CHAPTER 66 — HE CAN'T DO IT?!
"Don't trouble yourself?"
Ye Lan Jue repeated her words softly, a glimmer of amusement flickering in his eyes. Don't trouble and be at ease?
This woman truly had no idea what she was saying.
Just as he was about to speak again, a voice called from behind them.
"We pay our respects to Your Highness."
The Prime Minister approached, worry etched across his features. He had clearly come searching for his daughter.
"Father," Tang Ke Xin said quickly, turning towards him with undisguised relief. His presence felt like a lifeline thrown to her in the midst of a storm. With him here, she might yet escape the Third Prince's suffocating interrogation.
Seeing her unharmed, the Prime Minister exhaled quietly, tension easing from his shoulders.
"Imperial Physician Liu has sent someone to gather the herbs," he said, attempting to sound composed. "But… I wonder what method Master Hui Yuan taught you?"
He needed a plausible explanation for why he had interrupted the Third Prince. Without one, he would be guilty of overstepping.
"I shall go and check on Mother," Tang Ke Xin replied smoothly, seizing the opportunity he had offered. "I must ensure everything is prepared."
She turned and bowed politely. "Your Highness, this humble girl takes her leave."
This time, she did not forget to acknowledge him. After all, he had stopped her once already.
Ye Lan Jue said nothing. Taking his silence as permission, she slipped away quickly—thankfully, he did not stop her again.
---
By the time dusk settled over the estate, the Prime Minister's wife finally regained consciousness. Imperial Physician Liu had issued strict orders: she was not to be given any medicine, and several foods and herbs were expressly forbidden.
He prescribed nothing further, instead instructing Tang Ke Xin repeatedly to continue preparing the medicinal dishes exactly as she had been doing. Tang Ke Xin remained at the Prime Minister's wife's bedside, personally inspecting every item before allowing it near her.
With Imperial Physician Liu's stern warnings, no one dared act carelessly again. Even the old madame, who had been so vocal earlier, fell silent.
---
Kunning Palace — Early Morning
After the morning greetings, the other consorts withdrew, leaving only Imperial Concubine Ning seated beside the Empress. Yet Concubine Ning's expression was unusually weary.
"What is it today?" the Empress asked gently. "You seem rather out of sorts."
"I heard His Majesty visited Peace Palace last night," Aunt Xi said teasingly before Ning could answer. "Perhaps he has tired Imperial Concubine Ning."
"Aunt Xi, you jest," Concubine Ning replied with a forced smile. Her laughter lacked its usual ease.
Both she and Aunt Xi had entered the palace with the Empress years ago. Aunt Xi had cared for the Empress since childhood, and so Ning still addressed her affectionately.
The Empress, perceptive as ever, immediately sensed something amiss. Lowering her voice, she asked, "What troubles you? Speak freely. You need not hide anything from me."
Concubine Ning hesitated, then turned to Aunt Xi. "Aunt Xi… might you step outside for a moment? It is not that I distrust you, but this matter must not be overheard."
Aunt Xi, understanding at once, nodded. "Very well. I shall fetch some items from the storeroom." She slipped out discreetly.
The Empress leaned closer. "What is it? Even Aunt Xi must leave?"
"It concerns His Majesty," Concubine Ning whispered.
The Empress straightened, her expression tightening. "His Majesty? What has happened?"
"You know, Your Majesty," Ning began cautiously, "that whenever the Emperor visits a concubine, he has her drink a certain medicine… to prevent pregnancy."
"Yes," the Empress murmured. She had learned of this only later—His Majesty had never ordered such medicine for her when he stayed at Kunning Palace. She had never understood why he insisted the other women take it.
But it was his decision. Even as Empress, she could not interfere.
"Do you take the medicine every time?" she asked quietly.
As a woman of the harem, she knew how harmful such concoctions could be.
Concubine Ning gave a bitter smile. "If I told Your Majesty that His Majesty has not touched me in years… would you believe it?"
The Empress stared at her, stunned. Ning spoke lightly, almost jokingly, but the Empress knew she was telling the truth.
"But… did they not say His Majesty went to Peace Palace last night?" the Empress asked, bewildered. "How can that be, if he has not—"
"Yes, His Majesty came," Ning said softly. "He comes every month for a few days. But he has never touched me. He sits at the table, reads a book, and does not even glance my way."
She sighed, then looked at the Empress with hesitant concern.
"Your Majesty… has His Majesty perhaps contracted some illness? Could it be that he… cannot…?"
The Empress had just lifted her teacup when those words landed.
She choked violently, spraying tea across the table.
The Emperor… can't?
Impossible.
Every time he visited Kunning Palace, he left her half‑dead from exhaustion. Only the night before last, he had kept her awake until midnight.
If someone claimed the Emperor was incapable—she would not believe it even if she were beaten to death.
The Empress had always wondered about the Emperor's… enthusiasm.
He was, in her private thoughts, a man perpetually "soaked in rain and dew"—a poetic way of saying he behaved like a ravenous wolf whenever he visited her chambers. He doted on his concubines in name, yet somehow it was she who suffered the brunt of his relentless appetite.
She recalled, with a faint shudder, that the night before he had come to Kunning Palace, he had supposedly visited Imperial Concubine Ming. Ming was young, beautiful, and favoured. Yet the Emperor had still arrived at the Empress's palace the next evening with the same unrestrained hunger.
Was Imperial Concubine Ming not enough for him?
Was he truly so insatiable?
Or—heaven forbid—did he not even know which woman he had visited?
Impossible.
Even if he refused to touch the other concubines, he would never be so muddle‑headed as to mistake his own Empress.
"Esteemed Empress… does His Majesty come to Kunning Palace every time?" Imperial Concubine Ning asked hesitantly. It was an awkward question, but given the direction of their conversation, she no longer cared for propriety.
The Empress nearly choked again.
"Ahem…"
How was she supposed to answer that?
She certainly could not tell Ning that His Majesty touched her every time he came.
"Actually," she said with forced calm, "the Emperor rarely visits this palace."
Imperial Concubine Ning stared at her, stunned into silence.
The Empress felt her cheeks warm. She had lied without blinking, yet she herself could hardly believe the contrast. Why did the Emperor ignore the others, yet torment her half to death each time?
Before she could dwell on it, Ning's expression shifted—growing solemn, almost fearful.
"Esteemed Empress… this servant overheard something a few days ago."
"What news?" the Empress asked, her heart tightening at Ning's tone.
"Ever since His Majesty began favouring his concubines, he has always made them drink that medicine beforehand," Ning whispered, leaning closer. "The medicine that prevents conception."
"Yes, I know," the Empress replied, frowning. She had mentioned this earlier, but Ning's expression now made her uneasy.
"At first, this servant believed His Majesty simply did not wish for this servant to bear a child. The other concubines thought the same."
The Empress blinked.
"Is that not the case?"
The Emperor had only four sons—three born before his ascension, and one, Chen'er, born to her afterwards. Four princes were not many for an emperor, and he had no princesses at all. She had never understood why he prevented the concubines from conceiving.
Ning lowered her voice to a whisper so soft it barely stirred the air.
"A few days ago, this servant learned that His Majesty does not forbid conception because he does not want children… but because he cannot allow a woman to conceive."
The Empress froze.
"What did you say?" she breathed. "How can you speak such nonsense? His Majesty clearly has children—"
But her voice faltered.
Those children had all been born before he ascended the throne.
"Esteemed Empress, please do not be angry," Ning said quickly, dropping to her knees. "This servant would never dare speak falsely of such a matter."
"What is going on?" the Empress whispered, her fingers curling tightly beneath her sleeve.
"This servant once overheard Imperial Physician Liu," Ning said. "He said that His Majesty suffered an injury… and because of that, he can no longer allow a woman to conceive."
The Empress's breath caught.
"When… when was the Emperor injured?"
Her voice trembled despite her effort to remain composed.
Her back stiffened, her posture straight as a blade.
Her hidden hand clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palm, yet she felt no pain at all.