Naturally, it was because she had already cut out the entire page bearing her name!!
Noble Consort Qing screamed wildly inside.
Everything had happened far too hastily. Almost the moment she heard that Noble Consort Rou had gone to make trouble for the little one, she had rushed to ask her brother to drag Zeng Wencheng out of his residence, then headed straight here.
She had had no time to dispose of it properly. That page was still in the hidden pocket of her sleeve!
Noble Consort Qing squeezed her eyes shut, then turned and went back into Starfrost Hall.
Selling the emperor's birth date and hour was a grave crime, and so was buying it.
But this time, the buyers were all imperial consorts. Their fate depended entirely on how Emperor Mingze wished to handle them.
She returned to stand before Emperor Mingze, bowed, and handed the page recording her name to Eunuch Changshun with both hands. Her voice strained, she said, "Your Majesty, this is... this is the record of my... purchase..."
With that, she waited where she stood, her face full of apprehension.
Jiang Yanchuan took the page from Eunuch Changshun, glanced at it casually, and placed it directly on top of the ledger.
He had spent these years busy waging wars. Though he could not claim to feel much deep affection for the consorts in his harem, he was generally willing to show them some forbearance, so long as they did not cross his bottom line.
Besides-
[Oh, come on, the aunties only wanted to learn more about Imperial Father's personality and preferences. How could you punish them for that?!]
The little one was so anxious that her cheeks flushed red. She was a hair's breadth away from speaking aloud and making the decision for him.