Chapter 886

"Did he ask you to leave the palace?"

Consort Jing nodded: "Yes, otherwise, even though there are imperial physicians in the palace, I would never have thought of letting him leave the palace to recuperate."

She glanced at the emperor's expression and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, has something happened?"

The emperor looked away: "Yes, a few days ago, someone intended to harm the princess of the Huo and Chen families."

"Such a thing has happened?!" Consort Jing was deeply shocked. "That princess is the apple of the eye of both Prince Huo and Lord Chen's families. With something like this happening, they must be doing everything they can to investigate, right? Have they found the mastermind behind this?"

"It's Shi Xiao, the one next to you."

The emperor stared intently at her.

But Consort Jing's face was full of astonishment: "Shi Xiao... how could this be? He has been by my side for so long, and he is loyal to me. How could he do such a thing—"

It's unclear what Consort Jing was thinking, but her expression suddenly froze.

Immediately afterwards, she rose and knelt down: "Speaking of which, there is indeed something I wish to report, Your Majesty."

"explain."

Consort Jing took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind: "Your Majesty, when the Princess Consort entered the palace before, she and I had some unpleasantness. I think Shi Xiao took this to heart and wanted to stand up for me. That's why he took advantage of the opportunity of going out to recuperate to make a move on the Princess... I beg Your Majesty to consider Shi Xiao's loyalty and let him... have some dignity."

Upon hearing her words, the emperor's expression did not soften; in fact, it grew even colder: "Are you saying that anyone who crosses you will end up like this?"

Consort Jing was startled.

She knew perfectly well that this excuse was rather clumsy.

But she also knew clearly that even if it wasn't a brilliant move, it was still better than getting herself involved.

Consort Jing took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "Your Majesty, so many years have passed, and I have never competed with any of my sisters. How can you say that I have any grudges? Besides, there are rules in the palace. With me watching over her, Shi Xiao dares not do anything. But once she leaves the palace, well... I really can't control her."

"The saying 'the whip is too far to reach' applies here; surely Your Majesty understands this better than I do?"

The emperor's expression darkened slightly.

He knew that, of course.

Huo Yue had been away for so many years, it was impossible for him to consult him on every matter, big or small, before taking action.

Consort Jing continued, "However, since Prince Huo and Lord Chen have come to me personally, they must feel that I cannot completely extricate myself from this matter. On this point, I have nothing to refute. I will follow their instructions on how they wish to deal with me. But as for the claim that it was my idea to take action against the Prefect, I would never dare to admit it."

She knelt on the ground, and even with her head slightly bowed, the emperor could still see the determination on her face.

Just then, a palace attendant hurried over: "Your Majesty, Consort Qu has arrived. She says that you asked her to come and play chess with you yesterday."

The emperor then remembered that this was indeed the case.

The emperor first told Consort Jing to get up, and then he let Consort Qu in.

Consort Qu was young and dressed in a vibrant manner, making her a striking sight.

The emperor's mood improved considerably upon seeing her.

However, Consort Qu was clearly taken aback when she saw Consort Jing there: "I've come at the wrong time. Are His Majesty and Consort Jing discussing something?"

The emperor shook his head: "No, it's just that Prince Huo came by just now, and it involved Consort Jing."

"I see," Consort Qu nodded. "If Prince Huo came in person, it must be no small matter, right?"

Looking at her, the emperor suddenly had an idea.

He knew that Consort Qu and Consort Jing were related and were usually very close. However, judging from Consort Qu's current state, she seemed unaware of what Consort Jing had done. He could ask her for her opinion as a reference.

The emperor pondered for a moment and then asked, "When you entered the palace, Prince Huo had already returned to the capital. What was your impression of Prince Huo?"