Chu Ruoyan closed her eyes.
What swift action!
From the very beginning, Lan'er's affair and the Emperor's selection of concubines were all smokescreens, designed to keep her from having time to spare for the Xue family!
Then, with thunderous speed, they were wiped out. Consort Xue must hate their two families to death...
This Roumin, she truly has formidable methods!
"What's all that noise outside?"
"It's Commander Yue of the Five-City Garrison, searching house by house for any suspicious persons." After speaking, Lady Jiang the Younger added with some worry, "Eldest Miss, in your opinion... could it be Auntie's family..."
A bitter smile flickered in Chu Ruoyan's eyes.
See, even Lady Jiang the Younger suspects the Cao family now, let alone how outsiders must be thinking.
She shook her head. "With Consort Xue demoted and the Xue family fallen from power, and with your sister and brother-in-law just blessed with a precious son, why would they commit such a slaughter?"
Lady Jiang the Younger patted her chest in relief. "Good, good. I said my brother-in-law wouldn't do such a thing. It's just that..."
She trailed off, but even without her saying it, Chu Ruoyan could guess that the people who came to the door must have said some unpleasant things.
Moreover, it was Yue Qianchong, the Chief Commander himself, who came. This matter has probably already reached the Emperor's ears...
The Imperial Palace, Jade Fragrance Pavilion.
The Emperor pounded on the door from outside. "Xian, Xian, open the door! It's me!"
Xian was Consort Xue's childhood name, but it hadn't been mentioned in a long time since she was made a Noble Consort.
Yin Shun thought to himself that the mistress inside was likely about to regain favor. He whispered a few words to a young eunuch, and with a click, the lock inside fell open.
The Emperor pushed the door open to see a white silk ribbon hanging from the beam. The attending maid was already paralyzed with fear, while Xue Xian had her neck in the noose, seemingly about to take her own life!
"Xian! What are you doing?!"
The Emperor shouted sternly. Xue Xian gave a mournful smile and kicked away the wooden stool beneath her feet.
She was instantly suspended in the air, her limbs flailing involuntarily. The Emperor's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He rushed forward and tightly embraced her. "Are you all dead? Save her!"
The people in the pavilion snapped out of their stupor. Yin Shun personally climbed up to cut the silk ribbon, and Xue Xian fell into the Emperor's arms.
Her face streaked with tears, she sobbed brokenly in the Emperor's embrace. "Why won't you let me die... Your Majesty, why won't you let me die?"
The Emperor's heart ached terribly. "Nonsense! I am here, and I forbid you to die!"
Xue Xian ignored him, continuing to wail. "My Fifth Prince is dead, my mother and brother are now dead too. The vast Xue family is left with only me. What meaning is there in me living? I might as well go with them!!"
The Emperor held her tightly, his own heart feeling as if torn apart.
These past two days, he had favored Consort Yan and enfeoffed Consort Rong, but neither of those two women came close to understanding his heart like Xian did.
Even in that aspect... it was Xian he thought of.
So when he heard the report from the Five-City Garrison about the Xue family's tragedy, his first reaction was actually relief.
Because this way, he could openly bring her back...
"Xian, Xian, listen to me. I already know about your maternal family's matter. I have ordered Yue Qianchong to investigate overnight, with the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice assisting. We will surely bring justice for your family!" the Emperor promised her, holding her close. "As for a prince... you are still young, and I am in my prime. We can have more children! I promise you, after you return to the Radiant Light Palace, I will go nowhere else until the day we have our prince. How about that?"
Yin Shun, standing nearby, listened with his heart pounding.
For the Emperor to say this was not just about restoring favor; it was about exclusive favor!
What place would this leave for Empress Pei and the two newly enfeoffed consorts?
Leaning in the Emperor's embrace, Xue Xian sneered inwardly at his promises. Have another little prince?
But he was already over forty. Even if he had a prince, could he live long enough to see him come of age and be enfeoffed as heir?
If he couldn't become Crown Prince, she would eventually be killed by Empress Pei!
But right now, compared to the Empress, she hated Chu Ruoyan more!
If not for Chu Ruoyan's induced confession that day in the hall, how would Aunt Yang have betrayed her? How would she have been demoted to this Jade Fragrance Pavilion?
If she hadn't been demoted to the Jade Fragrance Pavilion, how would the Xue family have lost power, even to the point of being set on fire and wiped out?!
She is the source of all this. She wants her dead, along with the Chu Duke's Manor and the Cao family. They all must die!
"Your Majesty, let it be... The Xue family is a fallen marquis household, we cannot compare to others. If the investigation leads to Your Majesty's important ministers, I fear it would put you in a difficult position... Better to let me die!"
Xue Xian pretended to dash towards a pillar. The Emperor held her back and shouted sternly, "Nonsense! What important minister would wipe out an entire family? That would be treating the laws of Great Xia as nothing! Xian, I can tell you now: no matter who this case leads to, even if it leads to imperial relatives, I will show no leniency!"
Xue Xian wiped her tears, moved. Then she heard him say, "Yin Shun, convey my decree: Xue Xian, gentle, virtuous, respectful, and frugal, has deeply won my heart. She is to be enfeoffed as Imperial Noble Consort immediately and take residence in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility!"
Imperial Noble Consort—second only to the Empress, a rank even above Noble Consort.
Yin Shun's heart tightened as he assented, thinking the inner palace was surely about to become restless!
Sure enough, as soon as the decree reached the Palace of Compassionate Peace, Empress Dowager Su angrily slapped the table. "Outrageous! This is simply outrageous! That Xue woman was just a lowly concubine for a few days, and now she's promoted to Imperial Noble Consort so quickly? Does the Emperor want the Censors to submit memorials of admonition?"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She went personally to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see her son.
But this time, the Emperor's attitude was extremely firm. He even stated that anyone who dared oppose should resign from their post themselves.
The court fell silent for a time, but the Palace of Eternal Longevity was quite lively.
"...Did the Emperor really say that?" Roumin put down her embroidery, asking with keen interest.
Gu Feiyan, or rather, Consort Yan, nodded indignantly. "Exactly! A woman over thirty, who knows what she used to bewitch the Emperor? He hasn't left the Palace of Earthly Tranquility for five consecutive days! In my opinion, the Emperor has been bewitched by that vixen!"
A faint smile appeared on Roumin's lips. "Consort Yan, you exaggerate. The Imperial Noble Consort has, after all, accompanied His Majesty for many years and understands the imperial heart deeply. If Consort Yan wishes to capture the Emperor's heart, I'm afraid you still have much to learn from her."
Consort Yan flared up. "You want me to curry favor with her?"
"There are no permanent friends, nor permanent enemies in this world. Consort Yan might consider carefully who your real enemy is." Having said this, Roumin picked up her embroidery frame and walked into the palace.
Consort Yan was taken aback for a moment, then a look of realization dawned in her eyes.
Yes, Xue Xian's target must be the Cao and Chu families. Why not stand by and watch, reaping the benefits when they fight?
Inside the palace, as soon as Roumin entered, Huarui came up to her and said, "Your Highness, for five full days, aside from one missing body from the Xue family, the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice have found not a single clue. They were reprimanded by the Emperor this morning and given a three-day deadline. If they don't find the culprit, they'll lose their official hats. They're going mad with anxiety now. And among the common people, rumors have already spread. Everyone is discussing it, believing it was either the Cao family or the Chu Duke's Manor who did it..."
Roumin nodded. "The timing is about right. Release that young man from the Xue family... I heard he is close friends with the eldest grandson of the Yan family?"
