Behind her stood a dozen guards in armor, along with a dozen tall eunuchs.
As she walked, the intense pressure caused Imperial Doctor Hu to retreat step by step, his voice shrill as he exclaimed, "Imperial Noble Consort Jiang, what are you trying to do? This is the palace! Don't you dare cause trouble here!"
Jiang Xinyue ignored him completely and shouted loudly, "Yuan Lei."
Both Imperial Doctor Hu and Director Lin were focused on the two dozen strong guards and eunuchs, who had positioned themselves in front of Jiang Xinyue as a precaution.
Until...
"Boom——"
"Ah!"
A deafening explosion shook the ground beneath their feet, and the sound of something shattering echoed in their ears. The panicked screams of young eunuchs injured by flying debris filled the air.
Imperial Doctor Hu turned in terror to see a "giant" weighing over two hundred pounds, wielding dual hammers, smashing a stone monument until not a single character was legible. Only then did the giant pause, breathing heavily, and ask, "Your Highness, is this enough?"
The giant had jumped down from above, and the two hammers, each weighing at least a hundred pounds, seemed as light as toys in his hands.
Glancing at the "stone monument that could doom the Jiang Family," it was now reduced to dust.
Yuan Lei, the giant, continued to swing his arms, the massive iron hammers whirling menacingly. No one dared to approach, fearing they would be crushed like pancakes.
"You!"
"This!"
"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
"Jiang Xinyue, do you even know the law? This stone was to be dug up from the river in Yu Province and presented to the Emperor. How dare you destroy it? I will most certainly inform the Emperor and have him punish you!"
"Pfft!"
Jiang Xinyue covered her mouth and laughed, shaking her head as she did so. "Are you treating me like a fool or the Emperor like one? 'Heavenly calamity descends, Jiang replaces Shen'? A stone from the heavens warning the Emperor, you say? So, is the South Gate of Heaven built in Mongolia or something?"
"What does Imperial Noble Consort Jiang mean?"
"This inscribed stone is called Balin Inkstone, originating from Mount Yamatu in Balin Right Banner, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. It's recorded in 'The Chronicles of Extraordinary Stones' in my father's study. This stone not only has high transparency but also fine texture, with a balance of softness and hardness. It features seven basic colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple—along with various shades of deep, light, intense, faint, clear, turbid, bright, and dark. Director Lin, am I correct?"
Director Lin had no idea if she was right or wrong.
The stone had been handed to him by Duke of Cheng, instructing him to ensure it was brought to Yu Province and buried deep in the dry riverbed. Once the Emperor returned from his summer retreat, they were to bring it to the capital and make sure everyone knew about it.
Earlier, on his way to the palace, he had shouted "Urgent military matters, make way!" to pique the curiosity of the common folk.
Behind him, a few of Duke of Cheng's informants in the civilian world had been spreading rumors: "It's said that Yu Province has suffered months of drought, leaving the people in misery. The locals dug up a stone monument from the dried riverbed, claiming that because the Emperor dotes excessively on a demonic concubine, heaven has punished them. If the Emperor doesn't repent, the Shen dynasty will be replaced by the Jiang family!"
"More than a dozen corpses were found in Consort De's palace. You know Consort De, right? She's the daughter of Duke of Cheng. Before entering the palace, she often set up soup kitchens in the outskirts and donated old clothes to beggars. Could she have killed those people? So many incidents have happened since Imperial Noble Consort Jiang entered the palace. I bet she's the one framing Consort De."
"No wonder a heavenly calamity has struck. It must be because there's an evil spirit near the Emperor. But why haven't we heard about the drought in Yu Province? Is the court aware?"
"My insider information says the former Governor of Yu Province was a classmate of the Minister of Justice, both taught by the same master, with a bond of brotherhood. The Minister of Justice is also Imperial Noble Consort Jiang's father. The Governor of Yu Province sealed off the drought-stricken city, preventing the people from fleeing, hoping to starve them to death. Maybe it was the Minister of Justice's idea."
"Think about it! The Minister of Justice is the father of the demonic concubine. He certainly doesn't want that stone monument to reach the Emperor's hands. He's afraid the people who dug up the stone might spread rumors, so he had his old classmate, the Governor of Yu Province, seal the city, hoping to let everyone inside die of thirst."
Some tried to defend Minister Jiang Yankun and Jiang Xinyue, but their voices were quickly drowned out by the opposing chorus.
After all, Duke of Cheng had orchestrated the whole thing, with a few informants stirring the pot. Most people love to watch a good scandal, and before long, falsehoods became perceived truths.
As Jiang Junze strolled through the streets, shopping for his mother Lady Ruan's upcoming birthday, the commotion outside caught his attention.
Listening in, he was furious. Strangers who had never met his sister and knew nothing about her were painting her as a ruthless, villainous concubine, even blaming her for those dozen lives.
"These bastards!"
Jiang Junze charged out, ready to beat someone up. "You crazy dogs, my sister..."
"Jiang Erlang!"
His companions quickly restrained him. "Don't be rash. This looks like a well-organized scheme to smear Imperial Noble Consort Jiang's reputation. The more critical the moment, the calmer you must remain. You should hurry home and inform your parents, then come up with a strategy."
Those accompanying Jiang Junze were his trusted friends, and none wished to see him hurt by a momentary lapse in judgment.
Perhaps those people knew Jiang Erlang would be out today and were deliberately trying to provoke him into a violent outburst.
The young men had underestimated the situation. Among the gossipers arranged by Duke of Cheng, one was already terminally ill.
If Jiang Junze laid a hand on him, the next day his family would carry his corpse to the Jiang residence, demanding justice and forcing Minister Jiang to hand over the murderer.
They would report the incident to the authorities, leaving Jiang Junze with a criminal record, effectively ruining his chances of passing the imperial exams and his future prospects.
Once the plan succeeded, Duke of Cheng would reward the dying man's family with a substantial sum, their payment for his life.
Seeing Jiang Junze restrained by his friends, the sickly man with dark circles under his eyes grew even more brazen, stroking his chin with a smirk. "You know, they say Imperial Noble Consort Jiang is a stunning beauty, a voluptuous enchantress. If I were the Emperor, I'd stay in bed for half a year... Who cares about any so-called beauty? Once they're beneath me, they're all crying and begging..."
"Let me go! I'm going to beat that scumbag to death."
"Erlang! Such a person isn't worth it, but throwing away your future over him isn't either."
Jiang Junze no longer cared about the consequences. Hearing such vile slander about his sister was beyond what anyone could bear.
