Chapter 104: All Chess Pieces

The autumn wind suddenly rises.

The fallen leaves in the courtyard were swirling in the air, gathering and dispersing, and the desolate feeling made people feel cold to the heart.

After Concubine Song tied the cloak for Pei Tingyue, she left, leaving only a thin figure in front of the stone table.

Pei Tingyue exhaled a deep breath of cold air.

She threw all her thoughts out and started from the beginning.

It all started with that weird feeling.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival and today in front of Chengming Palace, she had been haunted by this feeling. On the way back to the palace just now, the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.

If the emperor really loved Concubine Shen Liang so much, then why did he take the lead in supporting Empress Cui and then look at her first on the steps of Mingyue that day, but did not even give Concubine Shen Liang a glance?

If the emperor really loved Concubine Shen Liang so much, then why didn't he say a word of comfort when Concubine Shen Liang knelt down in front of Chengming Palace and cried bitterly?

She couldn't figure it out, so she told Concubine Song about her doubts.

Concubine Song’s reply just now completely woke her up.

As a palace fighting novel with a female protagonist, the whole book of "Power in the Palace" revolves around Concubine Shen Liang. The so-called "childhood sweethearts", "favored by the six palaces", and "deep grace from the emperor" are all reflected from Concubine Shen Liang's perspective.

if…

What if all this is fake?

Was all this done intentionally by the emperor?

Pei Tingyue suppressed his trembling fingertips and swallowed hard.

After being in love with him for nearly half a year, has she ever really seen the true face of the man beside her?

The emperor not only treated her as a chess piece, he treated the entire harem as chess pieces!

Pei Tingyue closed her eyes and thought of the aftermath of that night. The emperor taught her that sometimes stepping out of the game and analyzing the situation from an outsider's perspective would be clearer than from an insider's perspective.

Pei Tingyue calmed down, stood outside the chessboard, and analyzed the emperor's intentions bit by bit.

At that time, the emperor had just ascended the throne and saw that the court was full of powerful and influential families that had been prosperous for hundreds of years.

This was a situation that he, as an emperor, did not want to see.

The aristocratic families must balance the power, so he plans to personally support several forces.

Therefore, there was the beauty pageant in the spring of the first year of Xining.

In addition to Concubine Song who entered the palace, Concubine Xie, Concubine Jiang, and Concubine Shen were all useful to the emperor.

He used three concubines to balance the previous dynasty.

After the three concubines were selected into the palace, the royal family behind Concubine Xie Xian, the upstarts behind Concubine Shen Liang, and some powerful people behind Concubine Jiang Shu began to emerge and grow, competing with the aristocratic families headed by the Cui family.

In a short period of time, the emperor achieved his goal of balancing the political situation and consolidating imperial power.

This can also be confirmed in the harem.

Empress Cui has power, Concubine Xie has a son, Concubine Shen Liang is favored, and Concubine Jiang Shu also has considerable reputation. The various camps are beginning to emerge.

Everything was secretly manipulated by the emperor.

After thinking about it, her question had a very clear answer.

That is, the emperor has never loved Concubine Shen Liang. Those favors were just a means for the emperor to balance the former dynasty and the harem. Even the entire harem of concubines were played in the palm of the emperor's hand.

The emperor's thoughts are so deep that I dare not even think about it...

Pei Tingyue's breathing became a little faster.

What about her?

What is her role?

Since the emperor doesn't love Concubine Shen Liang at all, what's the point of using her as a shield?

Pei Tingyue thought for a while and came up with an answer.

The recent dramatic changes in the previous dynasty must be related to the emperor. For some reason, he no longer wanted to keep Prime Minister Shen.

Therefore, the emperor pretended to set up a shield, making Concubine Shen Liang and the Qingliu civil officials believe that even though Concubine Shen Liang was trapped in the Yu Palace, his "love for Concubine Shen Liang remained unchanged" in order to stabilize them.

This is her real role as a shield, not just to protect Concubine Shen Liang from the storms in the harem.

But something went wrong. Not only was she not abandoned as a shield, she also won the emperor's heart.

This is probably something that even the emperor did not expect.

Pei Tingyue's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Now, can she think that the emperor only likes her?

“…”

This realization did not make Pei Tingyue happy, but instead made her gasp.

She felt that it would be better for her to pretend for the rest of her life.

If one day she couldn't pretend anymore and the emperor found out, she wouldn't love him at all...

Pei Tingyue didn't dare to think about her fate.

Maybe the emperor would kill her himself.

My thoughts gradually became clear and the sky became completely dark.

When Yun Shu urged him to eat again, Pei Tingyue tightened his cloak and walked towards the back hall.

*

After this day, the previous dynasty's impeachment of Prime Minister Shen became more intense, and even if the emperor "wanted" to protect him, he could not suppress it.

Pei Tingyue had also heard about it in the harem. During these days, when she paid her respects, she often looked at Concubine Shen Liang.

Concubine Shen Liang had changed a lot. She looked so haggard that the wound on her forehead had never healed.

Pei Tingyue heard that she often asked to see the emperor outside Chengming Palace, but the emperor never saw her once.

This further confirmed her speculation.

The emperor's cold attitude also made the concubines in the harem realize that Concubine Shen Liang, who was once the most favored concubine in the six palaces, had lost her power!

When a wall falls, everyone pushes it. The concubines of lower rank dared not say anything, but the concubines of slightly higher rank still dared to speak out, and they mocked Concubine Shen Liang in roundabout ways every day.

Concubine Shen Liang was fine at confronting one person, but she was overwhelmed when confronting a group of people. She was often ridiculed to the point of losing all her blood and becoming distraught.

Until the first day of September.

Faced with overwhelming evidence, the emperor had no choice but to imprison Shen Shoufu and order a joint trial by the three courts.

The Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Censorate jointly reviewed the case.

Perhaps there was sufficient evidence, so the results came out soon.

The cabinet handed over a thick stack of evidence, and the emperor was silent for a long time. Considering the past relationship between teacher and student, he did not take Shen Shoufu's life, but only confiscated his property and exiled him.

When the news reached the harem, the concubines were paying their respects in Fenghe Palace.

After hearing the young eunuch's words, Concubine Shen Liang lost all her strength and fainted.

There was chaos in Fenghe Palace.

After settling Concubine Shen Liang, the other concubines started talking again.

"Come to think of it, since the beginning of August till now, the Emperor hasn't entered the harem for a month and a half, right?"

"Yes, after dealing with the Shen family's affairs, he should be in. Who do you think the emperor will summon on the first night?"

"The Emperor will definitely be the first one to visit the Empress."

“…”

Pei Tingyue remained silent and did not participate.

Li Jieyu beside her added: "Since Pei Jieyu is so favored, there is hope."

These words attracted the attention of all the concubines in the hall.

Pei Tingyue lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Since Concubine Li is pregnant, isn't that more promising?"

The concubines turned their attention to Concubine Li's belly.

Li Jieyu's baby is three and a half months old and is starting to show. Being watched by so many people, she covers her belly inconspicuously.

Concubine Xie's expression was calm as she casually said, "Time flies by so fast! In the blink of an eye, Concubine Li is already pregnant."

Li Jieyu replied with a stiff expression.