Chapter 44 (None)

Recently, both the inner palace and the court have been in turmoil, and Emperor Yuanming feels more agitated than ever before.

The garden was initially short of flowers and trees, but they were eventually replenished. Emperor Yuanming then decided to let the matter rest and not pursue it further.

Unexpectedly, Consort Li accused Jiang Ling of extorting money and blackmailing the Li family. Although Emperor Yuanming trusted Jiang Ling, he knew she loved money, and especially the affectionate look in her eyes as she gazed at the golden toad, he could not be entirely certain.

After hearing her explanation, Emperor Yuanming was quite impressed with her and made a decision in his heart.

Emperor Yuanming was both amused and exasperated by her feigned tears. He cursed her inwardly, but his hand involuntarily reached out and said, "Get up quickly."

Jiang Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and curtsied to express her gratitude. Her face was burning hot; she was so embarrassed she wished she could disappear under the gold bricks.

"Oh no, I'm about to faint! Acting coquettishly and sweetly is a real skill; not everyone can do it!"

Overwhelmed with shame, Jiang Ling's mind was in turmoil, filled with all sorts of thoughts: "Li Jieyu is his darling, and she injured Yu Ping'er while catching a rat. Will he kill a few unlucky souls to make amends?"

Emperor Yuanming glanced at Jiang Ling, filled with regret. If he had known she was two-faced, he shouldn't have let her rise!

As Jiang Ling began to weep, Consort Li was not to be outdone. In a short while, her eyes filled with tears, and she cried out to the Emperor in a plaintive voice, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty's heart is as clear as day!"

"Bah! That's laughable. Heaven is my witness, you might as well just dig it up, that would be more convincing. If you're so capable, let cow dung search your Li family's warehouse!"

Jiang Ling secretly rolled her eyes. She could no longer cry, nor could she feign weakness. She said, "What does Consort Jieyu's affection for the Emperor have to do with the Li family's treasury?"

"Jiang Meiren, don't push your luck." Li Jieyu turned her head to look at Jiang Ling, her voice pitiful and weak, her eyes filled with resentment and venom, wishing she could devour Jiang Ling alive.

Emperor Yuanming's head began to ache. His brows furrowed, and he slammed his hand on the armrest, shouting sternly, "All of you, shut up!"

Li Jieyu trembled in fright, biting her lip and lowering her head, sobbing silently. Jiang Ling remained silent, standing respectfully, but his heart was ice-cold: "Sure enough, that dung will protect his little darling!"

Emperor Yuanming glared at Jiang Ling with annoyance and said in a deep voice, "Consort Li instigated Hongye to place the hairpin with Consort Jiang, intending to frame Consort Jiang. Her intentions are wicked. She is demoted to a lower rank and moved to the west wing of Xiefang Pavilion! Consign the palace maid Hongye to the Palace Administration Office and convey my decree to have her beaten to death!"

Hongye was so frightened that she fainted. Huang Liang bowed and led the eunuch forward, quickly dragging her out.

In the blink of an eye, Consort Li, who had been demoted from Jieyu to Guiren, was struck dumb. She stared at Emperor Yuanming in disbelief and was truly heartbroken.

From Su Yue, who was banished to the Imperial Temple, to the deceased Consort Gao, misfortunes have struck one after another. The west wing of Xiefang Pavilion has become an ominous place in the eyes of everyone in the harem.

Jieyu was a third-rank official, while Guiren was a concubine without rank.

The Li family is probably finished this time!

“Your Majesty, I have served you wholeheartedly and without any disloyalty since I entered the palace. Your Majesty does not trust me, but you trust Consort Jiang. Your Majesty values ​​Consort Jiang, and I dare not compete with her.”

Consort Li wept bitterly, sobbing uncontrollably, "But, Your Majesty, based solely on Consort Jiang's words, are you really going to treat my sincere heart towards Your Majesty as worthless?"

Emperor Yuanming stared coldly at Consort Li, whose face was streaked with tears, as if she were a stranger. He felt no pity for her whatsoever, but rather found her repulsive: "Li, how dare you! How dare you question my decree!"

Consort Li, her heart ashen, forced out a mournful laugh, then suddenly pointed at Consort Zhao and shrieked, "And what about her? When she was in charge of the Imperial Bedchamber, she took a lot of benefits from the Li family. Is Your Majesty going to protect her too? I refuse to accept this! I refuse to accept this!"

Emperor Yuanming was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead. He slammed his fist on the imperial desk and roared, "You vile woman, going crazy in front of me!"

A flash of malice crossed Consort Zhao's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and said gently, "Sister Li, I know you were flustered and lost your mind after falling from such a height, so I won't hold it against you. Sister Li, you've truly misunderstood the Emperor. He is kind and benevolent. If he didn't care about the years of service you've given me, he wouldn't have kept you in the palace; he would have sent you directly to the Imperial Ancestral Temple long ago. Sister Li, Old Madam Huang is getting on in years. Last Lantern Festival, she happily told me that Doctor Li's children are all as filial and sensible as their aunt."

She stepped forward, took Li Guiren's hand, and gently advised, "If you keep making a scene like this, Li Guiren will really anger the Emperor. If Old Madam Huang finds out, she will be truly heartbroken."

Consort Li shuddered, gradually regaining her senses. She bit her lip hard to keep herself from making a sound. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her bright cat-like eyes were clouded with a layer of gray. Tears streamed down her face.

Emperor Yuanming looked at Consort Zhao with approval in his eyes. Consort Lin and Consort Liu remained silent. Jiang Ling didn't know what they were thinking; she only felt it was utterly absurd.

Even she could hear the hidden threat in Consort Zhao's words, let alone the two of them!

Emperor Yuanming seemed not to understand, or perhaps he did. He was quite pleased that Consort Zhao was able to handle the situation because of her protection of Consort Zhao. He did not want to see Consort Li again and shouted, "Get out!"

Consort Li, like a walking corpse, knelt down woodenly, turned around, and staggered out of the main hall.

After the commotion, it was well past lunchtime. Emperor Yuanming, his stomach empty, rubbed his temples wearily and said with a displeased expression, "I entrusted the harem to you, and yet, big and small incidents keep happening! If you can't manage it, I'll take charge myself. I refuse to believe that anyone who dares to cause trouble will be skinned alive and have their tendons pulled out!"

Consort Lin and the others hurriedly agreed, but Emperor Yuanming snorted heavily and dismissed them, leaving Jiang Ling behind alone.

Emperor Yuanming pointed at Fanghe with displeasure: "This wretched maid, drag her away and beat her to death. Do you still intend to keep her alive?"

Fanghe was already terrified and pale. Jiang Ling smiled vaguely and said the solution she had planned earlier, "Your Majesty, I beg your permission."

Emperor Yuanming glanced at Jiang Ling and said, "You treacherous, lowly servant, yet you are so soft-hearted. Fine, I won't interfere anymore, you can go with me."

Previously, Hongye had been beaten to death by Emperor Yuanming, and Fanghe thought she would suffer the same fate. Now, with Jiang Ling pleading for her before Emperor Yuanming, she still had a sliver of hope. She knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly: "This servant thanks Your Majesty for sparing my life, and thanks Your Highness. This servant has no way to repay you in this life, but I will repay you in the next life by being your ox or horse!"

"Be a decent human being, not a beast." Jiang Ling remained silent for a moment, feeling listless, and finally said indifferently.

Fanghe's face was covered in tears and snot. She kowtowed repeatedly and followed the eunuch to the Palace Administration Office.

Jiang Ling curtsied and took his leave. Emperor Yuanming stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said, "It's already this late, aren't you hungry? Come with me for lunch!"

"Wenjuan, go back and pack up Fanghe's valuables. You keep them safe for her. Aruo, stay here." After giving these instructions, Jiang Ling followed Emperor Yuanming to Qiongfang Pavilion.

The palace maids brought lunch, but Jiang Ling didn't have much of an appetite. He ate some fish and meat, then put down his chopsticks.

Emperor Yuanming frowned when he saw the food left on her table and asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Why can't you eat?"

"You make me sound like a glutton," Jiang Ling complained inwardly, then said, "I'm not hungry, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanming, thinking that she had a quarrel with Consort Li in the Wende Hall and was probably still angry, did not try to persuade her any further, and said, "It's getting late, go and rest."

Jiang Ling agreed, curtsied, and took her leave. Emperor Yuanming, annoyed, pulled her aside, "Where are you going? Can't you find a place to rest in Qionghua Pavilion?"

The rules of Qionghua Pavilion were strict, and Jiang Ling was even less willing to rest with Emperor Yuanming, so he went to his bedroom while cursing under his breath.

Emperor Yuanming scratched his ear, which was itchy from her noise, ignored her, and went to bed.

Jiang Ling followed him in from the foot of the bed. Emperor Yuanming turned his head to look at her and pulled her over: "Why are you sticking so close to the inside? My dragon bed is so spacious, it won't crowd you."

"I'm afraid I might be crowding Your Majesty and delaying your afternoon rest," Jiang Ling lied through her teeth.

"You smooth talker!" Emperor Yuanming sneered, pulling her into his arms and saying, "Go to sleep. I'll have a proper talk with you after you get up."

Jiang Ling was being held tightly, making it impossible for her to sleep. She struggled a few times, but Emperor Yuanming wouldn't let go, mumbling, "Don't move!"

Seeing that he had already closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep, Jiang Ling could only curse a few times in his heart before falling asleep as well.

With the soft, fragrant jade in his arms, Emperor Yuanming's mind wandered, and his hands began to wander.

Jiang Ling was very sleepy and subconsciously pulled away Emperor Yuanming's hand and threw it aside.

Emperor Yuanming frowned in displeasure, but seeing that she had already fallen asleep, he reluctantly let her off the hook.

After his usual midday rest, Emperor Yuanming lay down for a while before getting up at his usual time. Jiang Lingshang, still half asleep, was awakened by Emperor Yuanming's movements and could only get up groggily as well.

"Have a cup of tea to wake yourself up," Emperor Yuanming said with amusement when he saw Jiang Ling looking down, his eyelids drooping and listless.

Jiang Ling picked up his teacup and drank the warm tea, which temporarily sobered him up.

Emperor Yuanming originally wanted to say that if he rashly dealt with Li Langzhong for what happened in the Wende Hall, it would have far-reaching consequences.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he found them difficult to say and remained silent.

Emperor Yuanming changed the subject, saying, "Now you only have two people left by your side, so you need to add more people. I will select a few loyal and reliable servants for you."

Once bitten, twice shy; Jiang Ling trusted no one. Upon hearing this, she immediately perked up and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness. I usually have nothing to do, and Wen Juan and A Ruo are able to manage. If you must add more people, I would like to select a few from the newly entered palace maids. They can learn the rules and do some light work. That would be enough for Fan Ying Pavilion."

Emperor Yuanming saw through Jiang Ling's thoughts and, in a good mood, went along with her, saying, "Very well, the little palace maids have been with you since they were young. If you keep a close eye on them, they will only listen to you in the future and will never dare to betray you again."

Jiang Ling was too lazy to explain. Emperor Yuanming was the supreme ruler, holding the power of life and death, and would never understand her thoughts.

"I have something else to tell you," Emperor Yuanming said gently, his eyes smiling. "You are far from your parents and relatives, and you cannot even see them during the holidays. I have already issued an edict to transfer your father to the capital. Your mother will come to the capital with you, and from now on, you can often summon your mother to the palace to talk."

Jiang Ling slowly raised her eyes, staring at Emperor Yuanming in disbelief, her face filled with shock. Forgetting all decorum, she cried out, "Who, who wants to harm me?"