"Is it the Grand Tutor?" Sima Zhu asked in a low voice, his face expressionless, but his mind had already cursed the perceptive one a thousand times.
Sima Zhu was truly going too far. No matter what, Lin Xiaowei was his woman. How could he let Lin Xiaowei kneel on the street? Where would that leave his face as the Son of Heaven?
Just as Sima Zhu's heart was filled with endless resentment and he kept blaming Sima Zhu, Xiao Shizi stepped forward, bowed, and respectfully said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it was not the Grand Tutor who made Consort Hua kneel on the street. Consort Hua went today but did not see the Grand Tutor, nor did she even enter the main gate."
Xiao Shizi's words surprised Sima Zhu. "Then who did you see?"
Xiao Shizi lowered his head a little further and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant and Consort Hua saw the woman of Young Master Zheng, Shen Xiaoyan."
Sima Zhu was stunned at first, as if he couldn't recall who Shen Xiaoyan was.
Wang Lin cautiously stepped forward and whispered in Sima Zhu's ear, "Your Majesty, it's that exceptionally beautiful woman."
Wang Lin did not repeat Shen Xiaoyan's name. In his opinion, Shen Xiaoyan was only considered good-looking in Your Majesty's heart for now. But what good would it do if she was beautiful? Such public humiliation of Consort Hua meant Your Majesty would surely not have any good feelings for her anymore.
As Wang Lin had expected, upon hearing that it was Shen Xiaoyan who made Lin Xiaowei kneel for so long and suffer such great humiliation, his face instantly turned extremely ugly. "You are my consort, and you knelt just because she told you to?"
Sima Zhu's words were accusatory, but Lin Xiaowei dared not show any displeasure. She was still sobbing, and between gasps, she said, "This concubine has made a mistake, but if it can make her give the holy water, Xiaowei is willing to kneel for a day and a night."
Lin Xiaowei had accurately gauged Sima Zhu's reaction. Upon hearing Lin Xiaowei's words, Sima Zhu's eyes instantly became covered with a dazzling light. "Alas, I know Xiaowei is doing this all for me, otherwise, how could she willingly accept such an insult from Shen Xiaoyan? My dear concubine has suffered."
Sima Zhu's affectionate words brought tears to Lin Xiaowei's eyes. Before she could say anything else, she closed her eyes and fainted.
Sima Zhu looked at the somewhat distressed Lin Xiaowei who had collapsed into his arms, his heart filled with emotion. Such a small woman, she regarded him as her heaven, placed his affairs first, and always strived to help him. How could he not love such a person, not feel heartache for her?
"You worthless slave, hurry and call for the imperial physicians. If anything happens to Consort Hua, I will take your heads." Sima Zhu's temper was not good, but for the past few years on the throne, everything had gone smoothly. Therefore, it had been a very long time since he had seen Sima Zhu so agitated.
Silently placing Lin Xiaowei's position even higher in his heart, Wang Lin quickly walked out. After instructing a young eunuch by the door to summon the imperial physicians, Wang Lin turned and entered the Hall of Diligent Governance.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, people have already been dispatched to fetch the imperial physicians. They should arrive shortly." Sima Zhu nodded, acknowledging the information.
Not long after, several imperial physicians, followed by young disciples carrying medicinal chests on their backs, rushed in, panting. However, upon seeing Your Majesty sitting there properly, they felt a bit strange. Since it was not Your Majesty who was injured, why were they made to run so fast? The officials felt resentful, but upon seeing Lin Xiaowei in Sima Zhu's arms, their expressions returned to calm. So, it was Consort Hua who had fallen ill. A favored concubine falling ill naturally received Your Majesty's great concern. After adjusting their expressions, the physicians respectfully bowed to Sima Zhu.
Sima Zhu waved his hand. "Alright, all of you, hurry and see what's wrong with Consort Hua." The physicians did not dare to delay, stepping forward and beginning to examine Lin Xiaowei.
Sima Zhu's gaze never left Lin Xiaowei and the imperial physicians. After each physician had taken her pulse, he asked, "What's wrong with Consort Hua? Why did she suddenly faint?"
The physicians looked at each other. Finally, an elder, around sixty years old, stepped out from the group and bowed to Sima Zhu. "Reporting to Your Majesty, after our diagnosis, we believe that Consort Hua is merely overtired, which is why she has fallen into a deep sleep."
Sima Zhu looked at Lin Xiaowei in his arms, a flicker of confusion in his eyes, which quickly turned to heartache. As a consort in the palace, Consort Hua should not have to do anything. The fact that she could be so tired as to faint directly suggested it had something to do with her outing today.
He summoned palace maids to escort Lin Xiaowei to the rear chambers, ordered them to clean her up and ensure she rested well, and also instructed the imperial physicians to accompany them in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
After everyone had left, Sima Zhu looked at Xiao Shizi and said, "Tell me everything that happened today, properly." Xiao Shizi trembled all over. Your Majesty appeared to be smiling, but he felt a sense of dread. Nevertheless, no matter how scared he was, he had to speak.
Xiao Shizi recounted everything that had happened that day, word for word, and did not forget to add all the rumors he had heard. After listening, Sima Zhu's expression grew even more grim. He truly did not expect that a woman with no background or power would dare to covet his consort in such a manner. It was likely that Yi Zixie was backing her up? For some reason, Sima Zhu felt an even greater aversion towards Yi Zixie. He thought that once he obtained what he wanted, he would definitely kill Yi Zixie to vent his anger.
Just as he was about to wave Xiao Shizi away, Sima Zhu seemed to remember something and continued to ask, "Did Consort Hua say anything about how she felt after drinking that bowl of water?" Xiao Shizi thought carefully. After confirming there was nothing, he seriously nodded and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Consort Hua seemed to be in great pain at first. This servant saw her body tremble. However, in the subsequent time, she showed no further reaction."
Upon hearing this, Sima Zhu felt even more perplexed. He still waved Xiao Shizi away, dismissing him first. After Xiao Shizi left, Sima Zhu's expression became serious. How did he feel that this matter was not as simple as it seemed? It seemed he would have to question Lin Xiaowei thoroughly once she woke up.
However, Lin Xiaowei slept all the way until the next morning. This made Sima Zhu anxious. He wanted to wake Lin Xiaowei up but ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it. In fact, every time, the woman would undergo a transformation. The original body's tenacious and persistent temperament was cultivated in this way.
The next morning, Sima Zhu was somewhat absent-minded throughout the entire morning court. The officials below had all heard that Consort Hua was overtired yesterday from being punished by the Grand Tutor to kneel, so seeing Sima Zhu's demeanor, they thought he was worried about Consort Hua.