The Noble Consort is the most favored in the harem

Chapter 90 - The Storm is Coming

Thus, the Second Prince held both disappointment and hope toward Lan Fei.

He stepped forward, but his expression remained emotionless.

Lan Fei was used to seeing him like this and naturally felt displeased, but in front of the Emperor, she had no choice but to put on an act.

She reached out, touched his forehead, and then pressed her own against his.

"Good, no fever. Your body is most vulnerable to heat, yet you still sneak out under the scorching sun. When Chai Momo heard you were gone, she was so worried that she immediately sent someone to inform me."

She then turned to the Emperor and, with a hint of apology, said,

"Your Majesty, Chai Momo has served the Second Prince since he was a child. When he snuck out, she was more anxious than anyone and refrained from reporting to Eunuch Dong for fear of disturbing Your Majesty's affairs of state.

Upon learning this, I immediately sent people to search for him everywhere."

Chai Momo was overwhelmed with emotion and tears of joy. With those words, Lan Fei had saved her from a dire situation.

"Yes, yes, Lan Fei is right. This old servant has been serving Her Highness for many years, and as soon as something happened, I thought of her. Please, Your Majesty, do not be angry. This old servant will never dare to make such a mistake again."

Watching this performance between master and servant, the Second Prince felt the last shred of hope he had for Lan Fei vanish.

He let out a bitter laugh, feeling utterly disappointed in himself.

In his heart, he kept questioning why he had ever expected anything different.

Wasn't this exactly the outcome he had long anticipated?

With his head bowed, he remained silent, not saying another word.

In his mind, he believed his father would punish an incompetent servant but wouldn't implicate a pregnant consort with powerful backing from the previous dynasty.

Thus, fighting back would be futile, so he chose to stay quiet.

The Emperor cast a glance at Lan Fei, a look of disappointment that she had never seen from him before.

This single look left Lan Fei startled.

Had she said something wrong?

She felt a wave of panic but kept her expression calm, refraining from speaking further.

For a moment, the room returned to the quiet stillness that had prevailed before Lan Fei's arrival.

Outside, Qiu Ming, who was waiting, sensed a growing tension, like the calm before a storm.

Sure enough, Dong Yuzhong soon returned with a solemn expression, accompanied by two Imperial Physicians.

He was briefly startled upon seeing Lan Fei but quickly regained his composure.

"Your Majesty, greetings. Greetings to Lan Fei."

"You're too kind, Eunuch Dong," Lan Fei replied with her usual gentle and kind demeanor, a temperament that no one could criticize.

After paying his respects, Dong Yuzhong got straight to the point.

"Your Majesty, I led the Imperial Physicians to thoroughly search both the Second Prince's quarters and Chai Momo's residence. We found quite a few items."

He signaled, and several servants brought the items forward.

Among them were a century-old ginseng root, large pearls, and a jade-carved mountain the size of a forearm. Although few in number, each item was extremely valuable.