The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem

"Scholar Xie, you must think of a solution!"

"Exactly! We can't let this continue. Scholar Xie, you must come up with a plan."

Scholar Xie sighed deeply, "I've already spoken to the Emperor, saying everything I could, both good and bad. But the Emperor insists on protecting the Empress and the Crown Prince. I truly have no way out."

"In two months, the Emperor will lead the court officials to the Eastern Mausoleum to pay respects to our ancestors."

Someone suddenly interjected, "Isn't the Fifth Prince at the mausoleum?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Fifth Prince is the legitimate son of the late Empress. By tradition, whether by seniority or legitimacy, he should be the Crown Prince."

If the Fifth Prince were to become the Crown Prince, the Empress would no longer be able to act so recklessly in pursuit of her ambitions.

The Emperor has been hesitant to make a decision out of respect for the Crown Prince's mother.

Late at night—

Several high-ranking officials left Scholar Xie's residence, while hidden spies quietly returned to the palace.

"Xie Huai?"

"Xie Chenghui's father?"

Shuang Jiang nodded, "The ministers who have been inciting opposition against the Empress are all from families with daughters in the palace as concubines. Scholar Xie holds great prestige in the Hanlin Academy and was the most likely candidate to join the Grand Secretariat, but..."

Jiang Xinyue finished her sentence, "But because my father was exceptionally promoted to the Grand Secretariat by Grand Preceptor Jing, he took Scholar Xie's spot, didn't he?"

"Not necessarily."

Shuang Jiang frowned, "The Grand Secretariat isn't so easy to enter. If Lord Jiang didn't have the capability, Grand Preceptor Jing wouldn't have recommended him. It must be that your father had the qualifications, coupled with his status as the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, that led to his selection."

Therefore, it wasn't a case of her father taking Scholar Xie's place.

"It seems it's time to meet this Scholar Xie."

The night was cool, and the red candle inside the window flickered in the cold breeze. Outside, a light rain fell diagonally, and droplets of water, like broken pearls, dripped silently from the eaves, creating ripples on the ground.

Xie Huai sat by the window, gazing at the rain, when suddenly a shadow appeared, startling him. "Ah..."

Upon recognizing the person, his tension eased, and he patted his chest lightly. "You rascal, you scared me half to death."

Xie Chenghui's face was cold, "If you've done nothing wrong, you wouldn't fear a knock at your door. Father, you must have done too many wrongs to be so frightened by me."

"Tsk!"

Xie Huai glared at him, "How dare you speak to your father like that?"

Xie Chenghui snorted, "Father, you’ve been privately meeting with so many officials during the day, which could be seen as forming cliques. On top of that, you’ve been openly criticizing the Crown Prince and the Empress. Aren’t you afraid of being exposed and having the Emperor strip you of your position?"

"You ungrateful son!"

The plump Scholar Xie trembled with anger, pointing at his son outside the window and cursing, "Who else would expose me but you, you little brat? Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours! You still refuse to marry, and for whom? Now you’re thinking of betraying me to win favor with that woman, aren’t you? You’ve lost your mind!"

"Father, please watch your words."

Xie Chenghui's expression remained icy, "I haven’t married because I haven’t found the right person. If you insist on making baseless assumptions, let’s go before the Emperor and clarify everything. I don’t want to drag anyone into this."

"You... you really... you’re going to be the death of me..."

"Aren’t you fond of..."

The name barely escaped Xie Huai’s lips, so softly that Xie Chenghui almost missed it. "Then why do you keep her portrait hidden in your study?"

"I’ve told you many times, that portrait was part of a series I painted for the Emperor and the Empress. I thought her beauty deserved to be the centerpiece of the Twelve Beauties collection. Can you not insult my integrity?"

He did admire the Empress, but when he painted her, there was not a trace of improper thought. He painted the Twelve Beauties openly, naming each after a flower, with the Empress as the first—the peony.

The other beauties were still being sought by him and his teacher.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

His father had seen the portrait of the Empress in his study and concluded that his refusal to marry was because of her.

"If you don’t believe me, ask my teacher. We’ve been working on the Twelve Beauties collection. Isn’t that proof enough?"

His admiration for the Empress was the most secretive, private, and unspoken thing in his life.

If he painted her out of personal desire, it would be an insult to her and to his own character.

He had vowed never to secretly keep a portrait of the Empress.

He would never do anything that could cause trouble for anyone.

Xie Huai’s previously firm expression wavered, half-doubtful and half-convinced. "Are you telling the truth?"

He stroked his beard, somewhat awkwardly clicking his tongue. His anger softened into relief, "I knew it! My son is the most talented young man of the Great Yan Dynasty. How could he harbor such disgraceful thoughts? This is the son of the Xie family I know! Why are you standing outside? Come in! It’s raining so hard, don’t catch a cold."

It was as if he had just noticed his son standing under the eaves.

Xie Chenghui pushed his father’s hand away, "You didn’t start targeting the Empress because of that portrait in my study, did you?"

"Of course not!"

Xie Huai tried to argue, but under his son’s sharp gaze, he faltered. "Well, not entirely. I was already planning to advise the Emperor against allowing the Empress’s family to gain too much power, fearing it would harm the Crown Prince in the future."

At first, he hadn’t intended to impeach Jiang Xinyue. He had hoped to reason with the Emperor. If the Emperor listened, that would be ideal. If not, there was little he could do.

After all, the empire belonged to the Emperor. How could a mere official defy him?

But the portrait in his son’s study had planted seeds of suspicion in his mind, leading him to view the Empress with unwarranted prejudice.

That was why he had fixated on Jiang Xinyue, staying up late to scrutinize her memorials, searching for any evidence to present to the Emperor.

He wanted the Emperor to see her as dangerous, to recognize her cunning and ambition, and to strip her of her power.

Yet, after presenting his findings, the Emperor hadn’t shown shock or displeasure. Instead, he seemed to admire the Empress even more.

When court officials deliberately argued at the study’s entrance to test the Emperor’s stance, they were swiftly dealt with by his iron hand.

How could he admit to his son that he hadn’t even had the chance to confront the Empress before being shut down by the Emperor?