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

She quickly sorted out her thoughts... This concubine's quarters could not possibly be at His Majesty's behest. No matter how much His Majesty favored her, he would not overstep the bounds in such matters.

Then there are only two possibilities: one is that someone from the Imperial Household Department framed her, and the other is... the Empress. I heard that the Empress specially added many things to her body.

No, Consort Shu assists in managing the six palaces and is currently in charge of the affairs of the Imperial Household Department.

The renovation here was actually handled by Consort Shu.

If this matter escalates, she herself will certainly be held responsible, but Consort Shu will also inevitably be blamed for laziness.

Such a double kill, who else but the Empress could it be... waiting for me here.

She looked up and met Qiao Ying's seemingly innocent but actually smug gaze.

Yes, the Empress left in a hurry, but Consort Qiao stayed behind... This was probably a scheme that had been set up long ago.

Chu Nianci's hand touched the embroidered patterns all over the dress, and she suddenly gripped it tightly.

He quickly glanced up and saw that Consort Shu's eyebrows were raised high, her eyes sharp and cold, exuding an imposing aura without anger. He foolishly thought that she had caught him in the act, unaware that he had now fallen into her trap.

In the deep palace, one must endure when out of favor, and fight even harder when in favor.

Now that she is in the limelight, some people are eager to trample on her. This is intolerable.

Chu Nianci immediately bowed and kowtowed, appropriately showing surprise and grievance on her face: "Your Majesty, today, when I was officially conferred my title, all the arrangements were handled by the Imperial Household Department. I have never asked about it. If it is truly a case of plastering mud on the walls, then it is either a mistake made by the Imperial Household Department or someone deliberately framed me. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."

Shen Lanbing also bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard from all over the palace that Her Majesty the Empress has instructed that all decorations for Tangdi Palace be handled by the Imperial Household Department. What is the reason for this?"

Consort Shu was taken aback upon hearing this…

Yes, I was so angry just now that I didn't think it through. Now that I realize it, it was indeed the Empress who gave her the task from beginning to end.

When she was assigned this task, she was impatient with the details and handed it over to the Imperial Household Department, handling it vaguely and perfunctorily.

If we really want to investigate, I can't escape blame either.

The thought that the Empress might be behind it all made her wary. She forced herself to suppress her anger and ordered the maid beside her, "Go and summon the eunuch in charge of this matter from the Imperial Household Department."

The hall was eerily quiet; the air seemed frozen, making it hard to breathe.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Qin Licai, the deputy chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, hunched over and hurried in. He was covered in sweat, and his legs went weak as soon as he entered the hall. He knelt down with a thud, still catching his breath: "This servant... greets all the empresses..."

Consort Shu didn't let him get up, but coldly asked, "You were in charge of decorating Tangdi Palace, weren't you? What was used to coat the walls of the main hall?"

Qin Li raised his hand to wipe his sweat, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, it's just... just ordinary cinnabar mixed with spices..."

"Vermilion?" Consort Shu sneered. "Do you think everyone's eyes are just for show? That's pepper paste! Tell me, who gave you permission to use pepper paste to coat the walls?"

Qin Li shuddered and subconsciously glanced at Chu Nianci beside him.

I understood immediately.

Someone is trying to sow discord between her and others; he suspects it was the Empress who orchestrated it.

But the Empress received no messages or orders from him.

This shows they don't treat him like one of their own. Since they didn't get any benefits, it's none of their business if something happens to him.

He could easily say he couldn't remember, and just guessed at three, six, or nine.

Remembering the generous reward Consort Hui had given him yesterday, he hesitated for a moment. If he helped her today, he couldn't bear the thought of getting even more benefits in the future.

So he decided to tell the truth, repaying her favor and forging a new bond.

He glanced at Qin Zhenxing again and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please understand, the arrangement of Tangdi Palace was personally instructed by Qin Zhenxing, and the material list was also approved by him. This servant was just doing things according to the list..."

"Qin Zhenxing?" Consort Shu's expression changed, and she turned to look at the chief eunuch beside her.

Qin Zhenxing was black.

He had indeed supervised the matter, but he had simply handed it over to the Imperial Household Department as per usual procedure, without paying any attention to the materials. Realizing his oversight, he was so frightened that his shoulders trembled, and he immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, this servant only instructed him to use some good ingredients, but never mentioned pepper paste!"

"Your Majesty, I'm innocent! I was just following the list!" Qin Li kept kowtowing.

Consort Shu's heart sank when she saw the two of them passing the buck.

Qin Zhenxing is her man, and now she can't escape the consequences of what happened in the brothel.

The pretty girl standing to the side couldn't help but smile smugly.

If Consort Shu shows favoritism and protects her subordinates in this matter, it would be considered shielding them; if she is punished severely according to the rules, it would be due to her inadequate supervision.

No matter what she chooses, she's wrong.

Anyway, we've fallen into a pit.

Consort Qiao, holding her handkerchief, smiled and said, "Your Highness, since there are inside stories about this matter, why not report it to Her Majesty the Empress for a decision? After all, it involves ancestral rules, so it's best to be cautious."

Consort Shu gave her a cold glance, then gradually realized what she meant.

This pretty concubine probably already knew about the pepper mud incident. She deliberately provoked her to make her fight with Chu Nianci, so that the Empress could reap the benefits.

That's a brilliant tactic of using someone else to do the dirty work.

Consort Shu remained silent.

Only now did she fully understand why the Empress had left so early in the morning; she had put herself in a precarious position, and no matter how she dealt with it, she would be tainted by its filth.

Chu Nianci also knew that she had fallen into a trap... No matter how she tried to explain, even if she didn't know beforehand and escaped the charge of overstepping her bounds, she could not stay in Tangdi Palace.

As expected, Consort Shu said, "In that case, shall we no longer reside in this palace? Please also find craftsmen to repaint the walls as soon as possible."

Chu Nianci's heart sank.

If we are driven out of here, we will have no choice but to live in Lengyue Palace. Chu Nianci gently advised, "Every drink and every bite is hard-earned. If we abandon the entire palace and rebuild it, it will be a waste. It will cause discussion in the court and among the people. How can such a small palace be so extravagant and wasteful, requiring two renovations? Although the ancestral rites and laws cannot be violated, we can also make expedient adjustments. I think it would be better to reduce most of the items in the palace that exceed the regulations. This will be in accordance with the rules and will not cause too much destruction."

Consort Shu's almond-shaped eyes flashed with a cold light. Recalling the favor that had been snatched away by Consort Shu, she sneered, "You certainly know how to seize an opportunity. If everyone did that, wouldn't the palace be in chaos?"

All the concubines in the palace held their breath and focused intently.

At this moment, Consort Jia, who was usually taciturn, raised her eyebrows and said, "Although the Jiaofang Palace is mostly used by the Empress, it is not without precedent. In the past, when the late Empress was a concubine, she was specially granted the Jiaofang Palace, intending to pray for the continuation of her offspring. His Majesty has always disliked extravagance and waste. If we close the palace and rebuild it for this purpose, it would go against His Majesty's wishes. It would be better to close this place first and let Consort Hui move to the side palace to settle down."

When Consort Jia spoke, Consort Shu hesitated.

The mansion had previously instructed them not to have any conflict with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

To refute her at this moment would be to offend her.

"I will inform His Majesty before making a decision. It is getting late, and I should go and serve His Majesty his writing materials." Consort Shu adjusted her hair and stood up. "You should return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation first."

Chu Nianci breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just then, a wisp of steam rose from the spring at the corner of the hall, slowly enveloping the roof in a hazy mist.

Tuanyuan sniffed, his chubby face scrunching up as he stared at the red walls of the palace roof and muttered, "What's that smell...?"

Qiao Ying chuckled: "Is Consort Hui's maidservant stupid? It clearly smells like pepper paste."

Tuanyuan looked puzzled and muttered softly, "Please don't laugh, Your Highness... I just smelled an unusual fragrance in this wall. Besides the peppercorns and mud, there seemed to be a hint of musk in it..."

These words were like a pebble thrown into still water, and the hall fell silent instantly.

Everyone's expression changed.

I thought it was just a matter of over-processing, but who knew that the pepper paste actually contained musk?

Everyone knows that musk is harmful to health and can cause infertility!

Chu Nianci looked up at the dome carved with blooming peonies.

The pepper paste on the petals was a vibrant, glistening red.

It turns out the Empress had hidden this trick in the pepper paste.

If His Majesty hadn't brought the spring water into the palace, and the steam carrying the fragrance hadn't spread, who would have discovered the secret within?

Living in this luxurious palace smeared with musk for so long, I would surely find it difficult to conceive.

Consort Shu's phoenix eyes narrowed suddenly: "Mixing musk into pepper paste is not just an overreach of regulations... it means someone is deliberately framing me and Consort Hui."

Her gaze shifted and landed on Chu Shunqing, and an idea suddenly came to her mind.

Since the Empress's dog is here, let her examine it; then the Empress will have nothing to say about it later.

"Imperial Physician Chu," Consort Shu said in a cool tone, "even if your medical skills are lacking, you should still be able to distinguish between pepper paste and musk, right? Have someone fetch some plaster from the roof of the palace, and you can examine it yourself to see what's inside."

Chu Shunqing was so angry that his throat felt tight when he saw her mocking his medical skills in public again.

His face turned bright red, but he couldn't say a word... He thought he came here to watch the show, but who knew he would come here to be humiliated.