He Yuan patiently waited for the time when the emperor and empress usually had their relaxing walk in the garden together. It was a habit they began when they started trying for a child without results. Whether it was to digest their evening meals or to remind themselves of their love for each other, he had no idea.
He was walking around the garden entrance with his roommate eunuch Lu. When he noticed the emperor and empress approaching steadily, he pretended not to see them and turned to eunuch Lu and offered him a wide smile.
Eunuch Lu, of course, took the bait. "You seem very happy. What good thing befell you?"
He Yuan shook his head as if he was hiding a big secret and his smile increased. This only sparked eunuch Lu's curiosity even more.
"Quick, quick tell me ah."
When the imperial duo got close enough, He Yuan sighed sorrowfully and said, "I have a younger sister who was violated by a rogue man. When she tried to kill herself, my mother got to her in time and saved her but since then, my once cheerful younger sister has never been this same.
-This has been a sore spot for my family for a very long time as my sister could no longer be married off due to her situation. Tell me which man would want her?"
He Yuan mentally apologized to this imaginary sister of his for ruining her reputation like this.
Eunuch Lu stared at He Yuan with a weird look. "Then why do you seem happy? If I were you I would've gone mad from despair."
He Yuan quickly shook his head. "No, I'm not happy because of that rather I'm happy because I heard-" He reduced his voice a notch. "-that the empress is a renowned peerless doctor that is even capable of returning a woman to her pure state!"
Eunuch Lu, one of the brain dead fans of the empress, nodded with certainty. "Of course. The empress is so amazing, there is nothing she cannot do, no sickness is incurable for her. I even heard she could regrow limbs too!"
"You really have time to gossip around hmm?" Xian Taiwen's commanding voice came from behind them and they both flopped down to the ground like potatoes.
"Your majesties!" They called out, shivering.
Wei Yun'er just observed the little eunuchs before her with a graceful smile. After all, she was the one being praised and whether their words were true or not, how could she not feel happy?
Xian Taiwen, on the other hand, stared at the smiling empress with a conflicted look in his eyes. He warned the eunuchs not to spread baseless words again and directly walked off with a huff.
Wei Yun'er stared at Xian Taiwen's retreating back with a dumbfounded look. What was up with him? And then she went after him.
He Yuan slowly stood up and gave eunuch Lu a sad smile with a self deprecating look in his eyes. The eunuch took He Yuan's expression to be one of desolation and extreme depression at having one's only hope crushed.
He patted He Yuan's back to express his condolence and understanding, then walked off. He didn't know what to say to ease He Yuan's pain.
Pfft! He Yuan laughed once he was alone. Wei Yun'er was really dense. She might have felt his words were actually showing faith in her and praising her but Xian Taiwen, this man that had already started to develop the classic emperor paranoia, had interpreted his words differently.
Xian Taiwen, who was now seated in his study, was thinking about the first time he had sex with Wei Yun'er. She seemed too experienced to be truly pure.
He had thought that she learnt all she knew from reading yellow books but now, he wasn't too sure. She had given him so many different styles and most of these styles did not even exist in yellow books!
What kind of daughter of a noble family even read yellow books?! If she had truly been pure then where did she learn those styles that sucked his soul and manhood right in?
If it was possible for her to make other women revert to their pure states then it was also possible for her to do the same for herself!
Had he been deceived? No it couldn't be, Wei Yun'er loved him so much, why would she trick him? But if his earlier thoughts were true, then he wasn't even her first man.
She must have indulged herself with other men before him. He was the one that married a used woman. Her other men must be laughing their hearts out at his expense. No no no it can't be, his thoughts must be wrong.
But if they were wrong why was it that Wei Yun'er was so comfortable in the midst of other men? She even had male subordinates and disciples that she directly interacted with whether anyone was present or not!
Was this really how a lady of noble upbringing should behave? He'd seen the Wei twins, their characters were nothing like Wei Yun'er's and they displayed proper behaviour of noble ladies so why was Wei Yun'er different?
Did she get deceived by that Xu furen and receive a different upbringing? Also he was her husband, why hadn't he met her master up till now even when she took trips sometimes to meet with him?
Was she really going to see her reclusive master or was she using this method to wear him a bright green hat? And why couldn't she bear him a child?
It must be because she had indulged in too many men and now her womb was compromised! She wanted to bring him down with her! This wouldn't do, he couldn't let this happen.
He had showed her love and care. Which emperor would do all he had done for her for their empress? He even framed her own family for her! A loyal general to the nation was thrown under the bus. Someone that would do that to her own birth family, what else could she not do?
She never even bowed before him for once. How could he have been blind to her mannerless ways? She must really look down on him a lot. Thinking he was a spineless wimp.
No. There was no way he would continue to let her control him because she managed to help him to the throne. Her help wasn't even that outstanding and he could've easily gotten to the throne without her!
He was a formidable general and dragon son of heaven, how could he let mere woman control him? Not anymore, he would focus on stabilizing his place on the throne. He would accept more women into his harem.
Let him see if she would have the time to continue scheming against him when she had her hands full of bickering women who were a hundred times more noble than her!
He took up his brush and ink as he filled a parchment with strong elegant strokes. He would teach her a lesson, not just anyone could scheme against him talk less of a woman who depended on his favour to survive!