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Xiao Jinyan’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, his eyes a cold abyss. Had the item used to curse Shen Chuwei not been elusive, Fen Yueyue would have already been punished for her slanderous and chaotic ramblings against Shen Chuwei.

"Will you speak or not?"

"Your Highness, my heart is devoted to you. Why do you protect a woman fickle as water so dearly? Liu Xi is unworthy; she does not deserve you," Fen Yueyue yelled until the pain rendered her speechless, her voice hoarse and harsh.

Xiao Jinyan no longer wished to hear her vile slander and ordered coldly, "Take her down and find a way to make her disclose where the item used to curse Liu Xi is."

"Your subordinate obeys," Weichi said, bending down to pick up Fen Yueyue and striding out.

After Fen Yueyue was dragged away, the Study Room became instantly quiet.

Xiao Jinyan’s brows were still knitted. "Summon Magistrate Lu over."

Liu Xi complied and went to find Magistrate Lu.

Lu Zhaoyan arrived in a hurry and saw Xiao Jinyan sitting in front of the desk with a stern face, clearly in a bad mood.

"Your Highness, I heard that the person using witchcraft has been caught. Why do you seem at a loss?" Lu Zhaoyan asked.

"We have caught her, but Fen Zhaoshun refuses to confess or reveal the location of the item. Liu Xi is still unconscious; this is not good," Xiao Jinyan said.

The use of witchcraft within the Imperial Palace was a matter of grave concern. If the item was not found and destroyed quickly, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Liu Xi’s spells of unconsciousness are becoming longer each time, which is a dangerous sign," Lu Zhaoyan sighed. "They say a woman’s heart is the most poisonous, and it’s true. What kind of grudge must someone bear to harm Liu Xi so grievously?"

"Have you found any clues?" Xiao Jinyan inquired.

Lu Zhaoyan replied, feeling somewhat helpless, "Your Highness, divination is not omnipotent."

Xiao Jinyan raised an eyebrow at Lu Zhaoyan and challenged, "Then what use are you?"

Lu Zhaoyan felt a chill run down his spine as he offered a forced smile, "Your Highness, that’s not the right way to say it. Your servant certainly has his uses."

Tired of the back-and-forth with Lu Zhaoyan, Xiao Jinyan said, "Come with me to Xiaoxiang Pavilion."

Lu Zhaoyan bowed respectfully, "Your servant had the same intention."

Xiao Jinyan arrived at Xiaoxiang Pavilion, a place even more dilapidated than Xiyun Pavilion.

He walked in slowly; the room was a mess from the search, with tables and chairs moved out of place.

Following behind, Lu Zhaoyan looked around the bleak and deserted Xiaoxiang Pavilion, understanding why it was so named.

Xiao Jinyan searched the pavilion again with the Guards, but still found nothing.

"Fen Zhaoshun’s refusal to talk probably means she wishes death upon Liu Xi," Lu Zhaoyan observed.

Xiao Jinyan, enraged, slammed his hand on the table in front of him; it split into pieces with a "crack."

"She dares!"

Lu Zhaoyan looked at the table that was now in disarray, genuinely shaken.

Their visit to Xiaoxiang Pavilion was fruitless.

"I’ll go back and try to calculate and find a more precise approximate location," Lu Zhaoyan suggested.

Xiao Jinyan, however, commanded, "You must find the item that harms others."

Lu Zhaoyan’s body trembled upon hearing this; it was not easy being a subject.

*

Shen Chuwei had slept for a full day and night. Even when Concubine Xu and Tao Chenghui came to visit, they were turned away by the little rabbits at the door.

Worried that she would go hungry, Xiao Jinyan instructed Imperial Doctor Wen to wake her up.

Imperial Doctor Wen hesitated, "Your Highness, Lady Shen once told me she didn’t want to be painfully awoken by acupuncture needles."

Xiao Jinyan frowned and said, "She’s slept for a whole day and a night. What if she starves?"

"As per your command, Your Highness," the Imperial Doctor Wen said as he took out silver needles and skillfully stimulated Lady Shen’s acupuncture points.

Shen Chuwei only felt a sharp, intermittent pain in her chest, causing her brows to furrow tightly.

Seeing her in such pain, Xiao Jinyan turned his head and demanded, "What did you do? Why is she hurting like this?"

Imperial Doctor Wen replied with difficulty, "Your Highness, I was merely following your instructions."

Xiao Jinyan said angrily, "I told you to wake her up, not to cause her pain."

Sweat beaded on Imperial Doctor Wen’s forehead, and he felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart.

Shen Chuwei furrowed her brows and slowly opened her eyes, to see Xiao Jinyan standing by the bed.

Xiao Jinyan, seeing her awake at last, heaved a sigh of relief, "You’re finally awake."

Shen Chuwei’s gaze slowly shifted to Imperial Doctor Wen and she said deliberately, "You used silver needles on me again."

Her voice was filled with grievance.

Imperial Doctor Wen looked down at the silver needles in his hand and then at Shen Chuwei’s eyes full of grievance. This wasn’t his fault; it was all by His Highness’s orders.

Xiao Jinyan ordered, "Prepare the evening meal."

Chun Xi, who had been waiting at the door, heard the order and immediately went to prepare the evening meal.

Shen Chuwei, after washing up, sat down at the dining table. The listless woman’s eyes lit up instantly at the sight of the table full of delicious food.

Xiao Jinyan picked some of her favorite braised pork and placed it in her bowl. She had gotten thinner these past days; even the baby fat on her cheeks had diminished.

Shen Chuwei looked at the braised pork in her bowl, smiled, picked it up, and brought it to her lips. She ate it, finding it well-balanced in fat and lean, not greasy and quite delicious.

"Chun Xi’s cooking skills are getting better and better."

Xiao Jinyan said, "Eat more, you’ve lost weight."

"Great minds think alike," Shen Chuwei said with a smile in her eyes, as she took another piece and ate.

When Xiao Jinyan thought of the Fen Yueyue matter, he said, "I’ve already arrested Fen Zhaoshun, but she keeps denying her deeds, and we’ve found nothing to prove her curse or harm."

Shen Chuwei, with her cheeks puffed out, cast Chun Xi’s words to the back of her mind, "Then I shall visit Xiaoxiang Pavilion tomorrow to see if I can find anything."

Xiao Jinyan said, "You’re still ill; don’t run around. I’ll have Lu Zhaoyan go take a look tomorrow."

Shen Chuwei didn’t refuse, simply lowering her head to continue eating her braised pork.

Xiao Jinyan watched her eat, she seemed to be relishing a delicacy, enjoying every bite without any hint of being dainty or affected.

"Eat slowly, don’t choke."

While eating, Shen Chuwei replied, "It’s okay, Your Highness. Eating like this is slower to digest, then I won’t need waking up tomorrow."

Xiao Jinyan, comforted by Shen Chuwei’s optimistic spirit, watched her start on her third bowl of rice. That appetite...

"I’ve heard that pregnant women have better appetites and eat more. When the time comes, how many bowls will you need to be satisfied?"

Shen Chuwei paused in her chewing and looked up at Xiao Jinyan across from her. Why was he suddenly bringing up this subject?

She swallowed the food in her mouth and said softly, "Isn’t it still too early for that, Your Highness?"

Xiao Jinyan said slowly, "The night of our union is approaching."

Shen Chuwei’s face turned red and she muttered, "Your Highness, it’s mealtime now. Is it really appropriate to discuss this?"

Xiao Jinyan said nonchalantly, "Why is it not appropriate?"

Shen Chuwei extended her chopsticks into the dish, picked up the largest piece of braised pork, and placed it into his bowl in front of him, urging, "Eat the meat."

Xiao Jinyan lowered his gaze to the braised pork in the bowl; he did not eat fatty meat, yet he still picked it up and took a bite, chewing slowly and thoroughly.

"Now you manage to eat four bowls of rice. I guess by then, you might need more than six bowls," he speculated.