Standing in the courtyard, she tried to stretch her muscles and bones. Following the instructions in the book, she pushed out with her palm. The seemingly casual palm strike broke off a begonia leaf in front of her.

Although still somewhat clumsy, Shen Mingzhuang could feel the power of this technique. Looking at his hands, he was surprised. It looked like a soft martial art similar to Tai Chi, yet it had such strength. He could see how powerful it would be after mastering it.

Tan'er and Zhu'er stood under the eaves, their faces full of worry. One of them was carrying a large red lacquered tray with gold peony patterns, on which was a bowl of chicken and scallion soup. The other was holding a teapot. Seeing their mistress's abnormal behavior since she woke up, they couldn't help but feel anxious.

Did he hit his head? The old injury hasn't healed yet, what if he gets a new one!

"Your Highness, you haven't had breakfast yet!" Zhu'er thought that her mistress was usually good-tempered and hadn't been punished even though Tan'er hadn't served her well yesterday, so she boldly reminded her.

Shen Mingzhuang only realized it after hearing this. He hadn't noticed it until Zhu'er reminded him, and suddenly he felt a little hungry.

She didn't know what the chubby boy ate. She took a few steps forward, but she couldn't hear his voice. It seemed that she couldn't contact him unless she closed her eyes.

The thought had barely formed in his mind when he heard the chubby boy's voice: "Don't think I'm not here, I'm always here!"

The menacing voice didn't frighten Shen Mingzhuang at all; instead, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, okay, I wasn't talking about you, I was just praising you!"

Zhu'er and Tan'er exchanged glances, their eyes filled with worry: Oh no, Her Majesty is already grinning like an idiot. Should we go and tell His Majesty?

But what if His Majesty finds out and blames us?

Chicken and scallion soup is one of Shen Mingzhuang's favorite dishes. She savors the specially treated, tender, and juicy chicken shreds, enjoying the aroma of the chicken bursting in her mouth – a true delight for her taste buds.

"This porridge is delicious, you should have some too." Shen Mingzhuang glanced at the soup bowl, which still contained two-thirds of the chicken and scallion soup. One bowl was enough for him, and it would be a waste to throw away such a fragrant soup.

Zhu'er and Tan'er exchanged a glance again and hurriedly said they dared not. Seeing how reserved the two were, Shen Mingzhuang did not insist. "Then send it to Man Huan and Wen Xin."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Manhuan and Wenxin arrived.

Compared to yesterday, the two seemed much better; at least their dark circles had faded considerably.

Thinking of those unruly servants in the Imperial Palace, Shen Mingzhuang decided to go there again today. If he encountered any more fools, he could also take the opportunity to see what the little fat boy was capable of.

When they arrived at the Yeting Palace, they found that it looked like it had been cleaned up, and everyone who had seen it yesterday was gone!

Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but feel suspicious. What had happened? How could the entire Ye Ting (Imperial Palace) have been replaced overnight?

Before she could even ask, the maids and servants who saw her knelt on the ground, trembling, and said, "Greetings, Consort Ming!"

Seeing the fear on their faces, Shen Mingzhuang felt a pang of anxiety. Had all of them been killed?

"You guessed right, they were all killed. Emperor Tianzhong won't spare those who offended you." The chubby boy's voice came at the right time, clearing up Shen Mingzhuang's confusion.

But...kill them all? Isn't that going too far? After all, not everyone in the Imperial Palace is a bad person. If Jiang Wang were to kill them all like this, people would inevitably say that he is bloodthirsty. Wouldn't that damage public morale and destabilize the court?

She couldn't help but feel annoyed. Why hadn't she thought of this sooner? Jiang Wang was so reluctant to let her suffer, how could he allow these people to continue living?

"You don't need to worry too much. Although Emperor Tianzhong's methods are somewhat cruel, he only killed those who deserved to die, just a few small fry who had committed crimes," the chubby boy added leisurely.

Shen Mingzhuang felt a little better after hearing this.

She still felt a strange sense of guilt, but when she thought that many more people were destined to die on this road, she felt that such sadness was unnecessary.

Throughout history, it has always been said that one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. When the empress dowager and the emperor fought for power, no matter who won, rivers of blood would flow.

"Never mind, let's go back." She had no intention of continuing to go to the Imperial Palace and turned to head back the way she came.

"If you have some free time, why don't you take a stroll over to the Cold Palace? You might find something unexpected."

"What could I possibly gain?" Shen Mingzhuang thought with a mixture of belief and doubt as he headed toward the Cold Palace.

Meanwhile, in Cixi Palace, Yin Rong's expression changed drastically when she heard that Consort Ming had gone straight to the Cold Palace after leaving the Yeting Palace. What had she discovered? But how could this be? No outsiders knew about this matter. Even her own sister and sister-in-law, her closest relatives, were unaware of what was happening in the Cold Palace.

Seeing the Empress Dowager's suspicious gaze, Shuangxi felt a chill in her heart and quickly knelt down. "Your Majesty, this servant has never told any outsiders about this!"

If she didn't explain, Shuangxi was afraid that the Empress Dowager would really treat her as a traitor.

"What's the panic? I didn't say you told anyone else, yet you're getting so anxious." Empress Dowager Yin chuckled, but her words sent a chill down one's spine.

"Go and convey my imperial decree that Consort Ming is arrogant and domineering, and requests that she return to the palace to copy one thousand volumes of Buddhist scriptures. She will only be released from confinement when she finishes copying them."

Upon hearing this, Shuangxi quickly and respectfully agreed, then turned and left.

Just as Shen Mingzhuang reached the desolate gate of the Cold Palace, Shuangxi arrived with her entourage.

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's decree, Shen Mingzhuang was stunned for a long time!

Why is she only being punished today for the mistake she made yesterday? And this is so inappropriate. She subconsciously looked at the gate of the Cold Palace. The Empress Dowager's sudden and inappropriate action must have a hidden agenda. She probably only wanted to get her back as soon as possible, not punish her.

"I didn't expect you to be so smart!" The chubby boy popped up again, praising Shen Mingzhuang with a smile.

Being praised by a chubby boy made Shen Mingzhuang feel a little uncomfortable. She chuckled twice and said, "Then tell me what's in the Cold Palace that the Empress Dowager doesn't want me to get close to?"

Copying Buddhist scriptures a thousand times means she can't go out for almost half a month. By the time she can go out again, the Empress Dowager will probably have already hidden all the clues.

"Guess."

Shen Mingzhuang was too lazy to guess; she would find out when the time was right. The chubby boy hadn't expected her to be so calm and uninterested, so he made a condition: "Here's what we'll do: you go and help me steal the Empress Dowager's treasury, and I'll tell you!"

Shen Mingzhuang: "..."

Whether she says it or not is not important. Anyway, now that we've found a flaw, it won't be long before she finds out. But this little fat boy wants to raise the price on the spot. Is the Empress Dowager's treasury so easy to steal?