That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

Song Shuangning did not try to avoid the rumors, and her confinement was lifted three days later.

When paying respects at Fengyi Palace,

She knelt before the Empress, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly: "I know I am of meager virtue and have caused such gossip, disturbing the peace of the harem. But I believe that rumors will stop with the wise, and even more so with the rules of the palace."

"I believe that Consort Ye should be punished for her slip of the tongue. If those gossipy palace servants and eunuchs are not disciplined, who knows how many troubles they will cause in the future and disrupt the order of the harem."

As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Ye stood up abruptly, about to retort, but was forced to swallow her words back by a cold glance from the Empress, and sat down sullenly.

Song Shuangning continued calmly, "This concubine humbly requests Your Majesty the Empress to issue an edict to thoroughly investigate the source of the rumors in the palace, and to severely punish all those who spread them, so as to rectify the atmosphere in the harem."

The Empress nodded: "Of course, Consort Yuan's suggestion is excellent."

In this way, she could subtly undermine the power behind Consort Ye, while also doing Consort Yuan a favor. Furthermore, she could demonstrate to the Emperor that she, as the Empress, was fair, considerate, and capable in her dealings.

Song Shuangning then gestured for the palace servants behind her to come forward and present a stack of neatly copied "Admonitions for Women".

"I, your humble servant, voluntarily request to copy the 'Admonitions for Women' a hundred times, so as to set an example of 'prudent speech and conduct' for the harem."

Consort Rong narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Song Shuangning, a cold, mocking smile curving her lips.

She thought to herself: Song Shuangning, I underestimated you. But if you knew the truth about the contraceptive, could you still maintain this composed demeanor today?

The Empress looked at the neatly stacked copy of "Admonitions for Women" on the shore and nodded slightly. "Very good. Consort Yuan has shown both self-reflection and adherence to rules. She is exactly what the other women in the harem should learn from."

The other concubines pouted.

The Empress's gaze abruptly shifted to Consort Ye, her tone cold and stern: "Consort Ye, that day you disobeyed your superiors and spread rumors, so I punished you by confining you to your quarters for a month and making you copy the 'Admonitions for Women' one hundred times. Do you accept this punishment?"

Consort Ye subconsciously looked at Consort Rong, hoping that Consort Rong would stand up for her.

Consort Rong sat calmly to the side, sipping her tea as if it were none of her business.

Consort Ye could only grit her teeth and kowtow: "This concubine obeys the decree."

Immediately afterwards, the Empress acted swiftly and decisively, punishing the other concubines who had stirred up trouble that day, and ordered a thorough investigation into the rumors in the palace. All palace servants who participated in spreading the rumors were severely punished according to palace rules, and for a time everyone in the harem lived in fear.

When the news reached the Hall of Diligent Governance, Xiao Yan had just finished a meeting.

After listening to Li Fuquan's words, he smiled knowingly. "She's quite clever. She knows how to use the Empress to establish rules. She's much more advanced than before."

Xiao Yan turned to Li Fuquan and instructed, "Pass on my decree: all palace servants who spread rumors and gossip shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane. If there is a recurrence, they shall be severely punished without exception."

"Furthermore, make arrangements so that after paying respects tomorrow, I will accompany the Empress and the concubines to enjoy the garden."

Li Fuquan bowed and agreed. Tomorrow is the fifteenth, a day of rest and recline, and the Emperor is about to stay at the Empress's Phoenix Palace.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Consort Shen turned around and went to Shou Kang Palace, where she recounted in detail what had happened when she paid her respects at Fengyi Palace to the Empress Dowager.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager paused slightly in her teacup, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She said calmly, "I didn't expect that Consort Yuan would actually have some brains. She's not someone to be easily manipulated; she has some sense of strategy."

She looked up at Consort Shen, who stood with her hands at her sides, and asked, "I told you before to spend more time with Consort Yuan. What's the relationship between you two like?"

Consort Shen lowered her eyes, her tone tinged with disappointment: "Your Majesty, it seems that Consort Yuan...does not enjoy associating with me. Even if I try to be friendly, when we meet, we are like strangers, with nothing to say to each other."

The Empress Dowager sighed softly and set down her teacup: "The Emperor's decree has already reached the inner palace; are you aware of it?"

Shen Jieyu shook her head blankly.

She hadn't heard about it yet.

The Empress Dowager looked at her and said slowly, "The Emperor's affection for Consort Yuan is different from before. My reason for asking you to spend more time with her is not to make you subservient to her or overly enthusiastic, but simply to find a proper way out for you. It will only benefit you, and not harm you, do you understand?"

Consort Shen's eyes lit up, and she quickly bowed, saying, "This concubine understands. Thank you for your guidance, Aunt."

The Empress Dowager sighed softly: She only hoped that this niece could prove herself and gain a foothold in the world as soon as possible.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next day, Xiao Yan and the Empress walked slowly out of Fengyi Palace side by side, followed by the concubines in order of rank, their jewels and jade pendants jingling as they made their way to the Imperial Garden.

After the snowfall, the glazed tiles were covered with a thin layer of snow, and the sunlight was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The concubines rarely had such an opportunity to accompany the emperor, and they were all all smiles.

Consort Rong, with her slender figure, walked at the front, frequently trying to strike up a conversation with Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan only responded occasionally, his expression indifferent.

We walked to the depths of the plum garden.

Suddenly, a white plum tree appeared, blooming elegantly. The other plum trees were all neatly pruned by the palace servants, but this one alone had its branches spread out, carrying a touch of wild charm.

Xiao Yan paused, gazing at the white plum tree, and suddenly smiled at the Empress behind him, saying, "Look at this white plum tree, untouched by worldly dust. People always say it resembles this or that, but they forget that it was born with this pure and immaculate appearance. Why should it need to cling to the names of others?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up at Song Shuangning standing behind him and waved to her. Song Shuangning met the jealous gazes of the concubines and walked to Xiao Yan's side.

Her long, ink-black hair was loosely tied into a bun, with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks and swaying gently in the wind, making her almond-shaped eyes appear even clearer and more innocent.

Xiao Yan took her hand, his voice deepening, echoing throughout the plum garden.

"Consort Yuan is a consort personally appointed by me. She is neither a substitute nor a shadow of anyone. She is herself, the one and only Consort Yuan in my harem."

Song Shuangning instinctively tried to pull away, but Xiao Yan gripped her even tighter.

Song Shuangning lowered her eyes to look at the hand held by the Emperor, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat:

Isn't Your Majesty afraid of displeasing Consort Rong with this action?

On that day, Xiao Yan said ten days, and the ten days were fast approaching.

Therefore, it seems the Su family's world is about to collapse.

The thought had barely formed in her mind when the Emperor took her hand and continued walking forward, leaving behind the envious and jealous gazes of the concubines.

The concubines then belatedly realized what was happening.

The Emperor was not genuinely taking them to appreciate the garden; he was clearly using the plum blossoms and the attention it was receiving as an excuse.

Publicly support Yuan Jieyu and establish your authority!

Song Shuangning did not stop walking. She only glanced back at Consort Rong before continuing forward with the Emperor.

Behind her, Consort Rong's face was ashen, her lower lip was bitten so hard by her teeth that beads of blood were slowly seeping out.

The Emperor's words and his undisguised favoritism towards Consort Yuan were undoubtedly a resounding slap in the face to her in public.

As soon as the garden party ended, Consort Rong clenched her handkerchief tightly, her face as cold as if covered with a thin layer of ice, and turned and left.

As soon as they arrived at Zhaoyang Palace, the palace doors closed, and a series of cracking sounds echoed from inside.

She swept the jade and porcelain vase violently to the ground, shards scattering everywhere, highlighting the almost burning anger in her eyes.

They smashed almost everything that could be smashed.

The palace was in complete disarray. Consort Rong clutched a broken piece of porcelain, oblivious to the fact that she had been cut.

A short while later.

Xia Yun scrambled in, crying, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Consort Rong slammed the porcelain shards on the ground and roared at her, "What happened?"

Is there anything worse than what happened today?

Xia Yun prostrated himself on the ground: "The great-grandfather... passed away this morning at the hour of Yin."

Consort Rong was struck dumb, her body swayed, and she almost fell over.

Her mind was in turmoil, still immersed in the grief of her grandfather's passing, when Xia Yun asked again:

"The Emperor had long suspected the Grand Tutor and Prince Rui's unusual activities, but instead of alerting them, he secretly instructed his guards to instigate the defection of Prince Rui's most trusted personal guard commander. Last night, the two gathered their troops, preparing to launch an uprising in the outskirts of the capital, when the personal guard commander seized the military tally amidst the chaos, shouting 'By imperial decree, we quell the rebellion!' The soldiers, unaware of the plot, were thrown into disarray upon seeing their commander turn against them, and they laid down their weapons and surrendered. Prince Rui and the Grand Tutor were caught off guard and captured on the spot. The Grand Tutor was imprisoned and, after a joint trial by the three judicial departments, sentenced to the most severe punishment of slow slicing. All male members of the Grand Tutor's direct lineage who were sixteen years of age or older were executed, and those under sixteen were exiled to harsh, cold lands, never to return to the capital; the women were either forced into slavery in the palace or exiled to the frontier as military prostitutes." The Grand Tutor's mansion was confiscated, all his land and property were seized, and even the ancestral hall that had been used for generations was ordered to be demolished, completely severing the lineage of this family.

Consort Rong swayed violently, her lower back slamming hard against the corner of the table behind her, but she seemed to have lost her soul and felt no pain at all.

She shrieked, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"