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Consort Xu De worried about Lian Hua, and not knowing her condition, was anxious to the extreme.

Thus, she, along with Ming Jing and the others, made no attempt to conceal the killing intent that emanated from them as they rushed through the paths of the harem, determined to push forward as if to slay any man or Buddha who stood in their way.

Meanwhile, His Majesty also hurried back, not having time to change his clothes. As soon as he stepped into the harem, he received distressing news.

The performance contrived by Xiao Jizi and his cohort was too convincing.

Xiao Linzi had only instructed the Shadow Guards to be on the lookout for anyone unusual within the harem, to capture anyone suspicious, but he hadn’t provided them with clear instructions.

Consequently, after receiving word from within the harem, the Shadow Guard had a sinking feeling.

Knowing that the Emperor and Hu Miaomiao were about to return, they had already stationed someone at the palace gate. As they entered, the messenger reported the situation in full detail.

The Emperor felt as if his head had exploded with a "buzz," and his towering rage erupted, "I entrusted you to protect them, is this your idea of protection?"

His speech concealed a thunderous fury, and the indescribable imperial aura that it released caused even Hu Miaomiao’s courage to tremble.

The reporting Shadow Guard immediately knelled in terror, his usually expressionless face contorting as his head hung low to the ground.

They were experiencing this kind of overwhelming anger for the first time; when the Emperor is enraged, it’s as if a million corpses were to lie prostrate before him, such fury inciting a fear burning them to their core.

The Emperor did not bother with them any longer and rushed hurriedly toward Canglan Court on the western side of the Imperial Garden, filled with not just fury but also panic.

He could not imagine what he would do if the people he cared about had truly come to harm.

What worried him the most was Little Concubine and their child.

If anything had befallen them, he was determined to unleash a storm of blood and violence throughout the harem, digging three feet into the ground if need be to find the perpetrator, execute their entire family, and strike terror into the former court and harem to show the cost of such actions.

His eyes flooded with bloodlust; the Emperor’s gaze turned blood-red as he rushed ahead without cessation, his presence wrought with destructive intent. All whom he encountered, whether Palace Maids or eunuchs, suspicious or not, were seized without exception.

The Shadow Guard had already reported, had already captured those who appeared suspicious, but it was still not enough, nowhere near enough!

Watching this unfold, Hu Miaomiao, who followed behind, was petrified, even the smile that was ever-present on her face disappeared, not daring to show it again.

No matter when, in his eyes, His Majesty had always been composed and rational, keeping his emotions repressed and even more so in significant matters.

But now, to see him apprehending people without reason in such a manner, especially within the harem, was totally unprecedented for Hu Miaomiao.

Apart from when His Majesty ascended to the throne and she saw him wielding an iron fist in the harem, in all these years, she had never seen anything like it.

After the harem had settled down, His Majesty’s governance of the harem had almost always followed the rules; he had empowered Noble Consort Xue to manage affairs according to the regulations.

Even when he had recently interfered to reassign the power to Consort Xu De, there had never been an instance of blatantly seizing people without a cause.

He wore a stern face as he headed to Canglan Court, capturing everyone he encountered on the way as instructed and threw them into the hands of the Punishment Bureau for interrogation.

He faintly understood the purpose of this action. Upon hearing that the news had already spread throughout the palace, he deduced there must be an issue for it to have spread so quickly.

Those who dared to appear in this place at this time were certainly thought-provoking, as there might be traitors hidden among them, trying to gather information or observe the situation.

If they were bolder, they might even try to fish in troubled waters and meddle; in any case, the likelihood of them being unclean was very high.

His Majesty’s action, while appearing to be an irrational response to his fury, was quite the opposite.

His swift moves caught the traitors off guard, causing them to panic and potentially reveal themselves.

Meanwhile, it was certain that useful clues would be gleaned from the people caught, such as the origin of the spread of information, the people behind it, and so on.

Furthermore, his decisive actions intimidated the entire harem; therefore, people of the other courts no longer dared to act rashly.

Under these circumstances, anyone who acted was surely related to the traitors, much like the bubbles that arise in a calm lake which surely indicate the presence of fish beneath.

Like Hu Miaomiao had predicted, Xia Lei’s plan was forcefully disrupted, having barely released their first message when one or two who hadn’t withdrawn in time were captured, mixed with a bunch of others who were arrested.

He knew that spreading the message thereafter would be much more difficult, but thankfully, the most crucial parts were already in place, just waiting for the next step to arrive. Then, no matter the risk, the final moves had to be completed.

The Emperor’s actions not only affected Xia Lei’s plans but also calmed the undercurrents in the entire harem. The Palace Concubines immediately closed their doors tightly, restraining the Palace Attendants, hardly daring to go out and pry any longer.

Yet, this move also reinforced the credibility of the source of the message for the Palace Concubines.

While they were nervous and frightened by the Emperor’s actions, they were almost dying to shout in celebration.

Ever since the rise of the person at Canglan Court, their favor had been cut off.

Hearing this splendid news now, how could they not be ecstatic?

They had been waiting for this day, hoping for a major scandal, and preferably for the downfall of the one in Canglan Court. Even if a total fall wasn’t possible, suffering like the Noble Consort and becoming unable to conceive would suit them, as then their chances would come!

Unfortunately for them, their wishes were doomed to be unfulfilled. Regardless of the curses in their hearts, Lian Hua was perfectly fine at the moment, and even better than they had imagined.