Night fell, and the palace lanterns were lit one by one.

Consort Ru arrived at the Imperial Study Room. When she saw the still-shut doors, her heart tightened.

"Imperial Concubine."

The Chief Eunuch waiting outside stepped forward expressionlessly and bowed. Though there was a smile on his face, his body directly blocked the path.

"His Majesty has given a verbal decree: no one is to enter without being summoned. Please return."

Consort Ru’s delicate brows furrowed. She spoke with a hint of worry, "I am merely concerned for His Majesty’s well-being. The autumn days are cold, and it would be terrible if he were to fall ill. I’ve specially prepared some simmered snow pear and fritillary bulb to soothe his throat and clear his lungs. If you would be so kind—"

Before she could finish, a deep, resonant voice came from within.

"Let her in."

Joy filled Consort Ru’s heart as she personally carried the bowl of simmered snow pear and fritillary bulb into the Imperial Study Room.

The doors closed slowly behind her. Consort Ru looked inside and saw Emperor Muwu leaning back in his chair, feigning sleep with his eyes closed.

The candlelight cast a glow on his face, revealing a hint of fatigue.

"Your Majesty."

Consort Ru carefully set the bowl down, then moved behind him and began to massage his shoulders.

She applied the perfect amount of pressure. The tension in Emperor Muwu’s brow gradually eased, and with a long sigh, he gently patted her hand.

Only then did Consort Ru speak softly, "Your Majesty hasn’t left this room all day. You are working too hard. While court affairs are important, your health is even more so."

She didn’t mention the events of the day.

Emperor Muwu was silent for a long time before he spoke, as if asking a question and yet muttering to himself, "Could it really have been my fault?"

Consort Ru’s heart skipped a beat, but she showed no trace of it on her face. She said with a gentle chide, "Your Majesty is the Emperor. How could the Emperor ever be at fault?"

Emperor Muwu didn’t answer her. He seemed to be lost in memories of the past, his mind adrift.

Consort Ru knew he was thinking about Ye Zheng.

She had countless questions in her heart, but she couldn’t voice any of them—it was not her place as a harem concubine to ask such things.

"Right, I heard our second son came to the palace today?" Emperor Muwu asked, snapping out of his reverie.

Consort Ru quickly explained, "Yes. He originally wanted to come pay his respects to Your Majesty, but when he heard you were busy, he didn’t dare to disturb you. He stayed to chat with me for a while and then left."

After listening, Emperor Muwu gave a faint "Mm."

"He has always understood me best."

Without asking any more questions, Emperor Muwu ate half the bowl of simmered snow pear and fritillary bulb and then had Consort Ru return to her quarters.

As she walked out of the Imperial Study Room, a cold gust of wind blew past, and Consort Ru suddenly felt a chill seep into her bones.

She couldn’t help but glance back. For some reason, she felt a strong, yet indistinct, sense of unease growing in the pit of her stomach.

She couldn’t pinpoint where the feeling came from. Everything seemed to be perfectly in order; even His Majesty’s attitude toward her was the same as always.

No one else was allowed to come, yet she alone was permitted. This in itself was a special favor others couldn’t even dream of.

’Perhaps... I’m just overthinking it?’

Consort Ru replayed the recent events in her mind over and over. Convinced that there was nothing unusual about the Emperor’s behavior, she forced herself to push away her thoughts and suppress the surging anxiety in her heart.

"Your Ladyship?"

A palace attendant reminded her in a low voice.

Consort Ru gathered her sleeves. When she turned, her beautiful and graceful face was once again a picture of gentle calm.

"Let’s go back."

...

This was destined to be a sleepless night for many.

Ye Shixian had been keeping watch for a long time. Finally, after much difficulty, Ye Mingze’s high fever subsided slightly.

Unexpectedly, just one hour later, Ye Mingze’s fever returned, burning even more fiercely than before.

Ye Shixian had no choice but to continuously send people to fetch fresh water, wiping Ye Mingze’s forehead and palms again and again.

After doing this several times, she was utterly exhausted. Overwhelmed with sleepiness, she had to call for Shaoyao and the others to take over.

But with the Ye Family in a state of panic, how could the servants and maids possibly serve with their full attention? They were careless in looking after Ye Mingze. One clumsy servant spilled half a basin of water on him and simply replaced the blanket without a second thought.

The night dragged on. Ye Shixian lay with her eyes open, clearly exhausted and drowsy, yet she couldn’t fall asleep.

She was even afraid of the dawn, because no one knew what tomorrow would bring.

A few months ago, everything had been fine. How, in the blink of an eye, had they fallen into such a dire situation?

...

「Murong Mansion.」

"Did all those things I told you before go in one ear and out the other?!"

A low, harsh voice filled with obvious anger berated him.

Murong Ye knelt on the floor. His knees ached, and his calves had long gone numb.

He had been kneeling since daytime.

"I wouldn’t dare!" he answered, his head bowed.

Murong Yang sneered. "You wouldn’t dare? I think you’re more than daring! If I hadn’t sent someone to follow you, I never would have known you were bold enough to sneak over the wall into the Ye Family’s backyard! Do you take the guards for fools?!"

Murong Ye couldn’t help but look up and argue his case. "Rest assured, Father. I was careful. They didn’t notice me—"

SLAP!

The sharp sound of a slap echoed. Murong Ye was completely stunned by the blow, unable to recover for a long moment.

Murong Yang was so angry he laughed. "Who do you think you are? What great abilities do you possess?! Don’t you forget! The ones guarding the Ye Family right now are Shen Yanchuan’s men!"

These words instantly provoked Murong Ye’s resentment.

His jaw tightened, and he clenched his teeth, a fire of defiance still boiling in his chest.

"In your eyes, that Shen Yanchuan is better than me at everything, isn’t he?"

Everyone in the Capital City knew Murong Ye was proud and competitive by nature. His horsemanship and Imperial Archery were both first-rate, and he never settled for second best.

But few knew that the one he truly considered his mortal enemy was not his peers in the Capital City, but Shen Yanchuan, who had been away from the capital for years.

Ever since they were children, Murong Yang had compared him to Shen Yanchuan countless times, which had long ago sown seeds of dissatisfaction in Murong Ye.

He simply couldn’t understand what it was about Shen Yanchuan that made his father so wary.

Naturally, he was unwilling to accept it!

However, Murong Yang was completely unmoved, merely looking down at him with cold indifference.

"At the very least, Shen Yanchuan wouldn’t lose his head over a woman and do something so foolish! You know perfectly well that the Ye Family is a hot potato right now, yet you still insist on getting involved?! I really don’t know what kind of love potion that Ye Shixian has fed you! Don’t you forget! Her father is still locked up in prison!"

Murong Ye vehemently retorted, "Those rumors are all false! How could he possibly harm his own brother?! This is definitely a frame-up!"