This sudden piece of gossip early in the morning instantly wiped away all sleepiness.

Yanshu, still unsure if she had heard correctly, quickly gathered her thoughts—

The Jinyiwei said that the old scoundrel Zhang Shengkang had been fooling around with a woman last night, and after that, the woman went to his son's room, where they continued their antics until the middle of the night?

…So, are you telling me that both Zhang Shengkang and his son were fooling around with the same woman last night?

Suddenly, the system’s voice popped into her mind: [That’s right.]

Yanshu: [??? Really? And you didn’t think to tell me this juicy gossip earlier? What, were you getting lazy? This is some serious scandal! Why didn’t you warn me sooner???]

System: [Why spoil the fun by telling you earlier? The best part of this kind of gossip is enjoying it fresh, right?]

Yanshu: […Well, you’re really starting to sound like you’ve got a method for this. But forget the chatter, tell me—what’s really going on with Zhang Shengkang and his son? Is this woman his concubine?]

Just as she asked, Yanshu thought better of it. [Wait, I’ve never heard of Zhang Shengkang having a concubine. Come to think of it, didn’t his son just get married not long ago? Could it be that the old man is fooling around with his daughter-in-law?]

The system replied: [No, no, that’s not it. The new daughter-in-law is the daughter of Pei Xiangzhi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. She comes from a scholarly family, a well-bred young lady, so she wouldn’t do something like that.]

Hearing this, Yanshu was even more confused. [Then what exactly is going on here?]

But before the system could answer, it suddenly brought up something else: [Do you remember last time, when Zhang Shengkang framed Imperial Physician Jiang by having someone swap out his prescription for a neighbor’s child?]

Yanshu immediately nodded. [I remember!]

Damn, thinking about it still makes her teeth grind with anger!

That scoundrel Zhang Shengkang, to frame Imperial Physician Jiang, didn’t even care about the life of a little child! Unfortunately, in the end, one of Zhang Shengkang’s disciples took the blame for it. The old scoundrel pretended to repent in front of the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager, kept in the dark, pleaded on his behalf. In the end, he only got a demotion and a cut in salary.

But how does this relate to the current scandal?

The system spoke again: [The woman who was fooling around with Zhang Shengkang and his son is the wife of the disciple who took the blame. Zhang Shengkang offered 200 taels of silver and promised to take care of the woman and her children if the disciple took the fall.]

Yanshu: […Wait, so this woman was directly taken to bed after he paid her off? By the way, since she’s the disciple’s wife, how did she end up in Zhang Shengkang’s house?]

System: [Well, this woman, Cui Shi, is no innocent. After her husband was sentenced to ten years in prison, with no certainty of surviving, and the silver Zhang Shengkang had given her husband was sent to his parents, Cui Shi wasn’t happy. She decided to think of her own future. Knowing Zhang Shengkang had money and didn’t keep any concubines, she thought she’d try her luck. She found out that Zhang Shengkang was a lecher, and the two hit it off immediately.]

She couldn’t exactly sneak around outside, so when Zhang Shengkang’s addiction flared up, he used the excuse that his son had just married, and the house was short-staffed, to bring her into his home. After that, they had their fair share of secret meetings. Even now, his son has been married for three months and hasn’t sent her away.]

Yanshu nodded, [I see now.]

She quickly asked, [So how did Cui Shi end up with Zhang Shengkang’s son?]

The system replied, [Well, it’s a bit complicated. A few days after Cui Shi entered the Zhang family, Zhang Shengkang’s wife, Xu Shi, discovered their affair. However, Xu Shi was too weak to directly confront her husband. She secretly grew resentful and began subtly making life difficult for Cui Shi, hoping to drive her away. But Cui Shi wasn’t someone to be easily intimidated. She discovered that Zhang Shengkang’s son was also a lecher, and after several attempts, she decided to seduce him as well. They’ve been secretly at it ever since.]

It just so happened that last night, Cui Shi was supposed to meet Zhang Shengkang’s son, but after Zhang Shengkang had been working in the palace for several days and was feeling impatient, he returned home and found Cui Shi. She had no choice but to appease the old man first and then go meet his son.]

Yanshu: […]

This family really is a mess.

But wait, wasn’t Zhang Shengkang’s son newly married? It’s still their honeymoon, and he’s fooling around with Cui Shi?

System: [Well, he was fairly well-behaved for the first couple of days after his wedding, but his new wife is from a respected family, so she’s not as… playful as Cui Shi. Eventually, he couldn’t resist and started sneaking around with her again.]

Yanshu couldn’t help but sympathize with the new bride and asked, [Doesn’t this little scoundrel fear his wife finding out? And what about Cui Shi, isn’t Zhang Shengkang’s wife aware? The new bride hasn’t figured it out yet?]

The system sighed: [The new daughter-in-law is still getting accustomed to the household, so she hasn’t noticed anything yet. But Xu Shi knows everything and is already sick with anger.]

Yanshu: […Sick with anger and still not doing anything? Can’t blame anyone else now.]

Ugh, it’s a pity for Zhang Shengkang’s poor new daughter-in-law. She’s a well-bred young lady from a good family, and this is the family she married into?

The system added, [Actually, this marriage was arranged by Zhang Shengkang using the Empress Dowager’s influence. Miss Pei from the Pei family was known for her good looks and talent, and many higher-status families in the capital were interested in marrying her. However, Pei Xiangzhi, seeing that Zhang Shengkang had the Empress Dowager’s favor and was from a comparable background, agreed to the match, hoping his daughter would be treated well.]

Yanshu: […So Pei Xiangzhi really cares about his daughter. If he ever finds out the truth, he’ll probably explode with anger.]

The system: [Absolutely. That’s why Xu Shi would rather make herself sick than speak up.]

Yanshu: [Heh, since she won’t speak up, I’ll let someone else do it for her.]

Well, now that the gossip was all cleared up, it was time to start making some plans.

At first, Yanshu had thought Zhang Shengkang was just a bad person, but now this scandal had added even more spice to the situation!

~~

At this moment, in the outer hall, Yuwen Lan was still in the stage of doubting his own hearing.

Could he have misheard?

Was the Jinyiwei really saying that Zhang Shengkang and his son had been fooling around with the same woman?

Why is Zhang’s house such a mess???

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Yanshu’s voice coming from the inner hall, “Your Majesty, I have something to report…”

Yuwen Lan snapped back to attention, waved the Jinyiwei away, and returned to the inner hall.

Before he could even steady himself, Yanshu eagerly fed him the juicy gossip about the Zhang family.

“Your Majesty, I’ve figured it all out. The woman fooling around with the Zhang father and son is the wife of the disciple who took the blame for Zhang Shengkang. Zhang Shengkang’s wife knows about it but dares not interfere and is now sick with anger. Their new daughter-in-law is still kept in the dark. We can use this to our advantage and help this innocent woman escape her suffering as soon as possible.”

Yuwen Lan: “…”

In such a short time, not only had she figured out the whole situation, but she also had a plan to handle it?

Well, since his beloved consort’s judgment was usually quite reliable when it came to matters like this, he asked, “What do you suggest we do?”

Yanshu then stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear.

Yuwen Lan thought for a moment and nodded. “That approach is indeed much more logical. Alright, I’ll have them carry it out right away.”

He glanced at her and added, “It’s still early. Aren’t you going to sleep some more?”

After all, with the Jinyiwei handling the Zhang family, she could just sit back and enjoy the show.

But to his surprise, Yanshu shook her head and began layering herself in clothes, her eyes sparkling. “How could I sleep with such an interesting development? I’m going to write a new story while it’s still early.”

Heh, with a good story, the readers will be happy, and maybe even my top boss will feel more energized. That way, her illness might get better faster!

Yuwen Lan: “…”

He couldn’t be sure whether the Empress Dowager would feel better, but at least Yanshu was full of energy for the moment.

~~

Ci'an Palace.

Another three days had passed, and the first round of treatment was nearly complete. Indeed, the Empress Dowager’s condition was improving steadily.

Not only did the headaches occur less frequently, but her appetite had improved significantly, and she was able to get out of bed and walk around.

Yanshu continued to visit daily, and seeing this progress, she was finally at ease.

Hmph, Imperial Physician Jiang is truly irreplaceable.

In the afternoon, with no particular business, after a nap, the Empress Dowager felt much better. As Yanshu was personally giving her the medicine, chatting with her, they suddenly heard a voice from outside the hall announcing, “The Emperor arrives…”

Everyone in the hall immediately stood to greet him, and soon, the Emperor’s tall figure appeared.

The Empress Dowager, surprised, asked, “Why has the Emperor come over today?”

Yuwen Lan sat down beside her and replied, “I was busy this morning, but I took this chance to come and check on you.”

The Empress Dowager smiled, “I’m already much better, and with Yanshu here with me, you don’t have to worry too much.”

Yanshu, knowing the Emperor’s reason for visiting, quickly seized the opportunity to say, “The Empress Dowager has recovered much faster this time, clearly thanks to Imperial Physician Jiang’s treatment.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded, sighing, “Yes, indeed. The younger generation is to be feared. I didn’t expect Imperial Physician Jiang to be so much better than Zhang Shengkang, despite his age.”

At this point, Yuwen Lan smoothly added, “Speaking of which, I have something to report to you, Mother.”

The Empress Dowager responded, “What is it?”

Yuwen Lan replied, “This morning, Pei Xiangzhi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, came to the palace to report that Zhang Shengkang and his son have been ju xi.” (ju xi refers to a scandalous behavior, often implying illicit relations, which was new to Yanshu.)

Ju xi?

The Empress Dowager was stunned, furrowing her brows, “What? Zhang Shengkang and his son… ju xi? Is this true? Who are they doing this with?”

Yanshu: “…”

As a modern person with limited education, Yanshu had to pause for a moment to process the Emperor’s words. It took her a second to realize that ju xi likely meant the father and son were both fooling around with the same woman.

Tsk, the Chinese language really is vast and profound!

My bad, my bad.

Just then, the Emperor continued, “It is said that the woman involved is the wife of one of Zhang Shengkang’s disciples, who has been staying at his house recently. According to Pei Xiangzhi, last night, his daughter, accompanied by a servant, caught the woman and Zhang Shengkang’s son in bed. Afterwards, they found Zhang Shengkang’s personal clothes in the woman’s room, and after questioning, some servants testified that the woman had an affair with Zhang Shengkang as well. It seems certain.”

Yanshu raised an eyebrow. Nice job, Jinyiwei!

But the Empress Dowager still furrowed her brow. “How could this be? Father and son involved in such a disgraceful act? Isn’t his son newly married? What does his mother-in-law say about this? And why would the woman, being the disciple’s wife, go to her master’s house?”

Yuwen Lan explained, “Zhang Shengkang’s wife is currently ill and not in charge of the household. As you mentioned, Pei Xiangzhi’s daughter is newly married and felt frustrated with nowhere to turn. She rushed back to her family last night and reported everything to her parents. Pei Xiangzhi came to the palace this morning to tell me.”

He continued, “As for this woman, she has long been involved with Zhang Shengkang. To facilitate their affair, Zhang Shengkang brought her into his house under the pretext of needing her help when his son got married and the house was short-staffed. By the way, this woman’s husband is the same one who tried to frame Imperial Physician Jiang earlier this year. Zhang Shengkang even personally came to apologize to you and me back then. Do you remember, Mother?”

The Empress Dowager thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I remember. He was the one who switched the medicine when he couldn’t compete with the other shop’s business.”

Yuwen Lan nodded, “Exactly.”

The Empress Dowager thought for a while and then said, “Since Pei Xiangzhi has already reported this to you, it must have spread outside as well. You must take action, Your Majesty. Have someone investigate the Zhang family thoroughly. We must not wrong the innocent, but we cannot let such debauchery go unpunished either.”

She grew angrier the more she thought about it. How could father and son commit such outrageous acts?

Yuwen Lan nodded, “I’ve already ordered an investigation. Also, I suspect there may be more to the case with the disciple. I’ve already sent someone to question him in prison this morning.”

The Empress Dowager nodded, “Yes, we must investigate this thoroughly. How could this man get involved with his disciple’s wife? We need to find out everything.”

Just as she spoke, Fu Hai rushed in, reporting, “Your Majesty, there’s new progress in the matter at the prison.”

Yuwen Lan asked, “What is it?”

Fu Hai reported, “The disciple just confessed in prison. He admitted that he took the blame for Zhang Shengkang. He said that Zhang Shengkang ordered the switch of Imperial Physician Jiang’s prescription, as Zhang Shengkang feared being overshadowed by Jiang’s skill and the Emperor’s trust in him, so he plotted this scheme to frame Jiang.”

What?

Before Yuwen Lan or Yanshu could say anything, the Empress Dowager exploded, “What a scoundrel! It was him!”

She had even defended this person before, and now Zhang Shengkang dared to use her trust like this!

Yuwen Lan immediately added, “Indeed, a scoundrel! Not only did he frame someone, deceive both of us, but he also seduced his disciple’s wife. This shows his complete lack of morals! Guards, arrest Zhang Shengkang immediately!”

Fu Hai responded immediately, rushing out to instruct the guards.

Yanshu, seeing the situation unfold, quickly praised, “Your Majesty is wise!”

She then subtly raised an eyebrow at Yuwen Lan.

Heh, it’s all coming together!

Aren’t I clever?

Yuwen Lan: […Clever!]

No one is more clever than my beloved consort!