A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

"The one who was entangled with the Crown Prince in the waterside pavilion on the night of the Princess's birthday was not the palace maid named Qingliu at all."

She glanced at Zhou Mingyi again, and seeing that the latter's expression hardly changed, she dared to speak more boldly.

"But...it's Your Majesty..."

Shi Liu's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

"Your Majesty...those people have ulterior motives; they want to kill you!"

Zhou Mingyi merely frowned slightly. "The innocent will remain innocent. As long as Your Majesty has a fair judgment, I am not afraid even if I am wronged for a time."

Pomegranate: "But Your Majesty, gossip is a fearsome thing!"

"What if... what if His Majesty listens to the slander and believes those lies? What should we do then?"

Zhou Mingyi's tone seemed to be filled with grievance, "If I have truly been insulted like this, I have no choice but to die to prove my innocence!"

Shi Liu immediately rushed over, crying, "Your Majesty!"

Wax apples also felt a pang of sympathy.

Just then, a palace maid came to report that Consort Liu was requesting an audience.

Shi Liu immediately wiped away her tears, "Your Majesty, we've never had any dealings with Consort Liu before, why has she come at this time?"

Speaking of Consort Liu, Shiliu was reminded of Consort Yun.

"In the past, Consort Yun often came to our palace to keep Her Majesty company, but she hasn't come since Her Majesty's accident. This shows how cold-hearted people can be."

"Liu Zhaoyi, on the other hand, is a rare find."

Zhou Mingyi did not respond, but said, "Please let her in."

Consort Liu entered the palace with her maids. She was dressed in white with delicate bamboo patterns embroidered on her clothes, which made her look extremely elegant.

Zhou Mingyi looked her up and down a few times, and the stunningly beautiful Consort Liu also looked Zhou Mingyi up and down.

"Since ancient times, the emperor's favor has been as flowing as water. Has Consort Zhen felt it?"

Zhou Mingyi: ?

"When he loves you, he wants to give you all the good things in the world, but once he gets tired of you, he will take everything back."

"Your Majesty, would you like to find a reliable way out for yourself?"

Zhou Mingyi raised an eyebrow slightly; she hadn't expected that Consort Liu would say such a thing to her.

"May I ask what the escape route you mentioned, Consort Zhao?"

Consort Liu's stunningly beautiful face was almost expressionless.

"If he is heartless, I will leave him. It all depends on whether Consort Zhen is willing to part with him."

Zhou Mingyi: ?

No, she really wasn't quite following Liu Zhaoyi's train of thought.

Consort Liu didn't say much; she left after speaking. It took Shiliu a while to come to her senses. "Your Majesty, what do you think Consort Liu meant?"

Zhou Mingyi looked at Lianwu, "This Consort Liu, in what year did she enter the palace? Was she favored before?"

Wax apple's expression was very complicated.

"Consort Liu was born a commoner. It is said that she originally had a fiancé, but later the Emperor took a liking to her and brought her into the palace."

Zhou Mingyi: ...

This script sounds so familiar...

After a moment of silence, Lianwu continued, "Your Majesty, as you can tell from Liu Zhaoyi's appearance, she must have been very favored when she first entered the palace."

"But I don't know what got into her head, that she actually wanted to be with His Majesty for life, and even wanted His Majesty to dismiss the harem for her sake..."

Zhou Mingyi: ...

This Consort Liu was a woman of strong character.

Lianwu said, "Putting aside other matters, our Emperor is not one to indulge in sensual pleasures, let alone a beauty as stunning as Consort Liu."

"But Consort Chen did give birth to His Majesty's only child..."

"There's no way His Majesty would dismiss the harem for her sake."

"Please forgive my bluntness, but I think Consort Liu is somewhat ungrateful."

"This servant admits that Consort Liu is beautiful, but all the land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and His Majesty possesses the entire realm. What kind of beauty hasn't he seen?"

"That Consort Liu... aside from being beautiful, she is completely unskilled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, music, chess, and other arts, but it is said that she can make paper..."

Lianwu frowned. "But papermaking is already widespread in our Great Zhou Dynasty, and paper is not rare."

"What makes her so worthy of such a request?"

"His Majesty naturally refused, and it is said that she quarreled with His Majesty over this, refusing him entry every time. Since then, His Majesty has never visited her palace again."

"She's quite stubborn; even if His Majesty doesn't go, she will never bow her head and beg His Majesty."

Even when attending palace banquets and meeting His Majesty, he always remained indifferent towards him.

"If His Majesty has no way to back down, then just pretend she doesn't exist in the palace."

Zhou Mingyi: ...

Well... she really didn't know what to say.

All I can say is that Consort Liu was an unconventional person.

Zhou Mingyi couldn't understand her motives.

In her previous life, Zhou Mingyi was a simple and pure person.

But as long as you're human, you have your own purpose in dealing with people and things.

Just like her, she entered the palace in this life for revenge and to seize power.

The dog emperor was driven to near madness by his desire for offspring.

He even condoned his own daughter's outrageous and lewd act of forcibly taking a man, which violated current customs.

This shows how important offspring are to him.

This Consort Liu is truly overestimating herself!

Zhou Mingyi had never thought of this.

What's the use of a man's love and exclusivity?

All she wants is power.

Therefore, she didn't take Liu Zhaoyi's words to heart at all.

Rumors about Consort Zhen and the Crown Prince intensified in the palace, even alarming the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was very dissatisfied with this.

If Lady Zhou had indeed conceived the Emperor's child last time, the Empress Dowager would naturally have protected her.

But the pregnancy was fake, and the Empress Dowager completely lost patience.

"As the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire; Consort Zhen should also be mindful of her words and actions."

Zhou Mingyi lowered her eyes slightly, "Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is right."

The Empress Dowager stared intently at Zhou Mingyi, trying to discern how much truth and falsehood were in her words. "Don't try to fool me just because I'm old."

"What exactly is going on between you and the Crown Prince?"

The Empress Dowager believed Princess Chaoyang's words.

That was her most beloved granddaughter. She said she saw Zhou Mingyi leave the table midway through the meal, as if she were talking to the Crown Prince.

Who knew that in the blink of an eye, it would turn into an entanglement between the crown prince and a palace maid.

During that time, the woman who was entangled with the prince clearly jumped into the fish pond, but who knows if the one who was pulled back was the same one from that time.

Perhaps someone has used a substitute?

Zhou Mingyi glanced at the smug Princess Chaoyang and the composed Consort Chen, and understood what was going on.

Princess Chaoyang is avenging her mother.

Even if she was the victim, and Consort Chen simply apologized to her for her mistake without being punished in any way.

Princess Chaoyang wanted to tell her that even if she and her mother were wrong, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were on their side.

Zhou Mingyi knelt upright and said, "Your Majesty, I have only met the Crown Prince once. I really do not know why Your Majesty would think this way."

Princess Chaoyang immediately pleaded, "Grandmother! I saw it with my own eyes, how can you not believe me?"

"Chaoyang would never lie to the Empress Dowager!"

How could the Empress Dowager tolerate Princess Chaoyang's coquettish behavior?

She immediately said, "Zhou, do you have anything else to say? Chaoyang is my own granddaughter, the most noble princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Why would she frame you?"

"As long as you can explain your relationship with the Crown Prince, I will not make things difficult for you."

Zhou Mingyi firmly denied it, saying, "I am not familiar with the Crown Prince. Perhaps Your Highness has had too much to drink and made a mistake."

Princess Chaoyang stomped her foot in anger, "You!"

"I saw it!"

"This Consort Zhen is having an affair with her brother, the Crown Prince; she's clearly not a loyal person. She's deceiving the Emperor!"

"Grandmother, if she refuses to admit it, let the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs investigate, let the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate. I refuse to believe that she would dare to deny it under severe torture!"

The Empress Dowager frowned subconsciously.

Although her granddaughter was indeed a bit domineering and unreasonable, the Empress Dowager's heart still leaned towards her granddaughter.

However, Zhou Mingyi was no ordinary low-ranking concubine.

She was a concubine whose name was recorded in the imperial edict, possessing both a precious inscription and a formal document.

She refused to admit it, and there was no concrete evidence, so they really couldn't do anything about it. They couldn't just convict someone based on Chaoyang's one-sided statement, could they?

If they don't admit it, why resort to severe punishment?

Isn't this just absurd?

Both sides presented their own versions of events, and Emperor Qianwu never arrived.

This was also within Zhou Mingyi's expectations.

To avoid being caught in a dilemma, this damned emperor simply decided not to come at all.

But since he didn't come, she went to find him.

What a big deal!

After leaving the Empress Dowager's palace, Shiliu breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Luckily, the Empress Dowager and the princess had no evidence. Your Majesty, that was truly a close call!"

"If His Majesty were here, he would surely protect the Empress!"

Zhou Mingyi glanced at Shiliu, then looked at Lianwu, who quickly lowered her head...

The Imperial Study.

Fuquan couldn't help but speak up:

"Your Majesty, Consort Zhen is in the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace, and Consort Chen and Her Highness the Princess are also there..."

Emperor Qianwu frowned deeply, his vermilion inkstone hanging high in his hand, before slowly lowering it after a long while.

Fuquan was very perceptive.

Seeing his expression, she immediately fell silent.

After a while, Emperor Qianwu said, "I will not go over there."

"If I go, won't that girl Chaoyang never stop causing trouble?"

Fuquan: ...

His Majesty is truly heartless. He always demands the most from Consort Zhen, but now he has absolutely no interest in Consort Chen.

The two of them lay on the same bed, fully clothed, and slept.

But when it comes to Her Highness the Princess, His Majesty's rationality seems to return instantly.

It seems that Consort Zhen is not a very important person.

"Consort Zhen is loyal. Besides, this matter is only Chaoyang's side of the story, without any evidence. She just wants to vent her anger for her mother."

"It won't really hurt Consort Zhen."

"If I go, I will truly be in a dilemma."

Fu Quan chuckled dryly, "This servant only knows that Consort Zhen just discovered she was pregnant, all so as not to disappoint Your Majesty..."

Emperor Qianwu's deep gaze fell on Fuquan, who was startled and shuddered. "It was this servant who spoke out of turn."

Emperor Qianwu turned around without saying a word, but the atmosphere around him became heavy.

After a while, Fuquan said to a young eunuch, "Put down the soup. It's not that His Majesty is deliberately disappointing Consort Zhen, but rather that His Majesty is very busy with state affairs."

The young eunuch held up a bowl with both hands and said in a low voice, "Her Majesty has instructed that His Majesty has not visited Weiyang Palace for a long time and must miss the soup she makes himself."