"I want to see who's playing tricks. You, you two, come out and see who's inside," the Imperial Noble Consort said coldly as she stepped forward.

The two guards, who had been temporarily appointed, were somewhat afraid, but they still obeyed the order and stepped forward to kick open the courtyard gate.

The sounds from inside the room grew clearer, and the concubines, upon hearing them, were filled with shyness and embarrassment.

"Who is so bold as to dare to do this in the palace..." a young and beautiful concubine said, blushing.

The Imperial Noble Consort glanced around and, seeing that everyone had quieted down, walked toward the source of the sound with a cold expression.

As they reached the door, the sound grew clearer, and the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, but no one dared to make a sound.

"Guards, break down the door!" The Imperial Noble Consort snorted coldly, staring intently at the door.

The door was flung open by two guards. The Imperial Noble Consort glanced at the maid beside her, who obeyed and went inside. Immediately afterward, a scream rang out.

"Ahhh!" The palace maid ran out in a panic, her face pale and her body trembling like a leaf.

The Imperial Noble Consort frowned. "What kind of behavior is this, all this panic? What's going on inside? Do you even know who it is?"

The palace maid collapsed to the ground, her voice trembling as she recalled what she had just witnessed:

"Your Highness, it's inside...it's inside..."

"What happened inside? Tell me quickly!" someone urged, seeing her stammering.

The palace maid looked up and saw a flash of coldness in the Imperial Noble Consort's eyes, and immediately spoke, "Inside..."

But in the end, he didn't say it out loud.

The Imperial Noble Consort turned to the guards and said, "You few go in and drag the person out. I want to see who has the audacity to do this."

Upon hearing this, the palace maid panicked even more. She hurriedly crawled to the Imperial Noble Consort's feet and whispered in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, Your Highness, you mustn't! You can't let anyone in! Inside is..."

Seeing this, the Imperial Noble Consort glanced at her, then looked around again, before turning to the nanny beside her and saying, "Go in and take a look."

A moment later, the old nanny also retreated with a look of fear on her face, and whispered something to the Imperial Noble Consort. The Imperial Noble Consort's expression changed drastically, "How is this possible?"

It was actually the Empress?

How could this be? She's the most law-abiding person, how could she do such a thing?

"Sister, what's going on inside? Tell us about it!" a concubine asked curiously.

Consort Gui concealed her inner panic and feigned composure. "Sisters, there's no need for you to go in and see. It would be too much to offend your eyes. The nanny said that the palace maid and the guard were having an affair. This matter should not be publicized to avoid disturbing the Emperor. Sisters, please disperse."

Several concubines were unwilling to leave, but they could not suppress the status of the Imperial Noble Consort, so they could only leave reluctantly.

Just as everyone was about to leave, they heard another exclamation.

"Help! Someone has fallen into the water!"

"Something terrible has happened! Someone come quick! The princess has fallen into the water!"

Upon hearing this voice, the Imperial Noble Consort's body went limp, but fortunately, she was supported by the nanny behind her.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go save them!" the Imperial Noble Consort ordered coldly.

The palace servants rushed out, and the concubines followed.

Seeing that the courtyard had quieted down, the Imperial Noble Consort hurriedly said to the nanny who was supporting her:

"Granny, take her away and lock her up. Also, send someone to guard the room, no, to guard the courtyard. Under no circumstances should this matter be revealed."

"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured." The nanny gestured to the person beside her.

When the concubines arrived at the lake, they saw a person splashing in the lake. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was the Regent's wife.

"Strange, wasn't the Regent's wife supposed to be in the palace attending to the Empress Dowager? What's she doing here?"

"Yeah, could it be that you witnessed that incident and were silenced?"

"Hey, look over there, her maid was thrown into the lake too. It might really be true."

"Tsk tsk, the palace is really lively today."

By the time Yun Qingluo and the others were rescued, the Imperial Noble Consort had already invited the Emperor over.

The emperor's face was gloomy; even though Yun Qingluo had fainted, he didn't order the imperial physician to be summoned.

When Yun Qingluo woke up, she saw that the emperor's face was grim.

Yun Qingluo raised an eyebrow. Did the emperor already know that he had been cuckolded?

"The Princess Consort is awake? Why are you here?" The Emperor had already dismissed everyone around him, leaving only her, the Emperor, and the Imperial Noble Consort in the pavilion.

Yun Qingluo wiped her eyes with her sleeve; the medicated oil stung her eyes, and they immediately turned red, tears streaming down her face like broken beads.

"Waaah, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must do me justice! After I entered the palace, I was taken away by the eunuch from the Empress's side, who told me to stay in the Empress's palace for one night. Instead, I was brought here."

"You don't know where the Empress lives?" the Emperor questioned.

Yun Qinglu cried even harder, "Waaah, I only went to the Empress's palace once when I went to the palace to express my gratitude. So much time has passed, how could I remember it clearly?"

"Then why did you fall into the water?" the emperor asked coldly.

“After I arrived, I rested in the side courtyard next door. Later, I got hungry and asked my guards to find me some food, but they didn’t come for a long time. So I went out to look for them and was pushed into the lake. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me.”

Yun Qinglu cried her eyes out, completely losing her composure, and looked as if she was truly terrified.

The emperor, half believing and half doubting, asked, "Did you see clearly who pushed you into the lake?"

Yun Qingluo's eyes were filled with fear and confusion. "I had my back to that person at the time and didn't see him clearly. Waaah, I'm so miserable, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, please investigate! Waaah, the lake water is so cold in winter. What if... waaah, what if I become infertile and can't bear children for my prince? How can I face him then?"

The emperor froze upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, waaaah, Your Majesty, please, Your Majesty, do justice for me!" Yun Qingluo continued to cry out, looking utterly aggrieved as she sobbed.

The emperor rubbed his temples in frustration. No one had ever dared to cry so loudly in front of him; it was deafening.

This whole family is his nemesis, his nemesis!

The emperor composed himself, gave her a deep look, and then casually asked, "When you were resting in the side courtyard, did you see anyone or hear anything?"

Yun Qingluo clutched her head, seemingly trying hard to recall, and after a while suddenly screamed, "Ahhhhh, there's a sound!"

The emperor had just picked up his teacup when he was startled by Yun Qingluo's scream, causing him to knock the cup over and spill water all over himself. A gust of cold wind blew by, and he shivered.

But he didn't care about his wet clothes. He exchanged a glance with the Imperial Noble Consort, then looked down and asked Yun Qingluo, "What sound did you hear?"

Yun Qingluo said fearfully, "Your Majesty, there are so many rats squeaking, I'm too scared to stay in the house."

The emperor was furious: "You!"