Chapter Seventy-Two: Complaint

Huo Lin's roar sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

Huo Cong sobered up considerably in an instant and subconsciously released his grip on Jiang Huan.

Jiang Huan lost her footing and staggered back a few steps, about to fall into the lotus pond.

At the critical moment, a figure caught him steadily.

"emperor."

Jiang Huan raised her flushed face. The humiliation she had suffered at the Prince's place was like a flood bursting its banks. When she saw Huo Shi, she finally found an outlet for her emotions.

She no longer cared about etiquette, buried her face in Huo Lin's chest, rubbed against him hard, and spoke with a hint of drunkenness and grievance.

"He bullied the concubine."

Huo Lin was slightly taken aback by this sudden embrace.

Jiang Huan has never been so bold in public before.

He instinctively tightened his arms, holding Jiang Huan tightly in his embrace. Feeling the slight trembling of the person in his arms, his anger intensified.

[That damned Huo Cong, I'll chop him into eight pieces!]

[It's all my fault for arriving too late; otherwise, she wouldn't have suffered such injustice.]

She must have been terrified.

Jiang Huan clearly heard Huo Lin's heartfelt words, a mixture of rage and heartache.

Her nose stung, tears streamed down her face, and her body trembled even more violently.

Huo Lin felt the dampness on his chest, and his heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle.

He held Jiang Huan tightly with one arm, and with the other hand, he clumsily but gently patted her back, whispering words of comfort.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

But when he raised his eyes, his gaze shot like a sharp arrow towards Huo Cong not far away.

Seeing Huo Lin's anger, Huo Cong forced himself to remain calm and bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty is wise. I merely happened to meet Consort Zhuang after drinking and exchanged a few words with her..."

"Does talking require violence?" Huo Lin's gaze pierced Huo Cong like a knife. "Or does Your Majesty think that my concubines are free for you to take liberties with?"

Huo Cong's face stiffened: "Your Majesty, I drank too much and was just confused for a moment..."

"Drunk on drinks?" Huo Lin didn't want to listen to his nonsense at all; his anger had reached its peak.

He suddenly raised his leg and, with the force of a thunderbolt, kicked Huo Cong hard in the left shoulder.

"ah!"

Caught off guard, Huo Cong let out a scream and was kicked away like a broken sack, rolling twice on the ground before coming to a stop.

He clutched his aching shoulder, curled up on the ground, too pained to speak.

"I see you are perfectly lucid!" Huo Lin's voice was as cold and piercing as if it came from the depths of hell.

He stopped looking at Huo Cong on the ground and turned his sharp, hawk-like gaze to Wan Pin, who was standing stiffly to the side, filled with scrutiny and undisguised suspicion.

"what are you doing here?"

Consort Wan shuddered at the gaze, her heart nearly leaping out of her throat.

Witnessing Huo Cong being mercilessly kicked to the ground by the Emperor, Consort Wan was terrified.

If the Emperor knew what she had just done...

Consort Wan's heart tightened, and she hurriedly distanced herself from the situation: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I just happened to be passing by and saw that His Highness the Prince seemed to have drunk too much and was being somewhat rude to Consort Zhuang. I was just about to stop him when Your Majesty arrived."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huan immediately lifted her head from Huo Lin's embrace, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.

"Your Majesty, she's lying!" Jiang Huan's voice was choked with sobs, yet unusually clear and loud.

She pointed at Consort Wan: "When she saw the Prince bullying me, not only did she not help, but she also had Xiao Zhao dragged away. She wanted to harm me!"

Jiang Huan felt increasingly aggrieved, her drunken mind a jumbled mess.

She glared at Consort Wan, finding the flamboyantly dressed woman before her utterly detestable.

Liar! Big liar!

Before the Emperor arrived, she was clearly enjoying the show from the sidelines, so why is she pretending to be a good person now?

Upon hearing this, Huo Lin's eyes instantly became even more dangerous.

He looked around and, sure enough, didn't see Xiao Zhao anywhere.

"Wang Degui!" Huo Lin shouted.

“Your servant is here.” Wang Degui immediately bowed.

"Go, find Xiao Zhao for me immediately!" Huo Lin's voice brooked no argument.

Upon hearing this, Wang Degui immediately led a search party and soon found Xiao Zhao being held down by two old women behind a nearby artificial hill.

Xiao Zhao's clothes were torn and disheveled, her hair was loose, her face was streaked with tears, and there seemed to be a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.

As soon as she was freed, she stumbled over and knelt heavily in front of Huo Lin.

"Your Majesty, please understand! This servant wanted to protect Your Highness, but the maids around Consort Wan forcibly dragged me away. They said... they told me not to get in the way. Please, Your Majesty, do justice for Your Highness!"

Huo Lin's gaze was sharp as a knife as he swept it towards Consort Wan.

Consort Wan's face turned pale instantly, but she still gritted her teeth and refused to admit it.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! She has slandered me..."

"Shut up!" Huo Lin interrupted sharply, his face cold and stern. "Do you really think I don't recognize the people around you?"

Wanpin's last shred of hope completely crumbled. She collapsed to the ground, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Silence reigned all around; everyone held their breath, as if the air had frozen.

Huo Lin's gaze lingered on Consort Wan for a moment, filled with cold disgust, before slowly shifting to Jiang Huan.

Jiang Huan was clutching the front of his shirt, her eyes hazy yet filled with an unprecedented stubbornness and grievance, staring straight at him.

"Please, Your Majesty, grant me your request." The voice was soft and sweet, with a touch of drunken naiveté, sounding more like a coquettish plea.

Jiang Huan's unprecedented dependence sent a shiver down Huo Lin's spine.

He raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on Jiang Huan's face, his voice incredibly gentle.

"Very well, I will make the decision for you."

When Huo Lin turned to look at everyone again, his eyes regained their emperor-like coldness.

"Prince Huo Cong of Nanjun has behaved improperly before the Emperor and offended the palace concubines. He has been fined one year's salary and ordered to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion for three months."

Huo Cong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, I accept the decree and thank you for your mercy!"

"As for Consort Wan..." Huo Lin's icy gaze fell on the limp woman, his tone completely flat, "She has been spreading rumors and harboring ulterior motives. Effective immediately, she will be demoted to the rank of Noble Lady and moved to Lengxiang Garden."

Lengxiangyuan was a remote and cold place, no different from the Cold Palace.

It's over, it's all over.

Consort Wan's mind went blank; she didn't even have the strength to beg for mercy, and let the two eunuchs drag her away expressionlessly.

After dealing with the few people, Huo Lin didn't look at them again. He picked up Jiang Huan and strode away.

Princess Ayina, who had rushed over, witnessed this scene.

Earlier, when Ayina noticed that Huo Lin had been away from the banquet for a long time and had not returned, she sent someone to inquire.

Upon learning of what had happened by the lotus pond, she came in person to see how the Emperor of Liang would handle the matter.

What they saw instead was Huo Lin embracing Consort Zhuang, looking completely infatuated.

For the sake of a concubine, Huo Lin actually kicked over a prince from the imperial clan in public and demoted a concubine.

“Princess,” the maid who came with Ayina muttered as she watched Huo Lin’s departing figure, “This Emperor of Liang is so tyrannical, he actually kicked and beat a member of the royal family in public.”

Ayina gave a meaningful smile: "No, you don't understand."

She watched Huo Lin carry Jiang Huan away, her eyes gleaming with a determined light.

"An emperor who can lose his composure so easily because of beauty is a godsend for us in the northern desert."

She gently stroked the silver bell at her waist, her voice so low that only she could hear it.