He glared with his imposing eyes: "Where did you hear such nonsense that you dare to be insolent before me? Wang Dequan, take Zhen Fangyi away and give her thirty heavy strokes of the rod."
Zhen Fangyi was Zhen Fangyi, she had never been anyone's substitute.
"Your Majesty is protecting Zhen Fangyi, where does that leave the Honorable Consort? Has the Honorable Consort suffered for nothing?"
Consort Jiang kowtowed on the ground, her forehead bleeding: "This concubine begs Your Majesty to severely punish Zhen Fangyi, or else all the concubines in the palace will learn her ways of courting favor."
"Your Majesty, please punish Zhen Fangyi severely!"
Behind Consort Jiang, a group of concubines aligned with Concubine Li were kneeling down.
In contrast, Empress Zhu seemed feeble and weak.
This also made her, as the Empress of the Middle Palace, feel the threat of Concubine Li once again.
How foolish!
Before this, Jiang Xinyue had never believed that Concubine Li would risk herself and use treacherous means to attack her.
But seeing Consort Jiang, Consort Wan, Consort Jin, and other concubines from Concubine Li's faction all kneeling in unison, indignantly demanding the Emperor to punish her, she knew the truth.
Concubine Li was fine, the one in trouble was her - this was a trap set up deliberately to target her.
Ridiculous!
Did they really think the Emperor would favor concubines who forced his hand?
Concubine Li was sacrificing all of them to achieve her own ends!
A temporary setback is not necessarily a bad thing.
The Xuanwu Emperor looked at Jiang Xinyue with a complex gaze, and she looked back at him, her eyes quickly filling with tears. While giving the Emperor a faint smile, she also slightly nodded her head.
Her eyes seemed to speak, saying she did not want to put the Emperor in a difficult position, letting him follow the wishes of Consort Jiang and the others and severely punish her.
"Wang Dequan..."
For the first time, the Xuanwu Emperor felt unable to look directly into those eyes filled with emotion, and had never thought that issuing an order to punish a concubine would be so difficult.
"Zhen Fangyi's behavior has been unbecoming. From this day forth, she is demoted to the rank of Royal Lady and exiled to the Palace of Exile."
Even Consort Jiang had not expected such a severe punishment - being demoted to a mere Royal Lady and exiled to the Palace of Exile, what kind of Royal Lady was that?
It was practically a death sentence.
Look, the Emperor's affection for the Honorable Consort was truly deep and unmatched, no one could replace her.
"Your Majesty."
Empress Zhu felt the punishment was too severe and wanted to plead further, but the Emperor waved his hand: "All retire. I will keep the Honorable Consort company."
Who could have imagined that not long ago, the Emperor had demoted Consort Jiang to the lower rank of Consort for the sake of Zhen Fangyi's dog, but now, for Concubine Li, he was demoting Zhen Fangyi to a Royal Lady and exiling her to the Palace of Exile.
The situation in the palace truly changed in the blink of an eye, unpredictable.
Who could say when this former Royal Lady, who had once been shunned by the Emperor only to regain his favor through her talents, might suddenly be favored by the Emperor again and return to the spotlight?
After all, she had also been scorned by the Emperor before, only to rise again through her abilities.
Furthermore, not to mention the future, even now, none of the palace maids or eunuchs had ever seen a concubine exiled to the Palace of Exile being sent off by the Empress, Consort De, and Consort Liang.
The third prince even hugged Zhen, the Royal Lady's legs, crying with a runny nose and tears streaming down his face, clearly truly reluctant to part with her.
The eldest princess also had reddened eyes: "Lady Zhen, you must take care of yourself in there. I... I will definitely find a way to speak to Father and have him release you."
Jiang Xinyue shook her head: "I am touched by the princess's intentions. But you need not find a way to rescue me, this is a matter for us adults. If you truly wish to help Lady Zhen, just take your younger brothers and sisters to the Hexi Palace more often, and help Lady Zhen tend to the fruits and vegetables there. Pick and eat them, so my efforts in planting them were not in vain."
She did not actually want the eldest princess to care for those vegetables.
She wanted the princes and princesses to frequently visit the Hexi Palace, so that the palace maids left in the Palace of Exile would not be bullied by others.
The second princess immediately agreed: "Lady Zhen, rest assured, I will often go to the Hexi Palace."
"Me too, me too..."
Empress Zhu sighed: "Royal Lady Zhen, do not blame the Emperor. Concubine Li is still in a precarious situation, so he had to punish you. Once Concubine Li recovers, the Emperor will surely release you."
Consort Liang and Consort De also echoed, saying that since the palace maids of the Hexi Palace were not dismissed, the Emperor likely intended to release her eventually.
Jiang Xinyue thought to herself: It will probably not be that soon.
But she still acknowledged their kindness, curtsying deeply: "This concubine has been in the palace for half a year, and I thank the Empress and the two Consorts for your care. When I am released from the Palace of Exile, I will repay the favor."
She made a grand promise here, so Empress Zhu would do her utmost to ensure the Emperor did not forget about her.
Her beauty was right here - Empress Zhu could not find another concubine as beautiful to divert Concubine Li's favor.
There are often beautiful women in this world, but rarely are there women of transcendent beauty like herself and Concubine Li.
"You must take good care of Royal Lady Zhen. If anything happens to her, I will hold you responsible."
In the palace chamber, wisps of fragrant smoke drifted about as Empress Zhu removed her makeup in front of a bronze mirror, revealing a youthful bare face.
As the palace maid Fen Yun and others applied hair oil to her long hair, she asked: "Your Majesty, what did Royal Lady Zhen mean by what she said at the entrance to the Palace of Exile today?"
Empress Zhu curled her lips slightly: "She was telling me that she understands repaying favors. As long as I occasionally mention her to the Emperor, she will find a way to regain his favor. Once she is released, she and Concubine Li will become mortal enemies, and she will help me eliminate Concubine Li."
Fen Yun was astonished: "Does she have such ability?"
"Then think about it - today she was exiled to the Palace of Exile by the Emperor, did she show even a hint of panic?"
Fen Yun's movements stilled for a moment: "Your Majesty means..."
"I dare not underestimate her anymore."
A contemplative light flickered in Empress Zhu's eyes: "Who knows if she will become the next Concubine Li?"
She did not want to defeat Concubine Li only for another Lady Zhen who was even more formidable than Concubine Li to appear.
But...
Royal Lady Zhen was different from Concubine Li. Lady Zhen was still young, with a clear sense of right and wrong, likes and dislikes.
In her world, things were either black or white. Those she liked were good people, those she disliked were bad people.
She had a bit of cunningness, but used it only against her enemies.
Towards her, Consort Liang, and Consort De, she had not the slightest guard up.
"Then will Your Majesty still help her?"
"Why not help her a little?"
Empress Zhu remarked meaningfully, "I am merely making subtle hints. The Emperor has no interest in her, so my words will be futile. However, if he does have feelings for her, even if I remain silent, he will still be infatuated with her. Such is the way of men; they desire what they cannot have. By going along with the prevailing sentiments, I can win their gratitude. Why not do so?"
Concubine Li was also bewitched. The more she disparaged Zhen Fangyi, the more the Emperor would perceive his love for her as filled with obstacles.
Men relish challenges, and the Emperor, being the most esteemed man in the land, was no exception.
