Too high to reach

Chapter 306 Reaching Out to Cradle
Since returning to the palace from the western suburban camp, the Empress has been filled with anger that is difficult to quell.

He hated Dongfang for his audacity in humiliating him so wantonly. He also hated his daughter for being so useless, ruining the Crown Prince's most glorious moment.

Finally, he also resented the Emperor: Dongfang's actions were enough to wipe out his entire family several times over, yet the Emperor clearly favored him.

With nowhere to vent her frustration, the usually dignified and gentle empress of the harem...

Finally, he exercised his power, deliberately finding fault and severely punishing the palace maids and concubines. Even Consort De was given a beating.

This hasn't happened in many years.

Although only the Empress went to the Western Suburbs Camp, the news of Dongfang Guihui and the Princess's embarrassment had already reached the inner palace as soon as they returned.

Consort Dong didn't care about the Empress's mood or whether others were punished.

He was laughing so hard... he could barely stand up straight.

Every time he came to pay his respects to the Empress, he would ramble on with a string of complaints. He would also specifically ask Princess Yu'an, "Why isn't the princess coming to the palace anymore? Alas, I wonder if her injuries have healed. External wounds are easy to treat, but emotional wounds are hard to heal. How pitiful..."

The gossip got to the point where the Empress couldn't take it anymore. If she kept putting it off, she'd be a tortoise for a thousand years.

So, he reprimanded Consort Dong and then ordered her to kneel in the courtyard as punishment.

How could Consort Dong agree? She used a mix of mockery and threats, implying, "Try touching me if you dare."

The Empress really wanted to test the waters, so she ordered the palace maids to force Consort Dong to kneel in the courtyard. Consort Dong struggled violently, but the palace maids grabbed and pulled her forcefully.

In the end, her hair was disheveled, and her delicate skin was covered in bruises.

The young Consort Dong was also spoiled, and she made a huge fuss, vowing, "I will never let you get away with this."

The Empress stood in the palace gate, looking down at the disheveled Consort Dong. She finally got her revenge after years of resentment.

I always thought you were just a jerk; your methods and personality were far inferior to your sister's.

The Emperor dotes on you, so as long as it doesn't interfere with my affairs, feel free to make a fuss.

However, the Emperor has grown old and no longer values ​​romantic relationships. He hasn't visited his concubines' quarters for at least several years. Without that kind of influence, even if he shows favoritism, it won't be much.

The Empress forced a twisted, mocking smile, and Consort Dong looked up and saw it clearly.

This was a kind of empress that Consort Dong had never seen before...

Seeing the surprised look on Consort Dong's face, the Empress smiled to herself: Little Fifteen has grown up. Some people say that he is the most handsome prince in history.

Ha, how ridiculous. In the first few years, that's what everyone said about the Crown Prince.

That old witch, the Empress Dowager, wants to protect herself and wield power, yet she can't easily control me. It's hard to guarantee she won't set her sights on the fifteenth prince.

After all, I know too much about her.

But we can't touch her yet. She still has a witness who's willing to risk everything... at least until we find her, we can't do anything about it.

But I can nip other possibilities in the bud... like Little Fifteen.

Before this, I had actually tried it twice when the opportunity arose. However, neither attempt succeeded.

The reason is unknown; it's almost as if he was just lucky...

The emperor was in the front court conducting official business, so how could he know what was happening in the inner palace?
Therefore, Consort Dong was indeed forced to kneel for a while.

Then a maidservant softly inquired, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager requests your presence... She requests that Your Majesty and Consort Dong accompany you..."

Sure enough!

Humph……

The Empress narrowed her eyes slightly. "I... will go right now!"

……

As Wu's mother massaged Mo Yi's feet, her inner turmoil intensified.

"Your Majesty, judging from your appearance, you seem to have some emotional stagnation and your liver fire is a bit too strong. This stagnation needs to be released, and the liver fire needs to be cleared. I'll give you a good massage, just bear with it, and you'll feel better once it's all cleared up!"

Mo Yi smiled bitterly to herself. She could break through the blockage inside her body, but what about the blockage outside?

She couldn't even imagine what the prince would do if he found out...

No man, no matter how proud, would tolerate such a thing. Especially someone as proud as him…

What if he loses his composure and, in a fit of rage, becomes so eager for revenge that he loses his composure?
The Empress's lineage has come this far for a reason.

The prince possesses many things, but he also lacks many others. The crown prince, having cultivated his influence in court for years, has only received praise… Suddenly, thinking of Mo Yuan, Mo Yi felt a wave of nausea. This… she wanted to curse. She was truly furious.

...Right now, there's no witness testimony or physical evidence. It's just a relayed account, plus an unreliable nightmare...

Isn't this a big deal being handled too hastily?
Thinking about it this way, my heart suddenly felt like it was being fried in oil.

But in any case, there is one advantage to telling the truth: at least you won't take the wrong path again.

If I knew about Princess Yu'an and the Crown Prince, I would definitely be wary of them and would never go to the princess's residence as a guest!

Who knew, they weren't planning to use the same method against me?
He immediately broke out in a sweat again.

"My beloved!" she called out loudly.

"Your Majesty?" Hongyan entered.

"Go and see what the prince is doing. If he's not taking a bath, tell him I need to see him."

The beauty left in response.

"Mrs. Wu, let's call it a day."

"Yes. Please wash again in the clean water tub. This hot spring has a smell..."

Mo Yi didn't need her to serve her; she washed herself clean, got dressed, dried her hair, and braided it simply.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mom. You did a great job."

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness!" Madam Wu said with a smile. "It will be ready soon, Your Highness. You are welcome to come again anytime..."

Mo Yi nodded and went out.

She went back inside, where Li Jing was already waiting for her. "So urgent? What happened?"

Li Jing thought something had happened to her while she was taking a bath.

"Didn't you take a bath?" Mo Yi took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'm talking to them about something." Actually, Li Jing was checking Liu Nian's homework. "She can soak in it after dinner tonight."

"Mother Wu said that you can't soak it even when you're drinking alcohol."

Li Jing smiled and said, "Okay, drink less."

A maid brewed a pot of tea.

"Hongyan, you stand guard at the door and don't let anyone in."

Li Jing looked at Mo Yi's serious expression and was somewhat puzzled.

Only Li Jing and Mo Yi remained in the room. Mo Yi took out a garment from the bottom of her trunk. Inside the garment, she had made a hidden pocket, from which she pulled out a letter…

Then, he sat down in front of Li Jing.

“Your Highness, I have stumbled upon something by chance. However, I do not know everything, nor can I confirm its authenticity. This is because the witness herself does not know much, and she is already dead.”

Upon hearing that someone had died, Li Jing became serious.

"what happened?"

"Your Highness... I know about this matter, so I cannot keep it from you. However... the matter is too absurd, and there are no witnesses or physical evidence. If I tell you... please don't blame me."

The more she built up the tension, the more nervous Li Jing became. He knew that Mo Yi wasn't the type to be easily startled or speak carelessly.

"I won't blame you. We're husband and wife. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. Just tell me."

Mo Yi's story begins with the estate that Consort Feng gave her... until she met Chun Tao...

She stopped, and Li Jing stared at her intently.

Mo Yi sighed and handed over Chun Tao's dictation.

Li Jing's hand trembled slightly as she took it.

I quickly read it once, and then read it carefully twice more from the beginning.

I recognize each character individually, but putting them together...

Yet it feels so hard to understand...