Suppressing the emotions in his heart, Jiang Chen gently patted Consort Shu's jade back.

He comforted her, "Yun'er, it's alright. With me here, you don't need to be afraid of anything."

"As for those blood writings, they aren't divine omens but a conspiracy concocted by rebellious traitors to smear my name and shake the morale of the people."

"Once I root them out, these things will never happen again."

Consort Shu nestled in Jiang Chen's embrace, the worry between her brows slowly dissipating.

Since these blood writings were the work of rebels, there was no need to worry excessively. With His Majesty's skills, those petty villains would never be a match for him.

Her jade hands encircled the man's neck. Consort Shu raised her pretty face and said softly, "Your Majesty, shall I take you into the inner hall to have a look?"

"Since those blood writings were artificially created, perhaps we can find some clues if we look closely?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen didn't immediately agree. He frowned and said, "Yun'er, aren't you afraid of these blood writings? Don't force yourself. I can go in alone."

His caring words warmed Consort Shu's heart. She insisted, "Your Majesty, with you by my side, Yun'er is not afraid of anything!"

"Moreover, you are Yun'er's husband. Husband and wife are one. How can Yun'er stand idly by when you are in trouble?"

"Although… although Yun'er's help may be limited, Yun'er wants to face this with you. Please don't reject Yun'er's feelings."

Having said that, Consort Shu raised her pretty face, her beautiful eyes filled with deep affection as she gazed softly at Jiang Chen.

The hardest thing to bear is the grace of a beauty.

Faced with such a gaze, Jiang Chen could no longer utter any words of refusal. He suddenly leaned down and captured her two delicate, crimson lips.

It was a long while before he released her, saying, "Alright, I'll go with Yun'er to see what tricks those rebels are playing!"

Consort Shu's beautiful eyes curved into crescents, and a hint of contentment appeared on her fair face. She took Jiang Chen's hand and walked towards the inner hall.

Lifting the beaded curtain, she looked up at the room, but her expression froze the moment she saw the wall.

"Ah, those words… why, why are they all gone?"

A hint of panic appeared in Consort Shu's expression, and her voice became urgent. "Your Majesty, Yun'er is not lying to you. Those words were there just now. The palace maids who served in the hall earlier also saw them…"

Jiang Chen held her jade hand reassuringly and said gently, "Don't panic. I believe you."

"If I'm not mistaken, these rebels probably used a special coating to leave the writing on the wall in advance. Then, after someone moved in, they used a matching agent to bring out the written words."

"And the lifespan of this agent is limited, so the blood writing disappeared."

Hearing this, a flash of understanding appeared in Consort Shu's beautiful eyes. She looked at Jiang Chen with admiration. "Your Majesty is wise! You saw through the secrets of those rebels so quickly. Yun'er admires you so much!"

Jiang Chen reached out and pinched her delicate nose, smiling. "Your little mouth is getting sweeter and sweeter. You coaxed me with just a few words."

As he spoke, he scanned the inner hall, and only after confirming that there were no overlooked clues did he retract his gaze. "Yun'er, it's getting late. Since the blood writing has disappeared, I'll send you to rest first."

"The Feng Chan Grand Ceremony will be held tomorrow, and all the civil and military officials will attend. You can't do without adequate rest."

Consort Shu was intelligent and perceptive, and she guessed that Jiang Chen still had other matters to attend to, so she didn't try to persuade him to stay, and nodded obediently.

Jiang Chen took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders. He led the Imperial Guards to escort Consort Shu safely to the spare bedroom and coaxed her to sleep.

It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky and he was sure that Consort Shu had fallen asleep that Jiang Chen quietly left.

Walking out of the palace.

Jiang Chen looked at the Imperial Guards outside, clad in armor and holding weapons, and said coldly, "If there is any more trouble tonight, you may go to the imperial prison and accept your punishment!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone trembled and knelt to acknowledge the order.

But Jiang Chen was still uneasy, so he left behind a team of hidden guards before returning to the council hall.

"Jing Yue, have you found any clues about the rebels?" Jiang Chen stood in the hall, his face heavy.

Jing Yue's expression was unsightly, and she said with shame, "Your Majesty, there are no clues yet... But the altar is being repaired as quickly as possible, and there have been no more problems."

"It's just that the temporary palace has been rather uneasy tonight. Many ministers and members of the royal family have reported that blood writing appeared in their rooms, scaring them greatly, and they have sought help from the Imperial Guards."

"In a short period of time, rumors have spread throughout the temporary palace, causing widespread panic."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen's lips curled into a cold smile.

He was not surprised by this result.

Mei Ruoying was a meticulous woman. Since she had taken action, she must have made thorough preparations and would not give up until she achieved her goal.

A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes, and Jiang Chen said in a deep voice, "Jing Yue, gather those who saw the blood writing. I have a way to dispel these rumors!"

"As for the gathering place, choose the area around the altar. It's large enough there for those who have been frightened out of their wits by the blood writing to see clearly what the so-called 'divine revelation' really is!"

"Also, get me some white jade powder and prepare a pot of water. I have a great use for them."

Jing Yue's cold and pretty face rarely showed a hint of confusion. She didn't understand what use the white jade powder and water could have, but she still did as she was told and went down to prepare.

About half an hour later.

Meng Qi, Xu Changqing, and other trusted aides who received the news each led their teams to the altar, where they joined up with the officials and members of the royal family gathered there.

At this time, stone slabs were arranged horizontally around the altar, and a bowl of milky white powder and a saucer of clear water were placed on the edge of each stone slab.

This strange scene surprised many ministers, who felt that Jiang Chen was being ridiculous and began to discuss it.

"Alas, why is His Majesty so frivolous? There is clearly a divine revelation, but he does not pay attention to it. Instead, he is messing around with these useless things. How absurd!"

"That's right. With the Feng Chan ceremony imminent, the altar was suddenly damaged, and blood writing appeared on the stone tablets and the walls of the temporary palace. This is Heaven expressing its dissatisfaction with His Majesty!"

"Now that rumors are rife and everyone is panicking... Is the court, which has just stabilized, about to fall into chaos again?"

Just as everyone was sighing, Jiang Chen appeared.

Surrounded by a group of Imperial Guards, he stepped onto the highest point of the altar and said with his hands behind his back, "My dear ministers, the reason why I issued a decree late at night to have you gather here is to expose the conspiracy of the rebels!"

"To let you see with your own eyes how the so-called blood writing actually appeared!"

Speaking of this, Jiang Chen raised his voice and said, word by word, "The so-called blood writing is just a small trick used by witches and shamans to swindle money!"

"They use some chemical substances that react with each other to fabricate miracles and deceive people!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar.

This blood writing was actually the work of rebels?

But could those rats who could only hide in the dark have such great ability?

Moreover, seeing is believing. They had all seen the blood writing appear with their own eyes and were certain that no one around them had done anything... Those blood writings could not have been man-made!

The crowd exchanged glances, then looked at Jiang Chen with suspicion.