"So the Empress doesn't know that I'm doing disaster relief, or that the Empress and your brother Liang Yuxuan share the same idea!"

Long Jingchen's words became increasingly sharp, and finally he slammed his hand on the table with a loud "thud." He was very strong, and the porcelain plate on the table made a slight cracking sound.

The empress was so startled that her hand trembled, and the porcelain bowl in her hand fell to the table with a "clatter" and hit the porcelain plate with a crisp sound.

The Empress realized what was happening and immediately knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I am terrified! That's not what I meant! I just..."

"Enough!" Long Jingchen flicked his sleeve and stood up abruptly: "The Empress is immoral, indulging in extravagance before this great calamity. From today onwards, she is confined to her quarters for one month and punished by copying Buddhist scriptures twenty times. Do not come to see me until you have finished!"

After saying that, he walked away from the Empress's palace without turning back, no matter how much the Empress cried and shouted after him.

He was genuinely angry today, but he also had ulterior motives. This way, the Empress wouldn't keep hovering in front of him, and he could also curb the arrogance of the Liang family.

The reason the Liang family was so powerful was because the Empress was always in charge of the inner palace.

The news of the Empress being punished by the Emperor quickly spread throughout the palace. Upon hearing the reason, the concubines all removed some of their jewelry, and their meals became much simpler.

Upon hearing about this, Consort Qi slapped her maid across the face.

She always put the Empress first, and now that she was under house arrest, she was hoping the Empress would put in a good word for her. But she never expected that the Empress would also be under house arrest. How useless! A fierce glint flashed in Consort Qi's eyes as she thought this.

She looked down at another palace maid kneeling at her feet and beckoned to her with her finger.

The young palace maid immediately stood up and bowed before her.

"Go and see what the Empress Dowager has been up to lately, and find a suitable opportunity..."

"Ah!" The little palace maid turned pale with fright at her words. She looked at Consort Qi with difficulty and said, "Your Highness, isn't this a bit inappropriate...?"

Consort Qi sneered: "Think about your parents and younger brother. If you handle this matter well, I will let you leave the palace and give you a large sum of money so you can take your parents and younger brother back to live."

Upon hearing Consort Qi's words, the little palace maid's eyes lit up slightly, then dimmed again. Finally, she gritted her teeth and took the things from Consort Qi's hands.

After the maid left, Consort Qi stared at the direction she had gone with a gloomy expression. After a while, she turned her gaze back to the maid she had just hit: "Are you sure everything has been taken care of?"

The young palace maid kept her head down, revealing no emotion, and her words were equally unreadable: "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant has arranged everything."

"Hmm." Thinking of this, Consort Qi's smile became even more sinister.

If you make her suffer, then don't blame her for making them suffer too.

...

Consort Lan sat down next to the Empress Dowager, took a small sip of tea, and smiled at the Empress Dowager: "Aunt, although the Emperor doesn't pay much attention to you, he is still on your side in his heart, so please don't worry."

In her heart, she never considered herself Long Jingchen's woman, so when no one was around, she always addressed the Empress Dowager as her aunt.

The Empress Dowager coughed twice, covering her mouth: "I am old and don't know how many more days I have left to live. I only hope that I can do more for the Emperor before I pass away."

As she spoke, her eyes became somewhat unfocused: "In this imperial family, what is there for love and affection? All my scheming and plotting in this life has been for him. Alas, it's a pity that this child is too soft-hearted."

Consort Lan pursed her lips, put down her cup, and grasped the Empress Dowager's hand: "Aunt, what are you saying? May you live to be a hundred years old."