Imperial Physician Wang swallowed nervously, his voice trembling.
“Consort Ning did indeed suffer external impact. But what truly caused her miscarriage… was the abortifacient she drank half an hour before…”
Shangguan Lin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Just as Suisui had said—word for word, not the slightest deviation!
Shangguan Lin’s voice turned icy. “Tell me—who ordered you to lie and frame Consort Chen?!”
Imperial Physician Wang slowly raised his hand, pointing in the direction beside Shangguan Lin, his voice shaking.
“It was Consort Xian! It was Consort Xian who ordered me to do this!”
“Consort Ning’s pregnancy was already too weak and could not be saved. After Consort Xian found out, she came up with this plan.”
“She ordered me to send abortifacients to Consort Ning, and also instructed me that when I met Your Majesty, I must conceal the truth of the miscarriage and shift all blame onto Consort Chen!”
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian immediately knelt down, begging for mercy.
“Your Majesty, please investigate clearly! This has nothing to do with me!”
“I have served Your Majesty for over ten years—does Your Majesty not know me? How could I possibly do such a thing?!”
Shangguan Sui, sitting close beside Consort Chen, pouted disdainfully upon hearing this.
【Hmph~ You’ve never done such things? How many wicked deeds have you actually committed?】
【First poisoning the Eldest Prince, and even targeting me and my mother in the harem! So despicable!】
【Maybe the Eldest Prince was just the beginning… maybe I’m next…】
What?
Consort Xian even poisoned the Eldest Prince?!
Consort Chen was so shocked by this sudden revelation that she felt dizzy.
Had she just uncovered some earth-shattering secret?
Shangguan Lin, on the other hand, was already furious to the point his head hurt.
First the Eldest Prince, now Suisui.
Was Consort Xian planning to wipe out all his children?!
This was simply too much!
Shangguan Lin took a deep breath.
Of course he knew the Marquis of Zhenbei had not yet been dealt with, so Consort Xian could not be punished immediately.
But he could not swallow this anger.
Shangguan Lin swept his gaze across the crowd, his voice cold.
“Consort Xian framed imperial consorts. Strip her of her authority to assist in managing the harem and confine her to Linqing Palace. Without my permission, she is not allowed to step out even once!”
Consort Xian froze completely.
Since entering the palace, she had never suffered such severe punishment!
She immediately burst into tears and tried to speak, but—
“Drag her away at once!” Shangguan Lin ordered sharply.
Several eunuchs immediately obeyed and dragged the crying Consort Xian away.
After dealing with her, Shangguan Lin turned his gaze to Consort Ning, who was trembling on the bed.
“Consort Ning is demoted to an attendant consort and confined in her palace. She is not to leave again.”
Consort Ning lay on the bed, biting the blanket, tears streaming uncontrollably.
She should not have trusted Consort Xian…
She should not have tried to frame Consort Chen…
【Wuwu! Father is at least fair and just~】
【Hmph, anyone who bullies my mother must be punished!】
【But Consort Xian’s punishment is still too light! If it weren’t for Father being wise, who knows how bad things would’ve become…】
Consort Chen couldn’t help but reach out and hold Shangguan Sui’s little hand upon hearing her thoughts.
Her precious Suisui truly loved her.
Shangguan Lin’s gaze also fell on Shangguan Sui.
That morning, unlike before, he had not gone to pick Suisui up at the usual hour.
He had thought she must have been exhausted from yesterday’s outing and wanted her to rest more.
But when he went to Bihua Palace at the next hour, he found neither Suisui nor Consort Chen.
Only then did he learn they had gone to the imperial garden.
Looking at Suisui’s slightly unhappy little face now, he couldn’t help but find it amusing.
After a brief thought, he spoke in a deep voice:
“Consort Chen is always gentle and virtuous. I hereby grant her the authority to assist in managing the harem. Until the Empress returns and the Empress Dowager comes back from Lingshan Temple, all palace affairs shall be handled by Consort Chen.”
“As for today’s injustice, I reward her with ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand bolts of silk.”
Hearing the word “gold,” Shangguan Sui’s eyes instantly lit up.
【Hehe~ Gold is good~ shiny and beautiful~】
【Mother has never had much money or jewelry, but from now on she’ll be rich!】
【Father is actually quite nice!】
“Quite nice” Shangguan Lin: …
He couldn’t help but smile when he heard her thoughts.
He wanted to pick Suisui up and play with her for a while, but Eunuch Chen came up and whispered something in his ear.
Shangguan Lin had no choice but to give up.
Before leaving, he walked over and pinched Suisui’s cheek lightly before heading off quickly to the Imperial Study.
..
After the Emperor left, all the consorts immediately bowed to Consort Chen.
“Congratulations, Sister Consort Chen!”
By now, even the foolish ones understood.
The Emperor deeply favored both the Fifth Princess and Consort Chen.
Anyone who went against them would be going against His Majesty himself.
Consort Chen smiled gently and said, “There is no need for such courtesy.”
“We are all sisters in the harem; we should support each other.”
“As long as others do not provoke me, I am not one who enjoys meddling.”
【Mother is amazing! First a reward, then a warning—】
【So smart! I love Mother! Muah!】
Consort Chen gently tightened her hold on Suisui’s hand.
She truly understood her mother perfectly.
The consorts also nodded in agreement.
They understood the meaning clearly.
Consort Chen was saying: she would not pursue today’s matter, but she also would not tolerate future trouble.
If anyone provoked her again, she would not be easy to handle.
Thinking of this, many consorts broke into cold sweat.
Fortunately, they had not spoken up when Consort Xian was framing her earlier.
Otherwise, they would not have been spared either.
Who would have thought that the usually quiet and low-profile Consort Chen was actually so capable…
Consort Chen returned to Bihua Palace with Shangguan Sui.
As soon as they arrived, Qingping hurried out to greet them.
“Your Highness, I was so frightened today. I heard Consort Xian and Consort Ning tried to frame you—but thankfully His Majesty saw through everything.”
Consort Chen smiled lightly. “Am I not fine now?”
Qingping quickly said, “In the future, please allow this servant to stay by Your Highness’s side more often.”
“Oh right, Your Highness, Second Young Master sent something from outside the palace today.”
Consort Chen raised her brows slightly. “What is it?”
This was the first time Lou Changqing had ever sent something.
The Shangguan family had strict discipline, and because the Marquis feared accusations of court interference, they usually only exchanged monthly letters.
The three entered the hall, and Qingping quickly presented a box.
Inside were five hundred taels of silver.
Qingping said, “Second Young Master said this money is for Princess Suisui.”
Consort Chen looked slightly surprised.
For Suisui?
Why would Changqing suddenly send her money?
But Shangguan Sui was instantly delighted.
【Wuwu! Little Uncle is so nice! I love Little Uncle~】
【Anyone who gives me money can’t be a bad person!】
Consort Chen couldn’t help laughing.
“Since it’s from your little uncle, you may keep it yourself.”
Shangguan Sui happily took the box and placed it together with the box of Eastern pearls sent by the Eldest Prince.
She hugged it tightly, blissful.
【Life is hard, but money removes all obstacles~】
【I love money, money loves me, money comes from all directions~】
Consort Chen shook her head helplessly. “Little money addict.”
“Your Highness, Imperial Physician Xu has arrived,” Qingping reported.
“Let him in.”
Soon, Imperial Physician Xu entered and knelt to greet them.
Consort Chen said calmly, “No need for formalities. Go check the princess. It’s been three or four days already, why hasn’t her throat recovered?”
Imperial Physician Xu nodded and placed his hand on Shangguan Sui’s wrist, his brows tightly furrowed.
Consort Chen noticed his hesitation and said, “Speak honestly.”
“Could it be that Suisui’s illness…”
Imperial Physician Xu shook his head, his voice steady.
“Reporting to Your Highness—based on the pulse…”