She wanted to use the pretense of pleading for mercy to complain to the Emperor, hoping that the Emperor would reprimand Empress Song and prevent Empress Song from being unable to control her in the future. She wanted to subtly control Princess Huai'an and force her to submit.

But Shen Wan didn't expect that Xie Jingyan's act of going to the palace on her behalf would be so effective.

It was astonishing that Empress Song was able to temporarily relinquish the Phoenix Seal.

Given Empress Song's temperament, even temporarily handing over the Phoenix Seal would be enough for her to bear.

Shen Wan felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

While Shen Wan was in a good mood, Empress Song was not.

She sat on the phoenix chair with a gloomy expression, her hands gripping the chair tightly, unaware that her neatly trimmed nails had broken off.

This was the first time in all the years she had been in the palace that she had been punished so severely by the Emperor!

It wasn't because of palace intrigue, but because of Princess Ling and Prince Ling!

These past few months, Prince Jin had been suffocated by the First Prince's faction. The First Prince was relentlessly pursuing the Xizhou Dam project, and the Liangjiang Salt Administration had run into trouble. He was in a state of utter chaos when, at this critical juncture, he was punished by the Emperor, which would inevitably affect Prince Jin's struggle for the throne.

She underestimated the audacity of Prince Ling and Princess Ling; they actually dared to use the pretense of pleading for mercy to complain to the Emperor!

Empress Song's teeth were so loose from biting so hard.

When the news of Empress Song being punished by the Emperor and having her Phoenix Seal temporarily revoked reached the Prince of Jin's residence, Xie Jingyin's face turned ugly, while Fu Shu was both angry and pleased.

She was angry because she was dissatisfied with Empress Song's help in restoring Shen Ying to the position of principal wife, but she was also pleased because Empress Song not only failed to help but also suffered a setback herself.

The maidservant chimed in, "Why would the Empress do this? If the Prince were just a Prince, it would be one thing for him to have two consorts, but once he's made Crown Prince, there's never been a precedent in history for two Crown Princesses, let alone two Empresses..."

The concubine herself relinquished her position as the principal wife, which conveniently saved her from future disputes.

The maid couldn't understand.

Fu Shu also sensed something was wrong and felt a vague unease in her heart.