Lingyun was not a fool. She must have known that Shen Qingwan already had a plan in mind, so she let out a breath and felt relieved.
At this time, the eunuch at the door announced: "The Imperial Concubine has arrived—"
Shen Qingwan stood up and walked to the door of the hall. Liu Churong happened to enter the hall. Her embroidered narcissus skirt was shining in the sun, but no one looked at her.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine. Best wishes, Her Majesty." Shen Qingwan performed a half-bow according to the rules.
Liu Churong did not refuse the formalities. He sneered and sat in the main seat. Shen Qingwan took the teacup from the palace maid who was handing her tea and walked to Liu Churong.
"Sister, have some tea." Shen Qingwan handed the teacup to Liu Churong, which attracted her puzzled look.
Liu Churong did not take the teacup, but snorted and laughed: "Why does Concubine Xian like to do the things that servants do?"
Her words were full of sarcasm, and her delicate fingers tapped the chair lightly, creating a crisp sound that came and went in the quiet hall.
Shen Qingwan was not angry at all, and said calmly: "Between you and me, what's wrong with a younger sister serving tea to an older sister?"
Hearing this, Liu Churong raised her hand to take the teacup, but at this moment, Shen Qingwan's wrist shook, and half of the cup of boiling tea spilled on Liu Churong. She screamed and pushed Shen Qingwan away, but she didn't expect Shen Qingwan to also scream, stagger forward, and hit her forehead on the wooden table.
"Empress!" Lianyun hurried forward to support her, but Shen Qingwan had already fainted and her forehead was covered in blood.
Lianyun is a smart person. Her own mother has followed the master since she was a child, so she also knows some martial arts. With Liu Churong's strength, she shouldn't be in such a mess. So there is only one possibility, that Shen Qingwan did it on purpose.
Lianyun looked sad. She turned to look at the frightened Liu Churong and asked, "My Lady Imperial Concubine, why did you do such a cruel thing to my Lady? Call the imperial physician!"
Liu Churong looked at his hands and knew in his heart that it would be difficult for him to wash them clean this time.
... ..
After breaking free from the darkness that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in front of her, Shen Qingwan still felt a little dizzy when she woke up again.
Turning her head, she saw Fu Yuheng sitting beside the bed with his back to her, while beside her, an imperial physician was giving her acupuncture.
"Your Majesty, the virtuous concubine has awakened." The imperial physician was delighted to see Shen Qingwan regain consciousness, and said to Fu Yuheng.
Fu Yuheng turned around after hearing this, and said with concern: "Xian Fei, are you feeling unwell?"
Shen Qingwan saw the tenderness in his eyes again, which was exactly the same as the look she saw when she was punished to kneel last time. She had deceived herself that it was an illusion that time, but this time it was real. Could it be that Fu Yuheng had feelings for her
Shaking her head to get rid of the chaotic thoughts in her mind, Shen Qingwan opened her mouth and asked knowingly: "It's okay, what's wrong with me?"
Seeing that although her face was pale, her words were still clear, Fu Yuheng felt relieved and his expression became stern: "You should ask my concubine about this."
He turned around, and Shen Qingwan followed his gaze and saw Liu Churong kneeling in front of the bed.
Her face was covered with tears, and she said with tears in her eyes: "Your Majesty, I really didn't mean it. It was just that Concubine Xian's tea spilled on me, and I subconsciously waved my hand to avoid it, but Concubine Xian hit the table and fainted."
Liu Churong didn't know how to respond. She just looked at Fu Yuheng's eyes and was so scared that her body couldn't help but tremble.
"Xian Fei, tell me, is what the Imperial Concubine said true?" Fu Yuheng ignored Liu Churong and turned to ask Shen Qingwan.
Shen Qingwan's eyes flashed with deep meaning. She glanced at Liu Churong lightly, and then said, "I had a quarrel with the Imperial Concubine before, and I wanted to serve her tea to apologize. But I never thought that she would deliberately knock over the teacup and push me."
She propped herself up on the bed, and Lianyun hurriedly covered her with the quilt that had slipped off. Shen Qingwan added, "If you have any complaints, just tell me. But you've hurt me time and again, which is really heartbreaking."
Liu Churong looked at her in disbelief, and finally realized that everything that happened today was Shen Qingwan's plan.
"You are talking nonsense!" She looked sad, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of harming anyone. She is the one who framed me."
"Enough!" Fu Yuheng shouted, and Liu Churong immediately fell silent.
"I warned you before to change your temper," Fu Yuheng sighed deeply, "but what about you? You caused chaos in the harem and didn't let me have a moment of peace!"
"Your Majesty, I am innocent!" Liu Churong burst into tears. Fu Yuheng's tone made her heart break. It was true that she came to cause trouble for Shen Qingwan today, but before she could make a move, she was tricked by Shen Qingwan. This made her angry and afraid.
Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Although Fu Yuheng is usually gentle, when he gets angry, it will definitely be bloody.
"I think you are lawless. It is not your turn to make trouble in my harem!" Fu Yuheng said coldly, "Your Highness has lost your virtue as a woman. You know your mistakes but refuse to correct them. I will punish you by confining you to your room. You are not allowed to leave the palace without my permission."
Liu Churong's body swayed, he gasped, and looked at Shen Qingwan fiercely, his expression as grim as a ghost.
Shen Qingwan avoided her gaze and did not meet her eyes. She only heard Liu Churong say, "I obey your command. Thank you, Your Majesty." Then she was driven out of the hall by Fu Yuheng.
After Liu Churong left, Shen Qingwan winked at Lianyun, who understood and left the hall as well, summoning away the palace maids who were serving in the hall.
So there were only two people left in the huge hall, and Shen Qingwan said softly: "Your Majesty, please calm down."
Fu Yuheng turned around and looked at Shen Qingwan. He saw that she looked calm, as if she was not affected by what happened just now. Instead, there was a gentle smile in her eyes, which calmed his irritable heart a lot.
"Does it hurt?" He reached out and lightly touched Shen Qingwan's forehead which was wrapped in gauze.
His force was very light, as if he was touching something fragile. This feeling of being cherished warmed Shen Qingwan's heart.
She shook her head: "I am not so weak that I cannot bear such a small injury. I would like to trouble His Majesty to run a trip for me."
"The imperial concubine is arrogant and domineering. I am sorry for wronging you." Fu Yuheng did not respond.
Shen Qingwan lowered her eyes, feeling a little guilty. What happened today was intentional after all. But she did not regret it. After all, if she did not do it, Liu Churong would do it.
When she raised her eyes again, she said earnestly, "No, it's not true. My sister's behavior today must have been unintentional. Although she has a bad temper, she loves the emperor anyway. The emperor should not have any misunderstandings with my sister because of this."
"Why do you have to be so reasonable?" Fu Yuheng's expression was gentle, "There's nothing wrong with being a little spoiled and willful occasionally."
Shen Qingwan's eyebrows curved: "Your Majesty, do you like me to act like a spoiled child?"
She smiled brightly, which was rare for her. Her peach blossom eyes curved and her brows were full of affection, which made Fu Yuheng stunned.
Seeing his reaction like this, Shen Qingwan found it funny. In her mind, the emperor was always cunning and ruthless, but she didn't expect him to react like a fool. If it were normal, she would definitely tease him, but Fu Yuheng was the emperor, so she could only laugh in her heart.
"It was the Queen Mother who told me that only harmony in the harem can benefit the Emperor's mind and body," Shen Qingwan said, "I dare to make a request."
Fu Yuheng raised his eyebrows and said, "Go ahead."
"It was an unintentional mistake, Imperial Concubine sister. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Shen Qingwan's words were beyond Fu Yuheng's expectations.
Everyone in the harem was fighting with each other, wishing to fight to the death, but Shen Qingwan had no intention of fighting at all. Instead, she spoke up for those who had harmed her. Fu Yuheng had never met such a woman before. At first, he thought Shen Qingwan was just a mediocre woman, but now she made him look at her with new eyes.
"Why are you pleading for the imperial concubine? Is it for the sake of harmony in the harem?" Fu Yuheng asked.
Shen Qingwan shook her head and said, "It's just one of them."
"Then what's the reason? Tell me. If I'm satisfied, I'll do as you say." Fu Yuheng asked with interest.