned within her, but for the sake of her daughter’s reputation, she dared not make a scene. She could only order her personal nanny to investigate the matter and send trusted servants out to search.

The Head Mistress held considerable influence in the Lu household, and her nanny was both ruthless and efficient. Soon, the truth behind the matter was uncovered.

"Mistress, the eldest young lady ran off on her own," the nanny reported, bringing with her the guard from the side gate.

The page had already been beaten black and blue; seeing the Head Mistress, he knelt and begged for mercy. "Mistress, I truly did not know it was the eldest young lady. I thought it was just some mischievous maid." After saying this, the page began slapping his own swollen cheeks. "It is my fault! It is my fault!"

As the interrogation continued, hurried footsteps were heard outside.

"Mistress! She has returned! The eldest young lady is back!"

The Head Mistress stood up at once. "Bring her in immediately."

Binglian followed behind Lu Yuerong, her face deathly pale and drenched in cold sweat. She had spent the journey in constant terror, never expecting that the situation upon returning would be the worst possible outcome.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Binglian was struck twice.

"You base creature, you dared to encourage the young lady to dress in men’s clothes and sneak out? Do you think you have several lives to spare?"

"Nanny, stop hitting her," Lu Yuerong said. Though her face was pale, her gaze was firm and devoid of fear. "It was I who wanted to go out."

The Head Mistress’s face was ashen. She turned to the nanny and said, "Go and interrogate Binglian. Take everyone else out; I wish to speak with Yuerong alone."

Within a few moments, all the servants had withdrawn. The once-noisy courtyard fell silent.

The Head Mistress stared at Lu Yuerong for a long time, then said in a deep voice, "Kneel!"