Chapter 118: Sending the Big Genius on His Way

"I truly feel sorry for you. Even if you hate me, without the instigation of Consort Huizhao and the support of Noble Consort Shu, you wouldn't dare do such a thing," Shen Fuyu smiled calmly. "Poor Jiang family, doomed to perish alongside you. To the Sun family, it’s merely a scratch, hardly worth noticing."

"You sew a wedding dress for others, and when things fall apart, only you suffer," Shen Fuyu chuckled mockingly. "How can there be someone as foolish as you in this world?"

Jiang Cairen lay on the brink of death, weakly laughing without sound. If only she had come from a prominent family, she wouldn’t have been manipulated by others, forced to act on their behalf. Her own father was aligned with the Sun family, so she could do nothing but follow Consort Huizhao. Even the Shadeflower was obtained through Huizhao’s machinations. Yet in the end, only she would die.

Such bitterness...

“Want to... retaliate?” Shen Fuyu crouched down, pinching Jiang Cairen’s cheek with a smile. “You’ve been with them for so long, the Jiang family with the Sun family. You can’t be completely ignorant, can you?”

“Tell me, and perhaps the accusations against me can be wiped away. After all, there’s such a thing as redeeming oneself through meritorious deeds, isn’t there?”

The whispered words stirred a glimmer of hope deep within Jiang Cairen’s heart. She stared blankly at Shen Fuyu. “...I don’t want to die.”

“Then let’s see how you perform.” Shen Fuyu summoned Yinling, who immediately understood and produced paper and brush to record everything.

Jiang Cairen’s voice faltered, clearly badly burned by hot oil, but she revealed much about Consort Huizhao and the Sun family, including some compromising secrets about the Suns in the military camp. Many were orchestrated by the Jiang family. Shen Fuyu effortlessly gathered all the information.

“Enough. Bring Li Xi in,” Shen Fuyu clapped her hands. “Time to send this genius off!”

“You lied to me?” Jiang Cairen’s disbelief turned into rage as she saw Li Xi enter again. Her hope shattered, she screamed wildly, “Wretch! Shen Fuyu, you damned wretch! I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!”

Li Xi and his men forced Jiang Cairen’s mouth open and poured a cup of poisoned wine down her throat. The fiery pain in her abdomen spread throughout her body. Soon she coughed up blood, her life ending with eyes burning with unrelenting hatred.

Yinling followed Shen Fuyu, her face pale and trembling, barely able to walk. She clutched tightly the paper filled with evidence against the Sun family.

“Pathetic,” Shen Fuyu flicked her lightly. “Can’t handle such a small thing?”

“Your Highness…” Yinling was on the verge of tears, terrified by the horror.

“That’s enough.” Shen Fuyu took the paper from her and, with a casual motion, slipped it into her space. Jiang Cairen was dead, the entire Jiang family imprisoned. The Sun family would surely shift all blame onto the JIangs as quickly as possible. In a few days, no one would remember the Jiang family.

“In this palace, no one is truly innocent. The Women’s Cold Palace alone has seen so many deaths since the founding of Daxun that they could hold a soccer match. No need to pity them, nor to fear.”

Hadn’t she herself been forced by the space as well?

She had earned a great deal of anger points through tears!

Birthdays were quite enjoyable too, weren’t they? Shen Fuyu felt content. She ignored all the gifts from the concubines except for one simple wooden box tucked among them. On a whim, she opened it to find a pair of bracelets engraved with ancient script. These texts were often used in Daxun for religious or blessing purposes. Judging from the general meaning, it seemed to be a blessing.

“Who sent this?” Shen Fuyu slid the smaller bracelet onto her wrist. Quite curious—a pair meant for two. Who would be so foolish as to give matching bracelets to their rival?

Yinling glanced at the gift list. “It’s from the Star Gazing Tower.”

Shen Fuyu paused.

That was none other than Grand Tutor Rong Xuan, her old adversary who constantly blocked her.

“Come to think of it, the Grand Tutor must be over forty now,” Shen Fuyu mused, stroking her chin. “Doesn’t he have someone?”

And to send matching bracelets—Qin Zhiyi would surely be furious. He trusted Rong Xuan deeply, yet Rong Xuan was shipping him with another.

“I’m not very sure,” Yinling frowned slightly. “Before becoming Grand Tutor, he was quite gifted. Some even tried to arrange a marriage for him... but for some reason, he’s never married.”

Rong Xuan truly possessed extraordinary abilities. In a place like Daxun, where technology and medicine were underdeveloped, people relied on divination and prayers as pillars of hope. Besides, Rong Xuan’s talents were genuine. Yet Shen Fuyu wondered how he had chosen Qin Zhiyi among all the princes and embarked on this path as an old father figure.

In the end, Qin Zhiyi ignored the matching bracelets, especially since he had just left Ninglu Palace, and inexplicably seemed to be wearing a green aura.

Green from the air itself.

Consort Huizhao remained under house arrest. While Shen Fuyu was celebrating her grand birthday, Huizhao suddenly felt weak and breathless. After summoning the imperial physician, it was discovered she was one month pregnant.

Thanks to Shen Fuyu’s medicinal side effects, Qin Zhiyi now had three “sons,” none of whom were his own.

Yet Huizhao was delighted. She never dreamed she would have a child! Now, with a child, her status was suddenly on par with Shen Fuyu’s.

And if Shen Fuyu couldn’t bear a child while she bore the crown prince...

Huizhao thought so deep down. Unfortunately, the foolish Jiang Cairen’s exposure was so swift; luckily she hadn’t betrayed Huizhao.

“Your Majesty, will you stay with me tonight?” Huizhao sat on the bed, speaking softly.

“Today is Noble Consort’s birthday. I will come to you another day,” Qin Zhiyi gently reassured her. “I will restore your rank; you will remain my Consort Huizhao.”

Then he rose to leave, adding before departing, “If you’re bored, ask Noble Consort Shu to keep you company. You two were once close.”

And with that, he slipped away.

Both Noble Consort Shu and Consort Huizhao’s expressions changed. There was no longer any sisterly bond; it had all but vanished after Huizhao gained favor.

“Congratulations, sister,” Shu said with a sour expression. Another pregnancy, another one succeeding. How could Huizhao conceive so quickly after just starting to attend the emperor?

“Thank you, sister,” Huizhao gently touched her belly. She had a child now. “Don’t lose heart. The emperor will not forget you.”