Li Wangzhou entered the palace to have an audience with the Emperor.
Emperor Zhao Xianheng received him in the Imperial Study.
"Your humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, and ten thousand times ten thousand years."
Li Wangzhou knelt and saluted.
"Rise, Minister Li."
The Emperor raised a hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Wangzhou stood up and respectfully took his place in the lower tier.
The Emperor did not speak immediately.
Instead, he fixed his gaze on Li Wangzhou for a long while before finally opening his mouth to say:
"I heard that you brought back a pregnant concubine from the borderlands.
You even forced your lawful wife to nod and agree to let you take this concubine as an equal wife?
Is this true?"
The Emperor's tone was stern and cold. Upon hearing this, Li Wangzhou hurriedly dropped to his knees again and said in a panic:
"Your Majesty, the woman I brought back is my benefactor.
A life-saving grace is impossible to repay, and furthermore, the two of us have developed mutual feelings for one another.
That is why your humble subject wishes to take her as an equal wife."
"Mutual feelings?
So that gives you the right to force your wedded wife to accept your concubine?"
The Emperor pressed further.
"Your humble subject would not dare."
Li Wangzhou prostrated himself quickly on the ground.
"It is best that you dare not.
As a general of Dachu, if you were to engage in the practice of doting on a concubine while neglecting your wife, it would severely damage your official reputation.
You have rendered no small service by repelling the Nanman this time.
You must guard against becoming arrogant over your achievements and losing your sense of propriety in your actions."
The Emperor said in a reproachful tone.
"Your humble subject will strictly obey Your Majesty's teachings."
Li Wangzhou replied in fear and trembling.
The Emperor remained silent for another long while before speaking in a slow voice:
"Rise."
Li Wangzhou stood up, his palms already slick with cold sweat.
"For your meritorious service in repelling the Nanman, you are rewarded with one thousand taels of silver and a pair of jade *ruyi*."
The Emperor said in a calm tone.
Li Wangzhou was stunned upon hearing this.
His contribution in repelling the Nanman this time was by no means small.
How could the reward be so meager?
Seeing Li Wangzhou in a daze, the Emperor's personal eunuch, Hua Hailou, reminded him in a sharp voice:
"General Li, why haven't you thanked His Majesty for the grace yet?"
Coming back to his senses, Li Wangzhou knelt again to express his gratitude.
"Many thanks to Your Majesty for the reward."
"Very well, withdraw."
The Emperor waved his hand.
Li Wangzhou got up and retreated from the room.
After Li Wangzhou left, Prince of Pingnan, Song Jinchen, who had been waiting in the side room, slowly walked out.
He cupped his fists, bowed to the Emperor, and expressed his gratitude:
"Many thanks, Your Majesty."
The Emperor's expression remained unreadable as he looked at Song Jinchen.
"Is the Prince of Pingnan satisfied with this?"
Song Jinchen bowed again in thanks.
"Your Majesty is wise."
The Emperor waved his hand.
"Let this be an exception.
After all, it is General Li's family matter. As long as Lady Shen nods and agrees to let the equal wife enter the household, it cannot be considered a major issue.
Besides, I have already substantially reduced the rewards given to General Li; this punishment is quite sufficient for him."
"Yes."
Song Jinchen acknowledged.
He did not expect the Emperor to solve all of Shen Yiru's problems for her.
After all, in the Emperor's eyes, Li Wangzhou was a meritorious subject right now.
Compared to a woman of the inner quarters, a general who could fight on the battlefield was undoubtedly far more valuable to the Emperor.
The only reason he had stepped forward to have the Emperor give Li Wangzhou a warning was to prevent Shen Yiru from being bullied too severely by the Li Family.
As for what came next, he believed Shen Yiru was fully capable of handling it herself.
After all, Shen Yiru was not the sort of person to let herself be bullied at will by others.
At this thought, the look in Song Jinchen's eyes softened accordingly.
Moreover, he would never allow the person he had guarded in silence all this time to be humiliated by others.
On his way back to the manor, Li Wangzhou felt thoroughly restless and uneasy.
What on earth was the Emperor's intention?
Did the Emperor disapprove of him taking an equal wife into the household?
Yet the Emperor had not punished him for it.
Perhaps the Emperor merely wanted to remind him not to be too heartless toward Shen Yiru?
Or perhaps the Emperor pinned high hopes on him and did not wish chaos in his inner courtyard to affect his future prospects?
Yes, that must be it.
After all, he had returned having rendered a great service.
It seemed he would still inevitably have to coax Shen Yiru a little when he got back.
If Shen Yiru could nod and agree to him taking Sun Jingyou as an equal wife, that would be the best possible outcome.
Thinking this, before he knew it, he had returned to the General's Manor.
He vaulted down from his horse, and a dozen or so manservants came out from the estate to receive him.
The one thousand taels he brought back were in ready cash.
Packed in a large wooden chest, it was carried by two eunuchs.
At Li Wangzhou's signal, a manservant took over the wooden chest from the eunuchs.
Another manservant received the jade *ruyi* from the other eunuch.
The remaining nearly ten manservants could only stand awkwardly in place.
There was no help for it; who told Li Wangzhou to miscalculate the Emperor's reward?
After he tipped the three eunuchs who had come from the imperial palace and sent them off, he entered the General's Manor somewhat listlessly.
"General, where should these items be carried?"
A manservant followed closely behind him, pressing for instructions with the chest in tow.
Li Wangzhou thought for a moment.
"To Qingyou Courtyard."
"Yes."
The manservant acknowledged and followed after him.
Qingyou Courtyard.
Shen Yiru was reclining lazily on a daybed, reading a medical book.
She was dressed in a white sleep robe, her hair simply gathered with a single white jade hairpin.
Her skin was fair, and her facial features were so exquisite that not a single flaw could be found.
Reclining lazily on the daybed, completely absorbed in her book, she looked otherworldly and breathtakingly peerless.
"General, the Young Madam is not feeling well and has already turned in for the rest."
Qingyao's voice came from outside the room.
"Move aside."
This was Li Wangzhou's impatient roar.
Then, with a loud *bang*, the door was heavily shoved open.
"Shen Yiru, do you still have me, your husband, anywhere in your eyes?
A mere maidservant of yours dares to block my path?
Truly..."
Li Wangzhou cursed harshly as he strode toward the inner room.
Yet when he caught sight of Shen Yiru reclining lazily on the daybed, he could not help starting in surprise.
Then, he could not keep from marveling in his heart.
She seemed even more beautiful than she had two years ago; yesterday, he had been so preoccupied with protecting Sun Jingyou that he hadn't even noticed.
He could not help swallowing a mouthful of saliva, and his tone softened considerably.
"Yiru, are you feeling better?"
Seeing Li Wangzhou barge in, Shen Yiru frowned with a trace of displeasure.
"Why have you come?
Shouldn't you be over at Mengyun Courtyard coaxing your Sun Jingyou?"
When she said this, Shen Yiru's tone was icy cold, devoid of the slightest emotion.
Yet to Li Wangzhou's ears, these words somehow sounded like the sting of jealousy.
Li Wangzhou felt a surge of complacency.
He took a few steps forward, wanting to reach out and pull Shen Yiru toward him.
Shen Yiru got up and dodged out of the way, making him grab at empty air.
Left with no choice, Li Wangzhou retracted his hand awkwardly.
"Yiru, are you angry with me over this?
Yesterday, my words were too harsh. I apologize to you."
With that, he bowed to Shen Yiru.
Shen Yiru did not evade him, accepting his bow with poised grace.
Then, she raised an eyebrow.
"What is this?
You took a trip to the imperial palace, and your attitude has changed?
Didn't you say you wanted to divorce me?"
Li Wangzhou stood straight.
"What I said yesterday was spoken in anger.
As the saying goes, a wife who shares hardship through poverty should not be cast aside, and I, Li Wangzhou, am not that kind of person."
A wife who shares hardship through poverty?
Heh...
Shen Yiru could not help sneering inwardly.
She had waited for him in the General's Manor for two full years, and in return, she got called a destitute wife?
How utterly laughable.