After giving her contraceptives, she went mad, criticizing the prince for turning white-haired overn

Madam Yu's face stiffened, and her whole body tensed up instantly.

She could only silently follow behind the nanny with Shen Ning.

On the way, she gently tugged at Shen Ning's sleeve and whispered:

"Ning-jie, if you want Wan'er to live peacefully in the Shen family, don't say anything out of line when you see the Empress later."

"Don't forget, you and I are both members of the Shen family."

Shen Ning's lips curled slightly, and she deliberately said, "Okay, I'll listen to my second aunt."

Before long, the two arrived at a sleeping quarters on the south side of the palace.

As soon as they stepped into the hall, they saw the Empress, dressed in a phoenix robe, sitting on a high seat, her cold gaze fixed on the two people kneeling below.

Shen Ning glanced at it.

The kneeling figures were none other than Shen Ran and Zhao Shi.

Shen Ran's eyes were red from crying, and a clear handprint was visible on her cheek.

Zhao kowtowed her head to the ground, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

A cloak was casually draped over the chair next to the Queen.

It was the very item that the Yu family had prepared for Shen Ning today, which was later taken away by Shen Ran.

Given the current situation, the nanny beside the Empress has already noticed that there is something wrong with the cloak.

After Shen Ning followed Madam Yu inside, she immediately knelt down and bowed.

"This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress."

The Empress raised her eyes and gave a wink to the nanny beside her.

The nanny then picked up the cloak and handed it to Shen Ning:

"Miss Shen, do you recognize this cloak?"

Shen Ning took the cloak and examined it carefully:

"Your Majesty, this cloak was prepared for me by my second aunt yesterday, who instructed me to wear it for the spring hunt today."

The Empress narrowed her eyes slightly: "Then why aren't you wearing anything?"

Shen Ning lowered her head and bit her thin lips: "Your Majesty, it just so happens that Aunt Ye also sent a cloak these past few days, so I wore the one given to me by the Ye family."

"The second aunt prepared this exquisitely crafted dress, which I originally kept as a spare, thinking I could wear another one if it got cold. Unexpectedly, my fifth sister saw it and snatched it away."

She looked up, her expression one of utter bewilderment.

"Your Majesty, is there anything wrong with this cloak?"

Then, turning to Shen Ran, whose eyes were brimming with tears, he deliberately asked with concern:

"What's wrong with Fifth Sister? Why is her face so red...?"

Shen Ran bit her lower lip, glancing at Shen Ning through her blurry tears, before lowering her head and sobbing again.

"The injuries on her face were inflicted by my own men," the Empress said calmly.

"Those who don't know their place."

Shen Ning lowered her head deeply, held her breath, and dared not say another word.

She was always cautious in front of the Empress.

However, judging from Shen Ran's expression, it was probably more than just a slap.

With his face so swollen, he must have been slapped at least ten times.

Lady Yu knelt to one side, her face ashen, and when she looked up, she met the Empress's icy gaze.

The Empress slowly spoke: "Second Madam Shen, why don't you tell me?"

"Why is the cloak you prepared for Miss Shen embroidered with a phoenix in a hidden pattern?"

"Do you perhaps believe that the Shen family will produce a woman who will one day rule the world?"

Madam Yu trembled and kowtowed to the ground:

"This humble woman is guilty! I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

"This fabric was bought from a merchant in Jiangnan. I bought it because I saw that the fabric was of high quality and the price was reasonable."

"My niece and brother came to Yanjing these past two days. I was in such a hurry to make these cloaks that I didn't notice the phoenix pattern hidden in the design."

"It was my negligence, Your Majesty. Please punish me!"

Shen Ning sneered inwardly.

They confessed quickly, even coming up with the unverifiable excuse of being a peddler.

She lowered her eyes and murmured softly, "So the dark pattern was actually a phoenix."

The Empress frowned: "Could it be that Second Miss Shen had already seen through the deception?"

Shen Ning shook her head: "Your Majesty, I did not see it."

"I just felt that the cloak was particularly dazzling under the light, and it was also decorated with pearls, so it seemed to be very valuable."

"My second aunt went to great lengths, preparing one for both me and Wan'er. But the cloaks for my eldest sister, fifth sister, and cousin Yu were all quite ordinary."

She turned to look at Madam Yu, her gaze clear.

"Second Aunt, why were these cloaks prepared only for me and Wan'er?"

Yu bit her lip tightly, her body stiff and rigid, not daring to look at the Empress's expression.

"Madam Shen, you actually prepared two cloaks like this?"

"Yes..." Madam Yu slammed her forehead against the ground, her whole body trembling violently.

Why?

"It's...it's because..." Madam Yu was so frightened that she stammered.

The Empress sneered, "You only prepared cloaks embroidered with phoenix patterns for Shen Ning and Shen Wan. I don't understand why."

Madam Yu took a deep breath: "Please punish me, Your Majesty."

"The Ye family came to the Shen family the other day and said that the two children's clothes were not decent enough. So I thought I would take advantage of the spring hunt to make them some more expensive cloaks, but who knew that the fabric I bought from the merchant was defective..."

The Empress scrutinized Lady Yu's expression.

He looked at Shen Ning again, and understood immediately.

This Yu family member probably has ulterior motives.

"Why not prepare one for Shen Rou as well? If I remember correctly, she is also a daughter of the eldest branch of the Shen family."

"This..." Madam Yu choked instantly.

"That's enough," the Empress said.

"Now that the men of the Shen family are fighting in the borderlands, I, considering the difficulties faced by the women of the Shen family in Yanjing, do not wish to delve into the matter further."

"But Madam Shen, as the current head of the Shen family, you have failed to handle even this matter properly, which is truly disappointing to me."

"After the spring hunt, you can collect twenty strokes of the military rod yourself."

"As for this cloak, I'll burn it."

Madam Yu trembled all over and quickly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty."

"Wang Mama, take them back to the banquet first."

"After the banquet, take Madam Shen to receive twenty strokes of the military rod."

"Yes."

Granny Wang walked to Shen Ning and Madam Yu's side:

"Madam Shen, please rise."

"Since Your Majesty has shown mercy, I hope you will act more cautiously in the future."

Madam Yu's voice trembled: "Yes... thank you, Your Majesty."

After they got up, Wang Mama escorted them out of the bedroom.

As she stepped out of the palace gate, Shen Ning took a deep breath.

If it weren't for the men of the Shen family, the Yu family would probably have faced far more than just twenty lashes today.

After the others left, Granny Wang returned to the Empress's side.

"Your Majesty, the mother of the nation, has been so offended today. Is this punishment too lenient?"

The Empress sighed softly, "What can we do? His Majesty still needs General Shen and the Shen family."

"Once the Great Yan dynasty is settled, the Shen family will be nothing more than a useless pawn."

"But this Yu family member is indeed not simple-minded. As for Shen Ning..." The Empress's eyes darkened slightly.

"The dress she wore today reminded me of the morning sun."

The old woman sighed, "I heard that Miss Shen fell into the water just now."

The old woman paused, then lowered her voice.

"A palace maid saw... that the Regent carried Miss Shen into the side room."

The Empress's hand trembled violently, and the teacup fell to the ground with a 'bang'.

She asked incredulously, "Who... are you talking about?"

"The Regent?"

The old woman comforted her, saying, "This servant has only heard about it; Your Highness, please don't take it seriously."

"Perhaps the palace maid was mistaken; it is not the Regent."

The Empress felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if pricked by needles, and her body trembled slightly.

"How could he have fallen for her..."

"It's best if there's nothing between them."