"Your Majesty, you can rest assured, I understand now and will not do anything wrong again." The Fujin's tense heart calmed down with Yinzhen's words, gradually growing cold. It was all because of Lady Yin! He ignored the fact that Lady Fucha's leg was crippled, yet he was so concerned about Lady Yin's entry into the palace. It seemed that Lady Fucha's favor was just a facade! The one His Majesty truly favored was Lady Yin! So what had caused His Majesty's behavior these past few days?

"That would be for the best. As I said, as long as you behave yourself, no one in the inner quarters can surpass you, and you can sit securely in the position of the Fujin." Yinzhen's voice carried a hint of coldness.

"I understand." The Fujin curtsied again, her heart no longer stirred by Yinzhen's cold words, or rather, she had become numb to them.

"If there's nothing else, go back." Upon seeing this, Yinzhen lowered his head and continued with his own affairs, no longer looking at his wife.

Luoyingyuan

"You're saying Fucha's legs are ruined?" Madam Li looked at Li Zhongde in disbelief. She had only been kneeling for an hour—no, to be precise, only half an hour—and her legs were already ruined? Was Fucha made of tofu? Was she untouchable?

"It's said that even if she's barely cured, she'll probably still walk with a limp." Li Zhongde didn't expect that Princess Fucha would wither away so quickly in the backyard. He had thought that Princess Fucha might be the next Consort Yin, given how much she had been favored these days, but it turned out to be just a flash in the pan.

"...Is the master back? Did he go to see the Fujin?" Madam Li asked after processing the news, as it was truly unexpected.

“She’s back. She didn’t go to the main courtyard, but someone just saw the Princess Consort go to the front courtyard,” Li Zhongde said, shaking his head.

"The Princess Consort is going herself? Heh, this is going to be interesting. I wonder how the Prince will punish us for this bonus. It can't be confinement again, can it? Her legs are practically crippled. Although I don't want to admit it, with Lady Fucha being so favored lately, the Prince won't let the Princess Consort off easily. Oh dear, I'm really looking forward to it. Keep an eye on things, and come back to me as soon as you have any news." Lady Li smiled happily. How could she not be happy? With Lady Fucha, who was favored in the inner quarters, being deposed, the Princess Consort would also be punished by the Prince. How could she not be happy?

"Yes." Li Zhongde felt that as long as the princess didn't think of doing anything outrageous, he would do whatever she wanted.

Lanyuan

The sounds of crying and smashing filled the air. In the Yuhua Pavilion beside the Orchid Courtyard, Niohuru listened to the cacophony with a mocking glint in her eyes. This Fucha woman was utterly brainless. She'd finally gained favor, only to ruin it herself. Now, her leg was crippled; the Emperor wouldn't favor a cripple. And yet, she still couldn't calm down. This commotion only made the Emperor dislike her more, and her future would be even more difficult.

"Very well, there are too many women in the back courtyard. It's good to have one less person vying for favor. She may not be pretty, but with fewer people around, the master will still notice her, won't he?" Niohuru chuckled and lowered her head to continue embroidering the flower pattern in her hands. The shrill sounds coming from the Orchid Courtyard sounded as pleasant as someone singing to Niohuru.

End of Wei Hour

When Yinzhen arrived at the entrance of Lanyuan, he frowned deeply upon hearing the shrill cries coming from inside.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The servant who had been chased to the door by Lady Fucha immediately spotted Yinzhen and shouted loudly.

Fucha, who was inside, clearly heard it. The wailing stopped and was replaced by soft sobbing.

Yinzhen's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly. He stepped into the Orchid Courtyard, opened the door, and raised an eyebrow at the mess on the ground. Wasn't it said that his leg was crippled? How could he still smash things? It seems that his leg wasn't completely crippled.

"Clean the room thoroughly," Yinzhen said to the kneeling servants, looking at the cramped space.

"Yes, this servant will go right away." The maids and eunuchs immediately got up and went into the room to clean. Yinzhen waited outside without going in. He waited for a quarter of an hour, and the servants were quite efficient, cleaning the messy room spotless in just a quarter of an hour.

Yinzhen then entered the room. Lady Fucha wasn't lying in the inner room, but on the soft couch in the outer room. This was a rule Yinzhen had decreed: from the second day after he arrived at Lanyuan, this room no longer belonged to Lady Fucha. If she dared disobey, she would have to kneel for an extra hour each night. Lady Fucha learned her lesson after just one time and never went into the inner room again. Even now, with her legs in such a state, she dared not enter the inner room.

"This concubine greets Your Highness. My legs are injured, so I cannot perform the proper greeting. Please forgive me." Fucha's voice was hoarse, a result of crying for so long. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her face, which was originally quite presentable, was now less pleasing to the eye than Niohuru's.

"Fucha, do you know why I treat you this way?" Yinzhen looked at Fucha with icy eyes, showing no mercy despite her pitiful appearance.

"This humble servant does not know," Lady Fucha shook her head. If she had known, she would have already found a way to make amends; it was precisely because she did not know that this...

“You sent a message home a month ago.” Yinzhen looked at Fucha, his tone so cold it could drop ice.

"A month ago? Yes, that happened, but what does it matter? The manor didn't say we couldn't communicate with our families." Fucha was even more confused. Just because of a letter, she lost both her legs?

"Do you still remember the contents of the letter?" Yinzhen looked at Fucha and his disgust deepened.

"The contents... Heh, so that's how it is. So, Your Majesty took my legs just because of one sentence? I was merely telling the truth! That Yin woman is a vixen! Your Majesty only sees her; all the other women in the harem are just decorations, you don't even glance at them! I'm just jealous of her. Why is it that all of them are Your Majesty's women, yet Yin woman can monopolize you?" Fucha Shi thought for a moment before realizing that she had only casually written it in the letter, just two short sentences, and because of those two sentences, her legs were crippled! How ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!

"Even if it weren't for Lady Yin, I wouldn't give you a second glance. A woman as vicious and jealous as you, if it weren't for... I would never have set foot in your courtyard in my entire life!" Yinzhen looked at Lady Fucha with disgust. If it weren't for not wanting Qingqing to be remembered by his father, he would never have come to this courtyard.