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

Ah, what a poisonous insect! If that's the case, she won't be able to frame him. Her family will definitely blame her for being useless. If they ignore her and her face is ruined because of this, her life will be over.

Her family would certainly abandon her without hesitation and send a new woman to the palace instead.

Thinking of this, she pushed away her personal maid Yanqiu, stumbled and fell to Duanmu Qingyu's feet, tears streaming down her face before she could even speak.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, making her look like a pear blossom in the rain, but now her face was covered with red spots and black scorch, making her appearance nauseating.

Duanmu Qingyu frowned and subconsciously picked up the sachet to cover her nose.

Consort Shu was furious. Even in this state, she was still putting on airs and trying to seduce the Emperor.

She gestured impatiently to Lü Qiao, "Hurry up and help Consort Bai up!"

He then turned to Physician Zhang and asked in a cold voice, "Where did these poisonous insects come from?"

"Your humble servant has not yet ascertained the matter," Physician Zhang replied, bowing his head.

Bai Yunchen's peach blossom eyes were filled with heartache and anger: "Your Majesty, poisonous insects don't appear out of thin air; someone must have deliberately tried to harm my sister! I beg Your Majesty to do justice..."

"Investigate." Duanmu Qingyu answered him with only this one word, his voice sounding exceptionally cold and impatient.

He pursed his lips, his dark eyebrows revealing only a chilling aura.

Several medical apprentices brought by Physician Zhang were summoned forward and began to search the surroundings carefully.

In the crowd, Chu Shunqing wished he could shrink into a crack in the ground... In his previous life, this was clearly just a pollen allergy, so how could poisonous insects have appeared?

She quietly moved back, trying to hide behind someone.

Unexpectedly, Consort Shu suddenly turned her head, her gaze piercing like needles: "Physician Chu? Since you are knowledgeable in medicine, I order you to go and find it yourself. No matter what, find the poisonous insect for me!"

Chu Shunqing trembled.

If a poisonous insect bites you, won't your face be ruined?

The Lin family no longer values ​​her much. If she loses her looks, Lin Jingrui will definitely despise her... No, this face must not be harmed!

She stood still and refused to move, so Lü Qiao, who was beside Consort Shu, immediately signaled two eunuchs to come forward and drag her to the bushes to search for her.

Chu Shunqing was carried there by two eunuchs.

Another flurry of activity ensued, but the poisonous insects remained nowhere to be found.

Your Majesty, Consort Shu is personally overseeing the situation here, and no one dares to be negligent. However, the more they search for her, the heavier their hearts become.

At this moment, Chu Nianci stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the surrounding area has been searched thoroughly, but there is one person who has not yet been found..."

She paused, then said clearly, "It's Yan Rong, who was previously punished by being made to stand on the ice."

She remembered the lesson from last time and was determined not to let the maid escape again.

Consort Shu was slightly startled, and her eyes flickered. The eunuch Qin Zhenxing beside her immediately understood and led his men away.

Before long, Yan Rong was dragged back. She had been standing on the ice for too long, and her feet were so cold and stiff that she could barely walk, requiring two eunuchs to support her. She was shivering all over, but she still bit her lip and refused to lower her head.

When the palace servants stepped forward to search her, she trembled violently and struggled to escape.

Qin Zhenxing reacted quickly, grabbing her arm and shouting, "Resisting a search is suspicious! Men, hold her down!"

Yan Rong hadn't expected him to move so quickly. She suddenly raised her other hand, trying to shake off the nail guards on her fingernails... but her hand was only halfway up when several nannies held it down firmly, preventing her from moving.

The palace servants quickly removed her armor and searched her thoroughly inside and out.

A moment later, a tiny black insect was picked out from the crevices of the shell.

Imperial Physician Zhang took the examination and turned to report: "Your Majesty, this armor contains a rove beetle, and its venom is extremely potent."

Consort Bai's face paled, and she gave Yanqiu a meaningful look. Yanqiu stepped forward and slapped her twice, shouting, "How dare you plot against Your Highness! Speak! Who ordered you to do this?"

Blood trickled from the corner of Yan Rong's mouth, but a hint of mockery flashed across her face as she remained silent.

Consort Shu, already impatient, said coldly, "Drag him to the inner palace and interrogate him carefully."

Yan Rong panicked and cried out, "Your Majesty, please understand! This servant truly has no idea how a poisonous insect could be inside the armor..."

"The evidence is conclusive. Any further attempts to argue will result in immediate execution by caning," Green Bridge interrupted sharply.

Upon seeing this, Qin Zhenxing raised his whisk and struck Yan Rong hard on the back of the neck, causing her to faint on the spot. She was then dragged away by the eunuchs.

Consort Bai was so frightened that she fell silent and dared not cry anymore.

Chu Nianci felt a chill run down her spine... Consort Shu was indeed ruthless; she didn't even consult the Empress before directly dealing with the person.

Shen Lanjing watched quietly from the side, becoming increasingly alarmed as she thought about it.

When Chunyu saw that the truth was out, she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and shrink back to hide.

Seeing her like this, Hongying only hated her for framing her mistress earlier, and immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu, now that it has been found that Chunyu framed her, please punish this person severely!"

Duanmu Qingyu glanced at everyone, her voice cold and devoid of any warmth: "Palace maid Chunyu, falsely accused her master before the emperor, showed no remorse, disrespected the emperor, and was disloyal to her servant. She is to be beheaded in public, and her entire family will be implicated and exiled to the northern desert. She will not be pardoned."

Chunyu's face was ashen.

I already knew my fate.

But if her whole family has to be exiled thousands of miles because of this one sentence, how can they possibly survive?

Not to mention the treacherous journey, even once they reached the bitterly cold northern desert, what chance would they have of survival...

Before she could even beg for mercy, she was gagged and dragged away.

Consort Shu looked smug, her sharp gaze sweeping over the scene. She really enjoyed this kind of punishment of the little vixen.

Hongying had only hoped that Chunyu would be severely punished, but she did not expect that a single sentence would implicate several lives. She turned pale with fright and wanted to speak, but Chu Nianci gently pressed her wrist down.

"If she succeeds, no one in Yuxiu Palace will survive," Chu Nianci whispered in her ear.

To be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself.

After a moment of silence, Duanmu Qingyu looked at Chu Nianci with her clear, glass-like eyes, then glanced at Consort Bai.

This is... asking me to offer my advice?

To vent my anger?

She glanced at the eager Consort Shu and wondered why His Majesty didn't summon her. Then she realized that if Consort Shu were to handle the matter, and Consort Shu were to blurt out something like, "Send Consort Bai to commit suicide and exterminate her entire family," would the Grand Commandant's mansion really be confiscated?

She glanced again at Bai Yunchen, whose face was full of resentment...

I felt I couldn't afford to go against the Grand Commandant's mansion just to vent my anger...

Now, given his current position, trying to wade into this murky water is practically suicide.

Chu Nianci was just pretending to be stupid.

Duanmu Qingyu's eyes darkened. This girl, he was just helping her get revenge.

She pretended not to see it, thinking, "With me here, what is there to fear?"

Or perhaps he simply didn't see himself as a reliable backer.

Duanmu Qingyu had no choice but to turn his gaze to Consort Bai, who was slumped on the ground: "Consort Bai has failed to properly manage the palace servants and even attempted to frame others. Although there was a reason for her actions, she has ultimately violated palace rules. She is hereby demoted to a commoner and confined to the Yongxiang Palace, where she may not leave without an imperial edict."

Bai Pin's vision went black, and she collapsed into a limp mess.

Having said that, he looked at Chu Nianci with his clear, bright eyes, and his tone softened slightly: "Consort Hui has done a good job in helping me find the source of the poisonous insects. I will bestow upon her a pot of luminous pearls. Consort Lan has been wronged and will be bestowed upon her a pearl-embroidered collar."

Upon hearing this, Chu Nianci immediately knelt down to express her gratitude.

Shen Lanbing then knelt down.

Chu Nianci was already very satisfied... She had successfully brought down Consort Bai of the Grand Commandant's mansion, and today she had achieved her goal.

Consort Shu, who was already eager to try, said with a charming smile, "Your Majesty, I will handle Physician Chu and Yan Rong."

Duanmu Qingyu nodded.

A hint of disdain flashed in Consort Shu's eyes, and her tone was icy: "The palace maid Yan Rong has committed insubordination and plotted to harm her mistress. She is hereby ordered to commit suicide. The physician Chu is not knowledgeable enough and almost misled me. He is hereby punished with ten slaps to the face."

"Your Majesty, please spare me..." Chu Shunqing's legs went weak, and before he could even utter the word "fate," he was lifted up by two old women.

Another person stepped forward with a bamboo stick and slapped her hard across the face.

The sharp, crackling sounds were exceptionally clear in the silent snow, and everyone held their breath, lowered their eyes, and dared not utter a sound.

However, Duanmu Qingyu only glanced at Chu Nianci and said, "Don't forget, I'm waiting for your fine tea today."

Chu Nianci responded with a "Yes".

Duanmu Qingyu rose and left as easily as a cloud passing by.

Consort Shu watched his retreating figure, a hint of smugness flashing across her face... Today's handling of the situation fully demonstrated her methods and decisiveness, which even the Empress would likely pale in comparison to.

She left satisfied, accompanied by a large entourage of palace servants.

Bai Yunchen gritted his teeth and stood up, giving a cold glance in the direction Consort Shu had gone, but ultimately said nothing more.

The slapping continued.

The bamboo strip was two feet long, and each strike was solid. Chu Shunqing's cheeks quickly became red and swollen. After ten strikes, his face was so swollen that it was unrecognizable.

Chu Nianci helped Shen Lanbing up and was about to leave when he heard Chu Shunqing's muffled and resentful voice behind him:

"It's all your fault... You instigated the Empress to punish me... Sister, why do you always have to hurt me!"

She firmly believed that Chu Nianci was deliberately hindering her career and embarrassing her because he was jealous of her being with Lin Jingrui.

Chu Nianci paused, feeling utterly ridiculous... He had gotten himself into trouble because of his own lack of skill, yet he always blamed others for his mistakes.

She turned around abruptly, her gaze sharp as a knife: "Physician Chu, watch your words."

Chu Shunqing was stunned by her sudden cold and stern expression and choked for a moment.

Chu Nianci's face was calm, but her tone was cold and sharp: "Just now, Consort Shu made it clear that you were punished because of your 'lack of knowledge'. If you insist that I instigated this, wouldn't that imply that the Consort is easily deceived? If you also want to enter the inner palace, then try talking nonsense again."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it felt like an ice needle piercing your ear.

Chu Shunqing was completely speechless, covering his face as he watched her turn and leave, not daring to utter another word.