Jian Yang smiled and said, "No, according to the laws of this dynasty, anyone who goes out during curfew unless ordered by the emperor or on official business shall be punished with fifty strokes of the cane!"
"Let's see who dares to hit me!" Consort Yu glared at her fiercely.
Jian Yang smiled again and said, "Of course, I would never use such a severe punishment as caning on Consort Yu."
Consort Yu silently exhaled.
But to everyone's surprise, Jian Yang continued, "I have only glanced at the records and found that since Consort Yu entered the palace, she has violated the curfew more than fifty times. I originally wanted to let this matter drop, but the number of times is simply too many. I must report this to His Majesty for a decision!"
Consort Yu bit her lip, unable to speak.
Now that her gatekeeper eunuch is in Jian Yang's hands, it's as if Jian Yang has leverage over her.
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
"Furthermore," Jian Yang said calmly, "from this day forward, until the matter is clarified, Consort Yu is not allowed to leave the palace gates even a step! Of course, she is also not allowed to pass on any information to the outside world."
She wanted to cut off any possibility of Consort Yu seeking outside help.
Consort Yu was furious upon hearing this: "Empress! I advise you not to be so ruthless!"
Jian Yang smiled and looked at her: "Sister Yufei, you flatter me. I was just following procedure."
Consort Yu flicked her sleeves and turned to enter her bedchamber.
The maid Jingyue quickly followed.
"Your Majesty, rest assured. Just now, this servant saw Wang Fu crawl out through the dog hole before the Empress came in. I believe the Prince will soon receive the news of your confinement."
Yu Fei then smiled and spat, "Look at her smug look. Grandpa will teach her a lesson!"
Jingyue chimed in, "That's right, that's right, the Prince will definitely not let her go."
Jian Yang walked briskly out of the Jade Hibiscus Palace.
It felt like the air was filled with the scent of freedom.
In her view, Consort Yu would definitely be punished this time. Once the Prince of Dingbian and the Second Prince fell from power, wouldn't she be able to resign and leave the palace?
Jian Yang seemed to already see the free life outside the palace beckoning to her!
"Your Highness," Xiqiu, who was always more quick-witted, suddenly said, "What if the Prince of Dingbian finds out about this?"
Lianxia said, "Don't think too much about it. Jade Hibiscus Palace is sealed off now, not even a bird can fly out."
Jian Yang nodded in agreement.
She went to Yufu Palace as soon as she got the record book today, in order to catch Consort Yu off guard and prevent her from going to Dingbian Prince's Mansion to ask for reinforcements again.
Fortunately, given the situation at the time, Consort Yu did not react in time.
After sending someone to deliver the record book to the emperor, Jian Yang planned to return to the palace for a good night's sleep.
She's been so worried these days.
When we leave the palace, we must extort a hefty sum from the emperor.
The national treasury is no longer as empty as it used to be.
After the emperor recently dealt with a series of corrupt officials, the national treasury was greatly replenished.
So when that day comes, she certainly won't be polite to the emperor.
As Jian Yang lay on the chaise lounge, happily contemplating the future, a palace maid rushed into the bedchamber: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Prince of Dingbian has broken in!"
Lianxia and Xiqiu, who were serving her, were immediately terrified.
Jian Yang sat up abruptly, her face serious. "What's he doing here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the tall and imposing Prince Dingbian, who showed no signs of aging, rushed into the bedchamber.
"Of course I've come to demand justice for my granddaughter! You wicked queen, why have you confined my granddaughter to her quarters again!"
After a brief moment of panic, Jian Yang quickly regained her composure.
Even the most meticulous plans can have oversights; it seems the King of Dingbian still received the news.
At this moment, Jian Yang felt a deep sense of self-reproach.
Things have been going too smoothly lately, which has made her a little complacent and caused her to underestimate the strength of her opponent.
As the Prince of Dingbian was about to reach her, she angrily rebuked him, "How dare you! This is the inner palace, a place of utmost importance, not a place you can trespass on at will!"
The King of Dingbian sneered, "There is no place under heaven that I cannot go!"
Jian Yang frowned.
That old geezer is absolutely arrogant.
She calmly replied, "Your Highness has great spirit. Just now I heard Your Highness say that you want to seek justice for Consort Yu. It seems that Your Highness values the word 'justice' very much."
The Prince of Dingbian stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "That's for sure."
Jian Yang smiled faintly: "Your Highness has entered the inner palace without being summoned. This is not something a fair person would do. At that time, public opinion will be terrible. Aren't you afraid of ruining your lifelong reputation?"
"You vixen queen, don't you dare threaten me!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Eunuch Zhang's voice rang out from afar: "The Emperor has arrived!"
Only then did the Prince of Dingbian and Jian Yang put away their tense stance and turn to the palace gate, preparing to pay their respects to the emperor.
"Why did you suddenly enter the palace, my dear minister? Why didn't you send someone to inform me?" The emperor reverted to his usual submissive demeanor.
Jian Yang couldn't help but secretly roll her eyes.
One or two of them have quite a passion for acting.
The Prince of Dingbian was pleased with the Emperor's attitude, and his expression softened somewhat. "Your Majesty, this is a question for your good Empress!"
The emperor then turned his gaze to Jian Yang's face. "Empress, what exactly happened?"
Keep pretending!
Jian Yang cursed him in her heart before calmly recounting how Consort Yu often sneaked out of Yufu Palace in the middle of the night.
"Absurd! Someone must be deliberately framing Yu'er!"
He said this while staring meaningfully at Jian Yang.
Jian Yang: Ah, right, right, right!
This old geezer is being unreasonable, and the dog emperor is pretending to be stupid. I can't live like this anymore!
“Your Highness,” Jian Yang said slowly, “This matter is not something I made up on the spot. It was all said by the gatekeeper eunuch in Consort Yu’s palace, and recorded by Eunuch Lu himself. If you don’t believe me, I will immediately have someone bring that gatekeeper eunuch here.”
The King of Dingbian looked visibly flustered.
If there are witnesses, then this matter will be difficult to handle.
Just as Jian Yang was about to instruct the palace servants to bring the young eunuch up, someone came to report that the Second Prince, Zhou Jing'an, had arrived.
Wow, this guy really does go wherever there's excitement.
The second prince smiled and bowed to the group, while the emperor said calmly, "Your Majesty, you may dispense with the formalities."
"I wonder what brings my second brother here again?" Jian Yang's disdain for him was evident, and she deliberately emphasized the word "again".
The second prince smiled as if nothing had happened and said, "I have come today to clear up the misunderstanding."
The others looked at him with suspicion: "What misunderstanding is this?"
The Second Prince clapped his hands. "Bring the person up."
As soon as he finished speaking, a eunuch led a white-haired old woman forward quickly.
"Granny Sun?" The emperor spoke first upon seeing the newcomer.
Jian Yang was completely confused.
She quickly recalled the events and finally confirmed that she had indeed never seen this old woman before.
Granny Sun quickly stepped forward to greet the group.
She then said, "This servant is here on the orders of Consort Liu to clear Consort Yu's name."
Jian Yang's eyes widened immediately.
Although she had never met this Granny Sun, she knew perfectly well who Consort Liu was!
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