You take on two husbands, I'll turn around and marry the tyrant and rule the world.

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on Chu Nianci.

It was only then that everyone noticed the little attendant sitting in the corner, dressed in the simplest clothes.

She merely raised her head slightly, and all the elegantly dressed concubines in the hall seemed to pale in comparison.

Her face was so bright it was almost dazzling, and some of the newly arrived concubines couldn't hide their jealousy.

Everyone here is new to the palace, so why is Chu Nianci allowed to enter the Hall of Mental Cultivation?

In terms of background, who isn't better than her? Her father was only a fourth-rank official, and her mother was the daughter of a merchant.

Consort Shu sat at the head of the table, her eyes sharp as knives, her jealousy barely concealed, awaiting the Empress's decision.

Shen Lanbing, who was sitting a little further away, turned pale and accidentally knocked over her teacup with a soft "clink".

Chu Nianci quietly gave her a reassuring look, telling her to calm down.

She remained calm and composed, holding the box of palace flowers, and bowed to the Empress: "Your Majesty, I am currently serving in the Imperial Court. Today, I have been ordered by Your Majesty to deliver rewards to the ladies. I happened to encounter the Crown Prince outside the palace just now, and after exchanging only a few words, Consort Qiao immediately accused me of being immoral. As the saying goes, to catch a thief red-handed, one must catch an adulterer in the act. May I ask if Your Majesty has any evidence?"

She emphasized that she was delivering the items on behalf of the Emperor.

As expected, the expressions of the concubines became subtle as soon as the words were spoken.

The Empress's face was visibly stiff, and her fingertips curled slightly on the back of the chair.

Consort Shu observed everything, slowly picked up her teacup, a half-smile playing on her lips, as if she were waiting to see a good show.

Chu Nianci is here on behalf of the Emperor to deliver the gifts.

If she truly had an affair with the Empress's brother, it wouldn't just be her who would be disgraced; it would also be a slap in the face to the Emperor and Empress.

Who would dare to speak up so easily?

The hall fell silent. The concubines lowered their heads and eyes, determined not to speak and cause trouble.

She knew perfectly well that from the moment she was stopped at the palace gate until now, it was all a scheme orchestrated by Consort Yu to target her.

However, Consort Yu, seeing the wind blowing, changed her mind and retreated.

The pretty lady is quick-witted and reckless, even willing to bite herself.

The beautiful lady panicked at this moment.

She had no idea that Chu Nianci was serving in the imperial court; framing Chu Nianci was purely based on rumors and a moment of impulsive jealousy.

But now that things had come to this, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say loudly, "What evidence do you need? I wasn't the only one who saw it. Consort Yu also saw it and was just about to take her to the inner palace. If Your Majesty doesn't pursue this matter just because she's someone from the Imperial Household Department, then every woman in the palace will be entangled with men outside the palace. Wouldn't the rules of the inner palace become a joke?"

These words were extremely harsh. If the Empress did not take action, she would be branded as someone who "condoned debauchery."

Empress Lin frowned slightly.

A shadow crossed her dignified face; she wished Chu Nianci would disappear immediately.

She knew that Chu Nianci's entry into the palace would be detrimental to her, but she never expected that the other party would dare to meet with Duanmu Jingrui in private on the day of the imperial concubine selection...

If this matter is not handled properly, it will be seen as condoning debauchery; if Chu Nianci is severely punished, it will be tantamount to cuckolding the emperor.

She had no choice but to turn to Consort Yu: "Since Consort Yu also saw it, why don't you tell me what exactly happened?"

All eyes immediately turned to Consort Yu.

Although Consort Yu wanted to crush Chu Nianci, she was unwilling to offend the Empress in public, so she pretended to be innocent and said, "Your Majesty, I did see Consort Hui talking with the Crown Prince. For the sake of Your Majesty's reputation, I thought of sending the two of them to the Yeting Palace to find out the truth. I ask Your Majesty to decide how to deal with them."

The pretty noblewoman curled her lips slightly: "Well, Your Majesty, it's a fact that Consort Hui had an affair. Unless you can prove your innocence."

Consort Yu innocently chimed in, "Proving one's innocence in this palace isn't difficult; just have the imperial physician or the headmistress examine one's body."

Upon hearing this, many concubines showed subtle expressions, and some even blushed.

Chu Nianci felt a chill run down her spine and immediately understood everything.

Before entering the palace, all young women had to undergo a rigorous examination at the Chuxiu Palace by the instructors to verify their virginity and check the condition of their anus and genitals. Although this process was kept secret, no one could escape it.

Chu Nianci was the only one who entered the palace by special imperial decree and had not gone through this procedure.

It seems that the other party is convinced that she was once engaged to Duanmu Jingrui and has already lost her virginity, so they set a trap here.

Consort Qiao, thinking she had succeeded, covered her mouth and chuckled, "I heard that Attendant Huixuan was previously engaged to Imperial Censor Lin. Could it be that they have already tasted the forbidden fruit? If that's true, how can she be worthy of staying in the palace?"

Consort Shu coughed lightly and glanced at him with her beautiful eyes: "Even jokes should have limits. These words are too vulgar and concern His Majesty's reputation."

She turned to Chu Nianci, her tone flat, "Consort Hui, if you want to prove your innocence, then let the old nanny examine you."

Consort Yu quickly chimed in, "That's exactly right."

As she spoke, she clapped her hands, and two tall, imposing old women walked in from outside the door, saying to Chu Nianci, "Young mistress, please."

A thin layer of sweat appeared on Chu Nianci's fair forehead.

She wasn't afraid of the examination; it was just that, historically, when palace concubines entered the palace for examinations, parrot blood was dripped onto their wrists. Only women suspected of having lost their virginity would be examined in public like this, which was clearly a deliberate act of humiliation. She had heard that some palace maids in the past couldn't bear such humiliation and even committed suicide.

She unconsciously clenched her fists and gently bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth.

The pretty young lady smiled and leaned closer, lowering her voice: "Don't be afraid, sister. We're all women. Even if you're a bit older, the nanny is very careful. She'll apply some ointment to you, so it won't hurt..."

These words were extremely vulgar, and the concubines all showed expressions of disdain.

He thought to himself that such a person was not worthy of entering the palace.

Chu Nianci suddenly chuckled softly.

She lowered her head slightly, maintaining impeccable manners, and her voice gradually became steady: "Although I am a few years older, it is nothing. Your words make it sound as if you are saying that all the older ladies in the palace need cosmetics to stay healthy."

Anyone can stir up hatred.

The pretty lady's face turned pale, and she forgot all about her composure, shouting sternly, "Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting? Who's mocking others!"

Sure enough, apart from Consort Qiao, the other older concubines all looked somber.

Consort Shu raised her alluring, upturned eyes slightly, her gaze turning as cold as winter ice.

Her charming face instantly darkened... She had just made a sarcastic remark about the Empress, but in the blink of an eye, she was slapped in the face by a concubine.

She then shouted sternly, "Insolence! Your language is vulgar! How dare you utter such foul words in public! Guards, slap me!"

Consort Qiao hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I didn't mean it. I just misspoke. Please forgive me..."

Before she could finish speaking, the head maidservant beside Consort Shu stepped forward and slapped her more than a dozen times with both hands without saying a word.

Although Consort Qiao was a concubine's daughter, she was pampered and raised in a delicate manner, and her cheeks quickly became red and swollen.

With a pale face, she pleaded tearfully, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me, Consort Shu..."

Consort Shu waved her hand, and the palace maid withdrew.

The pretty lady covered her face and accused, "She's clearly trying to sow discord..."

Consort Shu looked up and saw Chu Nianci standing there with a calm expression and impeccable manners.

Seeing her composed and unassuming demeanor, and her simple attire, Consort Shu's hostility lessened somewhat.

In the end, she was just a concubine and couldn't cause any trouble.

She had initially thought that the beautiful concubine might be useful, but now she realized how foolish and not worth it.

The most important thing right now is to compete for the opportunity to serve the emperor; there's no need to waste time on a mere concubine.

Consort Shu's eyes flickered, and she chuckled sweetly, "Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart. What Consort Qiao said just now wasn't directed at you."

The Empress's face also looked grim.

She was the eldest in the palace, and had just been subtly mocked by Consort Shu. Now she was being ridiculed by a lower-ranking concubine.

"So what if you're a few years younger?" the Empress said coldly. "Do you think that just because you're young, His Majesty will definitely summon you to his bedchamber first? If you don't know your place and bewitch the Emperor, don't blame me for breaking the palace rules."

These words made Consort Qiao even more ashamed. Covering her swollen face, she forcefully steered the conversation back on track: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong... but please don't be misled by her. Shall we continue with the physical examination?"

"Of course it must be examined," the Empress said coldly. "Guards, set up the screen and let me examine it thoroughly."

She had just checked and found that her brother had been drugged. He must have fallen into someone's trap. At most, the investigation would result in a reprimand or caning.

However, if Chu Nianci is not a virgin, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor, and she would only face death.

In this way, we can remove this thorn in our side and a nuisance from our flesh.

Upon hearing this, the two old women stepped forward and tried to pull Chu Nianci away.

At this moment, Shen Lanbing hurriedly knelt down and said to the Empress, "Your Majesty, even if an examination is to be conducted, it should be done in private. Doing such an unreasonable thing in public will make it difficult for Hui-mei to face others in the future. This also concerns the Emperor's reputation. Please reconsider, Your Majesty!"

As she spoke, she clung tightly to Chu Nianci's neck, preventing the nanny from getting close.

Gu Qingmei, remembering the life-saving grace from a few days ago, also advised, "Your Majesty, Sister Hui is, after all, a member of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. How can His Majesty save face by examining her in public like this? I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."

The Empress was no longer listening; she just frowned, her face dark, and remained silent.

Several burly old women stepped forward to help, forcefully pulling Shen Lanbing away, while another person moved the spring bench over.

Chu Nianci's heart was pounding like a drum. Just as she was wondering whether to use the golden needle hidden in her fingertips, she was pressed down onto the bench by two old women.

"Lift her hips up," said one of the long-faced old women, while another reached out to pull down her outer trousers.

Chu Nianci suddenly felt a chill beneath her; her outer trousers had been pulled down.

Just then, a series of clear clapping sounds suddenly came from outside the door...

"His Majesty has arrived..." came the young eunuch's call.

Chu Nianci's wildly beating heart finally settled back into her chest with a "thud".