Emperor Wenhui was provoked into furious rage by the Empress’s words. He stepped forward and raised his palm high, but didn’t bring it down.

“You dare strike this palace?”

Pushing Emperor Wenhui away, the Empress stepped barefoot on those bright yellow boots.

“Have you gone mad?”

Forcefully shoving the Empress aside, Emperor Wenhui stepped forward and kicked her in the abdomen, then said, “You wicked woman.”

The Empress was kicked and fell to the ground. The phoenix hairpin was heavy, and this sudden blow caused it to tilt and slide off, pulling loose a strand of gray-streaked hair along with it.

That strand of hair appeared especially conspicuous against the crimson carpet. The Empress stared at it, then suddenly began to laugh.

Emperor Wenhui was cowardly, but before he ascended the throne, the two of them had once shared a period of deep affection and tenderness.

Born into a prominent family, she was inevitably somewhat arrogant and domineering in temperament. Though Emperor Wenhui was timid and spineless, he could humble himself. Therefore, in the past when the two had rifts over small matters, it was always Emperor Wenhui who lowered his head first to admit fault and beg forgiveness.

No woman in the world, no matter how noble, could withstand her pillow companion’s daily sweet talk and honeyed words. Over time, she had come to believe Emperor Wenhui’s false and insincere nonsense.

But thinking about it now, how much of what Emperor Wenhui said was true, and how much was false?

“From the day you confined Chi’er, this palace should have seen your true face.”

“Shen Congyi, this palace asks you—did you have a hand in the matter of Chi’er defiling the harem?”

She had never thought of this before, but today, somehow, she suddenly asked this question aloud.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wenhui didn’t refute, but his eyes evaded hers.

“Ha… This palace knew it. This palace’s Chi’er was not such a lustful fool!”

Scalding hot tears slid from her eyes as the Empress lay on the ground laughing maniacally.

No wonder her Chi’er, after being discovered violating imperial consorts, never said a word in his own defense. Thinking about it now, he must have had suspicions early on, knowing that the person behind it all would never allow him to clear his name of this crime.

No wonder—no wonder after that, Chi’er’s temperament changed dramatically, becoming violent and suspicious.

The Empress crawled up from the ground. Seeing the scattered plum blossom pastries in the distance, she laughed coldly.

“Shen Congyi, you’re quite the actor. Acting for so long, you’ve probably even deceived yourself.”

In her youth, she had loved eating these plum blossom pastries most. After their marriage, Emperor Wenhui often had them sent to her. Whenever she saw them, she would recall their old affections.

But now, the plum blossom pastries scattered all over the floor seemed more like a mockery of her foolishness!

Grabbing the fallen pastries from the ground, the Empress desperately threw them at Emperor Wenhui.

“Wicked woman.”

Seeing those plum blossom pastries, Emperor Wenhui suddenly went mad. “Someone come! Pry open her mouth for me.”

The palace maids and eunuchs in the Empress’s chambers were so frightened they knelt and didn’t dare move. Xun You wanted to step forward to stop it, but was held back by the eunuch beside Emperor Wenhui. After a moment’s hesitation, he remained where he was.

Two eunuchs came forward from behind Emperor Wenhui. Moving efficiently, they pinned the Empress to the ground with her arms behind her back. One person gripped the Empress’s jaw, forcing her to open her mouth.

Emperor Wenhui picked up the scattered plum blossom pastries from the ground and desperately stuffed them into the Empress’s mouth.

“Thirty-two years ago at the New Year’s banquet, you flirted shamelessly with Prince Su’an and offered him plum blossom pastries—did you think I didn’t know? All these years, whenever I see these things, I can recall your revolting appearance back then.”

“These years, whenever you saw these things, you’d beam with joy. Did you think I didn’t know what thoughts you harbored?”

“Today I’ll grant your wish. Let you think about it to your heart’s content. Let you go down there to reunite with Prince Su’an sooner.”

Emperor Wenhui desperately stuffed plum blossom pastries into the Empress’s mouth. Upon hearing this, the Empress bit down hard on her jaw.

Sweet, warm blood flowed into her mouth. The two eunuchs, frightened, released their grip to help Emperor Wenhui, but he viciously slapped the Empress across the face.

“Heh… heh…”

Something from over thirty years ago, when she hadn’t yet come of age, when the two of them had no marriage agreement yet—he had remembered it until now?

Spitting out the debris from her mouth mixed with blood, the Empress laughed. “Petty-minded, incompetent, and treacherous. Shen Congyi, oh Shen Congyi…”

“Pull out all her sharp teeth for me. Let’s see how she’ll insult me then.”

All these years, he had long had enough.

Emperor Wenhui flung his sleeves and strode away.

Walking out of the Empress’s chambers, he said to the eunuch beside him, “Not a word of today’s events must leak out.”

“This servant understands.”

After a moment’s thought, Emperor Wenhui added, “Don’t let the Empress’s maternal clan know either.”

The eunuch nodded and turned to handle the aftermath.

After that day, news spread that the Empress had fallen gravely ill from excessive grief over her son.

Before the Empress fell gravely ill, she had issued an imperial decree determining the candidates for the Crown Prince’s Consort and Concubine positions. Now that the decree had been issued, the court ministers couldn’t oppose the Empress and lose face, so they could only continuously submit memorials to the Emperor, seeking to have Emperor Wenhui nullify the Empress’s decree.

But whether it was because Emperor Wenhui felt guilty, or simply didn’t care who the Crown Prince’s consorts were, there was no response for a long time.

While the court ministers kept submitting memorials on one side, Shen Qianyu stood forth on the other, stating directly that all the women the Empress selected possessed noble virtue. It was the ministers who valued women’s beauty and judged by appearances.

Moreover, the Empress was currently ill. If everyone insisted on opposing the Empress’s decree, they would place him in a position of disloyalty and unfiliality.

After several such instances, fewer and fewer people submitted memorials about this matter. Apart from Minister Luo, who still wouldn’t give up and sought out Shen Qianyu several times, everyone else followed the Crown Prince’s lead and stopped interfering.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Minister Luo was already advanced in age, yet he kept laboring over this matter. Shen Qianyu truly couldn’t bear it.

“Minister Luo, regarding the Crown Prince’s Consort matter, you need not persuade me further. This palace’s mind is made up. There is absolutely no possibility of change.”

Seeing Minister Luo’s face full of worry, Shen Qianyu sighed slightly. “This palace knows you are truly thinking of the realm, but this palace might as well speak plainly today—these women must enter the palace.”

“This palace has my own calculations.”

“Your Highness’s meaning is… for the sake of reputation?”

Shen Qianyu looked at him quietly, saying against his conscience, “Precisely.”

“Moreover, currently there are only two consorts and four concubines. The positions of Crown Princess, Chenghui, Zhaoxun, and Fengyi remain vacant. Why must you worry?”

“I see, I see. This old minister has been too rigid.”

Minister Luo nodded. Watching him, Shen Qianyu felt a pang in his heart.

So it turned out that in this court, not everyone was as he had thought—people who only sought wealth and power, skilled at flattery and sycophancy.

After persuading Minister Luo, there were no more opposing voices in court. In just over half a month, Emperor Wenhui issued an edict commanding that the Crown Prince’s Consort and Concubine candidates enter the Eastern Palace on an auspicious date.

“Have you asked whether those women are willing?”

Wan Xiao received the bright yellow cloak from Ji Rong’s hands, then nodded. “These women are all willing to enter the palace.”

“That’s good then.”

Song Wan’s thoughts were pure and kind, and she valued gentlemanly conduct. If she learned he was using innocent women to pave the way for her, she would surely regard him as a shameless scoundrel. What if those women became angry and in a moment of resentment refused to enter the palace—what would be done then?

Thinking of this, Shen Qianyu frowned slightly. “These women truly volunteered? Dong Chang didn’t coerce them?”

Wan Xiao lowered his eyelids helplessly. “Does Your Highness know what kind of treatment these women with difficult marriage prospects endure in their households?”

It would only be worse than what Song Wan endured at the Song Estate. How could they be unwilling to enter the Eastern Palace?

“That’s good then.”

Shen Qianyu’s heart was set at ease. His words had barely fallen when he heard Ji Rong come to report that Song Lan’an, Minister Song, requested an audience.