yes.

What can we do?

Just take it!

Consort He was slapped so hard by the Regent that her vision went black. It took her a long time to recover. Lying on the ground, she looked at the indifferent young man who seemed to think that the slap was nothing. She felt as if her throat was full of blood.

The resounding slap caused all the concubines to tremble and rise to their feet, falling silent in fear.

Some of the more gossipy concubines whispered mockingly to their companions, "Look at her like that!"

Although Consort He was out of favor and practically invisible in the palace, her haughty air—a "I am the only one who is sober in a world of depravity, you are all vile, only I am the purest and disdainful of you mortals"—made her quite unpopular. Normally, no one bothered with her, but now that the Regent had struck her, naturally some eager for chaos arose. As the Regent did not stop the surrounding gossip, the concubines began to mock her even more.

Those piercing, mocking eyes fell on He Fei's swollen face, making her wish she could disappear into the ground!

The other day, when the Imperial Concubine was slapped by the Regent, he mocked her for being shameful and a laughingstock. But now, she has been slapped as well.

Back then, there were people who tried to dissuade her, and Emperor Hui spoke up for the Consort. But now she is surrounded by enemies, and no one dares to support her.

"Look at your popularity. Not a single person pleaded for you. It's clear that you were in the wrong just now. This slap was not unjust."

Shen Wangshu had just wiped away her tears when the young man beside her unexpectedly slapped Consort He hard across the face. Turning her head, she saw the young man looking at her with his deep, silent eyes. With a slight sigh, she turned to the ashamed and indignant Consort He, raised her delicate chin, and said coldly, "Get up now! You've completely disgraced His Majesty!"

She's just making false accusations first.

The regent openly slapped the emperor's concubines, but Consort He was deemed to be in the wrong.

But what good is it if you're right?

Even the Imperial Concubine had to endure being slapped before, let alone a mere Consort He.

Therefore, the concubines didn't take Consort He seriously. Seeing her cover her face and shed tears of grievance, resembling a pear blossom in the rain, and possessing an elegant and refined character like a lotus on a lake, one of the concubines said jealously, "She's quite a pitiful girl, but who is she putting on this act for?!"

The concubine knew how to sow discord, so she came forward to flatter Shen Wangshu and said, "Consort He has been deprived of her freedom for a long time. If Your Majesty lets her cry like this, His Majesty will surely pity her when he comes." The Noble Consort had been slapped in front of her, and Emperor Hui felt sorry for her for the injustice she had suffered for him, so he comforted her and showed her great favor.

This Consort He is probably just imitating the Imperial Concubine, trying to curry favor with the Emperor.

Presumably, when His Majesty saw that she had been slapped, he would feel some pity for her, thinking of the previous imperial concubine.

What a deep scheming mind!

Previously, Consort He lived a quiet and uneventful life, and no one paid much attention to her. But now that she has revealed her cunning, she has been remembered by several other concubines.

No one can be lazy for long, not even Consort He. Emperor Hui spends every day with her. Shen Wangshu just smiled and gave Consort He a meaningful look.

Consort He was a woman of great integrity and naturally did not want to become a laughingstock. She knew she had utterly humiliated herself today and wanted to leave to return to her palace to await Emperor Hui's comfort. However, the Imperial Concubine did not tell her to leave, so she could not go. She could only try to raise her proud and beautiful face, revealing an unyielding and arrogant demeanor.

But the sunlight made her snow-white face even more striking, highlighting the bright red handprint, which looked rather comical. She, however, was unaware of her vivid injury and remained as graceful as a swan.

Shen Wangshu glanced at her only once before turning her gaze to the Regent.

The young man now sat opposite him as if indifferent, his eyes downcast, not looking at anyone, but Shen Wangshu knew that he was guarding him.

She felt extremely relieved and filled with joy, and a genuine smile appeared on her face.

The young man looked up and saw her radiant smile. His gaze softened for a moment, then swept over the various concubines and frowned.

"What's that?" He pointed to the jade statue not far away.

"His Majesty bestowed it upon the Empress. The Empress is kind enough to let us broaden our horizons." The Regent Prince's words implied that he was treating the Imperial Concubine with special favor; in the past, the idea of ​​slapping someone was probably just a myth.

When the concubines saw that the Regent King no longer spoke harshly to the Imperial Concubine, they all knew that the Imperial Concubine's luck had turned around. They were all extremely jealous of her, feeling that Heaven was blind. The Emperor and the Regent King both favored the Imperial Concubine, but at this moment they could only flatter her. They praised Shen Wangshu's kindness and magnanimity, and also complimented the rare treasure in front of them.

The regent glanced thoughtfully at the statue and nodded slightly.

"Your Highness?" The eunuch behind him was almost in tears, and called out cautiously.

It's one thing to draw a concubine who isn't particularly favored, but why did she even sit down?

Emperor Hui is still waiting in the Imperial Study!

"I'd like to have a sip of tea." The Regent glanced subtly at the exquisite green jade teacup in front of Shen Wangshu, and seeing a eunuch beside him serving him fresh tea with great enthusiasm, he glared at the eunuch with a cold look.

The eunuch felt utterly innocent, wondering what had displeased the Regent, and almost burst into tears.

"Let's go." The Regent had no interest in tea. He was about to be displeased, but when he saw Shen Wangshu smile at him, he felt inexplicably happy.

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