50The safest place is the Empress's bed.
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Chapter 50 The Empress's Bed is the Safest Place
Bai Yu was about to make a move, but Shen Yulou laughed.
"Does Your Majesty not wonder why the Consort wants to kill me?"
The Empress snorted, "It must be that you did something lewd, which is why the Consort wants to kill you."
Shen Yulou was audacious; he dared to sleep with her, the Empress, so naturally, he would also dare to lay hands on the Consort.
Shen Yulou shook his head, "It's because the Consort has something on me, so she has no choice but to kill me. It just so happened that His Majesty was severely injured and unconscious, which is why she acted so recklessly.
If you let the Consort kill me, you will gain nothing except venting your anger.
But if you protect me, the Consort's secret will be in your hands."
After Shen Yulou finished speaking, the Empress fell silent.
She admitted that Shen Yulou was sharp-tongued.
The Empress was tempted by what he said.
Shen Yulou did indeed sleep with her, but this had already happened and could not be undone.
She didn't dare to tell the Emperor, so she could only swallow this bitter pill.
Killing Shen Yulou would bring no benefits other than venting her anger.
However, if she knew the Consort's secret and could bring her down, that would be completely different.
The Consort had just given birth to an Imperial Heir, which already threatened her position.
The Empress said, "Bai Yu, go out and inquire if the Consort truly intends to kill him."
"Yes!"
The Empress dared not trust Shen Yulou; this fellow was cunning and treacherous.
So, it was best to verify it.
Soon, Bai Yu ran back and said,
"Your Majesty, there are many of the Consort's people outside, all looking for Shen Yulou. They said to kill him on sight, no need to capture him alive."
The Empress narrowed her eyes, "It seems that Li Yunshu, that slut, is truly desperate. Taking advantage of His Majesty's unconsciousness, she is so presumptuous!"
The Consort's recklessness also indicated that she truly had something on Shen Yulou.
Otherwise, going to such great lengths to kill Shen Yulou would surely incur His Majesty's wrath when he woke up.
The Consort was willing to risk His Majesty's displeasure to kill Shen Yulou, so it seemed the secret was not small.
The Empress hesitated for a moment and said,
"Shen Yulou, you stay here for now. Bai Yu, no unauthorized personnel are allowed into the bedchamber. You will deliver all meals for the next few days, and tell everyone that I am ill."
"Yes!"
After Bai Yu left, the Empress said, "Shen Yulou, I will find a place for you to hide tomorrow…"
Before the Empress could finish speaking, Shen Yulou took off his shoes and lay down on the Empress's bed.
"Your Majesty, no need to trouble yourself. I can just hide here."
The Empress's face changed, "Bastard, get down from there!"
Shen Yulou said, "Your Majesty, your bed is the safest place right now. With the Consort's influence, I could be found anywhere else, couldn't I? She wouldn't dare to force her way into your bed."
The Empress said, "Nonsense, are you saying the Consort's influence is greater than mine?"
Shen Yulou chuckled, "Isn't it?"
"You..."
"Your Majesty, stop pretending. At least half of the people in the entire Imperial Harem obey the Consort, and you and the other concubines share the remaining half, right?"
The Empress gritted her teeth; Shen Yulou had truly hit a sore spot.
Although the Empress seemed glorious now, in reality, her actual power was not as great as the Consort's.
Some personnel in the Imperial Heirs Residence were the Empress's people, but most of the Imperial Household Department obeyed the Consort.
Previously, when the Consort had no milk, the Empress seized the opportunity to assert her dominance and tried to take the Imperial Heir away.
However, it was ultimately thwarted by Shen Yulou.
Now that the Consort had milk and could nurse the Imperial Heir herself, her influence was even more ascendant.
Those Imperial Household officials, as well as influential eunuchs, were all actively gravitating towards the Consort.
All of this was because the Empress had no son!
If this continued, as long as the Empress made even a slight mistake, the Consort would very likely step over her to rise in power.
The Empress gnashed her back teeth, but she had no choice; her belly was not cooperative.
The key was that the Old Emperor was also uncooperative, favoring her less and less. It was already difficult to conceive, so how could she have a son now?
Seeing the Empress's gloomy expression, Shen Yulou said,
"Your Majesty need not worry. Sometimes, you don't necessarily have to give birth to a son to gain His Majesty's favor.
Now that His Majesty is severely injured and unconscious, and the Consort is busy trying to kill me, if Your Majesty can stay by His Majesty's side and cure him,
wouldn't His Majesty be grateful to you when he wakes up?"
The Empress was startled and asked,
"Are you saying you want me to treat His Majesty?"
"Exactly. I would like to go and treat His Majesty, but the Consort's people are everywhere outside, making it difficult for me to leave.
However, I can teach the method to Your Majesty, and if Your Majesty personally treats His Majesty, wouldn't it show even more sincerity?"
The Empress pondered for a moment and felt that Shen Yulou's method was feasible.
The Imperial Physicians' skill was naturally inferior to Shen Yulou's. He could even deliver a difficult case like Princess Naxing, so Emperor Ren's external injuries were certainly nothing to worry about.
"What should I do?"
Shen Yulou said, "Your Majesty should go visit His Majesty now, carefully observe the condition of His Majesty's wound, then have the Imperial Physicians describe His Majesty's pulse. You come back and tell me, and I will tell you how to treat him."
The Empress nodded, "Alright, I'll trust you this once."
"Your Majesty, make sure the outside is well-guarded and don't let anyone in."
"Rest assured, no matter how arrogant the Consort is, she wouldn't dare to force her way into my Kunning Palace!"
With that, the Empress briskly walked out.
Meanwhile, Shen Yulou lay on the Empress's soft pillow, casually picked up one of the Empress's undershirts, and took a deep sniff.
Although the Empress had a fiery temper and was somewhat overbearing, compared to the other women, she was actually the least scheming.
In contrast to the others, the Empress even seemed a little cute...
The Empress arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation; at this time, the hall was in chaos.
Dozens of eunuchs and Palace Maids were attending, and basins of bloody water were being carried out.
Over a dozen Imperial Physicians surrounded Emperor Ren on the bed, all in a frantic state.
The Empress approached, "Move aside, I want to see!"
At this moment, Emperor Ren's dragon robe had been removed, his upper body bare, revealing a very shocking wound on his chest.
The sight of this wound made the Empress gasp.
"How is His Majesty's pulse?"
An Imperial Physician said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty's pulse at the cun, chi, and guan positions are all chaotic, and his vital energy is leaking, which is a sign of declining life gate..."
The Empress didn't understand, but she memorized it word for word.
After memorizing it, she quickly left.
She walked with her head down, silently reciting, afraid of forgetting.
The Consort's people were still searching tirelessly in the palace. Shen Yulou had now been labeled an assassin, and at this time, the Empress could not directly confront the Consort.
If the Consort were to frame her, claiming the Empress hired the assassin, then the Imperial Harem would be in utter chaos.
The Empress had no confidence in a full-scale battle with the Consort.
If Emperor Ren were fine, the Empress would not be afraid at all.
But Emperor Ren was now unconscious, and the Consort's father held military power, so the Empress dared not act rashly.
Returning to the room, the Empress climbed onto the bed and said,
"Shen Yulou, His Majesty was stabbed in the chest, and the wound is very large."
Shen Yulou's hand suddenly pressed on the Empress's chest.
"Your Majesty, is it here, or here?