Chapter 131: Thoroughly Ruined

Quan Quan Tianjiao sat down, but Consort Xin remained kneeling, her shattered kneecaps feeling as if thousands of fine needles were constantly piercing her marrow, causing her to break out in cold sweat that soaked her clothes. Her face was pale as paper, her lips trembling slightly, as if she might collapse at any moment. Yet no matter how hard she tried, her consciousness remained clear, unable to faint. Despair and fear filled her heart, as if an invisible hand were tightly choking her throat, making even breathing difficult.

The Emperor spotted Consort Xin still standing there, his brows furrowing slightly as his gaze swept over her like frost, as if looking at a worthless object.

The Emperor's tone was cold: "This woman dares to stir up trouble. Drag her back to her own palace. No one is allowed to interfere with her or even look at her."

Every word seemed squeezed out between his teeth, carrying an unquestionable authority.

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, two eunuchs immediately stepped forward with blank expressions, lifting Consort Xin's arms, one on each side.

Quan Quan Tianjiao's heart tightened, his fingers unconsciously clutching his sleeve. He knew he could not speak now; any unnecessary move might bring greater disaster.

He could only stare tightly at Consort Xin, his brows deeply furrowed, a mix of helplessness, anger, and worry flashing in his eyes, as if shouting silently yet being ruthlessly suppressed by reality.

Being held up by the two eunuchs, Consort Xin finally reacted; despair flashed in her eyes, followed immediately by a piercing cry:

"Your Majesty! Your concubine is innocent!"

Consort Xin's voice echoed through the Imperial Garden, carrying a heart-wrenching pain, as if pouring out all her grievances and unwillingness. Yet her cries brought no response.

Quan Quan Tianjiao watched helplessly as Consort Xin was tightly held and ruthlessly dragged away by the two eunuchs, her feet carving two deep tracks on the ground. Despair flashed in her eyes, her weeping echoing in the air, sounding so helpless and piercing that it sent a chill through his heart.

The surrounding maids and eunuchs all lowered their heads, daring not to look too much, fearing to invite trouble upon themselves.

Noble Consort Gao watched coldly from the side, her expression indifferent, as if none of this concerned her.

The Empress glanced at Consort Xin, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly; this was the consequence of cursing her son.

The Emperor's gaze was even colder than frost, leaving no room for reversal. His eyes swept over everyone in the hall, as if warning them: this is the consequence of challenging imperial power.

Soon, the atmosphere in the hall returned to calm. Music resumed, and the dancing girls spun lightly, as if nothing had happened. Delicacies and fine wine were brought back to the tables, and laughter once again filled the entire hall.

Quan Quan Tianjiao sat among the guests, his wine cup trembling slightly in his hand, yet his gaze could not be torn away from the hall entrance. Consort Xin's weeping seemed to still echo in his ears, while the splendor inside the hall felt like an illusory dream, making it impossible to distinguish truth from illusion.

Coming to her senses, He Ling'er was utterly awestruck by Seeing Jun Jun Zijin; He Ling'er leaned close to Seeing Jun Jun Zijin and whispered:

"Jun Jun Zijin, you are truly amazing; you resolved such a huge trouble with just a few words."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin smiled helplessly. "I do not like scheming, but someone always comes looking for trouble; if I don't give them a taste of my colors, they won't stop."

As the banquet continued, Quan Quan Tianyi's venomous gaze never left Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's side.

Since Wu Zhou Yiniang kicked him and ruined him, Quan Quan Tianyi's face was covered in gloom, with not a trace of approachability left; he suspected at every moment whether others knew something, and at every moment he wanted to make the Jun family suffer.

With such a venomous snake watching, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin naturally knew; she was just feeling bored, so she treated it as finding some fun.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin patted Jun Jun Shuyan's shoulder and said softly, "Fourth Sister, I am going to that pavilion to get some fresh air."

She turned and said to Guazi, "You stay here; I will go for a walk by myself."

Guazi felt somewhat uneasy and said, "Master, this is the palace; Feiying and Feiyan cannot get in. Let this servant follow you."

The scene of Seeing Jun Jun Zijin being injured while being hunted down a few days ago was still vivid in her mind; that Third Prince clearly had ill intentions, and one who could strike his own maternal uncle had to be guarded against. If anything happened to Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, she would not be enough to die ten thousand times.

"It is fine; I am just going over there and will return shortly."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin walked toward the less crowded area there, pretending to wander aimlessly. She thought to herself that toasting from afar just now must have provoked Quan Quan Tianyi; as expected, within a short while, Quan Quan Tianyi followed.

"Does the younger sister-in-law come out without even a maid?" Quan Quan Tianyi's tone was contemptuous.

"If I brought a maid, would Third Brother still come?" Seeing Jun Jun Zijin smiled.

Quan Quan Tianyi's eyes grew even colder as he stared tightly at Seeing Jun Jun Zijin; he did not expect her to be so shrewd, seeing through his intentions at a glance. He stepped closer, his tone carrying a clear warning:

"Younger sister-in-law, do not play with fire and burn yourself."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin merely smiled faintly, with grace and composure, showing none of a young woman's shyness. Those clear, bottomless eyes looked toward Quan Quan Tianyi,

"Third Brother, you are joking; when have I ever played with fire? I merely came out for some fresh air. As for Third Brother, are you afraid of something?"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's words carried a hint of barely noticeable sarcasm.

Quan Quan Tianyi's face grew even gloomier; he quickly realized that the wisdom of the woman before him might have surpassed his own. But he particularly disliked this feeling, and almost squeezed out a sentence between his teeth:

"Do you know?"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin was not frightened by him at all; she even laughed aloud:

"What is Third Brother talking about? I know nothing."

"Do not pretend to be stupid." Quan Quan Tianyi narrowed his eyes dangerously, speaking word by word.

Quan Quan Tianyi could no longer control his anger; it was this very woman who had destroyed his weapons workshop, forcing him to kill over three hundred craftsmen. That was not all; she forced him, for self-preservation, to personally destroy the Gao family, destroying his and his mother's support. Now he was left with the reputation of being ungrateful and treacherous. Originally, the forces under him had all shifted their stance; without exception, none dared to serve someone like him who did not even spare his own maternal uncle, for who knew when it might be their turn.

Looking at Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he grabbed her wrist, gritting his teeth and saying:

"Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, do you not understand yet? In this chaotic world, being smart is not necessarily a good thing."

Quan Quan Tianyi exerted tremendous force, pinching her until it hurt to the bone, yet she still smiled on her face:

"Third Brother has overstepped; let go quickly."

While speaking, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin used her other hand to push Quan Quan Tianyi's hand away, and in the process took his pulse; her heart immediately became clear as a mirror. It seemed that Wu Zhou Yiniang's kick had thoroughly ruined Quan Quan Tianyi.