Chapter Eleven: You Talk Too Much—Are You in a Hurry to Be Reborn?

“May you be well, Your Grace,”

Ruowei curtseyed slightly to Lady Xian, while the palace maids behind her carried two bowls of medicine, their bitterness wafting in the air.

“What’s this about?” Shen Fuyu glanced at the bowls, her eyes narrowing. “You really don’t look like a good person.”

Ruowei, who had served the Empress Dowager in the palace for decades, had never encountered anyone so insolent—so utterly ignorant of etiquette. How had she survived this long? But Ruowei, seasoned by storms, kept her indignation to herself, never letting it show: “Your Grace jests. I am here under the Empress Dowager’s orders, to deliver this medicine.”

“Still upset about what happened last night?” Shen Fuyu smiled. “Just one day has passed, and you can’t wait to poison me? The Empress Dowager isn’t so impressive after all.”

“Your Grace, please mind your words!”

Seeing Shen Fuyu’s blatant disregard for the Empress Dowager, Ruowei’s tone grew faintly displeased: “Her Majesty is the Emperor’s birth mother, personally invested as Dowager. Do not assume that saving the Emperor gives you license to utter treasonous words. The Empress Dowager may not touch you, but that does not mean she cannot punish you. You would do well to consider your own welfare!”

“So it’s not poison, then? Why couldn’t you just say what you brought, instead of all this mystery?” Shen Fuyu rolled her eyes. She’d thought the Empress Dowager intended to kill her; it turned out not to be poison—such a disappointment. “So much pointless chatter. Punish me if you must, what can you do?”

Ruowei’s breath caught, her face reddening in anger. With a stiff expression, she gestured sharply, and two palace maids stepped forward to present the medicine. “Hurry, Your Grace. The Empress Dowager’s instructions are for me to witness you drink it.”

“What’s the rush? Are you so eager to be reincarnated?”

Shen Fuyu picked up a bowl, sniffed it, and immediately knew it was no poison, neither slow nor swift. Yet she discerned several potent, yin-heavy ingredients—wasn’t this an infertility potion? What was wrong with the Dowager? Why give her this?

Shen Fuyu, oblivious to the wild rumors outside, simply thought the Dowager had lost her mind. If it wasn’t poison, why bother with an infertility potion? Given how negative her favor with Qin Zhiyi was, how desperate would he have to be to seek her out?

Shen Fuyu had no intention of drinking it. As she tipped the bowl to her lips, she secretly opened a small pocket in her space, letting the medicine flow into the peach orchard hidden there, rather than her stomach.

Such potent yin medicine wouldn’t just prevent pregnancy; it would harm a woman’s health, causing agonizing monthly pain. Shen Fuyu would never agree to that.

She wasn’t afraid of death.

But she hated pain.

Especially pain that made life worse than death!

“The other bowl is for your maid, Green Tea,” Ruowei said, coldly amused as Shen Fuyu seemingly drank the infertility potion. So what if she was favored? Without a child, how long could that favor last?

“The Dowager thinks highly of her,” Shen Fuyu smiled. “Very well, White Lotus, let’s deliver it to Green Tea ourselves.”

Returning one empty bowl to Ruowei, Shen Fuyu smiled and said, “You may hurry off to your next life, Auntie. Don’t let me keep you.”

Ruowei’s gaze chilled. She glared at Shen Fuyu for a long moment before leaving Crescent Moon Palace with a cold face.

Shen Fuyu clenched her fingers, inwardly delighted. Another dose of anger from the Dowager’s chief maid!

Green Tea, meanwhile, had just received her medicine and was sleeping fitfully in pain. Shen Fuyu entered her room, walked over with a cheerful grin, and slapped Green Tea’s injured backside. “Green Tea, time for your medicine!”

“Aaah!” An ear-splitting scream burst from Green Tea, her anger surging, but when she looked up and saw Shen Fuyu, her bravado wilted. “Your Grace…”

“White Lotus, quickly, give it to her,” Shen Fuyu said, smiling as she took a seat. “Medicine works fastest when it’s hot.”

White Lotus helped Green Tea sit up and handed her the bowl.

The two had quarreled fiercely that afternoon, yet now, before Shen Fuyu, they played at sisterly affection. Shen Fuyu watched them quietly, noting the slight increase in anger—clearly, both harbored their own secrets, feigning sympathy while wishing the other gone.

Ah, how amusing!

Green Tea glanced at White Lotus, then at Shen Fuyu, secretly pleased. In the end, no matter what she had done, her mistress still cared for her, unwilling to let her die. And White Lotus, didn’t she come running back to her so-called sister?

Taking the bowl, Green Tea grimaced and drank the bitter medicine, her tongue numb, unaware of the fleeting smile on White Lotus’s lips.

Shen Fuyu clicked her tongue—White Lotus must have realized what the medicine was.

She should kindly tell Green Tea, then!

“How do you feel, Green Tea?” Shen Fuyu asked, smiling.

“Thank you, Your Grace. I feel much better,” Green Tea replied.

“That’s good,” Shen Fuyu nodded. “It seems the Dowager’s infertility potion is quite effective—easy to drink, no burden at all.”

“What?”

Green Tea stared in disbelief, ignoring her injuries as she scrambled off the bed. “Infertility potion?”

“Yes,” Shen Fuyu nodded. “Auntie Ruowei brought it from the Dowager, and White Lotus knows about it too.”

“No… impossible…” Green Tea stumbled backward, face pale, bending over to try to vomit the medicine. “I don’t want infertility potion… I don’t…”

Shen Fuyu narrowed her eyes, calmly took out a small silver seed from her purse, twirled it between her fingers, and flicked it toward Green Tea. She controlled her strength so it only nudged Green Tea’s balance, sending her crashing to the floor.

This finger technique was rather useful.

“Green Tea…” White Lotus walked over cautiously, trying to help her up.

“Get lost!” Green Tea shoved White Lotus away, furious. “You knew it was infertility medicine! And you didn’t warn me! White Lotus, you wretch! What’s your game?”

“That medicine was bestowed by the Dowager! Did you expect me to risk my neck for you?” White Lotus burst into tears. “How could you be so selfish, thinking only of yourself and not caring for my life?”