"Speak!"
In an instant, all eyes turned to the attendant from the Bureau of Punishments who had just entered, burning with anticipation for the results of Hongxiu's interrogation.
Under the weight of their gazes, the attendant wiped sweat from his brow and answered shakily, "Hongxiu took her own life. Before dying, she confessed to deliberately adding clove powder to the incense pellets and framing Perfumer Yun."
A collective gasp swept through the room at the news of Hongxiu's death.
Just an hour ago, she had been alive and well—now, she was gone.
The only explanation they could think of was that Hongxiu, a delicate woman, had been unable to endure the brutal interrogation methods of the Bureau of Punishments and chose death to escape the torment.
Yun Wan's pupils constricted, her entire body turning cold.
Had she not been cautious, would she have been the one to die today?
She glanced toward Consort Shu and saw a look of smug amusement on the woman’s face, as if she were merely an outsider enjoying the spectacle, devoid of any concern or fear.
If it had been Yun Wan under interrogation, would Consort Shu have fought for her?
A heavy weight settled in Yun Wan’s chest, leaving no room for relief.
In the imperial palace, human life was cheap.
Emperor Jingxuan showed no reaction to Hongxiu’s death—a treacherous servant was no loss—but he was displeased that the Bureau of Punishments had allowed her to die so quickly.
"Her reason?" he demanded coldly.
The attendant replied, "She claimed that Consort Shen was domineering and had subjected her to beatings and abuse whenever she was in a foul mood over the years. Hongxiu harbored resentment and sought to teach Consort Shen a lesson."
He hastily produced a written confession and presented it. "This is Hongxiu’s signed testimony, bearing her fingerprint."
Emperor Jingxuan skimmed the document before passing it down.
After reading it, Imperial Concubine Li exclaimed indignantly, "So that’s how it was! Who would have thought Hongxiu hid such malice? She nearly deceived us all."
Once her anger subsided, she asked the attendant, "Did she say anything else before she died?"
The attendant shook his head. "Hongxiu knew she couldn’t escape death. After pressing her fingerprint, she bit off her tongue and died."
The interrogators had been careless, too eager to deliver results to notice Hongxiu’s determination to die. By the time they realized, she had already lost too much blood to survive.
Though the woman had taken her own life out of guilt, the crowd couldn’t help but sigh at the loss.
With Emperor Jingxuan silent, no one else dared to speak.
After exchanging glances with the other concubines, Imperial Concubine Li ventured cautiously, "Your Majesty, what should be done now?"
The culprit behind the poisoning had been found—but she was dead. Yun Wan, once a suspect, had been exonerated, leaving the entire affair feeling like a farce.
"Your Grace! Your Grace, slow down!"
A maid’s frantic voice rang out from the inner chamber before Consort Shen stumbled into view, her face half-covered by a veil. She collapsed to her knees before Emperor Jingxuan and wailed,
"Your Majesty! I beg you to grant me justice! Look at my face—"
Beneath the veil, her forehead was covered in a rash of red bumps, and even her exposed eyes were swollen beyond recognition.
Had it not been for her voice, no one would have recognized her as Consort Shen.
Consort Shu shot her a disgusted glance and snapped, "Consort Shen, why aren’t you resting inside? How dare you come out looking like this and risk offending His Majesty!"
Consort Shen paled, her eyes welling with tears as she pleaded, "Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine Li—someone tried to kill me! I beg you to uphold justice for me!"
Emperor Jingxuan’s gaze darkened as he looked down at her. "Someone tried to kill you? Who do you mean?"
Imperial Concubine Li tensed, a sense of foreboding rising in her chest.
Before she could intervene, Consort Shen blurted out, "That new perfumer—Yun Wan! It was her incense that did this to me! I beg Your Majesty to punish her!"
She touched her ruined face, tears streaming down, oblivious to Emperor Jingxuan’s stormy expression and Imperial Concubine Li’s resigned sigh.
What an idiot.
Yun Wan, now composed, watched the scene unfold with detached coldness.
Emperor Jingxuan’s voice was dangerously soft. "Why would she harm you when you’ve had no prior conflict?"
Consort Shen, too swollen and miserable to sense the tension, sobbed, "Then she must have been ordered by someone else! The person behind her wanted to—"
"Consort Shen!" Imperial Concubine Li cut in sharply. "Mind your words. Do not make baseless accusations."
Consort Shen blinked in confusion. "Imperial Concubine Li?"
But Imperial Concubine Li ignored her.
Consort Shu smirked and said, "Sister Shen, your maid Hongxiu already confessed. She admitted to resenting you and deliberately lacing the incense with clove powder to harm you."
Consort Shen’s face twisted in shock. "Impossible! Hongxiu grew up with me—she would never betray me!"
Concubine Hui, who had never gotten along with her, remarked airily, "Then perhaps you should reflect on why you beat and abused your servants until they turned against you. Isn’t this what they call ‘reaping what you sow’?"
Her mockery was blatant. Consort Shen seethed, "Concubine Hui, you—!"
She bit back her retort, still mindful of the emperor’s presence. When she looked up, Emperor Jingxuan’s icy expression made her shudder.
"Finished?" he asked flatly. "What justice did you want from me?"
Consort Shen swallowed hard. "Y-Your Majesty..."
She tried to explain, but fear choked her words.
Emperor Jingxuan’s voice was glacial. "You abused your maid and brought this upon yourself. Instead of reflecting, you slandered an innocent woman without evidence and demanded I punish her?"
"You insisted on having her make the incense, yet when something went wrong, you immediately accused her of malice. Do you take the imperial palace for a marketplace? Do you take me for a fool to be toyed with?"
By the time he finished, Consort Shen had gone deathly pale, collapsing to the floor in terror.
"Your Majesty, spare me! I was deceived by Hongxiu’s lies—please forgive me! Please calm your anger!"
"Calm my anger?" Emperor Jingxuan’s expression darkened like an approaching storm. "First Imperial Concubine Li claims oversight and begs for mercy, now you... It seems I’ve been too lenient with all of you."
A suffocating silence filled the hall. Not even Imperial Concubine Li dared to speak.
After a long pause, Emperor Jingxuan declared, "Consort Shen, I granted you that title in the hopes you would act with caution and discretion. Since you’ve failed..."
He sneered. "You are hereby demoted to the rank of Noble Lady, stripped of your residence in Changqing Palace. Your title remains as a reminder—let it engrave ‘caution’ into your heart."
The verdict delivered, Consort Shen fainted.
No one cared.
Emperor Jingxuan then turned his gaze to Imperial Concubine Li, his stern face filled with displeasure:
"As for you, Imperial Concubine, I entrusted you with the Phoenix Seal and the authority to manage the imperial harem. Yet recently, the inner court has been plagued by constant turmoil and repeated incidents. You have greatly disappointed me."
"Effective immediately, you are confined to your quarters for three months. Your authority over the harem is revoked, and the Phoenix Seal shall be handed over to Consort Shu and Consort Xian for safekeeping. The two consorts will jointly oversee palace affairs."
"Your Majesty!"
Imperial Concubine Li was stunned.
She wanted to defend herself, but when she met Emperor Jingxuan’s icy expression, her heart sank with despair, and she lowered her proud head in submission.
"...This concubine obeys your decree."
