Chapter Seventeen: Backing You Up
Jiang Huan, inwardly pleased with herself, put her hands on her hips and laughed smugly.
Haha, not bad, not bad!
It's all worth it for her hard work, moving the grill and making fried rice.
And sure enough, the results came immediately.
Without making a sound, Jiang Huan secretly pinched herself with her other hand, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.
"Waaah... It was my own carelessness."
That's what she said, but her eyes were red and she looked so wronged.
It's obvious they have their reasons.
Huo Lin's face darkened, and the surrounding air instantly froze.
"I will stand up for you, so please speak frankly."
Wang Degui also noticed the anomaly; he had seen all sorts of filth in the palace.
It's easy to guess that Jiang Huan was bullied, and the only person who could have bullied her was a concubine of higher rank than her.
Right now, Consort Zhuang is serving the Emperor comfortably, so if she doesn't speak up now, she might miss her chance.
Considering how well Consort Zhuang served the Emperor, Wang Degui was willing to offer a few words of advice.
He then advised, "Your Majesty, please speak. The Emperor is here to help."
Jiang Huan looked at Huo Lin, then at Wang Degui, and seemed to have been persuaded.
"It's...it's my fault..."
Jiang Huan's voice trembled with sobs as she choked out, "I don't know how I offended Consort Yu. After I sent the Emperor some glutinous rice balls last time, she confined me to the palace and wouldn't let me leave even for a moment."
"Later, Consort Yu suddenly ordered me to cook for her, but my side palace had long been starving. It wasn't that I was unwilling, but there was simply nothing to cook..."
As Jiang Huan spoke, she became increasingly distressed, her sobs suddenly turning into broken gasps. After a long pause, she was able to continue speaking.
"My personal maid, out of concern for me, tried to explain on my behalf, but ended up offending Consort Yu and being punished... I tried to plead for her, but Consort Yu's men held me down and gagged me..."
Tears streamed down Jiang Huan's face.
Her eyelashes were wet with tears, like a butterfly with wet wings.
Her almond-shaped eyes were watery, and the redness at the corners of her eyes made her even more endearing.
It's just that my inner thighs, which are in a dark place, are quite painful.
Huo Lin snorted coldly, his face seemingly frosty, icy and stern.
[So, the reason Consort Zhuang hadn't been sending me food before was because she was under house arrest!]
[Consort Yu is tired of living; she's trying to cut off my food supply!]
Once Consort Zhuang returns, she certainly won't escape punishment.
[No, I must find someone to teach Consort Yu a lesson!]
Huo Lin instructed, "Wang Degui, go find Aunt Li and tell her everything that happened today, and ask her to go to Jinhua Palace."
"This old servant obeys."
As Wang Degui responded, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Aunt Li was a palace maid who had served the emperor for many years.
This Consort Zhuang is quite capable.
Jiang Huan took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and in the instant her face was covered, she smiled.
The plan is in place.
Watching hundreds of episodes of palace intrigue dramas isn't for nothing!
If everything goes smoothly, Consort Yu will never dare to bully her again.
Moving out of Jinhua Palace is just around the corner!
The meal was cooked, the lawsuit was filed, and Jiang Huan gracefully withdrew from the scene.
Back at Jinhua Palace, before Jiang Huan could even change out of her maid's clothes, she heard a series of hurried footsteps approaching.
Her heart tightened slightly, knowing that Consort Yu was about to unleash her fury.
Sure enough, Consort Yu's personal maid, Cuiying, rushed over with a fierce look on her face.
"Consort Zhuang, Her Majesty requests your presence; she has something to ask you."
Jiang Huan lowered her eyes slightly; she had long anticipated this turn of events.
But things are different now!
She silently wiped away a tear of bitterness in her heart.
I'm getting better now, and I have someone to support me!
main hall.
Consort Yu sat on the couch, her face showing a hint of gloom and displeasure.
She watched Jiang Huan walk in and snorted coldly.
"You vile woman! Kneel down before me!"
Jiang Huan lowered her head, feigning fear and unease.
"Your Majesty, I don't know what I did wrong to anger you so much."
Consort Yu is not one to reason with people; she simply doesn't like Jiang Huan.
Her voice was shrill: "Guards! Hold her down! I want..."
However, before Consort Yu could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a cold voice.
"Your Highness Consort Yu, it is inappropriate to beat and scold concubines at the drop of a hat."
Jiang Huan thought to herself, "They're here."
Her thighs are here!
Sure enough, when I looked up, I saw that Aunt Li had already entered the door at some point.
Aunt Li looked to be only in her thirties, her hair was neatly combed, and at this moment her face carried a hint of majesty as her gaze swept over Consort Yu like a knife.
How could Consort Yu not recognize the people around the Emperor?
She hadn't expected Aunt Li to appear at this moment, and her face instantly turned ugly, managing only a forced smile.
"This is a trivial matter between me and Consort Zhuang, no need for you to worry about it, Aunt."
Aunt Li already knew about the affair between Consort Yu and Jiang Huan from Wang Degui, so she wouldn't be easily fooled by Consort Yu.
Moreover, the Emperor summoned her here precisely to support Consort Zhuang.
Aunt Li snorted coldly, "It was His Majesty who ordered this old servant to come, just to deal with the trivial matter that Your Highness mentioned."
Consort Yu's face instantly turned red and then pale, looking extremely unsightly.
She glared at Jiang Huan with resentment, thinking, "That vixen!"
What kind of bewitching potion did they give the Emperor?
Consort Yu wished she could slap Jiang Huan a few times to vent her anger, but she was wary of Aunt Li.
Even Consort Jia would show some respect to someone as close to the Emperor as Aunt Li; she was someone she absolutely could not afford to offend.
But having said all that, Consort Yu was naturally unwilling to give up.
"Consort Zhuang behaved improperly in front of the Emperor today. I only wanted to teach her some manners so as not to displease the Emperor. It was perfectly reasonable. Why does Aunt have to interfere?"
"In my opinion, the one who has displeased His Majesty is probably someone else."
As Aunt Li spoke, her sharp gaze fell on Consort Yu.
This is already a clear indication; her meaning is the Emperor's meaning.
Consort Yu gritted her teeth secretly, knowing there was no way to defend herself.
Let's let Jiang Huan off the hook for today! Anyway, Jiang Huan is still in Jinhua Palace, and we'll have plenty of opportunities to teach her a lesson later!
"Alright, then for my aunt's sake, I will not hold it against you. Consort Zhuang, you may go back."
Consort Yu spoke the last few words through gritted teeth, sounding extremely unwilling.
"Yes, I'll take my leave."
Jiang Huan was eager to leave and didn't bother to be polite to Consort Yu at all.
It seems that only the Emperor's people are truly useful!
From now on, she must also cultivate good relationships with the people around the Emperor!
As long as the big guy is alive, there's no fear of running out of firewood.
The future looks bright!
Aunt Li followed Jiang Huan, and the two left the main hall together.
Upon returning to the west side hall, Jiang Huan discovered that several palace maids had arrived at her side hall and were putting things inside.
"Auntie, what's this?"
Hearing Jiang Huan's question, Aunt Li smiled slightly and replied, "This old servant heard from Steward Wang that Your Highness's palace is struggling to make ends meet, so I had some ingredients sent over."
Jiang Huan was overjoyed upon hearing this, for this was a golden opportunity to curry favor with someone!
"Thank you, Auntie! If you're not busy, please stay a little longer. I'll cook you something to eat."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com