But the Empress Dowager, holding a delicate jewel-encrusted knife, began to cut off her mother's fingers one by one, as if she were slicing a carrot. She even pinched her mother's little finger and asked her maid, "This bone is beautifully formed, it's a pity it was born of a lowly servant, otherwise it would have been beautiful to polish it and make it into a pendant."

He cried until he was speechless, as the eunuchs beside Empress Dowager Yin pressed him tightly to the ground. He watched helplessly as his mother, a woman of unparalleled beauty with two dimples on her smiling face, was turned into a pool of blood and a pile of bones stripped of their flesh by the Empress Dowager's hands...

Just thinking about it made his eyes bloodshot, and he felt as if something had possessed him. His eyes were bloodshot, and he suddenly stood up and shouted, "Guards, draft the imperial edict!"

He said, enunciating each word clearly, "Immediately draft an imperial edict to elevate Consort Shu to the rank of Imperial Concubine Shu, and hold the investiture ceremony tomorrow!"

Faced with the emperor's sudden and extremely violent outburst, not a single court official dared to speak up.

A commotion arose outside, "Your Highness, the Grand Court Assembly is in session right now, you cannot go..."

Accompanied by the anxious voice of the little eunuch, Shen Mingzhuang's figure appeared at the entrance of the Hall of State Affairs. Jiang Wang was stunned. The obsessive emotions in his heart instantly turned to ashes. His heart was immediately calmed down. It was as if the previous disputes had disappeared at this moment. The moment he saw her, he became quiet.

The courtiers looked towards the entrance, and General Song Yi frowned.

Today, Shen Mingzhuang wore a gorgeous purple robe and a white jade crown. With graceful steps, she looked like a fairy bathed in moonlight. Her temperament was elegant and her beauty was captivating. Her beautiful face was a favorite creation of Nuwa, and she was always impeccably beautiful!

His usually gentle face was unusually serious at this moment, and his whole demeanor exuded an aura that kept people at a distance, making them dare not act rashly.

Jiang Wang watched her walk step by step into the Hall of State Affairs, feeling no anger at all, but even a little self-reproach. She still cared about him, otherwise why would she be here? She must have come straight to the Hall of State Affairs as soon as she entered the palace.

He had given instructions when he returned from Beiyuan that if Consort Ming returned to the palace, someone should be sent to report immediately.

But she was so busy throwing a tantrum that he never even considered that she would come back. At this moment, all his resentment vanished, and all he wanted to do was hug her tightly, just like before.

Shen Mingzhuang walked step by step to the front of the court officials. Under Jiang Wang's dragon throne, Shen Bochun finally reacted. He was extremely anxious. Although Shen Mingzhuang was not his real niece, the Shen family was now in the same boat as Shen Mingzhuang. If Shen Mingzhuang said anything treasonous in the Hall of State Affairs because of jealousy, the Shen family would suffer as a result!

"Your Highness, the inner palace must not interfere in politics. Please leave now."

Shen Bochun mustered his courage and tried to persuade Shen Mingzhuang to leave before she could speak.

Shen Mingzhuang just smiled, her eyes were frighteningly cold. She ignored Shen Bochun's words and looked up at Jiang Wang. For some reason, her heart ached, and the dull pain made her feel like she was suffocating.

"Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty to allow me to leave the palace and become a nun while still keeping my hair."

After she finished speaking, her eyelashes fluttered, and her gaze was fixed on Jiang Wang. Jiang Wang keenly caught the distance and coldness in her tone, and his expression suddenly froze.

"You want to leave the palace and become a nun?" He repeated Shen Mingzhuang's words incredulously, word by word. She was in such a hurry to enter the palace just to leave him?

Shen Mingzhuang said nothing, looking at Jiang Wang without any lingering affection. It seemed she really didn't like him anymore. Just now, when she heard him insisting on making Liu Wenxin a concubine despite the advice of the court officials, she didn't seem to mind at all. That calmness was quite strange.

She lowered her eyes, a hint of mockery flashing in them. This must be the greatest sorrow of a broken heart. Without hope, nothing he did could move her anymore.

"Consort Ming has just suffered a miscarriage and should not leave the palace. Guards!" Jiang Wang took a deep breath and ordered loudly, "Help Consort Ming down!"

Shen Mingzhuang said nothing. If Jiang Wang didn't agree now, then she could wait until later. In any case, she had already said these things in front of the court officials, so it was reasonable for Jiang Wang to agree later.

Watching her turn and leave without hesitation, Jiang Wang felt a sweet taste in his throat, and his lips turned pale.

Shen Mingzhuang went straight back to the Hehuan Palace, but standing at the entrance, he found the words "Hehuan" (meaning "union") extremely glaring and laughable.

Only when there is mutual affection can a couple be truly happy together!

She stood at the entrance of the Hehuan Palace when she suddenly saw a familiar figure walk out of the palace. She was holding the back of a palace maid's hand, seemingly smiling and saying something, with gentle eyes and a harmless appearance as before.

"Your Majesty..."

When Liu Wenxin saw Shen Mingzhuang, a strange light flashed in her eyes. Shen Mingzhuang glanced at her, but his eyes were cold and devoid of any other color.

She didn't like Liu Wenxin, so she didn't want to talk to her, and that's exactly what she did.

Liu Wenxin's face showed a bitter expression. She took two steps forward and stood next to Shen Mingzhuang to see what she was looking at. When her eyes fell on the three words "Hehuan Palace", her heart ached. The events of last night seemed to reappear before her eyes. She could not forget that humiliation!

Because she had served Shen Mingzhuang, the Emperor vented all his anger on her, disliking having his subordinates humiliate her... Because of Shen Mingzhuang, she suffered such humiliation. Her lips trembled, and she pinched her palm hard to keep from losing her composure.

"What is Your Highness looking at?"

As Shen Mingzhuang listened to the sounds around him, he had a strange feeling, as if he had returned to the past. The scene was very familiar, but the state of mind he was in was lost and could no longer be found.

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