Seeing Xu Zhaorong kneeling before the emperor and empress with a deathly pale face, and hearing the empress mentioning herself specifically, Zhuang Yuyan avoided the gazes of other people in the room and lowered her head to look at the uppers of her shoes embroidered with pearls. This feeling of being shot by an arrow while lying down was really not a pleasant feeling.

Xu Zhaorong glanced at the submissive Zhuang Yuyan with a cold look. Ever since she met Zhuang Yuyan in the bamboo forest, she had missed the chance to become the mistress of a palace.

After knowing that Sun Ronghua wanted to use the lotus pond to frame Zhuang Yuyan, she asked people to prepare some things in advance to turn the frame-up into reality. Unexpectedly, both she and Sun Ronghua were lucky and neither of them was drowned.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhaorong's face suddenly changed. It seemed that from that time on, the emperor's favor towards her gradually faded. Could it be that the emperor knew that the incident was related to her? ! Xu Zhaorong's pupils widened suddenly, and she looked at the expressionless emperor in disbelief. If the emperor really knew all this, why did he never say a word to her?

The emperor is cunning and ruthless.

Xu Zhaorong withdrew her gaze with a dead heart, and kowtowed slowly and slowly without saying another word.

The queen looked at the emperor hesitantly and said nothing more.

"What else do you have to say?" Feng Jin actually spoke at this time. He looked down at the woman who had served him for some years with an indifferent expression as if he was looking at a stranger.

Xu Zhaorong opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, it was as if all the strength in her body had drained away, and she couldn't utter a word.

Concubine Rou looked at the silent Xu Zhaorong with a half-smile, "Xu Zhaorong, do you agree to this?"

Xu Zhaorong was still kneeling on the ground without saying a word, not even moving.

"What does Sister Zhao Xianrong think about this?" Concubine Rou turned her head to look at the person sitting below her. Seeing that the other person looked honest, she smiled with a hint of sarcasm, "After all, Xu Zhaorong framed you."

"It's just borrowing a few servants, how can it be considered a frame-up," Zhuang Yuyan raised her head and smiled at Concubine Rou, "Your Majesty, don't you think this is true?"

Concubine Rou's smile froze. She had also borrowed servants from Xihe Palace before. Zhuang Yuyan's words at this time actually dragged her into the ditch. She knew that this person was not a good person. Concubine Rou smiled again and said, "Sister Zhao Xianrong is really generous."

The Queen heard the conversation and kept smiling: "Zhao Xianrong is indeed..."

"Okay," Feng Jin glanced at the Queen, causing her to swallow her unfinished words, "Zhao Xianrong has always been carefree, what's the point of you asking her these questions?" After speaking, he glanced at Zhuang Yuyan before retracting his gaze, "Although Qian Guiren has been in the palace for a short time, she has followed the rules after entering the palace. But even so, you can't tolerate her and actually did such a sinister thing, which really makes me feel disappointed."

Zhuang Yuyan lowered her head and listened to the emperor enumerating Xu Zhaorong's crimes, then raised her head slightly and looked at the person kneeling on the ground. This woman had plotted against her, and she had taken advantage of the situation. Now she was kneeling on the ground, while she was still sitting in this position. It showed that sometimes taking action without authorization was not a good strategy.

Xu Zhaorong, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised her head and her eyes met Zhuang Yuyan. She thought she would see ridicule or complacency in Zhuang Yuyan's eyes, but the other person looked at her with a calmness that was a little scary, as if she would not feel anything special even if she, the person who had schemed against her, lost the power.

Sometimes people who are good at hiding their emotions are more terrifying than people who are good at scheming. Xu Zhaorong seemed to understand that the plan she had originally given up still happened to Qian Guiren, because someone was waiting for her to take action. Even if she didn't take action, someone would take action and frame her again.

Who is it? Who arranged all this? ! Xu Zhaorong raised her head and scanned everyone one by one, including the Empress, Consort Shu, Consort Xian, Consort Rou, Consort Zhao Xianrong, Su Xiuyi, Consort Yan, and Consort Jiang. They all looked normal, and none of them looked suspicious, but they all looked suspicious.

The empress saw Xu Zhaorong suddenly looking up at everyone and thought she was unwilling to accept it. She raised her eyebrows slightly and turned to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you ask Xu Zhaorong what she is hiding?"

"What kind of unspeakable secret could make her do such a thing?"

Feng Jin's tone of voice was very calm, so calm that the queen felt a chill in her heart. She did not dare to say anything more, and only smiled reluctantly, "Your Majesty is right."

"Strip Xu of her title and demote her to a seventh-rank talent, living in the back hall of Changtian Tower. She will never be allowed to serve me again in this life." Feng Jin turned around and looked at Qian Guiren lying on the bed. "Ning is promoted to a fifth-rank concubine, living in the main hall of Changtian Tower. She will move to another residence in three days."

Zhuang Yuyan felt her teeth chilled. The emperor's move was even crueler than killing Xu Zhaorong. Xu Zhaorong had originally made things difficult for Ning, but the emperor wanted them to live together and even switched the master and servant roles.

For someone as arrogant as Xu, such a result would definitely be a devastating blow.

Xu's fate was doomed. The emperor left, and the empress followed him. Now, there were fewer and fewer people weighing on Zhuang Luoyan's head. She watched the other concubines leave in twos and threes with mocking expressions, and after comforting Qian Wanyi with a few words, she slowly walked out.

Xu knelt at Qian Wanyi's door. This was the emperor's order, and she had to kneel at the door for five hours before she could leave. When she came to Xu's side, Zhuang Yuyan couldn't help but pause. She looked down at the wolf-like Xu. It was really unexpected that not long ago, this person was still a person who liked to pretend to be noble and innocent.

"Why bother? After planning for so long, I still end up like this." Zhuang Yuyan raised her head and looked at the scenery at the corner in front of her, where a cabbage butterfly was dancing.

Xu looked up and saw only Zhuang Yuyan's delicate chin. She smiled sarcastically but did not speak.

"You were the one who messed up the weeds in the lotus pond, weren't you?" Zhuang Luoyan followed the butterfly with her eyes, watching it fly around in the flowers but never stopping. "If it weren't for you, the Sun family wouldn't have ended up like that."

"You already know it, why ask more?" Xu sneered.

"But I don't understand why you want to plot against me on purpose?" Zhuang Yuyan really couldn't understand what benefit there was in Xu Xu plotting against her on purpose.

"If it weren't for you, why would I not have become the mistress of a palace?" Xu's voice was a little sharp, and there was hatred in her eyes as she looked at Zhuang Weiyan.

Zhuang Luyan thought back carefully and it seemed that there was indeed a rumor that after the emperor had tea with the two of them in the bamboo forest, he cancelled the decision to move Xu to the palace.

But what does this have to do with her? Isn’t the emperor the culprit?

At this moment, she felt some pain in her knee, as if she had been hit by an arrow?