"Does Your Majesty also wish to favor Consort He? In that case, shall I mention her rank?" she asked with a smile, her face full of mockery.

"No, no, no!" Emperor Hui immediately dared not look at Consort He's crying face and shook his head vigorously.

Now that there is another Consort Rong in the harem, if these vicious women find out that they love Consort He deeply, then Consort He will probably be killed in the future!

"I despise such lowly servants!" His heart still burning with love for Consort He, he pointed at her and cursed her bitterly, his gaze filled with heartbreak. "She's nothing but a concubine! How dare she cause trouble in front of me! Such a lowly servant..."

His heart ached terribly, and with tears streaming down his face, he hoarsely shouted, "Confine her to the palace! Without my permission, do not let this lowly servant out!" Seeing that both the Noble Consort and Consort Rong were looking at Consort He with cold faces, it was clear that this matter was not over. He closed his eyes, his hands trembling as he whispered, "Thirty strokes of the cane, consider it punishment for offending Consort Rong."

After he finished speaking, he felt a sweet taste in his throat and almost vomited blood.

"Your Majesty!" Consort He's voice was shrill and piercing.

She never imagined that one day Emperor Hui would personally issue a rebuke upon her.

She was still acting this way in front of his new and old flames.

He doted on the Imperial Concubine and the Consort Rong, and even beat her in front of these two women, all while claiming it was for her own good.

Is there any emperor in the world with such a tragic love story?!

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for speaking up for me." Consort Rong thought Consort He was crazy. This woman had suddenly rushed out, scaring Consort Rong so much that her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

Moreover, she never expected that the usually aloof Consort He would dare to attack her and Emperor Hui over the matter of receiving imperial favor. Enraged, she disregarded everything else, stepped forward, bent down, and slapped Consort He hard across the face. Seeing several deep bloodstains on that fair and delicate face, she sneered and spat, "You lowly servant!"

She spat on Consort He's face, and Consort He was stunned, barely noticing the excruciating pain on her face.

Shen Wangshu observed coldly, and seeing that Consort Rong was not an easy person to deal with, she raised an eyebrow.

"His Majesty has given the order, why aren't you going to fight?" she ordered calmly.

She remained calm and composed, yet for some reason, she became increasingly frightening. Immediately, several eunuchs stepped forward and restrained Consort He.

The eunuchs didn't need to say anything, because Consort He wasn't a favored mistress, so beating her would be pointless. Therefore, the thirty strokes of the cane were delivered solidly, without any leniency.

When the first blow landed, Consort He let out a piercing scream, a desperate cry that echoed throughout the Imperial Garden.

Emperor Hui's eyes were almost brimming with tears, and he couldn't bear to look directly at her. However, just as he was about to turn his head, he met Shen Wangshu's cold eyes.

Her eyes seemed to see through something, making Emperor Hui uneasy. He feared that she had really seen through his feelings, so he had no choice but to force himself to watch Consort He be executed.

But all Shen Wangshu could think of was what she had read in books: when the imperial concubine was convicted and deposed, this heartless man showed no regard for their years of marriage and punished her with a hundred strokes of the cane.

Those hundred blows nearly wrecked the concubine's body. Even if she didn't die, she would never be able to move again and would be paralyzed in the cold palace for the rest of her life.

Even when used as a shield, no one could be this heartless. Shen Wangshu felt that Emperor Hui was a million times more disgusting than Consort He.

Compared to the disputes among women, that despicable man was the one Shen Wangshu hated the most.

She coldly swept her gaze over Emperor Hui's eyes, which were struggling to hold back tears, and quietly watched as Consort He finished receiving the thirty strokes of the cane. She was frail and slender, possessing an extraordinary and refined character, yet under the heavy blows, blood was already splattered everywhere. The soft brocade robe on her back was stained with blood, her flesh torn open and dripping with blood, a truly gruesome sight.

But looking at her miserable state, Shen Wangshu couldn't help but think, if thirty strokes of the cane were already like this, then what would a hundred strokes be like?

If Consort He had any conscience, considering how much trouble the Imperial Concubine had shielded her from, she should have pleaded with Emperor Hui on her behalf.

But she did nothing. Perhaps she felt relieved that the imperial concubine had been deposed.

"Next time, you should be more careful with your words and actions," she said coldly, then looked at Emperor Hui.

Emperor Hui felt a deep pity, but he could not show it. He simply lowered his head and quickly wiped the corner of his eye.

Consort He had already fainted, so she couldn't hear Shen Wangshu's words.

"Your Majesty?" Consort Rong asked with a forced smile.

"Speak to His Majesty yourself." Shen Wangshu was too lazy to deal with the mess between her and Emperor Hui. Seeing Consort He being dragged away, she turned and left as well.

However, she naturally remembered that she should give the jade carving of Emperor Hui to Consort Rong, and had it carried away, which made Ah Xiang a little reluctant to part with it.

“Although that jade carving isn’t the best, it was still given to Her Majesty by His Majesty. How can Her Majesty give it to Consort Rong?” Ah Xiang stood beside Shen Wangshu, muttering reluctantly. Holding the jade carving, she saw Shen Wangshu’s expression was indifferent as she looked down at the banquet menu, and said dejectedly, “It’s just a banquet for the Regent. Her Majesty has been looking at this menu for a long time.”

They no longer speak to her as gently as they used to.

The banquet menu was personally prepared by the Imperial Concubine. Ah Xiang noticed that she was meticulous about every dish, even more so than when she was facing His Majesty. For some reason, a strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart.

"Did you give him the invitation?" Shen Wangshu asked without looking up.

"I gave it to you," Ah Xiang said hurriedly.

She paused, knowing full well that a palace maid should be careful with her words, but she still couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty treats the Regent very well."

"Of course."

“You are His Majesty’s concubine, and you have close ties with the Regent. I’m afraid…” Ah Xiang hesitated for a moment, then, seeing Shen Wangshu looking up at her intently, she lowered her head and said hesitantly, “Some people are gossiping.”

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