The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem

On a sweltering day, Consort Liang was dressed in thick clothing, yet her hands and feet remained icy cold.

She threw down a white tile and rolled her eyes. "The Emperor is truly amusing. He has already loved so many women. For the sake of Consort Li, he even sent our Empress to the cold palace, causing her to be poisoned by the late Empress and suffer so much. And now, he wants to investigate her?"

Consort Shu dared not speak up, as she had once put laxatives in Jiang Xinyue's pastries, only for the late Empress to replace them with arsenic.

She wasn’t innocent!

Noble Consort Ye intercepted Consort Liang’s white tile with a smug look, pursing her lips. "Ah! I think the Empress is living quite comfortably now—wealthy, leisurely, and with a son. When the Emperor is no longer in power, there’s still the Crown Prince. She can just spend her days drinking tea, playing cards, and chatting with us sisters. How wonderful!"

She couldn’t imagine how happy she’d be if Consort Liang played cards with her every day and lost so much money to her.

Jiang Xinyue stared at Noble Consort Ye’s hand. As soon as she played an eight of circles, Jiang Xinyue pushed her jade tiles onto the table. "Can we not talk about him while we’re together? I’m waiting for a one of circles. I win! Pay up."

Noble Consort Ye looked at her own tiles, which could have won her over twenty taels of silver, and felt tears of regret welling up in her mouth. "Your Majesty… you’re quite ruthless!"

"Will the Emperor really let this go so easily?"

Consort Shu frowned. "I heard from my father that the Rongsheng Opera Troupe has been holding private performances recently, and every show is packed to the brim. Tickets are hard to come by, and nobles are lining up with silver notes to invite Lan Xiaolou to perform at their homes."

The Emperor was truly generous, considering Lan Xiaolou was rumored to be his romantic rival.

"What can he do even if he doesn’t let it go?"

Consort Liang scoffed. "When palace maidens enter the palace, they are examined by the matrons. If it were true, as that woman surnamed Tong claimed, that the Empress and Lan Xiaolou were once married, could there really be such a virtuous man in the world who could remain unmoved in the face of such beauty? I don’t believe it."

Jiang Xinyue raised an eyebrow. Lan Xiaolou indeed hadn’t touched her, as he felt unworthy of her.

Their wedding ceremony was merely to fulfill a dream of his, and he never intended to ruin her purity.

"Your Majesty… Your Majesty…"

The voice of Shuang Jiang, sometimes distant and sometimes near, called out. "The Emperor… the Emperor has… fainted!"

"Crash!"

The card table was pushed far away as Consort Liang stood up in a panic, rushing over to grab Shuang Jiang’s hand. "What happened? What do you mean the Emperor fainted? How could the Emperor faint? Explain clearly!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Consort Shu and Noble Consort Ye also hurried forward. Jiang Xinyue pulled Jiang Chuan aside. "Return to Kunning Palace, lock the gates, and protect the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince."

Shuang Jiang ran up to Jiang Xinyue and swallowed hard before speaking. "Eunuch Tang said that the Emperor has been in the study for over ten days, dismissing all his attendants and meeting with court officials one by one. He sleeps at most two hours a day. His body can’t take it anymore."

What was he doing that required him to exhaust himself so much, disregarding the safety of his imperial body?

The Crown Prince was still young and had no foundation. He needed his father to pave the way for him.

Though Jiang Xinyue could dominate the harem, the Emperor had never allowed her to interfere in court matters.

Now, with the Crown Prince supported by Grand Preceptor Jing, who could predict what would happen in a decade or two?

The group hurried toward the study. Jiang Xinyue, being pregnant and with the weather so hot, naturally took a sedan chair.

"Wait."

Just as she was about to step onto the sedan chair, Jiang Xinyue paused, gripping the armrest. Everyone turned to look at her. "Your Majesty, what’s wrong?"

At this moment, everyone was concerned about the Emperor’s life and wanted to rush to the study. If Jiang Xinyue also lost her composure, the child in her womb might not survive.

With a "snap," she exerted force, and the armrest of the sedan chair broke cleanly and fell to the ground.

Noble Consort Ye screamed, "Someone is trying to harm the child in Her Majesty’s womb during the chaos!"

Xi Que, standing on the other side, had strong hands. She pushed aside a eunuch carrying the sedan chair and pressed on the joint between the seat and the carrying pole. The pole connecting to the seat also broke.

She felt the broken surface, which was uneven, as if it had naturally decayed over time.

But how could such a coincidence happen?

The Emperor had just fainted, and now the Empress’s sedan chair was broken?

If Jiang Xinyue hadn’t noticed the wobble when she gripped the armrest, the sedan chair would have jolted, and she would have surely miscarried.

Consort Liang made a quick decision. "Your Majesty, take my sedan chair. Mine is intact."

Jiang Chuan had returned to Kunning Palace. Xiao Xiangzi, who usually handled internal affairs, worked with Jiang Chuan and rarely accompanied Jiang Xinyue outside. Now, only Shuang Jiang and Xi Que were left by her side.

Considering Shuang Jiang’s meticulousness and the sharpness she had learned from Xi Que, Jiang Xinyue said, "Shuang Jiang, stay here and protect the scene. Send someone to the Investigative Bureau to summon Leader Du."

Though only Shuang Jiang and Xi Que were truly reliable, there were still many eunuchs and maids under her command.

Shuang Jiang nodded solemnly. "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will guard this place."

If any suspicious person appeared, she would capture and interrogate them.

Consort Liang gave her sedan chair to Jiang Xinyue, while Consort Shu’s sedan chair was too small to fit two people. However, Consort Shu had been poisoned before and was physically weak, so she offered her sedan chair to Consort Liang. She and Noble Consort Ye hurried on foot, arriving at the study at the same time as the sedan chairs.

Outside the study stood Grand Preceptor Jing, Jiang Yankun, and a group of court officials.

Jiang Xinyue stepped down from the sedan chair and, holding her belly, jogged toward the study. "Worried" about the Emperor’s health, she nearly fell, but a maid quickly steadied her.

"Grand Preceptor, what’s going on? Where is the Emperor? Is he inside?"

With that, she tried to rush in.

"Your Majesty!"

Grand Preceptor Jing, his eyes red, stopped her. "The imperial physicians are inside performing acupuncture. No one can disturb them. Please wait a moment."

Jiang Yankun gave a subtle nod, remaining silent. With so many eyes watching, he had to avoid suspicion.

But Jiang Xinyue clearly sensed a newfound respect in her father’s gaze.

Had the Emperor fainted because of her?

In the past ten days, aside from having Xi Que throw all his belongings back to Chengqian Palace and ignoring him completely, she hadn’t done anything particularly infuriating. She had simply been enjoying herself with Princess Yunyang and others, watching performances and living carefreely.

Surely that couldn’t have caused this?

Yet the gazes of the officials around her lingered on her, filled with scrutiny, surprise, and admiration…

Could it really be that she had angered him to the point of fainting?