She was merely a prefect's daughter. Raising her to the rank of consort had not satisfied her-she had actually dared to corrupt the imperial bloodline.
Sparing her nine clans from extermination was already a boundless act of imperial mercy.
"A woman in the palace behaved improperly. After she was caught, she hanged herself out of shame. Everyone serving her is to be expelled from the palace."
Expulsion was out of the question. Those words meant killing them to silence them.
Eunuch Li immediately arranged for his subordinates to carry it out.
Consort Xian was finished.
Zhou Yunshen twisted the knife. "That member of the Remnants of the Previous Dynasty couldn't have been acting alone. Leave him to Prince Huai. He also has a son; you should be able to get something out of them."
Prince Huai cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for yielding this opportunity, Marquis of Zhennan. I certainly won't disappoint!"
The three grown men quietly dealt with everything, then followed after her.
Jiang Shuyue: [System, Consort Xian was quite a scheming little green tea herself. Didn't I earn any Green Tea Points from our clash?]
System: [You did, but too few, so I'm saving them for you. You still need another hundred and fifty Green Tea Points to redeem a Marrow-Cleansing Pill for your second brother.]
Jiang Shuyue: [It's fine, it's fine. We're getting close! But Prince Huai isn't in very good health. Would a Marrow-Cleansing Pill help him?]
System: [A Marrow-Cleansing Pill can only transform someone down to their very bones. It won't do much for someone whose legs are crippled.]
The hope that had just risen in Prince Huai's heart sank again.
So be it. Although Zhou Yunshen had told him about the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, if even the system said it would not work, then it probably really would not.
At least it put an end to his hopes.
System: [But a Spirit-Melding Pill would! The Spirit-Melding Pill is a supreme-grade pill refined by the Heavenly Lord. It can even regrow severed limbs, much less mend his shattered bones and severed meridians in his lower limbs.]
Prince Huai's eyes lit up.
Did such a treasure truly exist? Could his legs still be saved?
System: [Unfortunately, redeeming a Spirit-Melding Pill costs far too many points. It starts at a thousand Green Tea Points. Host, are you really planning to redeem one? Prince Huai is neither family nor friend. Wasting your points on him isn't worth it.]
Jiang Shuyue fell silent for a while. Unable to hear her voice, everyone felt a little disappointed.
Prince Huai shook his head bitterly as well. "I hear her Green Tea Points have something to do with her ascension. We're neither family nor friends. There really is no need for her to waste her time."
Jiang Shuyue: [Let's redeem it! They're just Green Tea Points, aren't they? The world is full of green tea schemers. If I work a little harder from now on, I'll save them back up in no time!]
System: [Think it through. You haven't even dealt with your mother's situation. You really don't have to bother with Prince Huai's.]
Jiang Shuyue: [That's different! My mother is hopelessly love-addled. She won't listen to anything I say, and making Jiang An get his just deserts isn't something I can do overnight.]
[Prince Huai is different. Look at him, the poor little thing, all soft and boneless. If he could stand up, he'd definitely be a walking embarrassment.]
[Once I've taken care of my second brother, I'll take care of him. Let me think about how to earn the rest of those Green Tea Points!]
Jiang Shuyue thought up several methods, but all of them required her to stir up trouble herself.
Her greatest backer right now was Zhou Yunshen. What if she angered him and he stopped looking after her?
Ugh, finding the right balance was so hard. Being human was so hard.
Prince Huai was utterly overwhelmed with gratitude.
She was actually doing this for me... What a good person. Truly a good person.
For that alone, once he returned tonight, he would arrange for some green tea schemers to come knocking, giving Jiang Shuyue a whole potful to drink.
Jiang Shuyue dozed for a while in the princess's bedchamber. When she woke, she asked about Consort Xian, but everyone kept their lips sealed and changed the subject.
She found it strange. [What's wrong with everyone? Hearing Consort Xian's name makes them look like they've seen a pile of shit.]
System: [She died in childbirth. The emperor also discovered that eunuch's true identity, and everyone in Consort Xian's palace was purged.]
Purged? Did that mean the kind of purge she was thinking of?
The system did not answer, which amounted to confirmation.
Jiang Shuyue: [So many lives lost just because they served the wrong mistress. Consort Xian really brought disaster on them! But what about their child? The Eighth Prince is still so young. Surely they didn't...]
System: [The emperor gave the Eighth Prince to an official to adopt, and publicly announced that the Eighth Prince had died.]
[They also obtained the list of the Remnants of the Previous Dynasty. They should be making their move in the next few days.]
Knowing the child was safe put her much more at ease.
Her impression of the emperor improved a little, too.
The struggles for imperial power she had witnessed had been far crueler than this. This emperor could at least be considered a benevolent ruler.
"My wife, did you sleep well? Your husband has come to take you home."
Zhou Yunshen brought over a small meat bun, still steaming hot.
Jiang Shuyue came over as soon as she caught its scent.
"Husband, is that for me?"
"Yes. Hungry after your nap? Have a little something to tide you over. We'll have chicken when we get home."
Jiang Shuyue: [Yes, yes! I love the cook's chicken best! I wonder if we're having roast chicken or braised chicken today.]
Zhou Yunshen said, "Let's have red-braised chicken tonight. Eating roast chicken all the time can give you too much internal heat."
Jiang Shuyue nodded eagerly. [Red-braised sounds great! I can mix the sauce into my rice, too. It'll be delicious.]
Zhou Yunshen held her left hand and slowed his steps so she could keep up.
Watching her eat without the slightest concern for appearances, the system feared she might accidentally choke herself to death, so it kindly gave her a reminder.
[Eat slowly. The system has detected an ultimate juicy scoop approaching. It isn't ripe yet, though. It'll need some patient cultivation.]
[Cut the chatter. What scoop? Tell me already!]
The system waited a moment. When it detected the scoop drawing near, an alarm rang out. [Here he comes!]
Who was coming?
Jiang Shuyue looked up and saw a delicate, porcelain-fine young man in white walking toward her.
For some inexplicable reason, irritation surged through her.
Damn it, he looked far too much like the fucking idiot who had gotten her struck by lightning!
Zhou Yunshen narrowed his eyes and stepped sideways to shield Jiang Shuyue. "Your subject greets Your Fourth Highness."
Jiang Shuyue cried out inwardly: [Fuck, this is the Fourth Prince? The future emperor, the little bastard who imprisons my Great Villain?]
The more she looked at him, the more she disliked him, and she tightened her grip on Zhou Yunshen's arm.
Killing intent welled up in the Fourth Prince's eyes, then vanished in an instant.
"No need for such formalities, Marquis. I heard your wife had entered the palace and wanted to meet her. I've arranged a banquet especially for you. I hope you'll do me the honor of attending."
System: [Here's a little scoop to start with. The Fourth Prince has drugged the banquet food. It won't affect men, but it's extremely potent for women.]
Jiang Shuyue: [How potent?]
System: [It'll make you go wild like a female you-know-what in heat, then damage your body afterward and leave you infertile!]
Zhou Yunshen's gaze turned frosty. "No. My wife is in poor health, and we've already imposed on the Imperial Palace for too long. I'm taking her home."
"But the banquet is already prepared. It won't be too late to leave after eating. It's been so long since I last saw you, Marquis of Zhennan. I..."
"Your Highness."
Zhou Yunshen interrupted him icily. "If I don't return now, the food will go cold. I shall take my leave."
Zhou Yunshen scooped Jiang Shuyue into his arms. "My new bride is in poor health. Please excuse us, Your Highness."
Jiang Shuyue rested against his shoulder, feeling that something was strange.
But she could not say exactly what felt strange. Drowsiness soon washed over her, and she fell asleep without realizing it.
The Fourth Prince rubbed his head, his expression cold.
"Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? Shall this servant summon an imperial physician?"
"It's nothing. There's just this buzzing in my head. It's uncomfortable."
Before you continue