“Lì Pín, if you have anything to say, just tell His Majesty the truth. Otherwise, you might make him angry and bring trouble to your family,” Huá Fēi said, her gaze sharp as though she could pierce right through her.

Though it seemed like advice to speak honestly, it was, in reality, a veiled threat aimed at Lì Pín’s family.

Lì Pín, terrified by Huá Fēi’s words, stammered, “Your Majesty, I… I was momentarily confused…”

“Shameless woman!” The emperor slapped her across the face with a resounding strike.

“If you succeed this time, who will it be next? Guǎn Guìrén? And after her? Me?”

“Your Majesty, I… I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare…” Lì Pín wailed in desperation.

The emperor’s voice was cold. “Su Péishèng, pass down my decree: demote Lì Pín to Dāyìng, strip her of her title, and send her to the Cold Palace.”

Upon hearing she was to be sent to the Cold Palace, Lì Pín collapsed to the floor, her body frozen in shock as though her life had been drained away.

Everything was over for her.

Realizing the inevitable, she scrambled to her feet, clutching at Huá Fēi’s skirt. “Niángniáng… Huá Fēi Niángniáng, please save me! Please save me…”

Huá Fēi glanced nervously at the emperor, clearly unsettled. “You’ve done something so foolish! How do you expect me to help you?” she said, brushing off Lì Pín’s desperate grasp.

But Lì Pín, undeterred, crawled forward and grabbed her skirt again. “Niángniáng, this was all because—”

“It’s all because you were jealous of Shěn Guìrén, which led to this mistake! Listen to His Majesty and reflect on your actions in the Cold Palace!” Huá Fēi interrupted sharply. Then, turning to Su Péishèng, she ordered, “What are you waiting for? Didn’t you hear His Majesty’s decree?”

Su Péishèng quickly had people drag Lì Pín away.

Throughout the exchange, the emperor remained silent, observing without a word.

Zhēn Huán knew that when it came to scheming, none of them—no matter how united—could match the emperor.

The emperor was aware of most things, but if he didn’t want to punish someone, he would simply turn a blind eye.

Such was the supreme power of the Son of Heaven!

Everyone in the room understood that Lì Pín was merely a scapegoat pushed out by Huá Fēi. But what could they do?

Though they all secretly wished for Huá Fēi to be punished, they also feared her. Even if they harbored resentment, they could only swallow it down, choking on their bitterness and complaints.

This was the current state of the palace.

Shěn Méizhuāng stepped forward, looking pitiable. “This concubine thanks His Majesty for seeking justice for me.”

The emperor, looking at her with tenderness, helped her up. “Shěn Guìrén, have you been harmed? Did you have the imperial physician check on you?”

Shěn Méizhuāng shook her head gently. “Fortunately, Xiǎo Yǔnzi arrived in time, so this concubine wasn’t harmed—just frightened.”

The emperor called Xiǎo Yǔnzi over, praising his loyalty and rewarding him generously with gold, silver, and jewels.

Xiǎo Yǔnzi was overjoyed. Though he modestly said it was his duty, his hands eagerly accepted the reward.

Seeing his soaked clothes, Zhēn Huán quickly instructed him to change before returning.

Meanwhile, Huá Fēi was clearly displeased, watching all the goodwill fall to Zhēn Huán.

She stepped forward leisurely, sneering, “Guǎn Guìrén sure has a loyal servant!”

Though Huá Fēi wore a smile, Zhēn Huán could see the hatred behind her eyes. If looks could kill, she would have been dead a hundred times over tonight.

But faced with Huá Fēi, Zhēn Huán dared not falter. “This concubine thanks Huá Fēi Niángniáng for the compliment, but all of this is due to His Majesty’s grace. Without His Majesty’s decree, Méi Jiějie would have been in danger today.”

Cáo Qínmò, hearing Zhēn Huán’s words, curled her lips into a slight smile.

Zhēn Huán’s words served two purposes: to remind Huá Fēi that everything was orchestrated by the emperor and had nothing to do with her, while also giving full credit to the emperor. How could the emperor not be pleased?

Cáo Qínmò understood that Huá Fēi was no match for Zhēn Huán, but she stayed silent, merely observing.

Huá Fēi laughed coldly, her gaze shifting. “Your servant may be capable, but Shěn Guìrén’s servants clearly are not.”

She turned her attention to Cǎi Yuè and Xiǎo Shī, the maids serving Shěn Méizhuāng. “For such a serious incident to occur without anyone by her side—what’s the point of keeping you around?”

She ordered that they be sent to the Judicial Office.

Terrified, Cǎi Yuè and Xiǎo Shī fell to their knees, pleading for mercy. They admitted their mistake, saying they shouldn’t have left their mistress alone by Qiānlǐ Lake.

Shěn Méizhuāng hurriedly interceded, “Your Majesty, this concubine had sent them on errands—one to fetch fish feed, the other to retrieve ink gifted by Huá Fēi Niángniáng. That’s why they left.”

Jìng Pín also pleaded, “Your Majesty, while Cǎi Yuè and Xiǎo Shī acted improperly, their mistake doesn’t warrant being sent to the Judicial Office.”

Annoyed, Huá Fēi glared at Jìng Pín. “Such lax discipline cannot uphold palace rules. If all servants behaved like this, wouldn’t the imperial lakes be filled with bodies?”

“Since the servants of Xiánfú Palace are so useless, Jìng Pín, you bear responsibility as well.”

As the mistress of Xiánfú Palace, Jìng Pín, though seething inside, had no choice but to admit fault to Huá Fēi.

Seeing Huá Fēi’s aggression, Shěn Méizhuāng quickly said, “Your Majesty, Cǎi Yuè has served this concubine since childhood, always attending diligently. Please, for this concubine’s sake, allow them to atone for their mistake.”

Huá Fēi, after a few more words of admonishment, looked to the emperor. “Qiānlǐ Lake is less than a hundred paces from Yìkūn Palace. For such an incident to occur in my domain, how can I let it slide?”

At this point, Zhēn Huán stepped forward slightly, saying, “Precisely because of this, this concubine worries. Niángniáng has always been just in rewards and punishments, but others might misunderstand, thinking this punishment is about preserving the dignity of Yìkūn Palace. Such misunderstandings could harm Niángniáng’s reputation. I hope Niángniáng will reconsider.”

Before Huá Fēi could respond, the emperor sided with Zhēn Huán, agreeing with her reasoning.

Thus, Cǎi Yuè and Xiǎo Shī were spared from punishment.

Zhēn Huán couldn’t help but think that Huá Fēi wouldn’t rest until she stirred up trouble. Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for suggesting the removal of your palace guards.

She mentioned to the emperor that although Méi Jiějie had come out unscathed this time, it was ultimately due to the negligence of Yìkūn Palace’s guards that someone had been able to exploit the situation. She suggested replacing them with a more capable team for the sake of safety.

The emperor agreed, saying such incidents must not happen again. He instructed Su Péishèng to arrange for new, reliable guards for Yìkūn Palace, claiming it would also ease his mind.

Though annoyed, Huá Fēi couldn’t object to the emperor’s decree. Instead, she invited him away with a bowl of Dōng’ē Ājiāo Guìyuán Soup.

Zhēn Huán, taking this chance, stayed at Xiánfú Palace to comfort Shěn Méizhuāng.

But amidst all this chaos, where was Ān Língróng?