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Chapter 92

After watching Zhaorong Xu kneel before the emperor with an ashen face, and hearing the empress deliberately mention Zhuang Laoyan herself, Zhuang Laoyan avoided the gazes of the other people present as they sized her up. Head lowered, she looked at her pearl-embroidered shoes. This kind of shot-with-an-arrow-without-doing-anything situation was really unpleasant.

Expression gloomy and cold, Zhaorong Xu shifted her gaze to the docile Zhuang Laoyan. Ever since she had come across Zhuang Laoyan in the bamboo forest, the latter had harmed her to the point where she lost all opportunity to become the master of her own palace.

Once she had learned that Ronghua Sun wanted to use the lotus pond to frame Zhuang Laoyan, she had people prepare some things ahead of time in order to make the framing a success. Who would have known that Zhuang Laoyan and Ronghua Sun were so lucky? None of them drowned.

As her thoughts wandered to this point, Zhaorong Xu’s complexion changed. It seemed ever since that lotus pond situation had occurred, the emperor gradually favored her less. Could it be that the emperor knew she was involved?! At that moment, she widened her eyes. The picture of disbelief, she looked at the expressionless emperor. If the emperor truly knew she had been behind everything, why didn’t he ever say anything to her?

An emperor must scheme to govern the country. An emperor was heartless.

Feeling hopeless, Zhaorong Xu averted her gaze, slowly, slowly kowtowing in the end. Not a word escaped her lips.

The empress glanced at the emperor, hesitant. She did not speak again.

“What else do you have to say?” said Feng Jin suddenly. He towered above her as he looked down at her, a woman who had served by his side for many years. His expression was cold and detached, as if he were looking at a stranger.

Zhaorong Xu opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, all her strength seemed to have leaked out. She was unable to say anything.

With a smile that did not quite touch her eyes, Consort Rou looked at the silent Zhaorong Xu. “Zhaorong Xu agrees tacitly?”

Zhaorong Xu remained kneeling on the ground in silence, not moving even slightly.

“What does Younger Sister Xianrong Zhao think?” Consort Rou turned her head to the person sitting to her right. As she caught sight of her well-behaved appearance, a trace of mockery tugged at the corners of her lips. “After all, Zhaorong Xu harmed you in the past.”

“She merely borrowed a few servants. How could that be considered harming?” Zhuang Laoyan raised her head, flashing Consort Rou a smile. “Your Highness, do you agree?”

The smile on Consort Rou’s lips stiffened. She had also borrowed servants from Xihe Palace before. For Zhuang Laoyan to say such words now dragged her into the mess too. And Consort Rou knew she wasn’t an easy opponent. Her smile returned. “Sure enough, Younger Sister Xianrong Zhao is magnanimous.”

As the empress listened to the two talk, her smile did not change. “Xianrong Zhao is in fact—”

“Enough.” Feng Jin glanced at the empress, causing her to swallow her words. “Xianrong Zhao has always been easygoing. Why are you people asking her these things?” He turned to glance at Zhuang Laoyan, before looking away. “Although Noble Lady Qian entered the palace recently, she has always followed protocol. Yet, you still can’t stand her, and did such sinister things. It truly chills Our heart.”

Head lowered, Zhuang Laoyan listened to the emperor break down Zhaorong Xu’s crimes. She lifted her head just a little so that the person kneeling on the ground fell into her view. This woman had schemed against her, and she herself had seized an opportunity to beat her at her own game. Now, the other party knelt on the ground, while she still sat upright in her position.

All of a sudden Zhaorong Xu looked up. Her gaze locked with that of Zhuang Laoyan. She had expected to see mockery or pride in oneself in those eyes, yet the other party’s gaze proved calm to the point of frightening. As if Zhuang Laoyan didn’t feel anything special that a woman who had schemed against her in the past lost favor.

Sometimes, those adept in concealing their emotions were even more frightening than those adept at scheming. Zhaorong Xu seemed to understand that the plan she had originally given up on was still carried out. Because people were waiting for her to act, even if she didn’t, someone else would and place it on her head.

Just who was it? Who was it that framed me?! Zhaorong Xu raised her head. Swept her gaze through the people around, one by one. The empress, Noble Consort Shu, Noble Consort Xian, Consort Rou, Xianrong Zhao, Xiuyi Su, Noble Imperial Concubine Yan, Noble Imperial Concubine Jiang. These people had on normal expressions, seemingly innocent yet also suspicious.

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The empress noticed Zhaorong Xu looking at everyone, and thought she was still unresigned. The tips of her brows moved a hint. She turned her head to the emperor and said, “Your Majesty, should we ask Zhaorong Xu again if she has something she finds hard to say?”

“What kind of hard-to-say things would make her do such a thing?”

Feng Jin’s tone had been very serene. So serene that it chilled the empress’ heart. But she dared not say anything about it, merely forcing a smile. “Your Majesty is correct.”

“Miss Xu will be stripped of her title, and demoted to a lesser seventh-rank cairen. She will be moved to the back corner of Changtian House, and will not serve Us anymore.” Feng Jin turned to look at the Noble Lady Qian who lay in bed. “Miss Ning will be promoted to a lesser fifth-rank wanyi, and moved to the main wing of Changtian House. The moves will occur in three days.”

Zhuang Laoyan felt cold. This move of the emperor was even more ruthless than death for Zhaorong Xu. Previously, she had made things hard for Miss Ning, so the emperor had them live together. And now, even deliberately switched their primary and secondary positions in the residence.

For such a pretentious person like Miss Xu, such an outcome was a huge blow.

With Miss Xu’s conclusion determined, the emperor left, and the empress followed immediately after. Now, those with higher ranks than Zhuang Laoyan remaining grew fewer and fewer. She watched as the other imperial concubines left in twos and threes, expressions of mockery on their faces. They also consoled Wanyi Qian, before leaving in no rush.

Miss Xu knelt by Wanyi Qian’s door. Such was the emperor’s decree, that she was to kneel by the door for ten hours. As Zhuang Laoyan made her way to Miss Xu’s side, she could not help but pause in her steps. She looked down to take in the sorry-looking Miss Xu. No one could have imagined that not long ago, this person had been someone who liked pretending to be noble and virtuous, free of material pursuits.

“What’s the point of scheming so much? In the end, you’d end up like this.” Zhuang Laoyan raised her head, looking at the scenery at the junction of two walls. There, a pink butterfly fluttered gracefully.

Miss Xu looked up, only seeing Zhuang Laoyan’s delicate chin. She smiled mockingly, remaining silent.

“You were the one who placed the grass ropes in the lotus pond, right?” Zhuang Laoyan chased a butterfly with her eyes, watching as it flew from flower to flower, yet never landed. “If it weren’t for you, Miss Sun wouldn’t have had such an outcome.”

“You’re already aware of this, so why still ask?” Miss Xu laughed in ridicule.

“But I don’t understand why you schemed against me.” Zhuang Laoyan truly did not understand this. What benefit could Miss Xu gain from doing so?

“If it weren’t for you, I would have become a master of a palace!” said Miss Xu in a sharp voice, looking at Zhuang Laoyan with hatred.

With care, Zhuang Laoyan thought back to the past. There seemed to be a rumor like that: after the emperor had tea in the bamboo forest with the two of them, he no longer had the intention of giving Miss Xu her own palace.

But what did that have to do with her? Wasn’t the main offender the emperor?

At this moment, Zhuang Laoyan’s knees hurt, as if they had been struck by an arrow.

So who do you guys think framed Zhaorong Xu?

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