Chapter 41 – A Warning

Xuanyuan Ling questioned Consort Yu harshly, “What’s going on here?”

Consort Yu was startled. She hadn’t expected Xuanyuan Ling to be this stern over a few palace servants. But now, she realized—she had truly been schemed against!

Still feeling wronged, Consort Yu quickly said, “Your Majesty, please see the truth clearly. This whole incident was orchestrated by that Consort Shen, who deliberately fainted outside the Empress’s palace gates just to ruin my reputation.”

“What?”
Xuanyuan Ling’s brows furrowed deeply.

Consort Yu hurried to explain, “I also sent someone to call for an imperial physician. He’s already waiting outside. It’s true I punished Consort Shen by making her kneel, but she could’ve fainted earlier or later—yet she just happened to faint right in front of Fengyi Palace. There’s something fishy going on here. And I didn’t punish her without cause.”

Her voice trembling with aggrieved emotion, Consort Yu continued, “That day in the Imperial Garden, I slipped because I stepped on a pearl Consort Shen had dropped. I punished the servants by her side because they knew her bracelet had broken and the pearls had scattered, yet they didn’t make any effort to retrieve them. That negligence caused my fall. I only punished them for that. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly.”

She added, “As for copying scriptures, that was to honor the memory of my child who never had a chance to live. Consort Shen claimed she was unwell and refused to copy scriptures today, so I summoned her to my palace. It’s true I made her kneel, but I never laid a hand on her. Let the physician take her pulse—you’ll know right away. If her body was perfectly fine to begin with, then today’s incident was deliberately staged to provoke me into punishing her, so she could then leverage Her Majesty the Empress’s influence to retaliate against me for making her copy scriptures these past few days.”

Xuanyuan Ling narrowed his eyes. “Send someone to check on Consort Shen.”

The Empress’s heart clenched. The Emperor believed Consort Yu.

Soon, the physician Consort Yu had brought entered the room and checked Consort Shen’s pulse. A short while later, he emerged and reported to Xuanyuan Ling, “The Honored Lady’s body is somewhat weak, and the bruising on her legs is indeed from kneeling. There will be no lasting health effects. It is all due to fatigue. There are no other issues.”

The Empress furrowed her brows upon hearing this.

Xuanyuan Ling gave a cold, furious laugh. “Truly, my harem is filled with ‘talent’—one after another, eh?”

Consort Yu was domineering and had bullied Consort Shen. But Consort Shen was no innocent either—she had orchestrated this to bring Consort Yu into conflict with the Empress.

What a performance.

“Calm yourself, Your Majesty,”

At this moment, both the Empress and Consort Yu knelt down.

Xuanyuan Ling let out a cold laugh. “Consort Yu…”

Consort Yu was already full of regret. She hadn’t expected the Emperor to be this angry, but now there was no undoing it—she could only brace herself and accept it. “I am here.”

“If your heart is not at peace, then stop making others copy scriptures. Do it yourself. Copy more, calm your mind. I see your emotions are unstable. If there’s a next time, I won’t feel comfortable leaving the Second Prince and Third Princess in your care.”

Consort Yu was stunned. “Your Majesty?” Was he going to take the children away from her?

She immediately dropped to the floor and kowtowed to Xuanyuan Ling. Gone was any trace of her usual arrogance and domineering demeanor. “I will not make the same mistake again. I will properly raise the Second Prince and Third Princess, and I will never disappoint Your Majesty.”

Looking at her now, Xuanyuan Ling recalled that while she had a haughty temperament, she treated the children very well. After all, she had borne two of them and had just recently suffered the pain of losing another. This whole incident had indeed been someone’s scheme.

What he had just said wasn’t entirely serious—he only meant to frighten her into behaving. He hated mothers who used their children to manipulate others. But seeing how deeply she cared for them, his heart softened slightly.

Xuanyuan Ling reached out and helped her up.

Tears filled Consort Yu’s eyes. “Your Majesty…”

“Get up.”

Her lips trembled. “Yes.”

“Go back.”

Consort Yu dared not linger. As she left, the Emperor’s earlier words echoed in her mind and chilled her to the bone. She was truly frightened. Though she knew Xuanyuan Ling hadn’t favored her as much lately, she never imagined he would actually suggest taking the Second Prince and Third Princess away from her.

Terrified, she finally reflected on her actions. Had she truly provoked him to this degree? Originally, she had believed Consort Shen had faked her fainting and planned to deal with her harshly. Even Shen Qing—last time she’d acted pitiful and tricked people—she had wanted to deal with her too.

But now, after what Xuanyuan Ling said, she dared not harbor any more thoughts of retaliation.

At least, for the time being, she must not make any moves. Even if Xuanyuan Ling had only meant to frighten her, she could not risk anything involving her children.

Inside Fengyi Palace, Xuanyuan Ling turned expressionlessly. “Empress…”

The Empress’s heart dropped. “I am here.”

“You can’t even manage such a small matter. That’s a dereliction of duty.”

To accuse the Empress of dereliction of duty—such a charge was grave indeed.

“I acknowledge my fault,” the Empress replied, her voice so soft it barely carried, afraid of angering him further.

Xuanyuan Ling looked at her coldly. “This harem has become more and more chaotic. When there were fewer people, it was manageable. Now, after just a few months with new arrivals, the trouble hasn’t stopped. You’ve always emphasized order and rules—yet this is the state of your management? Has scheming between consorts become the norm now? Or is it a case of the upper beam being crooked, and the lower ones following suit?”

The Empress’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

Ever since that day when Xuanyuan Ling had said, “We won’t investigate,” she’d never felt truly at ease again.

The Emperor hadn’t visited her, and she kept telling herself it was fine—that there was no evidence, and though Consort Yu suspected her, there was nothing she could do. Even if the Emperor harbored suspicion, he would still consider the dignity of the royal family—nothing would happen.

But now, Xuanyuan Ling had uttered, “If the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones follow,” and the Empress could hardly breathe.

Her voice came out dry and hoarse. “Yes, it was my failure.”

“Being strict about rules is a good thing. Understanding rules means you should know even better what should and should not be done. The things that shouldn’t be done—I don’t want to see you doing them again. Take today’s matter as a warning. From now on, I hope not to see a repeat.”

The Empress rasped, “I understand.”

Only then did Xuanyuan Ling leave.

The Empress watched him go with a bitter smile. Jin Zhi stepped forward in concern to help her up. “Your Majesty…”

“I’m fine,” the Empress replied. “His Majesty merely frightened me, just like he frightened Consort Yu earlier. These words, as harsh as they were, actually make me feel more at ease than if he’d said nothing at all…”

Yes, saying it aloud was better than silence. But even so, those words hurt the bond between husband and wife. The Empress pressed her lips together tightly, her heart full of bitterness.