"Your Highness, in front of all the ladies today, I would like to presume to speak a word of justice."

The Mo family has been a family of upright officials for a century. Madam Mo, who holds the title of Lady of the Imperial Household, is the most respected elder among the women in the capital. Even when she is with the Empress Dowager, she has some influence over her, let alone Consort Li.

Consort Li looked at the stern-faced Madam Mo and her heart skipped a beat. Despite her reluctance, she could only force a stiff smile and say, "Madam Mo, please speak."

Everyone quieted down and looked at Old Madam Mo with great respect.

Madam Mo bowed again slowly and deliberately, and when she looked at the three little pink dumplings beside Huo Chengche, her gaze became slightly kind.

Little Chinian pouted, nestled in her older brother's arms, her watery eyes darting around in confusion as she looked at the aunts who had suddenly fallen silent, still wondering what had happened.

Then, she heard Old Madam Mo's unhurried, aged voice—

“Your Highness, although the three princesses are young, what they say is reasonable and convincing. Even though Your Highness is noble, you cannot change the subject with a few words of criticism about whether they are lucky or unlucky.”

Consort Li lost her composure upon hearing this and tried to use her old trick to change the subject and avoid the main issue.

But Madam Mo didn't give her that chance, raising her voice and making it even more forceful:

“The princesses are naturally of the highest rank, but the girls in our family are also as worthless as weeds, at the mercy of others. For the sake of the princesses, and even more so for the sake of our own girls, we need to know the truth! If Consort Li has a clear conscience, there is no need for her to rush to defend herself.”

Madam Mo's words directly silenced Consort Li's attempt to refute. Consort Li's hands were clenched so tightly in her sleeves that her nails dug into her flesh, but she didn't even notice it; all she felt was the dizziness before her eyes.

"Your Majesty, what should we do, Your Majesty..." The palace maid beside Consort Li turned as white as paper upon seeing this.

Consort Li gave her a sharp look, trying her best to maintain her composure.

Little did she know that Madam Mo didn't take her seriously at all. After saying what she needed to say, Madam Mo turned directly to Huo Chengche and her tone became respectful.

"Your Highness, you must have heard about what happened at Yimiao Pavilion today. I humbly request that Your Highness summon the Imperial Preceptor and inform him of the truth!"

With Huo Chengche, the legitimate crown prince, in the palace, everyone only trusts him. As for Consort Li, in the eyes of the noble families in the capital, she doesn't even have the right to interrupt. This is the proper order.

Madam Mo valued etiquette above all else. Even though Luo Dangdang was standing right next to her, she still asked Huo Chengche, the Crown Prince, for permission. This was because the Imperial Preceptor Temple was directly under the Emperor's authority, and only the Emperor and the Crown Prince had the right to order the Imperial Preceptor Temple.

Huo Chengche nodded slightly, "The palace will never tolerate any harm to the noble ladies and wives of officials who come to the palace to accompany the students. I'm sure the Grand Preceptor will be happy to tell you what he knows."

The boy nodded to Luo Dangdang.

The latter immediately straightened his back, cleared his throat, and, under the intense gaze of a group of women, adopted his extremely stiff imperial advisor demeanor and recounted the matter of Yimiao Pavilion.

These little ones had already said it all before, but she had said it intermittently when refuting Consort Li. What Luo Dangdang is saying now is just adding the background and making the story more coherent.

As soon as Luo Dangdang finished speaking, everyone's gaze towards Consort Li turned hostile.

Although Luo Dangdang did not favor the three babies and pointed the finger directly at Consort Li, it is undeniable that Consort Li's wet nurse, Liu, was involved and acted suspiciously.

Because of Consort Li's recent protection, she can no longer sacrifice herself to save the king.

Seeing the cold stares of these noble ladies from the capital staring at Consort Li, the Grand Secretary sighed and shook his head. He took a step back, distancing himself from his sister Consort Li, to make his position clear.

Consort Li turned around and saw this scene. A smile suddenly appeared on her pale and ashen face, sinister and smug, extremely eerie.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the imperial envoy, Consort Li spoke in the imperial language, her voice chilling—