Hearing the voice, Wen Yunmian turned and saw Mi Yuheng approaching.
He stood tall and straight, looking all the more gentle and refined beneath the night sky, though his features held the lofty pride of a man confident in his talents.
When Wen Yunmian stopped, Mi Yuheng raised his hands in a respectful salute. "This humble official, Mi Yuheng, pays his respects to Noble Lady Yan."
Wen Yunmian smiled. "There is no need for such formalities."
"I learned today that it was you, Noble Lady Yan, who recommended that I come here. I understand that you wished to give me a chance to distinguish myself and bring me to His Majesty's attention. Please accept my thanks!"
Wen Yunmian's expression was gentle, a faint smile in her lovely eyes. "Since you realize I am helping you, you should seize this opportunity. Whether His Majesty entrusts you with important duties will depend on your own abilities."
Mi Yuheng's gaze shifted, and he promptly answered, "Rest assured, my lady. I will never betray your kindness in helping me advance. If I have the chance to make something of myself, I will certainly repay you."
"Then I shall wait and see." Wen Yunmian smiled and said no more, leaving with Yun Fei and Yun Yang.
Mi Yuheng stood rooted to the spot, watching her slender, delicate figure move gracefully through the night. Even his eyes, usually so flirtatious and devoid of lasting affection, could not help becoming ensnared.
But Mi Yuheng quickly pulled himself free of that spell, for Eunuch Lu had arrived.
"Imperial Physician Ni, His Majesty summons you."
Mi Yuheng was a clever man. He nodded to Eunuch Lu. "Yes. I will go at once."
Only after Mi Yuheng left with Eunuch Lu did Yun Yang look back and ask softly, "My lady, why did you use today's incident to help Imperial Physician Ni advance? We have no ties to him whatsoever."
Yun Fei, on the other hand, was bewildered. "When did Her Ladyship help Mi Yuheng advance? How could you tell? Why didn't I notice?"
Yun Yang tapped Yun Fei's forehead helplessly. "You eat so much every day, yet why haven't you grown any cleverer? Her Ladyship could have exposed Imperial Physician Rong directly in the hall today. If they continued arguing, she could simply have asked His Majesty to send anyone else from the Imperial Medical Bureau to examine the pills."
"Even if Imperial Physician Rong could blot out the sky with one hand, not everyone would submit to him. Besides, with His Majesty's authority bearing down on them, who would dare act recklessly?"
"But Her Ladyship deliberately made no mention of that. Instead, she invited Imperial Physician Ni to come and expose the matter. Wasn't that precisely because she wanted to help him rise?"
Wen Yunmian looked at Yun Yang with a smile, surprised that she understood her so well. "You're right. But whether this succeeds will still depend on him."
"You don't even know him, my lady. Why help him?"
Wen Yunmian paused briefly, then curved her lips. "I happened to hear of him before and knew he could be of use to me. Besides, we truly ought to have someone of our own at His Majesty's side. Now that we have removed Consort Shu's trusted confidant, there are few people in the Imperial Medical Bureau who can immediately take over as its director. I believe Mi Yuheng has the ability."
The sooner he gained control of the Imperial Medical Bureau, the more she would benefit.
After returning, Wen Yunmian changed out of her clothes and put on a jade-colored gown, letting her long hair fall loose. Yun Yang and Yun Fei prepared hot water for her, then massaged her shoulders.
"Today was truly frightening. Fortunately, the pills sent out from our palace weren't something used to bewitch His Majesty. Otherwise, you certainly couldn't have walked out of Chanyang Palace unscathed, my lady."
A dark gleam passed through Wen Yunmian's long, narrow eyes. She motioned for Yun Fei to fetch the box beneath the dressing table. When she opened it, several black pills lay inside.
At the sight of the pills, both Yun Fei and Yun Yang were stunned.
Yun Yang said in shock, "My lady, these aren't quite the same as the pills found today. Could they really be Peach Blossom Song?"
Wen Yunmian nodded. "Yes. Today, I changed into your clothes and slipped back here. These pills were tucked among the petals of the pink chrysanthemums in the room."
When the pink chrysanthemums had been brought in that day, Wen Yunmian had inspected them carefully and found nothing unusual. She herself knew medicine and was extremely sensitive to this sort of scent, so someone could only have added them afterward.
It seemed it was time to lure out the traitor in Peony Pavilion and eliminate them.
Wen Yunmian closed the box. "It was sheer luck that we discovered this in time. But whoever placed these pills among the pink chrysanthemums must be eliminated."
Yun Yang and Yun Fei looked at Wen Yunmian anxiously. "Do you have a plan, my lady?"
Wen Yunmian turned to Yun Yang. "Starting tomorrow, let word slip in front of Qiukui that I am infertile-and that there is absolutely no possibility of my conceiving."
Yun Yang's eyes widened. "My lady, you mustn't say such things carelessly. If His Majesty hears of it, I fear his favor toward you may end for good."
After all, the duty of the imperial consorts was to bear children for the sovereign. If a consort was infertile, the sovereign might not even spare her a glance.
Wen Yunmian gave a mysterious smile. "Just do as I say."
Then Wen Yunmian turned her gaze to Yun Fei. "Your task is to tell Shukui that I am naturally fertile and can conceive extremely easily."
Yun Fei was equally bewildered. "My lady, wh-why?"
Wen Yunmian's snow-white face wore a cool expression. "If someone uses my infertility to attack me in a few days, then Qiukui is the traitor. If any consort becomes particularly wary of me and deeply displeased, and attempts to render me infertile, then Shukui is the traitor. We can also follow the vine to the melon and find out who planted someone among us."
Only then did Yun Yang and Yun Fei understand, and both smiled with their lips pressed together.
"Rest assured, my lady. We know what to do."
In the days after returning from Chanyang Palace, Wen Yunmian received no further summons to attend Jun Chenyu in bed. She did not even get to see him once.
Noble Lady Wei, by contrast, was frequently summoned to his bed over those days and remained at His Majesty's side, enjoying an unbroken stream of favor.
Wen Yunmian's sudden loss of favor left the people in the palace both delighted and confused.
Some thought His Majesty's fascination with Wen Yunmian had faded, and so he had cast her aside.
Others felt His Majesty should have favored her to make amends and comfort her. Yet instead, he had simply left her out in the cold. The consorts with any sense could not help feeling that the sovereign's heart was truly unfathomable.
With Wen Yunmian neglected, most of the palace servants, ever eager to curry favor with the powerful, began treating her coldly as well.
Seeing the flowers in Peony Pavilion wither and the greenery and lawns, usually so neatly trimmed, grow uneven, Wen Yunmian could not help sneering. They truly were a bunch of weeds on a wall, bending whichever way the wind blew.
When Yun Fei entered, she said indignantly, "His Majesty has only stayed away for a few days, and those wretched servants already think nothing of you, my lady. Before, they clearly sent Silver-Thread Charcoal for our fires, but today they delivered ordinary black charcoal. Winter has already begun, yet they dare be so careless with us. This is outrageous."
Wen Yunmian continued practicing her calligraphy with unhurried composure. "Don't worry. This stalemate will soon be broken."
Wen Yunmian continued practicing her calligraphy methodically. "Don't worry, the deadlock will soon be broken."
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