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

Shen Jiayu withdrew her gaze and asked Hongling, "Has His Majesty not returned yet?"

Three days ago, the emperor led his officials to pray for blessings and pay homage to their ancestors, hoping for a peaceful and prosperous year and that no disasters would befall them.

Hongling nodded and said, "Yes. Judging by the journey, His Majesty will not be able to return to the palace until tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiayu couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

It seems that someone has calculated this carefully. The emperor is not here, Empress Dowager Shen is bedridden with illness, and her place of recuperation is far away, so we will not receive any news for a while.

With a clear objective, they went straight for her.

A fierce glint flashed in Shen Jiayu's eyes, then she turned and went downstairs: "Let's go, they've already come to our door, we can't just hide from them, let's have a good meeting with them."

As soon as Shen Jiayu reached the downstairs flower hall, she heard a commotion outside.

"This little brat dares to offend Her Majesty."

"How can you keep wild beasts in the palace?"

"..."

Shen Jiayu narrowed her eyes and strode out of Wangyue Tower.

In the courtyard, the concubines were blocked by Lin Shuang and retreated one by one. The leading concubine, Li Fei, looked unwell, and there was a clear snagging mark on her dress.

Shen Jiayu quickly scanned the area and found the concubine who was still muttering "little beast"—it was Consort Jiang.

Consort Jiang was used to being a fence-sitter in the palace.

She used to flatter Empress Luo, but now she's following Consort Li.

Shen Jiayu gave Zhao Bingzhong a wink, signaling him to take Lin Shuang away. She said quietly, "Who said she's a little beast?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jieyu's expression became somewhat unnatural.

She glanced at Consort Li, and seeing that Consort Li had no intention of supporting her, she forced herself to explain, "Just now, when the concubines were about to enter the Moon Gazing Tower, it suddenly jumped out, blocked our way, and even pounced on Consort Li. In a moment of panic, the concubine misspoke."

Jiang Jieyu, who originally flattered the Empress, now had Consort Li accept her, which shows she had a knack for reading people and being flexible in her approach. Seeing that Shen Jiayu's tone was off, she quickly admitted her mistake.

Shen Jiayu's expression turned slightly cold as she slowly approached: "The little beast you speak of was bestowed upon me by His Majesty and raised by me. I just wonder, who is Consort Jiang so displeased with that she vents her anger on a white leopard?"

Jiang Jieyu's heart skipped a beat when she saw her walking towards her.

Judging from Consort Chen's posture, is she perhaps going to hit me...?

And these words are really hard to answer...

After a moment's internal struggle, she knelt down, her posture humble: "This concubine had no such intention. My words just now were inappropriate and were entirely my fault. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Shen Jiayu raised an eyebrow upon hearing the footsteps.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Jieyu was quite pragmatic and knew how to admit her mistake. She had thought that a slap would be the only way to make things work.

She didn't have much hatred for Jiang Jieyu, and Jiang Jieyu kowtowed and apologized repeatedly, admitting her mistake.

Shen Jiayu did not pursue the matter further.

Consort Li, standing to the side, felt somewhat embarrassed watching Consort Jiang kowtow and admit her mistake.

After all, Jiang Jieyu said that to protect her.

Kneeling before Consort Chen now would be an insult to her dignity.

Consort Li was displeased.

However, he didn't show it.

They came to Wangyue Tower today not for this trivial matter. They have something more important to do, and there's no need to get bogged down in this.

Consort Li adjusted the gold hairpin in her hair, her red lips parted slightly, and said, "Consort Chen, it was just a small misunderstanding. Now that it's been explained, let's leave it at that. It's windy outside, let's go inside and talk."

Shen Jiayu turned her gaze to Consort Li and said, "Unfortunately, I am not feeling well today and am afraid I cannot entertain you ladies. Please forgive me and come again another day."

Enter her Moon-Gazing Pavilion?

It also requires her permission.

Now she's just being direct.

She doesn't welcome them!

While this didn't openly break off relations, it was still quite blunt. It almost made their "uninvited arrival" a public spectacle.

Consort Li's face darkened.

The other concubines exchanged glances, but none of them responded.

Just as the atmosphere was tense, Consort Lan stepped forward to smooth things over. She said gently, "Sister Consort Chen, we have come here today on a special occasion, and this matter should not be made public. We need to discuss it carefully."

Shen Jiayu glanced at the concubines and said coldly, "You've come here on business? I don't know what it is, but all of you sisters know, while I know nothing."

Consort Lan looked back, her expression somewhat troubled, and did not speak immediately.

Shen Jiayu had no patience: "If there's nothing else, please go back first."

Consort Lan sighed and lowered her voice: "It's about witchcraft."

witchcraft.

This word was extremely sensitive and taboo not only during the Jing Dynasty, but throughout previous dynasties.

Even the slightest involvement could lead to the annihilation of one's entire family and clan.

In the previous dynasty, a favored concubine once used this technique in an attempt to harm the empress and her legitimate son. However, she was exposed in one day, and the evidence was conclusive. In the end, the emperor was furious and exterminated her entire clan.

Those are barbarian tribes.

The consequences were far more severe and tragic than the execution of the entire family.

I heard that in that witchcraft case, at least ten thousand people died. Blood flowed like rivers, and corpses piled up like mountains.

Today, this word has actually come out of the mouth of the empresses and concubines of the Zhaoqi dynasty.

The courtyard was quiet. Shen Jiayu looked up and asked again, "What did Consort Lan say?"

Clearly, Consort Lan knew the seriousness of the matter. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She took a deep breath, but her voice still trembled. "Witchcraft."

Shen Jiayu's eyes were cold and sharp, her whole being exuding a chilling killing intent. "Who brought it up?"

Consort Lan slightly turned her head, glanced to the side, and then said, "Consort Zhu has been suffering from persistent headaches these days..."

Shen Jiayu ignored what she said next and went straight to Consort Zhu, gathering all her strength...

"Snap—"

That slap was incredibly loud.

Consort Zhu was knocked to the ground again by her.

Unlike last time when she covered her face, this time she let blood seep from the corner of her lips. She raised her head and stared intently at Shen Jiayu. "Your Highness, Consort Chen, I know that ever since I said that Your Highness's favoritism was against ancestral rules, Your Highness has harbored resentment towards me. I have nothing to say about Your Highness's dissatisfaction with me. However, Your Highness should not have attacked the two princes."

Shen Jiayu bent down, grabbed her collar, and yanked her forward sharply: "Have you said enough?"

Consort Zhu's cold eyes stared directly at her. "Your Highness, are you in a fit of anger and embarrassment?"

Shen Jiayu looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "I told you last time, things won't be so simple when the next slap lands on your face."