On the third day after Lu Jinshu handed over the Phoenix Seal, Fu Yijing came to Chenyou Palace to look for him and unexpectedly found a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin in his dressing box. What is a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin? It is a headdress that can only be worn by the emperor and empress of a country.
No matter how favored Lu Jinshu was, she was still just a concubine.
Fu Yijing looked at Ling Shumo, who had hurried over, with a look of grief on his face. "Your Majesty, the Royal Noble has secretly hidden the Nine-tailed Phoenix Hairpin in his own bedroom. You can tell what he is up to without even looking. If Your Majesty does not punish him according to the palace rules, I, the Queen, will not be able to convince the public. The Royal Noble is blatantly slapping me in the face!"
Fu Yijing's biological mother, Xuanming Fairy, was now canonized as the Minister of Rites, and his nominal mother was the powerful Prime Minister. He made such a fuss at this time, knowing that Ling Shumo would stand on his side even for the sake of the court situation.
Lu Jinshu bent his knees and knelt straight on the floor. "Your Majesty, please believe me. This nine-tailed phoenix hairpin does not belong to me at all. I don't know why it appeared in my jewelry box."
Fu Yijing looked at Lu Jinshu coldly. He waited for Lu Jinshu to refute him eloquently or to produce other evidence.
But Lu Jinshu didn't say anything more. He just kowtowed heavily in the direction of Ling Shumo and said, "The innocent are innocent. Your Majesty, please believe me."
Ling Shumo picked up the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin from the table and examined it carefully in the light. Then, she leaned over and slowly inserted the hairpin into Lu Jin's sparse hair. Her action stunned everyone in the room.
Fu Yijing looked at Ling Shumo in disbelief. His voice, which was usually as sweet as a lark, was now very sharp. "Why did Your Majesty do this?"
Even Lu Jinshu, who had originally kept a calm expression, showed a look of surprise in his eyes, "Your Majesty..."
Ling Shumo didn't look at Lu Jinshu, who had a complicated expression. She stared coldly at Fu Yijing, her voice like a glacier on the top of a snowy mountain, unmelted for thousands of years, "I'm really fed up with these little tricks in the harem. I originally thought you were truly repentant, but now it seems that I was overthinking it. Fu Yijing, you are so disappointing."
Shi Qi said softly to Lu Jinshu, who was still kneeling on the ground, "The weather is cold, Your Majesty, please get up quickly."
Lu Jinshu stood up calmly with Jiufu's support. Although he had knelt on the ground, his clothes were not messy.
Fu Yijing stared at Lu Jinshu intently, and considering the look on his face, he almost collapsed and asked, "Lu Jinan! Did you tell His Majesty all this in advance?"
Lu Jinshu hasn't spoken yet.
Ling Shumo answered for him, "You guessed right. He did tell me that he thought you might be up to some tricks recently. So I sent people to guard Chenyou Palace day and night. I know exactly which servant you ordered, when, and where to secretly hide the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin in Lu Jinan's jewelry box."
Fu Yijing took two steps back in horror.
Ling Shumo stepped forward and grabbed his collar, her face darkening. "Fu Yijing, your family background and appearance are both top-notch. If you just stay in the harem and play your role as queen, no one can shake your position. But you insist on doing these foolish things. You framed Lu Jinan here. I am really angry and disappointed in you."
Ling Shumo really wanted to slap Fu Yijing, but when she looked at his beautiful face, she forced herself to stop the thought. "Fu Yijing, for your mother's sake, I won't destroy you. But since you were the one who forced the Nine-tailed Phoenix Hairpin on Lu Jinan, why not give him the Phoenix Seal as well?"
Ling Shumo's grip on Fu Yijing's collar suddenly loosened, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. He raised his head and met Lu Jinshu's mocking gaze, as if to say, "See, you stole the chicken but ended up losing the rice. That's how you look in such a mess now."
Fu Yijing was already desperate enough, but Ling Shumo's next words really sent him to the eighteenth level of hell, "Fu Yijing, your mother is the Prime Minister, with great power, but she is indeed a bit too successful to be a threat to the emperor."
Just this short sentence made Fu Yijing's face turn completely pale. Lu Jinshu said to the attendants beside him, "The Queen looks very unwell. Please help her return to Fengyi Palace to rest."
When Fu Yijing left, Ling Shumo didn't even glance at him. He knew deep down that he had been completely defeated by Lu Jinshu. In this harem, Lu Jinshu would dominate him, the queen. This was recognized by His Majesty the Emperor.
Two months later, as the government gradually stabilized, Prime Minister Fu Rong, claiming to be unwell, offered to retire and return home. Ling Shumo pleaded with her three times, but Fu Rong remained adamant. Ling Shumo had no choice but to grant Fu Rong countless gold, silver, and fertile land, agreeing to her resignation and retreat.
Because Fu Rong was indeed very sensible, Ling Shumo did not make things too difficult for Fu Yijing in Fengyi Palace.
Fu Yijing ultimately didn't receive the decree deposing the empress. Zhiqi told him that His Majesty had appointed the woman from Chenyou Palace as the Queen of the Western Palace, and that the eldest daughter she gave birth to was also, logically, made the Crown Princess. Now, with two Queens, one from the Eastern and Western Palaces, the harem was a place where he could save face.
The sun sets.
Fengyi Palace was deserted.
Meanwhile, the Chenyou Palace was packed with guests and waiters. Lu Jinshu sat beside Ling Shumo, while the attendants from the various palaces sat beside him. Everyone wore a smile, either genuine or feigned.
Lu Jinshu held Ling Shumo's arm and looked at the lively banquet in front of him. He felt very emotional for a moment.
Once upon a time, bruised and battered, he swore in the Imperial Tutor's Mansion that he would capture the most powerful woman in the world and win Ling Shumo's heart. He wanted revenge, and he also wanted the greatest honor a man could ever receive.
And now, the woman next to him handed a glass of fruit wine to his lips. Lu Jinshu drank the wine in the glass. With the slightest aroma of wine, he ignored the eyes of the people around him and kissed Ling Shumo's lips.
Everything he wanted, the woman in front of him gave him. How lucky he was in his life to know Ling Shumo, how lucky he was to be able to sit in this position and look down on everyone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
