The eldest daughter's scheming, the crown prince's exclusive favor to the venomous concubi

Yue Leyun paused, and then Dingxiang continued, "Including Your Majesty and that princess, there are only a dozen or so people in this palace. Your Majesty should think carefully, lest that princess benefit from this."

Yue Leyun suddenly looked up at the door and asked, "Someone, do you know where the Emperor is right now?"

A maidservant came in and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor did not leave the palace when he left. It seems he went to Consort Ling's courtyard."

Yue Leyun slammed her fist on the bed and said coldly, "As expected, she still went there."

Dingxiang continued, "It's no use for Your Majesty to be angry now. You should make a careful plan. The Emperor has been thinking about Consort Ling for a long time, but she hasn't served him yet. This will only make him more restless. If Your Majesty doesn't make any arrangements, the Emperor will definitely resent you. What if he loses interest in you?"

Yue Leyun bit her lip, her eyes turning cold: "Am I supposed to just watch her give birth to the Emperor's heir and then oust me?"

Dingxiang shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, we should look on the bright side. Does Consort Ling really have the chance to conceive a royal heir just because she's served the Emperor? This isn't something she can decide for herself."

Ding Xiang's eyes flashed, and Yue Leyun thought for a moment before suddenly smiling: "You're right. This matter isn't up to her to decide, especially here, where she has no relatives or friends, while I am the Empress of Yue."

The Yue family's affairs were in complete chaos. Although they suspected Qiu Lingyu, they had no evidence. Therefore, Murong Chuan didn't say much when he came over. Instead, he would stay at her place for a whole day and was unwilling to leave. His intentions were obvious.

However, Qiu Lingyu did not let him succeed. She appealed to his emotions, saying, "How could I not want to share a romantic encounter with Your Majesty? After all, I also have deep feelings for Your Majesty. But the Empress has just given birth. If Your Majesty indulges in love at this time, it will only arouse the Empress's jealousy. In that case, I will be in constant trouble, and Your Majesty will also be worried."

Having a beautiful woman by his side but being unable to enjoy her is incredibly frustrating. Murong Chuan said with anger in his eyes, "Considering this and that, when will this ever end? If she had given birth to a suitable son, it would be fine, but it's a daughter. How can I be at ease?"

Qiu Lingyu said, "But she is the Empress after all. She gave birth at this time because of the shock, and her body must be weak. The Emperor does not care about the Empress at this time and comes to me for peace and quiet. If this gets out, people will not be able to help but mind."

"Your Majesty, don't forget, you can't indulge yourself too much right now. You can't completely take back the Yue family's power yet, so you must be careful. Otherwise, given how protective Prime Minister Yue is of his daughter, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause. I don't want to end up being labeled a femme fatale who brings ruin to the country without having done anything."

Qiu Lingyu was telling the truth, and Murong Chuan couldn't refute it. He had originally planned to force himself to stay there, but after thinking about it, he realized he had too many concerns and turned to leave, heading to Yue Leyun's palace.

This matter was naturally not kept from Yue Leyun. The news was relayed to Yue Leyun's ears through the spies that Qiu Lingyu had automatically sent in, which infuriated Yue Leyun.

“I am utterly loyal to the Emperor, and my father is also loyal to the Emperor and loves his country. But in the end, it turns out that his affection for me was all fake, and he even wanted to weaken my father’s power? This is simply outrageous.”

Dingxiang quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The Emperor is currently heading this way. If he were to hear what Your Majesty said, it would be disastrous."

Yue Leyun sneered, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes. She said, "So what? What about me? My heart has been broken like this? I know that men are all fickle and greedy, and that they are like emperors of oil and water, surrounded by countless women, yet I still think that he still has feelings for me. Otherwise, why would he have severed the ties with the Shangguan family because of me?"

But I never expected that just when I thought I was still happy, I would learn of this outcome. How can I possibly calm down? How can I possibly remain calm?

Dingxiang said, "Your Majesty, there's something fishy about this. After all, the people we put in were only temporarily bribed. If the information is inaccurate, wouldn't Your Majesty be being plotted against?"

Yue Leyun shook her head and said, "You're right, I shouldn't be so angry, but if the Emperor really comes this way, how much do you want me to believe? Dingxiang, do you know how much my heart aches right now?"

Even now, I don't regret marrying him, helping him seize the throne, or helping him eliminate the Shangguan family. I love him, I love him so deeply, so I absolutely cannot lose him. Dingxiang, you keep a close eye on that side. Tomorrow, tomorrow, summon someone to the Emperor's bedchamber. Tell those dozen or so women who came in turn that they've been given the chance; whether they can seize it and conceive is up to them.

Upon hearing this, Dingxiang frowned and said, "I'm afraid this is inappropriate. Your Highness has not yet given birth to any disciples. How can you ask those people to give birth to princes?"

Yue Leyun smiled and said confidently, "Why not? I can decide who the child will be raised by. If they oppose me, it's uncertain whether the child will even be born."

"The Emperor has arrived~"

The eunuch's loud voice rang out, and Yue Leyun and Dingxian immediately stopped talking. When Murong Chuan came in, Dingxiang had already helped Yue Leyun up and bowed deeply to Murong Chuan. Seeing this, Murong Chuan quickly stepped forward and said affectionately, "Why are you getting out of bed? You are in your postpartum period and you can't catch a cold."

Yue Leyun gave a dry laugh, looking at Murong Chuan's gentle face. If all of this were real and sincere, how wonderful that would be. It's just a pity that he looked the same way when he was with Qiu Lingyu. She really didn't know who he was being true to and who he was being fake to.

She smiled shyly at Murong Chuan and said weakly, "I am fine, just a little weak. I was thinking of Your Majesty coming, so I got up in a hurry."

Murong Chuan smiled slightly, took her hand and sat her on the edge of the bed, letting Yue Leyun sit on the bed and lean against the headboard, saying, "I came to see how you are recovering, not to see you bow to me. If my coming here has harmed your health, wouldn't it be a sin for me to come?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Leyun quickly shook her head and said anxiously, "No, it's not Your Majesty's fault. Your Majesty, please don't not come. Your Majesty is wonderful. I miss you very much, and my melancholy makes it difficult for me to recover."

Murong Chuandao said, "That's it then. So from now on, when I come, I will allow you to receive me in bed."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. However, I am unwell and have disturbed Your Majesty's enjoyment. How about Your Majesty goes to Heqing Palace tonight? Consort Xue has learned some songs a few days ago, which may entertain Your Majesty."

Murong Chuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected Yue Leyun to arrange for someone to serve him in bed at this time. After Yue Leyun entered the manor, in order to make Yue Leyun's heart belong to him, he hadn't touched any other women except Qiu Lingyu and her.

Those concubines were practically useless. After entering the palace, they were all confined to the Heqing Palace. If it weren't for the palace servants arranging their food, drink, and toilet needs, as well as sending them silks and satins and monthly stipends, they would probably think it was the emperor's cold palace.

Murong Chuan looked at Yue Leyun and shook his head gently, saying, "At this moment, you are still thinking of me. If I go now, what will people say about me? Alright, don't be sad. I won't go. Tonight, I will stay here with you."

Upon hearing this, Yue Leyun was overjoyed, but her face showed sorrow as she said, "How could I possibly want to share the Emperor with other women? I understand that the Emperor is the supreme ruler and needs many concubines to bear children for him, so that my Yue Kingdom can become stronger."

Therefore, Your Majesty, you must go tonight. I will be recuperating for over a month, so Your Majesty may take turns spending the night with them! Also, please note down Consort Ling's arrangements, but since Consort Ling is currently taking care of the princess and requires considerable effort, please arrange for her to stay after the other noble ladies! What does Your Majesty think?"

Murong frowned slightly upon hearing this. Although he didn't have many concubines, he still had seventeen or eighteen. It would take a while before he reached Consort Ling's side. In addition, he had to come to the Empress's side several times every ten days or so, so that others wouldn't criticize him.

So, wouldn't it take him many days to finally sleep with the woman he likes?

However, after much deliberation, he agreed, saying, "Yun'er, why are you doing this? Although I cannot remain chaste for only you, I am not someone who cannot control myself without Yun'er."

Yue Leyun smiled and said, "I know that Your Majesty is good to me, but after all, you still have to treat everyone equally. Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a few months, and you have been favoring Yun'er all along. But if this goes on for too long, people will inevitably talk about it, especially the old ministers in the court. They will naturally not allow Your Majesty to favor only Yun'er. So, taking advantage of Yun'er's childbirth, Your Majesty can take turns with her, which will also put an end to the old ministers' thoughts."

Murong Chuan narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Yun'er is really thoughtful. It's just that Yun'er's whole heart is with me. Did the Prime Minister tell you about this?"

Yue Leyun nodded naturally and said shyly, "Yun'er is just a young girl with feelings, and naturally only the Emperor is in her heart. Therefore, she doesn't think too much. If it weren't for Father entering the palace today and saying some things, Yun'er wouldn't know that she has already embarked on a path she shouldn't have taken."

My poor father is already heartbroken over his grandson's disappearance, and now he has to nag me, his unfilial daughter. He's exhausted. Your Majesty, please, you must send someone to find my poor nephew quickly, lest something happen to my frail and sickly sister-in-law.

Murong Chuan nodded and said, "I will naturally take this matter to heart. Yun'er, there's no need to worry. It's not good for you to get hurt."

Yue Leyun nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Then Your Majesty should hurry up and leave. This envoy is also late. If he doesn't leave soon, it will be dawn."

Murong Chuan stood up, seemingly helpless, and said, "Yun'er's decision to send me away makes me feel bad. Perhaps I should stay with Yun'er tonight and we can take turns tomorrow!"

Yue Leyun looked at Murong Chuan, shook her head, and said, "Your Majesty, you should go. If you stay here, I will not be able to serve you and will feel guilty. I am not feeling well. Could Your Majesty make me feel better?"