"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

The eldest son of the Kou family knelt down in terror and begged for mercy. His plump body scrambled to the emperor's feet, and he struggled to explain, "Your subordinate... Your subordinate only came to Qixiang Palace to deliver something. I'm not a thief!"

General Weiyuan strode to the emperor's side, holding his long sword, and remained silent.

Jiang Jingtian was taken aback.

Staring at the eunuch's robes worn by Young Master Kou, he frowned and asked, "It's not your turn to be on duty tonight, so why are you here?"

Young Master Kou's forehead was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

I deeply regret listening to my father's arrangement to become a guard in the palace. He said that as long as the sons of noble families join the Imperial Guard for a few years, they can choose any good official position they want in the future.

Being a member of the Imperial Guard is no easy job, especially under the command of Jiang Jingtian, a training fanatic.

He had finally managed to get a holiday today by risking his grandmother's "critical illness," but it was all ruined because he was helping someone deliver something, and he was even stopped by the emperor and empress on the spot.

He almost... went from being a guard to a palace attendant.

That's terrifying!

Waaah... He wanted to go home. He didn't want to join the Imperial Guard, nor did he want to be an official anymore.

"Your subordinate..."

Before Young Master Kou could even begin to explain, the Empress impatiently interrupted him: "Outrageous! Do you need to dress like this just to deliver something? Tell me, are you hiding something harmful on you? Guards, search me thoroughly!"

I never expected such a pleasant surprise today. They actually dared to try and fool me by wearing a eunuch's uniform. It's ridiculous!

Isn't this just a convenient excuse to search someone?

As long as those two items are found...

Consort Xi, oh Consort Xi, you can only go to the Cold Palace to keep Lady Li company. Lady Li will surely treat you well.

At the Empress's command, the eunuchs swarmed forward.

suddenly--

The gates of Qixiang Palace were wide open, and Jiang Jiaojiao and Consort Xi hurriedly came out.

Especially Jiang Jiaojiao...

His face showed obvious panic, and he quickly bowed, "Greetings to Your Majesty, greetings to Her Majesty the Empress..."

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects—"

Consort Xi also curtsied and said sweetly, "Your Majesty and the Empress, what brings you here? I was just about to rest."

"rest?"

The Empress sneered and pointed at Young Master Kou, "Does the Imperial Concubine know this person?"

“Your Majesty, Young Master Kou did come to deliver something to me. He accidentally spilled tea and wet his clothes, so I had someone find him a clean set of clothes to change into.”

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, doesn't Young Master Kou suit this eunuch's robe better than the Imperial Guards?"

Consort Xi covered her mouth and laughed.

Upon hearing this, Young Master Kou was terrified and immediately begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! My parents only have one son!"

The Empress's face darkened; she hadn't expected that Consort Xi would have the leisure to joke at a time like this.

Therefore, her gaze was directed straight at Jiang Jiaojiao.

He wanted to scare Jiang Jiaojiao, that idiot, into revealing her true colors.

Before they could even meet Jiang Jiaojiao's gaze, Prince Chen, Li Yan, had already walked to her side, taken off his shawl and draped it over her shoulders, speaking with a gentle, unassuming manner, "It's a bit chilly at night."

"I'm not cold, but you can't get cold."

Jiang Jiaojiao wanted to take off her shawl and return it to him, but he held her hand down, making it impossible for her to move. She had no choice but to give up.

They bowed again to the Emperor and Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Highness... His Highness is in poor health... Please allow us to take our leave."

The two openly displayed their affection.

Consort Xi also coaxed the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I and the prince in my womb are also sleepy..."

As he spoke, he let out a big yawn.

The emperor's expression immediately softened upon hearing this. "If that old geezer, the Minister of Revenue, heard what you said, he'd be furious."

Then he said to Young Master Kou, "Get up!"

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

"His Majesty--"

Seeing that Jiang Jiaojiao and Consort Xi were joking around and trying to cover it up, the Empress became even more certain that the matter had been accomplished. She immediately asked, "Why did Young Master Kou deliver the gift in broad daylight? It's so late at night. Isn't Consort Xi afraid that others will see it and cause some misunderstanding?"

"What does Your Majesty mean by this?" Consort Xi's expression suddenly changed, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.

"My opinion is that, for the sake of the prince in the womb of my Consort, we should still search him to prevent him from hiding anything that could harm the imperial fetus."

"Your Majesty, isn't this unwarranted search a bit excessive? I've been with the Imperial Concubine the whole time. If you want to know something, just ask directly. Why involve others?"

Jiang Jiaojiao spoke up "urgently" to defend her.

If Jiang Jiaojiao and Consort Xi stopped it for their own benefit, then this statement... is clearly biased.

The Empress almost burst out laughing. Sure enough, Jiang Jiaojiao treated this Young Master Kou differently.

It was worth offending the Minister of Revenue to choose Young Master Kou.

The first person she thought of wasn't Young Master Kou, but that idiot Third Brother. This was a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, but he had already sent himself to the Northwest.

So be it.

It's her own fault for being so disobedient and getting close to the Jin family.

So she said very considerately, "I am only doing this for the safety of my sister, the Imperial Concubine. His Majesty has always cherished the Imperial Concubine, so please don't let His Majesty worry."

"His Majesty--"

The Empress gave Consort Xi no chance to refuse, saying, "Consort Xi is always kind and simple-minded, so it would be better to investigate more thoroughly."

Young Master Kou knelt on the ground, his fat trembling, and hurriedly begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, please understand, I had no intention of harming the Imperial Concubine."

Concerning the safety of Consort Xi, the Emperor's expression changed once again, and he slowly uttered a single word.

"check."

Before the eunuchs could make a move.

Jiang Jingtian took direct action, stripping Young Master Kou down to only his last layer of undergarments.

Then--

A sachet was found inside his inner garment.

The sachet was exquisitely embroidered; it looked like something a young woman would make.

When the sachet was found, Young Master Kou's face turned as white as a ghost.

The empress's eyes betrayed her triumph.

She stopped Jiang Jingtian, saying, "Your Majesty, this sachet looks like something a woman would use. Let me examine it myself."

That's all.

He snatched the sachet, untied it, and poured out a small porcelain bottle and a jade pendant.

"You still say you didn't steal anything! Why is the Imperial Concubine's jade pendant on your person?!"

The empress, holding the jade pendant, angrily rebuked her.

She lowered her head and read aloud the line embroidered on the sachet: "I regret not meeting you before I was married, I return your pearl with tears in my eyes..."

"This... Your Majesty, look."

The Empress was horrified and quickly handed the sachet and jade pendant to the Emperor, looking at Consort Xi with the air of a victor.

"Your Majesty, please understand. This sachet was a gift from my beloved. I have absolutely not overstepped my bounds; I simply kept it as a keepsake."

Young Master Kou immediately cried out that he was innocent.

The Empress pressed further, "Then what is your explanation for this jade pendant?"

"This...this is something my beloved keeps personally, it has nothing to do with the Imperial Concubine!"

Young Master Kou completely broke down.

This was clearly a jade pendant given to him by Miss Jiang, so how did it become a personal item of the Imperial Concubine?

The Empress sneered, "Heh... What does the Imperial Concubine think?"

"Your Majesty's question is strange. I do not know who his beloved is, nor have I ever seen this jade pendant before. How can I possibly judge it?"

Consort Xi did not panic as expected.

Jiang Jiaojiao's expression suddenly changed.

She exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, how did Second Sister's jade pendant end up here?"