Chapter 1 The Beginning

The Imperial City, the Imperial Palace.

After imprisoning the gu masters, the entire imperial palace was once again under lockdown.

Today, the Imperial Guards on duty at the nine gates of the imperial palace were all punished with thirty strokes of the rod and had their monthly salaries confiscated.

As for the eunuchs, maids, and others related to this matter, they were escorted to the Court of Cautious Punishment to await interrogation. Only after being completely cleared of suspicion would they be released. Watching their close companions being taken away by the Imperial Guards, the other eunuchs and maids who were not suspected were all in a state of anxiety. Except when they had to go out on duty, they locked themselves in their rooms, afraid to show their faces, lest they be implicated.

For a time, the entire inner court was filled with panic!

Evening, the harem.

After handling his work, Jiang Chen directly went to Consort Shu's residence.

Lifting the curtain of the dragon carriage, Jiang Chen had just stepped into the courtyard when he was shocked to see Consort Shu, dressed in plain white, kneeling in the center of the courtyard.

Her pretty face was pale, with tear stains in the corners of her eyes. Her soft and helpless appearance was like a begonia flower ravaged by a storm, pitiful and endearing.

Even if Jiang Chen had accumulated a lot of anger in his heart, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her when he saw this scene.

How could he bear to be harsh again?

However, such a serious matter could not be glossed over. What if this girl didn't recognize the danger and made the same mistake again? Moreover, there had to be an explanation to the court officials and the people.

Even if it was just for show, there had to be some punishment, otherwise it wouldn't be justified.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen deliberately put on a cold face and approached, saying, "Consort, what are you doing?

"A dignified imperial consort of the Great Wei, kneeling here with her hair disheveled, what kind of spectacle is this?!"

After speaking, he bent down to help her up, but when he touched Consort Shu's soft jade hand, he frowned.

So cold, how long has she been kneeling? She doesn't cherish her body at all!

Not knowing Jiang Chen's thoughts, Consort Shu mistakenly thought that this frown was because of anger. Immediately, her heart ached, and tears welled up again in her eyes, which had already been cried dry.

Choking, she said, "Your Majesty, this concubine really knows her mistake. Please, please don't be disgusted with this concubine!"

"As long as it can appease your anger and quell this incident, this concubine is willing to endure any punishment!"

Crystal tears rolled down. Consort Shu knelt forward, wanting to hug Jiang Chen's leg and beg, but she was afraid of causing his aversion. Her raised hand fell weakly, and she cautiously grasped the corner of his robe.

Sobbing, she said, "Your Majesty, this concubine will no longer dream of having children. This concubine has been kneeling here reflecting all afternoon and has completely understood… This concubine has a shallow fate and no blessing to bear imperial heirs!"

"In the future, this concubine will honestly serve Your Majesty and never again…"

Before she could finish speaking, Consort Shu suddenly felt dizzy. When she came back to her senses, she was already in Jiang Chen's arms, being carried horizontally into the寝宫 and placed on the soft couch.

"You just said you were kneeling outside all afternoon?" Jiang Chen asked, suppressing his anger and heartache.

Seeing that his face was not good, Consort Shu said cautiously, "Your Majesty, this concubine, this concubine is fine… It's just kneeling for an afternoon, this concubine can bear it. As long as it can make up for the mistake, these are nothing!"

"Bear it?"

Jiang Chen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With a tearing sound, he ripped open the plain white skirt stained with mud, pointing to Consort Shu's knees, which had turned purplish-black.

He said angrily, "This is what you call 'bearing it'?"

As he spoke, he lowered his head, and his large palm touched the injured area, exerting slight force to check if there was any damage to the bones.

The slightly rough movement made Consort Shu couldn't help but cry out in pain, but a trace of sweetness arose in her heart, knowing that His Majesty still cared about her and was not really angry with her.

She said softly, "Your Majesty, this concubine is really fine."

"Although these bruises look scary, they will be fine after a few days of rest… When my elder brother was young, he often suffered these skin injuries from practicing martial arts, and this concubine always gave him medicine. It's really okay!"

At this time, Jiang Chen had also finished checking and was relieved that there was no major impact, but his face was still not good.

The cold air surrounding him made the palace servants serving nearby secretly frightened.

But Consort Shu, who was facing Jiang Chen, was not afraid at all, and even showed a smile, taking his hand主动.

"Your Majesty, this concubine knows that you are distressed, but mistakes must be acknowledged, and even if this concubine is a consort, this rule must be followed!"

Holding Consort Shu's hand back, Jiang Chen sat down beside her, frowning and said, "That's too much!"

"Ignorance is bliss, you brought these rebellious traitors into the palace because those old guys in the court put pressure on you about having children every day."

"If it weren't for their meddling, with your cautious and respectful nature, how could you have done such an impulsive thing?"

Human hearts are inherently biased. Even though Jiang Chen was clear that Consort Shu had first committed a taboo, he still couldn't help but excuse her.

According to his nature, if other concubines in the palace had committed this crime, their entire families would probably have been escorted to the execution ground outside the Imperial City by now.

Hearing the favoritism in Jiang Chen's words, Consort Shu was so happy that she didn't even feel the pain in her knees. Her eyes were full of tenderness.

She said softly, "Your Majesty, this concubine is so happy now."

"After making such a big mistake, not only did you not severely punish this concubine, but also…" Her pretty face flushed, and she was a little embarrassed. After pausing for a few breaths, she spoke again.

She said firmly, "But this concubine is, after all, your consort, representing the face of the imperial family, and must give an explanation to the officials and the people of the world!"

"On the way back, this concubine learned from Commander Xu about the heinous crimes of these rebellious traitors… Thinking that this concubine personally brought such danger into the palace, this concubine feels ashamed to face you."

Seeing Consort Shu's remorse and pain, Jiang Chen's heart stirred. He was about to speak to comfort her, but Consort Shu covered his mouth, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Your Majesty, this concubine hasn't finished speaking yet."

Meeting Jiang Chen's questioning gaze, Consort Shu took a deep breath and said, "Actually, besides these, what makes this concubine even more uncomfortable and deeply guilty is those victimized women."

"Just thinking about those girls who are in their prime and regarded as pearls in the palms of their families, dying tragically in the hands of these people, and even being made into, made into worm-people, and their bodies abandoned in the wilderness, this concubine feels heartbroken! Guilty!"

"If it weren't for your incognito trip this time, these people would definitely not have been discovered in a short period of time… At that time, they would definitely use worm gu techniques to gain this concubine's trust and act recklessly in this concubine's name!"

"To let such people enjoy wealth and honor, this concubine, this concubine really feels sorry for those unjustly dead girls! Sorry for their families!"

As she spoke, hatred, fear, guilt… all kinds of complex emotions flashed in Consort Shu's eyes.

If she really became a protective umbrella for these people, she would not rest in peace even in death, and she would have no face to face the ancestors of the Xu family!

"Therefore, this concubine's kneeling is not only for you, but also for those girls!"

Hearing this, the pity in Jiang Chen's eyes deepened…