At this point, the ministers simply thought the Emperor did not want Shen Nian to hear about Chang Sheng's treason from elsewhere, so he was coaxing and reassuring him.
Later, when they finally realized the true nature of the relationship between the Emperor and Marquis Zhenbei, one by one they would feel that they had been utterly blind.
How could today's exchange between the Emperor and the Marquis have been mere mutual flattery? They had been openly speaking words of affection! It was just that those ministers had little experience with such things and had never considered that possibility.
Qi Junmu and Shen Nian finished their performance. At this moment, everyone's attention was fixed on Chang Sheng's death, and not a single person suspected that the Emperor had any hand in it.
Shen Nian's own performance also greatly reduced the suspicion on him. Many people believed that Chang Sheng, having colluded with foreign enemies, truly deserved to die.
No one but Shen Nian knew that the accusation of collusion only emerged after Chang Sheng's death.
A different order of cause and effect often leads to a different root of the matter—but unfortunately, not everyone could perceive the hidden causality beneath the surface.
In the end, the Emperor kept Shen Nian behind. The way he did it made it clear he was trying to soothe the Marquis's heart.
Lin Xiao left with the other ministers. As he departed, he cast a glance at Shen Nian, his expression inscrutable.
Even Lin Xiao did not suspect the Emperor in Chang Sheng's matter. He was firmly convinced that Shen Nian was inextricably involved.
He had no good opinion of Shen Nian—that man had ruined far too many of his fine plans.
First, he had beaten Wen Yao, and Wen Zhuo still had not been promoted. The Wen family had produced an Empress beloved by the Emperor, yet it had brought them no glory whatsoever—who would believe that?
The Yue family needed no further mention. Yue Yunzhou had once had a brilliant future ahead of him, and Shen Nian had utterly destroyed it.
If Shen Nian were not in the court, Lin Xiao would surely have a much easier time.
Qi Junmu saw Lin Xiao's thoughts clearly.
He shook his head inwardly and, after the others had left, said to Shen Nian, "You have been wronged."
"What is there to feel wronged about?" Shen Nian smiled slightly. "To share Your Majesty's burdens is the proper duty of a subject."
Qi Junmu paused. He had meant to say something more, but in the end, his lips moved and no words came out.
Still, he stepped forward and took Shen Nian's hand, interlocking their fingers. Silence spoke louder than words.
While the Emperor had completely shaken off all suspicion, Wen Zhuo, on the other hand, fell ill as soon as he returned home.
The timing of his illness was rather convenient—on one hand, the Emperor had just told him he was sick and should rest well at home, which in essence meant he was to stop attending court. Wen Zhuo knew he had misspoken before the Emperor, and his heart was filled with terror.
Once home, he truly fell ill.
That night, his fever spiked. By the time Madam Wen discovered it, he was nearly delirious, mumbling incessantly for the Emperor to spare his life.
Madam Wen stayed up the whole night tending to him. Only after Wen Zhuo broke into a cold sweat and the fever subsided did she finally feel at ease.
Her face was haggard with exhaustion. At a time like this, she should have kept quiet and lain low, but after a moment's hesitation, she decided to enter the palace to see Wen Wan.
The fact that Wen Zhuo had been rebuked by the Emperor could not be hidden from anyone. If they made no move, the Wen family would become a laughingstock.
For the Empress's maternal family to be mocked by commoners—that would be the ultimate disgrace.
If the Wen family lost face, then Wen Wan, as Empress, would also lose her luster.
Moreover, Madam Wen felt the Emperor had done it on purpose. Even if Wen Zhuo had misspoken, without evidence, the Emperor's words were a deliberate slap to Wen Zhuo's face, meant to humiliate the Wen family.
This was a delicate matter to handle; the best approach was to start with Wen Wan.
When Madam Wen entered the palace, the Emperor was in the middle of writing a letter to Qi Junzhuo. Upon hearing the news, he let out a soft laugh and said, "Coming to the palace at this hour to see the Empress—what, does she think the Empress can interfere in state affairs?"
Ruan Jiqing looked at the Emperor, whose eyes betrayed no emotion, and dared not say a word.
He knew better than anyone how much the Emperor had once adored Wen Wan—and also how much he now disdained her.
He did not understand what had happened in between. It was as if overnight, the Emperor's feelings for the Empress had been buried under ice and snow. He was so cold toward her that he granted her no dignity whatsoever.
Take this very matter—if he truly cared for the Empress, would he have been so merciless to Wen Zhuo?
Ruan Jiqing simply could not fathom why the Emperor would act this way.
As he was mulling this over, he suddenly heard Qi Junmu add: "In the future, mention less of the Empress's affairs before Shen Nian. No need to make him uncomfortable."
Ruan Jiqing snapped out of his thoughts and quickly acknowledged the order. He felt a wave of emotion—the Emperor had shifted his affection from Wen Wan to Shen Nian. The only question was how long this favor toward Shen Nian would last.
Ruan Jiqing did not know how long the Emperor's affection for a person could last.
During the reign of Emperor Jing, Ruan Jiqing had spent every day in terror at Qi Junmu's side. In his view back then, Emperor Jing, as a sovereign, had no heart. The women of the rear palace all feared Emperor Jing—they craved his favor yet dared not act presumptuously before him or make excessive demands.
They were supposed to be the closest of people, yet they interacted like strangers.
Now that Qi Junmu had become Emperor, Ruan Jiqing felt that he was entirely different from Emperor Jing. Emperor Jing had been heartless and cold, but Qi Junmu was deeply devoted.
When he favored Wen Wan, she was the only one in the rear palace.
Wen Wan was frail, so Qi Junmu bore all the pressure himself, never allowing the Empress Dowager any opportunity to control her.
Before Emperor Jing passed away, the Empress Dowager had tried to place people in Qi Junmu's palace, but he had sent them all away without hesitation. At the time, his thinking was simple and clear: he loved Wen Wan, and they were still young—matters of heirs could wait.
Until Wen Wan bore him his eldest legitimate son, Qi Junmu had no intention of keeping any other woman.
Back then, Qi Junmu was not yet the Emperor and would sometimes speak his heart to Ruan Jiqing.
Ruan Jiqing remembered it clearly. On one occasion, Qi Junmu had once again gone against his mother—who was not yet Empress Dowager at the time—for Wen Wan's sake. When he returned to his quarters, Ruan Jiqing urged him not to keep clashing with her, saying it would only harm both sides.
Qi Junmu had replied, "I know I should not anger Mother Consort, but neither can I stand by and watch her suffer an unspoken injustice."
That night, Qi Junmu said something very sincere to Ruan Jiqing, his voice carrying a simple hope: "Wan'er is unwell. Even if she bears our eldest legitimate son, she will not be able to endure others' ill treatment. Before our child grows into adulthood, I will never give anyone the chance to harm them."
Ruan Jiqing was startled and asked, "Third Prince, do you mean to never take a secondary consort in your entire life?"
Qi Junmu replied indifferently, "What difference does it make whether I take one or not? Look at Imperial Father—he has so many consorts around him, yet his days are no happier for it. I don't see him particularly joyful."
At that time, Ruan Jiqing felt both admiration and alarm—admiration for the prince's innocence in matters of the heart, and alarm that he would dare to judge Emperor Jing so openly, unafraid of being overheard and punished.
Recalling those old days, Ruan Jiqing's lips curled into a faint smile.
But the smile lingered only a moment. How fickle the world was—the prince who had once cherished his wife so deeply now seemed equally cold.
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