Traveling back to ancient times to get rich

The Emperor returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and searched his desk, but couldn't find the box containing the medicine. He became very angry and asked Zhao Quan, "Zhao Quan, where is my medicine box?" Zhao Quan looked bewildered. "Your Majesty, what box are you looking for?" The Emperor replied, "The pills that Seventh Prince and his wife brought back the other day. Wasn't there a box there?" Zhao Quan then remembered. He had assumed the Emperor didn't care about the pills. Luckily, it wasn't a nice box, and he hadn't thrown it away. The Emperor had casually tossed it on the table that day, and it should be hidden among the Emperor's pile of memorials. So Zhao Quan quickly went to organize the memorials, and sure enough, the medicine box was there.

Zhao Quan, with a fawning expression, said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, look! It's right here!" The Emperor, hearing this, immediately looked closely, and sure enough, the item was right before him. The Emperor was overjoyed, his face beaming with ecstatic delight. He eagerly reached out and gently opened the exquisite box. The moment the lid was opened, a mysterious and alluring fragrance wafted out. The Emperor happily took out the round, pearl-like pill inside and swallowed it without hesitation. Instantly, a wondrous feeling surged through him, as if all the meridians in his body had been opened, and he felt invigorated.

However, this was merely a psychological effect on the emperor. Even the legendary elixirs of immortality couldn't produce such miraculous results so quickly. But the emperor, immersed in joy, paid no heed to these notions, feeling as if he had suddenly become decades younger. His mood was at its peak, and he turned to Zhao Quan beside him, loudly proclaiming, "Haha, let's go! I'm in a very good mood today, let's go for a stroll to the Empress's quarters!" With that, he strode towards the Empress's palace, Zhao Quan following closely behind. Along the way, the emperor was radiant, his steps light, his heart filled with anticipation and excitement at the prospect of seeing the Empress.

The Empress was leisurely reclining in the palace. She learned that the Emperor had sent the Crown Prince to Mo City to purchase grain and fodder. Although Mo City was harsh and cold, the Emperor's willingness to send the Crown Prince indicated his trust in him. However, the Emperor had sent the Crown Prince with his two concubines, omitting Crown Princess Wei. What was the meaning of this? She had always favored Crown Princess Wei; she had borne the Crown Prince a legitimate son and daughter, and she had always respected her, seeing her as a filial daughter. Now, the Emperor had ordered her to stay home and care for the children, which must have made her unhappy. Furthermore, she had overheard Concubine Ye's father yesterday saying that Concubine Ye was of immeasurable nobility, which probably made her somewhat resentful. Immeasurable nobility? That girl wasn't as beautiful as Ye Qingchen, nor as elegant as Crown Princess Wei. In the Great Xia Dynasty, the right was considered the most important, and she didn't have the same status as Concubine Gao. How could she be of immeasurable nobility? She didn't believe that.

Just then, the Emperor arrived. The Empress was still wondering why the Emperor had come, even though it wasn't a holiday. Just as she hesitated, the Emperor entered and said to the Empress, "Empress, don't you think I look much younger today?" The Empress looked closely at the Emperor. His hair had grown back thicker and blacker from the white areas, the wrinkles around his eyes had diminished considerably, and his skin had regained much of its elasticity. He looked like a 40-year-old. Could it be because of the pill from yesterday? So the pill worked? Had the Emperor come to give her another pill? The Empress was about to speak when the Emperor continued, "I discovered this morning that the pill was effective. After court, I went back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, found the pill, and took it. I look younger! Are you happy?" He then twirled around twice to show off in front of the Empress.

Zhao Quan stood there dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed at the Empress, whose phoenix eyes were wide open and whose face was full of anger. He was completely dumbfounded. He secretly lamented, "My God! How could the Emperor do this? This is too childish."

As the Empress grew older, and being a year older than the Emperor, she became increasingly sensitive to changes in her appearance, and had been tirelessly searching for miraculous remedies to maintain her youthful vitality. Just yesterday, Ye Qingchen presented the Emperor with a rare and precious herb he had painstakingly found, which he had crafted into a Rejuvenation Pill, without mentioning that he had given any to the Empress. Upon seeing this, the Empress was already quite displeased, but considering that Prince Chen and his wife lived in the countryside and might not possess such a miraculous medicine, she suppressed her displeasure and did not pursue the matter further.

However, who would have thought that after the Emperor took that elixir today, he saw immediate and remarkable effects? This should have been a good thing, but the Emperor, instead of restraining himself, not only swallowed the remaining elixir but also proudly ran to the Empress to show it off. Such behavior was even more infuriating than murder! How could the Empress not be furious at the Emperor's outrageous actions?

The Empress glared at her, gritting her teeth as she said, "Your Majesty, of course I am happy! Now that you have taken this medicine, you will surely look even younger. This is a blessing for all of us sisters, a blessing for all the princes, and a blessing for the Great Xia!"

The Emperor said happily, "The Empress is truly wise. You are right. It's a good thing that I'm young. Zhao Quan, issue the order: I've taken the Rejuvenation Pill presented by the Princess Consort of Prince Chen, and I've become much younger. This has increased the strength of the Great Xia Dynasty. I hereby reward you with ten thousand taels of gold, one hundred thousand taels of silver, one thousand bolts of cloth, and plenty of Shu brocade and other fine jewelry. You can wear whichever you like. I'm going to find Consort Li now. Empress, you can continue lying down." After saying this, he left happily.

The Emperor went to see Consort Li. He felt that after today, he would be a few years younger and a better match for her. He rediscovered the feeling of young love he once had. Of course, he never liked the Empress; she was a wife bestowed upon him by the late Emperor. He had liked Consort Rong before, but unfortunately, ever since she had the Second Prince, she constantly talked about him, so he didn't like her as much. Now, he liked Consort Li, and he wanted to have a relationship with her.

Ye Qingchen's initial intention in giving the Emperor two Rejuvenation Pills was malicious. She had calculated that the Empress would likely prefer youth, but she deliberately avoided giving them to the Empress; she intended to give them to the Emperor. All emperors are selfish. He would initially take one out of curiosity, and after experiencing the effects the next day, he would inevitably take the other, making him over ten years younger. Naturally, he would then look down on the older concubines and favor the younger ones. This would create a rift between him and the Empress, and once that rift existed, the Emperor would dislike the Crown Prince, thus ensuring their temporary safety.