Placing one's hand in the mouth of a sleeping tiger.

"Hmm?" Yi Wenkui stopped stroking his consort's back as he contemplated her words. He already knew about it because of the report that was submitted against the Zhan army but he didn't think she would dare admit it either. Was she saying this because she was worried about him? Was his Noble Consort really being sincere?

"I think you should investigate this matter and deal with it before those barbarians start harming innocent citizens." Zhan Yanhui advised. She wanted those Rudaks gone before Wen Yating tried to use them and he implicated her family. She would have to also think of a way to chase him out of her family's army eventually.

"This emperor will take care of it." Yi Wenkui replied nonchalantly. "There are far more disturbing matters at hand, Noble Consort. I wonder if you can help me." His black eyes revealed a cunning glint.

Zhan Yanhui looked at the handsome emperor and she almost lost her words for a moment. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

His hands wandered beneath her robe, making Zhan Yanhui panic when she felt his fingers touching her slim legs. The whole atmosphere became ambiguous again as he used his other hand to wrap around her neck, drawing her closer. "This emperor has realized that he doesn't have a heir from you. I think it's time we do something to rectify the situation immediately."

Zhan Yanhui grabbed his hand briefly to stop him. "But the Empress...." She was afraid to finish her words so she wouldn't ruin the atmosphere but she knew that the whole harem would be in a catastrophe if she was to give birth to a prince before the Empress did. She wasn't even sure if she would even survive the ordeal.

"There are no buts about this, Hui'er." To Yi Wenkui, he reasoned that although it didn't matter if it was a boy or a girl, having a prince would surely secure her position and perhaps tie her to him even more as she would surely change her mind about betraying him once he made the child his Crown Prince. Frankly, he hoped it would be soon because he couldn't imagining another heir. "This emperor was unable to consummate our wedding night because of some unfortunate circumstances. We should have been intimate long ago, Noble Consort."

His words made her blush but Zhan Yanhui knew he was right. She shyly nodded her head which signified her agreement. Her whole countenance made her irresistible to the emperor so he leaned in to kiss her but was once again interrupted this time by a loud childish voice. "Father! Father!"

The two of then watched a chubby boy stumbled into the room with an entourage of anxious servants behind him. He came forward with a cute smile. "Greetings, Father and Noble Consort."

Zhan Yanhui heard the emperor's frustrated sigh and smiled before he said. "Feng'er, where is your senior brother? Why are you alone?"

The emperor had only two sons in the palace currently, Yi Chang and Yi Huan who were sons of Consort Feng and Consort Wei respectively. Yi Chang was seven years old while Yi Huan was five. The two boys were very obedient under the emperor's guidance but they each had different personalities. Due to Consort Feng's ambitious nature, Yi Chang grew up to be very serious and stiff while Yi Huan was born with a carefree and happy nature as the youngest child. 

Yi Huan replied. "Senior Brother is in his lessons with his tutor. I was feeling bored so I decided to come and see Father. Mother said I must accompany Father today no matter what...Does Father have any interesting toys for me to play with?"

The couple exchanged glances with each other. Zhan Yanhui had always liked Yi Huan's innocent nature so she often played with him more than Yi Chang who saw her as his mother's enemy. She stood up from the emperor's lap and smiled kindly at the child. "Your Father is very busy so you can't play with him today. How about you come and play with me instead, I have lots of delicious food in my place!"

Yi Huan's eyes brightened and he quickly nodded, allowing her to lead him away. The emperor was treated to a sight of seeing his noble consort playing with one of his children and it only filled him with vigor. Since she had decided to stay with him, there was no way he would let her go.

But in the empress's palace, the empress had just returned looking very discomposed unlike her usual image as an empress. She drove all the maids away from her room before she sat down, gulping tea in a panic. A male voice resounded behind her making her jump again in fright. "What happened, Ling'er? Why are you like this?"

Han Yaling relaxed when she saw Wen Yating but that didn't stop her from voicing out her thoughts. "The emperor has gone mad again! He put Consort Li under house arrest and demoted her but all of a sudden, she was nearly killed on her way back! I thought you said that the medicine....."

"The medicine was meant to not only calm him down but also weaken him, Ling'er. Seeing that he has been in high spirits lately, I suspect he has stopped taking it." Most people in the palace knew that the emperor was rumoured to be diagnosed with a mental disorder since he was a Crown Prince. Before he was known to be the wise and capable ruler he is today, he was once a cunning and merciless Crown Prince who slaughtered all his brothers except one on his path to the throne. That was the reason the royal family and even the neighbouring countries were very wary of the emperor.

"I thought you made the Noble Consort administer those drugs to him. Why is this happening?!" The reason why Han Yaling was so hysterical about the emperor's mental state was because she had never forgotten how she was beaten to a pulp after she had snuck into his bed and how she almost died a day before her wedding all because the emperor didn't be want her to be his queen. To her, being with the emperor was no different from placing one's hand into a sleeping tiger's mouth. You never knew when you would lose your hand.

"The emperor is refusing to see me ever since I returned from battle. My people among the palace guards were suddenly changed and I have no way to talk to Zhan Yanhui. My queen, I need you to do me a favor." Wen Yating said.