The banquet was halfway through, but Feng Yinwan was nowhere to be seen. Ye Tinglan, looking at the empty seat beside him, couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Just as he was about to send Qi Xuan to look for her, a figure in crimson suddenly rushed into the hall.
"Bad news, bad news! The garden over there..."
"Insolent! To shout so loudly in front of the Emperor, what kind of decorum is this!"
The palace maid's voice, sharp as ever, berated the intruder. She glanced at the Emperor's expression, then continued, "Who are you, kneeling below? What crime do you commit by disturbing His Majesty's presence!"
"This servant is a maid to Miss Qin of Prince Mo's manor. I just passed by the royal garden at the back and heard a strange noise. I was startled and rushed here to report to His Majesty and the Empress."
Upon hearing this, the Empress narrowed her phoenix eyes. The maid looked somewhat familiar. She slowly spoke, "You said a strange noise? What kind of noise was it?"
Feise, with her lips pressed together, bowed her body lower. "This servant dares not speak rashly before His Majesty... What the situation is, His Majesty and Her Highness will know when they go to see."
"Audacious!"
Qin Rulian had already visited Kunhe Palace before. Seeing her hesitantly refusing to elaborate, the Empress could vaguely guess the situation.
Just as the palace maid was about to scold again, she was interrupted by the Empress.
"Your Majesty, today is the Spring Offering Ceremony. All matters should be handled with the utmost care. As I am feeling quite tipsy, why don't we go and see for ourselves? Perhaps it is an auspicious omen."
The Emperor, who had been displeased, immediately nodded. "As the Empress wishes."
Seeing that he had personally decreed it, everyone else also rose to follow. Ye Tinglan frowned, his gaze falling on Feise's slightly anxious figure, his thin lips silently tightening.
Feise led the way swiftly, and a grand procession made its way towards the garden.
They had expected some auspicious sign, but as they approached, they heard a woman's muffled cries. The Emperor's mouth immediately drooped.
Inside the pavilion, a man and a woman were entwined, their clothes half undone. The man was thrusting his hips with exertion, while the woman, pinned beneath him, let out seductive moans.
Even the most obtuse person present would be stunned by such a passionate scene. The Empress was clearly taken aback. With a silent shock, she sternly demanded,
"What is the meaning of this!"
Feise stood to the side, a subtle smirk playing on her lips. A sense of triumph surged within her.
She had worried the medicine might not be potent enough, so she had added a bit more. She hadn't expected Feng Yinwan, that slut, to be so uninhibited. It seemed she had worried unnecessarily.
Her eyes flickered, and she immediately knelt and rushed forward.
"Your Majesty, forgive me! Your Highness, forgive me! This servant was so frightened by the commotion that I lost my senses!"
"In broad daylight, who dares to act in such a manner? Today is the Spring Offering Ceremony. If the gods are angered by such filth, would that not be a betrayal of His Majesty and Her Highness's earnest prayers for the people..."
The Emperor's face had already turned ashen, and upon hearing this, his face flushed with extreme anger.
The Empress quickly stepped forward to appease him, but upon receiving a glance from Feise, she composed herself and spoke with authority.
"Wretched! To commit such a scandalous act is to treat palace rules as nothing and His Majesty's authority as a child's play!"
"This is treason and must not be tolerated! Seize them at once!"
The guards immediately stepped forward to apprehend the couple. Seeing her plan succeed, Feise let out a triumphant snort. Just as she was about to rush to tell Qin Rulian the good news, she turned around and realized Qin Rulian was no longer among the crowd, and she was confused.
Strange, where did Miss go?
It was such a satisfying sight to behold, and she wasn't here. What a pity.
Before she could even lament the missed opportunity, the Empress cried out in alarm, "This..."
Feise looked up at the sound and, at a glance, saw the woman's face. She was instantly stunned.
"How... how could this be!"
The one pinned beneath Zhao Si... was Qin Rulian!
She stared with wide eyes, her heart filled with an overwhelming fear. Meeting the Empress's fierce gaze, her body trembled violently.
Just as she was about to speak, a clear, lazy voice drifted down from above.
"Oh dear, isn't this Miss Qin?"
Feise trembled again at the sound and looked up in alarm, her eyes meeting Feng Yinwan's slightly curved red lips.
"What has happened here? How could Miss Qin be..."
She said this, covering her mouth as if in surprise, but the look in her eyes towards Qin Rulian was clearly laced with cold mockery.
Feise's face turned ashen.
How could this slut Feng Yinwan be here?!
And she was... unharmed?!
"You..."
She exclaimed in astonishment. Feng Yinwan lowered her eyes and glanced at her indifferently. "What about me, this Princess Consort?"
Realizing what she had done, Feise immediately raised her hand. "It was you! You harmed Miss!"
At her words, everyone's gaze instantly shifted towards them.
Seeing that she was resorting to desperate accusations, Feng Yinwan let out a cold scoff and straightened up.
"What nonsense is Feise spouting? This Princess Consort's dress was soiled by her stepsister. Fearing impropriety before the Emperor, she went to the side hall to change after the ceremony. She doesn't even know where Miss Qin is, so how could she have harmed her?"
"You're lying! You clearly..."
She almost blurted out that Qin Rulian had gone to lure someone, but realizing her mistake, she stopped herself.
Feng Yinwan raised an eyebrow. "Clearly what? This Princess Consort was in the side hall dealing with her clothes. The palace maids and eunuchs can all testify to this. As for Miss Qin, why is she here at this hour instead of at the banquet?"
"This..."
Feise was rendered speechless by the question. Her heart filled with malice, she lunged forward in desperation. "It was all your doing!"
Feng Yinwan, having foreseen her intention, subtly shifted her body and easily dodged. Feise, having lost her momentum, stumbled directly towards the Emperor. However, before she could even touch him, a guard kicked her away, sending her crashing to the ground.
The Empress's already somber expression became even more furious.
"Even now, you are causing trouble! Utterly audacious!"
Seeing Qin Rulian being held on the ground, her face still flushed, with half her chest exposed and moaning incessantly, the Empress's face darkened.
"Splash some water on her to wake her up!"
A bucket of cold water was poured directly over Qin Rulian's head. She let out a scream, and her consciousness returned somewhat.
As she dazedly opened her eyes, a cloak suddenly fell upon her. Realizing the situation, she immediately began to cry uncontrollably.
"Aunt, you must seek justice for me!"
Having already been extremely displeased with Qin Rulian for causing such a spectacle in front of everyone, the Empress questioned her.
"What exactly is going on!"
Zhao Si, still groggy, was glared at fiercely by Qin Rulian, who wished she could devour him alive.
"After the ceremony, I was returning to Ruiqing Palace, but as I passed by here, I was knocked unconscious and drugged... Aunt, this must be someone's scheme to frame me!"
She sobbed tearfully, her words falling upon Feng Yinwan's indifferent smile. Her grip on the cloak tightened, and her hatred surged to its peak.
She had intended to push Feng Yinwan, but somehow her vision had suddenly blurred, and when she woke up, she was in this state.
It must have been that slut Feng Yinwan. She had harmed her and now dared to show her face!