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The Empress Dowager clearly did not expect Mu Junqi to speak to her in such a tone. She was momentarily stunned into silence, while everyone else looked at her in surprise. At that moment, a eunuch entered, trembling with fear, and directly knelt down with his head bowed, saying, "Empress Dowager, Consort Qian has arrived."
The Empress Dowager waved her hand to signal for her to come in. Mu Junqi followed the gazes of the crowd towards the entrance and saw Consort Qian walking in proudly, surrounded by palace maids. She clearly looked down on everyone else in the hall and walked straight up to the Empress Dowager, smiling gracefully as she curtsied.
"Be seated," the Empress Dowager gently instructed those behind her, completely ignoring Mu Junqi. Thus, Mu Junqi quietly stood to the side while Consort Qian took the opportunity to glare fiercely at her when no one was watching, her eyes filled with triumph.
Mu Junqi was unfazed by this; after all, it was not her first encounter with Consort Qian. She did not think much of it and returned a faint smile. Consort Qian did not expect Mu Junqi to smile at her, which only fueled her anger. She turned to the Empress Dowager with a changed expression and immediately adopted a delicate demeanor. "Empress Dowager, His Majesty has been seriously injured this time. If the culprit is caught, it would not be excessive to punish them by exterminating their entire clan," she said while glaring at Mu Junqi.
The Empress Dowager understood Consort Qian's implication. Now all evidence pointed to the Empress. Remembering what she had just said, her anger flared again as she coldly looked at Mu Junqi and said, "Empress, I truly did not realize how sharp-tongued you are. No wonder you always infuriate Qian Er; it turns out your words are quite formidable."
Upon hearing this, Mu Junqi remained silent and slightly lowered her head. Her intention was to refrain from speaking too much at this moment, but to everyone else, it appeared as if she was guilty. The Empress Dowager confirmed her suspicions and angrily stood up, glaring at Mu Junqi as she commanded, "Mu Junqi, kneel! Today you have committed a grave act of disrespect. By rights and reason, I should end your life right now; however, considering His Majesty's sake, I will confine you instead!"
Mu Junqi understood that this was merely a delaying tactic from the Empress Dowager. Regardless of whether she was favored or not, there was still a powerful general's residence behind her. If she were dealt with like this, it would be difficult to explain to the world later on. Knowing this made her feel somewhat secure; however, with Mo Xiao Li injured and many people in the harem wanting her dead, it seemed that she had to save herself this time.
With that thought in mind, she obediently knelt on the ground and said, "Empress Dowager, I know you won't believe anything I say today, but I truly did not send anyone to assassinate him. If it were me who did it, would I allow that person into my chambers?" After saying this, she fixed her gaze firmly on the Empress Dowager.
Only then did the Empress Dowager seem to realize something and hesitated for a moment. Seeing this, Consort Qian immediately stood up and pointed at Mu Junqi while angrily scolding her: "Empress! The Crown Prince has always considered you; I can't believe that after everything that's happened you still refuse to see reason!" She then turned respectfully to the Empress Dowager and said, "Empress Dowager, you must not be swayed by her one-sided words. If it weren't for her actions, who else could be responsible for the turmoil in the harem? Consort still finds it strange that ever since the Empress entered the palace, there hasn't been a single peaceful day; it turns out the problem lies here."
As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately drew agreement from other concubines present since it was indeed a fact. The crowd began whispering among themselves as they discussed it quietly. The Empress Dowager listened coldly to their murmurs; her expression grew even darker as she looked back at Mu Junqi with an even colder gaze before instructing several palace maids to take Mu Junqi away and confine her.
As Mu Junqi was led away, everyone in the hall wore expressions of regret on their faces while secretly feeling delighted inside. Only Consort Qian looked tearful as she gazed at the Empress Dowager and hoarsely said, "To think such a malicious woman has been living in the palace! Now that I think about it, I'm breaking out in cold sweat! Fortunately His Majesty is safe; otherwise I would regret it deeply." As she spoke, she picked up a silk handkerchief and pretended to wipe away tears.
However, the Empress Dowager was not fooled by these words; she looked at Consort Qian with confusion and asked, "Why would you regret? This matter was not done by you."
Consort Qian had been sobbing, but suddenly stopped, clearly not expecting Empress Dowager to ask her that. She was momentarily stunned, but fortunately, Pear gently tugged at her clothing, prompting her to respond. “Empress Dowager, what I mean is that I failed to discover sooner that Mu Junqi was the culprit. If the Emperor were to be harmed because of this, it would be better for me to be the one hurt instead.”
“Impudent!” A sudden roar echoed through the room. Consort Qian looked at Empress Dowager in confusion, thinking that her schemes had been discovered. She immediately knelt down and was about to speak when she heard Empress Dowager say, “Although Empress is currently a sinner, as long as there is no deposing of the Empress, you, as a noble consort, do not have the right to call her by name. Consider today a moment of anger; if I hear it again, be careful.”
Only then did Consort Qian let out a long breath, relieved that she had not been found out. She respectfully replied, “Consort has overstepped; thank you, Empress Dowager, for not punishing me.”
Originally, Empress Dowager cared about these rules and etiquette. Consort Qian, in her prideful state, had forgotten this point. In the end, Empress Dowager claimed to be unwell and dismissed everyone.
After leaving Jinghe Palace, Consort Qian sent others away and then followed Pear to an unknown location. Just by looking at her expression, it was clear she was in a good mood. They turned down a corridor and came upon a somewhat dilapidated palace. After checking around and finding no one there, she felt at ease and walked inside.
As soon as she entered, she saw several palace maids and eunuchs hiding inside. Upon closer inspection, they were indeed from Jingxian Palace, led by Zhang Deli, who all knelt on the ground together and said, “Long live Consort Qian, thousands of years!” They looked at her with anticipation.
Perhaps they thought that Consort Qian had come today to help them escape, unaware that this was all a ruse. She smiled gently yet seductively at them and said, “You have worked hard during this time; however, you are all useless people who cannot even handle a woman.”
Zhang Deli stepped forward and said, “Consort Qian, it wasn’t just because of us that we failed; you can’t blame us all for this.”
Hearing this, Consort Qian smiled instead of getting angry and softly replied, “Of course not; how could This Palace blame you?” As soon as she finished speaking, several masked men burst in and killed those present under the shocked gazes of everyone.
Zhang Deli looked incredulously at the blood flowing from his abdomen; he had already lost strength. He raised his eyes to look at Consort Qian, only to see her sneer coldly. “You bunch of useless people; whether or not you succeeded that day was a dead end for you all. If it weren’t for This Palace, wouldn’t you have been found by the Emperor’s people long ago? Could you have lived this long?” With that, she left with Pear.
Meanwhile, Zhang Deli stared wide-eyed at the departing figure of Consort Qian, feeling death was near. He could only glare angrily at the doorway until he finally collapsed without breath. Perhaps it was only then that they realized they were merely stepping stones for others; once they were no longer useful, they would be discarded like old shoes.
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