In the blink of an eye, the sound of footsteps rushing upstairs was heard. Lai Xi reported at the door, “Your Majesty, Xianfei, Defei, and An Jieyu are coming together.”
Layue looked at the Emperor with surprise and confusion in her eyes.
The Emperor slightly narrowed his eyes, “What’s going on?”
Though he asked this, he already had suspicions.
Lai Xi paused for a moment at the door but continued, “Xianfei, Defei, and An Jieyu believe that Concubine Shen was meeting someone secretly here.”
Well then! It turned out they were here to catch someone in the act—never did they expect to catch the Emperor himself.
Shen Layue’s eyes widened in shock.
The Emperor, however, curled his lips slightly.
“Let them come up.”
“Yes.”
Within moments, the three palace consorts entered. Layue quickly stood up and greeted them respectfully.
The three also paid their respects to the Emperor.
After they were each told to rise, Layue could clearly see that Xianfei’s eyes were shooting daggers.
Defei looked somewhat embarrassed, while An Jieyu appeared nervous.
Layue stood quietly to one side. Compared to the others, her status naturally did not allow her to stand close.
The Emperor simply looked at the three without speaking, his gaze shifting among them.
After a long while, he finally smiled slightly.
“Defei, you speak. I would like to know what exactly happened today.”
Defei did not even glance at Shen Layue, who stood aside, and began in a soft, delicate tone, “Your Majesty, it was raining heavily earlier. I was resting in my quarters when Her Majesty sent someone to summon me. When I arrived at Huici Palace, I learned that someone had reported Concubine Shen meeting someone secretly in the pavilion by the lotus pond. Her Majesty then ordered me, along with Xianfei and An Jieyu, to come here and investigate. However, upon arriving and seeing Master Lai, we realized we had disturbed Your Majesty. We originally did not intend to enter, but since we had already disturbed you, Her Majesty required us to report back. I humbly beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness…”
With just a few words, Defei managed to clear herself of any blame.
An Jieyu, upon hearing this, quickly spoke up to explain herself, “Your Majesty…”
“Did I ask you to speak?” His voice was cold as a blade.
An Jieyu immediately knelt down.
“Xianfei, you speak.”
Seeing the Emperor’s expression, Xianfei knew he was truly angry. She quickly cleared herself as well, “Your Majesty, I was also unaware of this matter until I arrived at Huici Palace.”
All of them, who had long served the Emperor, knew his temperament well—he rarely lost his temper, but when he did, his smiling face masked words as sharp as knives.
“An Jieyu, how did you know that Concubine Shen was meeting someone here? Come here.” The last sentence was directed at Shen Layue.
Layue looked at him, hesitated slightly, and pointed at herself.
Seeing her hesitation, the Emperor couldn’t help but smile slightly, “Come here.”
True to her carefree nature, Layue hopped over like a little rabbit and sat beside him, only to be pulled into his arms. Now, the two of them sat together on the couch.
An Jieyu’s voice trembled as she spoke, “Your Majesty, I did not know the truth. I was misled. Please investigate the matter thoroughly. When I noticed that Concubine Shen had not returned despite the heavy rain, I grew worried and sent palace maids to search for her. Unexpectedly, they found two of her maids, Xing’er and Tao’er, sheltering from the rain in the pavilion by the pond, but Concubine Shen was nowhere to be seen. One of my junior palace maids took the initiative to come here, did not see Master Lai, but heard noises upstairs and immediately returned to report to me. I was extremely frightened at the time—if she was indeed meeting someone secretly, it would be a grave crime of disrupting the order of the palace. I dared not delay and immediately reported the matter to Her Majesty at Huici Palace.”
The Emperor looked at them all in silence.
Slowly, he stood up, and Layue quickly followed suit.
“Head to Huici Palace.”
“Yes.”
Outside, the rain had now reduced to a drizzle.
When everyone arrived at Huici Palace, the Empress Dowager was sipping tea with a warm smile upon seeing the Emperor.
“My Emperor has come. You must have sensed that I am enjoying fine tea.”
This was meant as a joke.
“Your Majesty’s servant was caught in the act, so naturally, Defei and Xianfei brought me here to see Mother. Mother speaks as if I came here merely for the aroma of your tea,” the Emperor said as he sat beside the Empress Dowager.
“My dear child, you’re grown up now. How can you behave so recklessly outside?” As she spoke, she glanced at Shen Layue with clear disfavor.
The Emperor, beside the Empress Dowager, seemed completely different from his earlier self. However, the matter still needed to be discussed.
“Mother, since this matter has been brought to you, I naturally came here to cooperate with the investigation.”
Since the Emperor spoke this way, it was clear he had no intention of letting the matter drop.
Seeing his expression, the Empress Dowager naturally understood.
“An Jieyu, tell me, which of your palace maids witnessed this?”
An Jieyu knelt down immediately. In truth, she was indeed wronged. The person who had reported this was not a junior maid, but Caihe, a second-tier maid in her service. Precisely because it was someone of such status, she had believed the report. Her trusted attendants had also convinced her that this was a golden opportunity to finally eliminate Concubine Shen. Now, not only had she failed, but she had also incurred the Emperor’s displeasure.
At this moment, she realized she had fallen into someone else’s trap. However, she had no time to figure out who had set it. Her immediate concern was to regain the Emperor’s favor.
“It was Caihe, my second-tier palace maid.”
The Empress Dowager sent someone to summon Caihe, but all they found was a cold corpse.
An Jieyu turned pale with fear. She could claim this was a two-pronged scheme to frame her, but the Emperor could also say this was her own desperate ploy.
An Jieyu cried out that she had been framed.
Watching the chaos unfold, the Empress Dowager remained calm. After An Jieyu had cried and pleaded enough, she finally spoke casually, asking the three senior maids of Shen Layue—Xing’er, Tao’er, and Guo’er.
“Concubine Shen had already gone to the pavilion. Why were you still lingering in the pavilion?”
Tao’er trembled slightly as she answered, “After Master Lai escorted our mistress away, he did not specify what we should do. We dared not go to the pavilion, fearing we might disturb the Emperor’s pleasure. Later, Guo’er brought rain gear, so we waited there together for our mistress’s instructions.”
“You knew it would rain, yet you still went to admire the lotus?” She continued questioning the servants.
“On the way, I noticed the sky darkening and wanted to return to fetch rain gear, but our mistress said that listening to the rain while admiring the lotus and sipping tea had its own charm. Besides, everyone in Liufu Palace knew we had gone to the lotus pond, so if it rained, Guo’er or Jinxin would naturally bring the rain gear. Thus, we did not think much of it.”
The Empress Dowager did not ask further, her long fingernails tapping the table.
After a while, she looked up, “What does the Emperor think?”
“An Jieyu was misled, which is not a grave offense. However, she did disturb the Emperor’s presence. Therefore, her salary will be withheld for six months,” the Emperor, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke when the Empress Dowager asked.
“As for Concubine Shen, it seems inappropriate for her to continue residing in Chaolu Palace. After this incident, even if she and An Jieyu meet again, there will inevitably be tension. Therefore, it would be better to separate them. Let us move Concubine Shen to Tingyu Pavilion.” This resolution turned out to be much ado about nothing.
“Your Majesty’s servant obeys Your Majesty’s decree.” Both An Jieyu and Shen Layue knelt and kowtowed.
The Emperor looked at them all, his expression unreadable, “Mother is getting older and does not appreciate such disturbances. Do not use such trivial and messy matters to bother her peace. I do not wish to see anything like this happen again. Except for Concubine Shen, you all came from the Crown Prince’s Mansion. You should know my temperament. This is the only time I will say this.”
“We understand, Your Majesty.” All of them answered obediently.
With a wave of his hand, everyone understood and left.
Although Layue had not spoken a word throughout, as she exited, Xianfei still snorted coldly, “What a seductress.”
Defei, on the other hand, smiled slightly at Layue.
Among them all, the one with the worst expression was undoubtedly An Jieyu.
She did not bother to hide her anger, glaring fiercely at Shen Layue before walking ahead of her.
Upon arriving at Liufu Palace, they saw Jinxin anxiously looking out from the gate.
Seeing their return, she hurried over, “Mistress, what happened?”
Earlier, An Jieyu had ordered her people to keep watch on Liufu Palace. They had only just withdrawn upon her return.
Everyone had been deeply worried.
Layue glanced at the plaque of Chaolu Palace and then at the plaque of Liufu Palace, a faint smile forming on her lips, “Go back and start packing. We’re moving.”
Huh? Jinxin was momentarily stunned but quickly became joyful.
Xiao Dengzi and Xiao Mosquito also rushed over upon seeing Shen Layue return.
After Jinxin relayed Shen Layue’s instructions, the palace maids of Liufu Palace began bustling about.
Tingyu Pavilion was naturally much better than the side hall of Chaolu Palace.
Tingyu Pavilion was also closer to the Emperor’s residence. Moreover, no high-ranking concubines resided there. Once Shen Layue moved there, she would not need to pay respects to any palace mistress, surrounded only by her own people, making it entirely different.
While Liufu Palace was filled with joy, Chaolu Palace echoed with the sound of shattered porcelain and the sharp sound of slaps…
Layue sat calmly in the hall, while Jinxin comforted her.
“Mistress, don’t be afraid. Heaven favors the good. While they schemed in the garden for the Emperor’s favor, we unintentionally gained an advantage. They plotted against you, but Heaven has seen their treachery, and none of their schemes will succeed.”
“Unintentionally gaining an advantage?” Layue smiled slightly. How could such good fortune exist in this world?
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