Mei Lan obediently removed the calming incense, but Concubine Meng did not leave, waiting by the side until Tang Guo woke up.
“Concubine Meng hasn’t left yet?”
“No, she’s waiting for Sister Imperial Concubine.”
Tang Guo got up, dressed herself, and then asked, “Is there anything else? If Concubine Meng is bored, go back to your palace and play. I’m not in the mood these days.”
“Your sister is not in the mood either.” Concubine Meng sighed, then changed the subject. “Sister, do you really like that calming incense?”
“The Emperor gave it to me, of course, I like it,” Tang Guo’s lips curved. “Lighting this incense indeed helps me sleep well.”
“Sister Imperial Concubine, this incense is good, but it’s better to burn less of it.” Concubine Meng wasn’t sure how to speak further. There were many spies in the palace, and speaking too much could lead to trouble. The matter was about the Emperor, so she dared not speak carelessly. She held Tang Guo’s hand and whispered, “Sister, you know the saying, ‘medicine is three parts poison,’ right? This incense is no different.”
Tang Guo met Concubine Meng’s gaze and smiled, “The Emperor gave it to me, and I’ve grown used to burning it every day. If I stop now, he might not be pleased.”
She gently pushed Concubine Meng away. “Concubine Meng, go on. I’ll invite you all to play again another time.”
Concubine Meng said no more. How could she warn her? She wasn’t even sure if she should say anything. Just as she was about to leave, Tang Guo’s voice came from behind.
“Concubine Meng.”
“Sister Imperial Concubine?” Concubine Meng turned back and saw Tang Guo smiling faintly. “Don’t think about this incense anymore. He gave it to me, and I willingly burn it.”
Concubine Meng shuddered and looked at Tang Guo in disbelief. A single thought ran through her mind: Did the Imperial Concubine already know???
If she knew, why was she still using it?
She recalled what Tang Guo had just said, “He gave it to me, and I willingly burn it.” Concubine Meng smiled bitterly and nodded. “I understand, Sister.” No wonder the Imperial Concubine had so many books here, warning them all, yet was unable to wake herself up.
s it that she doesn’t want to wake up?
Concubine Meng felt a chill in her heart. Where would the Emperor’s heart fall? Or perhaps, it wouldn’t fall on any woman at all. The Emperor likely had no heart to begin with.
Staggering, she left, her last hope for the Emperor vanishing. Why bother? Luckily, she hadn’t fallen too deep, but how pitiful it was for the Imperial Concubine, a woman of such beauty, to be treated so heartlessly.
That long-lost calming incense, how ruthless Xuanyuan Mo must have been.
Tang Guo watched as Concubine Meng left in despair. She raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. “The women in the palace are truly masters of overthinking. Reveal just a little, and they can figure out the entire plot. The women in this palace have never disappointed me.”
[How did the host know that Concubine Meng would realize something was wrong with the incense?]
“Wasn’t it explained in the plot?”
[It… it was?] Why didn’t he notice?
“When Concubine Meng first appeared in the plot, wasn’t it mentioned that her mother was a master of incense making?”
[But… but her mother died when she was eight years old.]
“Would her mother really let such a skill die with her? Later in the plot, it’s also mentioned that Concubine Meng never uses incense herself and once warned Concubine Yin not to light it, saying it was harmful.”
[I… I’ll go check the plot again.]
General Tang died in battle, and naturally, Tang Guo “fell ill.”
This illness lasted for half a year.
Of course, Xuanyuan Mo visited her every day during the day, but he always left hurriedly after.
After General Tang’s death, the soldiers of Tianqin Kingdom lost much of their morale, leading to frequent incursions by border tribes, as if they were provoking the Tianqin Kingdom.
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