The servants outside the hall broke through the door and rushed in.

Entering together with them was the Emperor.

“Jingshu!”

The Emperor rushed in, knelt on the ground, and lifted up the person from the pool of blood.

The Empress stood frozen in place.

She had thought of a thousand possibilities, but never imagined that Li Jingshu would use this move.

At the age of fifty, she was still playing the games young girls use to compete for favor. At such an advanced age, wasn’t she afraid of truly dying by her own blade?

She spoke with difficulty, “Your Majesty, it wasn’t this consort, it wasn’t…”

“It has nothing to do with Her Majesty the Empress…” Li Jingshu weakly parted her lips. “It was me, I angered Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty slapped me as a warning, but I still didn’t understand and said some inappropriate things, so Her Majesty the Empress… Don’t blame the Empress, it’s me, it’s all my fault…”

The Emperor saw the five-finger mark appearing on Li Jingshu’s face and saw that the clothes on her body were completely dyed red with fresh blood.

The Emperor’s eyes immediately turned crimson. “Where is the imperial physician! Where is the imperial physician? Quickly, someone come!”

Eunuch Gao hurriedly stepped forward. “The imperial physician will arrive immediately. Madam Jin now needs to lie on a bed. May I ask Your Majesty, where should we take Madam Jin for treatment?”

Without thinking, the Emperor said, “To Yangxin Hall.”

Eunuch Gao was stunned.

Yangxin Hall was where the Emperor usually rested. Even the Empress had never lived there. Now to let an outside noblewoman reside there was improper according to protocol.

But now the Emperor clearly wouldn’t listen to advice. Eunuch Gao could only call for the nannies to lift Li Jingshu up…

“Your Majesty, she cannot enter Yangxin Hall.” The Empress raised her eyes and spoke. “She is the late Duke’s widow. If she enters Yangxin Hall, what will the people of the world say?”

“If she doesn’t enter Yangxin Hall, then how about residing in Kunning Palace?” The Emperor spoke word by word. “Are you willing to give up Kunning Palace?”

The Empress’s chest suddenly constricted.

Before she could think of anything, a vicious slap struck her face head-on.

She was born with a golden key in her mouth, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Gongsun family. From childhood she received endless affection. After coming of age, countless people sought to marry her. Finally, she was bestowed in marriage by the Emperor to the second prince of that time, becoming the second prince’s consort. Immediately after, the second prince was made Crown Prince and inherited the throne. She naturally ascended to the position of Empress, becoming the mother of the nation, and soon gave birth to the Crown Prince… Everything in her life had been so smooth. This was the first time anyone had slapped her across the face.

The Empress’s entire body trembled.

“Venomous woman!” The Emperor’s face was full of disgust. “Jingshu has never competed with you and has always respected you as the Empress. A slap would have been enough, but you actually used a knife. Are you so intolerant of others?”

“This consort…”

The Empress’s lips trembled. It took her a long while to find her voice again.

The Emperor’s disgusted gaze was like a knife stabbing into her heart. Her heart seemed riddled with holes, the pain almost causing her to faint.

She had never dared to confront Li Jingshu directly because she knew that His Majesty would unhesitatingly choose that cheap woman.

But when this moment truly arrived, she finally understood just how much she cared…

“Without any capacity for tolerance, unfit to be the mother of the nation!” The Emperor’s voice stabbed at the Empress like a sharp blade. “Someone come, hear my decree. The Empress is without virtue. Immediately strip her of the phoenix seal and send her to the Cold Palace!”

The Empress’s tears fell in streams. “Just to let her recuperate in Kunning Palace, Your Majesty is going to send this consort to the Cold Palace?”

The Emperor flicked his sleeves. “Someone come!”

The nannies from outside surged in. They did not roughly take the Empress away but instead made a gesture of invitation.

“Good, good, good!”

The Empress raised her hand to wipe away her tears.

“I understand, Your Majesty. I comprehend now, hahaha!”

She raised her hand to remove the phoenix crown from her head and with a clang smashed it to the ground, then strode out.

Reaching the doorway, she paused. In her heart there was still that tiny thread of hope, hoping the Emperor would speak to make her stay.

But she heard, “Jingshu, does it hurt…”

The Empress turned back and saw the smile at the corners of Li Jingshu’s mouth that she hadn’t yet concealed.

After spending a lifetime scheming against others, she too had been pecked in the eye by this cheap woman. Life was truly too laughable.

The Empress was led away from Kunning Palace and taken to the Cold Palace.

Li Jingshu’s face was full of panic as she weakly said, “Erlang, I cannot, cannot live in Kunning Palace…”

The Emperor only hesitated for a brief moment. “Go to Yangxin Hall.”

Although the Empress had made a mistake, although she had been sent to the Cold Palace, she was still the Empress.

Li Jingshu’s expression was somewhat dazed.

She had only been retreating to advance. How did it really result in her not being allowed to stay in Kunning Palace?

But Yangxin Hall… was also a good place.

The nanny picked up Li Jingshu, placed her in a sedan chair, and four young eunuchs lifted the sedan chair, carrying her very smoothly to Yangxin Hall.

All the physicians from the entire Imperial Medical Institute had already been waiting. They took Li Jingshu’s pulse and prescribed medicine…

Such a grand commotion could be said to have become known to everyone.

“Heavens, Madam Jin moved into His Majesty’s Yangxin Hall?”

“I heard Madam Jin had a dispute with Her Majesty the Empress and was stabbed by the Empress. Because of this, the Empress was sent to the Cold Palace.”

“Madam Jin and His Majesty, could they possibly…”

“Have you forgotten? Back then, Madam Jin almost married the current Emperor…”

“So that’s how it is.”

“The Empress has been sent to the Cold Palace. Next, Madam Jin won’t enter the harem, will she?”

“Ah, this… They’re both fifty years old. Isn’t that inappropriate?”

“Whether it’s appropriate or not, only His Majesty has the say.”

“…”

Various rumors spread throughout the palace and beyond.

The servants of Prince Pingxi’s manor heard all the rumors from outside and returned to tell Yun Chu.

Yun Chu’s lips curved into an arc.

Li Jingshu had truly gone all out. What a pity—the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind… Of course, now was not the time for the oriole to make its move.

Chu Mo was in a desperate situation. After dealing with the Empress, the next target would be Prince Pingxi’s manor.

“Princess Consort, Xie Shiyun has arrived.”

Luwei walked in to report.

Yun Chu nodded. “After the children have finished their snacks, have him come to see me.”

This was the first time in over half a year that Xie Shiyun had come to the manor. He thought Chu Changsheng had long since forgotten him, never expecting to be invited again.

“Shiyun, you’ve come.”

Chu Changsheng was very enthusiastic.

Over the past six months, Mother had been pregnant with her little brother. She was afraid something dangerous might happen, so she hadn’t let Xie Shiyun come to the manor.

At first, she hadn’t understood the Xie family’s situation. Her brother had explained it to her in detail, and only then did she realize that the Xie family members were not good people. She gradually began to distance herself from Xie Shiyun.

Today’s invitation to Xie Shiyun was Mother’s idea.

After the children finished their snacks, Xie Shiyun was brought to the flower hall.

“I pay my respects to the Princess Consort!”

Xie Shiyun lowered his head in greeting.

“Brother Yun has gotten thinner…” Yun Chu sighed. “Has your eldest brother been mistreating you?”

Xie Shiyun said nothing.

Yun Chu continued, “You can tell your eldest brother that you often come to the manor. I think your eldest brother will show some consideration.”

“Thank you for the Princess Consort’s concern.” Xie Shiyun spoke. “The young princess is my friend. I don’t want to use the young princess. Things are already very good now.”

Yun Chu had someone reward him with some fruits and sent him back.

Before the carriage reached the Xie family residence, Xie Shiyun got off early. He didn’t want anyone in the Xie family to know that he and Chu Changsheng were friends.

As he entered the gate, he happened to see Xie Shi’an returning home, and also saw Xie Shi’an holding a strange doll in his hand. Because the doll was so unusual, he couldn’t help but take a few more glances at it.