After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Lin Zhixu knew that if the situation was allowed to continue and the emotions were allowed to fester, things could get out of hand.

He stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down. That concubine has been brought under control. However, there are signs of evil influence on her, so this matter is probably not as simple as a typical palace intrigue."

"We will take full control of this matter and hand it over to you for further handling once the investigation is complete."

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, the tenderness and hatred in her eyes were almost overflowing.

She took a deep breath and nodded to Lin Zhixu: "Alright, let's hand the person over to the Immortal Master for now. The royal family will make a decision after the Immortal Master has investigated the situation."

The new emperor was still wailing behind him: "Mother! I can't live anymore! How can I face anyone after this!"

The Empress Dowager roared, "Enough! What kind of decorum is this, crying and wailing! If it's gone, it's gone. You have sons too! Anyway, the royal family already has an heir. We don't need that thing anymore; it'll save us from harming innocent women in the future!"

The new emperor was berated by his own mother, and feeling both angry and sad, he cried even louder.

How could he be so miserable!

Lin Zhixu and the others really didn't want to continue watching this royal ethics drama, so they exchanged glances and quietly escorted the concubine out.

The Empress Dowager's words, though crude, are not without merit. It might actually be a good thing for the Emperor to lose that thing.

At least the women in the harem no longer have to fight to the death over a rotten cucumber, and their resentment will be lessened.

……

They found a secluded interrogation room and locked the concubine inside.

Liu Shuyan carefully checked the spiritual energy restrictions in her body again, and only after confirming that she had no ability to resist did he take a bowl of cold water and splash it on her.

The concubine jolted awake and slowly came to her senses.

She opened her eyes blankly at first, then her gaze gradually focused.

When she saw four expressionless people standing in front of her and realized she was bound hand and foot to a chair, her face turned deathly pale. She began to struggle desperately, screaming, "Who are you! Let me go! Do you know who I am? I am His Majesty's favorite concubine!"

"You have shown me such insolence! I demand that His Majesty exterminate your entire clan!"

"Shut up." Liu Shuyan's ears hurt from her shouting, and he frowned and hissed.

The concubine was frightened by Liu Shuyan's gaze, and tears welled up in her eyes. She sobbed and dared not shout any louder.

Liu Shuyan looked at her coldly: "Now we'll ask you questions, and you answer. If you answer well, we'll let you go; otherwise, we'll kill you."

The concubine nodded repeatedly.

Lin Zhixu asked, "Do you remember what just happened?"

The concubine began to reminisce, her voice trembling with sobs: "I remember His Majesty came to my palace tonight. I was so happy, I dressed up early and waited for him. Then His Majesty came, and we... well, you know what I mean."

The three bachelors: "..." They didn't want to understand at all.

Lin Zhixu, a semi-bachelor: "..."

Jiang Chen forced a smile and pressed on, "And then what? What happened after that? Do you remember?"

The concubine tried hard to think for a long time, but her mind went completely blank.

This left her dumbfounded.

No way, as far as she could remember, she and His Majesty hadn't even gotten to the main topic yet. Surely she didn't forget?

"After that, I don't remember anything. It's like I lost a part of my memory, and when I woke up again, I was here."

"Who are you? Why are you arresting me? If you're robbing me, I have no money on me, and all my belongings are in my private stash. Let me go back, and I'll get them for you. As long as you don't kill me, we can discuss anything."

The four exchanged glances, and they all understood what was going on.

It seems that the concubine really had no recollection of what happened at that time.

She was an ordinary person with no physical strength, no spiritual power, and no martial arts training. She was most likely controlled by evil energy.

It seems we can't get any more information out of her.

But evil spirits don't attach themselves to people without a reason; there must be one.

Lin Zhixu looked her over again and suddenly asked, "You said you're His Majesty's favorite concubine? But His Majesty has so many women in his harem, are you one of the four concubines, or even a Noble Consort?"

The concubine: "..."

Actually, she wasn't even a concubine; she was just a low-ranking concubine.

She stammered for a long time before whispering, "...No, that's not it. I...I haven't been granted the title of Imperial Concubine yet, I'm just a Consort."

Lin Zhixu understood: "So, your status in the harem isn't high. That's why you've accumulated a lot of resentment, right? You resent His Majesty for not visiting you often, and you resent the other concubines for always overshadowing you."

"Do you still often fantasize that one day His Majesty will favor you above all others, and all those who looked down on you will kneel at your feet?"

The concubine was shocked when he revealed her true feelings.

Lin Zhixu continued, "His Majesty's visit to your harem today is probably because you did something that made him remember you. His Majesty decided to seek you out on a whim."

"You look at His Majesty's young and robust appearance and feel secretly pleased, but you are also afraid that today is just a dream and that His Majesty will forget you after tonight. So you have a greedy thought and want His Majesty to be yours alone."

The concubine's face flushed red and then paled: "So what if I do! Which woman in the harem doesn't think the same way? What's wrong with me thinking this way!"

The other three then finally understood.

It turns out that the concubine harbored too much evil in her heart, which attracted evil spirits.

And because she was just an ordinary mortal, even a tiny bit of evil energy was enough to control her mind, which led her to do such absurd things.

Who would have thought that despite all the precautions, the emperor's bedmate was overlooked?

It was their carelessness that led them to believe that the women in the harem posed no threat to the emperor, and thus they lowered their guard.

But they forget how many people have suffered a great loss because they underestimated women.

The only good news is that the new emperor already has several princes and princesses, so there's no need to worry about him having no descendants.

Otherwise, if he loses his manhood right after ascending the throne and has no offspring, the dragon vein's fortune will suffer as well.

The four exchanged glances, understanding each other without needing to say it aloud.

This concubine has caused a huge mess. Once the new emperor recovers, his desire to kill will only intensify.

Jiang Chen didn't know if it was to retaliate against the concubine's arrogant attitude, but he told her what she had done.

Upon hearing this, the concubine's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She gagged twice, her face turning ashen, as if she had seen a ghost.

"Impossible... You're talking nonsense... How could I possibly do such a thing... Ugh..."

She denied it while dry heaving, but once the urge passed, she was completely paralyzed.

Knowing she was going to die, she disregarded all decorum and pleaded with them, crying, "Please save me! I didn't mean to! I don't want to die!"

"I was just a little greedy, it's not a capital offense, is it? Yes, I've done some bad things before. But I really didn't mean it, I know I was wrong! Please help me!"

"Aren't you immortals? Don't you say that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda? Please save me, I'll serve you like a cow or a horse, a slave or a maid."

Jiang Chen said quietly, "What you said about saving a life being more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda is a Buddhist saying, it has nothing to do with us. Which of us looks like a kind-hearted monk?"

Liu Shuyan said coldly, "Besides, you're not entirely innocent. Your hands must be stained with a lot of blood and evil energy for the evil spirits to target you. Otherwise, out of so many women in the harem, why did you happen to be the one to fall victim?"