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

quiet!

As silent as death.

Even breathing sounds were frozen; the oppressive atmosphere in the hall made everyone tremble and feel as if they were suffocating.

In this absurd situation, a thought crossed the minds of the concubines: Could it be that they had just misheard?

Can…

Steward Keqing, that's clearly what he meant...

The title reached his heart, but was forcefully suppressed by the other concubines, who dared not think about it any further.

Even the seasoned Consort Li, who had seen countless storms, was momentarily stunned. After finally finding her voice, she asked, "Chief Eunuch Qing, where did you say this brocade box was found?"

Qing'an bowed down and repeated, "Fengyi Palace."

After confirming it once again, the concubines had no choice but to believe it.

They heard correctly.

The poison that caused Consort Hui to fall into a coma was discovered in Fengyi Palace.

In the silence, all eyes in the hall were on Empress Luo.

Empress Luo's condition has been off ever since.

The box found in Xianchun Palace clearly contained poison she had ordered people to put inside, so how did it turn into acorn powder?

That's not right.

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Empress Luo's mind.

Was she betrayed by a palace servant?

No, Empress Luo quickly dismissed the idea. Her people would never betray her. Their families were still under her and the Luo family's supervision.

The palace servants neither would nor dared to.

Where did the mistake occur?

Empress Luo could only think of one possibility in the end.

That is, Consort Lan discovered the clue. She replaced the poison in the box with acorn powder.

Although there are some inexplicable points, such as how could Consort Lan be so vigilant and have such a mind, after thinking it over, Empress Luo could only come up with this possibility.

She was very uneasy.

Unexpectedly, this time it was Fengyi Palace that was searched and things were found.

The moment Qing'an finished speaking, Empress Luo suddenly stood up.

Her dignified and graceful expression vanished; her eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged on her forehead, clearly indicating that she had lost her composure.

She said angrily, "Steward Qing, you can't say things like that."

Qing'an replied calmly, "Your Majesty, this servant dares not speak presumptuously. This box was indeed found during a search of Fengyi Palace, specifically in a hidden compartment in the bedchamber."

Empress Luo took a couple of deep breaths.

She lifted her phoenix robe and knelt before the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, please understand, I have been wronged!"

Pei Yan's eyes were covered with a layer of icy coldness: "Innocent? The items were found in your palace, what else do you have to say?"

Although Empress Luo didn't know what had happened, she was eager to clear her name: "Someone must have framed me..."

He was only halfway through his sentence.

She suddenly stopped talking.

Meeting the emperor's cold, sharp gaze, she gradually lost her strength and collapsed to the ground in despair.

Yes, what can she argue about?

Claiming innocence? Being framed? Or being set up?

She was the mother of the dynasty, the empress, and a role model for women throughout the land.

She lacked even the ability to manage the harem and was schemed against by the concubines, which only proves that she was useless.

With nowhere to retreat and nowhere to avoid it, she had been driven into a desperate situation.

Empress Luo knew she had to make a choice.

Is it better to be a heartless empress or a useless one?

After a long silence, Empress Luo spoke with difficulty: "It was my fault."

Pei Yanhan's eyes were fixed on her.

Empress Luo's face was stiff and wooden: "In recent days, Consort Hui has been extremely presumptuous in her words and deeds, relying on His Majesty's favor. As a concubine, she has often contradicted the Empress, and as the younger sister, she has often disobeyed her elder sister, which is truly disrespectful. I was angry for a moment, so I taught her a lesson."

This was a decision made after careful consideration by Empress Luo.

A useless empress is more deadly than an unkind one.

The Jing Dynasty does not need a useless queen mother, nor does the imperial harem need a useless empress, and Your Majesty certainly does not need a useless wife.

If it is useless, then it can be discarded.

Compared to being useless, at least on the point of being unkind, she still had room for argument, and it was indeed Consort Hui who was disrespectful first.

After speaking, Empress Luo closed her eyes and awaited the final result.

The hall was completely silent.

The man seated at the head of the table exuded a chilling and murderous aura, inspiring awe and fear in all who beheld him.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "The Empress is immoral. She shall be stripped of her power over the six palaces, her imperial seals and edicts shall be confined to the Phoenix Palace."

The fact that the lockdown was not specified in terms of duration means that there is no time limit.

Empress Luo felt a chill run down her spine, as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She had never expected the emperor to punish her so severely.

She originally thought that at most she would lose her power over the six palaces, but she never expected that she would be confined to her quarters with no end in sight.

Empress Luo was unable to accept it for a moment, and her eyes turned bloodshot: "Your Majesty, I have followed you since the Prince's Palace, and it has been almost eleven years now. I admit that I have made mistakes in this matter, but my crime does not warrant this."

Pei Yan remained unmoved, his expression still cold: "Empress, if it weren't for your years of dedicated management of the harem, this matter wouldn't be so simple."

These words utterly destroyed Empress Luo's spirit, and a metallic taste rose in her throat.

Is this result already simple?

She was not only sidelined, but also imprisoned in the palace, leaving her with only the empty title of Empress.

If it weren't for the hard work of the past...

Does His Majesty intend to depose her outright?

Empress Luo could not accept this blow. She felt dizzy and her vision went black, and she fainted.

The lady-in-waiting Caiwei rushed forward to support her, calling out urgently, "Your Majesty the Empress? Your Majesty the Empress?"

The concubines watched, but none of them dared to step forward to help.

Pei Yan waved his hand slightly, signaling the palace servants to carry the Empress back to Fengyi Palace. He then said, "The power of the six palaces will temporarily be shared by Consort Li, Consort Lan, and Consort Hui. Each will perform their duties and must not overstep their authority. Consort Hui has not yet awakened, so Consort Li will temporarily take over her duties."

Consort Li was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed to express her gratitude for the Emperor's grace.

Consort Lan was stunned for a moment, then knelt down to express her gratitude.

After dealing with the palace power issue, Pei Yan summoned Imperial Physician Guo and asked, "Now that the poison has been identified, how long will it take to prepare the antidote?"

Imperial Physician Guo bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this poison is rare and extremely potent. It will take three days to prepare an antidote."

Pei Yan pondered for a moment and set a deadline: "Two days. By this time the day after tomorrow, I must know the news of Consort Hui's awakening."

His tone left no room for refusal.

Imperial Physician Guo lowered his head even further and replied, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

Pei Yan didn't say anything more and left with his men.

After he disappeared, the noise in the hall could no longer be contained; the concubines discussed the matter with barely concealed astonishment.

"How could it be the Empress?"

"His Majesty only said 'confinement,' but how long exactly is this confinement?"

"Her Majesty the Empress's imperial edict and seal have been taken back; I'm afraid things will be difficult for her in the future..."

"I never imagined that Consort Hui would be outmaneuvered by her own sister..."