Chapter 507 The Queen Seeks Help
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.
The concubines looked at each other, with a look of schadenfreude... and sympathy in their eyes.
Su Wan's face turned ugly in an instant, and her fingers tightly gripped the armrests of the chair.
She didn't expect that what happened in the court would spread to the harem so quickly, and she didn't expect anyone to mention it to her face.
"What do you mean, Sister Zhenfei?" Su Wan tried hard to suppress the anger in his heart, and his voice remained calm.
Seeing Su Wan's expression change, Concubine Zhen was secretly delighted, but on the surface she pretended to be innocent:
"I have no other intentions. I'm just worried about the Empress. After all, if this kind of talk gets out, it will be somewhat detrimental to the Empress's reputation."
"Yes," another concubine echoed, "Although the censor was severely punished by His Majesty, the words had already been spoken. I'm afraid that all the civil and military officials in the court have doubts in their hearts."
"Your Majesty has just arrived and is probably not familiar with the palace rules. If anything goes wrong again..."
These words were extremely vicious, implying that Su Wan was not only unworthy of her position, but also did not understand the etiquette of the palace.
As Su Wan listened to these insinuations, the anger in her heart grew stronger.
She thought of Chu Ruohan and how she faced the etiquette nanny at the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion that day.
What did Sister Ruohan say at that time?
Yes, she said that at a time like this, you must never show weakness. The more you show weakness, the more you will be bullied.
Su Wan took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
Her face was as cold as frost, and her eyes flashed with majesty.
"I don't know what Sister Zhenfei means?" Su Wan's voice was no longer gentle, but carried a hint of coldness.
"Are you questioning my virtue, or your majesty's judgment?"
Concubine Zhen didn't expect Su Wan's expression to change so suddenly. She was a little flustered for a moment: "I dare not, I just..."
"Just what?" Su Wan interrupted her and walked towards Concubine Zhen. "Your Majesty will decide my background and moral character."
"Are you qualified to use the nonsense of a mere censor to criticize me?"
"I'm asking you, where is that censor now?"
The concubines looked at each other and dared not answer.
Su Wan sneered, "Your Majesty caned him with eighty strokes of the cane in court, and he nearly lost his life. This is the fate of those who criticize the Queen!"
She turned and looked around at everyone, her voice as cold as ice.
"I'm telling you, the reason I'm able to sit in this position is because of your majesty's trust and love, and because your majesty feels that I'm worthy of the position of queen!"
"As for the nonsense of those clowns, I never take it to heart. But if anyone dares to gossip and sow discord in front of me..."
Su Wan walked up to Concubine Zhen and looked down at her:
"I don't mind letting them see what the queen's majesty is!"
Concubine Zhen was frightened by Su Wan's aura, her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground.
She had never seen Su Wan so majestic, that kind of oppressive feeling coming from a superior... How dare she, a commoner girl?
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I know I was wrong." Concubine Zhen lowered her head.
Su Wan ignored her plea for mercy and turned to look at the other concubines.
"Today is the first time you have come to greet me. I wanted to get along with you all in harmony and treat you like sisters."
"But since someone doesn't know what's good for them, then I won't be polite."
"From now on, I will have the final say in the harem. Anyone who dares to disobey me or spread rumors will be turned against me!"
The hall was completely silent.
Su Wan returned to the Phoenix Throne and sat down, his expression slightly relieved.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, go back. Remember what I said today and take care of yourself."
All the concubines bowed and took their leave as if they had been pardoned.
Just as they were about to leave, Su Wan noticed that a woman in the crowd was not in a hurry to leave, but instead looked at her quietly.
The woman was extremely beautiful, with an indescribable charm between her eyebrows and eyes, and her temperament was different from that of other concubines.
Most importantly, there was no fear in her eyes, but rather a look of scrutiny and consideration.
The moment their eyes met, Su Wan's heart inexplicably tightened.
This woman gave her a very dangerous feeling, like a poisonous snake hiding in the dark, which could give her a fatal blow at any time.
The woman smiled at Su Wan, then left leisurely, leaving Su Wan sitting alone on the Phoenix Throne in deep thought.
In the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, Chu Ruohan was sitting in the flower hall flipping through the account book.
Since returning from Pingzhou, all sorts of affairs in the mansion have come one after another, and she has no time to even take care of her own shop.
"Madam, our shops have all had good revenue this month."
Qin Fang stood aside and reported respectfully, "Especially that rouge shop. The new cosmetics they launched are quite popular among the noble ladies in the capital. They brought in three thousand taels of silver in a single month."
Chu Ruohan nodded, her eyes still fixed on the account book: "How is the caravan going?"
"Madam, the silk and tea purchased by the caravan in Jiangnan have arrived and are being counted and stored. However, they were delayed for a few days on the way, so they are a little later than expected."
Yuling stood quietly by, holding a teacup in her hand, but her eyes always avoided Qin Fang's direction.
Qin Fang occasionally looked up at Yuling, and seeing that she had her eyes downcast, he felt mixed emotions.
Ever since the two of them had their conversation that day, they had never met privately again, and even avoided each other's eyes.
Chu Ruohan noticed the awkward atmosphere between the two and sighed inwardly.
She knew these two people...but this kind of thing cannot be forced, all she could say is that their love is deep but their fate is shallow.
As they were talking, a little girl ran in hurriedly: "Madam, someone is coming from the palace!"
Chu Ruohan raised her head: "In the palace?"
"Yes, she said the Queen has an urgent matter and wants to see you. Please come to the palace immediately."
Yuling's face changed when she heard this, and she quickly asked, "Why did the Empress suddenly summon Madam? It's only been two days since the Emperor and Empress' wedding, what happened?"
Chu Ruohan closed the account book and stood up: "You'll know when you get there."
Chu Ruohan changed into palace clothes, combed her hair into a simple bun, and hurried out.
Yuling followed closely behind and saw her off to the carriage.
"Madam, please be careful on the road." Yuling said worriedly as she stood beside the carriage.
"I know you're doing well in the mansion. Don't let your imagination run wild." Chu Ruohan glanced at her through the curtains. "If there's anything important, send someone to the palace to pass on the message."
The carriage slowly drove away. Yuling watched it disappear at the end of the street before turning around and preparing to return home.
But Qin Fang was standing alone at the door of the mansion, holding the account book, and seemed to be hesitating about something.
Yuling's heart moved and she was about to speak.
But Qin Fang glanced at her, then turned around and left with the account book in his arms without even looking back.
"You!" Yuling stomped her feet in anger, and some mist appeared in her eyes.
This stubborn man clearly has something to say, but he just refuses to speak.
Isn't she the same?
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