Chapter 465

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

"Mother Consort, Mother Consort, Mother Consort"

Hearing the calls, Shen Yao hurriedly put down the teacup in her hand, and her casually bent waist slowly straightened. "Outside are Cheng'er and Xi'er."

As her words fell, the door concealed by the curtain was lifted open from outside, and two round little heads poked out one after another.

Yu Cheng and Yu Xi toddled on their short little legs toward the bedchamber with a patter of steps, with Xiao Fu following behind calling for them to slow down.

Snowflakes drifting onto them met the warm environment and instantly melted into water droplets.

Yu Xi shook her furry winter clothes, frowned, and pleaded with Xiao Ji to help her change.

"Me too, me too"

Yu Cheng waved his little hand, tilted his head, and leaned next to Xiao Ji, calling out in a way that softened her attitude.

Xiao Ji let out a soft sigh, then bowed to her master, turned, and led Yu Cheng and Yu Xi next door to change into clean clothes.

Shen Yao glanced at Xiao Fu. "The Emperor didn't come?"

Xiao Fu pursed her lips. "Master, the Emperor was going to come, but on the way he ran into people from Qimei Palace, so he had this servant send the two young masters back first."

Shen Yao let out an "oh" at that. "He Meiren seems to like intercepting this palace's favor."

Xiao Fu hurriedly urged her master to stay calm, not to quarrel too much with He Meiren. "Master just wait for He Meiren's imperial heir to be born; she'll have a hard time of it later."

Shen Yao waved her hand to let Xiao Fu rise, thinking to herself that He Meiren would have to be able to give birth to the heir in her belly — it was a dead fetus that couldn't be born anyway.

"This palace never quarreled with her; whether the Emperor comes to Furong Palace is a trifle." What Shen Yao valued wasn't these things.

"Have the small kitchen prepare the meal, and wait for Cheng'er and Xi'er to return to dine together.

Also tell the palace people responsible for the main gate to mind the time; tonight they need not keep night watch."

"The Emperor went to Qimei Palace and won't come out; He Meiren's greatest skill is keeping people."

Xiao Fu lowered her head and answered "Yes," then turned and went out to make arrangements at the small kitchen.

"Host, He Meiren's pregnancy will last half a month at most; what ideas do you have?"

The system popped out, babbling on as it sentenced He Meiren's dragon fetus to death.

Shen Yao smiled, one hand touching her own abdomen, and said casually, "What ideas could I have? He Meiren failing to keep the fetus is not my responsibility; I'll just stay in Furong Palace and watch the show."

System:...

"Host really thinks that?" That's so unlike you, Host — you're actually willing not to scheme something.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao rolled her eyes. "You spend all day circling the harem watching the show, and still have leisure to care about my thoughts?"

The system explained that even though it watches the show it hasn't neglected the Host — even the news of He Meiren's pregnancy was told to the Host by it first thing.

Shen Yao bent a finger and tapped the tabletop. "Because of the news of He Meiren's pregnancy, the Emperor's confidence in his own body and the harem consorts has greatly increased, and he already plans to delay the Empress's investiture.

Shen Chunbai and Shen Changyu are defending the border; victory reports from the front line arrive frequently, yet the Emperor only gives some face-saving words as rewards, with no substantive promotion."

This won't do; before anything's really happened, the Emperor plans to kick away the ladder — these are what Shen Yao has been worrying about lately.

The system understood the Host's meaning. "The Emperor temporarily doesn't want to invest the Host as Empress; what must the Host do to make the Emperor relent?"

The earlier borrowing a knife to kill left aftereffects; several imperial clan relatives successively backed down and exited, the court situation constantly shifting, the Emperor monopolizing the reins of power — a true one-man hall.

The result of smoothing things over is that the Emperor's temperament has become increasingly extreme; the slightest hitch in court affairs and he knits his brows and turns cold.

This also makes the Emperor's sole-supreme consciousness hard to change; if the Host doesn't use some ruthless strong medicine, the Emperor has the ability to just drag his feet and ignore it.

"Dealing with this sort of person, one cannot use force, only softness" — overcoming hardness with softness, slowly dividing and dissolving, is the best method.

"Host has a plan?"

"Wait and see; who knows, this play may need He Meiren and the others to cooperate."

System:... He Meiren cooperate? A pregnant woman cooperate with what? Don't tell me it's cooperate with an abortion.

A prophecy fulfilled

No wonder it's said this one person and one system can become good partners.

Snow passed, sky cleared, sunlight just right.

Today Shen Yao wore a set of winter clothes trimmed with a fur collar, a few jade hairpins simply inserted in her hair, and a teardrop-shaped ornament resting against her forehead.

"Just a trip to Qianqing Palace; has the small kitchen's meal been prepared?"

Xiao Ji, while putting the collar sleeve on her master, replied everything was already packed; they only needed to wait for the master to board the sedan chair to set off.

Shen Yao nodded at that. "Let's go, don't keep the Emperor waiting."

Early this morning, Yu Cheng and Yu Xi were again taken to Qianqing Palace by Li Guiquan.

Shen Yao had originally planned to stay in Furong Palace this morning and not go out, but she received a message sent by the Emperor's people, so she simply tidied up and went out.

As the sedan chair waiting at the palace gate was steadily lifted, Shen Yao leaned back against the chair back and closed her eyes to rest.

The system jumped in her mind. "We're really going to take the opportunity to do this again? Won't it arouse the Emperor's suspicion?"

"Suspect what? There's still He Meiren." Shen Yao propped her forehead with one hand, using the cover to slip the fake pregnancy pill silently into her mouth.

Fake pregnancy pills come in many types; some have the effect of passing fake for real, but have a time limit. The one Shen Yao used is a tool with a specific time and specific effect.

Choosing today carries some other meaning; of course the main reason is the Emperor's bad mood.

"People in a bad mood easily do irrational things.

Border emergency, court officials shifting blame to each other, the harem unsettled — just thinking about it gives a headache, let alone the Emperor these past years having smooth sailing."

System: ……

The more the System listened to the Host speak like this, the more terrified it became; even if all of this was true, it still wasn't a reason for the Host to scheme against the Emperor.

The Emperor, sigh, the typical representative of "I alone am supreme" in feudal society; suspicion and jealousy ran through their entire lives, they boasted of being "the Solitary One," yet in reality, aside from authority, they truly had nothing at all.

A few years ago, the Host schemed once by borrowing the Noble Consort's hand, and the evidence still remains on the Emperor's chest.

Right now the Host intends to repeat the old trick; once the Emperor reacts, he will certainly settle accounts after autumn.

"That's why I said, there's still He Meiren," Shen Yao drooped her eyes to look at her freshly painted red nails, "He Meiren's fetus cannot be kept, my fetus is also gone, the Emperor cannot possibly suspect himself, so who will bear this black pot?"

Shen Yao curved her lips, indicating that the court officials could still be so tactless at a time like this; they would surely have to foot the bill for the Emperor's anger once more.

"There are so many Imperial Clan relatives; the previous Princes either died or were crippled, and the ones left would be honest? Just thinking about it makes it impossible."

Releasing her propped-up chin, Shen Yao raised her head to gaze at the palace not far away, "From the moment we entered the palace, it was said that our opponents were never these harem concubines, but that Emperor sitting on the Dragon Throne."

The one who ultimately blocked Shen Yao's forward steps was also the Emperor; just like the alternation of new and old that always appears in a clan, Yu Cheng grew up bit by bit, Yu Yu grew old bit by bit, and father and son would one day stand in opposition of interests.

What Shen Yao does now is all to try to avoid the arrival of that day.

As for how to avoid it? Send the Emperor offline in advance, letting him go meet the Yu Guo ancestors with the beautiful picture of fatherly kindness and filial piety — what an excellent suggestion.

System: ……

The System didn't know what to say; in its heart it constantly worried the Host might accidentally capsize, but thinking of the previous incidents, uh, perhaps it was thinking too much?

"Facing different people, the chosen strategies differ," Yu Yu simply isn't a wise monarch in the literal sense; he leans more toward mediocrity.

He just doesn't stand out, doesn't show his face; he can't accomplish any earth-shattering great undertakings, nor does he produce the extravagance a fatuous ruler should have; giving charcoal in snow and adding flowers to brocade are both unrelated to him; he is a perfectly ordinary Transition Emperor; aside from the Yu Guo Imperial Clan Genealogy, his recorded life amounts to only a sentence or two, and even those must include his birth and death years.

Does a person like this require playing many mind games with? It's not only exhausting, but also easily invites trouble upon oneself.

"System, your worries suit clever people," but Yu Yu fundamentally isn't a clever person; the simpler and more direct the scheme, the more effective it is.

The System was left speechless, not because it was completely convinced by the Host, but also partly because in the big show about to be staged next, whether the story's direction can truly proceed as they imagine — we can only wait for the curtain to rise.

"Master, we have arrived at Qianqing Palace."

Xiao Ji's words interrupted Shen Yao and the System's wrangling, and also pulled Shen Yao's thoughts back to reality.

A faint discomfort from within her abdomen reminded Shen Yao of the Fake Pregnancy Pill's effects.

The sedan chair touched ground; placing her hand on Xiao Ji's arm bend, Shen Yao lifted her step forward, and soon encountered Li Guiquan waiting outside.

"This servant greets Noble Consort Niangniang; may Niangniang be auspicious."

"Li Zong Guan, please rise; I wonder where the Emperor is? Have Cheng'er and Xi'er been mischievous?

This Palace specially brought some pastries today, and asks Li Zong Guan to convey the message on my behalf."

Li Guiquan: ……

Li Guiquan's eyes widened slightly; as Shen Yao looked over with a smile full of laughter, he tactfully reminded this Noble Consort Niangniang who had two Imperial Children under her knees, "The Emperor's mood is unsettled due to the morning court matters; perhaps Niangniang should first go to the Pian Dian to see the Little Prince and Little Princess?"

Going to see the Emperor at this time would very likely result in collateral injury; after all, just a quarter-hour before the Noble Consort arrived, the Emperor had just scolded away a batch of court officials.

"Since it is so, this Palace thanks Li Zong Guan for the pointer," signaling Xiao Ji to hand over the food box, Shen Yao turned and, under Li Guiquan's guidance, entered the Pian Dian.

Li Guiquan himself took several deep breaths, then lowered his head to hide his face, pushed the door open and entered the Study.

As expected, Li Guiquan came out dusty and bedraggled, thinking to himself that if this food box hadn't been sent by the Noble Consort, he would never have wanted to provoke the current Emperor.

"Zong Guan"

The little eunuchs nearby sized up Li Guiquan, their eyes carrying curiosity.

"What are you shouting for? Do your own jobs well," Li Guiquan flicked the duster in his hand, turned and went to the Pian Dian where the Noble Consort and her two children were.

Shen Yao was currently huddled together with Yu Cheng and Yu Xi fiddling with the Imperial Household Department's specially made toys; all wooden structure, entirely smooth without any danger — one can see the ancients' wisdom must not be underestimated; the ancients' real life was also not backward and boring.

"Noble Consort Niangniang"

Li Guiquan smiled, indicating the Emperor had summoned her, "Hoping Noble Consort Niangniang will move to the Study."

Shen Yao smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, Li Zong Guan; this Palace holds the sentiment in my heart."

The implication being: in the future, if there are matters, one may go to Furong Palace; if help can be given, it will certainly be given.