"After enduring the summer heat, she'll recuperate behind closed doors?" The concubines in the harem expressed their surprise upon hearing this: "Wasn't Lady Li just fine before? Why suddenly affected by the summer heat?"
In Yikun Palace, Princess Consort De paused her gardening work slightly and asked curiously, "What did the Imperial Physician say?"
"The Imperial Physician is still in Luaxin Pavilion, but I heard that Lady Li went to the Imperial Study alone to see the Emperor after lunch. When Lady Li came out, there was the Jade Carriage waiting for her, and it was Eunuch Donglai, the Emperor's trusted aide, who personally escorted Lady Li back."
Donglai is a disciple of Shen Quan, just like Shen Quan, he only obeys the Emperor. It's not easy to get useful information from him.
"Getting heatstroke is her own doing, unwilling to stay quietly in the palace, insisting on going to the Imperial Study under the scorching sun! Enough with the gardening!"
With a "snap" sound, Princess Consort De threw the scissors back into the basket.
Jingxiang Palace.
Consort Zhuang worriedly said, "Xuan'er, should mother send someone to check on her?"
Yan Zixuan, with a smile on his jade-like face, took a sip from the tea bowl on the table before speaking gently, "What is there to be concerned about, mother? She's not truly ill."
"What do you mean by that, Xuan'er?"
"Does mother know why Yu'er went to the Imperial Study?" Yan Zixuan answered with a question.
"Why? Could it be because of..." Consort Zhuang gradually understood, but still seemed a bit uncertain.
Yan Zixuan nodded with a smile, "Yu'er became 'ill' after returning from the Imperial Study; Brother was furious in the Imperial Study, causing quite a mess. What do you think she said to Brother there?"
Consort Zhuang smiled knowingly, "Then shouldn't Xuan'er have a good talk with her and advise her not to block this matter anymore?"
"Can't say. The more Yu'er causes a scene, the angrier Brother becomes. Then, on my way to Beihuang, there'll be more 'crises', and by then..."
Yan Zixuan placed down the tea bowl and shared a smile with Consort Zhuang.
The female protagonist, once again the talk of the town, was currently hiding in her inner room, checking her personal savings.
"Why is it all gold and silver, isn't there any paper... oh, no silver note?" Li Yuyu looked at the chest full of gold and silver, feeling overwhelmed.
It'd be too heavy to carry all this around.
"Concubine, why are you concerned about how much silver we have? Shouldn't you be thinking about how to calm the Emperor down this time?"
Hua Yin said with reddened eyes.
From the moment Li Yuyu insisted on going to the Imperial Study despite the dissuasion, Hua Yin had been on edge. Hearing of Li Yuyu's 'summer heat', her tears hadn't stopped, though she just managed to hold back her sobbing.
"Oh, you don't understand. Go wash your face and let Feng Yin come in to attend to me."
Li Yuyu couldn't bear to see Hua Yin cry, her pitiable appearance was almost enough to make her hesitant to leave her behind.
That's right, Li Yuyu had made up her mind on the way back, she couldn't stay in the Imperial Palace any longer.
According to the plot in the book, Yan Xiu, this Emperor, wouldn't last long. In less than a year's time, the Dasheng Dynasty would have a new Emperor. It was she who naively thought she could influence Yan Xiu's decisions. It's true that Yan Xiu liked her, and ultimately she died because of him, but who can predict matters of the heart? Besides, she wasn't the same Li Yuyu as before.
Especially during the 'communication' in the Imperial Study earlier—let's call it communication—she was really scared at that moment. Yan Xiu's gaze was chilling to the extreme, making her feel like her head could be lost at any moment.
"Not an illusion, it's not an illusion."
Li Yuyu shook her head and touched her still-intact neck with lingering fear.
Be it Yan Xiu or Yan Zixuan, both are dangerous individuals. To preserve her life, the best way was to leave the Imperial Palace and stay far away from these two. If she didn't involve herself in their conflict, surely she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire, would she?