Concubine Shu screamed, her face completely drained of blood. She watched her most treasured collections being smashed to pieces one after another, and she was so angry that she could hardly stand.
She stretched out her hand tremblingly, pointed at Yuan Zhao, and said through gritted teeth,
"Do you think I'm afraid of you?! I'm in charge of the harem now, His Majesty is in a coma, and the Crown Prince is a weak and incompetent waste!"
"What the hell is Changchun Palace? It's the territory I control! If I want to tear it down, it has nothing to do with a married princess like you!"
"Shen Yian has been dead for more than ten years! He was just a bitch!"
"She deserves to die! She deserves to die early!"
When Yuan Zhao heard this, the coldness in her eyes finally solidified into reality, and she suddenly raised her hand -
“Bang!”
A loud slap landed heavily on Concubine Shu's face!
For a moment, the entire Linhua Palace was dead silent.
All the palace servants held their breath in horror as they watched this scene; even Gan Tang was stunned for a moment.
The slap made Concubine Shu stagger back a few steps, half of her face was swollen, and her eyes were full of disbelief!
"you--"
She covered her face with trembling hands, her eyes filled with hatred, as if she was about to pounce on Yuan Zhao and tear him to pieces in the next second.
Yuan Zhao just stood there, his expression calm, but there was a coldness in his eyes.
"My Lady, what did you just say?"
She slowly raised her eyes, her voice neither too high nor too low,
"This princess will give you another chance. Say what you just said again."
The swollen and red marks on Concubine Shu's face were clearly visible. Her lips were trembling, her eyes were bloodshot, and her whole body was shaking with anger and humiliation.
When had she ever suffered such humiliation?
Ever since Shen Yian died, she has always been the supreme ruler in the harem, holding the Phoenix Seal and controlling the six palaces, as stable as a queen.
Especially since His Majesty fell into a coma and the Crown Prince was restrained by powerful ministers, she was in the former court and the harem, holding the power in her hands.
But now, she was slapped in public by Yuan Zhao!
In her own palace!
How could she bear this?!
She clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her nails digging into her palm, her face grim.
"Yuan Zhao—you are so brave!!"
"Who do you think you are?!" She spoke sharply, emphasizing each word. "Now, all matters in the palace are decided by me. You broke into Linhua Palace and acted wildly. Aren't you afraid of me—"
"This princess wants to know, what exactly do you want?"
Yuan Zhao interrupted her coldly, his tone indifferent, as if he was listening to a joke.
She stepped forward, approaching Concubine Shu. With every step she took, the pressure around her became stronger.
Her eyes were sharp, and her words were filled with murderous intent.
"Are you going to punish me? Or are you going to let the palace guards capture me?"
"This princess wants to see who dares to move!"
As soon as the words fell, everyone in the hall was shocked.
Everyone held their breath, staring at this princess who clearly had no power but still had an aura of commanding presence, and they were secretly horrified.
Concubine Shu was shocked by her aura, and a trace of fear rose in her heart.
But then, she forced herself to suppress her fear and said sternly,
"Good! Very good!" She gritted her teeth, raised her head suddenly, her eyes full of resentment.
"Yuan Zhao, don't think you can still stir up any trouble! This palace is my domain now. If you dare to disobey me, I will make you—"
"shut up!"
A deep and stern shout came from outside the palace door, interrupting her wild talk.
Everyone looked outside the hall at once—
I saw Yuan Cheng, dressed in a black robe, walking quickly towards me, with a stern look on his face and a chill in his eyes.
Behind him followed closely the Eastern Palace's personal guards, twenty fully armed Eastern Palace guards, their cold swords reflecting a chilling light in the night.
Yuan Ben himself, with a pair of deep eyes, slowly walked into the hall.
The moment Concubine Shu saw him, her expression changed slightly, but she regained her composure and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"Prince—you're finally here! It's just right, today I'm going to ask you to make the decision!"
She pointed at Yuan Zhao and said sternly,
"Yuan Zhao broke into my bedroom, destroyed the artifacts there, and even attacked me in public—you can't just sit back and watch her act so arrogantly and disrespectfully, can you?!"
"As the mistress of the Six Palaces, how can I allow her to insult me like this?!"
Yuan Cheng stood still in the hall, his eyes sweeping across the mess on the ground, finally landing on Yuan Zhao's face, his brows slightly furrowed.
Yuan Zhao stood straight, met his gaze fearlessly, smiled faintly, and said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"Royal brother, the Imperial Concubine speaks well."
She looked around, her eyes cold and her tone gentle.
"She only said that I destroyed her palace, but she didn't mention that she had ruined Changchun Palace."
"Tell me, should I hit it back?"
After these words were spoken, Yuan Cheng's face darkened slightly, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes.
"What?!"
Even some of the Eastern Palace's guards couldn't help but show surprise.
Changchun Palace?
That was the bedroom of the late Empress Dowager, the mother of the Crown Prince and Princess, and the final resting place of the late Empress...
The face of Concubine Shu suddenly froze, and then she quickly regained her composure, her tone still domineering.
"I was just doing routine cleaning. Changchun Palace had been abandoned for a long time, and I sent people to repair it. Unexpectedly, she used this as an excuse to cause trouble. Prince, you must carefully judge this matter!"
"Judgment?"
A hint of coldness flashed across Yuan Cheng's eyes. He slowly raised his eyes and stared directly at Concubine Shu. His voice was indifferent but revealed an irresistible majesty.
"Your Highness, what is your position at this moment, that you dare to speak of 'judgment' in front of me?"
Concubine Shu was startled and alarm bells rang in her heart.
Yuan Cheng has been very worried these days, but when he met her in the Qinzheng Hall on weekdays, he was still respectful and polite.
Now you are going to stand directly on Yuan Zhao's side?
Not surprising, they are siblings...
Her heart trembled slightly, and just as she was about to speak, she heard Yuan Cheng's cold voice:
"Your Highness, you have trespassed into Changchun Palace, demolished palace artifacts, and trampled on the late Empress's belongings. This is a crime of great disrespect!"
"Eastern Palace Imperial Guards, listen to your orders—"
Yuan Cheng suddenly raised his hand, his eyes sharp,
"Immediately seal off the Linhua Palace. No one is allowed to enter or leave without permission. The Imperial Concubine—immediately confine herself to the palace. All matters concerning the six palaces will be handled by Princess Zhaohe!"
Everyone in the hall was shocked when they heard this.
Concubine Shu's face turned pale. She looked up suddenly, her eyes full of horror and disbelief.
"Prince!! Are you crazy?! How dare you confine me to this palace?!"
In recent days, facing the open and covert attacks arranged by Concubine Shu in the court, Yuan Cheng turned a blind eye and was very powerless to deal with it.
She had always thought that Yuan Cheng was weak and would definitely give in, but she never expected that—
He actually dared to abolish her power today in front of everyone!
"Yuan Cheng, what gives you the right?! You haven't even ascended the throne yet!"
Yuan Cheng took Yuan Zhao's shoulder and walked out. He didn't even turn his head when he heard this. He just said calmly,
"Ping Gu is the crown prince, and Ping Gu is now governing the country."
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