Jin Wuyong clung to her again, embracing her waist from behind and caressing the stretch marks on her belly.
After successfully losing weight, Consort Shu hated when people touched her flaws. She angrily swatted his hand away, "If you're afraid of dying, I can find someone else. Let's not meet again."
She turned to leave, but Jin Wuyong grabbed her slender wrist and pulled her into his arms. "Afraid? If I were afraid, I wouldn't be entangled with you, Consort Shu. But you only have the Emperor in your heart. Do you have any of the feelings from back then left?"
"Slap!"
Consort Shu struck him across the face. "Don't talk about the past. If it weren't for your Jin family's betrayal, my Wu family wouldn't have ended up like that. If it weren't for my consideration of you, do you think I would have let Consort Jin live until now?"
Jin Wuyong tenderly wiped the tears from Consort Shu's face and sighed, "The Jin family owes you. Let the lives of the Jin family members repay that debt!"
From the moment he chose to be seduced by Consort Shu, he had committed a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of his family.
There was no turning back now. This was what the Jin family owed to the Wu family and to Consort Shu.
Consort Shu's eyebrows lifted with delight, "You agree?"
Jin Wuyong silently lit a candle in his heart for Concubine Zhen, "The guards the Emperor sent to watch over Hexi Palace are my brothers. I'll find a way. But you... stop trying to lose weight. You're perfect as you are."
The Emperor's heart was no longer here; losing more weight wouldn't help and would only harm her health.
Gradual weight loss would be fine, but Consort Shu had lost dozens of pounds in just one month.
After not being together for over a decade, there was indeed much distance between them.
The young man who once spoke every word to please Consort Shu now danced on her landmines with every syllable, not even a punctuation mark could enter her ears favorably.
She brushed off Jin Wuyong perfunctorily, "It's time. I should go back."
Although the Palace of Exile was vast and empty, there were still a few bitter souls assigned to guard the main gate. Too much commotion would be discovered.
In the pitch-black night, Consort Shu donned a dark cloak, almost blending into the darkness. As the autumn wind blew, the cloak fluttered, and in a few flashes, Consort Shu's silhouette vanished.
Half an hour after Consort Shu left, Jin Wuyong finally dressed properly and left the Palace of Exile.
"Has the Consort returned?"
"What should we do? The Emperor has been waiting for two hours."
After Consort Shu recovered, she was sent back to Jingren Palace by the Empress Dowager.
However, the main quarters of Jingren Palace now belonged to Consort Shu's younger sister, Noble Consort Rong. They had fallen out, and she would absolutely not give up her position.
At this moment, the side hall of Jingren Palace was in chaos.
Noble Consort Rong stood beside the grim-faced Xuanwu Emperor, her face showing concern, "Your Majesty, my sister went out alone without even taking a palace maid or eunuch. We don't know where she went. I was so worried that I sent Lianqiao to Hexi Palace to request Your Majesty's presence."
It was also because Jiang Xinyue and she had a tacit understanding and was willing to let people in that they could request the Emperor's presence.
If Jiang Xinyue hadn't been clever and thought she was there to steal people, not letting Lianqiao in, there wouldn't have been this good show tonight.
Jiang Xinyue was not only clever, but she also explained to the confused Xi Que, "Have you forgotten that the Emperor arranged for Consort Jin's brother to be a guard at Jingren Palace?"
"What does that have to do with Consort Shu's disappearance?"
"You fool!"
Shuang Jiang finished tidying up the bed and turned to Xi Que, "Didn't the Empress say that Guard Jin was almost engaged to Consort Shu before? If Guard Jin is in Jingren Palace, do you think Lianqiao could come out to request the Emperor's presence?"
Xi Que stared at Jiang Xinyue with wide eyes, and Jiang Xinyue nodded in agreement.
She opened her mouth wide, "You mean... Consort Shu and Guard Jin... they're together... Ah!"
A lone man and woman, who once had a relationship, both missing at the same time – how could others not speculate?
This was like dry wood meeting a raging fire, you know what that means!
No wonder her mistress so readily let Lianqiao in; she had already come to an understanding with Noble Consort Rong.
All the lights in Jingren Palace were extinguished, with only dim candlelight flickering in the main hall.
Noble Consort Rong liked to stay up late, but Consort Shu paid no mind to this and tiptoed towards the side hall.
"Lianxin... Lianxin..."
Consort Shu called out in a low voice several times, but Lianxin didn't answer. Just as she was about to push the door open herself, Lianxin responded with a trembling voice, "Consort, where did you go? Why are you back so late?"
Consort Shu thought she was afraid of being discovered missing, so she opened the door and untied her cloak, "Why haven't you lit the lamps? Afraid Noble Consort Rong would discover I was gone?"
She handed the cloak to Lianxin, but in the darkness, Lianxin didn't reach out to take it. Instead, she fell to her knees with a thud.
Then, the candlelight in the room brightened, and Consort Shu's cloak fell to the ground. Her eyes could only see the Xuanwu Emperor's face, dark as the bottom of a pot.
How could this be?
She had made sure that the Emperor was supposed to stay in Hexi Palace tonight. Why did he suddenly come to Jingren Palace?
"Sister seems very afraid to see the Emperor," Noble Consort Rong fanned the flames from the side. "Could it be that you went somewhere you shouldn't have and saw someone you shouldn't have?"
Consort Shu pressed her hand against her wildly beating heart and managed a somewhat natural smile, "Sister is joking. I only went to the Imperial Hospital. I heard that Yan the Imperial Physician is skilled in treating women's diseases, so I went to get some medicine. If sister doesn't believe me, you can send someone to the Imperial Hospital tomorrow to ask Yan the Imperial Physician."
Sure enough, under her cloak, her hand was holding several large packages of medicinal herbs.
The Emperor's eyes flashed with a sharp light, but his expression quickly changed to one of concern, "Consort Shu, are you feeling unwell? Why didn't you summon the Imperial Physician during the day?"
Why did she have to sneak out at night?
Consort Shu showed a look of embarrassment, hesitating to speak. Seeing that she had a ready explanation, Noble Consort Rong immediately found a way to back down, "Your Majesty, my sister has a women's ailment. How could she openly speak of it? Especially since my sister just had a miscarriage. If her private parts are not treated properly, it could even be transmitted to Your Majesty. My sister must not want such private medical issues to be known, that's why she went secretly. But sister, you're being too cautious. You even kept it from me. Do you think I would spread it around?"
Yes, she really would spread it around.
She hurriedly repeated Consort Shu's words before the Emperor could misunderstand, seemingly forgetting that she herself had been the one to invite the Emperor to Hexi Palace.
Consort Shu forced a stiff smile and walked up to the Emperor, showing off her slender waist after losing weight. "Yan the Imperial Physician has examined me. I've recovered greatly, and these medicines are for strengthening my constitution. Emperor, it's been a long time since you've come to see me..."
There was a hook in her eyes. If the Xuanwu Emperor didn't recall her plump and unkempt appearance on the day she gave birth, he might have been somewhat moved.
