Who was to blame?

Cheng Yunmeng squeezed her eyes shut, her eyelids trembling slightly.

Noble Consort Qing was not worried that Consort Lan would actually be bullied. She had already witnessed how many mischievous tricks that little girl had up her sleeve.

Judging by the little girl's shifty eyes, she was probably plotting another "staged accident."

Yet the first to speak was Jiang Xingran, who had remained silent all this time.

He bent his knees and dropped to the floor, immediately knocking his head against it three times with resounding thuds. When he straightened, a red mark stood out clearly on his forehead.

"Your Highness Consort Rou, I was nervous yesterday and forgot to speak up for Fourth Brother. If you're angry, please punish me directly, Your Highness!"

After his words fell, the room remained silent for a long moment.

Jiang Huai'an's eyes darted about, as though he had discovered something entertaining. "Little blockhead, I thought someone had poisoned you mute. So you can talk after all."

Before, no matter how he tormented Jiang Xingran, the boy had remained as silent as a sealed gourd, which had robbed him of much of his fun. But this time...

He had finally found Jiang Xingran's weak spot. "Imperial Consort, Imperial Father loathes conflict between siblings most of all. We mustn't lay so much as a finger on Seventh Brother today~"

Alarmed, Cheng Yunmeng hurriedly knelt as well. "Your Highness Consort Rou, Xingran is young and doesn't know better. It's all my fault for failing to teach him properly. Please punish me directly instead..."

Jiang Xingran's little face paled. He was about to kowtow and plead again, but Cheng Yunmeng swiftly stopped him. "Xingran, listen to Imperial Consort. This is what Imperial Consort deserves. Don't say any more..."

Her Xingran had to run around every day to find food for the two of them. As his mother, it was only right that she shield him from a little suffering...

Besides, the little girl's inner voice had said that this was a calamity she was destined to endure.

It was her status that had made life in the palace so difficult for both mother and son.

Cheng Yunmeng recalled that night back then and could not help feeling remorse. If only she had not covered someone else's shift that day.

Jiang Xingran looked frantic and tried to speak again, but Cheng Yunmeng hastily reached out and clamped a hand over his mouth.

A mother was supposed to protect her child.

Even if she really was punished by being made to kneel outside in the snow today, she would do so without hesitation!

For a moment, both their faces were smeared with tears.

Jiang Yingcheng stood beside them with a blank expression, blinking her eyes in utter bewilderment. [Ah...]

[Chengcheng was all ready to pretend to fall. What do I do now...]

[Father's imperial carriage is almost at the entrance to Flowing Splendor Hall. If Auntie Yunmeng and Seventh Brother keep crying, Chengcheng won't be able to stage an accident and frame Consort Rou...]

Consort Lan went still, even her sobbing stopping involuntarily.

His Majesty was coming?

She would not have to kneel in the snow today?

How soon was "almost"? If the little girl pretended to fall, would His Majesty really punish Noble Consort Rou out of concern for her?

Questions rose in her mind one after another, but the most pressing matter was to make Noble Consort Rou act quickly so His Majesty could catch her red-handed.

At that thought, Cheng Yunmeng hurriedly patted Jiang Xingran's back with gentle strokes and whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid, Xingran. Imperial Father will be here soon."

Noble Consort Qing, who was drinking tea at the seat of honor, paused as well.

Good heavens, she really was staging an accident...

Noble Consort Rou knew nothing of the twists and turns in their minds. Seeing that the mother and son had stopped crying for the moment, she said mockingly, "What a touching display of devotion between mother and son. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was about to drown Consort Lan in a well."

She slowly rose from her cushioned chair and took two steps forward. "They say that when a child goes untaught, the father is to blame. But His Majesty is busy with affairs of state every day. As his consorts, we ought to shoulder some of his burdens."

"Do the two of you harbor resentment because I am punishing you for this, Consort Lan?"

Cheng Yunmeng hurriedly bowed and kowtowed. "Your Highness, I would never dare harbor the slightest resentment."

Noble Consort Rou lifted one corner of her mouth in a casually mocking smile, reasonably satisfied that Consort Lan knew which way the wind was blowing.

Although Jiang Huai'an very much wanted to see his Imperial Consort punish Consort Lan, what he enjoyed even more was the anguish on Jiang Xingran's face. Seeing him suddenly accept the situation, he could not resist sneering, "Jiang Xingran, you should know that everything your Imperial Consort suffers today is because you opposed me yesterday."

"If you'd simply admitted yesterday that you pushed the Eleventh Princess, wouldn't we have avoided all this trouble today?"

"What sort of place do you think this palace is? With your Imperial Consort's standing, do you think you have any room to choose?"

"Today is a lesson, so you'll know what attitude to take when you see me in the palace from now on."

His heart brimmed with satisfaction. Even the relentless throbbing pain in his backside seemed to ease considerably.

Whenever he had bullied Jiang Xingran before, the boy had never dared resist, but his face had always been full of pride. He had looked at Jiang Huai'an as though looking at an ant. Although Jiang Huai'an always came out ahead in the end, he still felt that he had lost the battle of presence.

But now, at last, he knew exactly what Jiang Xingran feared.

A vicious grin curled Jiang Huai'an's lips.

Trying to fight me?

Take a look at yourself first. Are you even worthy?

Jiang Huai'an swept his gaze around the room.

Noble Consort Qing, who was on good terms with his Imperial Consort.

Jiang Yingcheng, his little follower who accepted whatever he said.

Then his gaze settled on Jiang Xingran again.

"What are you standing around for?" Jiang Huai'an demanded of the palace maid, who was almost in front of Consort Lan. "Didn't my Imperial Consort already tell you? Slap her!"

Hurry up and slap her. Once that was done, his Imperial Consort had plenty more tricks waiting.

Xiwu glanced back at Noble Consort Rou.

There was no particular expression on Noble Consort Rou's face, but Xiwu, who had served her for years, knew that this meant tacit approval.

Xiwu lifted her foot again, preparing to take the last few steps toward Consort Lan.

[Ohoho, Imperial Father is already standing behind the door?!]

Noble Consort Qing set down her teacup and said with apparent hesitation, "Sister Jingwan, surely this isn't appropriate..."

Noble Consort Rou turned back in surprise, seemingly unable to understand why Noble Consort Qing, who had not uttered a word all this time, had suddenly spoken-and apparently intended to stop her.

"You..."

Before she could finish, several startled cries suddenly rang out behind her.

Noble Consort Rou whipped her head around.

She had no idea what had happened to the people before her. Xiwu's raised foot was still suspended in midair, her expression both shocked and terrified. From Noble Consort Rou's angle, her temples glistened, as though a thin sheen of sweat had broken out.

And Jiang Yingcheng...

Was on the floor, rolling toward the doorway, over and over...

Noble Consort Rou fell silent.

Judging by the way Jiang Yingcheng was rolling, it looked very much as though she was deliberately rolling toward the door herself.

But judging by Xiwu's reaction, it also looked as though the maid had kicked her.

What was this supposed to be?

Even with her lofty status, she had never resorted to such clumsy methods when trying to frame someone.

Jiang Yingcheng had no idea what everyone else was thinking, but she was already close to her limit.

She asked 007 inwardly, [H-how much farther is it...]

She had originally planned to roll straight to the doorway so Imperial Father could see how pitiful she was pretending to be, but...

Nobody had told her the floor was this hard, or that rolling across it hurt so much...

Dizzy and seeing stars the whole way, she finally managed to roll halfway there before someone stopped her.

Jiang Yingcheng lifted her head and met Jiang Yanchuan's faintly angry eyes. Her little mouth puckered, and she immediately burst into wails. "Waaah-"

[It r-really hurts-]

Jiang Yanchuan: "..."

Who was to blame?