Chapter 29: The Canary Captured by the Enemy Emperor 16

The Noble Consort still wanted to say something, but His Majesty had already taken Lin Muqing’s hand and walked away. At that moment, her fury reached its peak.

Unwilling to give up, she stomped her foot and ran toward the Imperial Garden.

…

When Lin Muqing felt the warmth of the large hand holding hers, she gently tried to pull away. Jun Yuanming turned to glance at her, his eyes unreadable.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for helping me out of that situation.”

But in the next second, her soft little hand intertwined tightly with his fingers.

A strange emotion stirred in his heart—an unfamiliar kind of joy. It was the joy of being held dearly in someone’s heart.

“If the Noble Consort dares to bully you again, like today, don’t bother saving her. If she falls and dies, she deserves it.”

“I was afraid Your Majesty would blame me, so I didn’t go too far. But I did slap her face swollen.”

As she said this last part, there was a hint of playful mischief in her tone, as if seeking praise.

“Why would I blame you? You did well.” Jun Yuanming rubbed her hand gently. “Your hand must hurt, right?”

Just the thought of Lin Muqing almost falling off the low bridge and hitting her head on the rocks—maybe even bleeding—made his heart clench painfully. If that had happened, there would be no more mischievous, lively Lin Muqing who could tug at his emotions.

His heart felt like it was being crushed in someone’s grip.

“It doesn’t hurt. I made up for it with some braised lion’s head meat when I got back.”

Lin Muqing finally understood why the secret guard had only appeared at the last moment. He had been protecting her—only stepping in when it seemed she might truly be pulled down.

If it had been just her and the Noble Consort, she wouldn’t have helped. But with so many palace maids and matrons watching, it wasn’t realistic to silence all witnesses.

Jun Yuanming pulled her into his arms, and Lin Muqing could hear his slightly quickened heartbeat.

His tone turned colder and sharper—something she rarely heard from him.

“My people aren’t cowards. Qing’er, do you know how many people like the Noble Consort I’ve seen on the battlefield? Those who dare to falsely accuse others deserve to be torn apart by five horses!”

Lin Muqing nodded approvingly at his clarity of mind. She wrapped her arms around his neck, raised her head with a fierce little expression, and blinked up at him.

“Then if someone bullies me in the future, will Your Majesty always help me?”

“Yes, I will.”

In that instant, Jun Yuanming felt like he heard flowers blooming.

Her smile could intoxicate an entire city.

The two walked together to Shuyu Palace.

…

Meanwhile, the Noble Consort had arrived at the Imperial Garden, where her father stood outside the entrance, radiating authority and rage, flanked by two guards.

“Father!” the Noble Consort called out hopefully, expecting comfort and support.

Smack!

A vicious slap landed hard on her face. The skin beneath her veil, already injured, now stung even more from the fresh friction.

The scene, in which only she suffered, erupted again with intense violence.

“Why did you hit me, Father?!” the Noble Consort sobbed. She had fallen from grace again and felt utterly wronged. Because of Lin Muqing, she had suffered the greatest humiliation of her life today. Her father had never struck her before.

“Useless fool! Do you have any idea how intense the political struggle is for your father at court every day? Ever since His Majesty stayed in the capital, countless people have been trying to bring me down! And you—you just keep dragging me down further!”

The Left Chancellor’s heart ached at the memory of handing over control of the Ministry of Justice during the meeting in the imperial study earlier.

“What are you talking about, Father? Wasn’t I the one being bullied today?” The Noble Consort collapsed in tears.

But suddenly, her father threw a thick stack of documents at her.

“Do you know how many ‘good deeds’ you’ve done in the palace? You even dared to touch the Grand Commandant’s daughter! And how many others that I don’t know about? Do you think your father is—”

He couldn’t even finish the last two words.

The Noble Consort picked up the papers. The lighting was dim, but she could vaguely see that they listed in detail how she had framed or even secretly killed the daughters of various ministers.

How… how could this be? Her legs gave out beneath her.

That meant… His Majesty had known all along.

But he never said a word.

Ten years ago, the Left Chancellor had retired from the battlefield to manage state affairs on behalf of the emperor, even taking control of the Ministry of Justice.

Whenever the Emperor was away, the Li family practically ruled the capital.

Their Emperor, after all, preferred to be a general and was rarely in the palace.

Five years ago, the top scorer of the imperial examination won His Majesty’s favor and was promoted step by step to become the Right Chancellor, slowly stripping the Left Chancellor of his power.

In response, the Left Chancellor and others began pressuring the emperor to fill his harem—just in case he never returned from the battlefield. A royal heir would ensure the continuation of the dynasty.

The other ministers didn’t lag behind either, sending eligible daughters into the palace in waves.

At first, the emperor was reluctant but eventually agreed. Everyone assumed the Empress Dowager had forced him.

But who would have thought that in five years, with all those women—there wasn’t even a whisper of pregnancy.

What terrified the Left Chancellor even more was the thought that the emperor held more dirt on him—just hadn’t used it yet. If he ever did, it would mean total ruin.

“Daughter, from now on, you must speak and act with caution, do you understand?” He took her hand but moved something into it subtly.

Still sobbing, the Noble Consort felt something being passed to her and held it quietly while continuing to cry.

“Yes, Father.”

“In one month, the governors of the ten major cities will arrive in the capital. Stay in the palace and behave yourself until then. An emperor’s affection is fleeting. No matter how much he favors that concubine now, he’ll grow tired of her eventually. Understand?”

“I understand,” the Noble Consort said, eyes lighting up. The ten major cities?

Those were territories reclaimed and reorganized by the emperor—each city’s governor was as powerful as a former king.

With so many high-ranking officials arriving, if a lowly concubine like that Shuyi were to die… who would notice?

Unfortunately for her, the Noble Consort never lived to see that day.