Palace maid Shuoning

(One)

"Stop howling!"

The Emperor slammed his hand on the imperial desk, his brows furrowed tightly, and he rebuked the Emperor sternly:

"I am still here, and you are wailing and lamenting like this! What kind of behavior is this! A prince of your stature, constantly bursting into tears, it's simply unbecoming!"

Zhou Zhengyin's sobs suddenly stopped, and he clutched his sleeve, hastily wiping away the remaining tears on his face.

Looking at his disheveled and anxious appearance, the Emperor's surging anger subsided slightly, and his tone softened a bit:

"How did you learn that Jiang Shuoning was taken into the palace?"

Zhou Zhengyin glanced discreetly at Huo Xiao beside him, then bowed his head and respectfully replied:

"Your Majesty, someone witnessed four strong men putting Shuoning into a mahogany box, loading him onto a carriage, and heading towards the palace."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor was suddenly reminded of old images from many years ago.

Back then, Consort Wei was vicious and imprisoned Jiang Shuoning in an iron cage in a pond, almost causing her to drown.

Thinking of this, the Emperor's expression grew even more solemn, and he slowly spoke:

"But this is just a rumor, without any evidence. How can I possibly search the entire palace based on just a few rumors?"

If there's no one in the palace, how will this end? How can we allow you to act so recklessly and disrupt palace rules!

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Xiao bowed and kowtowed, responding calmly and appropriately:

"Your Majesty is wise. The clues are currently weak, and it may well be a misunderstanding. I dare to speculate that perhaps one of the concubines in the palace had a past relationship with the secondary concubine and, unable to suppress her feelings, resorted to this presumptuous and reckless act."

The Crown Prince's heart sank suddenly as he recalled Ye Wan's words, each one filled with resentment, and her vow to eliminate Jiang Shuoning.

Could it really be her again?

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth inwardly. Ye Wan had always been reckless and willful, and she always seemed to cause trouble at crucial moments.

Perhaps in the end, the Crown Prince will have to cover for her and clean up the mess.

Bao Zhong glanced at the Crown Prince, a thought flashing through his mind, and a sudden realization crossed his eyes.

The Crown Prince had previously mentioned that he would take action against Shuoning. Could it be that the Crown Prince intends to use Ye Wan to get rid of Jiang Shuoning?

Upon realizing this, Baozhong was horrified.

At present, the safety of Shuoning is of utmost importance. He was about to raise his head to tell the Emperor the truth about his speculations when Zhou Zhengyin preempted him.

"Father! If we're talking about people Shuoning knows in the palace, aside from the ordinary palace servants, there's only..."

He pretended to hesitate for a moment, then suddenly slapped his knee and said hastily:

"Your subject remembers! When Consort Wan was still a candidate for the imperial concubines and had not yet been officially appointed, she had a very close personal relationship with Shuoning! Could it be Consort Wan?"

Confined to the inner palace, she could not leave at will and had no way to see her old friends, so she resorted to this desperate measure!

"Father previously confined me to my quarters and forbade Shuoning from freely entering and leaving the palace, so she had no choice but to meet him secretly!"

The Emperor's brows furrowed slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four kneeling figures—the Crown Prince, Zhou Zhengyin, Huo Xiao, and Bao Zhong—below the steps. His voice was cold and stern.

"I have ordered a thorough search of Chuxiu Palace. If no trace is found, all four of you will be held accountable and punished."

After speaking, he turned to Feng Xi and instructed him:

"Take men to search Chuxiu Palace, but remember not to make a big fuss. Consort Wan is frail and sickly, and is most afraid of being disturbed. Just tell the outside world that it is a routine inspection of the palace and that some items have been lost. Just keep it a secret."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Feng Xi bowed and accepted the order, then slowly withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The hall fell into an instant of complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.

The Emperor picked up his teacup from the imperial table, his gaze sweeping lightly over the four people below the steps. He slowly sipped his tea, awaiting the outcome.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Feng Xi strode into the hall, approached the imperial desk, and bowed in response:

"Your Majesty, we have searched the entire Chuxiu Palace, but have not found any trace of the concubine. Consort Wan is upset to hear about the search and is currently crying and making a scene in her bedchamber."

The Emperor's eyes suddenly darkened, and his gaze fell back on the four people below. He said in a deep voice, "Did you hear that? Jiang Shuoning is not in Chuxiu Palace."

Zhou Zhengyin's body stiffened slightly, his anxiety undiminished, yet his resolve remained firm. He repeatedly kowtowed and urgently argued:

"Father! Just because we can't find him doesn't mean he's not here! Someone must have gotten wind of it beforehand and moved or hid Shuoning already!"

The crown prince lowered his eyes and composed himself, his face calm and expressionless, but inwardly he was thinking to himself.

Given Ye Wan's personality, if she were to actually take action, it wouldn't be difficult for her to move people away beforehand and erase all traces.

Huo Xiao remained standing with his head bowed, his expression unchanged, but his eyes held deep thoughts as he observed the whole situation without uttering a word.

Bao Zhong frowned, his mind filled with doubts.

He had just suspected that the Crown Prince was using someone else to commit murder, but now that the search had failed, the situation had become even more confusing and difficult to discern the truth.

The Emperor lightly tapped his fingertips on the imperial desk, the dull sound pressing down on everyone in the room, his tone growing even colder:

"Prince Jingchen, do you know your crimes? Trespassing into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, disturbing the Emperor's presence at night, and making baseless accusations against palace concubines are already grave offenses. Now that the search has yielded nothing, what excuse do you have left?"

Zhou Zhengyin's throat bobbed, and his eyes reddened again. He forcibly suppressed his grievances and the urge to cry, and clenched his teeth as he kowtowed:

"Your Majesty, I am not joking! The rosewood box, the carriage, and the palace servants' eyewitness accounts are all true! Shuoning must be trapped in the palace, his whereabouts unknown. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to search and investigate again!"

(two)

The Emperor's gaze was deep as he slowly swept over the four people below the steps, his fingertips still lightly tapping the table. The atmosphere in the hall was so oppressive that it was almost stagnant.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his words carrying an imperial aura:

"You four have all committed wrongdoing, disturbing the palace and disturbing my peace at night, without any evidence.

His gaze first fell on Zhou Zhengyin, his expression the coldest:

"Prince Jingchen, you acted recklessly and madly, making baseless accusations and fabricating charges against the palace concubines. Tonight, you have caused unrest in the capital and turmoil in the palace, showing no respect for the rules of a prince."

Effective immediately, you are hereby confined to your residence for one month to reflect on your actions. You are forbidden from stepping outside the Prince's residence. If you continue to act recklessly, I will not let you off lightly.

Zhou Zhengyin's face suddenly turned pale. The explanation that was on the tip of his tongue met the emperor's cold and stern gaze, and he swallowed it down in the end. He was full of grievances and dared not say anything more.

The Emperor then looked at the Crown Prince, his tone softening slightly, but still carrying a reprimanding quality:

"As the crown prince, you should have maintained order in the court and upheld palace rules. Tonight, a sudden upheaval occurred, and your mishandling and inability to quell the chaos led to its escalation."

He was sentenced to three months of self-reflection, his allowance for the Crown Prince's palace was reduced, he was ordered to quiet his mind and cultivate himself, and the regulations for the Crown Prince's palace were reorganized.

The Crown Prince bowed his head and respectfully accepted his punishment: "Your subject obeys the decree and will humbly follow Your Majesty's teachings."

Finally, the gaze fell upon Huo Xiao and Bao Zhong:

"You two, as subjects, followed the crowd in their foolishness and failed to dissuade them, disturbing the palace at night. You are each fined two months' salary and ordered to reflect on your actions behind closed doors for three days."

The two men kowtowed in unison: "Your Majesty, we accept your imperial decree and express our gratitude

The Emperor suppressed his anger and calmly waved his sleeve: "This matter will be put aside for now. But as long as Jiang Shuoning remains at large, this case will not be closed. All of you may leave."

The four bowed and prepared to leave, each lost in thought.

At this moment, Zhou Zhengyin was extremely anxious. Disregarding social hierarchy, he kowtowed repeatedly and earnestly pleaded his case:

"Father! I beg you to have mercy! May I be confined to my quarters only after Shuoning has been found?"

Your Majesty, I was only concerned with saving lives tonight, and had no intention of disrespecting palace rules or disturbing Your Majesty! Palace rules are strict, and I know I have made a mistake. If Your Majesty insists on holding me accountable, all the blame shall fall on me, and I will have no complaints!

"I only beg that the entire Prince's residence not be implicated! Shu Ran is pregnant, and the pregnancy is still in its early stages; she is most vulnerable to disturbance and upheaval. If the Prince's residence is implicated because of my offense, it may harm the child in her womb. The Gao family frequently visits Shu Ran, but they too cannot withstand such turmoil!"

The Emperor listened quietly to his earnest plea, seeing the genuine anxiety in his eyes. It was not a deliberate act of tantrums; every word was for the safety of his concubine and the well-being of his wife and children.

As his anger subsided, he finally relented slightly.

He pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly: "Very well. I see that you were truly acting out of a sense of urgency to save someone, and did not intend to rebel. I grant your request."

He reconsidered the punishment, his voice calm and measured:

"Your confinement is temporarily suspended. You will be punished after Jiang Shuoning is found. This offense will only be punished against you alone. It will not implicate anyone in the Prince's Mansion, nor will it punish the servants or disturb Lady Gao's pregnancy."

Zhou Zhengyin felt as if he had been granted a pardon, a huge weight lifted from his heart, and he repeatedly kowtowed to express his gratitude:

"Thank you for your divine grace and compassion, Your Majesty! Your son will certainly behave himself and never again recklessly disturb the court and the palace!"

The Emperor's gaze was indifferent, carrying a warning: "This is a one-time exception. If there is a next time, I will not tolerate it. Rise and leave."

The four men bowed in unison: "Your Majesty, we obey your command."