"By the way, 86365, can I still use this soul artifact this time?" Xiao Wenqiang asked the crucial question.
[Of course, what do you want it to become?]
"I want to turn it into a locator, to always keep track of the whereabouts of people I want to watch."
[Alright, Wenqiang, it has been set as a locator for you. However, due to limited soul power, it can only track the locations of three people in this world.]
"That's enough. Then help me locate Situ Chuanqiong, Leng Yuanxiang, and... let's stick with these two for now. I'll choose the third one later."
[Understood, positioning successfully set.]
As soon as the system finished speaking, two small dots appeared in Xiao Wenqiang's mind. Leng Yuanxiang was red, and Situ Chuanqiong was blue. The details of their exact locations were precise, down to which room in which palace, along with a 2D map, all clearly visible. It was evident that the two were currently in a tender embrace, feeding each other.
"My lady, it's time to eat," Chu Li entered with a simple food box. Inside was a cold mishmash, along with two bowls of rice. This was their dinner.
Xiao Wenqiang noticed that the mishmash was clearly leftovers. The snobbish servants in the imperial kitchen, thinking she was out of favor and had no future, dared to collect the scraps from other consorts, mix them together, and serve them to her. They truly had a death wish.
If the original owner had been heartless, she would not have bothered with this. She wouldn't even have the appetite to eat, let alone care about such trivial matters. However, it was precisely because of this that these impudent servants grew bolder, and the meals prepared for her became increasingly outrageous.
But Xiao Wenqiang was not one to be easily manipulated. She stopped Chu Li, who was about to distribute the utensils, and said, "Xiao Li, take this and let's go to the imperial kitchen!"
Chu Li flinched, saying nervously, "My lady, we are not what we used to be. It's not good if we cause a scene at the imperial kitchen and anger the Emperor."
"You're slightly mistaken, Xiao Li. I am indeed going to make a scene at the imperial kitchen, but Situ Chuanqiong will absolutely not be angry with me for it, because he cares most about his reputation." Xiao Wenqiang lifted her skirt and declared with bravado, "Let's go!"
Only a few cleaning servants remained in the imperial kitchen. As soon as Xiao Wenqiang arrived at the entrance, she threw the food box onto the ground and shouted, "Who assigned this dish to me?"
A sharp-eyed servant quickly went to fetch the supervisor, as such a matter would not have been dared without the supervisor's implicit instruction.
By the time Supervisor Zhang arrived, a crowd had gathered. He squeezed through and saw the now fallen Empress Chu. He then mocked, "I wondered who was making such a fuss. Your Highness was once the Empress of a nation, and to be in such a state now, you've certainly lost your dignity."
"Stop your nonsense!" Xiao Wenqiang interrupted. "You are the supervisor of the imperial kitchen, aren't you? I ask you, is this dish definitely meant for me to eat?"
Supervisor Zhang looked at her commanding presence and felt a little scared. However, recalling the hint from Consort Gui, he summoned his courage. "Chu Shi, you've already been banished to the cold palace, yet you still think you're the Empress! It's already good enough for women in the cold palace to have food, and you still dare to be picky."
"Presumptuous!" Xiao Wenqiang reprimanded. "Who told you I was banished? Did the Emperor issue an edict to strip me of my title? You impudent servant dare to curse me like this!"
"Who in this palace doesn't know you were banished? Your Chu clan deceived the heavens and plotted rebellion. It is already great mercy that His Majesty spared your wretched life! Although His Majesty didn't issue an edict, it's to save you face. Don't be ungrateful and come here to make trouble!" Supervisor Zhang was Qin Guifei's subordinate, so he naturally seized the opportunity to show his loyalty.
Xiao Wenqiang was about to continue her tirade when the soul artifact's locator sensed that Situ Chuanqiong had arrived at the main entrance of the imperial kitchen. She immediately put on her empress act, her stern expression vanishing instantly. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she asked, on the verge of tears, "Are you implying that I should eat these leftovers, and that this is His Majesty's order?"
Supervisor Zhang was momentarily stunned by her rapid change of expression, but his mouth moved faster than his brain. "Precisely! That's why I say, why are you making such a fuss? His Majesty has long been disgusted with you."
"No... no, the Emperor wouldn't treat me like this!" Xiao Wenqiang denied in a trembling voice, shaking her head.
"This is the truth! Qin Shi, you need to learn to accept it." Supervisor Zhang was still spouting nonsense, unaware that his doom was fast approaching. "You threw away the meal His Majesty prepared for you today, and we won't make another for you. Unless... you pick these up and eat them now, I might reconsider! Hahahaha..."
"Presumptuous! You wretched dog! Who gave you the audacity to treat the Empress like this?"
Situ Chuanqiong, who had been spending a warm and harmonious time with his beloved consort in Jinle Palace, was already displeased when he was informed by Wang You and rushed here. To hear such rebellious remarks from Supervisor Zhang at the entrance, even daring to forge imperial decrees, enraged him to the point of thunderous fury.
As soon as Supervisor Zhang saw the Emperor appear, he was so terrified that he immediately knelt on the ground, trembling and unable to speak.
Xiao Wenqiang also pretended to notice him then and bowed to Situ Chuanqiong.
Situ Chuanqiong quickly helped her up, turned to Supervisor Zhang, and said, "I didn't know you could now make decisions for me. Did I just hear you say that I ordered you to humiliate the Empress like this?"
"Your... Your Majesty... please calm your anger... your servant spoke carelessly, I did not... I did not..." Supervisor Zhang's face turned pale, large beads of sweat trickled down his face, but he could not offer any coherent defense.
"Guards! Drag this dog servant out and have him beaten to death!" With a single command from Situ Chuanqiong, several soldiers rushed out and dragged Supervisor Zhang away.
"Your... Your Majesty, spare my life! Your servant is a distant cousin of Consort Gui, please, Your Majesty, spare your servant this once for Consort Gui's sake!" Supervisor Zhang's legs had gone limp, and in his panic, he revealed his connection to Qin Guifei.
Hearing this, Situ Chuanqiong hesitated, as Qin Mingzhu's father, Qin Feng, held significant power. He had not yet prepared himself to deal with him.
Seeing this, Xiao Wenqiang deliberately said, "You wretched dog dare to drag Consort Gui's name into this. Are you saying that what you did to me was ordered by Consort Gui?"
At this, Supervisor Zhang dared not utter another word. Now it was just his own death. If Qin Guifei was implicated because of him, his wife and children would also suffer.
Situ Chuanqiong saw this and smoothed things over. "Consort Qin would naturally not do such a thing. Drag this servant away quickly!"
The guards obeyed and dragged Supervisor Zhang away to carry out the sentence. The sound of wooden planks hitting flesh echoed from a distance, and the screams gradually faded into silence.