Chapter 91

Chapter 91: Zhen Huan Chronicles, An Ling Rong

“What did you just say?” The Emperor wiped the smile from his face. His sharp gaze locked onto her. “Concubine Wan doesn’t take the princes seriously? Explain it to me.”

“Your Majesty, you really didn’t know?” Li Si Qi felt his displeasure and deliberately put on a confused expression. “Honestly, I feel like Your Majesty doesn’t care, and no one in the palace cares either. It’s like only I can notice all the outrageous and rude things Concubine Wan does.”

The Emperor could tell she was not joking. After a brief silence, he ordered, “Say it. Let me hear it.”

“Your Majesty, do you remember what the eunuch by Concubine Wan is called?”

“I remember. Xiao Yun Zi.”

“Your Majesty, if I’m not mistaken, didn’t your brothers’ names change from Yin to Yun?”

Li Si Qi broke into a huge smile. “Your Majesty, I’m not wrong, am I? That Yun character in your brothers’ names was a character Your Majesty personally bestowed.”

“And yet it’s become the name of a eunuch by Concubine Wan. Hahahahaha…”

By the end, she completely ignored the Emperor’s darkened face and burst into loud laughter. The Emperor:… He looked at the woman laughing so hard her whole body shook. He should have been furious, should have exploded, should have scolded her for being rude. But when he saw her vivid expression and heard that contagious laughter, the Emperor suddenly felt like he was not as angry as he should be.

Especially when he watched her laugh until she could not stop, he felt both amused and exasperated, yet he could not bring himself to blame her. In that moment, the Emperor’s impression of Concubine Wan worsened even more.

“Your Majesty, I was out of line.” Li Si Qi finally stopped laughing. She personally poured him a cup of tea and handed it over. “Please calm your anger.”

“Hmph.” The Emperor snorted. Looking at her cheerful face, he could not get angry again. Still, he warned her, “Don’t be so unrestrained again.”

“I couldn’t help it.” Li Si Qi picked up a pastry and started eating. “Actually, I felt something was wrong the moment I learned Concubine Wan’s eunuch was named that. Everyone knows the princes changed their names. I just never understood why Your Majesty and all the concubines seemed to never notice it.”

“I wanted to say it outright, but I was afraid Concubine Wan would say I was targeting her. Your Majesty also knows, I’ve pointed out Concubine Wan’s rudeness several times already. Concubine Wan already has a lot of opinions about me.”

“To keep Concubine Wan from hating me, I could only pretend I didn’t know. I thought Your Majesty and the other concubines would notice it yourselves. I never expected that after two or three years…”

“No one seemed to notice at all. I really couldn’t hold it in anymore just now, so I mentioned it. Your Majesty, you can’t be angry.”

“You were right about what you said just now.” The Emperor took a sip of tea. “It’s a good thing you aren’t a fool. Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel safe letting you raise the Sixth Prince.”

“Your Majesty, you’re bullying me again.”

“When did I bully you?”

“And you still say you didn’t…”

… The Emperor stayed in Yong Shou Palace for three days. All three days, gifts were sent to Yong Shou Palace. The concubines watched with envy, and their hearts burned even more as they hoped for the Emperor to visit their own palaces. The Emperor did not disappoint them either.

He made the rounds through the palaces. Almost every concubine with a child received gifts. Then the Emperor returned to the Imperial Study and went back to work. And the punishment for Zhen Huan arrived.

Cui Jin Xi, Liu Zhu, and Xiao Yun Zi were beaten to death. Imperial Physician Wen Shi Chu was caned thirty times and demoted to a medical orderly. Zhen Huan was demoted to Respondent and stripped of her title. That farce from half a month ago finally received its punishment.

As soon as the edict came down, the Empress was the first to refuse to accept it. She wished she could kill Zhen Huan. She suspected the reason the child in her womb still had not been born was because Zhen Huan had given her that hallucinogenic drug. Of course, Concubine Li also refused to accept it.

She had been tormented by Zhen Huan until she was in such a miserable state, yet Zhen Huan was not reduced to a commoner, nor was she sent to the Cold Palace. How could she accept that? Thinking of it, Concubine Li hated Zhen Huan even more. No matter what, no one would touch her for now.

After all, the Emperor was still paying attention. No one knew what the Emperor’s attitude toward Zhen Huan really was. Sui Yu Pavilion!

“Respondent?”

Forced back into the side hall again, Zhen Huan wept until her tears streamed down. Everyone around her had been wiped out. She had become a Respondent again. No one was willing to serve her.

Only Huan Bi remained at her side. Huan Bi had been personally demoted by the Emperor to a third-rank palace maid. This time, she had gotten lucky and escaped death. At least it left Zhen Huan with one confidant by her side.

Huan Bi tried to persuade her. “Elder Sister, stop crying. Crying is useless – it won’t save anyone. We can only endure it.”

“No matter what, His Majesty still left you the rank of Respondent. As long as you have rank, you’ll climb back up sooner or later. You used to be Concubine Wan. In the future, you can be Consort Wan.”

“If you give up now, you won’t even be able to avenge Liu Zhu and the others. Elder Sister, don’t you want revenge?”

“You’re right. I want revenge.” A hateful light flashed in Zhen Huan’s eyes. “I won’t let them go. Sooner or later, I’ll make them pay.”

“Exactly.” A startling light also rose in Huan Bi’s eyes. “Why should they sit so high above us and bully people however they want? If we ever get a chance, we absolutely can’t give it up. Besides, our Zhen family still needs Elder Sister to protect them.”

“That’s enough. I know what to do.” Zhen Huan took a deep breath. “Next, we’re going to suffer for a while.”

As she spoke, she looked at the person beside her and asked, “Huan Bi, you’ll support me no matter what, right?”

“Of course. Elder Sister can have me do anything.”

“Good. The two of us sisters will get through this together.”

“Elder Sister, will Noble Lady Hui still help us?”

“She definitely will.” Thinking of that, Zhen Huan’s expression finally relaxed. “Luckily, this time we didn’t implicate Sister Mei. As long as Sister Mei is fine, it’ll be easier for us to fight for favor again.”

“I hope Noble Lady Hui will truly help us.”

“She will. Of course she will.”

… While the mistress and servant spoke, in Xian Fu Palace, Shen Mei Zhuang was also speaking to the people at her side.

“Young Mistress, it’s lucky this time you weren’t dragged into it,” Cai Yue could not help saying. “If His Majesty had really been angry and punished you too, it would have been far too unfair.”

“Yes.” Cai Xing nodded along. “Young Mistress, you kept warning Respondent Zhen, but she wouldn’t listen. Young Mistress, from now on we should stay farther away from her. She’s someone who can’t sit still.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Shen Mei Zhuang could not help glaring at her. “Respondent Zhen is a mistress. From now on, you are not allowed to speak ill of her again.”

“Young Mistress, this servant…”

“Enough. I understand what you mean.” Shen Mei Zhuang tightly furrowed her brows. “From the moment we entered the palace together, it became impossible to cut things cleanly. Even if we want to separate, everyone in the inner palace will still treat us as one group.”

“This time…”

Thinking of what happened this time, Shen Mei Zhuang felt uncomfortable. At the beginning, she really did try to warn her a few times. But Zhen Huan was stubborn – once she decided something, no one could change her mind. In the end, Shen Mei Zhuang could only agree to her revenge.

After that, she did not know much. She only knew they were going to dress up as ghosts to scare people. At first, she thought they would lure out Concubine Li. If it was only a scare like that, it would not implicate anyone else.

She never expected it would turn into such a huge mess. The key was that Xiao Yun Zi was exposed.