The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

[(Shocked face) Girl, is it okay to say that?]

[It's a grave taboo for someone to be so powerful that they threaten their master; your father is watching you from heaven, losing control of his bladder.]

[His father was disappointed!]

The Empress Dowager's expression suddenly changed, and she wished she could have someone gag Qin Lianyue.

The atmosphere inside the hall was tense, and the palace servants were silent as if they were shivering.

"Oh?" Xie Ling spoke slowly, "Does Consort Li believe that without General Qin, I wouldn't be able to sit on this throne?"

In fact, Consort Li regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. Although that was what she thought, she couldn't say it directly.

Men care about their reputation. My cousin is the emperor, so he certainly can't let anyone question whether his throne is based on someone else's achievements.

"That's not what I meant. I just hope my cousin can distinguish right from wrong," Qin Lianyue said stubbornly. "A few days ago, Xuan'er was slapped by His Majesty's men for offending Consort Qi, and he can't speak now. Today, His Majesty also flogged me because of Consort Qi..."

Li Degui was speechless.

Isn't it your Qin family who are deliberately looking for trouble? If you just calmed down, nothing would have happened.

[Speaking of which, the female supporting character really doesn't understand the situation. The Qin family holds military power, while the female supporting character's father is just a tutor; how can they possibly confront them head-on?]

I don't think the female supporting character is wrong. She didn't start anything, and besides, people who are arrogant because of their family background never have a good ending. I don't believe the emperor can tolerate it.

Those who can tolerate this are probably all emperors who are sons-in-law.

Qi Yitang understood.

Although Xie Ling could temporarily refrain from favoring Qin Lianyue, he couldn't do anything to her.

Because behind Qin Lianyue is the entire Qin family and General Fuyuan.

He holds military power, so even Xie Ling cannot be too forceful with him.

Just as she was about to persuade Xie Ling, the Empress Dowager turned pale and pressed her temples in pain. "Enough! This is just a trivial matter between concubines. All this commotion is giving me a headache."

"By imperial decree, Consort Li is hereby stripped of her title and demoted to the rank of Noble Lady for her insubordination. She is to be confined to Yanxi Palace for two months to reflect on her transgressions."

Li Degui made no move, and the other palace servants dared not move either.

The Empress Dowager then looked at Xie Ling, her tone softening slightly, "Yan'er, I know I owe you something in the past, but I'm getting old. Even if it's just so I can live a couple more years, let's leave it at that, okay?"

Granny Su quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager had no one to care for her when she gave birth to you, and she developed a chronic illness. She cannot afford to worry too much. You must consider the Empress Dowager's health."

Under the immense pressure of filial piety, Xie Ling had no choice but to agree.

"It was my fault for causing the Empress Dowager worry, but I will let it go today."

Qin Lianyue smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

Having a powerful backer is good; it's just a matter of being confined and demoted, and the beating is over.

After Qin Lianyue finished expressing her gratitude, she couldn't help but give Qi Yitang a smug smile.

So what if she's a concubine? Without my background, how long can she stay in the emperor's favor?

Qi Yitang pursed her lips.

[I can't stand it anymore, it's so frustrating! This damned emperor is really a son-in-law!]

[If your fists are hard enough to not even protect your own woman, then I might as well take the throne.]

[Hey you guys, aren't you going to watch the rest of the story?]

[Wait a minute, I'll go check.] A moment later, the comments returned: [Wow! The villain is indeed a villain; he completely manipulated the male lead. Anyone who calls him a live-in son-in-law will have to answer to me.]

[No, my level isn't high enough to see the later parts of the story. Don't keep us in suspense; at least give us a spoiler.]

One word: Terrible! Two words: Nauseating!

……

News of Consort Li's punishment for disobeying her superiors spread throughout the palace.

In an instant, the already quiet harem became even quieter.

Qi Yitang was also punished.

Ultimately, she was the one who started the fight, and in order to quell public opinion, she had to put on a show.

His Majesty didn't say he couldn't do it for her, so Yunying picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and said, "Your Majesty, please go and rest over there. This servant will just copy it by imitating your handwriting."

In the past, when Qi Yitang was naughty and made mistakes, Grand Tutor Qi would punish her by making her copy books until she realized her mistakes and felt like vomiting at the sight of the words.

But Qi Yitang wasn't going to be so obedient, so she had Yunying practice her handwriting, and now she's quite skilled at it.

Yun Ying laid out the paper, only to see Qi Yitang holding a calligraphy brush, resting his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

"...Your Majesty? What are you thinking about?"

Qi Yitang stared blankly into the void. The golden characters weren't always there; their appearances were rather random, and at this moment they remained quiet.

No one was watching, but Qi Yitang felt inexplicably uneasy.

"Your Majesty, are you still upset about what happened this morning?"

Yun Ying whispered to comfort her, "Behind Consort Li is General Fuyuan. No matter how much His Majesty favors you, he cannot severely punish Consort Li for your sake. Otherwise, you would become the target of everyone's anger."

Qi Yitang knew.

The Great Qian Dynasty cannot do without Qin Zhenxiong. The Empress Dowager is a daughter of the Qin family, and even Xie Ling has the blood of the Qin family flowing in her veins.

If Xie Ling were to publicly punish Consort Li for her sake, even former court officials would have to submit memorials to criticize her.

Even if Qi Yitang is brainless, she can still understand this point.

She had other concerns.

The golden text, referred to as "bullet comments," said she resembled Consort Hua from the TV series "Empresses in the Palace." Qi Yitang didn't know which dynasty Consort Hua belonged to, but from their discussion, she learned that Consort Hua was domineering, fierce, and ruthless, yet obsessed with love. In the end, she died by crashing into a pillar, and her brother and nephews also died tragically.

If her character is like Consort Hua, then in the original novel, Qin Zhenxiong is like Nian Gengyao.

Nian Gengyao was arrogant and domineering, forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices. The emperor ordered him to commit suicide.

When the author wrote "The Empress Runs Away with the Baby, and the Overbearing Emperor Pampers Her," in order to highlight the villain's forbearance and ruthlessness, Qin Zhenxiong's fate was ten times more tragic than Nian Gengyao's.

Xie Ling didn't touch Qin Zhenxiong; instead, she kept showing him favor.

He bestowed upon Qin Zhenxiong a certificate of merit and granted him official titles and privileges, deliberately indulging his growing arrogance and causing widespread resentment throughout the court and among the people. At the same time, he "accidentally" leaked a series of evidence of Qin Zhenxiong's crimes, such as embezzling military funds and selling official positions, to the male protagonist, Xie Jingyu.

Qin Zhenxiong is Xie Ling's maternal uncle; to outsiders, they are practically in the same boat.

Xie Jingyu was just looking for an opportunity to strike at Xie Ling's power, so he naturally launched a massive impeachment campaign and relentlessly pursued the matter.

After Xie Jingyu drove the Qin family to the brink of ruin, Xie Ling magnanimously stepped in to clean up the mess—confiscating their property, exiling them, and ordering their execution.

The charges were all fabricated by Xie Jingyu, and the hatred was all instigated by Xie Jingyu. The Qin family believed until their deaths that their true enemy was Prince Gong.

With Qin Zhenxiong dead, Consort Li naturally lost her support.

She was a meat lover, and one day the imperial kitchen sent over a plate of roasted meat. Consort Li ate it with great relish, praising that the meat was exceptionally tender and flavorful.

She only learned where the dish of meat came from when the eunuch announced the imperial decree ordering her death.

When Qi Yitang saw this through the spoilers in the bullet comments, she almost threw up and didn't recover for a long time.

Xie Ling actually...