Xia He followed closely behind, too preoccupied to notice who had fallen to the ground.
Before Consort Shu could utter a word of protest, she fell heavily to the floor. The palace maids cried out in alarm as cold sweat broke out on Consort Shu's forehead, and a large amount of blood pooled beneath her.
"Your Highness... Your Highness..."
Xia He chased after Concubine Li, watching as her feet were cut by stones, leaving a trail of crimson blood along the palace walkway she ran across.
Like a weeping flower, slowly withering and fading away.
In the distance, the Emperor's golden carriage was approaching. Concubine Li thought the Emperor was rushing to the Changxin Palace to explain things to her, so she quickened her pace, eventually stumbling and falling before the Emperor's carriage.
"Your Majesty..."
The imperial carriage towered above her. From Concubine Li's perspective, she could only see the Emperor's sharp chin and stern jawline.
Why did the Emperor seem so distant today?
She reached out, grasping only air. As her hopes shattered, she widened her eyes, crystal tears flowing from them as she looked up at the man she loved deeply: "Your Majesty, I... I beg you, for the sake of our relationship, please spare my father?"
The Emperor had barely furrowed his brow when Wang Dequan stepped forward, attempting to have someone help the obstructing Concubine Li up: "Oh my! Concubine Li, why are you in such a state? Quickly get up and put on your shoes, lest you hurt yourself."
"Don't touch me, you vile eunuch!"
Concubine Li violently swatted his hand away: "Don't think I don't know that you've already allied yourself with Concubine Zhen, becoming that harlot's lapdog. Who needs your false sympathy here?"
Ordinarily, she would never utter such crude words, but her father had been imprisoned, and on her way here, she had overheard palace servants discussing the matter without restraint.
They said the Song family's influence was waning, that their crimes were too numerous to list, and that it had already caused great dissatisfaction and anger among the common people.
Led by the Jiang family and the Jiang family, a group of officials were demanding severe punishment for the Song family to set an example.
Although they were mostly officials below the fourth rank, there were quite a few of them, and some older, more experienced officials had also voiced their agreement.
Knowing her grandfather, he would likely sacrifice her to save her father.
How could Concubine Li not be furious and speak so carelessly?
"This..."
Wang Dequan knelt down in panic: "Your Majesty, I have served you for nearly twenty years with unwavering loyalty. You are my greatest support in this palace, I have no need to ally myself with anyone else!"
The Xuanwu Emperor understood the implications of his words. The most revered person in the palace was the Emperor himself, so why would Wang Dequan need to ally with anyone else?
Moreover, Concubine Li had insulted Concubine Zhen in her speech, which the Emperor found even more unacceptable.
Jiang Yankun's actions were at his implicit direction; what did it have to do with Concubine Zhen?
She was peacefully resting in the Hexi Palace, probably unaware of what was happening outside. Why should she be subjected to such unwarranted insults?
"Concubine Li, you..."
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
A figure in deep blue came running from afar. Who else could it be but Xiao Xuanzi?
With terror still evident on his face, he scrambled over and knelt down, quickly reporting: "Your Majesty, please hurry to the Hexi Palace! Consort Shu was pushed down in the Changxin Palace and has now been carried to our Hexi Palace, covered in blood. Consort Shu's maid said they thought of the Hexi Palace because midwives and imperial physicians were already prepared there, hoping our mistress could save Consort Shu's life. Our mistress has never seen such a bloody scene and fainted from shock. Xi Que and Shuang Jiang are trying to care for both Consort Shu and our mistress, everything is in chaos."
Concubine Li's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly remembered bumping into someone when she rushed out earlier.
Could it have been Consort Shu?
Just then, Lianxin, who had been by the Emperor's carriage all along, burst into tears: "Your Majesty, our mistress went to the Changxin Palace to retrieve the token of your love. Could it be that Concubine Li refused to return it and got into a conflict with our mistress?"
As Concubine Li was about to angrily refute this, she heard the Emperor speak urgently, as if he hadn't even noticed her: "Wang Dequan, quickly! To the Hexi Palace!"
Concubine Li was then pulled aside by several eunuchs and tossed to the side. The golden figure quickly disappeared around the corner.
Whether this urgency was for Consort Shu or Concubine Zhen, Concubine Li could no longer tell.
Deep in her heart, a sense of resentment towards the Xuanwu Emperor's actions arose, but even more so was her hatred for Consort Shu and Concubine Zhen, especially the latter.
She actually dared to have her father report the Song family.
The true culprit behind her current predicament was none other than Concubine Zhen.
It wasn't just Concubine Li who thought this way. From the moment the Song Minister was imprisoned and the Song Prime Minister went to the Ministry of Justice to confess his crimes, the entire Great Yan court and palace were in an uproar. It was hard not to know what was happening.
Empress Zhu and Consort Liang shared the same thoughts, both believing that Jiang Xinyue was exacting revenge for the incident a year ago when Concubine Li had forced her to kneel until her knees were injured. Now, she had struck back hard, aiming to eliminate Concubine Li's entire family.
Of course, her ability to seek revenge so smoothly also aligned with the Emperor's desire to uproot the Song family, a towering tree infested with termites and worms.
Even so, it was enough to make people wary of her influence over the Emperor.
Concubine Li had been the favored concubine in the palace for over a decade. Even when she was arrogant, willful, and capricious, the Emperor had never humiliated her for anyone else's sake.
Jiang Xinyue had entered the palace just a year ago—only a year—and had already caused Concubine Li to fall out of favor. It seemed too incredible to believe.
Consort Liang fidgeted with her fan, feeling uneasy and unsettled: "Your Highness, you've seen it too. The Emperor disregarded even Concubine Li for her sake. She's so vindictive; if she finds out that it was us who... back in the Cold Palace..."
"Shut up!"
Empress Zhu glared at her fiercely: "I don't understand what you're talking about. If she learns anything unpleasant from your mouth, it will be your doing alone, having nothing to do with me. So, keep your mouth shut."
The implication was clear: no such information would leak from her Yikun Palace. If Consort Liang's loose lips let Jiang Xinyue know, then Consort Liang would have to take the fall and shoulder the blame herself.
Consort Liang pursed her lips, thinking of Concubine Li abandoned by the Emperor on the palace walkway, subject to everyone's mockery. She reluctantly closed her mouth, no longer mentioning the poisoning incident in the Cold Palace.
"You should avoid provoking Concubine Zhen lately."
Empress Zhu reminded her: "Once she gives birth to a child, the Emperor will certainly bestow her the title of consort. Given the Emperor's high regard for her, she's bound to become one of the four consorts. Three positions are already filled, and her seniority isn't enough to make her the head of the four consorts. When the time comes, I will suggest to the Emperor to appoint you as Consort Xian, and Concubine Zhen as Consort Liang. This way, all four virtuous consorts will be in place. At least she's on our side now, and Consort Shu is clearly becoming useless. If Consort Jin is wise enough to recognize the situation, we can also promote her. By then, all four consorts will be my people, and my position will be secure and unshakeable."
