Hearing the kowtowing, Shen Mingzhuang, unusually hard-hearted, did not stop Wenxin.

She turned around and sat back in her high seat, silently picked up her tea and took a sip, showing no intention of caring about Wenxin. Manhuan was anxious, but she didn't know why her mistress was acting so strangely today.

She was usually the gentlest and most easy-going person, and she had never scolded or beaten the servants. Wenxin had only helped deliver things from the palace... When she thought about it, she suddenly realized that Wenxin had been calling her "Your Majesty" repeatedly. The young lady had instructed her not to call her "Your Majesty" the day before yesterday, and it annoyed her. Wenxin had knowingly violated the rule.

As expected of someone Shen Mingzhuang had his eye on, he was quick-witted and made connections to more possibilities.

Man Huan's expression grew increasingly grim as she thought about it, so she simply stopped trying to stop her and let her go. Since she liked kowtowing so much, then let her kowtow until she died here. She wanted to see if Wen Xin was really willing to go to such lengths.

Before Wenxin could die from her head injury, she suddenly lost consciousness, her head covered in blood – a horrifying sight! At that moment, Jiang Wang strode in.

Shen Mingzhuang was not surprised; she even had a vague idea.

"Everyone in the room, leave!" Tan Yonglin was trembling with fear. His Majesty had seen everything Consort Ming did. His Majesty had come here specifically to bow his head, but Consort Ming showed him no respect whatsoever. His Majesty must be furious.

Everyone left. Shen Mingzhuang remained seated, showing no intention of getting up. Jiang Wang never bothered with such formalities. He walked up to Shen Mingzhuang and stood in front of her. Suddenly, he leaned down, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair. His sharp, eagle-like eyes stared at Shen Mingzhuang as if trying to see right through her.

"You truly have no affection for me whatsoever..."

"How could that be? I'm still hoping that Your Majesty will grant me the title of Empress, and that Your Majesty will grant me ten thousand taels of gold. How could I possibly have no feelings for Your Majesty?"

Her eyes were full of sarcasm, her heart-shaped lips slightly upturned, revealing a hint of coldness and stubbornness. Jiang Wang's face immediately darkened, and he sneered, "Since you have someone else in your heart, why bother seeking the position of Empress?"

After saying that, he felt a surge of indescribable emotions, a mixture of regret and exhilaration. He wanted to ask Shen Mingzhuang if she only cared about these ephemeral things, which was why she did everything she could to help him preserve his empire. Was she just like all women, only interested in what lay behind him?

He turned around abruptly, took two quick steps, then stopped abruptly, and said in a deep voice, "If I were just a commoner, you would definitely have chosen Pei Jingzhou, wouldn't you?"

Shen Mingzhuang felt a sweet taste in his mouth and couldn't say a word. Jiang Wang seemed to have received an answer. He gave a cold laugh and then left Cuixuan Residence without any further hesitation.

Tears welled in Shen Mingzhuang's eyes, his vision blurred, and he slumped to the ground, like a paper doll whose strength had been drained, so light that he could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Tan Yonglin quickly returned, coughed twice, and then raised his voice: "Your Majesty, His Majesty has asked you for the maid who just fainted, saying he wants to bestow upon her the title of... Consort Shu."

"Consort Shu?"

Shen Mingzhuang twitched the corners of his mouth, a bitter smile appearing on his face. Was he trying to say that she was unvirtuous, immoral, and unworthy of respect? When Jiang Wang wanted to deal with someone, he was indeed adept at using psychological manipulation.

And so, Wenxin was brought into the palace. After spending a night in the Hehuan Palace, she became a Consort Shu. This immediately caused quite a stir in the court and the palace.

However, this storm did not last long, and soon an even bigger storm overshadowed it—Jiang Wang announced that Consort Ming had fallen and miscarried while enjoying the snow in the North Garden!

The attention surrounding this event quickly overshadowed the story of the lowly maid becoming a concubine overnight.

Connecting the events that had occurred before and after, Yin Rong quickly guessed that a rift had developed between the Emperor and Consort Ming, and that the Emperor was using Consort Ming's maid to slap her in the face.

Otherwise, how could the mistress have miscarried while the maidservant had gotten such a huge advantage? She used to think Shen Mingzhuang was hard to deal with, but now it seems that she should be wary of this eagle that pecked the hunter.

How many of those who rise to power by stepping on their masters are simple-minded?

At this moment, Wenxin sat nervously in the Hehuan Palace, her palms sweating as she clasped her hands together. Jiang Wang had asked her to stay there temporarily, but everything here reminded her of Shen Mingzhuang. She had offended Shen Mingzhuang, and she dared not close her eyes while staying here, fearing that she might be killed in a fit of rage.

But deep down, she still harbored a faint hope that the Emperor would see her as a substitute for Consort Ming. She would learn to be a dutiful stand-in, as long as she could obtain this immense wealth and honor. She had endured for so many years, and things were finally starting to look up. She couldn't give up halfway.

She didn't dare before because Shen Mingzhuang was irreplaceable in the Emperor's heart. The situation in the court and the harem was unclear, unlike now which was a good opportunity. The Emperor had absolute power in the court, and the Empress Dowager in the harem was too weak to control everything. Coincidentally, the Emperor and Consort Ming were having a falling out. At this time, even the slightest disharmony could become the cause of their rift.

She seized the opportunity before making her move. In fact, she was gambling at the time. If the emperor hadn't appeared, she would have fainted, but she would probably have to return to Biyue Tower and wait for Aunt Liu to relocate her. At best, she might be married off to a decent steward; at worst, she would become someone's concubine. Neither of these was what she wanted.

"Your Highness, please don't blame me. I had no choice," Wenxin murmured softly, her eyes lowered.

Having witnessed the lives of these nobles, how could she possibly be content to live the life of a commoner? This was an opportunity given to her by fate. Since His Majesty was willing to spend his days and nights with Consort Song, who came from a humble background as a palace maid, why couldn't she?

Upon hearing the news, Shen Ming'e rushed back to Shen Mingzhuang's house. But as soon as she entered, she saw Shen Mingzhuang sitting on the ground, looking like she had lost her soul. Her eyes were vacant, and there were still tear stains on her fair and jade-like cheeks, which made people feel sorry for her.

"Ninth Sister..."

She cautiously stepped forward and gently squatted down beside Shen Mingzhuang, feeling a surge of resentment in her heart. "How could the Emperor do this!"

Then, thinking that Wenxin was her half-sister, she felt even more distressed and awkwardly comforted herself, saying, "Wenxin wasn't like this before."

She wanted to ease Shen Mingzhuang's mood, but the words to defend Wenxin seemed to be stuck in her throat. She felt a little frustrated and simply said, "Don't worry, I'll find a chance to go to the palace and ask her what she's up to!"