I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 454 Let's see a demon.

"Your Majesty, this vile woman is so audacious and disrespectful to the palace. She not only disregards me, but also you and the Empress! I beg Your Majesty to punish her severely!" Consort Xie stubbornly ignored Consort Yu's words and continued to complain.

Regardless, Chu Liuzheng was the one who struck first, so she was in the right. The facts were undeniable; she didn't believe the emperor would side with the Chu family!

But reality slapped her hard in the face.

"Shut up!" Xiao Jingfan said in a deep voice, looking down at the woman at his feet, his brows furrowing slightly. "She has a name."

Xie Jieyu was bewildered: "Huh?"

Everyone:? ?

Is this the point?
Only Consort Yu couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Mianmian quickly reached out to cover her mouth to prevent her princess from laughing too loudly.

Empress Zhong glanced at everyone and tried to smooth things over: "Your Majesty, let's sit down and talk. We should at least get to the bottom of this."

Xiao Jingfan nodded and pulled Chu Liuzheng to sit down in the main seat.

Empress Zhong paused in her steps, her expression turning ugly for a moment.

Chu Liuzheng is now sitting in her seat.

Xie Jieyu, who had already stopped crying, exploded when she saw Chu Liuzheng sitting in the Empress's seat. "Your Majesty, this lowly...Chu clan has no rank or grade, how can she sit with you?"

Consort Shu also said, "Your Majesty, this is against the rules."

Consort Chunzhao glanced at the Emperor, then at the Empress, her slender fingers fiddling with her silk handkerchief, but she remained silent.

Consort Yu felt she really needed a plate of melon seeds and regretted not having invited Consort Shaoli to come and join the fun.

Xiao Jingfan habitually pulled Chu Liuzheng to sit with him, forgetting that the Empress was also there. He casually pointed to the first chair on the lower left, indicating that the Empress should sit there.

In the Great Sheng Dynasty, the left was considered the most honored position, but even the most honored position could not surpass the main position. The emperor's gesture caused everyone to turn pale with shock, and even Empress Zhong felt a sense of crisis for the first time.

The hall fell eerily silent; Chu Liuzheng felt like he was being riddled with bullets from everyone's gazes. But abdicating was out of the question; after all, she had come here to cause trouble.

Since everyone says I'm a bewitching concubine, then I'll show you what it's like to be bewitching.

She sat firmly in her seat, and even under Xie Jieyu's glare, deliberately handed the plum juice on the table to the emperor.

The teacup was the same one she had just used, and there was still half a cup of plum juice left.

Xiao Jingfan had come a long way and was indeed quite hot. He took the drink and drank it, which made everyone's eyes widen, wondering if they were hallucinating.

That was a teacup that the Chu family had used, and it was even the leftover one!

His Majesty actually drank it!
Zhou Yuande, standing to the side, kept his eyes straight ahead, seemingly unfazed.

The two often ate and lived together in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and it was common for them to share a cup of tea. Chu Liuzheng even dared to feed the emperor leftover snacks and tonics.

Apart from Consort Yu, who was focused on watching the show, none of the concubines in the palace looked particularly well.

Even when Consort Wen and Consort Rong were favored by the emperor, he never tolerated their insolence. It was as if, in front of Chu Liuzheng, the emperor was not an emperor, but just an ordinary man.

Empress Zhong was having some difficulty breathing.

The silk handkerchief in Consort Chun's hand had been punctured by the sharp nail guards at some point.

Consort Shu lowered her eyes, her gaze filled with darkness.

Consort Xie seemed to have been struck on the head, staring blankly at the emperor.

Consort Yu... Consort Yu wants to drink plum juice.

Xiao Jingfan took a couple of sips of plum juice to cool off, then looked up and saw everyone staring at him as if possessed. He couldn't help but frown. "What are you all standing there for?"

Only then did everyone move.

Empress Zhong walked to the first seat on the lower left and sat down, and the others took their seats in order. Chu Liuzheng ordered, "Bring the person up."

The "people" in question naturally refer to the three palace maids gossiping behind the artificial hill. During the earlier commotion, Chenxing had thrown them out, and she quickly ran out to bring them back in.

The three palace maids huddled together, constantly casting pleading glances at Consort Xie.

Xie Jieyu, however, paid no attention to any of this. Her gaze darted back and forth between the Emperor and Chu Liuzheng, her fists clenching tighter and tighter until her nails dug into her palms without her noticing the pain.

In that moment of distraction, the three palace maids, unable to withstand Zhou Yuande's interrogation, confessed to her crimes.

The palace maids cried and begged for mercy, pleading with Consort Xie to save their lives.

Hsieh Chieh-yu is too busy trying to distance herself from the situation to save this group of useless people who can't even handle things properly and have betrayed their master.

Ultimately, the three palace maids were dragged away and beaten to death. Consort Xie was fined one year's salary and confined to her palace for three months of self-reflection.

Seeing that the emperor was about to leave, Empress Zhong spoke up: "Your Majesty, Lady Chu has caused a disturbance in the palace. According to palace rules, she should—"

“There’s a reason for this.” Xiao Jingfan interrupted her before she could finish, pulling Chu Liuzheng to her feet and walking out, his blatant favoritism and bias evident.

Consort Yu smacked her lips. The emperor's protective stance suggests that the harem is about to undergo a major upheaval.

As Chu Liuzheng walked out with the emperor, he couldn't help but turn his head to look, his feelings somewhat complicated.

Although I'm in the right, I did violate palace rules by leading a disturbance in Yihe Palace. Given the tyrant's temperament, shouldn't he at least punish me in some way? Even with the bet, there's been no punishment at all. Could it be that the tyrant actually likes me?

Xiao Jingfan paused, then continued walking forward as if he hadn't heard.

Chu Liuzheng's mind was elsewhere, and he didn't notice anything unusual about him.

She was still analyzing it in her mind.

[Speaking of which, living and eating with the tyrant for so long, although it feels a lot like being in a relationship, how did the tyrant suddenly become interested in me?]

This was a question that Chu Liuzheng had never been able to figure out, and she couldn't ask the emperor, otherwise it would be just like a couple in love asking each other why they liked each other, or whether they were the only ones for each other in this life. She believed that she and the emperor had some feelings for each other, but it hadn't reached the point where they couldn't live without each other, and asking would only make things more cheesy.

She pondered it to herself.

[A tyrant and a seductive concubine? But those seductive concubines either have stunning beauty, a prestigious family background, outstanding talent, or a gentle and considerate nature. What do I have? An impressive bust?]

She looked down at her chest, unaware that the emperor's gaze had also drifted over, quickly sweeping over her before abruptly looking away.

[Hmm... I've definitely developed quite well in this life. If I were a man, I'd also prefer women with big breasts and a small waist. Uh... wait, is the tyrant really that shallow?]

Xiao Jingfan: ...I am not superficial!
Or is it that tyrants, like those brainless domineering CEOs, simply enjoy going against you—it's more interesting that way?

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

He led the person into the sedan chair, and the curtain was drawn to block out the view inside.

The sedan chair was just right for one person, but too cramped for two. So Xiao Jingfan carried the person on his lap and casually lowered his head to cover that hateful mouth.

Chu Liuzheng subconsciously wrapped his arms around his neck, their lips meeting, but his eyes were filled with confusion.

No, where did the emperor get this interest from?

Could it be that his erectile dysfunction is getting better soon?
The sedan chair swayed gently towards the Wenhua Hall, and the people in the Yihe Hall gradually dispersed.

The Empress left first, followed by Consort Shu and Consort Chun. Consort Yu lingered a little longer, noticing the bump on Consort Xie's head, and asked, "Should I call the imperial physician for you?"

"No, no!" Xie Jieyu's face turned ashen as she uttered the words through clenched teeth.

Consort Yu shrugged, pulled her head maid away, and went to find Consort Shaoli to share in the excitement.

(End of this chapter)