Chapter 269 Drowning

Shen Yi was extremely efficient. Not long after Young Master Li was taken away, it was discovered that the sachet he was carrying contained a potent sedative, and his intentions were self-evident.

With irrefutable witnesses and physical evidence, Huo Lin was furious and immediately ordered the confiscation of the Li family mansion and severe punishment. The Li family was destroyed in an instant.

When the news reached Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was so angry that she smashed her favorite tea set.

Although that young master Li was not very capable, he was still one of the more respectable juniors in her maternal clan.

She originally intended to use him to control Mingzhu, which would both resolve Mingzhu's marriage and give her a handle on the Emperor. However, she ended up losing more than she gained by trying to steal a chicken, and instead lost an arm of her own.

The Empress Dowager suppressed her anger, tidied her appearance, and went to the Imperial Study herself.

"Your Majesty, the young man from the Li family is hot-blooded and acted rashly. He must have been misled by others to commit such a wrong act. For my sake, could you please be lenient with him?"

Huo Lin was reviewing memorials and didn't even look up.

“Youthful impetuosity is no excuse for intending to harm the princess. The evidence is conclusive and there is no need to discuss it further.”

If you dare to touch a precious pearl, you must be prepared to bear the consequences.

The Empress Dowager's chest heaved with anger at his attitude, and her voice suddenly became sharp: "Your Majesty, do you really intend to disregard my dignity for such a trivial matter!"

Huo Lin finally raised his head, his gaze icy.

"Attempting to harm members of the royal family and ruin their reputation is considered a trivial matter in the Empress Dowager's eyes? If she succeeds today, what will become of Mingzhu? What will become of the royal family's reputation?"

"Or does the Empress Dowager wish to project an image of protecting a disgraced official?"

The Empress Dowager met with a firm rebuff, her face turning ashen, yet unable to refute, she could only leave dejectedly.

Back at Cining Palace, she grew angrier and more resentful the more she thought about it.

This can't go on; we must find a way to regain control of the situation!

She paced back and forth in the hall with a gloomy face, thinking and thinking, and realized that the most suitable pawn to use right now was that person.

Liu Shuyao.

An idea formed in her mind, and she immediately ordered someone to summon Liu Shuyao.

Liu Shuyao arrived quickly. She had lost a lot of weight recently, and her already slender figure looked even thinner.

She was dressed in simple palace attire, her face pale, with a lingering melancholy between her brows, but her back remained ramrod straight.

The Empress Dowager looked at her pitiful yet stubborn and aloof appearance and sneered inwardly, but did not show it on her face.

She spoke gently: "Shuyao, how have you been lately? You look quite thin; have you suffered any mistreatment in the palace?"

Liu Shuyao lowered her eyes and said respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am doing well."

She felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.

Having long been accustomed to the cold and warmth of the palace, there was no reason for me to feel aggrieved.

The Empress Dowager didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "I know that you have been in love with the Emperor since you were a child. Now that you have entered the palace as a concubine, you have not won His favor. You must be feeling bitter."

Liu Shuyao suddenly looked up, then quickly lowered her head again, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

The Empress Dowager watched her reaction with satisfaction and continued to bewitch her: "The Emperor is now bewitched by that Consort Zhuang, but you are the true lady of a noble family, well-educated and of high status. If you are willing, I can help you."

Liu Shuyao's fingertips trembled slightly, her heart torn between two conflicting emotions.

She naturally wanted to be favored; it was a dream she had cherished since her teenage years. But... in this way?

"I can let you go to the Imperial Study tonight to 'serve' your writing brushes and ink," the Empress Dowager's voice was enticing. "As long as you seize the opportunity, with your talent and beauty, how can you not win the Emperor's heart? Are you willing to be forever overshadowed by Consort Zhuang?"

Liu Shuyao remained silent, her heart filled with inner turmoil.

She longed to get close to the person she had admired for years, yet she despised such obsequious tactics.

The Empress Dowager took her silence as tacit approval, smiled confidently, and gave her no time to hesitate.

"Someone, escort Consort Liu back to prepare properly. Tonight, we must ensure that the Emperor sees Consort Liu's sincerity!"

Soon, before Liu Shuyao could figure it out, a nanny took her away.

Time flew by, and night fell.

After being meticulously dressed and made up by the Empress Dowager's people, Liu Shuyao was actually wrapped in a brocade quilt and carried directly to the Imperial Study.

When Wang Degui saw this scene, he was terrified and forced himself to go in and report.

"Your Majesty... Consort Liu, she, she..."

He stammered, unsure how to describe the scene outside.

Huo Lin was focused on a border military report, not even looking up, his tone impatient.

What's wrong with her?

Wang Degui knelt down with a thud: "The Empress Dowager sent people to wrap Consort Liu in a brocade quilt and send her...send her to the outside of the Imperial Study..."

Huo Lin paused, a drop of ink falling onto the memorial, spreading into a small stain.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes so cold they could freeze a person to death.

Was it delivered wrapped in a blanket?

When will the Empress Dowager finally understand that even wrapping someone up like a spring roll won't help!

Huo Lin stood up and strode out of the hall.

The palace gates opened, and two eunuchs from Cining Palace were seen bowing their heads and carrying a brocade quilt.

Liu Shuyao only showed her head, her eyes tightly closed, her long eyelashes trembling violently, filled with unease.

Huo Lin watched this scene, his anger surging.

He walked up to Liu Shuyao, looking down at her with a cold voice.

"Consort Liu, is this how the Prime Minister taught you? To use such despicable means to win favor?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyao suddenly looked up and met Huo Lin's emotionless eyes, her last shred of dignity shattered.

"Get out." Huo Lin snorted coldly and ordered, "From now on, no one is allowed to approach the Imperial Study without being summoned and for any reason!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Degui immediately summoned two rough-working maids, who unceremoniously dragged Liu Shuyao, who was wrapped in a quilt, out.

The whispers and piercing glances of the palace servants she encountered along the way felt like needles.

"Tsk tsk, is Consort Liu so desperate to climb the social ladder that she's gone mad?"

"This has truly disgraced the Prime Minister's residence..."

"She thought she was a rich young lady, but the emperor wouldn't even give her a second glance."

These words, like a spell, kept drilling into Liu Shuyao's ears.

She was roughly thrown back to the entrance of her palace by the nanny, her brocade quilt falling apart to reveal her thin nightgown underneath.

Liu Shuyao was distraught and dismissed all the palace servants, feeling as if the world before her had lost its color.

She was proud and adhered to traditional etiquette throughout her life, yet she ended up in such a state.

Her father's expectations, the Empress Dowager's manipulation, the Emperor's disdain, the palace servants' ridicule... everything weighed heavily on her, making it hard to breathe.

That deep-seated, never-extinguished love has now become the biggest joke.

She walked to the backyard and looked at the deep pool of water in the palace that gleamed coldly in the moonlight. The last glimmer of light in her eyes went out.

Perhaps only the cold lake water can wash away the humiliation she suffered.

Without the slightest hesitation, Liu Shuyao jumped down.