She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

“Mother, you’ve misunderstood me,” the Second Madam said, feeling aggrieved. “I thought to myself that Tan’er and Mingzhu are sisters and sisters-in-law. Since the Emperor wants to see his nephew’s wife, I thought I’d have Tan’er take Mingzhu to broaden her horizons so they can look after each other.”

At this point, she sighed and said, "Mingzhu grew up in the countryside and has never attended a banquet at another family's residence, let alone a palace banquet."

Now that she's married into our household, she'll need to be independent in some situations. If she goes to the palace first to hone her skills, she won't be so timid when dealing with the wives of officials, and she'll be able to handle things on her own.

“Then she should not go to the palace to meet the emperor.” The old lady said coldly, “She associates with officials’ families and does not know the rules. At most, she will be laughed at. But if she goes to the palace and offends a noble person, she could be seriously injured.”

The second wife was annoyed, but she forced a smile and said, "Mother is right. I was inconsiderate in this matter."

The matter of bringing Shen Mingzhu into the palace was no longer mentioned.

Shen Mingzhu kept her head down and remained silent, as if their conversation had nothing to do with her.

Only her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into tight fists, betrayed that her inner peace was not as serene as she appeared.

Shen Mingzhu raised her head slightly and looked at Shen Qingtan sitting next to the old lady. Shen Qingtan smiled at her, but the smile seemed to have a different meaning.

She interpreted it as: "Look, you abandoned the man you didn't want and gave me honor."

-

The next morning, Shen Qingtan got up early to dress up, waiting for Zhao Yi to finish his morning court session before picking her up to go to the palace together.

The carriage stopped at the palace gate, where a young eunuch was already waiting.

As soon as the couple stepped out of the carriage, a young eunuch came forward and said, "Lord Zhao, Madam Zhao, your sedan chair has been prepared. Please get in."

Shen Qingtan couldn't help but glance at the calm man beside her. Emperor Jing'an's favoritism towards him seemed to be even deeper than she had imagined.

Zhao Yi said gently, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Deng."

The young eunuch was flattered that Zhao Yi remembered him, and became even more attentive.

Shen Qingtan was not used to it. Usually when she entered the palace, the palace eunuchs and maids were not very enthusiastic.

Zhao Yi noticed Shen Qingtan looking around. "Nervous?"

Shen Qingtan shook her head.

The next moment, she froze as she shook her head, stiffly turning her head to look at her hands resting on her knees.

The man gently squeezed her palm with his two long, slender fingers.

An intense, tingling itch.

It seemed that all her thoughts were being held in his grasp by those two fingers.

The man smiled faintly: "My hands are cold."

In Shen Qingtan's ears, it was automatically translated as: You are lying.

Her cheeks were burning; she knew her face was bright red without even looking in a mirror.

Shen Qingtan was somewhat embarrassed and angry.

Doesn't he dislike interacting with people?

Why did they suddenly start touching me inappropriately?

She pulled her hand back and secretly rubbed the back of her other hand against the throbbing itch in her palm, as if trying to wipe away the unsettling feeling left by the man.

Zhao Yi watched her movements calmly, his lips pursed.

She must have been averse to his touch.

Zhao Yi lowered his eyes, staring at his fingers with a gloomy expression, seemingly unable to understand why he had touched her hand earlier.

A natural and spontaneous action.

"Lord Zhao, Madam Zhao, we have arrived at the Taiji Palace."

The young eunuch outside gave a reminder, and then the sedan chair stopped.

The atmosphere inside the sedan chair was somewhat subdued at this moment.

Shen Qingtan chose to marry Zhao Yi, accepting everything about him in her heart, including their marriage.

However, he resisted her advances and they never had any intimate contact. She was prepared for the two of them to live together as a couple and there would be no intimate actions between them.

He suddenly acted out of character today and actually touched her hand.

Beyond the shock, Shen Qingtan felt more lost and uneasy.

She was the first to get out of the sedan chair.

Soon, Zhao Yi got out of the sedan chair.

He came to her side: "Let's go."

Shen Qingtan nodded, followed behind him, and entered the Taiji Hall.

She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, her gaze fixed only on the small patch of ground beneath her feet.

The people around them stopped, and Shen Qingtan stopped as well. The two of them greeted each other in unison: "Your humble servant/your wife respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health."

Emperor Jing'an had been waiting for a long time. From the moment the couple entered the palace, he noticed that Zhao Yi deliberately slowed his pace, seemingly to accommodate Shen Qingtan. Such thoughtful and considerate behavior showed that he truly cherished her.

He then sized up Shen Qingtan. She had a good demeanor and bearing. In particular, according to the information he had gathered from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she was known as a talented woman and the most beautiful woman in the capital. She was a good match for Zhao Yi.

The two people stood together, their appearances exquisite, like a perfect couple.

"No need for formalities." Emperor Jing'an offered her a seat and said to Shen Qingtan with a gentle expression, "You don't need to be reserved. Treat me as an elder in an ordinary family. Today, I am the uncle-in-law, meeting my nephew's wife."

After discerning Emperor Jing'an's thoughts, Shen Qingtan readily agreed, saying, "Tan'er has great respect for the imperial family. I was very nervous when I came to see you just now, and my hands and feet were ice cold. Now that I see my uncle's kindness and compassion, I am no longer afraid."

Upon hearing Shen Qingtan address him as "uncle," Emperor Jing'an became even more pleased with her.

He laughed heartily and said, "That's how it should be. What's there to be nervous about? I'm not a man with three heads and six arms. I'm just like you, with two eyes, one nose, and one mouth."

Shen Qingtan smiled, seemingly a little embarrassed.

Emperor Jing'an took a sip of tea and looked at Zhao Yi beside him: "Yi'er, yesterday I ordered the imperial edict to be posted to find Zhongyuan, and I also secretly sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate his whereabouts. We will definitely find him within half a year."

Zhao Yi nodded slightly but did not respond, seemingly unwilling to bring up the topic in front of Shen Qingtan.

Emperor Jing'an's move was not aimed at Zhao Yi, but rather at testing Shen Qingtan's attitude.

Shen Qingtan and Zhao Jue were childhood sweethearts and were betrothed since they were young. It was widely rumored in the capital that the two were deeply in love.

He worried that while the King of Xiang was interested, the Goddess was not.

Zhao Yi's sincere feelings were misplaced.

Shen Qingtan was sensitive to the word "half a year" and quickly asked, "Who is Zhongyuan, this great Confucian scholar?"

Emperor Jing'an said with a solemn expression, "Yesterday, Imperial Physician Chen took Yi'er's pulse. His health is deteriorating day by day. Only by finding the medical sage Zhongyuan can there be a glimmer of hope for his life."

Shen Qingtan's expression changed. In her previous life, Zhao Yi returned to her ancestral home while seriously ill, which meant she had not found Zhong Yuan.

Emperor Jing'an posted imperial edicts throughout the Great Zhou to search for Zhongyuan and even mobilized the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Despite such a large-scale operation, they still could not find him. Either he was no longer alive, or he was no longer in the Great Zhou.

"Do you have a portrait of Zhongyuan?" Shen Qingtan explained, "I know a businessman whose connections extend to various countries. Let's look for one together."

Emperor Jing'an had been observing Shen Qingtan and saw the genuine worry in her eyes, as if she cared about Zhao Yi.

“Zhongyuan’s whereabouts are uncertain, and I have no portrait of him.” Emperor Jing’an sighed, then suddenly asked, “I heard that Zhao Jue is recuperating at home, and the Duke of Zhao has asked for two months’ leave for him, and arranged for someone else to take his place. What’s going on?”

Shen Qingtan's scalp tightened, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind, finally settling on the idea that Emperor Jing'an knew all the inside stories of Longhua Temple and was interrogating her on purpose.

Or was Emperor Jing'an going to stand up for Zhao Jue?