Sent out of the palace?

Wen Yunmian's expression changed, and she exchanged a glance with Yun Yang. "It seems the fish we cast our long line for has finally taken the bait."

With Yun Yang in tow, Wen Yunmian made her way to Fengyi Palace. The moment she entered, everyone turned to look at her, their gazes brimming with mockery and triumph.

Ignoring their expressions, she bent her knees in a respectful curtsy to the Empress. "This concubine pays her respects to Your Majesty. May you enjoy every blessing and good health."

The Empress nodded. "Dispense with the formalities."

Following protocol, Wen Yunmian then turned and bowed to Consort Shu. "My respects to Your Highness."

Consort Shu no longer looked at Wen Yunmian with her former hostility. She leisurely curled her lips as she admired her crimson-painted nails.

Only after the Empress spoke did Wen Yunmian rise and take her seat.

The Empress looked at Wen Yunmian with particular pity. "Noble Lady Yan, are you aware of your own physical condition?"

Wen Yunmian paused, then hurriedly replied, "This concubine is not. But what is wrong with my health?"

Seeing her utterly bewildered expression, Consort Shu's smile deepened.

She cast Luyue a glance, and Luyue clapped her hands to summon someone inside.

Two matrons were escorted in under guard. They were the very matrons who had examined Wen Yunmian and Wen Leyan when the two women entered the palace.

Consort Shu raised her brows coldly. "As I recall, the selection has always been governed by a rule: any woman unable to bear children and provide the sovereign with heirs is ineligible to enter the palace. You two examined Noble Lady Yan and declared her healthy, which was why she was selected to serve His Majesty. Yet now I hear that she suffered cold damage in childhood that left her barren for life. Why did you not report this?!"

The two matrons kneeling on the floor trembled and raised their heads in terror. They had never known that Noble Lady Yan could not conceive.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, please judge this fairly. This servant truly knew nothing about Noble Lady Yan's damaged health or inability to bear children."

The other spoke through tears as well. "When this servant examined Noble Lady Yan that day, she was perfectly well."

Consort Shu raised her brows and looked leisurely at Wen Yunmian. "Oh? Then it seems that to enter the palace, Noble Lady Yan not only defied the regulations, but deliberately concealed the truth and committed fraud? You even managed to deceive two veteran palace servants. Noble Lady Yan, you truly are impressive."

In a previous reign, a bewitching consort had taken special pills to preserve her beauty. They had made her incomparably stunning but unable to bear children, so she had devoted herself to beguiling the sovereign, throwing the court into chaos and keeping him from morning audiences.

To win a smile from his beauty, the emperor had spared no expense, draining the people's labor and wealth to build her a palace. The common people had been filled with grievances, their suffering beyond words.

All of Northern Qi had nearly fallen because of it. From then on, the ancestors had decreed that women who were excessively beautiful and unable to bear children could not enter the palace.

A woman with children might compete for favor, but she still had to consider her offspring and would not dare act too recklessly. A bewitching consort with no such ties, however, would inevitably use every trick at her disposal to seduce the sovereign.

Now every consort and concubine had her eyes fixed on Wen Yunmian.

Consort Hui covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise and whispered to the quiet, seldom-seen Consort Jia beside her, "So she cannot have children. You certainly cannot tell by looking at her. But His Majesty already has difficulty producing heirs-not a single prince or princess has been born in the palace to this day. If she cannot conceive and happens to be paired with His Majesty, would that not pile difficulty upon difficulty? What year of the monkey and month of the horse would she have to wait for before conceiving?"

Consort Jia glanced at Consort Hui and reminded her helplessly in a low voice, "Please mind your words, Your Highness."

"Oh, yes, yes. I misspoke." Consort Hui smiled awkwardly. Though His Majesty's prowess in bed was astonishing, his inability to produce children was a palace secret. In a moment of rashness, she had actually blurted it out. Fortunately, no one else had heard.

Wen Yunmian sat quietly. Both she and Yun Yang understood now: the mole was Qiukui.

The Empress sighed helplessly. "The claim that Noble Lady Yan cannot bear children is merely an unfounded rumor. We still cannot be certain, so perhaps..."

Before the Empress could finish, Consort Shu interrupted her. "Since we cannot be certain, summon an imperial physician to take Noble Lady Yan's pulse. Then we will know whether she can bear children. If she cannot, palace rules require her to be sent to the Temple of Protecting the Nation, where she will spend her life with only an oil lamp and ancient Buddha statues for company."

Noble Lady Yu secretly curled her lips, her keen gaze quietly studying Wen Yunmian's expression.

Knowing that Noble Lady Yu was watching her, Wen Yunmian put her acting skills to use and looked toward Yun Yang beside her with feigned panic and helplessness in her eyes.

The panic between mistress and maid registered in Noble Lady Yu's eyes, finally convincing her somewhat.

Noble Lady Yu was Consort Shu's strategist. If she detected anything amiss, she would certainly warn Consort Shu at once, so they had to guard against her.

Soon, an imperial physician was brought in. After hearing Consort Shu's instructions, he walked respectfully up to Wen Yunmian. "Please extend your hand, my lady, so this subject may take your pulse."

Wen Yunmian obediently held out her wrist. While he examined her pulse, she glanced at Yun Yang and gave her a few instructions in a low voice.

Yun Yang nodded discreetly and slipped briskly out of the hall while the others were not paying attention.

Fengyi Palace remained quiet for a while, everyone harboring different thoughts. Noble Lady Wei, however, breathed a sigh of relief.

During Wen Yunmian's recent loss of favor, she had been summoned to His Majesty's bed most often. If Wen Yunmian could be driven off to a temple over this, it would be ideal for Noble Lady Wei.

Attendant Hui's eyes, meanwhile, were full of veiled darkness. Being sent out of Chanyang Palace the previous night had been an immense humiliation. She had spent the entire night carefully recalling that sweet voice begging for mercy, and only near dawn had she become certain it belonged to Wen Yunmian!

To think that wretch had seduced His Majesty while she was bathing! Such a scourge should never be allowed to remain in the palace!

At last, under everyone's scrutiny, the imperial physician withdrew his hand. The Empress hurriedly asked, "How is she? If Noble Lady Yan's health is indeed impaired, but not seriously so, surely some treatment will restore her?"

Consort Shu narrowed her eyes. Qiukui had overheard Wen Yunmian discussing her inability to bear children with her personal maid. How could that information be wrong?

The imperial physician knelt to answer, his face grave. "Your Majesty, forgive this subject's bluntness. Noble Lady Yan's health is indeed severely impaired, and her constitution is afflicted by yin cold. Leaving aside whether she can conceive easily, this yin-cold constitution alone is enough to render her barren for life. There may, however, be exceptions."

Consort Hui covered her mouth. Was it really that dire? What a waste of that face and all that favor.

Consort Xian curled her lips faintly, deciding to add fuel to the fire. "Have you sisters heard? When Attendant Hui served His Majesty last night, she called for bathing water seven times. She has nearly caught up with Noble Lady Yan. Even if Noble Lady Yan truly leaves the palace, it seems there will be someone to inherit her extraordinary favor."

Consort Shu's beautiful face instantly turned cold. Frightened, Attendant Hui shrank back and hurriedly clarified, "It was not this concubine. Last night, this concubine was sent out of Chanyang Palace. The one who served His Majesty was Noble Lady Yan."

At those words, quite a few expressions changed.

Consort Shu gritted her teeth in fury. That wretch Wen Yunmian again! Every time, she managed to make His Majesty break the rules for her. This time, no matter what, she had to be sent out of the palace.