Noble Princess Consort Lan spent the night at Qingning Palace.
This news reached Sang Ruoshui at Yuesang Palace early the next morning.
Sang Ruoshui had almost recovered from her illness the previous night after the Emperor's grace, but upon hearing this news, she became so angry that she couldn't get out of bed.
Sang Yan was summoned by Xiangxiu to console her, "Don't lose your composure. The Emperor abides by abstinence, even if he stays overnight, nothing can happen. You've also heard that the Jingshi Palace did not record her receiving favor."
Sang Ruoshui cried, "But she spent the night. No concubine has ever spent the night in Qingning Palace. Sister, do you think the Emperor likes her? He didn't favor her this time, but what about next time?"
Who knew what the Emperor was thinking?
He had just been insisting on keeping Sang Yan at the palace moments ago, and the next moment, he was spending the night with that woman.
Could it have been Sang Yan's disobedience that angered him?
Thinking this, she grabbed Sang Yan's hand, crying and begging, "Sister, I have just received the Emperor's grace and haven't given thanks yet. Can you go for me, please?"
Sang Yan, "..."
She was pushing her towards that despicable Emperor!
"No."
She firmly refused and made her stance clear, "That is your man. You're my sister, and in the civilian world, he would be my brother-in-law. I must maintain a distance from him."
Otherwise, how ridiculous it would be for a brother-in-law and sister-in-law to get involved.
Though in ancient times, it was common for sisters to share a husband, she had a physiological disgust and couldn't accept it.
Sang Ruoshui, unaware of Sang Yan's inner conflict, continued to cry and said, "Sister, are you still upset with me? I was ignorant before and jealous of you, but now I understand, our common enemy is Zhou Jinglan. Sister, I was wrong. Forgive me and help me, please?"
Sang Yan's head ached from her crying, so she nodded, but said, "I can help you, but not in the way you're thinking."
"What do you mean by that?" inquired Sang Ruoshui.
"You're worried about Noble Princess Consort Lan being the first to receive favor, right? I can help you with that."
"How?"
"You—"
Sang Yan hesitated.
In reality, she did not want to suggest this method, but there seemed to be no other way at the moment.
Seeing Sang Yan hesitate, Sang Ruoshui urged, "Sister, just say it."
Biting her lip, Sang Yan finally spoke up, "You should quickly recuperate, give thanks in person, then find an excuse to get the Emperor drunk. Once he's intoxicated and his awareness dimmed, sleep with him."
"Bang!"
Xiangxiu, who had just entered carrying medicine, was so startled that she dropped the medicine bowl.
The bowl shattered on the ground, spilling black medicine all over.
"I didn't mean to. Lady, please spare my life."
Xiangxiu quickly knelt and pleaded for mercy, first for breaking the bowl and second for overhearing such treacherous words.
Sang Ruoshui had no mind to care about her.
"Sister, be careful with your words. This is an offense against the dragon's body, punishable by death."
She hadn't expected Sang Yan to dare say something like that and was nearly scared to death.
Sang Yan was also aware of the danger of her suggestion but had her reasons, "Your Emperor abstains from intimate relations, probably because he's unaware of the pleasures of women. Once he ventures into the flesh, and finds sweetness in bed, why would he fuss over the details? Perhaps he will develop a taste for it and return to normal sexual attitudes. Moreover, in such a situation, it's just a case of drunken disorderly behavior. As for whether you sleep with him or he sleeps with you, between a man and a woman, it's all the same in the end. In any case, this matter could be minor or severe; severe is offending the dragon's body, minor is simply marital affection."
Hearing all this, Sang Ruoshui felt tempted but was also scared, "What if the Emperor falls ill? You're new to the palace and don't know how his disposition changes drastically when he's ill; he becomes violent and murderous, truly frightening."
That palace maid had accidentally touched the Emperor, causing him to have an episode, and was beaten to death alive!
"If you're scared, then just stay put in the palace comfortably."
Sang Yan was losing her patience, as she found the women in the palace to be naive and greedy, "You want to win both the Emperor's affection and be the first to bear an heir, yet fear the cost. Where on earth can you find such a good deal?"
Sang Ruoshui also understood this logic and grew solemn, "Allow me... to think about it."
*
Imperial Study
The silence was chilling to the bone.
Pei Muyang knelt at the Emperor's feet, trembling hands wiping the sweat from his forehead.
For a moment.
He Ying closed the petition and looked at him, his eyes seeming to laugh but not really laughing, "Did she really say that?"
"Absolutely true."
Pei Muyang kowtowed, continuing, "It was Sister Xiangxiu from Yuesang Palace who said this. This servant didn't dare omit a single word."
He Ying withdrew his gaze, tapping his chin with his fingers, and chuckled softly, "I was mistaken. She's just a wild rabbit after all."
Pei Muyang: "..."
He dared not speak.
He had really not realized that Miss Sang had such courage!
"She wants to sleep with me, huh. And she says I don't know the benefits of the fairer sex?"
He Ying pulled up the corner of his lips and laughed softly, "Good. You go and pass the message to Xiangxiu; let her persuade Princess Consort Sang to do just that."
He wanted to see how these two sisters planned to intoxicate him. How they planned to tempt him when he was drunk and disorderly?
And... the benefits of the fairer sex?
He hoped she wouldn't regret hatching this plan.
Pei Muyang watched the Emperor's enigmatic smile and quavered, "…Yes."
*
The night was heavily shrouded.
It had started to rain again.
Rain beat against the banana leaves, ticking and pattering.
Every so often, a thunderous roar was heard.
Sang Ruoshui was already irritated; the noise kept her from sleeping, so she sat up and had a Palace Attendant light a lamp.
The palace maid on night duty was none other than Xiangxiu.
She lit the lamp and poured tea, then, carrying it to Sang Ruoshui, she asked with caution, "Does Lady have worries on her mind? I see you've been tossing and turning, unable to sleep."
Sang Ruoshui took the tea, sipped it, but said nothing, her gaze lost in a distant place.
The words of Sang Yan from the morning still echoed in her ears.
She had thought it over all day and still couldn't make up her mind.
"Lady, the Imperial Physician said that it's excessive worry, pent up in your heart, that has made you ill. To recover, you need to let go of certain things," Xiangxiu pulled Sang Ruoshui back from her drifting thoughts.
Sang Ruoshui considered Xiangxiu a confidante and, after a moment of thought, still asked, "You heard what Sang Yan said too, do you think it's feasible?"
Xiangxiu had been waiting for Sang Ruoshui to ask this.
She had her response ready, speaking slowly, "In answer to Lady, this servant thinks it's feasible."
Sang Ruoshui was surprised; she hadn't expected a servant to dare say such a thing. Could it be that she was really too timid?
"Why?"
"Lady, if one does not enter the tiger's den, how can one get the tiger's cub?"
Her words hit the nail on the head.
Sang Ruoshui's expression turned serious, she put down her teacup and had her sit on the bed, "Continue."
Xiangxiu nodded, sat on the bed, and lowered her voice to say, "Currently, the other concubines have yet to react, all waiting for the Imperial Physician to cure the Emperor's illness. But if the Imperial Physician hasn't cured it in ten years, do you think it can be cured in the next two or three years? How many sets of two or three years do the concubines have in their youth? To put it bluntly, by the time the Emperor is cured, the concubines' bloom will have passed, and they can only watch others enjoy his favor..."
Some things are better left unsaid at their climactic point.
Sang Ruoshui immediately made a decision, "You're right. We can't wait any longer. Those concubines the Emperor took in after he assumed personal rule, who even remembers them now?"
Seeing her determination, Xiangxiu added the final push, "Moreover, the idea was Miss Sang's. When the time comes, Lady can ask her to get the Emperor drunk with you. If something happens, given her face, the Emperor might not blame Lady."
At this, Sang Ruoshui clutched Xiangxiu's arm tightly, her eyes filled with both jealousy and hate, "Right. You're right. Sang Yan is a talisman; if I do something wrong, it was her incitement."