Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

Her bright little face was slightly raised, her shimmering eyes staring at people like a startled little animal.

However, the fleeting glint of water in her eyes shattered this facade of ruthlessness and ferocity.

It's quite heartbreaking.

Pei Yan frowned almost imperceptibly. "Who told you I'm here to support the Ruan family?"

Shen Jiayu paused for a moment, then said matter-of-factly, "Ruan is favored and pregnant. Isn't His Majesty's visit here precisely to reprimand or punish the concubines and to support her?"

Pei Yan looked at her and said, "Do you know how I dealt with Lady Ruan?"

A hint of confusion crossed Shen Jiayu's face: "...Your Majesty, have you dealt with Lady Ruan?"

"I have demoted Ruan's rank," Pei Yan said calmly, then narrowed his dark eyes. "So, you know nothing, yet you're throwing a tantrum at me?"

Shen Jiayu was clearly unaware of this, and her momentum weakened, but she still tried to hold on, saying, "It was His Majesty who reprimanded me as soon as he came in."

Pei Yan sneered: "Who was it that threw down their things and turned to leave as soon as they saw me?"

Shen Jiayu fell silent.

Pei Yan's voice grew harsher, carrying a lecturing tone, "Look around this palace, who has such a bad temper as you?"

Shen Jiayu was unconvinced and wanted to argue, but seeing Pei Yan's stern gaze, she swallowed her words.

She turned her face away.

Pei Yan ordered her, "Turn around and look at me."

Perhaps fearing punishment, Shen Jiayu dared not disobey, so she looked up and stared straight at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan looked into those bright, dark eyes and said in a cold tone, "Think carefully about what you did wrong."

Shen Jiayu thought for a moment, then said dryly, "They didn't pay their respects to His Majesty, threw things at him, and even talked back to him."

Pei Yan asked, "Is that all?"

Shen Jiayu snorted and said, "I was right to hit Ruan Shi; she deserved to be hit."

Pei Yan: "..."

They hit someone and then acted like they were in the right.

However, he came here today not to blame this.

Pei Yan's gaze was deep: "Besides this, there's one more."

Shen Jiayu was completely baffled: "What else?"

She frowned, thought for a long time, but couldn't remember.

After confirming it several times, she glared at the person and said, "If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason."

Pei Yan coldly replied, "The crime of deceiving the emperor."

This is no small crime.

Shen Jiayu immediately stood up, her voice rising, "I didn't! I didn't do it, I deny it!"

There was a hint of grievance in her voice.

Pei Yan glanced at her: "If you didn't do it, then I'll tell you, and we'll see if I've wronged you, or if you're just making excuses."

Shen Jiayu seemed very confident and immediately said, "Your Majesty, please speak."

Pei Yan's tone was not good: "Some time ago, Qing'an told me that someone wanted to come and thank me, but I haven't seen him these past few days. I don't know if Qing'an spread false information, or if someone is deliberately deceiving the emperor?"

Shen Jiayu's impassioned rebuttal came to an abrupt halt.

She was stunned for a moment.

It's completely shut down.

Judging from his appearance, he seems to have completely forgotten about it.

Pei Yan made a move, taking small steps closer to her: "Speak."

His imposing manner forced Shen Jiayu to sit back down on the chaise longue. After swallowing hard, she began to act coy: "How... how can this be considered deceiving the emperor? I didn't mention a date."

Pei Yan grabbed her chin and forcefully lifted it, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You know the consequences of lying to me."

Shen Jiayu closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, a look of resignation flashed across her face. "I admit to all my sins, Your Majesty. Please punish me."

Only then did Pei Yan release her. He slowly and deliberately said, "Tell me, according to the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty, what is your crime?"

Shen Jiayu's eyes widened.

She seemed unable to believe that he could be so heartless as to punish her with the law.

However, having many sins is not a burden.

The first few offenses were enough to warrant the death penalty, but the last one was even more unforgivable, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of her family.

Shen Jiayu considered it for a moment and decided to give up, but she reminded him, "Your Majesty is also part of my nine generations of relatives."

Pei Yan: "..."

After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Shen Jiayu, you really deserve to be taught a lesson."

Hearing that her name had been called and that things were about to get serious, Shen Jiayu took a deep breath and fell silent.

Pei Yan said, "For the next ten days, you will go to the Xuanzheng Hall every day to serve me writing materials. You are not allowed to slack off or complain of being tired. If you displease me, you will be severely punished."

After a moment of silence in the corridor, Shen Jiayu's weak voice finally came through, "I understand."

Pei Yan glanced at her and strode into the hall.

Shen Jiayu followed her inside.

The two sat down on the couch by the window. Perhaps afraid that Pei Yan would misunderstand something, Shen Jiayu looked conflicted.

Pei Yan saw this and said calmly, "Say what you have to say."

He spoke up, and Shen Jiayu dared to speak as well, "Your Majesty, actually, I don't care about that bowl of cheese. If Lady Ruan had told me beforehand that she wanted to eat this bowl of cheese, I wouldn't be an unreasonable person. It's just a bowl of cheese; it wouldn't be a big deal if she ate it. But she didn't tell me and instead tried to take it from me, so naturally I won't give in."

After this conversation, her meaning was quite clear.

That is the case.

She was not wrong; it was Ruan's fault.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan glanced at her but didn't say anything to scold her.

This made Shen Jiayu somewhat excited and proud.

She secretly glanced at the emperor's expression and continued, "But Ruan Shi really went too far. Not only did she try to take my things, but she also dared to hit me. This really crossed my bottom line. So, my hitting her was a legitimate retaliation and not excessive. Moreover, I specifically asked her, and she said that her pregnancy was stable before I took action."

I specifically asked.

Only take action once the tire is stable.

The one in front of me thinks he's being reasonable, while the one who got hit is probably furious.

Pei Yan commented: "Spoiled."

"Your Majesty is mistaken," Shen Jiayu immediately retorted. She cleared her throat and gave her precise assessment, "This concubine is not only spoiled, but also domineering."

Only she would dare to say something like that.

Only she would have the nerve to say that.

She couldn't change her temperament overnight, so Pei Yan let her be.

Pei Yan had his dinner at Yihua Palace in the evening.

Now he knew why people were getting thin.

She barely eats anything, how could she not lose weight?

Pei Yan ordered someone to serve her a plate of food, and said without allowing her to refuse, "Eat all of these."

Shen Jiayu lowered her eyes, looking at the dishes, and said softly, "I can't eat."

Pei Yan asked, "You don't like it?"

Shen Jiayu responded.

Pei Yan knew the reason. He'd been eating vegetarian for over a month, and the taste in his mouth was bland, so naturally he had no appetite. "How many more days until two months?"

Shen Jiayu counted on her fingers: "Fourteen days left."

We're almost there.

God knows how she got through these days.

Pei Yan glanced at her longing expression and said, "Bear with it a little longer. After these few days, if you want to eat something, just tell the Imperial Kitchen. If there aren't any available portions, have them get them from me."

Shen Jiayu's eyes suddenly lit up, and she quickly asked to confirm, "Really?"

Pei Yan's voice remained flat and even: "A ruler's word is his bond."