#54Shen Qing deserves the most credit!
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Chapter 54: Minister Shen is the First Contributor!
The Empress frowned, "What is there that you dare not tell me? Speak!"
Bai Yu said, "Your Highness, you have indeed been talking in your sleep for the past few days, and it has been happening more and more. Once, in your dream, you said..."
"You said Lord Shen is so handsome, and asked Lord Shen to undress you..."
The Empress's face instantly flushed with shame, "Bai Yu, you are talking nonsense!"
Bai Yu lowered her head, "Your Highness, this servant dares not lie. It is true. You must have been dreaming of Lord Shen quite often these past few days, right?"
The Empress's face was as delicate and red as a flower. Could it be that she really was the one who initiated it last night?
"That is enough. This matter must absolutely not be spoken of to anyone else."
"Rest assured, Your Highness."
The two arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where the imperial physicians were taking turns caring for the Emperor.
As luck would have it, the moment the Empress entered, she saw the Concubine.
The Empress's expression immediately darkened.
"Li Yunshu, I heard that you barged into my Kunning Palace yesterday. How do you plead?"
The Concubine's expression remained calm as she said,
"Your Highness, there is no need to be angry. Yesterday, I was merely apprehending traitors, and furthermore, I did not actually break in."
"Hmph, if the prince hadn't arrived, wouldn't you have broken in?"
The Concubine sneered, "Wait until I have actually broken in before you accuse me of a crime."
"You..."
After the two spoke a few words, Emperor Ren suddenly started coughing.
Everyone was overjoyed and hurriedly gathered around.
"Your Majesty!"
Emperor Ren slowly opened his eyes. Seeing so many people surrounding him, he said weakly,
"Have the assassins been caught?"
"Your Majesty, all the assassins were shot to death by Lord Li."
Emperor Ren frowned; he had not expected that not a single one would be left alive.
"What about Princess of Yan State, Na Xing? Has she given birth safely?"
The Empress said, "Thanks to your great fortune, Your Majesty, Princess of Yan State, Na Xing, has given birth safely. Both mother and child are well."
Emperor Ren's eyes lit up, "Good! Shen Yulou truly has some skills! Someone, summon Shen Yulou and have him examine my wounds!"
"Yes!"
...
Having received the Emperor's summons, Shen Yulou finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quietly climbed over the wall of Kunning Palace and slipped back to the Wet Nurse Department.
Seeing Shen Yulou, Qin Guiru and Tao Hong were both pleasantly surprised.
"Lord Shen, you have finally returned!"
Qin Guiru said, "The Emperor has summoned you, so go quickly. Princess of Yan State, Na Xing, also needs your help here."
Shen Yulou nodded, "I will handle it when I return."
Just as Shen Yulou was about to leave, Tao Hong suddenly sniffed him, "Lord Shen, why do you smell so fragrant?"
Qin Guiru and Tao Hong immediately looked at Shen Yulou with questioning eyes. They had been so worried about him yesterday.
Yet this guy smelled like a woman. Could he have gone off to fool around?
Shen Yulou said indifferently, "You do not know, but yesterday the Concubine was hunting me down. I had no choice but to hide in the Empress's bed for the night. Sigh."
After saying this, Shen Yulou walked away quickly.
Qin Guiru spat, "Would it kill you not to brag? If the Empress heard that, she would definitely punish him!"
Tao Hong also curled her lips, "Exactly, Lord Shen just loves to talk nonsense!"
Neither of them believed a word Shen Yulou said.
What kind of bragging was that? Sleeping in the Empress's bed—why didn't he just say he consummated the marriage with the Empress?
...
Shen Yulou arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"
Emperor Ren said, "Minister Shen, rise!"
Seeing Shen Yulou, the Concubine revealed a smile, showing no signs of anything unusual, and said in a gentle voice,
"Lord Shen, the Emperor has already awakened. Please check and see if there is any way to help the Emperor recover faster."
Shen Yulou sneered in his heart. This woman, the Concubine, was certainly deep. After such a huge event yesterday, she was acting like nothing had happened today.
He would definitely find a chance to properly 'educate' her to avenge yesterday's grudge.
Shen Yulou said, "Your Majesty, the wound has already been sutured; this is the Empress's merit. Your humble servant will prescribe another dose of medicine for you, and you will be able to walk on the ground by tomorrow.
However, you still need to rest quietly and must not engage in strenuous activity within ten days."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Ren looked at the Empress with some surprise.
"Mingzhen, thank you for your hard work."
The Empress said, "It is this concubine's blessing to be able to share your burdens, Your Majesty."
At this moment, the Concubine was sensible enough not to speak. It was a fact that the Empress had sutured Emperor Ren's wound, and it would be useless for her to vie for favor.
Emperor Ren said, "Minister Shen, how is Princess of Yan State, Na Xing?"
"Princess of Yan State, Na Xing, is physically weak and still needs some recuperation. As for the child, there is no major issue."
Emperor Ren said, "That is good. You only need to ensure that this mother and child do not die. Shen Yulou, you are the first contributor this time. After I recover, I will definitely reward you heavily."
Shen Yulou sneered in his heart. Emperor Ren was about the same as those capitalists in the modern world.
He drew a big picture, but none of the rewards had been seen.
However, on the surface, Shen Yulou still had to thank him.
Emperor Ren said, "Alright, you may all withdraw. Call Li Hui in and let him have a private audience."
"Yes!"
Everyone left the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The Empress gave Shen Yulou a few glances, but Shen Yulou acted as if he did not see them and walked quickly back to the Wet Nurse Department.
Shen Yulou's attitude made the Empress grit her teeth in anger. He had promised to tell her the Concubine's weakness, but now that he had used her, he was ignoring her?
The Concubine also wanted to say a few words to Shen Yulou, but Shen Yulou was in such a hurry that she could not say anything in front of the Empress.
Now that the grudge with Shen Yulou had been formed, this matter was really not easy to handle.
But Shen Yulou had no time to deal with these two women at the moment; he had to hurry to attend to Princess of Yan State, Na Xing.
According to Emperor Ren's words, as long as this mother and child remained alive, it was fine. As for whether they lived healthily or were just barely clinging to life, it did not matter to Emperor Ren.
That was Emperor Ren's character; he naturally would not care about people who had nothing to do with him.
But for Shen Yulou, Princess of Yan State, Na Xing, was his patient, and he had to be responsible for his patient to the end.
After returning to the Wet Nurse Department, Shen Yulou carefully examined Princess of Yan State, Na Xing's body.
"Have the Imperial Household Department prepare some bird's nest and provide meals for Princess of Yan State, Na Xing, according to the standards for a concubine's postpartum confinement."
Tao Hong was a bit worried, "Lord Shen, if you do this, the Imperial Household Department might be dissatisfied, and they might speak ill of you when the time comes."
Shen Yulou said, "Do not worry about them. Let them say what they want. Any patient in my hands, I must do my best for."
The Princess of Yan State had come all this way to give birth, yet Emperor Ren did not even treat her as a person.
Shen Yulou was certainly not a saint. He could not control what fate awaited the Princess of Yan State in the future, nor did it have anything to do with him.
But during the time she was in his hands, he still had to do his best.
At the very least, he would let her complete her postpartum recovery, and the child had to be taken care of well.
Shen Yulou treated the child's navel and found a wet nurse to feed it, effectively settling the mother and child.
Just at this moment, Tao Hong suddenly ran in and said,
"Lord Shen, Madam Li has come to see you."
Shen Yulou was stunned, "Which Madam Li?"
"Commander Li's wife!"
"Oh? Please, bring her in."
Madam Li walked in with a panicked expression. Seeing Shen Yulou, she fell to her knees with a thud.
"Lord Shen, please save my husband!"