Wang Dequan had watched the Emperor grow up, and after several decades, there was a genuine bond between them. He couldn''t bear to see the Emperor so troubled every day, so he sighed and said, "Your Majesty only has Concubine Zhen in his heart, but Concubine Zhen doesn''t know it! You need to let her feel your sincerity."


    This statement was already overstepping boundaries; it was truly inappropriate for a eunuch to advise the Emperor on matters of the heart.


    But what else could be done?


    His Emperor had lost his father at a young age, and even if he hadn''t, the previous Emperor wouldn''t have taught him how to love a woman. The Emperor never learned such useless things; he only learned the ways of bncing power and governing the country.


    The previous Emperor knew how to manipte people''s hearts, but how to truly love a woman was something he had never experienced himself. How could he have taught it to the current Emperor?


    After the previous Emperor''s death, the power of the imperial inws grew, and the Empress Dowager was that kind of person. She only taught the Emperor how to retaliate when faced with others'' betrayal, not how to love someone.


    He was the Son of Heaven, the sacred ruler. Everything he wanted was handed to him; there was nothing he couldn''t have.


    It had been this way since he was young, which shaped his current personality. It wasn''t his fault.


    Wang Dequan observed coldly. The Emperor truly liked Concubine Zhen, a fondness he had never shown before for Consort Shu or Concubine Li.


    But the Emperor himself hadn''t realized it, and as a eunuch, Wang Dequan didn''t dare to say much.


    There were still so many other consorts in the pce. If word got out that he had enlightened the Emperor, his life would be forfeit.


    Now it was the Emperor himself who said his heart only had room for Concubine Zhen, so it had nothing to do with him.


    "How can I make her understand?" the Emperor asked.


    Wang Dequan knew exactly what to say: "Your Majesty, you''ve done so much for Concubine Zhen in private. You need to let her know about it!"


    Concubine Zhen only saw that the Emperor always abandoned her on the surface, always weighing pros and cons. She hadn''t seen what the Emperor had done to protect her behind the scenes!


    Of course she would be heartbroken, wouldn''t she?


    Like when Concubine Li fell into the water, and Consort Jiang and the others forced the Emperor to banish Concubine Zhen to the Pce of Exile.


    Concubine Zhen only saw the Emperor protecting Concubine Li, but she didn''t know that in the court, Prime Minister Song and his group of civil officials pressured the Emperor, insisting that he execute Concubine Zhen. They even refused to attend court for three days, trying to force the Emperor toply.


    But the Emperor ignored them and instead ordered the Internal Affairs Department to take good care of Concubine Zhen, fulfilling all her requests, ensuring she wasn''t too hot or cold, and that she nevercked food. That''s why Concubine Zhen could live so well in the Pce of Exile.


    If the Emperor hadn''t banished her to the Pce of Exile at that time, the Song family would have certainly found a way to kill her. This was the Emperor''s way of protecting her.


    But Concubine Zhen knew nothing about all of this.


    There were many other instances when the schemes of the back pce were used against Concubine Zhen, but the Emperor always helped her resolve them after finding out, which was why Concubine Zhen could safely and healthily conceive the imperial child.


    She only knew that her own protective measures were effective, and thought that conceiving the imperial child was the result of her own carefulness.


    In fact, if it weren''t for the Emperor, Concubine Zhen''s imperial child would have been harmed long before she even knew about it.


    Concubine Zhen loved to eat lychees and tribute tangerines. This summer, almost all the tribute tangerines went to Hexi Pce, with the Emperor himself barely eating two.


    The lychees were rushed from the two Guangs by express horsemen, iced at every post station to ensure they were still fresh when they reached the pce.


    The Empress also loved lychees, but this year she only got a small basket. All the rest went into Concubine Zhen''s stomach.


    In previous years, the Emperor never did such wasteful things, but for the one he liked, he broke the rules.


    The Emperor''s missteps were all seen and remembered by Concubine Zhen, while she knew nothing of the things he did right. Wang Dequan truly felt sorry for the Emperor.


    "My Lady, the Emperor has sent Royal Eunuch Wang with ambergris incense from his personal collection. He said he''s worried other incenses might not be suitable for you, so from now on, he''ll allocate some from his own supply for your use."


    Ambergris is a clear and elegant animal fragrance, the noblest among animal fragrances.


    Its scent is as exquisite as musk, with a slight earthy note, somewhat reminiscent of seaweed, wood, and moss. It has a unique sweetness and an extremely longsting base note, forming a veryplex fragrancebination.


    Although not overpowering, it''s subtle and mellow,sting thirty times longer than ordinary fragrances.


    Jiang Xinyue quite liked it.


    She didn''t refuse this gift, but she also didn''t agree to see the Xuanwu Emperor. Instead, she had Little Xuan go out to ept the reward, not even allowing Wang Dequan to enter the main gate. Naturally, he couldn''t see Jiang Xinyue or put in a good word for the Emperor.


    "Concubine Zhen, this is a set of longevity locks that the Emperor had made for the Sixth Prince or the Third Princess. The craftsmanship is exquisite and beautiful. May this servant bring it in for you?"


    "Concubine Zhen, Fusang has sent tribute gifts, including a beautiful Fusang dress. Consort Liang and the others are very fond of it, but the Emperor has instructed this servant to bring it to you."


    ...


    Wang Dequan came to Hexi Pce every few days with rewards from the Emperor. Gold, silver, jewels, and rare treasures flowed like water into Hexi Pce, as if trying to break open that pce gate.


    But while Jiang Xinyue epted the gifts, she resolutely refused to see anyone.


    She had suffered so much for the Emperor since entering the pce; what was wrong with taking somepensation?


    The Pei Family thought Jiang Xinyue had fallen out of favor, and that Pei Wu could take the opportunity to rise. They didn''t expect that the Shen family would produce such a devoted lover this time, and that the Emperor, far from being angry, was carefully coaxing the temperamental concubine in Hexi Pce.


    This waspletely different from what they had anticipated!


    Minister Pei of the Privy Council had nned to invite the Emperor to his sixtieth birthday celebration, arranging for Pei Wu to perform and offer birthday wishes. But the Emperor directly refused, saying that after Prime Minister Song''s death, court affairs were too busy and he couldn''t spare the time.


    This was all just an excuse. After Prime Minister Song was beheaded, Minister Song was also stripped of his official position. Only the small fry of the Song family escaped being purged. All officials of the fifth rank and above met with great misfortune.


    Forget about keeping their vast wealth and power; it was not bad if they could keep their whole family alive.


    But this matter had absolutely no impact on the Emperor.


    The purge of the Song family was something the Emperor had long nned. He had already decided on recements for various high officials.


    As soon as the Song family''s officials fell from power, the Emperor immediately arranged for his own people to take their ces.


    The major affairs of state weren''t dyed at all, so how could he not have time to attend Minister Pei''s sixtieth birthday celebration?


    It was simply because he felt there was no need.


    Pei Wu''s first appearance had been stillborn, but Minister Pei clearly wouldn''t give up so easily. He was still plotting a second initial encounter between the Emperor and Pei Wu.


    The supposedly very busy Xuanwu Emperor summoned the Prince of Ruyang and the Princess of Ruyang, as well as the seventy-year-old former Hanlin Academy schr Old Master Lu and his wife, who had retired to the countryside, to the pce.


    The reason was simple: the Prince of Ruyang and his wife were a loving couple, celebrated by the people of the Great Yan Dynasty as a perfect match.


    Old Master Lu had only one wife in his lifetime. They had grown old together since their youth, always treating each other with respect, never quarreling. After Old Master Lu retired from his official post,mon people getting married loved to invite this elderly couple to be their wedding hosts.


    It was as if receiving their blessings would allow the newlyweds to grow old together just like them.