The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 2)

Chapter 337

The next day, when she woke up, it was already late.

The space beside her was empty, suggesting he had gone to court without waking her.

Ye Yun moved slightly, only to feel a wave of soreness.

Pulling back the blanket, she saw her body marked with shades of red and purple, especially her waist; her neck might be similar, making her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Yesterday, that certain someone had been too enthusiastic and nearly overwhelmed her.

"Shunyi, you're awake. I'll come in to help you get up," Nan Zhi's voice came from outside.

Ye Yun rolled over, not wanting to move. "Let me lie down for a bit longer. Prepare some hot water; I want to take a bath."

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away," Nan Zhi replied.

Before long, the hot water was ready. Nan Zhi and Hui Yue came in together to assist her with washing up.

Soaking in the tub, she felt much more relaxed.

"Yesterday, Shunyi returned late, and I didn't have a chance to tell you. There was a little incident at Fengxi Palace," Hui Yue said.

Ye Yun closed her eyes and leaned against the side of the tub. "What happened?"

If they held it in all night and only spoke now, it surely wasn't anything very important.

"The Empress's wet nurse, Ding Momo, passed away yesterday afternoon. The news reached Lingxi Garden last night. I heard the Empress was upset for quite a while; this morning, she sent Su'e back to the palace to handle Ding Momo's funeral arrangements," Hui Yue said in a lowered voice.

The death of a servant is indeed an unfortunate matter.

"Didn't she fall ill before coming to the garden? That must have been over a month ago; how did she end up dead?" Ye Yun asked.

Nan Zhi shook her head, "Not entirely. They say she had been unwell and unable to get up. Last night, she wanted to get some water, but when she got up, she couldn't steady herself and fell, hitting the corner of the table—that's how she died."

Doing servant work, even if she hadn't been doing heavy labor, would still take a toll on her body after all these years of rising early and staying up late to attend to her master's affairs. It's normal for someone her age to be unable to endure it anymore.

After all, no one would suspect that someone might have poisoned a servant.

Ye Yun let out a long sigh and opened her eyes. "Ding Momo used to advise the Empress often. With her gone, I'm afraid the younger ones, Suqin and Su'e, won't be able to persuade the Empress."

"Whether they can persuade her or not, as long as they don't provoke us, that's all that matters," Nan Zhi replied.

"That's true."

Ye Yun smiled and decided not to discuss the matter any further.

However, it wasn't so easy for the Empress to come to terms with Ding Momo's death.

Over the years, from her marriage until now, Ding Momo had always been by her side. Although she was a servant, the bond was different; to the Empress, Ding Momo had a motherly presence.

So when she heard of Ding Momo's passing, the Empress genuinely felt distressed for a long time.

In fact, she even dreamt last night of Ding Momo styling her hair when she had just married Ning Chen.

"Your Highness, the Eldest Prince has come to pay his respects," Suqin said as she entered quietly.

The Empress wasn't in much of a mood and initially didn't want to see him, but after some thought, she decided to meet him.