Repeatedly broken branches

I am often trapped in dreams, where you are, but you are not when I wake up. So I am willing to endure this predicament, thinking of you, missing you, and never seeing you.

"Your Majesty, Consort Qing has come to invite you to the morning court." Yuan Yuan couldn't bear to wake Yin Fu'an, who had finally fallen asleep.

This was a rare occasion; the Emperor rested in the master's palace. Although the master was in bed and the Emperor was on the floor, it was still a great surprise.

Yin Fu'an slowly got up, supporting himself on the edge of the bed. He felt a splitting headache, no strength in his body, and a dry, sore throat. He felt even more dizzy as soon as he got up.

He had just taken a step when everything went black and he lost consciousness.

Yuan Yuan quickly helped him up, exclaiming, "Your Majesty! You are so hot!" She was startled by the temperature emanating from his body when she touched Yin Fu'an's wrist through his sleeve.

His body was burning hot, like a furnace.

She glanced at the Emperor and saw that he was still wearing the same clothes that were soaked from yesterday. No wonder he had a fever. Yesterday, he was so busy helping the beauty change and clean her up that he didn't even realize that he had also come up from the pool.

Even though it's hot, I can't resist sleeping on the ground soaking wet all night.

Yin Fu'an was taken back to the palace by Consort Qing. The imperial physician diagnosed that his fever was caused by a cold that had not been cured and water retention. It was clear that his condition had become very serious.

The imperial physician prescribed strong medicine, but his fever persisted for an entire day without subsiding, causing great anxiety for Consort Qing and Kang Jin, the emperor's attendant.

He was burning up and his mind was becoming hazy, but he kept muttering Chen Lanhe's nickname, "Hehe... Hehe... I'm sorry, Hehe..."

Consort Qing clenched her sleeves, trying to suppress her jealousy. She was far more noble than Chen Lanhe; she was a high-ranking consort, while Chen Lanhe was merely a minor beauty. She couldn't compare to her, she couldn't compare to her at all…

When Chen Lanhe woke up, it was already night. Yuan Yuan was standing beside her, looking depressed. She knew that something must have happened. After asking around, she learned about everything that had happened in the past few days.

She felt a vague sadness in her heart, but it wasn't because of Yin Fu'an.

She just felt that she, this plaything, finally had a place. Should she be happy or regretful? She was just one of many playthings. Even if Yuan Yuan spoke so sincerely, she knew that Yin Fu'an only cared about the child in her belly.

Without children, Yin Fu'an might have watched himself drown.

Yuan Yuan dared not say too many good things about Yin Fu'an in front of Chen Lanhe. Even though she had witnessed firsthand how much the Emperor cared for the beauty, she dared not speak up for him.

The beauty and the emperor both harbor feelings for each other, yet neither is willing to express them.

Since falling into the water, Chen Lanhe has stopped going out. She knows she will never see Yin Fu'an again, at least not before giving birth.

The messenger of Consort Qing summoned her several times to pay her respects, seemingly trying to make things difficult for her. However, she had no need to be afraid, as Yin Fu'an had given her the order not to pay her respects.

This seemed to have silently angered Consort Qing once again.

That night, she smashed all the imperial porcelain bowls and cups in the palace, and she spared no bottle or jar in front of her.

Consort Qing began to reflect on why she had entered the palace in the first place.

She came from the coldest land, a gift from her father to the emperor. Her mother said that the emperor would surely be delighted to see her, for her beauty surpasses that of any woman in Jiuguang.

Yes, the Emperor treated her very well. On her very first night in the palace, she was the one who served him. He didn't sleep a wink all night, spending the entire night making love to her. He said, "Your skin is as white as snow, Consort. I will cherish you and love you for the rest of my life."

Entering the palace meant the highest rank in the palace, because there was no empress in the palace, only deposed empresses. The emperor put her in charge of the harem, and they would enjoy themselves with each other until the early hours of the morning every day.

One after another, the unfavored concubines in the palace had children, but she, who had served the emperor the most, remained childless.

She was terrified, terrified of losing the emperor's favor, because what man doesn't like children, and doesn't want to have children with the one he loves?

The Emperor told her, "Don't be afraid, Consort. Even if you don't have children, you will still be my most beloved Consort."

This sentence almost became her reassurance, allowing her to dominate the harem, act arrogantly and domineeringly, and bully concubines without fear.

Because she was the most favored one.

She loved the Emperor deeply; she loved the Emperor who, in the depths of their affection, tenderly kissed her forehead with loving eyes; she loved the Emperor who spoiled her willful nature.

But it seems that only she loves the Emperor. The Emperor loves not only her, but every concubine he has ever favored. Perhaps the Emperor feels this way about more than just her.

He could have several or even countless concubines, but he only had one emperor.

Yesterday, even while the Emperor was ill, he still called out Consort Chen's nickname. It seems that even when he was deeply in love, he only ever called her Imperial Concubine.

Everything is so obvious, why does she still refuse to believe it?

……

As summer draws to a close, the weather is no longer hot, and the occasional autumn breeze brings a refreshing coolness.

Xiao Mu felt that time was flying by. In the blink of an eye, she was already seven months pregnant. In three more months, she would be able to see her child.

She imagined herself holding the child and playing with Yu Yanjing, and she felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

"Your Highness, your embroidery skills are getting better and better." Rou Rou couldn't help but exclaim as she looked at the patterns Xiao Mu was embroidering.

Xiao Mu smiled slightly and asked, "Then guess what I'm going to do?"

Rou Rou thought for a moment and said, "A sachet?"

"Hmm, I'd like to make a sachet as a gift for the Emperor. Do you think it's prettier to embroider plum blossoms or willow leaves?"

Rou Rou immediately said, "Plum blossoms, the Emperor said that plum blossoms are most beautiful in winter."

"Okay. Then let's go with plum blossoms."

Yu Yanjing didn't come to have lunch with her; instead, he had Wei Lan bring her a plate of snacks and a souvenir.

The dessert was her favorite red bean paste roll. She's been craving sweets lately, but she especially loves red bean paste rolls. The red bean paste is sweet but not cloying, and the outer layer is soft and chewy, which suits her taste perfectly.

After finishing the red bean paste roll, I read the note again: "My wife, Xiaozhi, I think of her constantly, she haunts my dreams, and I am deeply troubled by her."

Xiao Mu smiled faintly, carefully put the note under her pillow, and thought, "This guy's even playing these tricks now."

Yu Yanjing had visited Ruan Cifeng several times, but still couldn't find out what kind of poison she had been poisoned with.

Ruan Cifeng was also very troubled. Although his medical skills were not profound, he had been learning them since childhood. He could not compare to the divine physician, but he was still better than the ordinary imperial physician.

But this kind of poison can't be detected by pulse diagnosis, so the only way to find a solution is through the blood. But why would you need to prick her with a needle to draw blood for no reason? Wouldn't that just make her suspicious for no reason?

Less than three months into her delivery, Yu Yanjing was so anxious that she wished she could rush to the Western Regions, hold a knife to the old man's neck, and force him to hand over the antidote.

But he knew that even with a knife to his throat, he couldn't find the antidote. The secret doctor was dead; how could he find it?

You is dead, Bai Jiaoyu is dead. Only Bai Jiaoyu knows what kind of poison she was poisoned with, but the dead can't vomit anything.

Deng Yizhi has friends who do business in the Western Regions, and he has already asked them to inquire about the source of this poison. If all goes well, they may find out some information about it.

Yu Yanjing felt a little better.

They had overcome numerous difficulties to finally be together, and they couldn't let Xiao Mu leave them so easily.

Absolutely not.

A Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is a way to express longing and remembrance.

Chaoyang has a tradition of releasing Kongming lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so you can always see countless lanterns floating in the sky on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, as numerous as the stars.

Ouyang Meixi looked up at the Kongming lantern she had released, wishing only that, as written on the lantern, you would be well.

If she could have had a child, she could have stayed here peacefully, but Zhou Tingxi left her nothing.

Even though Madam Xue loved her dearly, she knew that Madam Xue also wanted a grandson, because she loved Siwan so much.

Siwan is already three years old, but she is still chubby and fair-skinned, just like a glutinous rice ball. She likes to wear pink dresses, and from a distance, she looks as cute as a paper-cut lucky doll.

She loves to stick close to Consort Jing and Lady Xue, and she can already communicate with them. She's a little chatterbox, and as soon as it's light, she starts pestering her wet nurse to let her go chat with Grandma Jing and Grandma Xue.

She dragged Consort Jing to fly a kite and even mocked her grandmother for running too slowly.

Consort Jing said, both amused and exasperated, "Grandma is old, not as agile as Siwan, right?"

Siwan secretly asked Consort Jing, "Is the Empress's baby a boy or a girl?"

Consort Jing countered, "Does Siwan prefer a younger brother or a younger sister?"

Siwan rolled her round eyes and said in a childish voice, "I like my little sister. My little sister can fly kites with me."

She likes to eat pea flour cake and glutinous rice cake, drink sweet fruit tea, eat candied hawthorn, fly kites on the city wall, wear pink clothes, sleep on Deng Yizhi's body at night, and also likes kittens and rabbits.

So she kept two kittens and four rabbits in the yard where she lived.

At mealtimes, she would feed the kittens the fish and peas and glutinous rice that the wet nurse had prepared, and the carrots and the carrots that I saw you just fed to the four little rabbits, Grape, Apricot, Candied Hawthorn and Little Ma.

"Ma" is a dialect word meaning "mother".

As autumn arrived, news of Zhou Tingxi's defeat came as no one expected.

The young general Zhou Tingxi had won every battle without a single defeat. From the moment he stepped onto the battlefield, his fate was almost sealed. This was the first time he had been defeated.

Xiao Mu's body is becoming increasingly cumbersome, and she will be giving birth next month. Her nanny told her to walk around more before giving birth, as it will be beneficial for the baby's delivery.

So whenever she had free time, she would climb the city wall with Xiao Shao and Ruan Cifeng. The city wall had many steps, more than a thousand, and they had to walk and rest frequently to reach it.

The atmosphere in the palace was unusually heavy that day.

Ouyang Meixi knelt outside Zhongzi Palace, begging Yu Yanjing to summon her husband Zhou Tingxi back to the capital. She had heard rumors that Zhou Tingxi was no match for Yin Wuchen and that continuing the fight would only lead to total annihilation.

Xiao Mu looked at her kneeling figure and sighed heavily. It was a woman's perspective. When had she ever seen a general who had been sent out return to the city out of fear of death?

Jiang Qi and Wei Hao had been in a cold war for over a month. Ever since they started talking, they had acted like strangers every day. Even when they met, they would just pass by each other without any expression.

Ah Chu still whispers Wei Hao's name in her ear every day.

She accepted Ah Chu as a friend.

With this defeat, they have retreated to the border, which has been occupied by Jiuguang's soldiers. If they are defeated again, the people and cities in northern Chaoyang will be in grave danger.

Ah Chu and Jiang Qi sat on the hill watching the moon. Ah Chu pointed to the brightest star and said, "Bin, do you know what? My mother said that people turn into stars after they die. If we die, will that be the case too?"

Jiang Qi couldn't imagine that a tall, strong man like himself could say such childish things, but it seemed that all parents in the world said that they would become stars after they died.

“We won’t die.” Jiang Qi turned to look at A Chu beside him. “We will all return alive.”

Ah Chu's eyes reddened slightly. After a pause, she said, "But even General Zhou has been defeated. What should we do?"

Jiang Qi patted his shoulder and comforted him, "There will always be a way." She looked at a tent at the foot of the hill, still lit up; it was already this late, and they hadn't gone to sleep yet.

"General, what are you thinking about?"

Wei Hao couldn't help but ask, "Actually, we shouldn't have lost this time, right?"

Zhou Tingxi faced him with a cold expression. He knew all too well that he shouldn't have been defeated this time. Had he underestimated Yin Wuchen, or was he simply no match for Yin Wuchen?

Yin Wuchen's strategies and martial prowess were on par with his own, but this time it was as if he were possessed, and all of his plans were exposed by him.

With each step he took, Yin Wuchen followed closely behind.

If Wei Hao hadn't brought a small team to support him this time, he probably would have fallen into Yin Wuchen's ambush.

He pondered repeatedly but couldn't figure out how Yin Wuchen knew his plan. Only the soldiers who discussed it that day knew about it. There were hundreds of people present that day. Could it be that there was a spy among those hundreds of people?

But he personally trained all of these hundred-plus people.

Zhou Tingxi felt immense pressure. Everyone thought he wouldn't lose, but this sudden defeat disappointed everyone, including himself.

"There may be a traitor in our army."

Zhou Tingxi remained calm and composed, but his tone was still slightly hesitant; he wasn't entirely sure.

Wei Hao frowned slightly. "Then, General, do you know who it is?"

"I don't know, so we should wait and see. I will only tell you about all the arrangements from now on. You should tell the people below you. The fewer people who know, the better."

Wei Hao nodded and walked out of the tent.

A-Chu pointed at Wei Hao and said, "General Wei doesn't seem very happy."

Jiang Qi glared at him and said, "Nonsense, do you think he can be happy right now?"

"Where are you going?" Ah Chu called out to her as she got up to leave.

Jiang Qi said without turning his head, "I'm going to the restroom. Do you want to come along?"

"I'm not going."

Jiang Qi followed Wei Hao to a stream, where only the sound of flowing water could be heard.

She spoke to Wei Hao's retreating figure, "Is there a spy?" This was the first time in a month that she had spoken to Wei Hao on her own initiative.

Wei Hao turned around in surprise. She raised her eyes slightly, her gaze shifting, revealing confidence and determination. "Is that so?" she asked again.

"You guessed it?" Wei Hao asked, puzzled.

Jiang Qi frowned and said, "It's not a guess, it's an analysis. Today's events are too bizarre. I just didn't expect that every step we took was within Yin Wuchen's calculations. Moreover, only our people knew that General Zhou was going to attack the enemy from the back mountain. No matter how powerful Yin Wuchen is, he couldn't possibly guess how many people he brought. He actually brought twice as many people as General Zhou to ambush in the back mountain. What else could this be but a spy?"

Wei Hao gave her an approving look and stared straight at her.

"You are very smart, but you are not allowed to interfere in this matter."

Jiang Qi nodded. "This is not my business, so I will not interfere. But I still want to remind you to be careful of the people around you."

She knew her limits; such matters were beyond her control as someone completely unfamiliar with military relationships. But women are perceptive, and when a spy was discovered, the first person she thought of was someone close to her.

Only those who have experienced it know that the people closest to you are often the ones who stab you the deepest.

Wei Hao frowned. Among Zhou Tingxi's people, only he and Zhen Xun were close. It was impossible for him, and it was impossible for Zhen Xun either. They had been through life and death together, and even if they were to die, they would die together.

Zhen Xun could never be a spy.

Jiang Qi blinked and said, "Moreover, there's more than one traitor."

Wei Hao looked at her, puzzled. "More than one?"

"It's difficult for one person to tip someone off; there's always someone to help and discuss things with. So be wary of everyone around you."

When she was in the palace, she would spend the whole morning engrossed in reading military books, and she was very interested in them without getting tired. These were all things she had learned from the military books.

This conversation made Wei Hao look at Jiang Qi in a completely different light. She was no longer as weak and naive as before. From her words, it was clear that she was very smart and meticulous, and indeed a promising talent.