The words "Mingfei" caused Empress Dowager Yin's pupils to shrink slightly. She felt as if she had been pricked by a needle, and her fingers involuntarily curled up.
How could it be Consort Ming!
Jiang Wang wore a black and silver dragon-patterned casual robe, with black boots featuring dragon scales and auspicious clouds on his feet. His hair was tied up with a golden crown, and his posture was as slender as a pine tree. Standing beside him was Consort Shen Mingzhuang, who wore a purple and glazed peony-patterned gown, a silver crown with eight treasures and pearl tassels, and South Sea pearl earrings.
In that instant, the color drained from Yin Rong's face like a receding tide, replaced by the panic of a sudden mountain rainstorm. She stared intently at Shen Mingzhuang, who was just a few steps away, her eyes flashing with a complex expression.
"Mother."
Jiang Wang remained completely calm and called out to her in a serene manner.
Shen Mingzhuang lowered her head slightly and gave a shallow curtsy. Just as she was about to kneel down, Jiang Wang stopped her. "Mother, Consort Ming is already pregnant. I'm afraid she can't perform the grand ceremony for you. I hope you will understand."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang simply curtsied and said softly, "Your Majesty, I greet you."
Yin Rong belatedly realized what was happening and took two steps back. Aunt Shuangxi, seeing that things were not going well, quickly helped the Empress Dowager up, preventing her from continuing to lose her composure.
Yin Rong was shocked and took two deep breaths with her back turned before she could calm down.
Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but look at Jiang Wang. Jiang Wang remained expressionless. If he didn't speak and just stood there quietly, he would look like a bodhisattva without emotions or desires!
Why did the Empress Dowager react this way upon seeing me? Had she seen me before? Or did I resemble someone the Empress Dowager knew?
She had no recollection of Empress Dowager Yin, and the book never mentioned that the Empress Dowager had summoned her, so it must not have happened. That means... she looked like someone the Empress Dowager knew, someone who could make her lose her composure.
But the thought was fleeting, and the Empress Dowager quickly regained her composure.
“Consort Ming?” Yin Rong sneered twice. “I don’t remember any Consort Ming in the palace. Is Your Majesty confused? I only remember that I bestowed a marriage upon the Pei family, but Shen Fengmo of the Imperial Study defied the decree.”
The atmosphere inside the Cixi Hall was as if it had fallen into an ice cave, instantly turning extremely cold.
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang knew what the Empress Dowager was planning. She wanted to frame Jiang Wang as a tyrant who stole another man's wife, and also as someone who disobeyed imperial orders and was unchaste. She wanted to use the marriage as an excuse to kill two birds with one stone and get rid of both of them.
"Mother, Consort Ming is pregnant with the Emperor's child, yet you intend to betroth her to the son of a minister. Is it because the Pei family harbors rebellious intentions, or is Mother simply too old and senile?"
Jiang Wang's voice was completely flat and cold, and Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but shiver when it reached his ears.
Yin Rong's face turned extremely ugly, and she said coldly, "Your Majesty, Shen Fengmo entered the palace to serve but seduced Your Majesty. What virtue or ability does such a despicable woman have to bear children for the royal family? In order to protect Your Majesty's reputation, I beg Your Majesty to make a wise judgment and grant Shen Fengmo death, so as to rectify the national morals!"
As soon as Empress Dowager Yin finished speaking, Fugui'er rushed in. Yin Rong was already in a bad mood and felt irritable. Seeing the little eunuch beside her being so unruly, her expression became even worse.
Aunt Shuangxi quickly and discreetly withdrew. Fugui whispered a few words in Aunt Shuangxi's ear with a solemn expression, and Shuangxi's face changed as well.
Back in the hall, all was silent; no one spoke, yet the oppressive atmosphere was palpable.
Seeing that the emperor remained silent, Yin Rong sneered inwardly. To fight with her, one must be prepared to lose. If she couldn't trample this woman underfoot and teach the emperor a lesson this time, she feared she would have no authority in the harem from now on!
"Guards, drag this woman who has brought chaos to the imperial harem away and beat her to death with sticks!"
As for the imperial heirs... what does that have to do with her?
The palace maids and servants who had been guarding the palace only dared to approach but not go forward, and they all looked at the Empress Dowager in fear.
With the Emperor standing right here, who would dare to be disrespectful? If they offended the Emperor, they wouldn't be able to live either!
Yin Rong's face flushed red and then turned pale. "You think I can't even order around you dog slaves?"
In a fit of anger, she threw the prayer beads in her hand away, her neck turning red with rage.
Aunt Shuangxi strode forward and whispered a few words in Empress Dowager Yin's ear, causing Yin Rong to almost lose her balance and fall to the ground!
"What did you say?"
She stared at Shuangxi in disbelief, her body trembling with excitement.
Shuangxi nodded again, and only then did Yin Rong realize that she hadn't misheard.
She looked at the two people in front of her again and couldn't help but sneer. What a perfect couple! In order to make her submit, they didn't hesitate to throw the royal family's dignity to the ground and trample on it!
"Fine, fine, fine!" Yin Rong sneered several times. "I'm tired, so I won't see the Emperor and Consort Ming off."
She turned around, and her hands were clenched into fists inside the wide sleeves of the Empress Dowager's robe, her chest heaving violently, betraying her emotions.
Jiang Wang was not surprised at all. He smiled and said in his usual cold voice, "Mother, please take care of yourself."
After saying that, he led Shen Mingzhuang away from Cixi Palace at a leisurely pace.
Shen Mingzhuang hadn't expected to leave the Empress Dowager's palace so easily. Thinking about the changes that had just occurred, she had no doubt that this man must have done something to prevent the Empress Dowager from making things difficult for her.
But what could possibly make the Empress Dowager back down? The image of Princess Jiayuan flashed through Shen Mingzhuang's mind.
The Empress Dowager only has one daughter, who will be married to the Lin family soon. What did Jiang Wang do to make the Empress Dowager wary?
In a daze, she followed Jiang Wang away from Cixi Palace and arrived at a place with the words "Hehuan Palace" written on it.
The clothes and jewelry she wore were too heavy. Although they were gorgeous, they added a lot of pressure to her. In addition, she had been too crazy when she first received the emperor's favor. Her body had not yet recovered. After getting off the sedan chair and walking a few steps, she was exhausted and had to stop and breathe heavily.
"Tired?" Jiang Wang's voice rang in her ears. The next moment, Shen Mingzhuang felt a sudden weightlessness as a pair of large hands lifted her up in a horizontal embrace.
"No need, I can walk by myself." Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but pout, and the faint scent of pine and cypress on him made her feel inexplicably at ease.
If only she could help him change the fate in the book, she couldn't bear to...
Jiang Wang was tall and had long legs. After a few steps into the main hall, she realized that the layout and furnishings of the Hehuan Hall seemed to be different from other places.
The Imperial Study was elegantly and tastefully furnished, exuding a refined luxury amidst its rustic charm. The Taiji Hall was a typical royal palace, radiating an imposing aura. The Cixi Hall was cold and gloomy, its dark color somewhat resembling Yin Rong's chilling demeanor. Yet, this place was a refreshing surprise for her.
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