The doctor concubine who broke off the engagement was forced to rush to the wedding, but became the

Xie Zhichan started a fire of rumors in the city of Kyoto, and Pei Yi poured a bucket of boiling oil on it. The fire burned more and more fiercely and finally spread to the palace.

Concubine De He Fangyin has been worried about the peace in the palace recently. The Queen and the Crown Prince have been acting more cautiously, and she can't catch any trace of it. Then her trusted maid Cai Ping brought her news from her mother's family. It was the famous gossip about the princess of the previous dynasty outside the palace. It was really like someone falling asleep and someone giving him a pillow.

So, she personally stewed a bowl of black chicken and ginseng soup in the small kitchen of Fangfei Hall, asked Caiping to carry it, and went to Taiji Hall.

In the grand and solemn Taiji Hall, Emperor Jingde was standing in front of his desk practicing calligraphy. The eunuch guarding the door came to report that Concubine De had arrived, so he asked the chief eunuch, Eunuch Fu, to quickly go and welcome her in.

Today, Imperial Concubine De was wearing a dark blue palace gown with soft silk threads and golden chrysanthemum stamens. On her head she wore a pearl and jade hairpin inlaid with gemstones and embellished with bats, butterflies and flowers, and a pair of moon-catching earrings. She looked elegant and graceful, and walked with graceful lotus steps.

When Emperor Jingde saw her walking towards him from the backlight at the door, like a Bodhisattva stepping on a lotus, he felt relieved.

The young concubines did not have the tenderness of Concubine De, and the old concubines did not have her charm. The Empress only knew how to talk to him about the country and the people. She seemed not to be his woman, but more like his counselor. However, he had no shortage of counselors.

Only Concubine De was deeply in his heart and could relieve his worries.

"Sanlang, I've seen that you haven't come to the harem for a while. I guess you must be tired of government affairs recently, so I specially stewed a bowl of black chicken and ginseng soup for you today. Sanlang, drink it to replenish your energy and continue to worry about the country and the people."

After Concubine De finished speaking, she asked Cai Ping to bring the soup bowl forward for the eunuch who was tasting the food to check. She then walked to Emperor Jingde's side, looked at his handwriting and said, "I haven't seen you for a few days. Sanlang's handwriting has improved again."

Emperor Jingde put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Oh? How did you improve? My beloved concubine, tell me more about it."

Concubine De said, "It seems like there is more dragon energy." Her voice was gentle and charming.

Emperor Jingde burst into laughter when he heard this.

He knew that the only one in the entire harem who truly cared about him was Concubine De. If he didn't go to the harem for a few days, the other concubines would find ways to block him on his way to the Imperial Garden to relax, treating him like a sow, hoping that he would go to their palaces to give birth to a baby dragon. Only Concubine De knew that he was worried about state affairs, so she cared about his health and would tell jokes to cheer him up.

He put his arm around Consort De's waist, pulled her to the small couch on which the coffee table was placed, and asked, "My beloved concubine, why are you free to come here today? Haven't you been selecting the future Princess Qin for your good son recently?"

The second prince Li Jiao has been crowned king this year, and his title is Qin.

After hearing this, Concubine De couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sanlang is already a grown man, but he is still jealous of Jiao'er. If this gets out, your ministers will laugh at you."

Emperor Jingde scratched Concubine De's nose and said with a smile, "My whole heart is with you, but you have given so much of your heart to Jiao'er. How can I not be jealous?"

Concubine De scolded, "Sanlang is talking nonsense again. If the Empress knows about this, she will teach me not to seduce the Empress. I don't want Sanlang's heart. I only hope that Sanlang will treat me equally and the harem will be harmonious. Only then can Sanlang concentrate on handling the affairs of the previous dynasty and the world will be peaceful and stable. In this way, I can live a smooth life as a concubine."

Emperor Jingde saw the charming and lively appearance of Concubine De when she spoke. Although she was over 30 years old, she was more attractive than those girls in their teens and twenties. He couldn't help but pinch her cheek and said with a smile: "You are the best at coaxing people with your mouth. Since you are willing to coax me, just feed me this soup, and I will believe your sincerity."

Eunuch Fu had the foresight to bring the soup bowl over and place it on the small table in the middle of the couch.

Concubine De glanced at Emperor Jingde and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, Sanlang is my husband and my heaven. Whatever Sanlang says is what counts."

He picked up the spoon, scooped a spoonful of soup, and fed it to Emperor Jingde himself.

Emperor Jingde glanced at the soup spoon and immediately said with a stern face: "Is this how you plan to feed me?"

Concubine De seemed not to understand. She stared at Emperor Jingde with her big eyes and asked, "Sanlang, how do you want me to feed you?"

Emperor Jingde took a sip of soup from the spoon, moved closer to Concubine De, and passed the soup into her mouth. The beauty's face turned red instantly.

All the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace were sent out by Eunuch Fu, and the door of Taiji Hall was closed at the same time.

After a bowl of soup, the door of Taiji Hall opened and Eunuch Fu brought the young eunuch in. They saw that all the new words written by Emperor Jingde today had fallen to the ground, and some of the words written in the past were piled in a corner of the table, crumpled up.

Emperor Jingde sat in a chair with Concubine De leaning on his arms, his clothes neatly arranged, as if the two of them had just simply drunk a bowl of soup.

Concubine De buried her head in Emperor Jingde's chest and said something to him, which made him laugh again.

Emperor Jingde stroked Consort De's waist and said, "We love each other, and when our love is deep, it is only natural for us to have sex. It is a great desire for human beings, so how can it be against etiquette?"

Concubine De said in a hoarse voice: "There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. Sanlang, please be more restrained next time."

Emperor Jingde comforted her, "Don't worry, no one will tell the Queen about what happened today."

Concubine De rolled her eyes and said, "That's not necessarily true. We thought that the palace rules were strict, so even if something happened, it wouldn't get out. The people were afraid of the imperial power, and they didn't dare to spread gossip about the palace. But I heard a rumor recently, and it was spread from the palace, and now it's back in the palace. It shows that rumors are more ferocious than tigers."

Emperor Jingde was curious and asked, "Oh? What rumors did my beloved concubine hear?"

Concubine De then told Emperor Jingde about the old rumors about the princess of the previous dynasty. Feeling the aura of Emperor Jingde stagnating, she pretended that she knew nothing and continued, "Although this is old news from the previous dynasty, it is harmless to spread it now, but it is also a reminder to us that the palace walls cannot stop rumors. Although it is just a figment of the imagination, if someone were to identify it, it would bring shame to the royal family, and Sanlang would have to clean up the mess."

Emperor Jingde seemed to be thinking about something, stroking Concubine De's back and said, "My beloved concubine, what you said makes sense."

Concubine De just smiled lightly and said nothing more. She knew that her goal had been achieved.

Sure enough, after Concubine De left, Emperor Jingde asked Eunuch Fu to convey an oral order to summon Princess Yongtai to the palace for an audience.

Princess Li Yuqiu of Yongtai was waiting for the results of the secret guards' investigation in her mansion, determined to catch the source of the rumor. However, she received an oral order from the palace, so she changed into palace clothes and hurried into the palace.

As soon as she entered the Taiji Hall, she cried to Emperor Jingde: "Brother, someone is bullying Yongtai, you have to help Yongtai!"

Emperor Jingde raised his eyelids, glanced at Princess Yongtai calmly, put down the memorial in his hand and said, "Who bullied you in what way? Tell me in detail, brother."

Princess Yongtai immediately noticed that Emperor Jingde's attitude was different from before. Thinking of the recent rumors, her heart skipped a beat, but she still said coquettishly, "My brother already knows, why bother asking Yongtai again."