Ying Qionglou naturally had little appetite. He hadn’t rested well the day before, and although he was young and strong, even he couldn't escape the effects of fatigue.

  Waking up to such unsettling news filled him with irritation, making it hard to muster any desire to eat. However, since the Empress had kindly offered to join him for a light meal, he felt he couldn’t turn her down.

  Watching Wumian eat stirred a bit of hunger in him, so while he didn’t consume much, at least he managed to eat something.

  Outside, Guifei and the others waited, each woman stewing in her own tangled emotions.

  Li Fei had always been the unofficial favorite, not to say she was the only one receiving favor, since Guifei was clearly favored as well.

  There were others, too, but Li Fei had always stood out.

  And now? Li Fei had gotten herself into trouble, and everyone was waiting for the Emperor’s decision. As for His Majesty?

  He’d gone to eat with the Empress in a side hall…

  Honestly, the whole thing was baffling. How did the Empress even dare?

  Yet the reasoning behind it—concern that the Emperor hadn’t eaten—was so proper, no one could fault her.

  And it wasn’t as if any of the other women had eaten either. Most of them had come on an empty stomach. The Emperor had been scowling all morning—who’d dare bring up breakfast?

  Only the Empress.

  Because she was the Empress. Whether or not she was currently favored, the Emperor couldn’t deny her that face.

  While the concubines were still waiting outside, Lu Zhong had already prepared everything. The purpose of this assembly was clear—to publicly report the incident. He was still investigating the pharmacy outside the pace, which would take time.

  Ying Qionglou and Wumian returned from their breakfast once everyone had arrived.

  After the usual formal greetings, the imperial couple took their seats, and Ying Qionglou nodded at Lu Zhong.

  Lu Zhong stepped forward and gave a brief summary of the incident. After all, this was something every member of the harem needed to treat as a serious lesson.

  Ying Qionglou couldn’t let Li Fei off the hook just because he had favored her. If he ignored it now and the matter resurfaced ter, it would reflect poorly on everyone involved.

  As the women listened, their expressions were full of frowns and shock, some gasping in exaggerated horror.

  But inside, they were delighted. Surely Li Fei would be demoted after this? Serves her right.

  “Guifei,” Ying Qionglou called.

  Guifei rose immediately. “Your Majesty, this was my failure. There are many people in the pace, and I was negligent. Still, Li Fei was foolish to take unprescribed medicine. Whether it was a mistake by the pharmacy or a deliberate act of sabotage, she now deeply regrets it.”

  She was seething inside. Li Fei just had to make trouble. One wave hadn’t settled before another one hit.

  “I assume Your Majesty has already sent someone to investigate the pharmacy,” Wumian said with a sigh. “Li Fei was reckless. But still, she’s had a hard time of it, suffering mishaps time and again. That said, even if she bears most of the bme, we can’t overlook the ck of oversight throughout the harem. How did she manage to bring those pills into the pace in the first pce? This is no small matter. If anything can be brought in so easily, how can we ever feel safe?”

  “Her Majesty is right,” Jiang Zhaorong added. “Just thinking about it makes one uneasy. Your Majesty must investigate thoroughly.”

  “Indeed. I was terrified when I heard Li Fei had been harmed,” said Xu Liangyi, who was visibly pregnant. “If someone had truly harbored ill intentions, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable.”

  Ying Qionglou gnced at her. She was wearing a loose robe, but her belly had already begun to show.

  Compared to Li Fei’s constant troubles, Xu Liangyi’s pregnancy had been peaceful and uneventful—rgely thanks to Wumian’s careful protection.

  No wonder Wumian had urged him to visit her.

  A woman like Xu Liangyi, who quietly and safely carried his child, was indeed worthy of appreciation.

  On that point, Ying Qionglou truly felt grateful to Wumian. Surely someone had been watching over Xu Liangyi. Only Wumian had the authority and influence to offer such firm protection.

  Even if the Empress had her own motives, so what? It was still his child.

  He gnced over at Wumian. She didn’t quite understand the meaning behind his look, so she continued, “The situation with Li Fei is already settled. Investigate as needed. But Guifei, you must now turn your attention to thoroughly vetting all the pace servants. Today, it was a medicinal pill slipped into Li Fei’s chamber. What if, one day, something ends up in His Majesty’s food? Or in the meals served to our princes and princesses?”

  At that, all the mothers in the harem tensed. The thought alone was terrifying.

  “Yes, I will investigate thoroughly,” Guifei said.

  “And how do you pn to conduct this investigation?” Ying Qionglou asked.

  Guifei froze briefly, then answered, “I’ll start with Hanliang Pace. Everyone Li Fei has come into contact with—every maid, every servant—will be investigated. Any personnel handling the movement of goods in and out of the paces will be a priority.”

  Wumian shifted in her seat, leaning slightly on the armrest, listening without interrupting.

  Guifei continued, “The pace is vast and heavily staffed. I’ll need to take my time, but I’ll begin with Hanliang Pace. Finding the culprit there takes precedence.”

  She had a point. It was clear someone had harmed Li Fei. Even if she’d foolishly brought the medicine in herself, how had so many Great Cold Pills ended up inside it?

  "Someone must’ve tampered with things from outside the pace," Ying Qionglou said gravely.

  He turned his head. “Wumian, what are your thoughts?”

  Wumian gave a faint smile.

  She didn’t change her posture at all—only turned her head slightly to look at him. “Your Majesty, I don’t quite understand the question. Guifei is the one managing the harem. Why are you asking me for my opinion?”

  Ying Qionglou was taken aback, frowning slightly. “You’re the Empress.”

  “And because I’m the Empress,” Wumian replied evenly, “you expect me to wrestle pace authority back from Guifei when something goes wrong? If Guifei gives a good pn, we follow hers, and if I give a better pn, you make her follow mine—is that it?”

  “Isn’t that a little too arbitrary of you, Your Majesty?”

  Though Wumian was still smiling, every word she spoke carried thorns—sharp, deliberate, and utterly unapologetic. She didn’t give the Emperor any face at all.

  Screw you.

  You brainless idiot. I’ve been too indulgent with you. What now—you want me to squabble in public with your precious Guifei for a chance to look competent? Are you dangling a meatless bone just to amuse yourself watching your “dogs” fight over it?

  And yes—that was exactly what Ying Qionglou had in mind.

  But now that Wumian had flung it straight into his face, he had no way to admit it out loud.

  It was the first time she’d spoken back to him so directly—and right in front of the entire harem!

  If he lost his temper now, he’d look petty. But if he didn’t—he’d be holding in all this indignation.

  “Your Majesty, please don’t be angry,” Guifei quickly interjected, trying to ease the tension. “Her Majesty is just concerned. That’s all.” Inside, she thought: The Empress hasn’t changed one bit. Still so reckless.

  Only now, instead of being reckless toward us, she was throwing barbs at the Emperor himself.

  Ying Qionglou turned the full weight of his fury onto Guifei. “If Guifei cannot manage the harem properly, then she needs not manage it at all. From this day forward, hand the responsibility back to the Empress.”

  Guifei was stunned. “Your Majesty…”

  Ying Qionglou didn’t look at her. He looked at Wumian. “You’re right. You’re the Empress. There’s no need for you to argue with concubines over anything. From now on, the management of the harem is yours once more. And for this incident—” his voice turned cold, “—I expect a satisfactory answer.”

  He would admit it—he was speaking out of anger.

  Though returning the harem’s authority to Wumian was inevitable—he’d never pnned to keep her sidelined forever—he hadn’t intended to do it like this. But now? He was too riled up to care.