My Prince said he'd break my legs.

Cixi Palace

Consort Shu stood aside serving Empress Dowager Xie her meal, and she placed a piece of fish on Empress Dowager Xie's plate.

Empress Dowager Xie ate slowly and deliberately, showing no intention of inviting Consort Shu to sit down and eat with her.

Consort Shu seemed used to it, standing aside to serve her food.

"Aunt, Consort Jiang is dead." Her voice was still soft, but devoid of emotion.

Empress Dowager Xie naturally already knew about this, and she snorted coldly, "To die so quickly, it's too easy for her."

Empress Dowager Xie and the late Emperor were childhood sweethearts, and in the first few years of their marriage, the late Emperor doted on her.

It wasn't until one autumn hunt that the late emperor fell in love with Lady Jiang at first sight and directly made her a concubine. After she gave birth to Prince Chen, he further promoted her to the rank of Noble Consort Shu.

After Consort Shu entered the palace, the late emperor doted on her greatly, but he also coveted Empress Dowager Xie's beauty and soft body. He would only seek relief elsewhere when Consort Shu or Empress Dowager Xie were unwell.

Pei Yue was not Empress Dowager Xie's first child. Before Pei Yue, Empress Dowager Xie had given birth to the eldest prince and the eldest princess. Unfortunately, the eldest prince was killed by Consort Shu's scheme.

At that time, Empress Dowager Xie held the deceased eldest prince and cried, begging the late emperor to uphold justice. However, the late emperor simply said that the eldest prince died of a cold and ordered that the eldest prince be buried hastily. He did not even receive a posthumous title.

Later, the eldest princess also died, drowning. She wanted to find out the truth, but the late emperor sent people to secretly obstruct her.

From that moment on, Empress Dowager Xie hated the late Emperor and Consort Shu to the core. Unfortunately, the late Emperor protected Consort Shu and her children too well, and she had no chance to take action against them.

In order to have another child, she feigned friendship with the late emperor.

Empress Dowager Xie was extremely beautiful, with a beauty that could topple kingdoms. So every time she used a little trick, she could get the late emperor into her bed. It's ridiculous that she, the empress of a country, had to seduce her husband like those lowly women.

She endured humiliation by serving the late emperor, but fortunately, her womb was fertile and she gave birth to Pei Yue. She used the pressure from the previous dynasty to establish the eldest son as the heir apparent and made Pei Yue the crown prince.

Later, the late emperor even wanted to depose her crown prince, so she could only try to ruin the late emperor's health.

The late emperor claimed to love Consort Shu, yet he could not live without her body. Every time she seduced the late emperor, she poisoned everything she tasted during their intimate moments.

Although she took the antidote after each incident, over time, residual poison remained in her body.

By the time Pei Yue discovered her actions, the late emperor was already terminally ill, and she was in no better condition.

With the determination to die, she was determined to perish together with the late emperor. After the late emperor died, her health also collapsed.

But in the end, she won, didn't she?

Consort Shu lowered her eyes slightly and continued to serve Empress Dowager Xie food without saying a word.

"Have His Majesty been favoring Consort Zhao these past few months?" Empress Dowager Xie asked.

"Yes."

"Ha, just like his father, a romantic." Empress Dowager Xie put down her chopsticks, took the handkerchief handed to her by a maid, and gently wiped her mouth.

"A man's heart and body are separate; you must learn to curry favor, or do you want to wait in your palace for His Majesty to come to you?"

Empress Dowager Xie was infuriated by her indifferent demeanor: "Why don't you take advantage of the current sparse number of women in the harem to quickly bear a son or daughter to secure his favor? Once the mourning period for the late emperor is over and His Majesty expands his harem, will he still remember you then?"

Consort Shu opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed it back down and only managed to utter a single "Yes".

"You..." Empress Dowager Xie was speechless with anger. She waved her hand and said, "Fine, go back."

If you're not ambitious enough, forcing yourself won't help.

"This concubine takes her leave."

After Consort Shu left, Granny Xu brought over a bowl of medicine: "Your Majesty, this is a prescription that His Majesty ordered the imperial physicians to re-prescribe. The medicine has already been tested, and the effect is better than before."

Empress Dowager Xie took the medicine and drank it all in one gulp. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Exclusive favor? This Consort Zhao is quite shrewd, even more so than the former Consort Shu."

Xu Mama washed Empress Dowager Xie's hands: "His Majesty is so infatuated with Consort Zhao, I'm afraid the same thing that happened to the late Emperor will happen again. Consort Zhao must not be allowed to live. Your Majesty, should we send someone to kill her?"

Empress Dowager Xie sneered: "Death is so easy, but the dead are the ones people remember the most."

"Then what Your Majesty means is..." Xu Mama, who had served Empress Dowager Xie for many years, quickly realized what she meant: "There is a medicine in the Western Regions that can ruin a person's appearance. The initial symptoms of poisoning are like hay fever, and even the imperial physicians cannot diagnose it."

Empress Dowager Xie rubbed her forehead: "Let's wait a little longer. His Majesty is protecting her very well right now. Let's not let a woman cause a rift between my son and me."

Pei Yue has been a man of his own mind since childhood, and now that he has gained enough power, Empress Dowager Xie can no longer control him.

Moreover, ever since Pei Yue learned that she had poisoned the late emperor, the inspection of anything entering or leaving the palace has become extremely strict. Now, even her people would find it difficult to bring anything in.

"The Sixth Princess has been taken to Yaoguang Palace by Consort Zhao. Yaoguang Palace is full of His Majesty's people, so it won't be easy to do anything to her now."

Just because Consort Shu killed one of Empress Dowager Xie's sons and one of her daughters, Empress Dowager Xie would never let the Sixth Princess go.

"Hmph, if this little hussy wasn't still useful, I would have killed her daughter in front of that bitch just as she killed Yan'er, so she could taste my pain too."

"Although they didn't die, they've had their share of torture these past few months. They've used every kind of torture they could and shouldn't have. The suffering that the First Prince and the Eldest Princess endured, I'll make them pay a thousandfold."

For the past few months, Empress Dowager Xie has been bedridden, and everything she wants to do is done by Xu Mama, a ruthless woman.

When Liang Zhiyi returned to Yaoguang Palace, the eunuchs in front of Xuanhe Palace were already waiting for her.

Those around Pei Yue have always treated Liang Zhiyi, his favored concubine, with utmost courtesy.

"Greetings, Consort Zhao. His Majesty has summoned you to accompany him."

Liang Zhiyi didn't stop walking and went straight to the side hall: "Tell His Majesty that I am not feeling well today, so I will not be going to Xuanhe Hall to serve His Majesty."

The eunuch stood there awkwardly, at a loss for what to do.

I originally thought that inviting Consort Zhao to accompany the emperor was a lucrative task. After all, which concubine would be overjoyed to hear that the emperor had summoned her to accompany him and would reward the eunuch who delivered the decree?

Liang Zhiyi refused to go, and the eunuch could not force her to go. He could only return dejectedly to report back, not knowing whether His Majesty would be angry.

Upon entering the side hall, the Sixth Princess was still asleep. Liang Zhiyi asked the maidservant beside her,

"The princess has been sleeping until now."

"Yes, he has not woken up."

"Go and fetch the imperial physician to take a look."

"Yes." The palace maid responded and was about to leave when she heard the Sixth Princess's voice.

"No need, I'm fine." The Sixth Princess sat up, looking at Liang Zhiyi with a pitiful expression. "Could you please let them leave first?"

Liang Zhiyi didn't hesitate: "You may all step back."

The palace maids who were responsible for serving Liang Zhiyi all looked at Qinglan behind her, but did not make a move.

Seeing that Liang Zhiyi was about to lose her temper, Qinglan quickly waved her hand, signaling all the palace maids in the room to leave.

The sixth princess is now emaciated and looks like she's barely breathing; she probably can't hurt the empress.

Thinking about it, Qinglan also left.

Liang Zhiyi glanced at Chunmei and gestured for her to stand guard at the door. Chunmei understood and followed her out.