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

When Consort Su (Consort Rong) woke up, she was lying on a hard bed in the Cold Spring Palace. It was eerily quiet. There was a hole in the window, and the cold wind carrying snowflakes was blowing in. There wasn't a single ember of fire in the palace. There were no brocade curtains, and not even decent tables and chairs.

This place is worlds apart from Zhaoyang Palace; one is heaven, the other is hell.

The blanket covering her was stiff and smelled musty, making her feel nauseous.

The palace servants of Zhaoyang Palace had long since scattered like monkeys after the tree fell, each seeking a better branch in the tree, with only Xia Yun still staying by her side.

"Xia Yun," Su Yunu called out.

Xia Yun immediately rushed over, "Your Highness...My Lady, you're awake!"

Su Yunu moved her body, feeling as if her bones were falling apart, and the wound on her forehead was throbbing even more.

She held her wound and suddenly asked, "Where's Shu'er? Where's my Shu'er?"

Xia Yun's tears streamed down her face as she choked out, "The Emperor has already taken the Second Princess away."

"What?" Consort Rong's eyes were bloodshot. Ignoring her weakness, she tried to get out of bed. "I need to find Shu'er, my Shu'er—"

"My lady, you can't go," Xia Yun pleaded, clinging tightly to her leg. "The imperial physician said your body is severely weakened. If you catch a chill, you'll be sick for life."

"The root cause of the problem?" Su Yunu smiled bitterly, her voice filled with despair. "We've already come to this point, what do we care about the root cause of the problem?"

Xia Yun held her tightly, and the two of them, mistress and servant, embraced each other, crying their hearts out in the cold, dilapidated palace.

From the once high-ranking and favored Consort Rong to the now trampled-on Imperial Concubine, it took Concubine Su four or five days to finally swallow this heart-wrenching truth.

These past few days, she has been sitting listlessly in the Cold Spring Palace, a place that is no different from a cold palace, without even the strength to move.

Seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye.

Qingdai, the head maidservant of the Empress, arrived with many palace servants.

Qingdai's tone was cold and hard: "This servant greets Lady Su."

"Her Majesty the Empress said that Consort Su has been ill for so long and should be well by now. It is improper for you not to pay your respects at Fengyi Palace for many days. Starting tomorrow, if you dare to make excuses or neglect your duties again, you will be punished according to the palace rules."

As Qingdai finished speaking, Su Yunu chuckled softly, her voice filled with sorrow and self-mockery.

Now she has become a piece of mud that anyone can trample on, and even a palace maid can ride roughshod over her.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Su Yunu staggered out of the house.

Cold Spring Palace was located in the most remote corner, so she had to leave half an hour earlier.

On the palace road, she was blocked by two concubines she had troubled in the past.

"Isn't this the once-glorious Consort Rong? How did she end up like this?"

Li Meiren, who was of slightly higher rank, deliberately stepped on her skirt.

Su Yunu nearly tripped and fell, looking extremely disheveled.

Chen Cairen, who was standing nearby, raised her hand and shoved her. Xia Yun instinctively retorted, "What are you doing?"

Lady Zhang sneered, "How dare you, you lowly servant, speak to me like that?"

"Does she still think her mistress is the high and mighty Consort Rong?"

Su Yu blocked Xia Yun behind her.

Seeing Su Yunu's submissive demeanor, Consort Chen laughed so hard she almost fell over. "Su Yunu, when you made things difficult for us before, did you ever imagine this day would come?"

Because of the nagging, by the time Lady Su arrived at Fengyi Palace, she was late in paying her respects.

The Empress sat upright on her phoenix throne, her eyes full of mockery. "It seems you haven't taken my words to heart. In that case, I have no choice but to punish you according to the palace rules. I hereby order you to copy the palace rules one hundred times and submit them within three days."

Lady Su dared not utter a single complaint and could only obediently reply, "Your concubine obeys."

The gazes of the crowd toward Su Yunu were filled with mockery and satisfaction.

Everyone remembers how arrogant she used to be, looking down on all the concubines.

It's simply a matter of karmic retribution; the evil deeds sown in the past will eventually have to be tasted by oneself.

After the greetings were over, Su Yunu wanted to avoid the crowd and hurry back home.

However, they were stopped by Consort Qing and her entourage.

She had no connection with Consort Qing, but Consort Qing's personality, in Song Shuangning's words, was despicable; she would kick anyone who was in trouble.

Consort Qing slowly adjusted the gold hairpin in her hair and said sarcastically, "It seems that Consort Su has not yet realized her own status. I hereby punish you to kneel here for half an hour and you are not allowed to get up."

After saying that, she left with her girlfriends.

Consort Ye couldn't help but sneer as she passed by.

In just half a day, Su Yunu had truly experienced what it meant to be a cold and indifferent person.

She and Xia Yun knelt alone under the eaves, their faces stinging from the cold wind. Just then, Song Shuangning and Qiu Cairen walked past her side by side.

"Heh. Seeing me like this, don't you feel quite pleased?"

Song Shuangning stopped in her tracks.

Qiu Cai Ren was usually timid, but she was most "fiery" when protecting Song Shuang Ning.

Even now, Su Yunu still dares to make sarcastic remarks.

"You, Sister Song doesn't want to talk to you at all, you deserve to be in trouble now."

"Who do you think you are?" Su Yunu said disdainfully.

Qiu Cairen's maid, Chun Tao, was also incredibly cute. With her hands on her hips, she declared, "We Cairen are above you in rank, so who do you think you are?"

Song Shuangning: "Ignore her."

Why bother arguing with a "homeless dog"?

"Song Shuangning," Su Yunu called out, a mocking smile playing on her lips, "Do you really think the Emperor likes you?"

Song Shuangning paused, then slowly turned around. She had already guessed what Su Yunu was going to say next; it was nothing more than the matter of contraceptives.

But she insisted on listening, even harboring a secret expectation. This step was crucial; she needed to use this matter to gradually transform the Emperor's slight fondness for her into an unbreakable love.

Qiu Cairen quickly took Song Shuangning's arm, "Sister Song, let's ignore her."

Song Shuangning patted the back of her hand. "It's alright. I want to hear what she has to say."

Seeing this, Su Yunu laughed, "Do you really think those nourishing tonics you drink every day are anything special?"

Song Shuangning pretended not to know, "It is naturally a mild tonic."

"Wrong, wrong!"

Su Yunu raised her voice, "That's not some kind of tonic at all, it's a contraceptive! The Emperor doesn't want you to have a child, he won't even let you have one. How could the Emperor possibly like you or dote on you? You're such a fool, you still don't understand."