Now, this daughter of the former prime minister dares to have an affair with the emperor behind her back. How can she forgive such a serious crime?

Thinking of this, Madam Xiao suddenly stood up and quickly walked to Shen Yunjiao.

She stretched out her finger, almost poking Shen Yunjiao's nose, and said in an even harsher tone, "Do you think I would easily believe your one-sided story?"

Shen Yunjiao did not back down, but instead answered firmly, "This subject never lies. If the Empress Dowager does not believe me, she can ask His Majesty to come and confront me."

A heavy and oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire hall, and the palace servants, witnessing the conflict, all lowered their heads in unison.

Outside the palace, Chu Xiyue held the Buddhist scriptures she had just copied, intending to present them to the Empress Dowager.

She happened to be visiting the palace when the coup occurred.

When they returned, her cousin had become the emperor, and her maternal grandmother had become the Empress Dowager.

Since her cousin's path was not feasible, Chu Xiyue naturally wanted to rely on her maternal grandmother's support to secure a better future for herself.

Therefore, she served Lady Xiao even more diligently and obediently.

Yesterday, Chu Xiyue went to Fahua Temple to ask for a peace charm, and today she will present it to her maternal grandmother along with the Buddhist scriptures she has copied.

Chu Xiyue wondered to herself what her grandmother would reward her with if she was in a good mood.

Whether it's gold and silver jewelry or fertile fields and estates, as long as it's something to admire, that's fine.

But when she happily walked outside the hall and was about to push open the door, she was stopped by Qin, the old woman beside her grandmother.

"Miss Xiyue, you are not allowed to enter."

Chu Xiyue raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion, "Usually at this time, my grandmother would have already finished reciting the scriptures and be waiting for me to come and have breakfast together. What's going on in the palace today?"

Granny Qin replied, "Miss Xiyue, you may not know this, but the Empress Dowager has summoned Shen Yunjiao, the daughter of the Shen family, to the palace, and they are currently talking in the hall."

Chu Xiyue pouted and muttered, "Why is she here too? Isn't stealing my cousin enough?"

It wasn't that Chu Xiyue was overly worried; it was just that Shen Yunjiao did possess a certain charm that made people want to explore and get closer.

If the Cining Palace also falls for Shen Yunjiao, then I will lose their favor, and how will I face my parents when I go home?

Chu Xiyue pulled Qin Mama aside, intending to question her thoroughly.

"Granny, could you please tell me what Grandmother and Shen Yunjiao were talking about inside? Is she also trying to win Grandmother's favor?"

Qin Mama had taken care of Chu Xiyue when she was a child, so naturally she was on the side of her little darling.

She quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, Miss. How could the Empress Dowager possibly be interested in that seductive woman who bewitches the Emperor? She's currently interrogating Shen Yunjiao in the palace, and she'll probably punish her severely soon."

Upon hearing that Shen Yunjiao was to be punished, Chu Xiyue felt a surge of pleasure.

She couldn't stand Shen Yunjiao and wished she would die.

But now, only she can cure the poison in my body.

What if she is punished too harshly and develops hatred towards me, and refuses to give me the antidote?

Chu Xiyue silently considered the matter, but ultimately, for the sake of her own life, she decided to help Shen Yunjiao this time.

"Granny, I suddenly remembered that there is still a scripture that I haven't copied. Why don't I go back to the Ziwei Palace to get it?"

Before Qin Mama could react after Chu Xiyue finished speaking, she took off running.

She stepped out of the palace and said to the maid beside her, "Let's go to Feihua Palace."

Just as Qin Mama saw Chu Xiyue leaving in a hurry, she was about to call her back when the palace door creaked open.

Granny Qin hurried inside and heard the Empress Dowager shout, "How dare you!"

Looking at Shen Yunjiao kneeling on the ground, Madam Xiao felt extremely disgusted.

As she was the wife of an official appointed by the imperial court, he naturally could not punish her.

But with so many ways to torment people in the world, how could Shen Yunjiao possibly escape?

Seeing that Shen Yunjiao's naturally beautiful oval face was now covered with red spots, Xiao suddenly had a plan.

Isn't she supposed to be protected from sunlight?

Then I will do the opposite of what she wants!

"Shen, since you claim to have superb medical skills and can cure His Majesty's headache, then I order you to go to the side hall and classify all the medicinal herbs that I wish to give to Baohua Temple and put them into boxes."

"If you understand medicine, you must also understand medicinal herbs, right?" A glint flashed in Madam Xiao's eyes. She laughed mockingly, turned around, and sat back down heavily on the phoenix chair.

She called out loudly, "Granny Qin, tidy up the side hall properly, and then bring all the medicinal herbs over there."

"I want to see if Miss Shen is truly a skilled physician."

At the Empress Dowager's command, Granny Qin led Shen Yunjiao into the side hall.

Although it's called a side hall, it's actually the most inconspicuous room in the corner. Because it faces north, almost all the summer heat is concentrated in this room.

This room looked like it had been empty for a long time, with the doors and windows tightly closed, and a wave of heat hit you as soon as you entered.

Knowing that the Empress Dowager intended to deliberately make things difficult for Shen Yunjiao, Granny Qin specially ordered people to open the windows on the top and sides of the room.

In an instant, the scorching sunlight poured into the room.

Granny Qin then ordered a palace maid to carry a sack into the room, dump it all on the ground, and then called for several boxes to be brought over.

"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Chen."

Shen Yunjiao was speechless when she saw the mess of medicinal herbs on the ground.

Angelica dahurica, Poria cocos, licorice root, all mixed together, there must be at least dozens of medicinal herbs at a glance, it would take forever to classify them.

She stood there for a moment, and her face started to itch unbearably. If she stayed any longer, she'd probably turn into a dried-up corpse, wouldn't she?

"I can't do it, it's too sunny," Shen Yunjiao refused without hesitation.

Granny Qin sneered, "That's not up to Miss Chen to decide."

"Why can't I have a say? Just go and tell the Empress Dowager." Shen Yunjiao replied irritably.

She was about to step out the door when several strong eunuchs grabbed her and pushed her back.

Granny Qin snorted, "If you dare to disobey, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Shen Yunjiao lazily raised her eyes and stared directly at Granny Qin, "If I don't listen, what can you do to me?"

Granny Qin was taken aback at first, then realized that Shen Yunjiao was deliberately provoking her.

"Very well, since Miss Shen refuses to listen to reason and will have to suffer the consequences, then don't blame this old servant for being impolite!" Granny Qin rubbed her hands together, having accompanied the Empress Dowager all the way here and punished countless disobedient concubines.

She was incredibly skilled with her hands; when she pinched someone, the pain was so intense it drove them mad. Moreover, she didn't pinch in conspicuous places, but rather in those embarrassing areas, so that even if the concubines were abused, they wouldn't dare to complain to anyone.

How could she possibly care about a mere Shen Yunjiao?

First, Granny Qin grabbed Shen Yunjiao's arm with force, and then reached towards Shen Yunjiao's chest with her hand in the shape of an eagle claw.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Shen Yunjiao quickly extended her index finger and flicked it in front of her eyes.

Granny Qin's eyes suddenly burned intensely. She covered her eyes and cried out, "You wretched woman, what did you throw in my eyes?"

"The old woman looks kind and gentle, but I didn't expect her methods to be so insidious," Shen Yunjiao scoffed, saying calmly. "In that case, what use are these eyes that are so good at deceiving people?"

"It would be better to be blind."