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Moreover, they had initially thought that coming here was just a formality, but who would have known that Consort De would be so aggressive? Her actions had caught them all by surprise.

Consort De paid no attention to these people and directly said, "Ming Jing, begin. Since these impudent servants cannot wait, then let us deal with these impudent servants first. Anyone who resists will have their crimes increased by one level."

"Yes." Ming Jing stepped forward, her gaze somewhat icy.

In her hands, she held a booklet; on it were neatly listed names, affiliations to which department or office, responsibilities managed, and the reasons for offenses—similar to what was given to Ji Yunlai, except that it also detailed the causes of misconduct.

The kneeling servants couldn’t help but become restless but didn’t dare to cry out for injustice, worried that Consort De would shoot them dead with a Flying Dart.

They were nervous because, over the years, relying on good relations with Huaqing Palace, they had all been less than clean, and as long as they did not overdo it, the Noble Consort turned a blind eye as if she saw nothing.

Granny Gan was particularly panicked, her eyes darting anxiously in the direction of Huaqing Palace, wondering why the Noble Consort had not yet arrived. Could the message have failed to reach her?

Although she was confident that she had been careful in daily life and had sent away her assets early, she was still afraid of the ’what ifs.’

Without the Noble Consort’s arrival, the longer she waited, the more uneasy she felt.

Ming Jing began to read from the booklet, calling out people one by one, naming the month, day, and offenses as if stating facts.

Those who were to be demoted were demoted, those who were to be punished were punished.

After the announcement, they were immediately bound, gagged, and thrown aside, given no chance to argue their case.

Among these people, some had coerced palace maids, others had damaged imperial possessions and hid it, some had formed cliques to oppress and beat others, and some had deserted their posts causing trouble. Their crimes were varied, the evidence solid, leaving no room for denial.

The managers standing on both sides watched with a quiet sense of alarm. Consort De was familiar with these matters to a degree they had not anticipated. It seemed as if the servants had nowhere to hide, with the Consort knowing everything they had done.

Then the small moves they had made in private to oppose her...

Thinking of this, they broke out in a cold sweat, and their fear of Consort De only grew.

Ji Yunlai was the most relaxed one there; as the head of the Punishment Bureau, he saw things more clearly than most. Ever since he had been capturing people for Consort De, he had started to observe and seemed to understand something.

He thought that although Consort De appeared forceful, she was not recklessly aggressive without strategy.

Her actions were measured indeed. Only one chief steward, Steward Li, from among the managers had been implicated, while the rest of the offenders were from the various departments and offices.

Calling them to watch was likely more for deterrence and to serve as a warning, not to incite upheaval in the Harem.

As he cooperated in capturing and binding people, listening to the names being read out, suddenly a thought crossed his mind—these people, they all seemed to be closely associated with the Noble Consort, as if they were her people...

He was shocked by the realization, that Consort De was playing a grand game of chess, a very large one indeed. If this went smoothly, he feared that the Noble Consort’s people would be purged substantially, and her influence in the Harem would be significantly diminished.

He concealed the shock in his heart and hurriedly bowed his head even lower to cover up, venting all his strength on the individuals being captured, to conceal the turmoil within.

As for Granny Gan, her turn was coming up. She was anxious and frantic, pinching her palm, reminding herself to stay calm. She definitely would not give in without a fight, even if it meant she had to stall until the Noble Consort arrived.

Just one more person before it was her turn, her whole body tensed, her eyes fixed on the direction of the coming person, and then closely focused on the situation before her, she was ready to go all out.

"...Cheng Shisan, you have been relying on your duty in tending the Imperial Garden to peep at His Majesty. Last month, you even wandered persistently in the westside garden to spy on His Majesty, which is a grave sin indicating malicious intent — quite a bold move! Guards, take this servant down and execute him by beating, carry out the execution a bit further away, under that tree over there, so as not to disturb the Consort’s ears! "

Ming Jing coldly watched the young eunuch before him. This young eunuch had voluntarily kept watch over the every move of Canglan Court to please someone, his intentions deserving of death.

Leaking the whereabouts of His Majesty was a capital offense; deliberate spying on His Majesty was no lighter a crime.

No matter if he was watching over Master Lian or His Majesty himself, his name was registered under his master, and by directly ordering a public execution, it served as a warning to others—any future surveillance of Canglan Court would require careful consideration of the consequences.

The eunuch called Cheng Shisan was the very one who had reported to Nanny Chen about Beauty Li’s encounter with His Majesty taking a walk in the Imperial Garden. Back then, he had received a substantial reward for this information, much more than he ever got before.

Hence, he had tasted sweetness and became increasingly presumptuous thereafter. Knowing Nanny Chen’s interest in Beauty Lian, he began to watch over Canglan Court and often loitered nearby, believing himself to be unnoticeable, occasionally even catching a glimpse of His Majesty’s countenance.

He was terrified, believing his movements were covert, yet not realizing that his every move was being observed.

But he had not spied on His Majesty; he didn’t have the courage. He was merely watching Canglan Court, solely to obtain Master Lian’s movements, not to spy on His Majesty.

The Punishment Bureau’s men were quick to act. One of them grabbed one of his arms to tie him up, while another muffled his mouth.

Cheng Shisan struggled violently, shouting, "Injustice, servant has not spied on His Majesty, servant did not—mmph..."

Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was silenced and he was dragged under that tree. The Punishment Bureau’s men set down a stool, pressed him onto it, and began the beating with resounding "smacks."

The crowd dared not move, listening to the distant sounds of execution, each filled with dread.

Just now, others who were punished or demoted at least had a way out, so they did not dare to struggle too much. But to think Consort De would be so ruthless; to think she would order the death of a little eunuch—everything that happened today was beyond everyone’s expectations.

One thought arose in their minds: The harem is truly about to change!

Ming Jing watched the reactions of the crowd, concealed his thoughts, turned a page in the register, and said, "Next!"

Granny Gan was terrified to the extreme, her whole body shivering uncontrollably, her expression began to grow vacant, and she could not hear the outside noise clearly. The fate of Cheng Shisan before her had given her such a shock that she forgot her previous plans.

When pain does not touch one’s own body, one can never truly comprehend its agony. In the past, as an executioner who watched others suffer, she found perverse pleasure in their pain. Now that it was her turn, she realized the depth of her fear.

Just as she was about to be taken away, her nearly dilated pupils suddenly caught a glimpse of someone coming from the direction she had been watching carefully.

It was someone from the direction of Huaqing Palace!

It was Noble Consort!