When the Emperor took matters into his own hands, the truth was uncovered by that very afternoon.

  After all, the matter itself was not particurly complicated. It was clear from the start that something was wrong with the people around Li Liangyi—otherwise, how could she have come into contact so easily with something she shouldn’t have?

  "Your Majesty, His Majesty has already relocated Liu Baolin to a secluded residence," Du Kang reported. "There’s no formal decree yet, but everyone who served Liu Baolin has been arrested."

  Wumian raised her brows. "So it was her?"

  Linshui nodded. "It's not impossible."

  Du Kang had no idea what they were talking about and wisely chose not to ask.

  Half an hour ter, an imperial decree was issued: Liu Baolin was demoted to the rank of Gengyi (a low-ranked pace maid), her conduct deemed improper, and she was permanently forbidden from serving the Emperor.

  That evening, the Emperor came to Fengyi Pace. It was obvious he had come about this matter.

  "Liu Shi’s family passed along a few medicinal recipes," the Emperor began. "She herself admitted that she only intended to give Li Liangyi a rash. When she was a pace maid candidate, she was bullied by Li Liangyi and has held a grudge ever since. This was her way of seeking revenge."

  "Liu Shi certainly has a good memory," Wumian remarked. "If she remembered this, I wonder what else she remembers?"

  After all, new pace maids were thoroughly searched upon entering the pace. No one could bring written recipes inside. If she remembered it, it had to be committed to memory.

  "She’s not without a bit of cleverness," Ying Qionglou said coldly. "She dissolved the medicine in water and soaked it into the inner lining of Li Liangyi’s clothes. Li Liangyi wore them without suspicion a few times. Liu Shi’s concubine mother was once a medical woman."

  "So that’s how," Wumian nodded in understanding. "But did she know that the symptoms would mimic a venereal disease?"

  "Naturally, she refused to admit it—cimed she didn’t know," Ying Qionglou sneered.

  "Truly vicious," Wumian shook her head. How deep must the hatred have been?

  "This woman cannot be kept," the Emperor said coldly.

  Wumian only nodded without speaking.

  No matter how the Imperial Medical Bureau boasted about its female physicians, the truth was that society at rge disliked women trained in medicine.

  Men already controlled women harshly—who wouldn’t fear a woman who knew how to strike back with poison? And in prominent households where heirs were precious, who would dare bring a physician’s daughter into their family, lest she tamper with heirs?

  Thus, though practical, female physicians were viewed as lowly and dangerous.

  Before long, Liu Shi was ordered to take her own life. Her corpse was returned to her family.

  The Liu family soon lost their official positions as well, though that was another matter entirely.

  Once Liu Shi died, the Empress Dowager naturally questioned the Emperor. Ying Qionglou reported to her personally.

  The Empress Dowager was furious. Two new pace women had entered the harem, and one was already dead—how disgraceful!

  So she simply selected two more from among the waiting pace dies, originally candidates to marry into the imperial cn.

  Both were granted the title of Yunu. One was Qu Yunu, the other Yu Yunu.

  The two newcomers were assigned to reside in the side halls of Ziyun Pace.

  "Your Majesty, the new pace dies are here to greet you," Linshui reported.

  Wumian nodded and stepped outside, where she saw the two newcomers dressed properly, quietly waiting.

  When they saw her, they immediately bowed deeply.

  "You needn’t have hurried over," Wumian said gently. "You could’ve waited until morning greetings."

  "We wouldn’t dare neglect our duty," Qu Yunu replied. "We entered the pace early today. It’s only proper to first greet Your Majesty."

  "Indeed, it’s the rule," Yu Yunu echoed.

  Both girls came from respectable families and had originally been intended as primary wives to imperial cnsmen.Now, they had been swept into the pace and would have to start their climb from the bottom—it was not an easy road.

  "Very well," Wumian smiled faintly. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Is your residence satisfactory? If not, you may ask Guifei. I no longer oversee such matters. But if even Guifei cannot resolve it, you may come to me."

  The two young women didn’t quite understand but quickly agreed.

  That night, word came that the Emperor had visited Guifei.

  "Hmm, it’s been a while since he’s gone to her, hasn’t it?" Wumian asked casually.

  "Yes," Zhaohua replied. "Since the new pace women entered, this is only the second time."

  "Oh?" Wumian smiled faintly. "And they say she’s favored. Clearly, favor in the harem is unreliable. So many beauties—how could he possibly stay with just one?"

  "Naturally. Since the new dies entered, many have seen less of His Majesty. Even Li Fei hasn’t been summoned often in the past two months. Compared to them, Xian Fei has it worse—she’s lucky if she’s summoned once in half a year. And when she is, it’s merely to share a meal and look in on the child," Zhaohua said.

  Wumian nodded. That was indeed the norm in the harem.

  And speaking of Li Fei, she was punished the very next day. The Empress Dowager ordered her confined for a month.

  "What happened?" Wumian asked in confusion.

  "Apparently, in the Imperial Garden, Li Fei said something improper to the Empress Dowager and was punished," Linshui reported, equally surprised.

  "Ah, well," Wumian said indifferently. "The Empress Dowager has long wanted His Majesty to favor the newcomers. This is likely her way of making that happen. A month isn’t serious—it’s only confinement. She didn’t forbid His Majesty from visiting."

  Linshui blinked in surprise. Could it be like that?

  Regardless, Li Fei was confined.

  The Empress Dowager had disliked her ever since she rose to favor.

  The st time she had spoken to the Emperor and Empress in private, the Empress Dowager had explicitly urged him to favor new women, citing Li Fei’s inability to conceive.

  Now, she had taken direct action.

  Wumian found it rather amusing. A mother truly did hold the highest authority—casually confining her son’s favored concubine as though it were nothing.

  Ying Qionglou likely wouldn’t protest on Li Fei’s behalf. At most, he’d visit her after a few days.

  "Keep a close eye on Xu Liangyi," Wumian ordered. "No matter what, her pregnancy must proceed safely."

  "Yes, Your Majesty. Rest assured. Jinbo often visits her, and now that everyone knows you’re watching, no one dares make trouble. After what happened to Li Liangyi, no one will risk anything," Linshui assured her.

  "Good. Come, let’s take a walk in the Imperial Garden. Surely we won’t run into the Empress Dowager."

  "Certainly not. And even if you did, she wouldn’t reprimand you," Lingshui ughed.

  When they reached the Youmeng Pavilion, Wumian asked, "Is Fu Meiren feeling better?"

  "She should be able to get out of bed by now. But she rarely goes out. She likely won’t attend morning greetings for a while. And she’s not eager to be summoned either," Linshui replied, her tone somewhat complicated.

  "Everyone has their own aspirations," Wumian said casually.

  "Indeed. Fu Meiren has always kept to herself—she rarely speaks or causes trouble. If she weren’t the Empress Dowager’s niece, I doubt anyone would even remember her," Yanming remarked.

  "Everyone has their own path." Wumian gnced in the direction of Jinhua Pavilion. The residence remained quiet and peaceful. It was such a prime location, yet its mistress seemed not to care for it at all.

  In the following days, the Emperor did not enter the harem again. By the end of the month, he accompanied the Empress Dowager to the summer pace.

  Only one person was chosen to go with the Empress Dowager—Fu Meiren.

  She was finally well enough to walk, though her movements were still sluggish, and she looked far more gaunt and worn than before.

  The Empress Dowager called her to ride in the same carriage. Inside, the Empress Dowager sighed and said, "You’ll accompany me for these two months. It will do you good, help you clear your mind. But how is it that the more time you’ve spent recovering, the more haggard you’ve become?"