Chapter 207: Identity Unveiled

Wan Tang's heart suddenly sank, as if falling into an ice cave.

The emperor's gaze was too sharp, the probing tone left no room for misinterpretation.

What did he know?

The tavern?

Huang Hu?

Or… the Mo Family matter?

A massive panic instantly seized her, fingertips icy.

She opened her mouth, almost about to spill everything under those eyes that seemed to see through everything.

A confession might buy a sliver of survival?

Just as her lips barely part, the voice was about to overflow.

Outside the hall, a sudden rapid and chaotic footfall sounded, accompanied by a eunuch's sharp yet unable‑to‑hide panic report: "Empress Dowager has arrived, Empress has arrived!"

The heavy doors of Yangxin Hall were suddenly forced open from outside!

Chu Yunzheng's hand that had been pinching Wan Tang's chin paused, his brows suddenly tightened, and he looked displeased toward the doorway.

Only the Empress Dowager, dressed in a Phoenix Robe, with a cold expression, entered briskly under the Empress's support, exuding an undeniable pressure.

Behind them followed several robust matriarchs and eunuchs, clearly ill‑omened.

The Empress Dowager's phoenix eyes held authority; her gaze swept the hall, lingering a moment on the oddly intimate yet strange posture of Chu Yunzheng and Wan Tang, her eyes growing harsher.

She gave no one any time to react, raising her hand directly.

Pointing a finger clad in long gilded armor at Wan Tang sharply, her voice was ice‑cold to the bone:

"Seize this fox‑charming, demonic woman for me!"

Wan Tang was frantic inside, not knowing what the Empress and Empress Dowager knew?

【Wan Tang, don't be afraid, the Empress Dowager still doesn't know your identity, rest assured!】

【Xiao Mingshu acted on her own, treating the mystery of her lineage as the final trump card.】

【The Empress is still waiting to finally pin you down.】

Since they don't know, that's good, Wan Tang let out a long sigh of relief.

Chu Yunzheng's complexion instantly darkened terribly, the hand pinching Wan Tang's chin slowly released, yet he did not act immediately.

He only cast a cold gaze toward the intruding Empress Dowager and Empress, the pressure around him chillingly low. He wanted to see which act they would perform.

Wan Tang was startled by that "seize" and her soul fled, she fell softly to her knees.

Her voice trembled with just the right amount of fear and confusion: "Empress Dowager, please be magnanimous! I, your servant, do not know what offense I have committed, what has provoked your anger? Your Majesty…"

She looked toward Chu Yunzheng pleadingly, tears welling at the lashes.

Empress Xiao Mingshu stepped forward; her makeup today was exquisite, her phoenix hairpin and Step Shake unmoving.

Only those eyes looking at Wan Tang were poisoned, as if wanting to skin her alive.

A cold, proud curve lifted the corner of her mouth, yet her voice was steady and measured, bearing the "painful lament" of a principal consort:

"Virtuous Consort sister, now that it has come to this, do you still want to argue?"

She turned to the Empress Dowager and the emperor, slightly bending her knee, "Mother Empress, Your Majesty, I manage the Six Palaces and must act impartially."

"Today at the third quarter of the Rooster hour, a palace maid personally witnessed Virtuous Consort sister in civilian clothes, sneaking out through the west side small gate!"

"She did not return until the end of the Dog hour!"

Her tone suddenly sharpened, each word like a knife: "Palace rules are strict; no consort may leave the palace without edict!"

"Virtuous Consort, what do you think of the palace rules?"

"And where do you place the majesty of Your Majesty and Mother Empress?!"

"You left the palace on your own, where did you go? Whom did you meet?!"

She did not wait for Wan Tang to defend herself, raising her voice sharply: "The guard at the gate has been detained; they have confessed, indeed a woman in suspicious palace attire entered and exited, the time and clothing match Virtuous Consort!"

"Both witness and evidence are present; what else can you say?!"

The Empress Dowager let out a timely cold snort, her armor clanged heavily against the chair back, producing a heart‑pounding sound: "Emperor! Listen! This is the favored concubine you cherish!"

"She dares to disregard palace rules, leaving the palace on her own!"

"Her movements are secretive; who knows if she met some unsavory person, committed lewd acts, or colluded with external officials, causing chaos in the palace!"

"Such a scullery, she must be thrown into the Cold Palace immediately and harshly interrogated!"

Word after word, viciously cruel, directly attaching the crimes of "secret meetings", "lewdness", "colluding with external officials", aiming to seal Wan Tang's death.

The air inside the hall solidified; all eyes focused on the trembling Wan Tang kneeling and the emperor whose face turned iron‑blue.

The crisis, like a rope, tightened suddenly!

At the Empress Dowager's command, two robust matriarchs immediately stepped forward, roughly grabbing Wan Tang.

Wan Tang's complexion drained of color, eyes full of panic, she instinctively looked at Chu Yunzheng, but saw his face as still water, his eyes bottomless, showing no sign.

A chill settled in her heart; in despair she closed her eyes, bowed her head as if accepting fate, shoulders trembling slightly, saying nothing further.

Xiao Mingshu, seeing this, felt a surge of satisfaction almost spilling over, yet she forced a look of compassionate sorrow on her face.

To the Empress Dowager she said: "Mother Empress, calm your anger; Virtuous Consort sister was merely momentarily foolish."

"But the palace rules are like a mountain; for the royal face we must punish severely to set an example."

Her words further cemented Wan Tang's guilt.

Wan Tang was pulled by the matriarch, stumbling, her voice a weak mosquito‑like whine, tinged with sobs: "I, your servant… know my mistake…"

"Know your mistake? Too late!" Xiao Mingshu seized the chance, stepping forward, feigning to help, but actually leaning down, speaking in a voice only the two could hear.

She whispered venomously: "Wan Tang, how can you still be so arrogant in my eyes?"

"Under my watch, do you even deserve to vie for favor?"

"Today, I will crush you to death, just like crushing an ant!"

Speaking that, she actually reached out herself, the sharp armor fiercely clamping Wan Tang's arm, trying to drag her out.

"Stop!"

At that moment, a bone‑chilling voice full of raging fury suddenly rang out, like a thunderclap exploding in the silent hall.

Chu Yunzheng slowly rose, his dragon robe moving without wind, and a terrifying storm roiled in his deep eyes.

His gaze fixed on Xiao Mingshu and the two old women like solid steel: "I, the Emperor, will see who dares to move her!"

The overwhelming imperial pressure instantly enveloped the whole scene; the two old women were terrified, their souls fleeing, and with a thud they knelt on the ground, trembling.

Xiao Mingshu, startled by the sudden rebuke, loosened her grip, staggered back a step, and looked at the Emperor in disbelief.

She quickly recovered, turned to the Empress Dowager, and plaintively cried: "Your Majesty! How can you be so biased?"

"Both the Virtuous Consort and the Empress act for the Palace Rules, for the royal propriety!"

"If you dote on her like this, how will the six palaces obey later?"

She spoke, and tears rolled down, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

The Empress Dowager's face turned ashen, clearly extremely displeased with the Emperor's open protection: "Emperor! You still want to protect this disaster?!"

"Do you really intend to disregard even the ancestral family law for her?!"

Chu Yunzheng's cold gaze swept over the Empress's rain‑kissed face, finally settling on the Empress Dowager.

His voice was steady yet carried undeniable force, each word clear beyond doubt:

"Empress, calm your anger. The Virtuous Consort leaves the palace today,"

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the still‑shaken Wan Tang on the ground, "It is I who have granted it."

"What?!"

"Your Majesty?!"

The Empress Dowager and the Empress both gasped in shock, their faces frozen with anger, grievance, and smugness, turning into utter astonishment and disbelief.

All turned to look at Chu Yunzheng, as if they had heard a tale from a thousand and one nights.

Chu Yunzheng's icy gaze swept over the Empress Xiao Mingshu's face, written with shock and resentment; his tone was calm, yet each word was like a needle:

"Tangtang is naturally different from some people; she only knows to stay peacefully in the harem, fight for attention, and her vision is limited to a tiny space."

This merciless sarcasm made Xiao Mingshu's complexion turn instantly pale.

He continued, his voice steady and full of unquestionable authority: "I, the Emperor, manage countless affairs daily; the court's internal and external matters are complex, and I need capable people to share the burden."

"Tangtang, you are precisely relieving my worries, handling some…"

"Matters you are not privy to, nor have the power to handle."

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Mingshu collapsed completely, her voice sharp, unable to maintain a virtuous façade, "This is favoritism! Bare‑faced favoritism! She, an Imperial Concubine, can handle what important affairs?"

"Clearly it is an excuse! I, the Virtuous Consort, do not accept! The six palace concubines will not be appeased!"

Chu Yunzheng no longer looked at her, turning his gaze to Wan Tang; his eyes remained deep, but softened slightly.

He untied from his waist a waist badge forged of mysterious black iron, its surface encircled by dragon patterns and engraved with a sturdy "Yu" character.

He personally placed the badge into Wan Tang's cold hand.

"Tangtang, today I startled you."

"From now on, bearing this token, you may move freely throughout the palace, even in and out of the forbidden areas, without obstruction."

"It will make it convenient for you… to carry out my orders." He said this both to Wan Tang and to the Empress and Empress Dowager beside him, who were nearly fainting.

"Your Majesty! No! This is improper! The ancestral family law…" The Empress Dowager trembled with anger, shouting to stop.

Chu Yunzheng finally turned his gaze to the Empress Dowager, his tone heavy, with a barely perceptible fatigue and sharpness: "Empress, you reside deep within the palace; do you know what the world outside looks like now?"

"Do you know how many hidden currents surge within the court?"

He leaned slightly, his voice pressed lower yet more impactful: "Or perhaps, Empress, you could find that mysterious 'Qilin Child' for me, to solve my urgent crisis?"

The Empress Dowager jolted, her pupils suddenly contracting, looking at the Emperor in disbelief, then abruptly at Wan Tang, who held the badge with a demure smile.

She seemed to understand something instantly, her complexion wavering, and finally all anger and opposition turned into a long, helpless sigh.

She closed her eyes wearily, waved, and in a hoarse voice said: "Enough… enough… since this is your decision, Emperor, concerning state affairs… I, the Empress, will not interfere."

After speaking, she did not glance at the Empress, whose face was ashen, and, supported by a palace attendant, turned and left, her back oddly hunched.

Xiao Mingshu watched helplessly as the Empress Dowager left, her last support gone, and saw the Emperor still protecting Wan Tang, even granting her a badge that allows free passage through the palace's forbidden zones.

She felt a sharp pain in her chest, darkness clouded her vision, she nearly collapsed, held firmly by a palace maid behind her.

Xiao Mingshu saw the Empress Dowager depart, the Emperor's mind set, and a massive resentment and jealousy completely shattered her reason.

She violently broke free from the maid's support, pointed at Wan Tang, her voice shrill to the point of breaking, shouting heedlessly:

"Your Majesty! You cannot indulge her so! You have been deceived by her!"

"She is not some orphan! She is the offspring of a sinner! She is…"

Bang!

A crisp, loud slap struck Xiao Mingshu's face hard.

The force was so great it sent her stumbling several steps, her phoenix hairpin crooked, her bun disheveled, and clear red handprints of five fingers appeared on her face.

All the cries, all the accusations, abruptly ceased.

The entire Yangxin Hall fell into dead silence, a pin could be heard dropping.

Everyone was terrified by the Emperor's sudden outburst, their souls fleeing, even holding their breath.

Chu Yunzheng stood there, slowly withdrawing his hand, his complexion as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

His eyes held an unprecedented chilling glare, and the icy murderous intent radiating from him dropped the temperature of the Grand Hall by several degrees.

He stared at the stunned Xiao Mingshu, covering her cheek, her eyes filled with shock, fear, and disbelief.

His voice was low and slow, yet each word seemed dredged from the Ice Cellar, bearing a warning that could crush everything:

Empress.

You've lost your mind; just return to your Changchun Palace and sober up properly.

If I hear even a single word of nonsense from your mouth again,

He leans forward slightly, his gaze like a blade piercing Xiao Mingshu's heart, "I don't mind, let the Imperial harem… replace it with a mistress who better understands the rules."