The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Tan Yuanshuang: "Why does Your Majesty say such a thing?"

"It's just the two of us here, so I won't beat around the bush with you," Qi Yitang said. "Last time at Baohua Temple, His Majesty and I both heard what you and General Song said in the woods behind the mountain."

Tan Yuanshuang shuddered, her fingertips clenching the handkerchief in her hand tightly.

She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse, "Your Majesty..."

It really was them.

Actually, when she heard Qin Lianyue's maid say that the emperor and the concubine were "having an affair" in the back mountain, she suspected that they had discovered it. However, afterward, the two pretended that nothing had happened, and she couldn't possibly go out of her way to expose herself.

"Don't worry, no one else knows except me and His Majesty. We will keep your secret."

Qi Yitang said, "Yanzhi has already said that if you leave the palace, there are no restrictions on marriage. General Song is currently on his way back to the capital. If you're willing, wouldn't it be a good surprise to meet him again after you leave the palace?"

surprise?

Tan Yuanshuang's eyelashes trembled, and a faint, self-deprecating smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "Your Majesty, between us... what surprise is there to speak of?"

She was three years older than Song Xinghe, who was now a young general with a distinguished military record, full of vigor and with a promising future.

And what about her?

A "discarded concubine" who was sent back to her family home, suffering from a heart ailment and with an uncertain fate, looked completely mismatched with that man.

Qi Yitang couldn't stand this self-pitying tone. She frowned and said, "How do you know it's not right if you don't try to fight for it?"

"Besides, you only have a heart ailment, not some terminal illness that will kill you immediately. Did the imperial physician say you wouldn't live more than three to five years?"

"If you only have three to five years left to live, shouldn't you be even more carefree and enjoy yourself to the fullest first, so that you can at least leave some good memories? It's better than dying and getting nothing at all."

Tan Yuanshuang was stunned.

Looking into Qi Yitang's bright eyes, I suddenly felt something gently pluck the string in my heart that had been taut for many years.

"I can't stand your indecisive, hesitant attitude!"

Qi Yitang became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, picking up her teacup to take a sip to moisten her throat. "All this worrying and hesitation is just a waste of precious time. If two people truly love each other, what does a three-year age difference matter? Even a thirty-year age difference can't stop them!"

Tan Yuanshuang remained silent for a long time.

The hall was so quiet that only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire could be heard.

She clenched and unclenched the handkerchief between her fingers, then unclenched it again.

Before he could say anything, Qi Yitang waved him away, "Alright, alright, go back and think it over carefully. Life is only a few decades long, don't let yourself have any regrets."

Watching Tan Yuanshuang bow and leave, Qi Yitang slumped back, completely losing the composure she had maintained.

She felt she was destined to be a workaholic.

After bringing Lu Linbai and her cousin together, she started worrying about Tan Yuanshuang and Song Xinghe, one thing after another, making her almost like the old woman at the Matchmaker Temple who was supposed to tie the red thread of fate.

However, helping others achieve their goals is a good deed in itself.

Today was another very kind day.

……

In the end, the imperial harem was almost entirely disbanded.

Bai Ruichu left on her own accord, while Tan Yuanshuang was allowed to return home by Qi Yitang.

He had already secretly spoken with Xie Ling, and once Song Xinghe returned to the capital to report on his duties, if both parties were willing, he would find a suitable time to issue an imperial decree to grant them a marriage and fulfill the wishes of the two lovers.

The remaining two are a man who is half-blind and needs medication year-round, and a woman who is easygoing and overweight and only loves to eat braised pork knuckle. Qi Yitang doesn't care whether they leave or not. As long as they stay in the palace, it's fine to have two more sisters to talk to.

But for some reason, Yue Mingzhu, who had been crying and begging to stay just two days ago, suddenly changed her mind and went to a villa in the suburbs of Beijing with Cui Zhiyin.

The villa is spacious and free from the rules and constraints of the palace, making it suitable for recuperation and retirement.

Qi Yitang respected their opinions, allowing the Imperial Household Department to provide the allowance as usual, arranging for the imperial physician to accompany Cui Zhiyin, and even bestowing two imperial kitchen cooks upon Yue Mingzhu.

Yue Mingzhu couldn't live without this food. With tears in her eyes, she said she wanted to be her sister again in the next life.

With everything arranged, Qi Yitang hadn't even had a chance to relax before sending someone to tell her to go to Cining Palace.

Whether it was the "friendly" conversation last time that made the Empress Dowager see things clearly, or Xie Ling's threat had an effect, the Empress Dowager's illness did improve, and she recovered even more "normally" than before.

It's so normal it's almost...abnormal.

When Xie Ling went to pay her respects, she would greet her with a kind and gentle manner, and occasionally she would have the imperial kitchen send a pot of soup to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which made her seem like a kind mother.

"May Your Majesty be well."

As soon as Qi Yitang finished paying her respects, a maid came forward with a bowl, and a strong smell of medicine wafted over her.

What did you give her to drink? She's not sick, why would she drink medicine?

Qi Yitang asked, "Mother, what is this?"

The air inside the Cining Palace was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The Empress Dowager sat there, still dignified and elegant, though the fine lines around her eyes were deeper and her complexion was not as rosy as it had been two years ago.

"Pregnancy-inducing medicine".

Qi Yitang: "?"

The Empress Dowager said, "The Emperor has been on the throne for almost three years, Empress. From now on, this palace will be your domain. As the mistress of the harem, it is your responsibility to bear children."

As the Empress Dowager, it is perfectly reasonable for her to worry about the imperial offspring, even if the emperor is not her biological son.

Moreover, Xie Ling is her own son, so there's nothing wrong with her hoping to have a grandson.

But the porcelain bowl contained a dark, black medicinal liquid that emitted a strange smell that sent chills down one's spine.

Qi Yitang looked utterly resistant.

"Empress," the Empress Dowager said, her tone becoming more forceful as she saw that the Empress Dowager had not moved for a long time, "This is a prescription that I spent a lot of money to find. Drink it and get your body in good condition so that you can have children for the Emperor as soon as possible."

Qi Yitang glanced at the medicine bowl again; it looked disgusting, and she didn't want to drink it.

"Let's leave it there for now and deal with it when it cools down."

The old woman moved the bowl closer, saying, "Your Majesty, this medicine is made with the finest herbs. If it gets cold, its efficacy will be diminished. Your Majesty, please drink it while it's hot, so as not to disappoint the Empress Dowager's kindness."

Qi Yitang suddenly felt that the scene was extremely familiar: a celadon bowl, black medicine, and a nanny forcing her to drink the medicine.

Isn't this exactly the same as the plot in those storybooks where concubines are forced to drink poison to commit suicide?

She was startled, her mind racing—

Would the Empress Dowager hold a grudge against her for taking the Empress position that the Qin family had been longing for, and for instigating Yanzhi to dismiss the harem, and deliberately poisoning her to death?