Hai Ling looked at the people in the hall and found it all amusing. These people were all wearing masks, so hypocritical. Being with them was exhausting.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I was so bored staying in Zhengyi Palace that I came out for a walk. But Consort Shu insisted on bringing up the Emperor, so I lost my temper and hit her."
She originally intended to provoke Feng Zixiao, make him angry, and eventually drive her out of the palace. Who knew that the Empress Dowager would suddenly appear and ruin her plans? If it weren't for the Empress Dowager, Feng Zixiao probably would have spoken out, either deposing her or expelling her.
She had thought it through. If she were deposed, she would inevitably be banished to the Cold Palace. Then she would set the Cold Palace on fire, and the Empress could die in the flames. After that, she could leave the Great Zhou with her mother, Rouge, and the others.
I just didn't expect the Empress Dowager to appear so suddenly. I wonder what she means by this?
"Your Majesty, this is wrong of you. As the Empress, you are supposed to be a role model for the harem. If word gets out that you beat up Consort Shu, it will cause a lot of controversy."
"Hailin is the Empress. Even if she broke the rules, the Emperor should be the one to punish her. She is just a lowly Consort Shu who dares to point fingers at me. Isn't she just relying on the Emperor's favor?"
Hai Ling glared at Jiang Feixue with resentment, her face full of jealousy.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Feixue couldn't help but snort softly, "Your Majesty."
Although Feng Zixiao didn't feel sorry for Jiang Feixue, he still couldn't stand Hailing's arrogance. Today, when she hit Consort Shu, it was clearly out of jealousy.
"Jiang Hailing, how dare you! You left Zhengyi Palace without my permission, and now you dare to criticize and act arrogantly. Since you say I can punish you, then I will let you have your way?"
Feng Zixiao was so angry that he stood up abruptly and glared at Hai Ling.
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Jiang Feixue's charming and beautiful face lit up with joy. Unfortunately, the Emperor was interrupted by the Empress Dowager before he could finish speaking.
"Your Majesty, there are still many matters to be dealt with in the court. If any more bad rumors spread in the harem, what do you think the people will think? It is not advisable to disturb outsiders with matters of the harem."
Feng Zixiao raised a narrow eyebrow, a dark glint flashing in his deep eyes. His mother was right; he had almost lost his mind and ruined things. If he were to cripple Jiang Hailing now, who knows what people outside would say? The common people would certainly doubt his abilities. Therefore, it was not advisable to touch this woman at the moment.
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words and seeing the Emperor's expression, Jiang Feixue understood that this woman would not be dismissed today. She was filled with resentment; she had been beaten for nothing. She touched her face and felt a sharp pain, as did several other parts of her body.
Hai Ling was no less disappointed than Jiang Feixue. She never expected that the Empress Dowager would consider the bigger picture and ignore what she had done.
The Empress Dowager looked at Jiang Feixue and said gently, "Feixue has always been a sensible child, I know that."
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Empress was only angry for a moment. Your Majesty, please don't be angry."
Jiang Feixue spoke with an understanding expression, but in her heart she wished she could beat this woman to death.
The Empress Dowager stopped Jiang Feixue from speaking, and then looked at Jiang Hailing.
"Your Majesty, why don't you apologize to Consort Shu? Consort Shu is magnanimous; you should learn from her."
Hai Ling curled her lips, looked at the Empress Dowager with her head held high, and refused directly: "I have done nothing wrong, why should I apologize to a mere Consort Shu? She should apologize to me."
Unexpectedly, Hai Ling would contradict the Empress Dowager on the spot. Empress Dowager Sima Lan's face darkened, and Jiang Feixue couldn't help but feel smug. Could it be that the Empress Dowager couldn't tolerate this?
When Feng Zixiao saw Hai Ling, he was not only jealous and beat up the concubines, but now he was also talking back to the Empress Dowager. This woman was really too hateful, but there was nothing he could do about her. He was so angry that his face turned red and white, and his deep eyes were like the eyes of a bloodthirsty wolf, staring coldly at Hai Ling.
Several people in the hall couldn't help but shudder. Hai Ling was also a little uneasy. To be honest, Feng Zixiao was not incompetent. He was just new to the throne and had many things he was not used to. If he were properly trained, he could be a good emperor. It was just a pity that he was facing too many enemies. It was unknown whether he could escape unscathed and protect his throne.
The Empress Dowager was afraid that Feng Zixiao would fly into a rage and recklessly cripple Jiang Hailing. If that got out, it would really cause a lot of controversy. Now that Bai Ye was gone and the Bai family army was gone, they still had to guard against Jiang Batian in the court and worry about Bai Ye's rebellion and return to the capital. This internal and external situation was already exhausting. Now was not a good time to deal with Jiang Hailing.
"Guards, escort the Empress back to Zhengyi Palace."
The Empress Dowager gave the order in a deep voice.
Outside the main hall, a eunuch rushed over and respectfully asked Hailing to leave.
"Your Majesty, please."
Hai Ling looked around, then glared fiercely at Jiang Feixue before turning and leaving.
Inside the main hall, several people had equally grim expressions. Feng Zixiao was the angrier. How could he, an emperor, not be angry that he couldn't even deal with a woman?
"Mother, I'm going back to my study to attend to state affairs."
"Go."
The Empress Dowager knew the Emperor was angry, so she waved him away. Then she looked at Consort Shu and said with a pained expression, "Summon the imperial physician to treat Consort Shu immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A eunuch went to fetch the imperial physician. In the main hall of Qingxin Palace, the Empress Dowager rose, walked to Jiang Feixue, took her hand and sat down beside her, saying with a look of affection, "Feixue, you have suffered. I have no choice. In fact, what the Empress did deserves to be punished. Not only you, but I am also very angry. However, now is not a good time to deal with her. Feixue, don't worry, I will definitely punish her for you."
"Yes, Mother," Jiang Feixue finally felt a little relieved. Regardless of whether the Empress Dowager punished Jiang Hailing in the end, she felt better.
Before the Empress Dowager could finish speaking, she continued, "You know, she is now the Empress. If the Emperor punishes her, what will the people think of him? Unless…?"
The Empress Dowager fell silent, but the half-spoken part of her words sparked Jiang Feixue's imagination. The Empress Dowager's words were loaded with meaning: it wasn't appropriate for the Emperor to punish the Empress, but if something happened to the Empress herself, unrelated to the Emperor, wouldn't the blame fall on him?
Jiang Feixue smiled immediately, grasped the Empress Dowager's hand tightly, and the two chatted and laughed.
In Zhengyi Palace, Hailing sat silently on one side of the main hall, furious. Everything was about to succeed, but the Empress Dowager ruined it all.
Later, she even tried to provoke the Empress Dowager, hoping that the Empress Dowager would get angry and ignore the matter. But who knew that the Empress Dowager wouldn't fall for it at all? She was truly patient and forbearing. It's clear that the Sima family was quite formidable.
"Miss, don't be angry. We'll think of something else later."
Rouge tried to persuade her, saying that if it didn't work this time, it would be next time, and they would definitely leave the palace. She didn't believe the Emperor could tolerate it again and again.
"Actually, the most powerful person in this palace is the Empress Dowager. Although the Emperor is powerful, he is still young. But Empress Dowager Sima is the most powerful. With her around, it will probably be difficult for him to leave the palace for a while."
This is what angered Hai Ling. Even the Empress Dowager could tolerate her defiance, so what other solutions could she possibly come up with?
After today's events, she finally understood the Empress Dowager's intentions. The reason she sent Jiang Feixue into the palace was clearly to make the Jiang family fight to the death. Furthermore, she wanted to use Jiang Feixue to restrain Jiang Batian, thus buying them time to prepare and then deal with Jiang Batian. However, they never dreamed that Bai Ye would appear, disrupting the entire plan.
But Jiang Feixue has always been someone the Emperor dislikes, so why has he suddenly become kind to her and even bestowed upon her the title of Consort Shu?