Chapter 61 Taking a Drastic Powder

"Consort Qi!" she shouted sharply, afraid that Li Jingyan, who was so stupid she could hardly speak, "This matter is of great importance, how can you be allowed to spout nonsense in front of the Emperor! It's one thing that you don't repent for what you've done, but you even dare to slander me."

Her face was upright and serious, and her gaze met the Emperor's meaningful look without the slightest fear—"Your Majesty, I am innocent."

Seeing that the Emperor did not speak, she took two steps forward and said to Lü Yingfeng, who stood up and whose eyes were swollen like walnuts, "Sister, I know you are heartbroken, but you have seen how much I love Hongzhao and Hongjin."

At this moment, Lü Yingfeng was like a fierce beast protecting its cubs, her fur standing on end. She wouldn't let anyone even remotely connected to her escape.

She gave a stiff bow, forcing a slight smile that, coupled with the still-wet tear stains on her face, made it all the more ironic—"Your Majesty the Empress has arrived so quickly. You didn't come when Hongzhao was in trouble, but now that everyone has gone back, Consort Qi has come, and Your Majesty has followed suit."

Yixiu stiffened, then bowed to the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, I am deeply worried about what happened to Hongzhao. I remember that my sister left behind a longevity lock made of pure gold. I have been looking for it all morning, thinking that it might bring some good fortune to Hongzhao.”

When Chun Yuan was mentioned, Yinzhen's deep eyes gradually shifted away from her, and his tone softened slightly—"Such a big thing has happened in the harem. As the Empress, do you have anything to say to me?"

Yi Xiu glanced at Consort Qi with a meaningful look, and spoke gently, "Consort Qi has committed such a grave error. It is truly my fault. I thought Consort Qi was an elder in the palace and had raised the Third Prince, so I did not punish her harshly."

As she spoke, her tone softened slightly, tinged with reproach—"Consort Qi, you really are something. You should always think about the Third Prince before you do anything."

Consort Qi had been staring at the Empress with terrified eyes ever since she entered. When she heard the Empress mention the Third Prince, she smiled bitterly. Holding the Third Prince was like holding her lifeline; she couldn't let anyone hurt her Hongshi.

She closed her eyes, showing a rare moment of toughness, and spoke first before the Emperor could—"Your Majesty! It's all my fault. I was afraid that Hongzhao would steal your favor, so I acted foolishly in a moment of folly. It has nothing to do with the Empress. Your Majesty, please understand."

As she spoke, she spotted the two people in front of the door embracing the thick beam, propped herself up, and sprang backward like a wound-up pair of scissors, using all her strength.

As long as she dies, Hongshi will not be implicated.

The Empress is right, Hongshi is the Emperor's son. If it weren't for his foolish mother, he would never have been disliked by the Emperor.

"Stop her!" Yinzhen ordered sternly. Xiao Dezi, who was closest, didn't have time to think and lunged forward with all his might.

Consort Qi mustered all her strength to ram into it, but it wasn't a cold, hard beam; instead, it was the shoulder of a young eunuch.

Xiao Dezi grimaced and clutched his shoulder as a group of nannies rushed forward and hurriedly restrained Consort Qi, while a few imperial guards at a distance kept a close eye on her every move.

"I think you've gone mad." Yinzhen frowned and looked at her with considerable disdain.

He closed his eyes briefly before speaking, “The sinful woman, Li, has behaved improperly before the Emperor, plotted to harm the imperial heir, and is guilty of vile conduct and misbehaving. Considering that she once helped the imperial offspring, she is stripped of her title and demoted to… a low-ranking concubine, to be confined to Changchun Palace, and shall never be allowed to leave without being summoned.”

After he finished speaking in a stern voice, he impatiently raised his hand, signaling the palace servants to drag Consort Qi back.

"Su Peisheng, go and deliver the imperial decree."

Su Peisheng responded but did not leave, cautiously asking, "What was Consort Nian's decree...?"

The imperial decree for demoting Nian Shilan to Consort Nian has not yet been issued. Su Peisheng hadn't even mentioned it, and he had almost forgotten about it. Yinzhen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is the decree being issued at the same time? Do I have to teach you how to do this?"

"This servant wouldn't dare," Su Peisheng said with a forced smile, then turned and left.

As soon as Consort Qi left, the hall fell silent. Yizheng stood facing the Emperor, his eyes lowered, revealing the compassionate and benevolent expression that was always on his face.

Yinzhen's lips tightened, and he stared at her expressionlessly—"The Empress must be tired these days. She should rest more. The affairs of the six palaces are numerous and complicated..."

He intended to speak of Consort Hua, but then suddenly remembered that Consort Hua had just been demoted, and it was not appropriate to hand over power to her at this time. He turned his head to look at Lü Yingfeng, who was staring intently at the Empress, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Then Consort Xin will act as regent, and Consort Jing can also assist from the side."

Although it was a punishment, Yixiu breathed a sigh of relief. If losing power over the six palaces for a period of time could save a prince's life and severely damage Consort Xin's vitality, then this was truly a worthwhile deal. She bowed without changing her expression and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your decree."

"The weather is getting colder and colder. The Empress is not feeling well, so she should stay home as much as possible." Yinzhen said casually, but Yixiu stiffened and her expression finally changed.

Your Majesty... does this mean I'm being confined to my quarters?

——

Although Nian Shilan was stripped of her title and demoted, she did not suffer as much as she had the night before; on the contrary, she felt somewhat fortunate.

After all, with three imperial edicts issued at the same time, she seemed to be the one with the least impact.

Needless to say, Consort Qi, once she became a low-ranking concubine, was confined to Changchun Palace for life, and it was uncertain whether she would ever see her beloved Third Prince again.

The Empress was also stripped of her power and effectively confined to Jingren Palace. At least a real confinement would have a time limit; this time, the Emperor only said the Empress was recuperating, but no one knew when she would recover.

Nian Shilan sat blankly in the palace, combing her hair. Looking at it this way... the Emperor must have someone in his heart, and he couldn't bear to punish her.

…

Hongzhao lay on the bed listening to Xiaodezi tell him, as if he were telling a story, everything that had happened outside that day in detail.

"Not enough... still not enough..." he murmured as he lay on his back.

Xiao Dezi leaned forward, revealing his uncovered ear to listen more carefully—"What did you say, brother? What's not enough?"

Hongzhao turned over to face him, propping himself up with his arms under his head—"If it were just this kind of punishment, it wouldn't be worth all this trouble."

Not sad enough? Let's give him a strong dose!

"Go and find Zhou Qi for me."

…

The emperor could not possibly be there all day long. Given his diligence, the fact that he could cancel the morning court session for one day was already a sign of great importance.

Lu Yingfeng naturally refused to leave. She sent Hongjin and Hongzhou to Consort Jing for care, and after consulting with the Emperor, she tidied up a nearby palace and moved in.

Even if she couldn't go in to take care of him personally, she wanted to be close enough to check on him and respond promptly if anything happened.

On this day, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Su Peisheng slowly approached, carrying a cup of hot tea. Seeing the Emperor's worried expression as he flipped through the memorials, he knew that the Emperor was still troubled by the Fifth Prince's illness.

He blinked, and at the opportune moment spoke up—"Your Majesty, take a rest and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

Yinzhen put down the memorial in his hand and leaned back wearily—"Is there any news from Hongzhao?"

Su Peisheng sighed and shook his head. "The Fifth Prince is still the same. He's never lucid during the day, and his fever won't go down. If this continues, he'll collapse. How can he possibly hold on?"

Seeing the distress in the Emperor's eyes, he continued, "Consort Xin hasn't left either. She tried to go in and see her several times, but was stopped by others. Alas... Consort Xin can't care about anything else now. She even sent the princess to Consort Jing's place, without having a chance to say a few words of comfort."

Yinzhen frowned and asked, "Appease? Appease what? What happened to Hongjin?"

"Oh dear." Su Peisheng slapped his forehead. "Your Majesty, you don't know yet, it was the princess who led the men to find Consort Qi's suicide. Consort Qi was so absent-minded after returning from outside that she didn't even see the princess's greeting. That's why the eldest princess decided to go in and check on her, but unexpectedly..."

"The princess is terrified, and none of us have come to tell me." He leaned forward worriedly, planning to go to Consort Jing's place to check on the princess later.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the princess was protected by her servants and did not see anything. It is thanks to the princess's quick thinking that Consort Qi did not make a serious mistake."

Yinzhen suddenly realized what was happening, his aura hardened, and he asked intently, "Tell me, where did Consort Qi go before she hanged herself?"

Su Peisheng lowered his head, responded with a "yes," and then fell silent.

In the flickering candlelight, Yinzhen's indifferent face revealed a hidden anger—"Summon Xia Yi and have him investigate! I need to know what exactly happened!"

Just then, Xiaxiazi hurriedly entered the hall.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened to the Fifth Prince!"