Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

After instructing Qi Yuan, Shen Jiayu first went to the back hall to bathe. When she came out, a light spring rain began to fall.

Hongling held an umbrella for her and helped her back to the main hall.

Because spring came early this year, the charcoal baskets had already been removed. It was nighttime, and with the rain falling, it was rather cold.

Hongling wanted to give her a hot water bottle, but Shen Jiayu refused, saying, "It's so late, don't bother. Just change to a thicker blanket."

If the emperor were to come, even a thick quilt wouldn't be needed.

It's so warm to snuggle up next to him.

Unfortunately, he has been very busy with official duties these past few days and arrived very late. I wonder if he will be able to come tonight.

Shen Jiayu sat in front of the candlelight, reading a storybook, and waited for a while.

Seeing no movement, and feeling somewhat sleepy, she closed the storybook and went to bed.

Before long, my thoughts drifted away.

In her hazy consciousness, she heard a rustling sound, and then someone lay down next to her.

Shen Jiayu didn't even open her eyes. She groggily leaned over, hugged the warm body, and murmured, "Your Majesty is so late."

Pei Yanping lay on the outside and responded softly.

He let her head rest on his chest and drifted off to sleep, breathing evenly.

But he himself couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

He stared unblinkingly at the top of the tent, his dark, calm eyes unwavering.

Actually, the wound on his hand was almost healed, but she hadn't noticed it yet.

On the first day, he thought he was just overthinking things, but now he understands her less and less.

Is it because they're too busy, or...?

Another reason was that he didn't want to think about it, and for the first time, he felt timid and dared not think about it.

Pei Yan gazed at the sleeping woman, his eyes unfathomable.

Putting aside her injuries, her subconscious dependence tonight is undeniable.

Pei Yan's heart was tossed about by her, sometimes cold and sometimes hot, struggling endlessly.

Finally, it sank to the bottom of the abyss, and no one could see it.

*

The spring rain finally stopped at daybreak.

The rain had just stopped, the dust and noise were washed away, and the air was fresh and invigorating.

Several lowly palace maids from Yihua Palace got up early and began sweeping up fallen leaves in the courtyard.

While they were busy, someone knocked on the tightly closed vermilion palace gates.

The young palace maids were puzzled. Who could it be so early in the morning?

The group exchanged glances, removed the bolt, and together opened the palace gate.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Consort Hui standing outside the door.

The group quickly bowed, and one of the bolder palace maids asked, "Your Highness Consort Hui, why have you arrived so early?"

It was not yet time to pay respects, nor even time for court.

Consort Hui stepped across the threshold and said only, "Inform your Miss Hongling that I have important matters to report to His Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort."

Her expression was quite serious.

The young palace maid dared not delay and hurriedly went inside to find Hongling, who was on duty.

A short while later, Hongling came out of the main hall, welcomed Consort Hui into the hall, and served her tea. "Your Highness Consort Hui, please wait a moment. This servant will go in and inform you immediately."

Consort Hui replied very politely, "Thank you for your trouble."

Hongling nodded and turned to enter the inner chamber.

When His Majesty is present, she usually doesn't come in to disturb him. He or the Empress only call her in to serve them.

However, Hongling knew that Consort Hui had something important to report today, so she couldn't care less about the rules.

It was still early, and the emperor and empress were still fast asleep.

It wasn't until Hongling approached the bed that someone on the bed woke up.

Pei Yan opened his eyes, frowning as he looked at her: "What's wrong?"

Hongling then truthfully reported the news of Consort Hui's arrival.

Pei Yan's expression remained as indifferent as ever, showing no emotion. He slowly rose to his feet: "I'll go take a look. There's no need to wake your empress."

Hongling responded verbally, but in her heart she was plotting how to make some noise.

After all, this is no small matter, and it would be safer for Her Majesty to be by her side.

She glanced at the flower stand beside her, and as she turned around, she deliberately tripped, making a loud "clang" that was especially noticeable in the quiet morning.

Hongling feigned surprise and quickly knelt down to apologize.

Before Pei Yan could say anything, the person on the bed slowly woke up. Shen Jiayu opened her sleepy eyes, looked at Hong Ling, and then at Pei Yan. "Why is Your Majesty awake? Is it time for court?"

Hongling quickly spoke up: "It's not time for court yet, but Consort Hui has come to request an audience. This servant came in to inform her. His Majesty originally forbade this servant to disturb Consort Hui's rest, but this servant was clumsy and disturbed Consort Hui."

Shen Jiayu sat up halfway, awake yet still sleepy, and she understood what she heard. She waved her hand and said, "It's alright, you can go now."

Pei Yan dressed himself, and seeing her like this, he knew she couldn't sleep anymore, so he found a cloak, draped it over her shoulders, and led her out of the bedchamber.

As soon as Consort Hui saw the Emperor and Consort Hui, she knelt on the ground.

Pei Yan helped Shen Jiayu sit down before speaking calmly, "Get up."

Consort Hui did not rise.

He remained kneeling on the ground, head bowed, silent.

She didn't react for a while, but her heaving shoulders suggested she was crying.

Pei Yan narrowed his dark eyes and said coldly, "Consort Hui, speak your mind, don't beat around the bush."

Shen Jiayu also gave Hongling a wink.

Hongling understood and stepped forward to help Consort Hui sit down on a stool.

With red eyes, Consort Hui wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "Your Majesty, Imperial Noble Consort, I am truly terrified and could not help but lose my composure. Please forgive me."

Pei Yan frowned slightly: "What exactly happened?"

Consort Hui took a deep breath before raising her eyes to look at the Emperor and Consort. "Last night, I gave Qi Rui..."

She recounted everything that had happened at the Fengxian Hall the previous day, and at the end, she asked someone to bring out the plate of jujube paste cake.

"This was taken away by Consort Lan last night. She said it contained a large amount of morning glory seeds and that the Imperial Noble Consort was behind it, trying to harm the two princes and pave the way for her future children."

Your Majesty does not believe it and wants to report to Your Majesty to investigate, but Consort Lan stopped me and prevented me from going to the Emperor's presence.

Consort Lan even coaxed me into joining forces with her, saying that the Imperial Noble Consort was very powerful, and if she wasn't eliminated, such things would probably happen again in the future. Only when the Imperial Noble Consort fell from power could I finally feel at ease.

Upon hearing this, I was both shocked and frightened, but I was also afraid of incurring Consort Lan's wrath, so I dared not show it and could only pretend to agree.

Upon returning to the palace, I was filled with unease and growing increasingly fearful. I spent the entire night without sleep, and at the crack of dawn, I rushed here to report this matter.

After these words were spoken, the hall remained silent for a very long time.

Shen Jiayu was not surprised.

From the moment Consort Hui appeared, she knew Consort Hui's intentions—she wanted to betray them.

Shen Jiayu couldn't help but sigh, "Consort Hui is truly a smart person, and she also has enough self-control."

It is truly rare to remain clear-headed and rational in the face of such a tremendous temptation.

But what will His Majesty do after hearing about this?

Shen Jiayu glanced at the man beside her without making a sound.

His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were as black as ink, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

Time ticked by, and no one dared to utter a sound; everyone held their breath and waited.

Shen Jiayu did not urge them.

After an unknown amount of time, the emperor spoke, "Guards!"

Qing'an, who was guarding the entrance to the palace, hurried in.

Pei Yan coldly ordered: "Consort Lan's conduct is immoral and her virtue is unworthy of her position. Effective immediately, she is stripped of her title, reduced to a commoner, and imprisoned in a separate palace. Without my decree, she is not to step out."