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

Who in the palace has recently had a conflict with Consort Ruan, and who was able to accomplish this under Consort Li's very nose?

Qi Ronghua's reminder naturally brought to mind the conflict of a few days ago.

Their gazes fell on Shen Jiayu, intentionally or unintentionally.

This Consort Shen seems to have both the motive and the ability to accomplish this.

Seeing the reactions of the other concubines, a hint of a smile flashed in Qi Ronghua's lowered eyes.

In fact, when Consort Shen entered the palace, she was determined not to antagonize her.

However, the recent news of Consort Shen frequently entering and leaving Xuanzheng Hall made her feel uneasy.

Although Consort Shen had not yet served the emperor, she felt a greater threat to him than the new concubines who had served him.

Today is a golden opportunity. Regardless of whether it was Consort Shen who did it, once the dirty water is spilled and suspicions arise, it will be impossible to suppress them.

His Majesty will always dislike Consort Shen to some extent.

That was her purpose.

Qi Ronghua couldn't help but feel smug.

Shen Jiayu sighed almost imperceptibly, then, under the gaze of everyone in the hall, she looked at Qi Ronghua sitting beside her and said, "I think Qi Ronghua's words seem to have a hidden meaning?"

Qi Ronghua's face stiffened. She hadn't expected Shen Jiayu to point it out so directly and put the matter out in the open.

However, she wasn't too panicked.

After all, she hadn't named anyone specifically; she had only given a slight hint or guidance.

What others think is ultimately not her fault.

"Your Highness is overthinking it. I was just saddened by Consort Ruan's fate and feared she might have miscarried unjustly, which is why I made those remarks."

Shen Jiayu's tone was indifferent, revealing no emotion. "Is that so?"

Qi Ronghua lowered her head and replied, "Yes..."

"Snapped!"

Before Qi Ronghua could finish speaking, she was slapped hard across the face. Her skin was thin and delicate, and redness and swelling immediately appeared, making her look quite frightening.

After being hit, Qi Ronghua's face remained turned to the side, her mind blank, clearly not having reacted.

The concubines in the hall exchanged bewildered glances and gasped in shock.

This was in front of the Emperor and Empress, and Qi Ronghua was different from Ruan Cainu that day; she was a genuinely favored concubine.

Now, he was publicly slapped for the slightest disagreement.

This Consort Shen is truly... incredibly arrogant.

Despite having done something that shocked the entire hall, Shen Jiayu remained calm and composed. She casually remarked, "Why does it sound like Qi Ronghua is talking about me?"

As her voice rose slightly, Qi Ronghua finally snapped out of her daze.

Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to fall, as she rose and knelt in the center of the hall, her voice trembling. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I had no such intention. I was merely speaking from the heart and never mentioned Your Highness's name. Now, Your Highness has not only misunderstood me but has also punished me. I am truly wronged. I beg Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress to do me justice."

The beauty wept, her face streaked with tears, looking utterly pitiful.

Before the Emperor and Empress could speak, Shen Jiayu preempted her, standing up and casting a cold gaze at Qi Ronghua. "I think Qi Ronghua wants to be slapped."

Qi Ronghua seemed terrified. She knelt and took a few steps, then knelt before Pei Yan and sobbed, "Your Majesty, I have been wronged."

Pei Yan's face was covered with a frosty gloom as he spoke his first words upon entering the hall, "Consort Shen, do not be presumptuous."

Shen Jiayu sneered and finally sat down. She looked at Qi Ronghua and said coldly, "Qi Ronghua, I remember I once said that I have a bad temper and not to provoke me. Today, you didn't mention my name, but you know the veiled meaning behind it. You deserve to be slapped."

Hatred welled up in Qi Ronghua's eyes, but she didn't show it at all. Instead, she knelt before Pei Yan and cried pitifully, "Your Majesty, I didn't..."

"Stop pretending, it's disgusting." Shen Jiayu showed no mercy, her eyes sharp. "If what you said was really to defend Ruan Cainu, then I think it's more likely that Qi Ronghua is the thief crying 'stop thief!'"

Qi Ronghua's expression changed immediately, and she looked up abruptly: "Consort Shen, I respect your high position and have been tolerant of you in every way, but don't go too far. This is a blatant frame-up."

Shen Jiayu's face was mocking: "Why is Qi Ronghua so anxious? I was merely making a deduction based on your words; how does that constitute framing and false accusation?"

Qi Ronghua's eyes were red, and she trembled with anger: "Since Your Highness says that you made a deduction based on my words, then Your Highness may explain yourself. If you cannot give a clear explanation, I will not tolerate this humiliation today and am willing to die to prove my innocence."

To say that one should die to prove one's innocence is a rather harsh statement.

The concubines never expected that what was originally an unstable pregnancy in Consort Ruan's womb would develop into a standoff between Consorts Qi and Shen, almost to the point of no return.

The situation was tense, and no one dared to speak easily for fear of getting themselves into trouble.

Finally, it was Empress Luo who spoke. She first glanced at the Emperor's expression, then looked at Shen Jiayu, "Sister Shen, what makes you say that?"

Shen Jiayu said expressionlessly, "Qi Ronghua said earlier that perhaps someone had a falling out with Ruan Cainu, so they took such a vicious action."

A few days ago, I had a disagreement with Ruan Cai Nu, but I vented my anger on that day. If I hadn't been satisfied, I wouldn't have stopped. So the idea of ​​jealousy doesn't exist.

On the contrary, before this, Qi Ronghua was jealous of Ruan Cainu's favor with the emperor and repeatedly made things difficult for Ruan Cainu with her words, causing her to lose face and shed tears on several occasions. This was something that everyone could see.

Moreover, Qi Ronghua had been in the palace for three years and had been favored but had no children, while Ruan Cainu had only been in the palace for a few months and was already pregnant.

Therefore, the claim that Qi Ronghua harbored resentment towards Ruan Cainu is entirely reasonable and not mere conjecture.

The concubines initially remained silent upon hearing the words, "I won't stop until I'm satisfied," but upon hearing what followed, they couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Before Lady Ruan attached herself to Consort Li, she was indeed bullied and harassed by Consort Qi on many occasions.

One after another, the palace concubines echoed their sentiments.

"Qi Ronghua did indeed make things difficult for Ruan Shi in many ways."

"Yes, yes, because of her, Ruan Cai Nu cried many times."

"Could it really be her doing?"

"..."

Hearing Shen Jiayu's words and seeing the other concubines kicking her while she was down, Qi Ronghua's face gradually drained of color. "What nonsense are you spouting! You say I did it, do you have any evidence?"

Shen Jiayu said unhurriedly, "Now that I think about it, we need evidence to back up our claims. Where did Qi Ronghua's veiled arrogance go? I deduced this based on Qi Ronghua's words, so why is she denying it?"

Qi Ronghua bit her tongue until it bled, and she was anxious, but for a moment she didn't know how to refute those words.

Shen Jiayu raised her eyes and said slowly, "However, Qi Ronghua's words really reminded me. When someone has an accident, instead of first presenting facts and evidence, people immediately suspect those they've had conflicts with. Now that I've hit Qi Ronghua, we have a grudge between us. So, can I say that if anything happens to me in the future, Qi Ronghua is the prime suspect?"

With each word she spoke, Qi Ronghua's face grew paler, until finally, she was as pale as paper.

She swayed precariously, looking at Pei Yan pleadingly, "Your Majesty, this was not my doing, and I would never harm Consort Gui in the future."

Pei Yan's eyes were deep and unfathomable, making it impossible to discern his emotions. He spoke indifferently, "Words can be dangerous, so you can't blame anyone else."

This is blaming her.

The metallic taste in Qi Ronghua's mouth grew stronger. She turned to Shen Jiayu with difficulty and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, I spoke carelessly before. I know I was wrong. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Shen Jiayu scoffed coldly: "What did Qi Ronghua say? I didn't hear you clearly."

Looking at the mocking expressions around her, Qi Ronghua wished she could faint on the spot.

Can……

She feared that this noble concubine would make another move.

So he had no choice but to swallow his anger and repeat it.

Shen Jiayu raised her voice slightly: "Then Qi Ronghua, do you think this slap was deserved or not?"

Qi Ronghua's tongue was almost numb with pain, and she said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness is right."

At first, she clearly intended to splash some dirty water on Consort Shen.

Unexpectedly, he was not only beaten and humiliated, but also had to sincerely apologize.

That's really embarrassing.

Qi Ronghua was so ashamed and indignant that she wanted to die.

I wish the ground would crack open so I could crawl inside and never come out again.