Is there really such a good thing in this world? Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Salted fish sprays water

Luming threw herself into the shade, almost expressing her relief aloud.

The ground was very cool!

Then she lay there motionless, pretending to be dead.

Luming was skilled at pretending, including pretending to sleep, faint, snore... and other common skills people have.

Anyway, she decided to remain lying there without waking up. This wasn't a novel about immortals or superpowers, so who could tell she was pretending to faint?

Luming was enjoying lying on the cool ground, while she heard the maid and the new nanny she brought with her rushing towards her anxiously. Meanwhile, the servants who had been standing like statues in the Empress Dowager's palace started moving, some heading towards Luming, while two ran inside to report.

At this time, the current emperor had just finished a meeting with his ministers and was heading with some princes to greet the Empress Dowager. As they entered the courtyard, they saw the servants trying to lift Luming to take her to a side hall.

Luming was not large, but rather thin. However, the multiple layers of clothes she wore made her look like a large pile, making it difficult to lift her. The little eunuchs were about her size, and the maids couldn't carry her directly, so they had to lift her two by two, one lifting her head and the other her feet.

The frightening marks on Luming's neck were exposed, clearly visible to everyone as the emperor and his companions entered.

This scene was extremely disturbing.

It didn't take long for the eunuch beside the emperor to find out what was happening. He approached the emperor's ear and whispered a few words, causing the emperor's face to darken immediately.

It turned out that this was the new concubine of the third prince, who had come to the palace today to greet the Empress Dowager, but she had been left kneeling at the door!

The Empress Dowager had deliberately humiliated her grandson's wife, making her kneel until she fainted, and the emperor happened to witness it.

The Empress Dowager was not the emperor's biological mother, and although the "mother-son relationship" had been good over the years, it was never truly deep.

The Empress Dowager always received respect from the emperor, but this time the emperor paused outside her chamber, and his usually stern face showed deep lines of anger.

As the ruler who had held power for a long time, the emperor did not need to say anything. He glanced at Lu Meng being carried away, then turned and calmly said to the few princes with him, "I just remembered I need to meet with the Grand Minister. You go in and greet your grandmother."

The emperor then turned and left quickly. Inside, the Empress Dowager, who had been planning to use her nap as an excuse to make things difficult for the concubine, felt a bit panicked despite her age.

Even though the emperor was not her biological son, he had treated her very well over the years.

Initially, the two of them allied in the court and palace to defeat the current emperor's brothers and help him ascend to the throne. The Empress Dowager, who was previously a childless consort, became the winner in life, being honored as the unique and unparalleled Empress Dowager.

She had dominated the rear palace for many years, and as she aged, she became like a living Buddha, whom no one dared to disrespect. Over time, she became unable to leave her "pedestal of reverence."

But who would have expected today's incident to be so severe, and for the emperor to witness it? After the emperor left, the expressions of the princes in the courtyard were varied, with the fourth prince, who was the main culprit of today's incident, looking the most panicked.

The emperor is not her biological son, but the mother of the fourth prince is a legitimate daughter of the Chen family, the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, who was sent into the palace by them.

Today's incident was witnessed by the emperor because of the fourth prince.

The Empress Dowager naturally showed special favoritism towards members of her own family. Last night, the fourth prince came here, crying and complaining to the Empress Dowager, saying that Prince Jian'an not only disrupted his alliance with the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs but also managed to get the emperor to agree to marry the woman he desired to Prince Jian'an as a secondary wife.

The Empress Dowager is not particularly knowledgeable about court disputes, but she understands some. Her four grandsons are indeed reckless and impulsive, lacking in strategy. With the eldest prince already deceased and the crown prince not yet established, several princes are inevitably vying for the throne.

Prince Jian'an is the only one among the princes who has been granted the title and land outside the palace. This is because he personally cracked down on corruption in the official salt trade a few years ago, uncovering a smuggling ring and earning praise from court officials.

He may not look favorably upon the Deputy Minister of Revenue, who is more apt at failure than success. The Empress Dowager suspects that Prince Jian'an deliberately took someone favored by the fourth prince, and the problem lies with the Deputy Minister's second daughter herself.

Although her fame in the palace is not widespread, the deceased wife of the Deputy Minister was one of the most talented women in the palace.

She came close to entering the palace as an empress, but the woman herself was unwilling, saying she only sought one man. However, she fell for the Deputy Minister's sweet words, and in the end, she was abandoned by her husband for a favored concubine, a very miserable fate.

The Deputy Minister's late wife left behind two daughters. The elder daughter married the renowned General of the Southern Garrison and went to live on the border. Although this daughter leads a simple life, she can captivate the soul of the fourth prince with just one meeting, so she is not to be underestimated.

Conflicts among brothers can arise for power, wealth, or influence, or even over a woman's value. Especially when the fourth prince has yet to achieve anything and lacks many supporters, it would be unwise for him to confront Prince Jian'an, who currently enjoys great popularity.

And so, the game begins.

The Empress Dowager decided to address the issue of the Deputy Minister of Revenue's daughter, who had been involved with two princes, as a way to give Prince Jian'an a bit of a slap.

Previously, the Empress Dowager had advised Lumeng to prepare herself, not just in terms of dressing, but also to prepare herself to face the challenges from the Empress Dowager.

However, when these complicated and confusing events reached Lumeng, she stumbled and handled them poorly.

"I decided to ignore all the power struggles and scheming; I'd rather start by surrendering."

When the Emperor arrives with his princes and finds Lumeng outside the hall seeking an audience with the Empress Dowager, he doesn't even spare her a glance.

It's customary to show respect to one's elders by kneeling.

But when he enters, he finds Lumeng in a tragic state, being carried by two maids who can barely hold her up, her face pale and her neck bruised, which immediately enrages the Emperor.

While he was aware of the power struggles among the princes and the bias of the Empress Dowager, this situation couldn't continue in such a manner.

The Emperor is a dignified person, and he lost his temper in that moment.

When the Empress Dowager failed to feign sleep, she quickly had Lumeng, who pretended to be dead, moved to a side hall and summoned the personal physician.

When the personal physician arrived, he noticed Lumeng's sweaty forehead and the mottled dark skin on her exposed neck, which appeared bruised. Despite being the head physician at the hospital and experienced in handling complex cases, he had never seen the trendy practice of gua sha in the 21st century.

Both the physician and the Empress Dowager, along with everyone who saw the marks on Lumeng's neck when she was being dragged by the maids, attributed these marks to sexual abuse.

As Lumeng expected, the television drama-style old physician who would casually diagnose a simple cold could not recognize her feigned unconsciousness!

Or even if he did, what could he do? As a man, touching her to check her pulse would require a handkerchief barrier; would he dare to lift her eyelids to wake her up?

Lumeng felt she had mastered the skill of survival!

After the princes paid their respects to the Empress Dowager, Wu Linxuan went to the side hall where the physician had already made his diagnosis.

Wu Linxuan directly informed, saying: "Returning to Your Highness, the side consort has been unable to tolerate extreme cold or heat since childhood, and her physical weakness led to her fainting."

Here is the English translation of the text:

"In addition to suffering from the heat today, perhaps due to insufficient rest last night and exhaustion, the qi and blood may be deficient. The old minister has already prescribed medication, and once the side consort drinks it, she will be fine."

Wu Linxuan was not at all concerned about how this lady fainted. He squinted his eyes at the woman lying behind the veil, now most interested in knowing where those horrific marks on her neck came from.

When he saw it in the courtyard just now, it wasn't the emperor who was most shocked, but Wu Linxuan himself. Such signs of abuse, anyone familiar with intimate relations would know what happened.

Although Wu Linxuan had drunk alcohol last night, he remembered clearly. He didn't even touch this woman!

If Wu Linxuan hadn't asked Xinya before, and his side consort had never left the sight of the maids, Wu Linxuan would really have thought she had been abused by someone.

Standing with his hands behind his back, Wu Linxuan nodded at the physician, ignoring the old man's subtle remarks. This old man belonged to the Empress Dowager's faction. This time... this news of his cruelty to women in bed will probably spread.

After the physician left, Wu Linxuan still squinted at Lumeng. He had considered many possibilities. Xinya had also made it clear that this woman had not been outside the Empress Dowager's hall for more than a quarter of an hour before fainting with horrific marks on her body.

Wu Linxuan rarely wastes so much effort on a woman, and finally guessed the only possibility: that she did it herself, and then pretended to faint.

So Wu Linxuan quickly walked to the bedside, pulled back the curtain, and said to the person in the bed, "Stop pretending, get up and explain to me."

Silence prevailed.

Wu Linxuan sneered, feeling angry. This woman was indeed not simple, she was cunning to this extent!

"Get up, or else..." Wu Linxuan didn't say what the consequence would be.

But after waiting for a while, the person in the bed continued to breathe steadily without any signs of waking up. Lumeng didn't even flutter her eyelashes.

Of course, it wasn't because she was good at pretending, but rather because... she was asleep!

As everyone knows, insufficient sleep at night and not being able to catch up on sleep in the morning can lead to drowsiness all day long. Lumeng was initially careful about pretending, and in the end, she didn't dare to touch her, let alone deceive or harm her when the physician came. After all, she was the prince's side consort, and there were distinctions between men and women!

Feeling completely at ease and relaxed, she just fell asleep, right?

Wu Linxuan's hands were almost trembling as he pressed them against Lumeng's neck, threatening in a low voice, "If you dare to pretend to be dead in front of me, I'll make sure you're really dead."

If Lumeng were awake, she would jump up and cling to Wu Linxuan's thigh, confessing tearfully and pleading for leniency.

After all, one cannot afford to offend the boss! She was counting on the male lead to protect her and provide her with a life of wealth and luxury forever.

But she was asleep, deeply asleep, so much so that she wouldn't even feel if her neck were squeezed.

Wu Linxuan paused for a moment, realizing she truly wasn't conscious, then withdrew his hand, though his eyes were full of suspicion.

Was she not pretending to faint? Then how did she get those marks on her neck?

Quickly, Wu Linxuan no longer cared about what happened to Lumeng. After speaking with the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, Lumeng was sent out of the palace, and Wu Linxuan was summoned to the Emperor.

When he left, several princes were gathered in the council hall. The Emperor found an excuse to reprimand the Fourth Prince and Wu Linxuan, and gave the Sixth Prince a lucrative task to investigate the matter.

The Sixth Prince was so grateful that it stung Wu Linxuan's eyes. This task was no trivial matter; he had to find a way to reclaim it.

This disturbance made the other princes ecstatic, to the point that the Fourth Prince didn't even dare to go to the Empress Dowager to cry and complain.

When they left the palace, the Fourth Prince lagged behind with Wu Linxuan, and when he couldn't bear the silence any longer, he said, "I didn't expect the Third Prince to be so cruel."

"He can do that to a beautiful woman like her... The Third Prince is truly domineering," the Fourth Prince said with a sarcastic smile, "Perhaps because the man she intended to marry was me, so she angered the Third Prince?"

The fourth prince is named Wu Lincheng, but he's actually a complete idiot when it comes to anything else, except for playing around with women. He has a harem in the backyard almost rivaling the emperor's, yet he treats each woman as his precious treasure, with deep and tender affection.

Wu Lincheng deliberately provokes Wu Linxuan, as he doesn't know what else to do. Initially, Wu Linxuan didn't want to get involved, but this matter will eventually spread. Even if the authorities don't spread it, the other princes won't miss the chance to defame him.

So, Wu Linxuan decided to provoke Wu Lincheng, seeking some satisfaction, and if he could make him act foolishly, even better.

Wu Linxuan said, "Beauty is indeed beautiful, but don't you think, beauty is like a canvas? Such a beautiful canvas, if not painted upon, wouldn't it be a waste?"

He was referring to the bruises on Lumeng's body.

Wu Lincheng's face turned purple with anger. He prides himself on being charming, emphasizing mutual understanding and tender affection. He couldn't comprehend Wu Linxuan's... perverse inclinations!

So, he stammered for a while, unable to say a word, his eyes reddened with anger, and suddenly he began to feel more sympathetic towards Lumeng.

Yes, Wu Lincheng is a supporting character, who claims to love the female lead with words alone, but in reality, all he brings her is misunderstanding and suffering.

When it comes to abusive texts, there are always a few stupid supporting characters.

But Wulin Xuan didn't know that when his desire today ended, it would become a rumor that he peels the skin of beautiful women every night to use as canvases. If he knew, he would definitely keep his mouth shut tighter than a clamshell.

And at this moment, rumors are spreading in the palace, where he is relaxing on the noble lady's bed and enjoying the fruits offered.

Nothing unusual, grapes are somewhat sweet.

Lumeng is now feeling proud, having fought a beautiful battle today that reportedly made the emperor leave in anger. When she finally left the palace, even the noble lady didn't mention her, probably not wanting to see her again in her lifetime.

Truly wonderful!

Wulin Xuan, this boss, is also truly great. He has a car and a house, "but no parents".

The emperor is extremely busy, essentially worthless. The empress died many years ago, and Wulin Xuan's hostess mother also passed away. He has no evil stepmother, no sister-in-law, no need to deal with family relationships.

Most importantly, Wulin Xuan doesn't like her!

Could there be anything more beautiful than that in this world?

Lumeng relaxes, feeling her bones aching, thinking about what to eat in the evening.

Then, at the peak of her happiness, she hears a maid rushing in from outside to say, "Madam, the prince is coming!"

Lumeng almost rolled off the noble lady's bed. Why did Wuling Shuan come now!

Fortunately, the maid was more flustered than Lumeng, and hurried to help her put on shoes and arrange her clothes, assisting her to stand at the door.

Wuling Shuan strode in as Lumeng sat on her knees and said to him, "The servant has seen you, Your Highness."

Once Wuling Shuan entered the room, he sat down at the edge of the table.

He glanced around the room, then his icy gaze swept the maids out of the room.

Lumeng's heart raced, Wuling Shuan's demeanor didn't seem like he came to comfort her... was he coming to interrogate her?

Lumeng was scared.

But after some thought, she approached and handed Wuling Shuan a cup of tea herself after swallowing her saliva.

The maid didn't change the tea; it was still very hot.

Hot as it was, it wouldn't burn his mouth anyway.

Lumeng handed Wuling Shuan the cup of tea, but without warning, Wuling Shuan suddenly grabbed Lumeng's wrist.

Lumeng didn't expect him to start acting so suddenly, and she was startled and silent, then the hot tea spilled directly onto ... Wuling Shuan's thigh.

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