Chapter 59

“Your Majesty, today during the punishment observation, the Noble Consort fainted. She has now woken up and sent someone to say she wishes to see you,” Anshun respectfully reported.

A complex expression briefly flashed across Jun Zechen’s eyes. He then softly said, “Let’s go to Yikun Palace.”

Some things needed to be clarified.

When Jun Zechen arrived at Yikun Palace, the bloodstains left by the punishment were still visible outside the palace, not yet cleaned.

He frowned slightly and then stepped forward into the palace.

In a low voice, he asked, “Where is your mistress?”

“Your Majesty, the mistress is unwell and resting in the sleeping chambers,” a servant replied, head lowered, speaking carefully.

Upon hearing this, Jun Zechen said no more and walked straight to the sleeping chambers.

When the Noble Consort saw Jun Zechen entering, she quickly got up from the bed. Her voice sounded weak as she said, “This humble servant greets Your Majesty.”

“Get up. You’re unwell. Sit down,” Jun Zechen said in his usual calm tone.

After she finished her greeting, the Noble Consort sat on the bed, and Jun Zechen slowly took a seat across from her.

Her face was very pale. She had never seen anyone die right in front of her before, and she had never witnessed such a bloody and cruel scene.

Even now, when she thought about it, her stomach churned, and waves of nausea hit her.

“Your Majesty… do you know everything?” the Noble Consort asked, her face pale, speaking cautiously.

“What do you think I know?” Jun Zechen’s voice remained indifferent.

“Must Your Majesty be so cold to me? Do you hate me now…?”

The Noble Consort lowered her head, her voice filled with endless despair and loneliness.

“I can accept that you would calculate against those who have wronged you, but why scheme against Pure and Virtuous Consort?” Jun Zechen asked, his tone cold and distant.

“I see. It’s because I schemed against Pure and Virtuous Consort, that’s why you’re so angry?” the Noble Consort murmured.

Jun Zechen furrowed his brows tightly and then questioned, “You hate Pure and Virtuous Consort so much? Even though she once saved you, even though you two were once so close?”

“In the Eastern Palace, I asked you before, being my Crown Princess is difficult, but you chose to stay. Then you should know I will have more women in the future.”

The Noble Consort’s emotions suddenly became unstable, and her eyes reddened.

Her voice trembled as she said, “But the other women are different from Pure and Virtuous Consort. Your Majesty, do you know how differently you treat her? It was she who took you away from me!”

Jun Zechen’s face immediately darkened. He knew that his heart had indeed started to lean towards someone else.

But this was no excuse for her to scheme against innocent people.

“My heart has changed. If you despise someone, it should be me, not others. Think carefully about your actions,” he said coldly.

After speaking, Jun Zechen stood up and prepared to leave.

The Noble Consort’s heart skipped a beat. No, she could not let him leave like this.

She hurriedly got off the bed, quickly walking up behind him, and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist.

With a crying tone, she pleaded, “Your Majesty, I was wrong. I will never do such things again. I won’t harm Pure and Virtuous Consort anymore. I will be generous. Don’t leave… please give me another chance…”

Jun Zechen closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with coldness in his gaze.

But in the end, he couldn’t be cruel to her. His voice softened slightly as he said, “Go rest. I have matters to attend to. I’ll come to see you tonight.”

After speaking, he gently pulled her hands from his waist, his gaze fixed straight ahead, and he left Yikun Palace without any hesitation.

Cining Palace.

Recently, the Empress Dowager had spent her free time tending to flowers.

She had collected many books on flower arranging and carefully studied them.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager was focused on arranging various flowers that had just arrived from the flower room. She carefully selected them, creating harmonious color combinations, and then placed them into delicate blue-and-white porcelain vases.

When finished, the arrangement was truly pleasing to the eye.

Gong Hua stood quietly by her side, softly reporting the recent situation regarding the Noble Consort’s poisoning.

“Empress Dowager, the palace maids, Qin’er and Ping’er, who poisoned the Noble Consort, have been executed by His Majesty, and the punishment was carried out in Yikun Palace.”

The Empress Dowager smiled softly upon hearing this.

She then spoke slowly, “Gong Hua, do you think Pure and Virtuous Consort is quite clever?”

“When I first saw her, I thought she was weak and timid. But now it seems, her weakness was only towards the Emperor, and her timidity was only towards her enemies.”

“When the Noble Consort deliberately framed her, Pure and Virtuous Consort volunteered to stop the investigation to show fairness. This truly set an example for the entire harem. She is clear-headed, clever, yet doesn’t scheme against others.”

Gong Hua had been with the Empress Dowager for many years and had her own way of judging people.

“Yes, the women in the harem all wear masks, but it’s just to survive better. As long as they don’t obstruct the royal interests or harm the Emperor, the Empress Dowager doesn’t mind how they scheme.”

The Empress Dowager had spent decades in the harem and, in the last ten years, had learned one important lesson: the real calculation should be to win the Emperor’s heart, not to scheme against other concubines.

She didn’t know whether Pure and Virtuous Consort was truly innocent or pretending, but she was a smart woman. Everything she did was after the Emperor’s heart had already shifted towards her.

The Empress Dowager suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, “Did the Emperor punish people in front of the Noble Consort? Didn’t she make a scene?”

Gong Hua furrowed her brows slightly and replied slowly, “I heard that the Noble Consort couldn’t bear the shock and fainted. She even had someone summon the Emperor to Yikun Palace.”

“Has the Emperor… already gone to Yikun Palace?” the Empress Dowager’s eyes darkened. The Noble Consort’s methods were still too shallow.

This was also one of the reasons the Empress Dowager didn’t like her.

A noblewoman from a prestigious family had been trained in strategy and manipulation since childhood. The Noble Consort could not learn such skills in a short time.

If the Noble Consort were to become Empress in the future, regardless of whether she could control the harem, her jealousy alone would make her unfit to be Empress.

After returning to Qianqing Palace, Jun Zechen sat on the Dragon Throne, his eyes fixed on the leader of the secret guards, Zero One, who stood below him. Anger flickered in his eyes.

“I just asked you to find a fish. How is that so difficult?”

Jun Zechen’s secret guards were divided into his personal guards and the royal secret guards.

His personal guards were trained by him during his Crown Prince years, while the royal secret guards were passed down from generation to generation in the royal family.

This time, Jun Zechen had sent his personal guards to search. In Jun Kingdom, he already had many businesses in various cities, each with corresponding secret guards.

It had been four days since Yaoyao’s birthday, but they still hadn’t found any news.

Zero One stood quietly, his cold mask hiding his emotions. His voice was hard and firm.

“Your Majesty, I’ve instructed the secret guards in every city to search with all their might. There are many cities with developed fisheries in Jun Kingdom. We only know the rough appearance of the Butterfly Carp. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. It’s truly difficult.”

“We’re just unsure of the Butterfly Carp’s specific environmental requirements,” Zero One continued.

Jun Zechen fell silent for a moment. The Butterfly Carp was so rare?

Secret guards usually searched the places with the most diverse fish species in each city. If they didn’t find it there, the search area would expand even more.

Jun Zechen thought for a while. Yaoyao had mentioned seeing a certain book.

He turned slightly and instructed Anshun, “Anshun, send someone to invite Minister Su. I’m curious about the book ‘Record of Strange Beasts and Creatures’ he has. Ask him to bring it here.”

“Understood, Your Majesty,” Anshun responded respectfully, then withdrew to send someone to summon Minister Su.

Minister Su, who had been handling court affairs with fellow ministers at his residence, was confused when he heard the Emperor’s request. What kind of book was ‘Record of Strange Beasts and Creatures’?

He had no impression of it. Did Yaoyao and the Emperor talk about it?

Despite his confusion, Minister Su dismissed his colleagues and hurried to his study to find the book the Emperor wanted.

The study in Minister Su’s house had thousands of books, all neatly arranged on shelves.

Most of the books Minister Su read were about politics, history, and strategies. A book like Record of Strange Beasts and Creatures was something only his daughter, who read all sorts of books, would pay attention to.

It took him a while to find the book, and by the time he did, he was sweating. The young eunuch waiting outside was also looking a bit anxious.

Minister Su then quickly rushed to the palace.

This was the first time he had come to Qianqing Palace for something other than court matters.

As soon as he entered, he saw the Emperor sitting upright on the imposing Dragon Throne, calmly dealing with memorials.

“Minister Su greets Your Majesty.” Minister Su walked steadily into the hall and respectfully bowed.

“Minister Su, please rise,” said Jun Zechen, his voice calm and steady.

When Jun Zechen first became Crown Prince, he had clashed with Minister Su in court over political views. But differences in opinions were normal.

Minister Su’s ability in handling state affairs was well recognized; he was an old fox, very skilled in planning.

But since he was Yaoyao’s father, Jun Zechen found him more agreeable.

Minister Su handed over the book, and Anshun stepped forward to take it, presenting it respectfully to the Emperor.

Jun Zechen casually flipped through the book and asked, “Minister Su, do you know about the Butterfly Carp?”

Minister Su furrowed his brow and replied with confusion, “Your Majesty, I do not know.”

At that moment, Jun Zechen found the section on the Butterfly Carp in the book.

He gave a slight smile, with a hint of teasing.

“It seems Minister Su isn’t very familiar with the books in your own study.”

Then he added, “The book describes the Butterfly Carp as exceptionally beautiful, preferring warm waters with pure and clean water quality. This description might suggest it could be found in Yulong City.”

Jun Zechen’s eyes flashed with thought, his brow furrowing slightly. The Butterfly Carp had such high environmental requirements, and getting it to the capital alive would be difficult.

Minister Su still couldn’t quite figure out why the Emperor had called him here.

Though confused, he quickly replied, “If Your Majesty likes the Butterfly Carp, I will immediately inform the Lord of Yulong City to search all the lakes and bring it to Your Majesty.”

“Yes, I trust you, Minister Su. Please instruct them to search in the cities where the Butterfly Carp might live. I want it brought to me. There will be a great reward for those who find it.”

Jun Zechen’s face showed a slight, authoritative seriousness.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Minister Su replied respectfully.

He didn’t have any particular thoughts on the Emperor’s request. He didn’t think it would be an extravagant or difficult task, since every year the cities had to deal with sending tributes to the Emperor. This year, if the Emperor wanted something, the cities would simply search for it.

If Minister Su knew that the Emperor was sending him to find the Butterfly Carp just to make his daughter happy, he would probably have a very different reaction.