Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

She was in excruciating pain, and her forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

His entire body was covered in blood, and there wasn't a single unharmed spot on his white undergarment.

Xiao Heng understood everything: "Why did you bother coming to be a palace maid by my side?"

For nearly three months, he found nothing.

"If...if it weren't for that, how would Tang'er have had the chance to shield her cousin from that arrow? Even if...even if she died, Tang'er would have no regrets!"

"But—but cousin, please don't send me away. Since I was little, Tang'er has loved you. As long as I can be a palace maid and stay by your side all the time, that's enough for me."

It was a scene of perfect love and affection between the two men and women, a truly beautiful and touching sight.

Wei Rong stood there watching Xiao Heng, seeing the emotion on his face as he tightened his grip on Feng Wantang's hand.

She couldn't help but think of herself.

When Xiao Heng proposed to the Wei family, he visited three times, probably just like Feng Wantang is now, patiently waiting for her to fall into his trap.

But when it came to himself, whether it was Shen Mingxiu or Feng Wantang, they would put on an act and pretend to be affectionate, and he would believe them too.

It is clear that sincerity is essentially worthless; what is valuable are those pretentious acts performed with reckless abandon.

Suddenly I felt a pang of sorrow, for myself and for the Wei family.

"Tang'er, of course I won't send you away," Xiao Heng gently kissed the back of Feng Wantang's hand, then ordered, "Report my command: Feng Wantang is intelligent and virtuous, and bravely saved my life. From this day forward, she is hereby conferred the title of Consort Jia!"

At the emperor's command, everyone inside and outside the tent knelt and kowtowed: "Your Majesty is wise, and Consort Jia is well!"

"...Your Majesty." Feng Wantang finally felt satisfied and slowly fainted.

The imperial physician applied medicine to the wound, bandaged it, and then knelt down to report: "Your Majesty, although Consort Jia has lost a lot of blood, her life has not been damaged. With careful rest, she will recover completely."

Relieved, Xiao Heng tucked Feng Wantang in and left the inner room, only to see Wei Rong then.

"Why has the Empress come? Your legs are not feeling well, why bother running around?" Xiao Heng said calmly.

Knowing that he was suspicious, Wei Rong took the initiative to say, "Your Majesty, I have come to apologize."

"What crime has the Empress committed?"

Although she was supposed to be apologizing, Wei Rong sat on the wheeled carriage without moving, and said with a normal expression: "When my cousin Wan Tang learned that she had no chance to be selected for the imperial concubine selection, she came to me crying. She was sincere and only wanted to be by His Majesty's side. She had no other request. Seeing her unwavering devotion, I could not bear to refuse her and arranged for her to be in the Emperor's presence."

The deed had already happened, and Xiao Heng had guessed it.

Wei Rong was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and it was impossible for her not to know about Feng Wantang's arrival.

But—what's wrong with Feng Wantang simply being infatuated with herself?

As his legal wife, Wei Rong did not compete for his affections; instead, she fulfilled Feng Wantang's infatuation. So what was wrong with that?

If it weren't for them, I would be the one in danger today.

Therefore, when Wei Rong pleaded guilty, he had no grounds to punish her.

In the past two months, Wei Rong has toned down her sharp edges and indulged him a lot, as she learns how to be a good empress.

So he half-squatted down and looked at Wei Rong's legs: "Does your leg still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt." Wei Rong asked, "Won't His Majesty punish me?"

Xiao Heng reached out to hold her hand, and noticed Wei Rong tremble. He quickly lifted her sleeve and discovered that her palm was covered in blood and flesh beneath the wide sleeve!

"Why is this?" Xiao Heng's expression changed. "Physician Hu!"

The imperial physician, Hu, had just finished treating Feng Wantang when he arrived and was shocked to see her: "Why has Your Majesty mutilated yourself?"

The mottled bloodstains were clearly scratched out by fingernails.

For ordinary people, being injured is unavoidable, but to cut oneself until one bleeds is something that no one could do unless their emotions were extremely volatile.

Physician Hu cleaned Wei Rong's wound, applied medicine, and then withdrew.

Wei Rong said casually, "It's just a minor injury, Your Majesty need not worry."

However, Xiao Heng was suspicious.

He didn't press Wei Rong further, but instead gave Zhu Yi a look, signaling him to investigate who Wei Rong had seen during their hunt.

He then patted Wei Rong's shoulder reassuringly: "You must have been too nervous when you heard that I was injured."

Then he noticed that Ling Xianru was still in the tent, and he praised her, "I must thank you for this time. If you hadn't killed the assassin in time, I'm afraid I wouldn't have escaped danger so easily."

Ling Xianru shifted her gaze from Wei Rong's hand: "It just so happens to be near His Majesty."

"Your Majesty," Shen Mingxiu suddenly burst into the tent and went straight to Xiao Heng.

She threatened to kill herself, leaving Yun Sheng with no choice but to let her go. She gave Wei Rong an apologetic look and then left.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Shen Mingxiu pointed at Wei Rong: "The Empress knew all along that Feng Wantang was by Your Majesty's side. This assassination attempt might have been planned in order to save Your Majesty and allow Feng Wantang to ascend to the throne!"

Xiao Heng frowned: "My beloved concubine, please be careful with your words."

Shen Mingxiu was no longer rational: "Doesn't Your Majesty find this strange? There was only one assassin, and he was killed by the Prime Minister in time, without even leaving a confession. The Empress scratched her palms raw; wasn't that because she knew the plan was underway and was nervous?"

"Otherwise, I really can't figure out why it would be such a coincidence!"

Xiao Heng's gaze slowly swept over Ling Xianru.

He was clearly persuaded by Shen Mingxiu and had some doubts about it, wanting to hear Xianru's explanation.

It was indeed too much of a coincidence.

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Wei Rong's eyes. She was about to speak when Ling Xianru spoke first.

Under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, Ling Xianru was still able to laugh, though the smile did not reach her eyes.

Shen Mingxiu felt a pang of fear; this was a dangerous sign.

But she didn't originally intend to implicate Ling Xianru; it was he who went too far and was trying to destroy her completely.

He didn't even keep a glimpse of that stack of drawings for himself, he just took them all!

Feng Wantang's matter just happened to give her an opportunity to make a fuss about it. If nothing goes wrong, given Xiao Heng's suspicious nature, she will definitely be able to sow discord between them.

She didn't believe that without the emperor's trust, he could still sit comfortably in his position as prime minister!

"It seems that Consort Xian came for this humble subject," Ling Xianru said, holding a plum she had picked from somewhere, unripe and greenish-blue. "This is quite strange to this humble subject."

Xiao Heng's expression also softened: "Just explain. I will take into consideration your merit in protecting me. Even if there is some hidden meaning in this, I will just consider it as you playing around."

His words were magnanimous, meaning that if you admit it now, I will not hold it against you.

It may seem like they were given room to admit their mistakes, but that's not actually the case.

Wei Rong knew Xiao Heng all too well; once he began to suspect anyone of coveting his power, he would treat that person as a thorn in his side.

My father is the best example.

Ling Xianru has been with Jun for so long, she should know his personality.

Besides, Feng Wantang's matter had nothing to do with him, so he didn't need to fabricate some dubious stories to deceive Xiao Heng.

Thinking of this, she wanted to speak again.

However, Ling Xianru spoke first: "I was wrong to kill the assassin, and I need to explain my involvement. Why don't you explain to me, Consort Xian, that your actions are related to your father accepting bribes?"

"What?!"

Shen Mingxiu blurted out incredulously, "What nonsense is the Prime Minister spouting?"