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Zhang Qing also hurried to follow His Majesty, having clearly understood the words of Feng Ji. The one in charge of Star Palace was his godson, Zhang Sancai. Now seeing Feng Ji in such a state, what had happened was obvious without words.

Zhang Qing felt frustrated as if he were hating that iron could not turn into steel, silently cursing Zhang Sancai for his foolishness. Did he really think that just because His Majesty didn’t go to Canglan Court Little Concubine was out of favor?

Feng Ji was a man of Young Master Lian, and now he was going to Star Palace also for the matter concerning Young Master Lian. How could he beat the man and moreover, at such a conspicuous place!

Besides, Feng Ji was nominally still one of Star Palace’s personnel, with the archives and records not having transferred him to Canglan Court yet. Going to Star Palace was justified in name, so why beat him? Truly foolish, a complete fool!

The Emperor didn’t care what the people behind him thought. Every time he thought of Little Concubine being wronged, his heart was clogged with frustration.

The thought of her possibly being punished sent him into a panic, his heart gripped as if in a vice, the pain unbearable, wishing he could arrive at Huaqing Palace immediately.

The Emperor strode briskly, getting faster and faster, with the people behind struggling to keep up even with a light run.

Meanwhile, a deadlock had arisen within Huaqing Palace.

Noble Consort was furiously determined to deal with the person directly, while Xu Zhaoyi stood coldly in front of Lian Hua, blocking her, and no one dared to step forward.

"Noble Consort Xu," Noble Consort shouted fiercely, her eyes brimming with a cold intent to kill.

Being openly defied by Xu Zhaoyi, how could the Noble Consort not feel murderous?

Kneeling in the middle of the hall, Lian Hua felt a slight warmth in her heart as the icy detachment in her eyes faded a little.

She had only met Xu Zhaoyi once before. Yet, at a time when everyone wished for her death, Xu Zhaoyi had stood up for her. She knew that justice and fairness still existed in this world, which was enough.

For some reason, a thought arose in Lian Hua’s mind. If only someone had done the same back then, then...

She didn’t even know why the thought came to her. If someone had done so, then what could have been achieved? She couldn’t think of what might follow.

Lian Hua gently tugged at the hem of Xu Zhaoyi’s skirt, lifting her bright apricot eyes to gaze at her and said, "Consort Zhaoyi, thank you. But there is no need, your servant is beyond salvation."

There were rules within the palace, and she didn’t want to drag Xu Zhaoyi down with her. It was better for one person to be punished than two.

Did she regret provoking Beauty Li? She did not.

Did she regret not lending Beauty Li a hand? She did not either.

From the moment she set foot in the pavilion and heard Beauty Li’s first words, such an outcome had been expected. Fortunately, Xiao Qing was not implicated, it was just her alone. Fortunately, very fortunately.

Xu Zhaoyi felt a sense of helplessness. She had an intuition that Little Daying wasn’t the pusher; the evidence, however, was all against Little Daying, and without any outsider witnessing, she wouldn’t be able to hold them off for long.

She was quite fond of Little Daying, who had caught her eye from the first meeting, reminding her of her adorable younger sister.

At the beginning of His Majesty’s ascent to the throne, as the daughter of Great General Xu, she was chosen by the Former Empress Dowager to be brought into the palace, to stabilize the situation and deter various factions.

During a prince’s rebellion, the rebels captured her younger sister to force her father’s hand. It was in that turbulence her sister had died—a lifelong sorrow.

That was why she had rushed over upon hearing the trouble with Little Daying.

However, protecting her now seemed impossible.

Xu Zhaoyi sighed inwardly and silently stepped aside from the path.

Seeing this, the Noble Consort’s heart was filled with pleasure, and with a triumphant smirk, she said, "Sister Xu, why bother defending someone who has harmed her sister?"

As she spoke, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she commanded the people below, "Come, this Daying who harmed Beauty Li..."

Just as she was about to finish her sentence, a figure entered the hall from the door, dressed in a robe adorned with cloud patterns and a bright yellow jade belt at his waist.

Noble Consort, catching a glimpse of the newcomer from the corner of her eye, was shocked and rose abruptly, "His Majesty!"

...

Meanwhile, after hearing Xiao Jizi’s words, the Emperor hurriedly rushed towards Huaqing Palace.

Finally arriving, Huaqing Palace loomed before his eyes.

The Emperor glanced around with cold eyes, his expression becoming severe.

He saw a few eunuchs and old maids standing guard at the door, and outside, servants from various palaces were scattered about, even some masters were standing outside.

Quite the spectacle, it seemed the entire harem knew, and he was the last to be informed!

Had it not been for that young eunuch from Canglan Court coming to find him, he might have remained oblivious even as the person was dealt with.

Thinking of this, the Emperor was filled with rage, and his gaze turned even colder.

The people outside Huaqing Palace noticed His Majesty and knelt down in a flurry, paying their respects.

The Emperor didn’t bother to ask anyone to rise, instead, he strode past the crowd and entered.

Just as he entered the palace, he heard the Noble Consort wanting to dispose of Little Concubine while seated on the throne, which made his eyes split with fury, and he shot a glare at the Noble Consort as sharp as a blade.

Seeing His Majesty’s gaze, the Noble Consort was shaken, quickly stepped down from the throne and moved to the center of the hall with the rest to greet the Emperor.

"Greetings to His Majesty."

The Emperor ignored everyone, his eyes fixed on the person kneeling with their back to him, the Little Concubine he kept thinking about.

He had arrived, but she remained unmoved, still in the kneeling position she had assumed earlier, not following the others in paying respects to him, nor looking back at him.

Thankfully, he had made it in time!

Otherwise, if the crime of harming a palace concubine had been confirmed and she had been disposed of, it would have resulted in severe consequences, if not death then at least a stripping of ranks.

A great fear rose in the Emperor’s heart. If he had arrived a moment later and she had been punished, what would he have done?!

Lian Hua, realizing that His Majesty had arrived, felt stiff all over, having not seen him for many days; she never imagined their encounter would be under these circumstances.

She had once dreamt of meeting His Majesty again, wondering what the situation would be like; perhaps it would be at a palace banquet where cups and platters were exchanged, with him in the seat of honor and her at the end of the table, where by that time she would have learned to face him with a calm smile;

or perhaps during a leisurely stroll in the blooming Imperial Garden, where in front of richly hued flower beds she would bow before him, wishing him longevity and fortune;

But she could never have imagined it would be like this, where she was being accused by everyone, standing trial in the hall, a vile criminal already condemned, and he was still the unattainable Son of Heaven, high above her.

After pondering for a while, Lian Hua scoffed at herself and relaxed.

Well, let it come; it’s not a big deal. The jar was already broken enough, breaking once or breaking twice, the end is the same; after all, it couldn’t get any worse.

She knew he was always clear about rewards and punishments, acting according to rules; his arrival would not make a difference.

The verdict was already set; she could not defend herself, not believing that her own words would be able to convince him.

If His Majesty still held any affection for her from the past, the punishment might be lighter.

But how could that be possible? He had never truly cared for her; with so many concubines, she was nothing more than a minor diversion for him; once the diversion was over, he left without a second thought or attachment.

With this in mind, Lian Hua’s expression became calm again, her eyes growing cold once more.

She didn’t follow the others in movement, after all, she had been kneeling all along; what difference did it make to turn and kneel in another direction compared to her current kneeling!