Having finally become Empress Dowager and was enjoying a leisurely life, she naturally had no intention of being the vanguard for the Zhang family, or charging into battle for the granddaughter of that person who had tormented her. Only a fool would do that.
Shen Shi accompanied Empress Zhang as she trimmed the flowers. The two riddle tellers talked about many things in a seemingly unrelated way, mostly trivial chatter. However, Shen Shi still managed to extract the information that Empress Zhang disliked the Zhang family.
This was within Shen Shi's expectations. After all, she had become a respected empress dowager. Who would still be willing to work diligently for their maternal family's affairs? Empress Dowager Zhang was a smart person. Only a smart person would show their likes and dislikes in public, in order to sever ties with the empress.
When I came out of Cining Palace, the sun was high in the sky. Seeing that it was still early, I suddenly thought of going to Zhang Han'er's place.
"The Emperor has arrived!" the eunuch announced loudly in a shrill voice.
"Your Majesty, this humble servant respectfully welcomes you! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. May Your Majesty be well."
With Shen Shi's arrival, the long-silent palace became lively again.
"Your Majesty, you've finally come to see me! I've been waiting for you for so long. I thought Your Majesty had long forgotten about Han'er~" Zhang Han'er changed her ruthless demeanor in front of the palace servants and started to act coquettishly towards Shen Shi.
Seeing her like this, Chen Shi felt as if it were her beloved Ying'er. Anyway, she wasn't speaking to her beloved Ying'er. Her words were also very blunt: "Consort Zhang is so capable that she can turn the harem upside down. What does it matter whether I come or not?"
Zhang Han'er understood that Shen Shi was referring to the incident a couple of days ago when she had berated the palace maids. Ever since her position as Empress had vanished, her mood had become increasingly irritable, and she had become more and more harsh on her servants.
The palace maid who was combing her hair accidentally broke her hair and was thrown into the Shenxing Division by Zhang Han'er and given a severe beating. By the time they were carried out, she was barely breathing and had almost died.
This matter became common knowledge in the palace, but because there was no one in charge of the harem, and although Ji Ying'er was about to be crowned empress, she was only a beauty at the time. The power to manage the harem was temporarily in the hands of the Empress Dowager. Zhang Han'er was also the Empress Dowager's niece, so no one dared to complain about her.
Several days had passed, and Zhang Han'er had almost forgotten about it, but Chen Shi brought it up again and reminded her.
If she finds out who leaked this information to the Emperor, I'll skin them alive! What does it matter if a lowly palace maid is dead? Besides, she's not dead yet. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?
The mere thought of the possible mastermind behind it all contorted Zhang Han'er's beautiful face, but with Chen Shi still standing in front of her, she couldn't yell and smash the cup to vent her anger; she could only swallow her pride.
Faced with Shen Shi's accusations, she could only pretend not to understand, "Oh dear, Your Majesty, I am not as capable as you say. You overestimate me."
"I had Qinghe brew the Emperor's favorite Longjing tea. If the Emperor doesn't come inside soon, it will get cold." Zhang Han'er also had her own way of being charming and ingratiating. She could soften her voice and tug at Chen Shi's sleeve.
Shen Shi subtly dodged her outstretched hand, but followed her instructions and walked into the house.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor actually went inside. Zhang Han'er was so happy that she was completely overjoyed and hurriedly followed him into the palace.
Qinghe served Chen Shi freshly brewed tea, and Chen Shi took a small sip and praised, "It is indeed good tea."
Upon hearing that Shen Shi had agreed, Zhang Han'er quickly seized the opportunity: "It would be great if Your Majesty would like it. This is the finest Longjing tea that was just harvested this year. I haven't been able to drink a drop of it myself, and I'm just waiting for Your Majesty to taste it."
Zhang Han'er was secretly pleased with her eloquence. She thought, "The Emperor will surely praise me now that I'm so sensible." But before she could finish speaking, she slammed the teacup down on the table. The scalding tea splashed everywhere, some of it landing on Zhang Han'er's moon-white dress, leaving mottled water stains.
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Upon seeing Shen Shi move the palace servants in the room, a large number of them immediately knelt down.
Shen Shi's anger came out of nowhere. He was speaking normally just a moment ago, but his expression changed in the blink of an eye. It wasn't until a series of apologies rang out that Zhang Han'er realized what was happening. "Your Majesty, I misspoke."
When the emperor is angry, corpses will float for miles. The emperor's wrath would be an unbearable burden for anyone, so one should admit fault first, regardless of whether one is right or wrong.
Even someone as domineering as Zhang Han'er becomes as meek and submissive as a quail in front of Shen Shi.
Seeing that she slid to her knees relatively quickly, Chen Shi did not continue to get angry. Instead, he asked Zhang Han'er, who was kneeling on the ground, "Please forgive me, but do you know what crime you have committed?"
Hearing his question, Zhang Han'er looked up in confusion. From her expression, it was clear that she was completely unaware of her mistake.
As expected of someone from the same household, she's just as stupid as the late Consort Zhang, Shen Shi concluded in his mind.
Seeing that she was still looking at him with a blank expression, Shen Shi said indifferently, "The newly arrived top-grade Longjing tea is indeed a good thing, but I vaguely remember that you were not among the top-grade Longjing teas presented as tribute this year. Since Consort Zhang said that the ones in her palace are also top-grade, she must have obtained them behind my back."
After saying this, Shen Shi saw three obvious words on Zhang Han'er's regretful face: I'm so stupid!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Zhang Han'er tried anxiously to explain, but the more anxious she became, the more confused she became, and she couldn't even come up with a decent reason.
Zhang Han'er was sweating profusely with anxiety. The longer time passed, the less credible her words became. Finally, Chen Shi spoke up to pull her out of her mental turmoil, "Pass down my decree: Consort Zhang's conduct is improper and she is unfit for this high position. From today onwards, she is demoted to a low-ranking concubine and her residence is moved to Qingzhu Garden."
In this era, the lowest rank was Cai Ren, equivalent to Da Ying in the Qing Dynasty. To go from a concubine to a Cai Ren, one had to move to Qingzhu Wan, the most remote place in the palace, which was even worse than the Cold Palace. One can imagine how big the difference was.
Zhang Han'er, who was born into a life of luxury, could not accept being demoted. It was just a cup of tea; she hadn't committed any heinous crime. Why was she treated like this?
"Your Majesty, you can't do this! Han'er has done nothing wrong! You can't treat me like this!" At this point, Zhang Han'er no longer cared about the image she had painstakingly cultivated in front of Shen Shi and shouted loudly without restraint.
Seeing Zhang Han'er acting like a madwoman, Chen Shi didn't want to stay a second longer and took long strides to walk out.
To his surprise, Zhang Han'er rushed over and hugged his leg, saying, "You can't leave, Your Majesty, you can't demote me, you can't."
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