pillow bird spring

Chapter 95 Exchange

The Empress Dowager knew, of course, how much the Emperor liked Consort De.

In addition, Prince Wen Xianli of Xiaopingyuan also had designs on Shen Yinshuang.

This woman will become a source of trouble sooner or later, so naturally we must eliminate her completely first.

"Hmph!" The Empress Dowager snapped out of her daze and sneered, "Guards, how can such a filthy and lowly woman be allowed to stay here! In this Buddhist temple, to commit such an immoral act, who knows what trouble she will cause in the future! Throw her to the back mountain and clean her up."

These words caused Shen Yinshuang's expression to change completely.

The mountain behind Kaiyuan Temple does not belong to Kaiyuan Temple; it is a mass burial ground.

Palace maids who made mistakes were executed and their bodies were thrown here.

Countless vultures roam above, feeding on corpses and bones.

Many people were literally eaten alive, their eyeballs and flesh devoured, and they were tortured to death in agony.

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, the guards immediately stepped forward and dragged Shen Yinshuang up.

Xiao Yin's black cloak slipped to the ground.

Shen Yinshuang's beautiful body was covered in scars, completely exposed to everyone's sight.

She didn't even have the strength to beg for mercy.

Princess Chengping stared at Shen Yinshuang expressionlessly, her eyes filled with bloodthirsty ruthlessness.

When Shen Yinshuang was dragged up, Xiao Yin and Nangong Zhao had already arrived.

Consort De also slowly walked over.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects," Consort De greeted. "What has happened to make you so angry?"

"How dare a lowly servant girl do such a scandalous thing in public! How can I tolerate her!" The Empress Dowager finished speaking with a gloomy expression.

Consort De glanced at it, her brows furrowing slightly.

Although Xiao Yin remained outwardly calm, his fists were already clenched.

Nangong Zhao easily sensed this impulse.

"Calm down," Nangong Zhao said in a low voice. "Going now will only make her suffer more!"

Nangong Zhao grabbed Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin steadied himself; it was his strong willpower that allowed him to calm down.

"Your Majesty, I think there's probably a misunderstanding... Shen Yinshuang has been with me these past two days, so there shouldn't be any problems," Consort De said.

"What, is Consort De going to protect this lowly servant?" The Empress Dowager looked at Consort De coldly. "If it were anything else, I might give Consort De some face. But such immoral behavior, especially at Kaiyuan Temple, is absolutely intolerable to me. Who knows what kind of trouble this lowly servant might cause in the future!"

Having said that, the Empress Dowager gave Consort De no further chance to speak, angrily shouting, "Why aren't you taking her away now? Are you trying to rebel?!"

"Yes." The guard did not dare to hesitate.

Consort De swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Anyone with eyes could see that the Empress Dowager was angry, and Consort De could not confront her head-on.

She glanced at Xiao Yin out of the corner of her eye and shook her head slightly.

This was to prevent Xiao Yin from acting impulsively.

"What are you all doing standing here!" The Empress Dowager's voice did not soften; she rebuked her sternly.

At this, the people around scattered like birds and beasts.

Consort De was no exception.

Shen Yinshuang was dragged by the guards towards the back mountain in despair.

Her eyes were filled with sorrow.

Princess Chengping, standing to the side, watched coldly, her expression more of a schadenfreude.

Shen Yinshuang was practically dragged away by the guards.

The embroidered shoes also fell off.

His foot slid across the sharp stone ground, leaving a long trail of blood.

Xiao Yin's gaze deepened.

Upon receiving the news, Pei Shouan rushed over immediately. Seeing the scene, Pei Shouan felt no pity, but rather a hint of schadenfreude.

"Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!" Pei Shou'an greeted her.

The Empress Dowager noticed that Pei Shou'an's expression was also not good.

Cheng Ping insisted on marrying Pei Shou'an, a fickle man, even though it wasn't his first marriage.

The Empress Dowager was unwilling to begin with, but she couldn't resist Chengping's persistent pleas.

He reluctantly nodded in agreement.

But every time she saw Pei Shou'an, she gave him a cold look.

Pei Shouan, thick-skinned, didn't care at all and continued to try to please the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. It's not worth getting upset over a lowly servant. Regardless of what my relationship with this lowly servant was before, I swear to the heavens that I am devoted to Princess Chengping and have no other intentions." Pei Shou'an was really swearing to the heavens.

This attitude pleased Princess Chengping.

On the surface, however, she remained incredibly arrogant: "Hmph, this lowly maid seduced you, didn't you feel tempted? I saw it with my own eyes."

"I have no ill intentions towards you." Pei Shouan said solemnly.

His gaze fell on the black cloak beside him, and he raised an eyebrow: "Look, the cloak Shen Yingshuang is wearing is clearly a man's cloak. Earlier, at the Emperor's place, I saw that it was General Xiao wearing. How is it such a coincidence that it's now on Shen Yingshuang?"

There was a hint of provocation in his words.

Pei Shou'an dragged Xiao Yin into the mess.

As expected, the Empress Dowager's expression changed instantly.

Not only the Empress Dowager, but even Shen Yinshuang's expression changed.

She never intended to involve Xiao Yin.

Without a second thought, she used her last breath to say, "This matter has nothing to do with General Xiao! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth."

The Empress Dowager did not speak immediately.

After all, it was no secret that Pei Shou'an and Xiao Yin were at odds.

Xiao Yin has achieved numerous military exploits, and she naturally prefers him to Pei Shou'an.

However, she wasn't entirely unaware of the sordid affair between Xiao Yin and Shen Yinshuang.

Especially now that Shen Yinshuang has taken the initiative to speak up for Xiao Yin.

She felt even more strongly that Shen Yinshuang should not be allowed to stay.

"Unrelated?" Pei Shou'an smiled faintly. "Shen Yinshuang, you made Princess Chengping misunderstand me because you still covet the position of the Marquis's wife. But you're afraid that this position is hopeless for you, so you're looking for a way out, isn't that right?"

"Xiao Yin is my uncle by blood, you're clearly taking revenge on me." Pei Shouan's ability to turn the tables far surpasses Shen Yinshuang's.

He spoke one sentence after another, leaving Shen Yinshuang no room to resist.

Even Xiao Yin, who was standing to the side, had a gloomy expression.

His well-defined knuckles rested on the scabbard, ready to strike at any moment.

Nangong Zhao pressed his hand down on Xiao Yin: "Don't fall for their trap!"

Xiao Yin did not loosen his grip; in fact, he remained tense.

The Empress Dowager also looked at Xiao Yin, her lips tightly pressed together, a sign that she was about to become angry.

"Your Highness, you'll know whether it is or not just by picking it up. The Xiao family's clothes are all custom-made by specialized embroidery workshops, and they all have the Xiao family's totem on them. It's impossible to mistake them so easily." Pei Shouan became increasingly gloating.

"Someone, pick up that cloak!" the Empress Dowager said grimly.

Shen Yinshuang's expression changed drastically.

They couldn't even care less about their current disheveled state.

She knew she couldn't escape death.

She knew even more clearly that Pei Shouan was not wrong.

If it is indeed proven that the cloak belongs to Xiao Yin, Xiao Yin will inevitably be punished.

Given Xiao Yin's current predicament, he is likely surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Shen Yinshuang would rather die than let Xiao Yin be safe.

This thought caused Shen Yinshuang to suddenly begin to struggle desperately.

Clearly, the guards hadn't expected Shen Yinshuang to suddenly struggle.

Surprisingly, Shen Yinshuang managed to break free.

"Outrageous!" The Empress Dowager was furious.