The Princess Consort cast a faint, unreadable glance at Prince Rui.
Once again, she clearly understood Chen Shi and her child’s place in his heart—and felt a chill in her heart.
As his lawful wife, she had never received such concern from him. Now, watching him act this way for a mere concubine, she found it almost laughable.
“Jiang Liu!” Prince Rui suddenly called out.
A guard in tight black uniform quickly entered.
Everyone turned to look.
“Your Highness.” Jiang Liu cupped his fists in salute.
“Investigate. Find out who exactly made these voodoo dolls and who is behind this.” For now, it was confirmed that Side Consort Ye was involved, but whether others in the inner courtyard were involved remained unclear.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Only now did Side Consort Ye truly panic. From the prince’s gaze earlier, she already understood—he knew she was the main culprit. Sending people to investigate now was only to see whether others were involved. She was finished.
Mo Qin and Qingyue both turned deathly pale.
Qiao Rongjin remained kneeling on the ground. She understood that the prince’s actions were mainly because Side Consort Ye had touched his reverse scale—Chen Shi and her children. At this point, it was no longer just about her. For the sake of Chen Shi’s family, he would not let Ye off easily.
Calling for an investigation now was also because he suspected others might be involved—including her.
After all, Qingyue was originally from Haitang Courtyard and had once been her personal maid. She had just spoken words that could be interpreted in many ways. Combined with her past “record,” it was normal for the prince not to fully trust her.
Everyone then waited in Qiao Rongjin’s courtyard.
Her injuries still hurt, and kneeling for so long was unbearable. Since no one told her to rise, she simply got up on her own. No one was paying attention to such small movements anyway.
Soon, the guard returned and whispered something into the prince’s ear.
Prince Rui’s gaze swept across everyone present, making them instinctively shrink back in fear. Side Consort Ye was trembling uncontrollably.
Finally, he spoke.
“Bring them in.”
Everyone immediately straightened and looked toward the door.
Two people were dragged in by guards—a nanny and a maid.
Side Consort Ye’s face instantly went pale as she staggered backward, her expression filled with despair.
It was her wet nurse—and her personal maid, Mo Hua, who had served her since childhood.
As soon as they entered, they began pleading.
“Please spare us, Your Highness! Spare us! We were momentarily confused—we only wanted to help our mistress take revenge on Qiao Shi! She knew nothing of it!”
“It was all our own idea! It has nothing to do with our mistress!”
“Tell me,” Prince Rui said coldly, “how did you plan to take revenge on Qiao Shi?”
Everyone present glanced at Side Consort Ye. They were somewhat surprised—she actually had such loyal servants willing to take the blame for her.
However, the grievances between Ye and Qiao Shi were well known among those who entered the palace earlier.
When Side Consort Ye first entered the residence as a consort, she had accidentally offended Qiao Shi. She was slapped while pregnant, which caused her to fall and miscarry. It was reasonable that she would still harbor resentment. So the servants’ story did seem plausible.
Then the two servants, one after another, explained the entire plan.
Prince Rui glanced coldly at Side Consort Ye.
Hmph. She did have loyal servants willing to die for her.
Since there were no other hidden masterminds, his expression softened slightly.
However, the fact that there was no involvement from Qiao Shi herself surprised him a little. He looked at her briefly.
She had always been infatuated with him, and after learning he favored Chen Shi and her children, she had gone somewhat mad trying to cause trouble for them. He knew this well. It seemed her recent confinement had truly made her reflect.
At this moment, Side Consort Ye was already in tears.
She had not expected that at such a critical moment, her wet nurse and Mo Hua would not betray her, but instead take all blame upon themselves.
She could not lose them.
Her daughter could not survive in this cruel household without her. She could not even imagine it.
But they were her wet nurse and her childhood companion…
“Since the matter is clear, these two servants who used voodoo to harm their master shall be dragged out and beaten to death. The Prince’s Residence cannot tolerate such vicious minds,” Prince Rui said coldly.
“Yes,” the guards replied, stepping forward to drag them away.
“Stop! Stop! Your Highness! Please spare my wet nurse and Mo Hua! It was all my fault—punish me instead!” Side Consort Ye suddenly knelt, her usually proud and charming face now filled with panic and tears.
“I cannot lose them!”
“Drag them out,” Prince Rui said coldly, warning her not to push her luck. Sparing her servants was already mercy enough; otherwise, she herself would not be allowed to remain in the residence.
If not for her increasingly powerful family background, he would have executed her as well today.
That single glance froze Side Consort Ye’s heart. Terror spread through her. She collapsed to the ground helplessly, watching in despair as her wet nurse and Mo Hua were dragged away.
Then his next words pushed her into complete despair.
“Side Consort Ye failed in discipline, allowing her servants to harm other concubines and use such vile voodoo arts. She is unworthy of her title. Strip her of the position of Side Consort and demote her to concubine. As for Lin’er, he will be raised temporarily by the Princess Consort.”
Everyone was shocked.
A side consort position had been stripped—this meant she would likely never rise again.
Qiao Rongjin was also stunned. She had expected at most confinement, but instead her rank was completely removed. The male lead was indeed ruthless.
It was an incredibly hard-earned position—now she had fallen overnight. For Side Consort Ye, this was worse than death. If not for her family’s influence, she might even have been executed.
And Qiao Rongjin realized—this was exactly the truth.
“Don’t! Your Highness, I was wrong! I truly was wrong! Lin’er is my life—please don’t take him from me!” Side Consort Ye cried as she clutched Prince Rui’s robe.
But his expression remained cold and impatient. He ordered Wang Fuyang to pull her away.
Side Consort Ye looked at the man she had once adored and finally felt her heart turn completely cold.
He had executed her wet nurse without hesitation—and now even her child was taken from her.
How ironic.
She finally collapsed, unconscious from the shock.
Prince Rui coldly ordered, “Take her to Ningxiang Courtyard and have the physician check on her.”
Witnessing Side Consort Ye and her people’s downfall, Qiao Rongjin felt deeply unsettled.
As expected, the inner courtyard of the prince’s residence was a place of extreme danger—one word could decide life or death.
She reminded herself again: to survive, she must never provoke the male lead. Staying alive was the priority.
After handling everything, Prince Rui finally remembered Qiao Rongjin, who had been wrongly accused the entire time.
He glanced at her and saw her looking at him with a faint trace of fear. He frowned slightly.
“You have been frightened today. Your confinement is lifted. I hope you have truly repented.”
Everyone looked at Qiao Rongjin in surprise. She turned out to be the winner today—her two-year confinement lifted just like that.
Good fortune, indeed.
Qiao Rongjin was secretly pleased.
Before she could respond, Prince Rui added:
“Princess Consort, handle the rest. Execute those who should be executed.”
With that, he left without looking back.
“Farewell, Your Highness!”
Qiao Rongjin followed everyone in bowing respectfully.
Soon, only the Princess Consort and the remaining spectators were left in the room.
The Princess Consort looked at Mo Qin and Qingyue on the ground, her eyes filled with disgust.
“Qiao Shi, Qingyue is a maid from your courtyard. How do you plan to deal with her?”