I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

Xiao Jingshi felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart, and even his breath caught in his throat. Was the imperial heir beyond saving?

These words were like poisoned daggers, stabbing him in the chest one after another, shattering his newly rising, immense joy at becoming a father.

No! He looked up abruptly, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot with extreme fear and rage. He stared intently at Zhang Qinghe, who was still standing at the palace gate, her face filled with innocence and panic!

"It's you!" The voice was terrifyingly low, each word like poison. "What did you say to her?! Tell me!"

Zhang Qinghe was so frightened by his appearance that her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, unable to utter a single word.

The Empress was also frightened by her son's impending loss of control and quickly stepped forward to pull him back: "Jingshi! Calm down! Now is not the time to pursue this matter; saving An'an is the priority!"

"Imperial Physician!" the Empress roared. "What are you still kneeling for! Quickly devise a solution! If anything happens to the Crown Princess and the Imperial Grandson, I will have your entire Imperial Hospital executed!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The old doctor was startled and scrambled to his feet. He hurriedly opened his medicine box and took out a row of silver needles of varying lengths.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty the Empress, please step aside. This old minister needs to administer acupuncture to Your Majesty to stabilize the pregnancy!"

Xiao Jingshi looked at Ye An'an on the bed, her face as pale as paper, as if she might disappear at any moment, and his heart ached. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain.

He moved aside, but remained by the bedside without leaving for a moment, his bloodshot eyes fixed on every silver needle in the imperial physician's hand.

Time ticked by in the deathly silence. Every second felt like an eternity to Xiao Jingshi.

Finally, after administering more than a dozen silver needles, the old doctor let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the large beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, thank goodness... thank goodness..." His voice was still trembling, "The pregnancy has stabilized for now. Your Majesty's pulse has also become much more stable."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingshi finally relaxed a little. He felt as if he had just been pulled out of the water, his whole body drenched in cold sweat.

"When will she wake up?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Your Majesty fainted due to a combination of qi and blood stagnation, and the pregnancy was also affected. Now that the pregnancy has stabilized, with a dose of medicine to help stabilize the pregnancy and proper rest, she should wake up soon."

"Okay." Xiao Jingshi nodded.

He turned around and glanced at Zhang Qinghe, who was still trembling on the ground. The murderous intent in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

"Mother," he looked at the Empress, his voice icy and devoid of any emotion, "I want to know, what exactly happened tonight?"

The Empress sighed inwardly as she looked at her son's determined eyes, knowing that this matter could not be resolved peacefully today.

The Empress summoned her personal maid and inquired about the details of the incident.

When the Empress heard Zhang Qinghe's words that "the Crown Princess should be magnanimous" and "should think about the Crown Prince's future generations," her face darkened completely.

She finally understood.

Why did that girl faint?

Pregnant, she was publicly humiliated, told she was unworthy to have the crown prince all to herself, and that she should "give up" her husband...

What woman could bear such humiliation?

Moreover, these words were spoken by Zhang Qinghe to her face, just after the Empress had advised her to be "magnanimous".

How wronged must An An be?

How desperate must one be?

The Empress closed her eyes, a deep sense of guilt welling up inside her.

She was wrong.

She shouldn't have used those "empress" standards to judge a young woman who had just married into the family and was pregnant.

She shouldn't have let An'an suffer such injustice.

"Jing Shi," the Empress looked at him, her face showing guilt and regret, "it was my fault. I shouldn't have advised An An..."

She never expected things to develop this way, and she certainly never expected that An'an would suddenly faint.

Just then, a faint groan came from the bed.

"An'an!" Xiao Jingshi turned around abruptly and rushed to the bedside.

Ye An'an's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

"Your Highness..." Her voice was still somewhat weak.

"I'm here, I'm right here." Xiao Jingshi held her hand tightly against his face. His eyes, which had just been filled with murderous intent, were now filled only with the joy of regaining what he had lost and the lingering fear.

"An'an, how are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Ye An'an shook her head, looking at his bloodshot eyes and tense face, and felt a warmth in her heart.

"Your Highness, I'm alright..."

The Empress stood to the side, watching the young couple embrace tightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She had never seen Jing Shi so distraught, so vulnerable.

The crown prince, who had been taught from a young age to keep his emotions in check, was now panicking for the sake of his wife and children, just like an ordinary husband and father.

The Empress stood aside, her guilt deepening.

"Jing Shi, An An," she stepped forward, her voice filled with apology, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have advised An An to be magnanimous, and I shouldn't have let her suffer these injustices."

"Mother," Ye An'an hurriedly tried to get up and bow.

"Don't move," Xiao Jingshi pressed her down, "You need to rest now."

He looked at the Empress, his expression complex: "Mother, I know you mean well, but..."

"I understand," the Empress sighed. "I was too naive. I thought An'an could be like me back then, but I forgot that everyone is different."

"Your mother apologizes to you."

As she spoke, the Empress actually bowed slightly to them.

"Mother!" Xiao Jingshi and Ye An'an were both startled.

"You all take good care of yourselves," the Empress waved her hand. "As for Zhang Qinghe, your mother will give you an explanation."

Zhang Qinghe was kneeling outside.

She was now ice-cold, her knees kneeling on the cold floor tiles, completely numb. The scene of the Crown Princess fainting just moments before replayed in her mind like a nightmare. She saw the murderous intent in the Crown Prince's eyes, the disappointment on the Empress's face, and the utter shattering of her own dream of becoming the Crown Princess.

"Miss Zhang," the Empress's voice came from inside the palace, unhurried yet carrying an unquestionable majesty.

Zhang Qinghe trembled and quickly kowtowed, saying, "This humble woman is here."

"Raise your head and let me take a good look at you."

Zhang Qinghe raised her head tremblingly, but dared not look directly into the Empress's eyes. Tears still clung to her face, and her hair was disheveled; she was nowhere near the dignified and graceful figure she had just displayed.

The Empress looked down at her, a hint of sarcasm flashing in her eyes: "I've heard that Miss Zhang is intelligent, virtuous, and well-educated. But after meeting her today, I find that she is far from deserving of such praise."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me..." Zhang Qinghe's voice was choked with sobs.

"Forgive me?" the Queen sneered. "Do you even know what mistake you've made today?"

Zhang Qinghe bit her lip, not daring to answer.

"You don't know?" The Empress's voice suddenly turned stern. "Then let me tell you! As an outsider who hasn't even entered the palace, you dared to speak rudely to the Crown Princess in the Eastern Palace, sowing discord and causing her to miscarry! If anything happens to the Crown Princess and the Imperial Grandson, who in your Zhang family can bear that responsibility?"

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!" Zhang Qinghe panicked completely and kept kowtowing, soon drawing blood from her forehead.

Zhang Bao, kneeling to the side, was also ashen-faced. He never dreamed that his carefully raised daughter would do such a foolish thing.

"Zhang Bao," the Empress said, looking at him, "how could your Zhang family raise such an insolent daughter?"

The Grand Tutor was filled with shame: "I have failed in my duty of instruction; please punish me, Your Majesty."

"Fine," the Empress waved her hand, "considering that your Zhang family donated 500,000 taels of silver to the country..."

"Your Zhang family has served the country loyally, and I will not punish them severely." The Empress paused. "However, Miss Zhang, do you know that serving the Crown Prince requires more than just superficial qualities like intelligence, gentleness, and virtue?"

Zhang Qinghe felt a tightness in her chest, sensing that something was amiss.

"Serving the Crown Prince requires keen observation, prioritizing the overall situation, knowing when to advance and retreat, and understanding one's place," the Empress said, enunciating each word clearly. "Does Miss Zhang understand what I just said?"

"This humble woman...this humble woman understands." Zhang Qinghe's voice was already choked with sobs.

"Good that you understand." The Empress smiled slightly, but that smile sent chills down one's spine. "Well then, it seems that Miss Zhang's upbringing is inadequate. In your current state, it is really difficult for you to enter the Eastern Palace to serve the Crown Prince."

Zhang Qinghe's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

"But considering that your Zhang family donated silver to the country, which is a righteous family," the Empress changed the subject, "I cannot let you suffer injustice for nothing. Therefore, I bestow upon you the position of Lady of Ceremonies, in charge of etiquette and palace rules instruction."

Female Master of Ceremonies?

Zhang Qinghe suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Although the position of female ritual officer was also a palace post, it was specifically for teaching palace maids etiquette.

"Miss Zhang," the Empress looked at her with a half-smile, "there is still much for you to learn before entering the Eastern Palace. Why don't you first learn by my side, and then, once you have mastered your skills, you can enter the Eastern Palace to serve the Crown Prince? What do you think?"

Completed training? When will that be considered complete? It's all up to Her Majesty the Empress!

Zhang Qinghe instantly understood that this was to trap her in the position of female ritual officer forever, making it impossible for her to enter the Eastern Palace!

"Miss Zhang," the Empress's voice rang out again, carrying an undeniable authority, "do you have any objections?"

Zhang Qinghe trembled all over. She wanted to resist and say she didn't want to, but looking into the Empress's cold eyes, she knew she had no choice.

If she doesn't agree, what awaits her will probably be more than just a female official in charge of etiquette.

"This humble woman..." Zhang Qinghe's voice was extremely hoarse, "This humble woman has no objection and will obey the Empress's decree."

After saying that, she felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and almost fainted.

Zhang Bao watched from the side, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew that his daughter's dream of becoming the Crown Prince had been completely shattered.

Inside the palace, Xiao Jingshi had been guarding Ye An'an's bedside. Hearing the commotion outside, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

A female official in charge of rites? The Empress Dowager's move was truly brilliant.

This not only punished Zhang Qinghe but also saved face for the Zhang family. More importantly, it completely extinguished Zhang Qinghe's hope of entering the Eastern Palace.

"Your Highness," Ye An'an weakly grasped his hand, "Her Majesty the Empress is avenging me."

"Your mother knows she was wrong," Xiao Jingshi said softly. "An'an, no one will dare to bully you again."

"Mm." Ye An'an nodded, feeling a warmth in her heart.

Outside, the Empress looked at Zhang Qinghe kneeling on the ground and said indifferently, "Aren't you going to thank me?"

"This humble woman... thanks Your Majesty the Empress for your grace." Zhang Qinghe's voice was filled with despair.

"Go down. Report to Kunning Palace first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

Zhang Qinghe staggered to her feet and, supported by palace servants, left, turning back every few steps.

The matter was thus resolved in a clever way.

The Empress not only upheld the dignity of the Crown Princess and gave face to the Grand Tutor, but also used the gentlest method to give Zhang Qinghe the most severe punishment.

This is the true art of emperors, this is the true virtue of a mother ruling the world.