Only when his heart was empty could she take her place

"You worked yourself to the bone for Consort Shu, only to earn no thanks for your trouble. Not only did you fail, you also put something I can use against her into my hands."

"All I need to do is drag you before His Majesty. By the time you leave the Imperial Study, she might have someone quietly put an end to you."

How could Qiukui not know that? She looked at Wen Yunmian, trembling all over. At last, she could bear it no longer and threw herself at Wen Yunmian's feet, weeping bitterly. "My lady, I was wrong! I should never have helped Her Highness harm you. Please give me a way to live!"

Wen Yunmian weighed her options as she asked, "What did Consort Shu offer you?"

Seeing how things stood, Qiukui knew she could hide nothing now. She could only confess honestly. "I have two younger brothers and gravely ill parents at home. They are lazy gluttons who do nothing but ask me for money. When I cannot afford to support them, they threaten to kill themselves."

"So before you entered the palace, Noble Lady Yu summoned me. She said that if I worked for Her Highness, I would receive extra silver every month. In a moment of foolishness, I agreed. Please spare my life, my lady..."

"What did she order you to do?" Wen Yunmian asked.

Her eyes red, Qiukui confessed, "I put the pill among the green chrysanthemums last time, and I was the one who leaked the news of your infertility this time. I thought I was not the only person who knew you were infertile. That was why I dared to tell Noble Lady Yu."

Yun Fei snorted coldly. "So you mean that if you had known, you would simply have been more careful about harming our lady?"

"No, no! That is not what I meant."

Wen Yunmian traced the carved patterns on the teacup lid with her slender fingers.

His Majesty had already punished the Marquis's Residence. Presumably, he was displeased with the Duke of State Protection's Residence as well.

Consort Shu had committed all manner of wicked deeds and tried to harm her repeatedly. It seemed the time had come to expose this matter.

She had to act in accordance with Jun Chenyu's intentions, or all her efforts would come to nothing.

Serving a sovereign was like keeping company with a tiger. She truly could not afford a single misstep.

Wen Yunmian looked at Qiukui. "Do you have any evidence proving that Consort Shu instructed you?"

At first, Qiukui stammered, afraid to speak. Wen Yunmian cradled the hot tea in her hands. "You betrayed your mistress, so there is no longer a place for you in my Peony Pavilion. But for the sake of the time we spent as mistress and servant, if you obey my instructions, I can ensure that your family never wants for food or clothing for the rest of their lives."

Qiukui lowered her head, crying.

But Wen Yunmian continued, "Not those relatives back home. I mean the younger sister currently doing hard labor in the Workhouse Bureau."

Qiukui looked up in astonishment. "My lady, how did you know..."

"When floods struck your hometown and left you homeless, they took you in, only to try to sell you. Later, through a twist of fate, you entered the palace. Seeing that you had value, they began treating you as a blood bag to drain."

"You have little affection for them. You agreed to Consort Shu's demands because you wanted to help your own younger sister. But you feared for her safety and dared not let the consort know she existed, so you used that family as a cover. Am I right?"

Qiukui bit her lip hard, her eyes red. Her sister was her weak spot, and she yielded.

"My lady, I have evidence. Consort Shu gave me a hairpin without thinking much of it at the time. I have kept it ever since."

"I will do anything you ask, but my sister has suffered so much. Please spare her, my lady."

Wen Yunmian had no intention of making things difficult for her. "I can secretly protect your sister and ensure that she lives out the rest of her life in peace."

"Then what would you have me do, my lady?" In truth, Qiukui knew she would not survive. From the moment she helped Consort Shu harm others, she had known this would be her fate.

Wen Yunmian's gaze grew unfathomable. "Go to the consort's palace now. Tell her that I have discovered your crimes and intend to have you accuse her before Her Majesty the Empress."

Qiukui froze. Yun Fei hurriedly protested, "You must not, my lady! If the consort finds out, she will certainly strike at Qiukui. How will we make His Majesty and Her Majesty aware of her crimes then?"

Wen Yunmian calmly held the hot tea from the table, her delicate, refined eyes resting on Qiukui. Then she quietly gave her a few instructions.

"Do exactly as I said. Remember, ask to see Consort Shu directly. There is no need to go through Noble Lady Yu."

Qiukui seemed to understand something. Biting her lip, she nodded. "I understand."

Watching her leave, Yun Fei remained worried, afraid her mistress was making a foolish mistake. "My lady, are you going to let Consort Shu off? She is so vicious. You have only just entered the palace, yet she has already tried to harm you several times. We cannot give up this chance."

Wen Yunmian smiled helplessly. "Is your mistress really such a kindhearted person? Rest assured. Consort Shu will not escape this time."

She believed the Blood-Dropping Agents serving behind the emperor had long since uncovered the truth about the Peach Blossom Song incident. That made Qiukui the perfect move to make His Majesty lose faith in Consort Shu.

Only when his heart was empty could she take her place, after all.

Bedchamber pleasures were suited only to brief seduction and flirtation, not a lasting strategy. No matter how skilled a woman was, the day would come when he tired of her.

That was why becoming the woman Jun Chenyu held in his heart mattered more than anything else.

Take this matter of her infertility, for instance. Once he gave the word, she could disregard even the ancestral rules. That was the power of a sovereign.

To enjoy the sovereign's power, then slowly take that power from him-would that not be a delight?

In her previous life, she had been an empress dowager who ruled from behind the curtain, holding the power of life and death. The taste of court officials bowing before her and the reverence of countless subjects still lingered in her heart.

Precisely because she had possessed power before, she craved it all the more.

Consort Shu still knew nothing of what had happened. She was ordering her private kitchen to prepare His Majesty's favorite dishes. Before he stayed at the Empress's palace tonight, she was determined to lure him over to her.

That old woman, the Empress, did not deserve His Majesty's affection or the rain and dew of his favor.

Before she could indulge in her smugness, Luyue and the eunuch Zhang Fuhai hurried into the hall with Qiukui.

Zhang Fuhai's expression was grave. "Your Highness, something terrible has happened."

Qiukui hastily knelt. "Your Highness, there is trouble."

Consort Shu jumped in alarm and immediately signaled Luyue to dismiss everyone from the hall. Only after the doors were closed did she ask, "Aren't you supposed to be at the Peony Pavilion? Why have you come here out of the blue?"

Qiukui said through her tears, "Your Highness, I have been exposed. Noble Lady Yan discovered that you sent me, and she knows what you have done. She is preparing to report it to Her Majesty the Empress. I slipped away while she was not looking."

Consort Shu's legs went weak. Had Zhang Fuhai not caught her swiftly, she would have fallen. "She knows?"

Panic filled Consort Shu's heart, but a moment later she snapped, "You fool! I told you to hide in the Peony Pavilion. Couldn't you have been more careful?"

Zhang Fuhai hurriedly helped Consort Shu sit down. "Your Highness, matters of the inner palace must first be reported to the Empress, who then informs His Majesty. But His Majesty is staying at Fengyi Palace tonight. If Noble Lady Yan goes there to make her accusation, he may learn of it on the spot."

Consort Shu was beside herself with panic, her beautiful eyes trembling. "Then what should we do? His Majesty must not find out. If he does, he will certainly be angry with me."

After a moment's thought, Consort Shu pinned her hopes on Noble Lady Yu. "Quickly, summon Noble Lady Yu. Have her think of a solution for me."

But Qiukui hurriedly said, "Your Highness, it is too late to seek out Noble Lady Yu now. Noble Lady Yan is already on her way to Fengyi Palace. I have a way to turn the accusation back on her and leave her unable to voice her grievances!"