“This… well, sometimes pregnant women experience stronger reactions. It’s common for them to eat poorly or sleep poorly,” the imperial physician expined. “Li Fei only needs to rest quietly. Once she passes four months, things will stabilize.”

  Everyone exchanged subtle gnces—how interesting. His Majesty had spent the night with the Empress, and now Li Fei couldn’t sleep?

  What exactly was that supposed to mean?

  A consort was not supposed to be jealous, least of all jealous of the Empress. That would be improper.

  “How strange… is it that she often can’t sleep?” Rong Fei sighed deliberately. “I thought Li Fei simply didn’t sleep well st night.”

  Her words subtly implied that Li Fei was overthinking things.

  Why would a pregnant woman always be restless?

  There was no concept of "caring for a pregnant woman’s emotions" in this era. If something went wrong with the child, it would naturally be bmed on the mother. Even though people said pregnant women should avoid sorrow and overthinking, if a woman carrying a prince still dared to covet favor, it was considered improper.

  “Li Fei’s temperament is admittedly a little willful, but she’s pregnant now,” Xian Fei added meaningfully.

  Wumian remained seated at the head, listening to them pile insinuations onto Li Fei without speaking a word in her defense, nor joining in. She simply listened.

  Guifei and Min Fei both stayed silent. Jiang Zhaorong, who normally would have spoken up, said nothing today either.

  She gnced at the Empress. Since the Empress wasn’t speaking, she too kept quiet.

  After all, now was not the time. His Majesty was still inside.

  If he overheard them, he might grow angry. He cared for Li Fei—there would be no gain in provoking him.

  Later, in private, this rumor—that Li Fei had endangered her pregnancy out of jealousy over His Majesty staying elsewhere—would inevitably spread.

  Wumian sat quietly, waiting to see what the emperor would say.

  After a while, Li Fei’s personal maid came out, bowed, and reported, “His Majesty said that the consorts may return to their paces. He asks that the Empress also return. Our mistress has no serious ailment—she simply didn’t sleep well st night and felt a little unwell. Her Ladyship said that once she feels better in a few days, she will pay a formal visit to the Empress to apologize.”

  Wumian smiled faintly. No one could tell whether it was amusement or mockery. She rose. “Linshui, go in and check on Li Fei. Offer my greetings to His Majesty as well.”

  She turned, lightly holding Feixu’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  Guifei gnced toward the inner chambers and smiled. “Yes, let’s.”

  Linshui entered the inner hall and bowed respectfully. “Greetings to Your Majesty. The Empress and the other consorts have already departed. Her Majesty instructed me to check on Li Fei, out of concern for her well-being.”

  Ying Qionglou nodded. “The Empress is thoughtful.”

  “I’ve troubled the consorts and the Empress today,” Li Fei said softly, leaning against her pillow. Her complexion was poor, her dark, silky hair cascading across the bed like flowing ink—undeniably beautiful.

  “Your Highness’s health is what matters most. Are you feeling any better? I must know, so I can properly report back to Her Majesty,” Linshui asked gently.

  “It’s nothing serious. I’m just a little tired. Please thank the Empress on my behalf,” Li Fei replied quietly.

  “Yes, I will rey your words exactly.” Linshui bowed once more, then turned to the emperor. “Her Majesty also instructed me to offer greetings to His Majesty. She has taken her leave.”

  Ying Qionglou’s gaze softened. “Very well. Tell the Empress I will dine with her another day.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Linshui bowed and left.

  Li Fei sighed lightly. “The Empress’s maids are truly well-trained and proper. I don’t have such obedient girls by my side.”

  “Your people are fine as well. Don’t overthink it,” Ying Qionglou replied casually, clearly not wishing to linger on the topic of the Empress.

  Whether Li Fei noticed or not, she soon changed the subject.

  Meanwhile, Wumian and the others exited Hanliang Pace. Jiang Zhaorong asked, “Your Majesty, may I accompany you for a while?”

  “My pace is dull. Shall we take a walk in the garden instead?” Wumian suggested.

  “That sounds wonderful. I’ll accompany you.” Jiang Zhaorong smiled.

  So they leisurely strolled toward Liuhua Pavilion behind Hanliang Pace.

  The pomegranate blossoms had mostly withered, leaving behind clusters of small, green fruit. The ones facing the sun had begun to blush faintly red.

  But the fruit was still small, and even when ripe, these ornamental pomegranates wouldn’t grow rge. They were far too sour to eat—their only value y in their beauty.

  "Your Majesty, Li Fei is far too arrogant," Jiang Zhaorong huffed. "You kindly went to visit her, yet she put on such airs, giving you no face at all."

  "How is Li Liangyi’s pregnancy progressing?" Wumian asked calmly.

  "For now, all is well. As for Li Liangyi herself… her mood isn’t good. But after what happened, it would be strange if she were cheerful," Jiang Zhaorong replied with a sigh. "Still, she knows how important the child is and has been diligently taking tonics, not daring to let anything happen to the baby."

  "Be sure to remind her not to overdo it," Wumian said as she sat in the pavilion. "Excessive tonics can make childbirth dangerous."

  "Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for the reminder." Jiang Zhaorong sat across from her, lowering her voice. "As for Li Fei… I will restrain myself, at least outwardly."

  "Good." Wumian’s gaze rested on the distant rippling water. "There’s no need to provoke her openly."

  "Understood. It’s just…" Jiang Zhaorong sighed again. "Sometimes I just can’t help it. The more I think about it, the angrier I get."

  Her frustration was ced with grief—the pain of losing her child. She knew well that she lived like a resentful woman, and it was precisely because of this that His Majesty no longer visited her.

  But how could she forget that hatred and pain?

  "Your rank is something granted by His Majesty," Wumian said mildly. "The emperor is still young. In a few years, there will be new faces in the pace. If Li Fei falls, there will be others. The more people there are, the fewer titles to go around."

  She left it at that.

  "Yes. From now on, I’ll follow Your Majesty’s guidance," Jiang Zhaorong replied respectfully.

  In the past, she had never paid much mind to the Empress. But now that the Empress was willing to show her a bit of favor, she would cling to it.

  She knew well enough that even though she held the rank of Zhaorong, a Third-Rank consort, without favor or a child, she was walking on thin ice. Should she ever offend His Majesty, being demoted would be all too easy.

  "It’s just… Li Fei is already so willful. If she bears a prince, I fear she’ll become even more presumptuous," Jiang Zhaorong added.

  "Isn’t it a little too early to be worrying about that?" Wumian said with a faint smile. "This is the Inner Pace, after all."

  Love and favor in the harem—how long could they st?

  Could it st long enough to sustain a consort’s favor for ten or twenty years?

  Even if Li Fei bore a prince, could that favor st until the prince safely survived inocution and was named crown prince?

  "Your Majesty’s composure… I cannot compare," Jiang Zhaorong said bitterly.

  "When you hate someone yet cannot do anything about them, don’t waste your energy on petty struggles. Remember—at the crucial moment, a single word or a single act is enough to crush someone completely. Not these little irritations that only chip away at you. When you have nothing, saying less and doing less is also a strategy. If others can’t see through you, that too is a form of power."

  "I understand," Jiang Zhaorong rose and bowed solemnly. "I will take this lesson to heart."

  "Enough. It’s not a lecture—just a bit of advice between us," Wumian waved her hand. "Let’s not speak of such unpleasant things anymore. The scenery is too beautiful to ruin with talk of the pace’s schemes."

  Wumian turned her gaze back to the shimmering ke.

  To her, dealing with Li Fei wasn’t the most interesting thing.

  But there was something far more important.

  Right now, Ying Qionglou—the emperor—could not tell the difference between the big joker and the little joker at the card table.

  That, she thought, could not be allowed to continue.

  ____

  (Transtor Xiaobai: The big joker and little joker refer to the two jokers in a deck of cards—one bigger (stronger) and one smaller (weaker), often used metaphorically in Chinese to mean who is the key pyer and who is dispensable or who is truly important and who is just a pawn.)