In the study, the thoroughly drunk Chen Qiping chatted with a maidservant, pouring out the grievances he had long suppressed in his heart, feeling an immense sense of relief.
The noble title, wealth, the ironclad imperial pardon—all of it belonged to the second branch of the family.
So what if he had never excelled in either literature or martial arts since childhood? His mother had always favored the second branch. His elder brother had struggled his entire life, only for everything to fall into the hands of the second branch in the end.
"Quick, help me find that ironclad pardon. If you find it, I’ll reward you handsomely."
The maidservant before him lowered her eyes, concealing the disdain in her gaze—Second Master’s character wasn’t even fit to tie the shoes of the elder master. But by following the general’s orders, she was helping rid the world of a great scourge.
Suddenly, Chen Qiping felt himself being shoved, causing him to crash into a bookshelf. The books on the shelf tumbled down in disarray.
"Second Master, is this the ironclad pardon?"
A semicircular iron plaque was thrust into his hand, cool to the touch.
Chen Qiping clutched it tightly. In truth, he was too drunk to recognize anything, but he grinned foolishly and said, "Yes, it must be this."
With a loud bang, the study door was flung open.
Chen Qiping could barely make out their faces, only seeing blurred figures. He snarled, "Who the hell are you? Get out, all of you! Don’t ruin my mood."
He let out another drunken hiccup.
"Chen Qiping is guilty of stealing the ironclad pardon. The evidence is irrefutable. Take him away. Once he sobers up, execute him immediately. At least let him die with a clear mind."
Pei Lingyue couldn’t even be bothered to spare Chen Qiping another glance as he issued the imperial decree once more.
Chen Qiping froze, his muddled mind barely registering the words.
Execution? Who was being executed? Him or his elder brother?
He struggled to see the faces of those who had come for him, but he was far too drunk to stand steadily. And so, he was dragged away without resistance.
Not only Chen Qiping, but his wife, Lady Cao, was also taken to the prison. Lady Cao was so terrified that her legs gave way, leaving her with no strength to resist.
As for Old Lady Chen, to spare Chen Qiyao from future accusations of filial impiety, Pei Lingyue resolved the issue by sending her to a nunnery.
The residence Chen Qiyao now lived in had been bestowed upon him by the imperial court. Out of familial affection, he had previously allowed the second branch to live there as well. But now? After the second branch had committed such heinous acts, how could he possibly let them continue taking advantage of him?
He felt like the biggest fool in the world.
And so, the second branch of the Chen family was unceremoniously expelled.
Chen Qiping had two sons and a daughter. Both sons were already married, and the daughter had long since been wed. Chen Shuoye’s biological father was Chen Anyang, the second son of Chen Qiping.
Originally, the second branch had been basking in the glory of hosting so many distinguished guests today, scheming about how to curry favor with them. But in the blink of an eye, their fortunes reversed—the second branch was exposed for plotting against the main branch, using underhanded means to steal the noble title and the ironclad pardon. Not only was their reputation ruined, but they also faced the threat of imprisonment.
The second branch was immediately plunged into despair, filled with wails and pleas for mercy.
Lady Mao, Chen Anyang’s wife, was driven to madness. Abandoning all decorum, she lunged at him, her long nails raking bloody streaks across his skin. Not only had he betrayed her, but he had also dragged her into this abyss.
"Chen Anyang, you vile man! You’ve ruined me! No wonder you treated Chen Shuoye better than your own daughter—he’s your bastard son! How could you do this to me?"
Lady Mao had been married to Chen Anyang for years but had only borne him a daughter. Her husband had always doted on Chen Shuoye, a child from another branch of the family. She had assumed it was because he longed for a son and thus poured his affection onto Shuoye. She had even felt guilty about it and followed suit, showering Shuoye with love. Little did she know, they were truly father and son. All these years, she had been living a joke.
Chen Anyang, her mother-in-law, and even Old Madam Chen—they had all known the truth.
Chen Anyang howled in pain, "You shrew! If you could have given me a son, I wouldn’t have had to resort to this!"
Lady Mao, consumed by hatred, slashed at his neck with her nails. "Don’t pin this on me! I’ve never been unreasonable—you had other concubines in the household! This is all because you and that shameless Lady Bai couldn’t keep your hands off each other!"
Chen Anyang, enraged, raised his hand to strike her. But before his palm could land on her face, Yu Miaoping seized his wrist and twisted it sharply. A piercing scream tore from Chen Anyang’s throat as his arm went limp.
Yu Miaoping was furious—how dare this man, after committing such disgraceful acts, try to hit his own wife?
Yu Miaohua watched the disheveled Lady Mao with deep sympathy.
With Yu Miaoping holding Chen Anyang back, Lady Mao seized the chance to attack again, this time aiming for his eyes. If Chen Anyang hadn’t dodged in time, she would have gouged them out. His face was now covered in deep, bloody gashes, a horrifying sight.
She turned to Pei Lingyue and said, "Your Majesty, Lady Mao was unaware of these schemes. She is also a victim. Could Your Majesty grant her a divorce and allow her to take her dowry with her?"
Lady Mao had already suffered enough by being married to such a despicable man. There was no need to make her suffer imprisonment alongside him.
Chen Qiyao nodded in agreement. Like Lady Mao, he had been played for a fool. While he wanted the second branch punished, Lady Mao was not among those he held responsible.
To Pei Lingyue, this was a trivial matter. He promptly issued an edict permitting the couple’s divorce.
Lady Mao kowtowed in tearful gratitude. Wiping her eyes, she immediately drafted the divorce papers. With the emperor’s decree, Chen Anyang had no choice but to sign, watching helplessly as his wife strode away with the divorce papers and her dowry.
Yu Miaohua even helped calculate the monetary value of the dowry Lady Mao had used over the years, demanding repayment from the second branch.
The commotion at the Chen residence naturally drew the attention of neighbors, many of whom gathered outside to watch the spectacle.
Upon inquiry, they learned that Old General Chen had nearly been swindled out of his inheritance by his own younger brother’s family—and that the grandson he had raised was not his own.
The contributions Old General Chen had made for Great Qi were well-known. How could anyone tolerate such a hero being betrayed by his own kin? The crowd seethed with righteous fury.
As the disgraced members of the Chen family were driven out of the marquis’s estate, they were met with a barrage of rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables from the indignant onlookers.
They didn’t dare protest, only fleeing in disgrace, covered in filth.
Chen Shuoye did not leave with them. His eyes reddened as he looked at Chen Qiyao. "Grandfather…"
Chen Qiyao frowned in disgust. "Don’t call me that. Your real grandfather is in prison."
Chen Shuoye shook his head. "You’re the only grandfather I recognize."
He refused to be associated with the second branch.
Chen Qiyao sneered. "Stop pretending to be innocent. I know you’ve long since reunited with them. You knew the truth all along but chose to hide it from me, even urging me to petition for your early succession to the title. You and they are cut from the same cloth."
Chen Shuoye wept uncontrollably, "I was just too afraid—afraid that once you found out, Grandfather, you would disown me. Is blood relation truly that important? If it were possible, I too wish I were your biological grandson. Birth isn't something I could change. Grandfather, give me a chance to prove myself. I can become your most outstanding grandson." He refused to let his life rot away and made one last desperate plea, gambling on the years of affection between grandfather and grandson.
Yu Miaohua sighed and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, he’s right. It’s unfair to judge someone based solely on their birth."
Yu Miaoping nearly thought her sister had been possessed—this didn’t sound like something her sister would say.
Yu Miaohua continued, "So let’s do as he suggests and give him a chance to prove himself. Send him to the military camp. I’ve heard that when the old general first went to battle, he fought like one against ten, single-handedly claiming dozens of enemy heads."
She turned to Chen Shuoye with a look of sincerity. "I believe he won’t tarnish the old general’s reputation. He’ll be unstoppable on the battlefield and become the new generation’s god of war."
Yu Miaoping relaxed—this was indeed her sister, not some impostor.
"Yes, my sister is right. He should be given a chance," Yu Miaoping chimed in.
For Chen Shuoye, even standing in a horse stance daily was enough to drain half his life, let alone surviving military camp. Of course, if he truly reformed after experiencing the battlefield, given his master’s temperament, the ties might not be severed completely.
Chen Shuoye froze. Being sent to the military camp? That was practically a death sentence!
No, he’d rather return to the second branch of the family than go to the military.
His face twisted in resistance, but Pei Lingyue found Yu Miaohua’s words utterly reasonable.
Since they were so obsessed with the old general’s title, they ought to experience the battlefield firsthand.
Thus, he immediately decreed that Chen Shuoye be sent to the military camp.
Yu Miaohua smiled brightly. "No pain, no gain. After this trial, he’ll surely be reborn."
As someone sent by imperial decree, he would undoubtedly receive "special care."
Seeing this, the children of the second branch dared not utter another word. Originally, they had planned to beg the Marquis for mercy, but now they abandoned the idea entirely. None of them wanted to be sent to the military.
Though they were expelled, the second branch still had some assets. If they lived frugally, they could scrape by.
Having accomplished her task effortlessly, Yu Miaohua returned to the palace in high spirits.
The matter of Old General Chen quickly spread throughout the capital, becoming even more dramatic than a stage play. The streets buzzed with gossip.
The second branch of the Chen family, now living in a modest three-courtyard residence, found their home repeatedly doused in filth, reeking to high heaven.
They dared not step outside during the day, fearing rotten vegetables hurled at them. The common folk, guided by their simple sense of justice, refused to sell them food. The Chens had to pay exorbitant prices for even a meal.
As Yu Miaohua had witnessed the events firsthand, many concubines flocked to her for details, which she happily shared.
Her younger sister, Yu Miaoping, even visited the palace to update her.
From her sister, Yu Miaohua learned that after Chen Qiping sobered up, he cried injustice and stubbornly denied his crimes—until the torture broke him, and he confessed.
The next day, he was beheaded. With the charge of stealing the iron certificate of pardon, no one spoke in his defense.
His second son, Chen Anyang, and his wife, Lady Cao, were sentenced to thirty lashes and exile. The rest of the second branch were stripped of their noble status and barred from imperial examinations for three generations.
Old Madam Chen, sent to a nunnery, awoke to the news of the second branch’s fate and immediately suffered a stroke, her face contorted and half her body paralyzed.
Yu Miaohua thought that keeping the paralyzed old woman in the nunnery would only burden the nuns. Since she had schemed for her second son at the expense of her eldest, it was only fair that the second branch take care of her now.
The Emperor agreed and ordered Old Madam Chen returned to the second branch. Her confiscated belongings were also returned, but with no one willing to tend to her properly, even meals were served scalding hot.
Rumor had it the old woman wept incessantly.
Yu Miaohua guessed she was drowning in regret—a fate entirely of her own making.
Noble Lady Sun sighed upon hearing the Chen family’s story. "Sometimes, so-called family is worse than strangers."
Knowing Noble Lady Sun’s past, Yu Miaohua understood her melancholy.
"Your so-called family must be regretting their actions now."
When they drove Noble Lady Sun and her mother out, they likely never imagined the mother-daughter pair would rise again. If Noble Lady Sun delivered her child safely, regardless of gender, she would at least be promoted to concubine.
Sun Shanlan’s lips curled in scorn. "They even sought out my mother. My eldest brother divorced his wife, claiming she had been the one sowing discord all along. He said he regretted everything and wanted to take my mother back, to care for her properly."
"Back then, they expelled us under the pretext that my mother had ‘cursed’ my father to death."
Yu Miaohua could only marvel at the shamelessness of some people.
"Your mother didn’t soften, did she?" When Noble Lady Sun was cast out, she was only five. Her mother had no choice but to return to her own family, who treated them poorly. Once they’d squeezed what little money they could from them, they too found excuses to drive them away. That was why Noble Lady Sun had gritted her teeth and entered the palace.
Noble Lady Sun shook her head, a faint smile touching her lips.
"The moment they spoke, my mother fainted. Nanny Qian declared they’d angered her into collapse and threatened to report them to the palace. That scared them off."
After accepting Noble Lady Sun’s allegiance, Yu Miaohua had requested Nanny Qian from the Empress Dowager.
As a former palace servant who had attended the Empress Dowager—even if not as a confidante—Nanny Qian’s status alone was enough to intimidate outsiders.
Yu Miaohua found the Sun family’s audacity baffling. After cutting all ties so ruthlessly, they now acted as if nothing had happened, crawling back now that Noble Lady Sun might rise in rank. Did they take her for a fool?
If they’d stayed quiet, she might have let bygones be bygones. But this stunt ensured Noble Lady Sun would settle the score once her child was born.
Speaking of Noble Lady Sun, Yu Miaohua sent Hong Xing, skilled in medicine, to check on her every few days, ensuring no harm came to her.
She hadn’t forgotten the vision she’d seen—Noble Lady Sun’s lifespan might end abruptly on the nineteenth of January next year.
Noble Lady Sun said coolly, "My eldest brother’s son passed the provincial exams. Perhaps they think I, as an imperial consort, need family backing."
Yu Miaohua was baffled. "Isn’t your backer supposed to be me?"
Were the Sun family overestimating their importance?
Noble Lady Sun said, "If they dare to come to our door again, my mother won’t hesitate to take them to court and thoroughly revisit the old matter of how they drove us out of the family."
After spending half the day at Yu Miaohua’s palace, Noble Lady Sun returned to her own quarters.
As she passed through the imperial garden, she overheard palace maids talking behind a rockery—mentioning her name. She couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.
"Noble Lady Sun has gone to Guanju Palace again. She’s quite bold, isn’t she? Not afraid of suffering through ten months of pregnancy only to hand the child over to someone else. If I were her, I’d first secure His Majesty’s permission to raise the child myself."
"Consort Hui doesn’t seem like that kind of person, though. I heard she has no intention of taking Noble Lady Sun’s child."
"Just empty words—do you really believe that? If it weren’t for the child in Noble Lady Sun’s womb, why would Consort Hui go out of her way to be so attentive, sending all sorts of precious gifts her way? It’s hardly just out of the goodness of her heart."
"Noble Lady Sun isn’t losing out either. Consort Hui is a generous woman. If she takes the child, she’ll surely help Noble Lady Sun rise to a higher rank as a consort."
"The only worry is whether Noble Lady Sun will live long enough to enjoy it. With her as the birth mother, how could the child ever truly bond with another…?"
The palace maids accompanying Noble Lady Sun trembled with fury upon hearing this.
Noble Lady Sun’s eyes darkened, and she said coldly, "Take them to His Majesty. Repeat every word they just said to him, exactly as they said it."
This was nothing more than some concubine in the palace trying to sow discord between her and Consort Hui.
These people had completely misunderstood one thing—from the very beginning, it had been Noble Lady Sun who sought out Consort Hui, looking for a powerful ally. It was she who had offered to give her child to Consort Hui, only for Consort Hui to refuse.
If Consort Hui truly wanted a child, it would be far more advantageous for her to support a lower-ranking concubine than Noble Lady Sun.
To maliciously speculate about Consort Hui’s character like this was unforgivable.
Childbirth was already a perilous ordeal for women. If such rumors were allowed to spread unchecked, and something were to happen to Noble Lady Sun later, wouldn’t it unjustly tarnish Consort Hui’s reputation?
She wanted to see who, despite living comfortably, was foolish enough to stir up trouble.
The two maids tried to flee, but Noble Lady Sun acted swiftly. Before they could escape, they were bound and delivered to Pei Lingyue.
At first, the maids stubbornly denied everything, but they eventually confessed—they had been paid to spread such gossip.
In the past, such offenders would have been given fifty lashes and expelled from the palace.
But Pei Lingyue had since changed his mind—that punishment was far too lenient.
Had Noble Lady Sun been less discerning and taken their words to heart, growing suspicious of Yu Miaohua, it would have caused endless complications.
Pei Lingyue ordered them sent to a royal estate, where they would spend the rest of their lives toiling in the fields. Farming was far more grueling than palace service, and their living conditions would be a far cry from the comforts they once knew. Their futures were now utterly hopeless.
Upon hearing this sentence, the two maids fainted on the spot.
Yu Miaohua only learned of the incident the following day.
What shocked her even more was that the one who had bribed the maids was Siqi, a second-rank maid from Yong’an Palace.
Yu Miaohua was close with Consort Yuan Huirou and often visited Yong’an Palace. She had some impression of Siqi—a quiet, gentle woman who was skilled at tending flowers.
"Are you certain there’s no mistake?"
Pei Lingyue nodded.
"Someone must have bribed Siqi. Sister Yuan isn’t that kind of person."
[Host, appearances can be deceiving. In the harem, there are no true sisters. Maybe she’s been pretending all along to deceive you!]
[Shut up! I believe in Sister Yuan. Besides, Sister Yuan isn’t even clever enough to scheme like this—she’s more likely to be the one being manipulated!]
[…]
Pei Lingyue, reading Yu Miaohua’s inner thoughts, was momentarily speechless. But Consort Yuan… really wasn’t the sharpest. If not for the Empress’s protection and his own favoritism, she would have been dead many times over by now.
"Your Majesty, whoever is trying to drive a wedge between me, Sister Yuan, and Noble Lady Sun must be exposed. You must investigate thoroughly and clear our names!" Yu Miaohua was furious.
Pei Lingyue nodded. "Rest assured, I won’t let you suffer unjustly."
Yu Miaohua felt reassured—until she realized her relief had come too soon.
[In the harem, there are no true sisters. Only retaliation can deter schemers—the best defense is a good offense. Host has triggered Main Mission 5.2: Frame Consort Yuan and have her placed under house arrest. Reward: Cement formula.]
[System, you @#$%&…!]
Yu Miaohua, seeing the mission, erupted into a string of censored curses.
Though Pei Lingyue couldn’t hear the exact words—divine interference had blurred them—the expression on her face was unmistakable. Consort Hui was clearly livid, cursing up a storm.
He had come to Guanju Palace as soon as the confessions were obtained, hoping a new mission might appear.
Every time harem conflicts involved Yu Miaohua, new missions tended to follow. His hunch had been correct—but judging by her reaction, she had no intention of completing this one.
Consort Hui was simply too kind, too devoted to sisterhood.
[Ahhh, Host, I’m innocent! The mission wasn’t my idea! If you curse the backend, don’t take it out on me, okay? QAQ]
Faced with her wrath, the system cowered. Over the past year, the host had become far more proactive with missions. It dreaded the possibility of her reverting to her old, lazy ways.
This was a woman who had once stubbornly refused missions for months while languishing in the cold palace.
[What a shame about the reward, though… Who knows how long it’ll take to trigger the cement formula again? It’s one of the three great transmigration tools, on par with glass and gunpowder!]
Wait—this reward was comparable to gunpowder and glass?
Pei Lingyue’s interest was instantly piqued. Gunpowder had revolutionized warfare, while glass had filled Great Qi’s treasury to overflowing. With ample funds, he could finally implement long-planned policies without restraint.
Just how remarkable was this "cement"?
Watching Yu Miaohua’s clear reluctance to proceed, Pei Lingyue felt a pang of frustration. He was tempted to step in and personally guide her through framing Consort Yuan.
Of course, if Consort Yuan was innocent, Pei Lingyue would make it up to her later.
For now, Pei Lingyue decided to discuss the matter with Consort Yuan’s father.
"Get some rest. Don’t let this trouble you further."
After seeing the Emperor off, Yu Miaohua resolved to lose herself in a novel.
[System, find me some cathartic, satisfying reads!]
…
Pei Lingyue summoned Yuan Xinji to the palace.
Upon learning that his daughter’s maid, Siqi, had been involved, Yuan Xinji immediately said, "The Consort isn’t that kind of person. She doesn’t have the brains for it."
Pei Lingyue: "…"
Truly her father’s daughter.
"Consort Hui said the same thing."
Yuan Xinji’s lips twitched—proof that Consort Hui and his daughter were indeed close.
Yuan Xinji said, "I’ll investigate Siqi’s affairs thoroughly once I return."
After the emperor ascended the throne, his daughter was enfeoffed as an imperial consort. Yuan Xinji worried that his daughter wasn’t clever enough and might easily be manipulated as a pawn. He also feared that the palace servants around her might be bribed, so the first and second-rank maids serving the consort were all thoroughly vetted by the Yuan family. The two first-rank maids were even born and raised in the Yuan household, having accompanied the consort since her days in the family estate.
As for Siqi, though she wasn’t a Yuan family servant by birth, her parents now worked as stewards on one of the Yuan family’s estates.
Yet Siqi had clearly betrayed Yuan Huirou. Who knew what kind of leverage had been offered to sway her?
Yuan Xinji’s gaze sharpened.
Pei Lingyue gave a light cough and said, "Because of this matter, Consort Hui has triggered a new mission."
Yuan Xinji understood immediately. "The new mission involves the consort?"
No wonder the emperor had summoned only him and not the other ministers. Yuan Xinji had originally planned to have his daughter visit Consort Hui more often, but before he could even give the order, the mission had come to him on its own.
Yuan Xinji was intensely curious—and even felt a hint of competitiveness. He hoped the mission’s reward would surpass Chen Qiyao’s.
Pei Lingyue nodded and revealed the details.
"Consort Hui and the other consort are on good terms, but she was so furious she cursed the gods and refused to undertake the mission."
"The mission’s reward is cement, said to be no less valuable than gunpowder and glass."
If it were just an ordinary reward, it wouldn’t matter. But this reward was on par with gunpowder and glass… They had to take this mission! If they didn’t, he’d become a traitor to Great Qi.
Yuan Xinji declared at once, "For the sake of Great Qi, the consort can endure a little hardship."
His voice was firm, his expression righteous and resolute.
"This minister can also use this opportunity to lure out the mastermind behind the plot."
Yuan Xinji knew the emperor’s temperament well—if his daughter suffered injustice, the emperor would surely compensate her tenfold. Hmm, he should also make sure to inform his friends so they’d know of his daughter’s contribution.
And so, an emperor and his minister sat in the palace, meticulously discussing how to frame the consort—with one of them being the consort’s own father!
The consort: …What the hell?
