Chapter 177: Killing Li Ping'er

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Mingshu cried out urgently.

Chu Yunzheng's face had already shown clear displeasure, and just as he was about to flare up, Xiao Mingshu knelt first.

Her voice was steady and unflustered: "The palace has its rules."

"Your subject consort does not mean to defy Your Sacred Will; on the contrary, it is for Virtuous Consort's sake."

She raised her head, her gaze earnest: "The imperial harem is full of gossiping tongues. If we cannot investigate openly, rumors and slander will only grow worse, harming the sister's reputation instead."

"Only with solid evidence can we silence the clamoring crowd."

The Emperor gave a cold snort.

Xiao Mingshu's shoulders trembled, yet she still forced herself to stay calm: "Your Majesty, calm your anger."

"Word is already spreading in the capital that a Lady of Grace in the palace has privately set up shops to amass wealth."

"If we add to this the shadow of suspicion that the imperial harem has illicit ties with Yan Wang... where would the face of our Fengqi Kingdom be placed?"

A dangerous, icy glint flashed in Chu Yunzheng's eyes.

Xiao Mingshu trembled in fear, but she knew she absolutely could not back down now.

She suddenly glared at Shun Consort.

Shun Consort's eyes glistened with tears. She took a deep breath, knelt heavily, and raised her hand to swear: "Your subject consort stakes her life on it—what I saw with my own eyes is absolutely true!"

"That Li Ping'er, after being caught, has already confessed—Virtuous Consort indeed has dealings with Yan Wang!"

Her voice quivered, but she delivered a heavy blow: "What's more, on the night of Minghui Princess's full-moon banquet, that set of dance robes Virtuous Consort wore..."

"Your Majesty, don't you find them familiar?"

Shun Consort might not speak much, but once she opened her mouth, she always hit the key point.

No one had ever brought up the matter of the full-moon banquet.

Now that it was brought out, every detail could shatter the fragile bond between Wan Tang and the Emperor.

What's more, the clothes Wan Tang wore did not come from the imperial harem.

Chu Yunzheng's gaze shifted abruptly, shooting toward Wan Tang like an arrow: "Those clothes—where did they come from?"

The air in the hall instantly froze. The old affair of the full-moon banquet, a taboo no one dared mention, had been suddenly ripped open.

Wan Tang gave a bitter smile and slowly knelt: "Your subject consort does not know."

"Does not know?" the Empress immediately sneered. "Something of unknown origin, and in the Fengdu style at that—how dare you wear it?"

Chu Yunzheng's face had already turned terrifyingly dark.

"It was prepared on the spur of the moment; the attire was naturally handled by the Imperial Household Department. Why would your subject consort need to trouble herself over it?"

Wan Tang, unhurried, raised her eyes to meet the Empress's gaze directly: "Since Your Highness the Empress has brought this up, your subject consort would like to ask—that set of dance robes you bestowed upon me, where did they come from?"

"If Lin Wanyi hadn't swapped them out, the one who would have worn them to dance that day would have been me, wouldn't it?"

Xiao Mingshu's face turned stark white in an instant.

Chu Yunzheng suddenly stood up.

"Your Majesty, your subject consort..." Xiao Mingshu hurriedly tried to explain, her words incoherent.

Chu Yunzheng had already strode before her and raised his hand.

A crisp slap rang out. The Empress staggered and fell to the ground, her cheek red and swollen, her eyes full of disbelief.

"Xiao Mingshu!" Chu Yunzheng's voice was laced with ice. "That set of clothes—I only showed them to you alone."

"I told you to keep them safe, and this is how you kept them?!"

Xiao Mingshu trembled violently, unable to refute, and could only kowtow repeatedly: "Your subject consort is guilty! Your subject consort knows her wrong!"

Seeing the Emperor's fury unabated, she steeled herself, raised her hand, and slapped herself hard.

Slap after slap, echoing through the deathly silent main hall.

"Your subject consort was wrong! Your subject consort deserves death!"

Only when her cheeks were swollen high and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth did Chu Yunzheng wave his hand in disgust.

The entire hall was dead silent; no one dared to breathe loudly.

Xiao Mingshu's teeth ground harshly against her lower lip, tasting a hint of rust.

Her gaze, dark and venomous, fixed on Wan Tang, her voice squeezed through clenched teeth: "Virtuous Consort is truly formidable."

"In such a dire situation, you can still muddy the waters and shift the focus."

She secretly glanced at Chu Yunzheng's icy expression and forcefully suppressed the surging resentment within her.

She raised her voice: "Yes! I was remiss in keeping the old clothes and accept punishment!"

"But my heart toward His Majesty is clear as heaven and earth—I have no second intentions!"

She suddenly turned to Wan Tang, her tone turning sharp and fierce, with a ruthless certainty of victory: "But what about you? Virtuous Consort! Are you worthy of His Majesty?!"

Wan Tang straightened her back, met her gaze, and replied clearly: "Your subject consort has a clear conscience."

"A clear conscience?" Xiao Mingshu let out a sneer, the laughter full of smug confidence. "What a fine 'clear conscience.'"

"Let's see how long you can keep up that tough talk. Once Li Defu brings the person here, everything will be clear! Then..."

Before she could finish, a chaotic, panicked rush of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall.

Li Defu stumbled and crawled in, his face deathly pale, as if he had seen a demonic Yama. With a "thud," he collapsed to his knees.

His voice trembled uncontrollably:

"Your Majesty! Something terrible!"

"Th-that Li Ping'er... she... she's passed out! No matter how we call her, she won't wake up!"

【The Empress got what she deserved. I didn't expect Wan Tang to have the guts to bring that matter up.】

【Li Defu was scared shitless. He wanted to deal with Li Ping'er, but instead saw the message Wan Tang left behind.】

【Now there's a good show to watch.】

Sure enough, the fastest thing to spread is news; in just a short while, Qi Qi received the news and entered the palace.

Just kidding, Qi Er's ability is truly no joke; in such a short time of managing, he already has information on almost half the capital's officials in his hands.

Chu Yunzheng's brows churned with hostile aura, and the air inside the hall grew so thick it was suffocating.

Wan Tang knew that the white pear was a forbidden scale in the emperor's heart, and at this moment the only weapon that could disturb his reason.

She risked speaking, her voice carrying just the right amount of confusion and a barely perceptible guidance: "Emperor, I am foolish and still cannot understand…"

She turned her gaze to the expressionless Xiao Mingshu: "Empress, why did you originally insist on gifting that set of dance robes to me?"

"What exactly was the purpose?"

The word "purpose" was like a needle, precisely piercing Chu Yunzheng's most sensitive nerve.

A crimson storm swirled in his eyes, and the killing aura around him almost solidified.

He did not look at Wan Tang, but forced an extremely cold sentence from his throat: "Empress, come with me."

Xiao Mingshu's body trembled, and she forced an obedient reply: "Yes."

She rose, each step feeling as soft as stepping on cotton, while her legs beneath the skirt trembled incessantly.

Wan Tang quietly let out a sigh of relief.

While everyone's attention followed the emperor and empress away, she turned and intended to leave the main hall.

"Virtuous Consort," a thin yet persistent voice of Shun Pin sounded, bearing forced vigor, "The Emperor has not spoken yet; are you leaving now?"

Wan Tang did not stop her steps, but turned her head and tossed a cold sneer: "They say a dog that will bite never barks. It seems the value of that saying is still rising."

Her gaze, like a blade tempered with ice, swept across, instantly snuffing out every eye that tried to intervene.

Just as she took a step, Li Defu instinctively tried to follow.

"Li Gonggong," Wan Tang's tone was cold and unquestionable, "stay where you are."

"Stay here and wait for your Emperor."

All the concubines and consorts in the hall held their breath, watching this unprecedented scene.

Li Defu, who had always regarded no one above himself and served only the emperor, empress, and Empress Dowager, suddenly turned ashen, clenched his back molars hard, and froze in place.

In contrast, Wan Tang.

Where on her could one still see any trace of a lone palace maid?

She was clearly the true master of the harem!

【Tangtang is becoming more domineering now; this is how it should be, why endure this pathetic atmosphere.】

【Go quickly to see Qi Qi; he is already waiting outside Kunning Palace.】

【If someone discovers it, there will be more talk.】

The crowd sighed, but only Wan Tang herself truly understood the sorrow in her heart.

If all honor and disgrace are entrusted to the Emperor's hands, where does the notion of a master come from?

Wan Tang hurried out of Kunning Palace, and Xiao Shunzi immediately met her, with a small eunuch hunched and shoulders shrunk behind him.

"Madam," Xiao Shunzi whispered, hurriedly, "Lord Qi insists on seeing you; I cannot stop him…"

The "little eunuch" looked up, and it was Qi Qi.

His gaze was sharp as he said directly to Wan Tang: "Madam, please step aside to the left and right."

Wan Tang gave a slight nod, and Xiao Shunzi immediately retreated to a distance to keep watch.

"I have already located Li Ping'er's place of confinement," Qi Qi got straight to the point, speaking at a rapid pace, "but now that it has escalated to the imperial presence, rescuing her is impossible."

"I understand," Wan Tang said with a heavy expression, "we can only respond in kind."

"How to dismantle?" Qi Qi's tone was solemn, "Li Ping'er has been by your side for a long time and knows too much of the inner affairs."

"Under severe torture, who can guarantee she won't babble nonsense?"

"The matter of Yan Wang might be negotiable; if she reveals the Qi Family's secret dealings with you, the information‑gathering…"

He paused, his voice dropping lower: "A consort colluding with officials, secretly forming an organization, spying on secrets—this is a treasonous crime."

"When that time comes, the whole clan's execution will be the lightest punishment!"

"What are you trying to say?" Wan Tang stared at him.

Qi Qi's eyes were resolute: "I have already arranged, placing personnel at the place of confinement."

"With just one word from you, Madam, she can… never be able to speak again."

Wan Tang felt a chill in her heart.

She had never been unaware of the stakes involved.

The emperor's strategies place the throne above all; personal affairs of children can still be argued, but once power is touched, there is only death.

She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply. The image of Li Ping'er's loyal service flashed through her mind.

"Do not act," Wan Tang opened her eyes, her tone resolute.

"Virtuous Consort!" Qi Qi hurried, "You are not alone now!"

"Behind you are the Qi Family, the Lin Family, and the lives of everyone in our line!"

"Enough!" Wan Tang shouted, her authority evident, "I know exactly what I am doing."

"My people, I know them myself; she will never speak."

"I fear she may be beyond her own control!"

"If there truly is a mishap…" Wan Tang's gaze suddenly turned icy and sharp, "I will blind these eyes that cannot discern people!"

She spoke each word deliberately, with undeniable ruthlessness: "And with my own hands, end her."

Qi Qi was stunned, looking at the resolve in her eyes, and finally let out a long sigh: "Madam… my household, having followed you, naturally trusts you."

"But allow me to speak frankly, you are a schemer of great affairs; you must not act on emotion."

Wan Tang's aura surged, and she coldly said: "Since you know you shouldn't speak, then shut up!"

Virtuous Consort! You are speaking with Shei!

A sharp, piercing question suddenly pierced the silence.

Bai Wei flashed out from behind a corridor pillar, eyes like hooks, staring fixedly toward Wan Tang's direction, and rushed forward without stopping.

Xiao Shunzi hurried forward to block: "Aunt Bai Wei, Virtuous Consort is resting here…

"Get out of the way!" Bai Wei shoved Xiao Shunzi aside with harsh force, her voice rising sharply, intending to alarm everyone.

"Help! Quick, help! Virtuous Consort is here holding a private meeting with an outsider, her movements are suspicious!"

Footsteps immediately converged from all sides. The situation was critical; if Qi Qi were discovered at this moment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Qi Qi's expression hardened, yet there was no panic in their eyes; instead a resolute tone emerged: "Virtuous Consort, rest assured, Old Minister dares to come, and has a flawless plan."

They looked at Wan Tang, and a hint of admiration appeared: "Old Minister had not previously expected that you possessed such boldness, that you could make Su Yanci and Lord Su also willing to serve you."