Hearing the roar, the little swallow that had run far away stopped in fright and began to argue, putting her hands together in a pleading gesture, hoping to be spared.

She knew she had messed up, but she really didn't mean to; she didn't expect it to turn out this way.

"Four Guards, bring Little Swallow back."

The Emperor was furious. Thinking of the Empress Dowager's pale face and the anger in her eyes, he began to think of ways to exonerate Xiao Yanzi.

Seeing the fleeing swallow, he was instantly enraged and didn't bother to defend himself. The swallow was simply adding fuel to the fire.

“Little Swallow, you are simply unforgivable… You are confined to Shufangzhai, and no one is allowed to plead for her, or else they will be confined along with her.”

Upon seeing the person captured by the four guards, the Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with rage. With a single order, she placed Xiao Yanzi under house arrest.

This also dashed any hopes that others might have had of pleading for Xiao Yanzi.

Listening to the Empress Dowager's words, Shen Nian felt that the Empress Dowager was very kind. Even though she was so angry, she only restricted Xiao Yanzi's footsteps and did not involve anyone else.

The Emperor and Consort Ling were also filled with helplessness. Since the Empress Dowager had already said so, they dared not contradict her.

Realizing they couldn't save her, Xiao Yanzi, who had originally intended to ask Qing'er for help, immediately gave up on the idea and decided not to involve them.

Shen Nianqing looked down at the dejected people below and shook her head slightly.

At this point, it's best to just obey.

Actually, you can't entirely blame Xiao Yanzi for this. That's how the script is written. Xiao Yanzi's character is meant to be a troublemaker. If Xiao Yanzi didn't cause trouble, she wouldn't be Xiao Yanzi, and the plot wouldn't know how to develop.

...

~~