The palace maids who had come with Consort Zhang originally wanted to help her, but seeing Emperor Wenjian's furious expression, they withdrew their steps.

It seems their empress has truly fallen out of favor!

"Your Majesty, Consort Yao is outside requesting an audience."

Just then, another eunuch walked in from outside the palace and reported to Emperor Wenjian.

"Consort Yao? Quickly, let her in!"

The emperor instantly recalled the young, beautiful, gentle, and considerate woman, and his expression suddenly softened.

When Consort Yao entered, she glanced at Consort Zhang, who was sitting on the ground in a disheveled state, coughing up blood. A look of surprise and confusion flashed in her eyes.

Isn't Consort Zhang here to complain to the Emperor about herself?

Why did you make yourself look so pathetic?

Although she didn't understand why, Consort Yao immediately knelt down in front of Emperor Wenjian.

She gently admitted her mistake: "Your Majesty, I have come to apologize."

"Admit your mistake? Consort Yao, what mistake did you make?"

Emperor Wenjian asked curiously.

It seems he hasn't favored Consort Yao for a long time. Consort Yao has always been an honest and docile woman. What mistake could she have made?

"Your Majesty, I was frightened by Consort Zhang's dog and accidentally broke her ruby ​​headdress. Consort Zhang wanted to punish me, and I had a conflict with her. In the heat of the moment, I hit her."

However, I struck her in self-defense because Consort Zhang wanted to slash my face over this matter.

"What!"

Emperor Wenjian flew into a rage, his tone filled with unspeakable fury.

Consort Zhang, who had fallen to the ground in a disheveled state, suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. She thought that Emperor Wenjian was going to uphold justice for her.

But the next moment, her heart plummeted from heaven to hell.

Emperor Wenjian walked to Consort Yao with heartache and personally helped her up.

"My beloved concubine, this vicious woman actually tried to ruin your face over such a trivial matter. Are you alright?"

"emperor......"

Consort Yao also looked up in astonishment.

She had thought that Emperor Wenjian would punish her for Consort Zhang's sake, since Consort Zhang had been the only one favored in the harem during this period. But she didn't expect that the emperor would treat her with the same gentleness he used to.

Consort Zhang watched all this with even greater resentment, her teeth practically grinding to powder.

"She's just a piece of jewelry, yet Consort Zhang dares to treat you like this? She's just a concubine, and although you entered the palace later, your rank is no lower than hers. Why are you afraid of her?"

After Emperor Wenjian helped Consort Yao up, he continued to ask gently.

"Your Majesty, you have been favoring Consort Zhang these past few days, and for her sake you have even..."

After getting up, Consort Yao noticed the suggestive look in Xiao Ye's eyes, and she boldly began to recount how Consort Zhang had been abusing her favor in the harem during this period.

By the end, Emperor Wenjian's face had darkened considerably.

"Guards! Consort Zhang has behaved improperly before the Emperor and has been acting as an accomplice to evil in the inner palace. Take her away and give her twenty strokes of the cane, then confine her to the inner palace!"

"emperor!"

Consort Zhang exclaimed in surprise.

"Guards, drag this wicked woman away immediately!"

She dared to hit his beautiful concubine, Consort Yao; this Consort Zhang is simply courting death!

Before Consort Zhang could finish pleading for help, the eunuch swiftly dragged her away, and then a shrill scream echoed from outside the hall.

Su Liluo and Xiao Ye left the palace satisfied.

"Oh, right, my husband, I suddenly remembered that we still need to go to the Su residence. We've been back for so long, it's time to get treatment for Sister Qiao."

On the carriage.

Su Liluo suddenly remembered Sister Qiao, so she decided to go to the Su residence with Xiao Ye.

When they arrived at the Su residence, Su Zhen and Cui Niang were inside coaxing Sister Qiao to take her medicine.

"Greetings, Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort!"

Su Zhen, accompanied by Cui Niang, bowed respectfully to Xiao Ye and the others, his gaze somewhat avoiding Su Li Luo.

Su Liluo naturally noticed Su Zhen's attitude and understood what was going on.

When she first learned about it a few days ago, she couldn't accept it. But after hearing Gao Yuanbin talk about her mother's life in the Northern Desert, she now feels that Su Zhen is actually their savior.

Although he went missing while fighting in the war, leaving her in the Su family mansion and tormented by the second wife, without him, her mother might have been killed by Mo Hanyu in the Northern Desert.

Moreover, his original intention was not to let the second branch of the Su family bully him; for his own sake, he severed ties with the second branch.

"Father, there's no need for such formalities."

Therefore, she still called out to her.

"Crown Princess, you..."

Su Zhen looked up in astonishment, wanting to say something, but when he saw Su Liluo smiling at him and nodding slightly, he swallowed his words.

After a moment, he nodded and sighed with relief and emotion, "Good, good, I understand."

Since the Crown Princess didn't mention it, he wouldn't either. She was still willing to acknowledge him as her father, and he would cherish her like his own daughter for the rest of his life.

He didn't protect her as she grew up in the first half of his life, but he will stay in the capital and try his best to be her support in the second half.

*

at the same time.

News of Consort Zhang's fall from favor reached Prince Xiao's residence.

"Twenty strokes of the cane! How is Mother now?"

When King Xiao heard the news from his men that Consort Zhang had been given twenty strokes of the cane, he was both surprised and anxious.

His mother is almost forty years old and her health has never been very good. Can she withstand twenty strokes of the cane?

"Your Highness, Consort Zhang is bedridden and can't get up. I heard she's covered in blood, and the Emperor won't let the imperial physicians examine her. Only a few palace maids are giving her basic first aid, and we don't know..."

The guard lowered his head in embarrassment.

"What exactly happened? Hasn't Father been doting on Mother lately? Why would he suddenly have someone beat her?"

King Xiao clenched his fists angrily and questioned him.

Since he was placed under house arrest, he had been waiting for his mother, the imperial concubine, to use her favor to plead with Emperor Wenjian on his behalf, hoping that he could be released from house arrest as soon as possible.

He was confined to the palace all day, and there were many things he couldn't do.

But now things have gotten worse. Not only have they not received news of their confinement being lifted, but they've also learned that their mother has been beaten and confined to her quarters.

"No! I must find that Purple Star. Without her, everything is changing."

After listening to the guard's account, King Xiao sighed anxiously.

Then he summoned several guards and ordered them to quietly go down and search for Zi Xing.

On the other side.

Zi Xing's people searched the canyon for a long time but couldn't find any trace of Su Liluo and the others. Then, while inquiring about news from the capital of Daliang, she learned that Su Liluo and the others had already returned to the capital of Daliang.

"You're incredibly lucky! God has truly blessed you!"

Zi Xing sighed bitterly.

"Master, are you still going to the capital?"

At this moment, the apprentice behind him asked.

"Go, of course I'll go! This time I'm taking you all with me. If I catch that bitch again this time, I won't let her off so easily!"

A sinister glint flashed across Zi Xing's face.