He collapsed at the Emperor's feet, tears streaming down his still-wet face. Before he could even utter a complete sentence, he burst into sobs.

The palace was far from peaceful that night. First, the general broke into the palace without warning, then an assassin infiltrated the palace, and then the eldest princess was brought to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. However, the Hall of Huilan remained calm.

Consort Lan, who was fast asleep, was woken up and threw a huge tantrum.

The maidservant beside her was terrified and knelt on the ground, her voice trembling as she spoke, "Your Majesty... it's... it's the Emperor who has come to invite you..."

"Your Majesty?" Consort Lan asked in surprise, "What time is it now? Your Majesty knows I go to bed early, yet you still summon me."

The anger on her face vanished instantly. Although she complained, her face couldn't hide her shyness, satisfaction, and a hint of smugness.

"Your Highness," the maid said anxiously, looking up, "the eunuch who came to deliver the message wasn't very nice. It seems something has happened at the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Consort Lan said coldly, "These dog servants are just looking down on people. I'll teach them a lesson when I come out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation tomorrow."

After saying that, she got up, dressed herself up, and ignored the maid's advice, swaying her body as she headed towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The palace lanterns in the hall were all lit up, making it as bright as day. Before even entering the hall, Consort Lan felt uneasy, but she had no choice but to force herself to go in.

As soon as she entered the palace, her face turned pale. There were several people standing in the palace, all soaking wet. She didn't recognize Ke Shou, but she recognized Meng Yuxiu and Chang Lili. She also recognized Physician Jiang at a glance.

Physician Jiang looked haggard, tears streaming down his face. He cried even harder when he saw Consort Lan.

That wasn't all. Consort Lan saw that Xiao Shu'er, who was usually arrogant and showered with affection, was now kneeling at the Emperor's feet, seemingly begging for mercy.

Consort Lan swallowed hard, just as the Emperor's indifferent voice came: "Consort Lan has arrived."

There were no surprises, no usual affection, only endless indifference and exhaustion.

She managed to keep her composure, though her face was pale, and forced a smile as she asked, "What... what happened?"

The Emperor rubbed his forehead, looked at Consort Lan with a sorrowful gaze, and asked, "Tell me, how did you miscarry?"

Xiao Shu'er remained prostrate at Huan's feet, pleading incessantly, "Emperor brother, it's really not what you think. I had no choice but to do this. I didn't want to, I really didn't want to..."

"You don't want to? You didn't want to, yet you bribed Imperial Physician Jiang, just for the sake of jealousy among women, resorting to any means to kill the blacksmith of Yun Kingdom. To prevent the matter from being exposed, you killed more than a dozen innocent lives of the Jiang family. Shu'er, Shu'er, I have spoiled you too much all this time, making you like this." The Emperor said with great emotion, his face full of heartache.

Physician Jiang looked so pitiful that it moved everyone present.

"Guangde, take the princess away and lock her up in the Imperial Clan Court." The Emperor said, closing his eyes, his brows furrowed, looking extremely tired.

The entire hall was astonished. Eunuch Guangde hesitated and said, "Your Majesty... this..."

Consort Lan knelt down with a thud, leaning against Meng Yuxiu's Chang Lili, and looked up in surprise.

Physician Jiang couldn't help but burst into tears; the family's grudge had finally been avenged.

"I don't want to say it a second time," the Emperor said in a detached tone, yet it sounded like a sigh.

Only then did Eunuch Guangde reluctantly bow down to Xiao Shu'er and say, "Princess, please."

Xiao Shu'er was unwilling to comply and naturally struggled. Eunuch Guangde was a decisive person, and immediately brought two young eunuchs to drag Xiao Shu'er out.

After Xiao Shu'er was dragged away, and a long time had passed before the screams ceased, the Emperor finally let out a sigh of relief and said, "Consort Lan, answer me now, why did you suddenly miscarry?"

“Of course…” Consort Lan subconsciously looked at Chang Lili, prepared to grit her teeth and deny it.

The Emperor roared angrily, startling Consort Lan.

"Stop talking nonsense! How long do you intend to keep this a secret? You knew you were pregnant, yet you still ate cold and raw foods, resulting in your miscarriage. And now you've teamed up with Shu'er to frame someone else!"

Consort Lan, on the verge of tears, knelt before the Emperor, pleading pitifully, "Your Majesty, it's not like that! Please listen to my explanation. I truly didn't mean it, and I didn't intend to frame you. I also..."

"Shut up!" the Emperor roared, shaking off Consort Lan's hand that was gripping the hem of his robe. "Even now you still want to deceive me? How can I believe you? You, a mere woman, have even risked my child because of your gluttony. What a ridiculous joke!"

Consort Lan's face was ashen, and she kept trying to explain and exonerate herself, but it was all in vain now.

"Imperial Physician Jiang has already told me everything. How can you face me if you don't cherish the imperial child in your womb? I have treated you so well!" The Emperor said painfully, then turned to Eunuch Guangde and said coldly, "Send Consort Lan back to her palace."

Then he showed signs of exhaustion, ignoring Consort Lan's cries and refusing to look at her again.

Chang Lili looked at everything before her with a heavy heart. She had finally been exonerated, but she had no time to be happy.

She felt her head growing heavier and heavier. Watching the emperor handle the matter swiftly and decisively, she felt a sense of desolation. Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; emperors are heartless. The palace is truly a dark and terrifying abyss.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation returned to calm, with only the occasional sobs of Imperial Physician Jiang.

The emperor sat on the soft couch, rubbing his temples.

Seeing this, Meng Yuxiu hugged Chang Lili tightly and was about to take his leave when he saw the Emperor's tightly furrowed brows relax slightly.

He looked at Meng Yuxiu, his eyes softening: "General, there's no rush to go back. Have your men send Miss Chang back first. I have some things to discuss with you."

Meng Yuxiu frowned almost imperceptibly before reluctantly letting go of Chang Lili. He turned to her and gently instructed, "Go back first, quickly change your clothes, take a hot shower, and I'll be back soon."

Chang Lili smiled and nodded, looking obedient.

Meng Yuxiu suppressed the urge to hug her and told Ke Shou to take good care of her before he felt relieved.

Physician Jiang was also sent back to the Imperial Medical Bureau and protected by the guards. In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, only Meng Yuxiu and the Emperor remained.

"Yuxiu, are you injured?" the Emperor suddenly asked with concern.

Meng Yuxiu showed no sign of being flattered and calmly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am unharmed."

The Emperor clearly sensed the distance in his tone and thought that he was angry because of Chang Lili's matter. He smiled and said, "I know that you were worried about Miss Chang for a long time. It was my negligence that almost wronged Miss Chang. I will send someone to send some nourishing things to make amends."

In Meng Yuxiu's view, the emperor's move was merely a case of locking the barn door after the horse has bolted. He had previously been eager to dismiss him from his post as general, and now his fawning over him was probably because of the black-clad men who had infiltrated the palace.

"Your Majesty, I am terrified. This is not Your Majesty's fault." He said this, but there was no sincerity in his tone.