Chapter 69: Educating the Emperor

Noble Lady Yuan blinked in disbelief and quietly pinched her thigh.

It hurt.

So this wasn’t an illusion?

Yao Yao was really in the palace, and right next to the Empress!

Didn’t His Majesty punish the Yu family with imprisonment? Why was Yao Yao spared? And how did she end up in the palace?

Though Noble Lady Yuan had only served the Emperor a handful of times, even from those brief interactions, she could tell he was a deeply suspicious man.

One wrong word or action that displeased him, and he would become distrustful.

So she never spoke much during those visits.

Except for last time—when she said one sentence in defense of the Yu family. The Emperor’s face turned cold, and he left with a flick of his sleeve. He hadn’t summoned her since.

Which, frankly, was fine with her. She never intended to vie for favor in the first place.

If not for the Empress’s kindness and generosity, she wouldn’t have had any hope in this harem.

Perhaps recalling how she had offended him during their last encounter, the Emperor’s face darkened. “Noble Lady Yuan, did you send a handkerchief to Changle Palace today?”

Hearing the words “Changle Palace,” Noble Lady Yuan instinctively clenched her teeth.

Send a handkerchief to her? Was she insane?

“Replying to Your Majesty, this concubine did not. Is someone falsely accusing me?”

Seeing her display such a proud attitude only ignited the Emperor’s anger.

Since the day she entered the palace, she had never once shown him a pleasant face.

In the entire harem, every concubine was obedient and respectful—except her. She always wore a cold, indifferent expression, as if he had wronged her entire family.

He had allowed her to enter the palace as a favor—her own brother had personally requested it. Yet she acted like it was all against her will.

Even though the Empress had tried to persuade him several times to share his favor more equally and visit Noble Lady Yuan’s chambers, he’d always found excuses to decline.

It wasn’t that he disliked her face—it was her personality that he couldn’t stand.

What irritated him even more was that she only behaved this way toward him. Toward the Empress, she was completely different.

Seeing the Emperor’s cold face and silence, Noble Lady Yuan quickly turned to the Empress, her eyes suddenly welling with tears. “Your Majesty, I’ve been wronged.”

The Empress saw the beautiful woman’s red-rimmed eyes and couldn’t help but feel compassion. “Get up first. The matter hasn’t been settled yet. Don’t kneel unnecessarily—it’s bad for your knees.”

Hearing the Empress express concern for Noble Lady Yuan made Yao Yao’s affection for the Empress shoot up.

Pretty Auntie was not only beautiful but also kind—Yao Yao liked her even more now.

The Empress met Yao Yao’s smiling face, feeling somewhat confused.

Showing care for the concubines was simply part of her duties. What was this chubby little girl getting so excited about?

The Emperor motioned for Li Yunsheng to bring in the witness. When the maid entered the main hall, Noble Lady Yuan glanced back—and her expression immediately changed.

No wonder her staff said the girl had left early and never returned.

Originally, she’d planned to send someone to look for her, but she’d heard the Empress was hosting a banquet for the sons of noble families and high officials today. It wasn’t appropriate to search openly, so she assumed the girl had gone off to slack. She planned to find her later if she didn’t return by night.

She didn’t expect the girl to end up before the Emperor and Empress!

The palace maid trembled under Noble Lady Yuan’s fierce glare. “My Lady, you should just confess. It’ll be better for both of us.”

“Confess? Confess to what? I didn’t do it—why should I confess?”

Noble Lady Yuan had more or less pieced together the situation.

On her way here, she’d heard that the Empress’s niece, Xu Sanning, had fallen into water for no apparent reason. At such a sensitive time, rather than worrying about Xu Sanning’s health, the Emperor and Empress had summoned her. Clearly, someone was trying to throw dirt on her.

There was only one person in the entire harem who openly opposed her—Noble Consort Wei.

Luckily, she wasn’t the impulsive type. Her gaze calmly swept past the Emperor and landed softly on the Empress before showing a look of grievance again. “Your Majesty, you know my embroidery is subpar. How could I dare send something like that to the Noble Consort and embarrass myself?”

Raised by her father and older brother, Noble Lady Yuan was excellent at riding and archery—but hopeless at needlework.

The first time the Empress saw her embroidered handkerchief, she thought the mandarin ducks looked more like regular ducks.

Afraid of damaging her reputation, the Empress had worked quietly to cover it up.

As for the handkerchiefs she used daily, they were all gifts from the Empress.

So the moment the maid spoke, the Empress knew someone was setting her up.

The Emperor, however, had no idea that Noble Lady Yuan was bad at embroidery. After all, they were not that close. Other concubines often sent gifts—food, handkerchiefs, clothes, porcelain. But Noble Lady Yuan? Nothing. Not even a thread.

At first, he thought maybe she was strapped for cash. But Li Yunsheng had investigated and found that everything she obtained—rare and interesting—was all sent to the Empress’s palace instead.

The Empress clearly noticed the displeasure on the Emperor’s face but chose not to point it out. She simply nodded to Noble Lady Yuan with some helplessness. “I won’t let you be wronged.”

This time, Noble Consort Wei had truly shot herself in the foot.

She had tried to hit three birds with one stone, but overlooked the details.

When the Empress vouched for Noble Lady Yuan, the Emperor sent Li Yunsheng to summon Noble Consort Wei.

Seeing the order given, a trace of coldness flickered in the Empress’s eyes.

If the Emperor really wanted to get to the bottom of this, he could have summoned both women at once for questioning.

But instead, he brought in Noble Lady Yuan first, and only then ordered Noble Consort Wei to come. Clearly, he was buying time for her to cover her tracks and eliminate evidence.

Perhaps already sensing this incident would go unresolved, the Empress wasn’t too disappointed. She only pitied her young niece. Even though the garden pool was filled with hot spring water, the drastic temperature change could still lead to a cold or fever.

While waiting for Noble Consort Wei, the Emperor glanced at the embroidery on Noble Lady Yuan’s collar.

The stitching didn’t look like the work of a palace embroiderer. The butterflies were delicate and lifelike—truly refreshing to see.

“Noble Lady Yuan may not be skilled at embroidery, but the patterns on her clothing are quite original.”

Feeling the Emperor’s gaze linger, Noble Lady Yuan tensed up but answered truthfully, “Replying to Your Majesty, this was made by a close friend of mine. It was part of my dowry.”

“Your friend is quite talented. Why didn’t you learn from her?”

Noble Lady Yuan bowed her head, feigning shame.

Just as the hall fell silent, a crisp and clear child’s voice suddenly rang out:

“Everyone has their own strengths. Why should Sister Yuan compare herself to others?”

Yao Yao looked at the Emperor with full seriousness, her anger completely visible.

Her bright eyes were like polished jade, and her pale pink cheeks flushed red with indignation.

Everyone in the hall turned to look at Yao Yao.

Some were shocked, others afraid, others simply disbelieving.

Even the Empress couldn’t hide her surprise.

Even she didn’t dare lecture the Emperor like this—yet this little girl, an outsider, had just contradicted him?

Was this child too bold? Didn’t the Marquis of Chengming and his wife teach her proper manners before bringing her to the palace?

“Where did this country bumpkin come from? So ill-mannered.”

A melodious yet arrogant female voice came from the doorway. A stunningly beautiful woman in a trailing imperial-purple gown, adorned with golden hairpins, walked in from the courtyard—her lovely face full of disdain.