Lin Jiayue’s crazed and delirious appearance truly didn’t seem feigned. The Empress watched coldly and had someone summon Jiang Xingjian.

Jiang Man was seething with anger, nearly gnashing her white teeth to pieces.

Earlier she had thought Lin Jiayue truly possessed some extraordinary talent—not only able to produce ice out of thin air in summer, but also possessing firearms. She had assumed she was some expert from a reclusive clan, never imagining she was a fool stupid to the core.

From a marquis household’s legitimate daughter all the way up to a palace consort, Jiang Man had encountered countless people. Yet even so, she had never seen someone of such lowly birth dare to speak recklessly and make frivolous promises before an imperial consort.

Brazenly using the claim of possessing firearms to deceive the marquis household’s heir into becoming a concubine in the marquis’s residence, using poisonous lead powder, swearing oaths and guaranteeing she could earn any amount of silver…

How dare she?

How dare she!

Jiang Man placed her hands on her knees and gripped them tightly.

Before long, Jiang Xingjian was brought in. As soon as Lin Jiayue saw him, she immediately cried out “Brother Xingjian.” Hearing this, Consort Yun pulled her handkerchief to cover the mocking smile at her lips.

Jiang Xingjian’s brow furrowed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.

“Brother Xingjian, I’m sorry. Yue’er has caused trouble for you.”

Her appearance was haggard with illness, and now crying until her eyes were bloodshot, she looked extremely pitiful.

“Brother Xingjian, you feared I would be sad and distressed, willing to neglect your legitimate wife to treat me with such genuine devotion, yet I kept causing you trouble. Yue’er has failed you. Yue’er deserves to die.”

“Your Majesty the Empress, it’s all this concubine’s fault. Everything was done by this concubine. You must not blame Brother Xingjian.”

“He is innocent. His only mistake was loving me too much.”

Song Wan stood to one side, her face slightly flushing upon hearing these words.

She truly felt embarrassed for Lin Jiayue, and ashamed for herself as well.

A perfectly good young lady, speaking such words in public—it was truly improper. Yet after a moment of discomfort, she glanced at her again with profound eyes.

Lin Jiayue was clever. At a time like this, only by firmly binding herself together with Jiang Xingjian could she avoid being cast aside as a sacrificial piece.

This display of deep affection made Jiang Xingjian’s scalp tingle.

Seeing Lin Jiayue cry until her eyes were blood-red, Jiang Xingjian suppressed his anger and protected her.

Her performance today made it seem as if the two were loyal and devoted, pledged to each other alone. How could he retreat at this critical moment and push her out to appease the Empress’s anger?

What would the world think of him then?

The veins at Jiang Xingjian’s temples throbbed. He concealed Lin Jiayue behind himself, making every protective gesture.

“I wonder why Your Majesty the Empress has summoned this humble subject?”

The Empress waved her hand, and the palace lady official recounted the matter of Huanyan Studio selling lead powder.

Jiang Xingjian spoke with a grave expression. “Your Majesty, please investigate clearly. Jiayue is an inner chamber woman who cannot even leave the inner quarters. How would she know that lead powder was poisonous? Though she helps manage one or two shops for the household, everything in the shops passes through the shopkeeper’s hands and truly has nothing to do with Jiayue.”

“It is this subject’s wife who failed in supervision, allowing someone to exploit the situation.”

Jiang Man spoke quietly. She didn’t care what happened to Lin Jiayue, but Jiang Xingjian could not have problems. She and the marquis’s residence could not bear the crime of poisoning palace consorts.

“With one sentence about ‘failure in supervision,’ does Consort Jiang wish to evade the charge of harming palace consorts?”

“Noble Consort Rong’s words are mistaken. The powder from Huanyan Studio was not something this consort wanted to send into the palace. Rather, it was Consort Yun who that day, possessed by some madness, insisted on targeting the marquis’s residence. Could it be that Consort Yun knew there was a problem with this powder and had this consort send it to the other ladies?”

Upon hearing this, Song Yuning laughed coldly. “Consort Jiang’s words are truly interesting. Your own shop sells items mixed with poison, yet you blame the buyers.”

“If Consort Jiang weren’t blinded by greed and passing off inferior goods as quality ones, taking items used by prostitutes and actors, refurbishing them, and then peddling them at prices a hundred or thousand times the original cost, this consort wouldn’t have noticed this small rouge shop.”

“Speaking of which…”

Song Yuning blinked. “Consort Jiang’s shop has earned quite a bit, hasn’t it? I wonder what a mere consort needs so much silver for?”

The Empress glanced indifferently at Jiang Man. Jiang Man’s expression turned cold. “Why must Consort Yun speak in such a strange tone? The Empress is still here. Whether the marquis’s residence was framed and falsely accused, or whether someone with ulterior motives schemed against this consort, Her Majesty will have her own conclusion.”

“Consort Jiang is such an intelligent person—how could she be framed and schemed against? The Fifth Prince takes after his mother. If what Consort Jiang says in self-deprecation were true, how could he be as diligent in his studies, clever, and wise as he is now?”

Just a few days ago, the Fifth Prince had been punished by His Majesty for being lazy in his studies. Today, Song Yuning came to poke at her sore spot.

Jiang Man’s expression was unbearably gloomy. Just as she was about to retaliate, a eunuch outside announced that His Majesty had arrived.

When Emperor Wenhui entered, everyone rose to pay respects. After one “rise,” the room fell silent.

“What’s going on? Making such a grand spectacle?”

Song Wan kept her eyes slightly lowered, not looking directly at Emperor Wenhui. Lin Jiayue, on the other hand, had her eyes darting about with a somewhat curious expression.

The lady official reported the entire sequence of events. After hearing it, Emperor Wenhui said, “Has that powder been sent into the palace?”

“Because the palace…”

Before the Empress could finish speaking, Emperor Wenhui interrupted. “So it hasn’t then? If that’s the case, why make such a fuss?”

The Empress’s face darkened. Song Wan, however, saw a trace of mockery in Jiang Man’s eyes, while her aunt’s expression remained indifferent and the various consorts looked unsurprised.

No wonder Jiang Man acted so brazenly—she enjoyed the Emperor’s exclusive favor.

“What Marquis Chengyang says is not without reason. This Lady Lin is merely a woman of the rear chambers. How could she have such capability? It must be the shopkeeper who did this.”

“Such a villain who deceives superiors and conceals from subordinates truly deserves severe punishment.”

“Someone come! Give that rouge shop’s shopkeeper eighty strokes of the heavy rod, confiscate the goods and silver to return to the people, and his descendants for three generations shall never again be permitted to engage in commerce…”

With just two or three sentences, Emperor Wenhui had characterized the matter.

Song Wan stood to the side, her heart sinking slightly.

All the elaborate moves she, her aunt, and the Empress had made were lightly picked up and erased one by one.

“Making such a small matter look like a joint trial of three courts—utterly absurd.”

Emperor Wenhui rose to leave. The Empress’s expression was gloomy. “This poisonous rouge may have nothing to do with Marquis Chengyang’s residence, but it is a fact that Marquis Chengyang dotes on his concubine and neglects his wife.”

“If it’s a fact, then the Empress should punish him. Surely you can’t handle even this small matter?”

“Everyone disperse.”

Emperor Wenhui strode away. The Empress’s face alternated between pale and flushed, looking extremely unpleasant.

Ever since the First Prince was exposed for moral failings, she had never been able to hold her head up before Emperor Wenhui. After rebuking Jiang Xingjian a few times, the Empress also left in resentment.

Everyone dispersed one by one. Lin Jiayue knelt to the side with tearful eyes. “Brother Xingjian, are we all right now?”

Some lower-ranking consorts who hadn’t yet left the room saw her performance and sneered coldly or looked down with disdain.

Lin Jiayue acted as if she didn’t see them, timidly and delicately hiding behind Jiang Xingjian, impossible to shake off.

Song Wan stood to the side with a calm expression, neither hurried nor impatient.

Though they hadn’t been able to do anything to Jiang Man, after today, everyone in the world would know that Jiang Xingjian had deep affection for a concubine in his household, willing to brave danger in the deep palace for her.

First there was the marquis’s residence with its frequent troubles, then there was Jiang Xingjian doting on his concubine and neglecting his wife. Anyone with eyes would know that the marquis’s residence, from top to bottom, was full of bean-curd-brained fools.

Glancing at Lin Jiayue who was becoming increasingly soft and clingy, Song Wan thought to herself that today’s trip hadn’t been a waste of effort after all.