Life in the Qin Palace was more ordinary than Mu Lin had imagined, without so many intrigues and plots. Most of the time, she only had to deal with Ying Yuan.
Ying Yuan was a very self-disciplined and diligent emperor, which meant that he rarely came to the harem. He would go to Fengyang Palace every now and then when he had some free time.
In Mu Lin's eyes, his attitude was not as tough as it was during the previous quarrel, and the two of them could treat each other with respect. Sometimes Ying Yuan would handle government affairs in Fengyang Palace, while Mu Lin would read books and play chess. The two of them would often have meals and rest together, chatting about their youth, and gradually got used to each other's presence.
After the wedding night, the two of them had not been intimate for half a month. Mu Lin had someone in her heart, so she only treated him as a relative, without any ambiguous thoughts. Ying Yuan did have the intention, but he planned to take it slowly. Occasionally, he would just hold Mu Lin in his arms and fall asleep, without doing anything excessive, so Mu Lin could only let him do what he wanted.
The couple is unexpectedly harmonious.
After listening to Nanny Fu En's report, the Empress Dowager paused for a moment while twisting the tourmaline bead in her hand and said calmly, "The Emperor is very patient..."
If the emperor had been so strong, given the new queen's temperament, they would have fallen out without her having to do anything. But he actually endured it, which was surprising.
"Grand Empress Dowager, then we..."
"No hurry. The young couple has just gotten married. The emperor is impressed by her and they are in love with each other. Wait. I have endured for most of my life. I don't mind a few months of hard work."
"If Your Majesty continues to be patient and pamper the Queen, the Queen's attitude will soften sooner or later..."
"Your concerns are not without reason." The Grand Empress Dowager paused, then continued, "My grandson is conceited and will not tolerate anyone around him having any disloyalty. The Queen is cold and proud, and disdains to please him. This is also simple. As long as we point out the gap that has always existed between them, we will plant a poisonous thorn that cannot be removed."
"Estrangement, are you referring to His Majesty's forced marriage?"
“No, that’s nothing. The Queen has already married into our family, how can she not accept her fate? However, I heard that the Queen had a fiancé before, who is Tianlan’s current regent…” The Empress Dowager smiled meaningfully.
There is still a long way to go...
The Qin Palace now had a legitimate queen, and along with the phoenix seal, Mu Lin also gained the power to rule over the six palaces.
Mu Lin had been the Queen of the Underworld and the Princess of the Nation, and she had no interest in such laborious authority. So she managed it carelessly, but fortunately, the palace servants under her were capable and nothing went wrong, which earned her a reputation as a virtuous woman.
Two years passed by. Due to various practical reasons, although Mu Lin was not enthusiastic, she no longer resisted having sex with Ying Yuan. No matter how much he tossed around in bed, she still used contraception.
"Princess, we don't have enough pills."
"Go to the Imperial Hospital to make arrangements. Make sure it's kept secret."
"Princess, taking too much medicine is harmful to your health, not to mention that His Majesty has been sending pregnancy medicine here..."
Mu Lin sighed. Although she had quietly poured out most of the pregnancy-maintaining medicine, there were always times when she could not avoid it, so she had to drink it in front of Ying Yuan's hopeful eyes.
Every time at that time, although I can’t say I feel guilty, I always feel a little guilty.
She had to go through so much trouble, from trying to avoid pregnancy to sitting the baby, and finally she wanted to find a way to solve the problem once and for all.
Actually, it’s not impossible...
Mu Lin's eyes flashed. She was a person who understood medicine and knew some prescriptions for sterilizing women. Moreover, she had people in the Imperial Hospital. Mu Lin pondered for a moment, picked up the pen and wrote a prescription and gave it to Linglan.
"I'll try to get the medicine on the prescription." Then she said to herself, "Next March, we can have the talent show according to the rules."
Linglan couldn't help but say, "Princess, I don't think His Majesty will agree to the selection of the concubines. Why do you have to make him angry?"
Everyone could see that Emperor Wu of Qin was deeply in love with his princess.
Mu Lin said calmly: "I have the additional identity of the Queen of Qin. If I want to live a decent life, manage the harem, and have children, these responsibilities are inevitable."
"..." Linglan pinched the prescription in her sleeve and couldn't help but sigh.
She could see clearly that what the princess said was not on point. In the Qin Palace, the only thing that mattered was Emperor Qin Wu's attitude. As long as he continued to favor the princess, it didn't matter if the princess didn't do these things. But she would rather do these unpleasant things than respond to Emperor Qin Wu's feelings or spend more time on him.
Linglan didn't know about the eight-year agreement, and didn't understand why the princess didn't want to move on, but insisted on clinging to that old relationship, making herself unhappy. But she couldn't watch the princess hurt herself, even if the price was her life.
As usual, Linglan returned safely from the Imperial Hospital. She breathed a sigh of relief and handed the prepared contraceptive pills to Mu Lin.
"Princess, the prescription you gave me is not complete because some of the medicines are banned and the Imperial Hospital cannot prepare them in a short time..."
Mu Lin hesitated for a while, but gave up.
"No need, go get it back."
The sterilization drug is very effective. Although it can cure the disease permanently, it can also easily damage the body. This body is weak, so it is better not to use it unless it is absolutely necessary.
"Yes." Linglan went there happily, but she didn't expect that she didn't get the prescription when she arrived at the Imperial Hospital.
The entire Imperial Hospital was as quiet as a chicken. The imperial doctors in the hospital knelt on the ground trembling with fear, their legs trembling and they hadn't stood up yet.
Lily of the Valley observed the man's expression and after a while she quietly went in and found the princess's confidant.
"Doctor Hu, what happened just now?"
Doctor Hu was shaking all over and wiping his sweat, his expression was very bad. Linglan's heart skipped a beat, and she had an ominous premonition. Sure enough, she heard him say, "Miss Linglan, just now His Majesty came in person to ask Doctor Luo who was checking the pulse of the Queen, but Doctor Luo let slip the prescription..."
As a gynecologist, Dr. Luo was ordered to take care of the queen's body. Who would have thought that two years later, the queen had a cold body and had not conceived. Dr. Luo was under great pressure and his hair was falling out like crazy.
As soon as Linglan left, Emperor Qin Wu arrived. Doctor Luo was trembling with fear, thinking hard, and simply told him about how he accidentally saw Linglan coming to see Doctor Hu today.
It just so happened that Doctor Hu was so intent on keeping the contraceptive pill a secret that he suddenly felt guilty and had to hand over the prescription he hadn't even read. Unexpectedly, Ying Yuan knew it was Mu Lin's handwriting after just one glance and handed the prescription over to Doctor Bai, the judge of the Imperial Hospital.
Doctor Bai had worked in the palace for fifty years and knew the severity of the situation much better than Doctor Hu. He was eighty-nine years old, and after taking a few glances, he was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt down to apologize.
"Your Majesty, this is... a recipe for preventing pregnancy!"
Emperor Wu of Qin, who never showed his joy, was obviously stunned for a moment, and then turned into endless shock and anger. His expression was very cold, and there was no warmth in his eyes.
The Queen wants sterilization pills...
The queen was unwilling to bear him a child...
The Queen...hates him!
"presumptuous!"
With Emperor Wu of Qin's loud shout, everyone could feel the suffocating feeling of impending storm. The imperial doctors fell to their knees on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.
The Qin Emperor questioned Doctor Hu, but fortunately Doctor Hu was not aware of the matter, and the Qin Emperor was not in the mood to question him for the time being, so he played dumb and fooled him. When Linglan heard that Emperor Qin Wu had left in anger, she knew that she was late and that His Majesty must have gone to settle accounts with the princess, so she hurried back without saying anything.
When she came back, she saw the palace gates were closed and servants were kneeling outside the palace. There were sounds of splashing and breaking inside, as well as the faint sound of Emperor Qin Wu and her princess arguing.
Linglan wanted to rush in, but was stopped by Jushu. Jushu shook his head at her and said worriedly, "Your Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to enter."
Linglan was extremely anxious. She seemed to take two steps back after listening to her advice, but when no one was paying attention, she rushed in and knelt down in front of the emperor and empress who were confronting each other coldly. Her knees pierced the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, and blood slowly seeped out.
Mu Lin didn't even look at her, and said expressionlessly: "Get out."
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I asked the imperial physician to prescribe the sterilization medicine under the princess's name. The purpose was to sterilize the female cats in Fengyang Palace. The princess was kind and could not bear it, so I did not tell her the truth and only said that I wanted to use it. The princess did not know the truth and said everything to protect me. My death is not a pity, but please do not misunderstand the princess!"
Ying Yuan's expression was indistinguishable, which made Linglan feel uneasy.
"Queen, is this true?"
"Whether what I said is true or not, will Your Majesty believe it?"
Ying Yuan stared at her, as if trying to determine whether she would lie, and finally said slowly: "As long as you say it, I will believe it."
Mu Lin looked back calmly and said, "I am weak, and drinking sterilization medicine means I don't want to live anymore."
"Okay, I believe you. Don't talk nonsense in the future." Ying Yuan's tone softened, and he came over and held Mu Lin's hand. Mu Lin let him do what he wanted without any resistance.
"I understand."
The atmosphere in the palace was no longer tense and began to gradually return to normal.
Mu Lin turned his gaze to Ling Lan and said calmly, "This matter was caused by you. You will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane. Go and accept the punishment."
"Thank you very much, Queen, for showing leniency."
Linglan didn't care about the bloody wound, she stood up neatly, limped out and accepted the punishment. She knew very well that if she let Emperor Qin Wu deal with her, her life might be gone. And it was indeed her incompetence that led to the situation just now, so she never complained.
Ying Yuan looked at the mess on the ground. What should he do if he scares the Queen
"Someone, come and take care of this." He held Mu Lin's cold hand again and said softly, "Queen, please accompany me to the side hall and sit for a while."
"Yes." After a quarrel and some false flattery, Mu Lin felt exhausted.
After the emperor and empress moved to the side hall of Fengyang Palace, they sat on each side and drank tea, and everything was peaceful. Mu Lin was tired and was about to take a nap before Ying Yuan came, so he didn't care that he was still here, and lay down on the beauty couch, ready to take a nap.
Ying Yuan looked at her peaceful sleeping face, feeling mixed emotions. He had lived in the midst of political schemes for more than 20 years, and he knew very well that things were not as Ling Lan said.
He had of course checked Linglan's background. She was a secret guard of Jingsheng and a close confidant of the queen. Her every move could only represent the queen's will. How could she have any selfish thoughts
The queen might have had some thoughts, but when he saw the queen's unusually cold eyes, the anger in his heart was suddenly buried by the frost. Linglan's apology was also a way for him to save face. If he continued to quarrel and hurt the relationship between husband and wife, it would be a loss.
He had put so much thought into winning her love, and he couldn't let something that hadn't happened bring him back to square one. As long as the queen wasn't determined to do so and didn't intend to completely destroy the relationship between the two, then this matter could be left unresolved.
He still had the patience to continue, waiting for her to change her mind.
The king, who was always decisive in killing, had to be cautious in this matter and compromise and be patient. Because he had obtained her body, he wanted to get her heart, and it was human nature to be greedy.