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

Clapping sounds rang out one after another, mixed with the eunuchs' announcements, coming from afar.

Empress Lin immediately stood up, and the concubines in the hall hurriedly followed suit, with a rustling sound of their clothes rubbing together.

The Empress led the entourage quickly toward the door, preparing to receive the Emperor.

But before they even reached the door, the heavy brocade curtain was suddenly flung open with a "whoosh".

Empress Lin was the first to gather her robes and kneel in obeisance: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects! Long live the Emperor!"

The voice was steady and dignified.

The concubines behind him also hurriedly knelt down, bowed their heads and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" The pearl hairpins in the hall trembled slightly.

Duanmu Qingyu stepped in from outside the door, still wearing his court robes and a golden crown, his steps carrying an aura of coldness.

The young emperor still retained the majesty of the court in his eyes, yet his noble air was innate.

He sat down on the throne beside the phoenix throne, his clear gaze sweeping over the crowd before he spoke: "Rise."

Taking advantage of the chaos of everyone's worship, Chu Nianci quickly picked up the outer silk trousers on the ground, put them on haphazardly, and knelt down as well.

The pounding of my heart gradually subsided.

"Your Majesty, rise. All concubines, rise as well." Duanmu Qingyu's voice was clear and melodious, but lacked warmth.

The concubines rose quietly and stood on both sides with their hands at their sides. The hall was so quiet that you could hear their breathing; no one dared to breathe loudly.

Chu Nianci kept her head down, and could only see the hem of Duanmu Qingyu's black court robe and the tips of his boots embroidered with golden dragons.

He strode towards the main seat with steady steps, and a eunuch quickly brought over a dragon throne and placed it above the empress's phoenix throne.

Duanmu Qingyu lifted the hem of her robe and sat down gracefully.

He sat there, his posture relaxed, yet the air in the entire hall seemed to freeze.

Empress Lin composed herself and spoke gently, "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, why have you come at this time?"

She wore a suitable smile.

Duanmu Qingyu's gaze swept across the entire hall, and he said loudly, "I just finished court and remembered that today is a grand day for the entire palace to pay their respects, so I came to take a look." He spoke casually, but everyone could tell that this "casual" visit was too coincidental.

He had barely settled into his seat when a sweet, delicate voice rang out…

"Brother Qingyu!" Consort Shu stepped forward from among the other consorts, her eyes crinkling with a smile, her beauty radiant. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have greeted you at the palace gate!"

The sweet and crisp "Brother Qingyu" caused everyone in the hall to gasp in unison.

No one expected that Consort Shu would be so bold as to not address him as "Your Majesty" in a palace gathering, but instead use such an intimate title.

Empress Lin frowned almost imperceptibly, then quickly regained her dignified smile and said in a gentle voice, "Sister Shufei, I understand that you and His Majesty have known each other since childhood and are close in private. However, now that the ceremony of conferring the title of consort has been held, you should still follow the etiquette of the palace in this public setting."

She turned to Duanmu Qingyu and asked politely, "What does Your Majesty think?"

"The Empress is right," Duanmu Qingyu said calmly. "This form of address is fine in private, but it's inappropriate in front of all the concubines."

Such a mild reprimand only made Consort Shu's smile even more radiant.

She raised her carefully drawn eyebrows and drawled, "Her Majesty the Empress is indeed from a family of scholars and officials, and is extremely virtuous and courteous. She would not hold such a grudge against my sister."

That was a very sharp and sarcastic remark.

Everyone in the palace knew that Empress Lin was the daughter of a military family; her father was a general guarding the border, but he was completely illiterate. How could she be expected to be a woman of refined manners and poetry? Consort Shu's words were clearly a roundabout way of hitting the Empress's sore spot.

Empress Lin's fingers curled up inside her wide sleeves.

Chu Nianci knelt in the crowd, sighing inwardly. In this deep palace, family background was the strongest source of confidence. The Empress had no illustrious family to back her up, and even a concubine dared to embarrass her in public. This showed just how precarious it was for her to sit in the position of Empress.

At this moment, a palace maid brought tea.

Duanmu Qingyu picked up his teacup but didn't drink. He simply used the lid to gently stir the floating leaves, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "On my way here, I heard from my servants that there's been quite a commotion at Kunning Palace. What exactly happened?"

Consort Shu immediately spoke before the Empress could, her voice soft and sweet: "It's all because we concubines were ignorant, that such a trivial matter has alarmed Your Majesty. Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, and we concubines are already ashamed that we cannot share your burdens, let alone trouble you with these matters..."

She bowed gracefully, "What happened today is my own doing. I request to have my salary reduced by half a year. I hope Your Majesty will calm your anger."

This preemptive act of apologizing put the Empress in a very difficult position.

Empress Lin's face stiffened slightly, then she also curtsied, her voice calm and even: "Your Majesty, today's events were indeed due to my lack of self-discipline, which disturbed Your Majesty's presence. I request to be punished with a six-month salary deduction and to copy thirty volumes of 'Rules for Women' as a warning to others."

The two most honored women in the harem stood side by side, pleading guilty, making the atmosphere in the hall even more oppressive.

Duanmu Qingyu's gaze swept over the two of them, picked up his teacup, and said in a calm tone: "Empress and Consort Shu need not blame themselves too much. Palace affairs are complicated, and oversights are inevitable."

His gaze suddenly fell on the conspicuous screen in the center of the hall, and he frowned slightly: "Did the Empress set up this screen to carry out a public execution? I wonder which palace servant has committed a grave offense that needs to be dealt with on the day of the palace reunion?"

"This..." Empress Lin was speechless for a moment before she slowly said with a stiff face, "Your Majesty, today I was just chatting with my sisters when Consort Qiao suddenly came forward and accused Consort Hui of having a secret meeting with Imperial Physician Lin in the back garden. In order to give everyone an explanation, we are currently conducting a virginity test."

The moment the words "verify chastity" were uttered, the temperature inside the hall plummeted.

Duanmu Qingyu's face, which had been as calm as the moon, suddenly turned cold, and her long eyebrows rose, revealing their dark and sharp edges.

He put down his teacup, the porcelain clinking against the wooden table with a crisp sound.

Those eyes already held a chilling sharpness, their gaze like an icy blade, shooting straight at the pretty noblewoman with her head bowed and her cheeks swollen.

"You witnessed Consort Hui meeting with someone in secret," Duanmu Qingyu's voice was low, each word like an ice pick or a sharp blade, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

Cold sweat instantly poured down the pretty lady's forehead.

Trembling, she stepped forward and knelt down, her voice growing softer and softer: "Your Majesty... I did indeed see Consort Hui embracing and hugging another man..."

"Think carefully before you speak," Duanmu Qingyu said calmly, his tone chilling. "I will not let anyone suffer injustice because of an unclear judgment. Now that you have entered the palace, you should know the palace rules. If you speak nonsense or frame others in front of the emperor, it is the crime of deceiving the emperor, which shall be punished by hanging. It will also implicate your father, the Director of the Imperial Household Department, who will be exiled three thousand miles away."

As soon as the words were spoken, even the Empress and Consort Shu in the hall changed color and hurriedly knelt down.

A dead silence.

The main hall of Kunning Palace was so quiet it seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath.

The beautiful lady knelt there, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

"Look up and speak to me."

When the pretty lady looked up, she met Duanmu Qingyu's long, sword-like eyebrows and his dark, stormy eyes, like clouds before a downpour.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, trembling like a leaf: "Your Majesty... I only saw them talking, and Consort Yu and Consort Yu saw it too..."

After saying that, he collapsed to the ground, unable to utter another word.

Duanmu Qingyu turned to Consort Yu, his voice like the cold wind from an ice cellar: "The palace rules are strict. Even if you are the grandson of the Grand Commandant, if you speak carelessly, I will punish you severely."

Each word is like an ice dagger, its lingering sound sharp.

Consort Yu suppressed her panic and replied weakly with her head down, "Your Majesty, my sister Qiao and I went to pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress. When we passed by the Imperial Garden, we did indeed...we did see Consort Hui and Lord Lin pulling and tugging at each other, behaving...very intimately. The more I think about it, the more frightened I become. After all, he is Her Majesty the Empress's brother-in-law. So I wanted to ask the Imperial Censor to investigate, also for the sake of His Majesty and Her Majesty's reputation."

Her words were like adding fuel to the fire, igniting a flame in Duanmu Qingyu's starry eyes.

His handsome brows were furrowed, and his gaze was sharp as a hawk.

He stroked the deep green jade thumb ring on his finger after half-turning his head and asked, "Consort Hui, what do you say?"

Chu Nianci quickly glanced at him.

His usually gentle and beautiful face had been transformed into one that was as cold and icy as a battlefield.

Her mind was buzzing.

Today I have seen another side of the emperor.

Your heart is as hard as iron, and your blood is ruthless.

I suddenly remembered what the emperor said in the Hall of Mental Cultivation the other day: "If anyone else touches your hand, I will chop it off."

She later took those words as a joke, but in this context, they made her feel that they were not empty words, but rather a matter of principle.

My heart started pounding again.

After a moment, Chu Nianci finally regained her composure and spoke calmly: "Your Majesty, I merely encountered Consort Lin by chance in the rear garden and did not overstep any bounds. Consort Qiao and Consort Yu colluded to frame me without any evidence. Your Majesty just said that you would not let anyone suffer injustice. If this is considered adultery, then I am truly wronged as if snow were falling in June."

The voice was soft, yet each word was clear and steady as a rock.

Hidden behind others, Chu Shunqing felt a chill run down his spine, his throat tightened, and his legs went weak.

Lin Lang?

Shouldn't he be on duty at the Imperial Hospital today?

How did I run into my sister...? Could it be that my sister hasn't given up on him yet and secretly arranged to meet him?

If that were true, it would be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor, which would implicate the entire family!

She hurriedly lowered her head, afraid that someone would notice something was wrong.

"Director Lin?" Consort Shu's soft, alluring voice sounded particularly jarring in the tense hall. "Isn't that Her Majesty the Empress's own brother? I wonder how the Empress will handle this matter?"

Her eyes flickered as she glanced at Empress Lin, whose face had turned slightly pale.

The Empress bit her lip, then straightened up after a moment and said sternly, "Since both of them saw it, it's probably not just hearsay. Your Majesty, although this matter involves my brother, as the Empress, I must investigate it thoroughly and give the six palaces an explanation. If Consort Hui is still a virgin, everything will naturally become clear."

Chu Nianci knelt and kowtowed, her voice calm: "If it is verified that I am indeed a virgin, then what will happen?"

Consort Yu clenched her fingers slightly and replied, "If you are still innocent, you may be dealt with as you see fit."

These words sent a chill down the spines of all the concubines.

The air inside the hall seemed to have frozen into ice.

Halfway through, Duanmu Qingyu, his expression unreadable, ordered his attendants, "Tell the head maid to examine him immediately."