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It was found in Zhang Meiren's palace.
Hearing her name, Zhang Meiren was so shocked she almost couldn't react.
"Your Majesty, this concubine has nothing to do with it! I don't know why such a thing ended up in my palace!"
She hurried to kneel, her voice trembling as she begged for mercy.
Before the emperor could respond, a eunuch suddenly ran into the hall.
"Your Majesty, Yang Cairen's maidservant has confessed! She said she was instructed by Zhang Meiren."
At those words, Zhang Meiren collapsed onto the ground in desperation.
"Your Majesty! This concubine truly has nothing to do with it!" she cried.
Empress Qing turned coldly toward the eunuch.
"Bring Yang Cairen's servant, Suqin, here."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the eunuch answered, bowing before rushing out.
Soon after, Suqin was dragged into the hall, trembling so violently that she could barely kneel properly — she was practically lying on the floor.
"You said you were assigned by Zhang Meiren, correct?" Empress Qing asked coldly.
"Yes... Your Majesty," Suqin answered, her voice weak.
"Then why did you lie in front of everybody, including the emperor, before?" Empress Qing's voice turned even colder. "Do you not know that deceiving the emperor is a capital crime? It could lead to the death of your entire clan!"
Standing to the side, Mei Liang felt the show was getting more and more interesting.
The real culprit planned everything well, she thought. Even preparing such a backup plan... this person must be very smart.
"Then why did you lie before everyone — including the emperor?!"
Empress Qing's voice grew sharper, making the hall fall silent.
"Do you not know that deceiving the emperor is a capital crime? That your entire clan could be sentenced to death?"
Mei Liang, standing quietly to the side, watched with hidden amusement.
The show was only getting more interesting.
The real culprit had truly planned everything well — even preparing such a backup.
They must be very clever indeed, Mei Liang thought.
She stole a glance at the emperor.
His face remained calm, but his eyes glinted with boredom and contempt.
To him, these petty struggles must have seemed nothing but childish games.
In Mei Liang's heart, a cold thought surfaced: This emperor... he might not even blink if his own child were to die in front of him.
"Your Majesty, this servant had no choice but to do it!" Suqin wept.
"It was because Zhang Meiren bore a grudge against Mei Guiren — that's why she instructed me!"
Zhang Meiren, unable to control herself any longer, rushed at Suqin and slapped her across the face furiously.
"You dare slander me!" she screamed.
"When did I ever have a grudge against Mei Guiren?! What does she have that I would even be envious of?!"
Hearing those words, Mei Liang almost laughed in anger.
What does she mean by that?
Is she saying I have nothing good enough for her to envy?
But Mei Liang quickly reined in her emotions. Now was not the time to argue.
Emperor Xiang Longwei watched the scene unfold before him with cold, detached eyes, as if observing two clowns quarreling in a marketplace. Was this how women of his harem were supposed to behave? Like shrews fighting in the market?
Empress Qing finally came to her senses. Her heart trembled when she saw Zhang Meiren furiously assaulting Yang Cairen's servant, Sùqín.
"Quickly stop Zhang Meiren! For the face of this empress!" Empress Qing commanded sharply, her voice filled with fury.
For too long, she had indulged these women, allowing them to act without restraint. Today, they had crossed the line.
At her command, the Empress's maidservants, Yurou and Yulan, rushed forward and struggled to restrain Zhang Meiren. As for Sùqín — after suffering beatings from the eunuchs earlier — she was already clinging weakly to life. Now, with Zhang Meiren's assault, her body was broken, her breathing shallow.
The Empress turned a cold gaze on Zhang Meiren. "After this matter is settled, you will be punished severely," she said icily. "To raise your hand before the emperor and this empress... you show no respect for the laws of the palace!"
She then shouted to the eunuchs, "Take Yang Cairen servant away for treatment — quickly!"
But before the eunuchs could reach her, Sùqín, bloodied and broken, staggered to her feet. Her voice, hoarse yet desperate, rang out:
"Since no one believes me, I will prove my innocence!"
She pointed tremblingly at Zhang Meiren, her eyes burning with hatred.
"Zhang Meiren was the one who ordered everything! She tried to silence me because I spoke the truth!"
Before anyone could stop her, Sùqín rushed toward a marble pillar near Zhang Meiren and hurled herself against it with all her strength.
A sickening crack echoed through the hall. Blood splattered in every direction, staining the polished floors and spraying across the trembling concubines.
Zhang Meiren, standing closest, was drenched in blood.
With Sùqín's final words and her tragic death before everyone's eyes, there was no room left for doubt. Zhang Meiren's fate was sealed.
Mei Liang stood motionless, a faint tremor passing through her body.
It was not fear — but a cold remembrance of how her own family had once perished. She felt no pity for Sùqín. The girl had almost dragged her down with false accusations. Still, watching a life extinguished so brutally left a heavy feeling in her heart.
Some concubines screamed in terror, fleeing to the far side of the hall to escape the splattered blood.
In the silence that followed, Hui Guifei's voice broke out sharply:
"What an omen of bad luck!"
The hall instantly grew colder. The Empress's face darkened with rage.
"Shut your mouth, Noble Consort Hui!" she snapped. "No one will think you're mute if you choose to keep silent!"
Then she barked at the attendants, "Clean this up immediately! Do not stain the emperor's eyes!"
At that moment, Emperor Xiang Longwei rose from his seat, his voice low and chilling:
"Write the decree. Zhang Meiren has committed a grave crime, murdering an imperial heir. She is to be stripped of her title and demoted from an Eighth-Rank Meiren to a Tenth-Rank Guiren."
Emperor Xiang Longwei's face was expressionless as he spoke:
"From this day on, Zhang Meiren is to be locked within her palace. She will copy Buddhist scriptures daily, and have them delivered to the Empress's palace for inspection."
The hall was silent, the emperor's decree hanging heavily in the air.
Mei Liang lowered her eyes, hiding her thoughts.
She was not shocked that the blame had fallen on Zhang Meiren, but deep down, she knew the truth wasn't so simple.
The Zhang Meiren she had seen — reckless and simple-minded — could never have orchestrated something so careful and cruel.
The real culprit was someone far more dangerous, someone who knew how to sit quietly and strike when no one was watching.
Zhang Meiren... was merely a shield.
Since her rebirth, Mei Liang had made sure her Xiangting Auspicious Pavilion was tightly guarded, inspected every day without fail. She had learned, painfully, from the mistakes of her past life.
She felt a faint trace of pity for Zhang Meiren.
Punished for a crime she did not commit... yet pity alone would not move Mei Liang to intervene.
She had her own battles to fight. She was no saint.
Moreover, she had already learned from Cuiyu that Zhang Meiren came from a powerful family. Mei Liang had specifically investigated the backgrounds of the concubines, and knew well which families carried weight in court.
That was likely why the emperor had only demoted Zhang Meiren and placed her under house arrest, sparing her from the cold palace.
Yet even if she remained confined to her quarters, her future in the harem was already ruined.
She would likely never gain the emperor's favor again.
And her father, the Chief Censor — a powerful minister — must indeed hold great influence at court for Emperor Xiang Longwei to spare his daughter's life.
Yet even so, he would now be forced to draw back some of his power, offering sacrifice after sacrifice to appease the emperor. Otherwise, Emperor Xiang Longwei, who cared little for life or death, would have already cast Zhang Meiren into the cold palace without a second thought.
As Mei Liang lowered her eyes, the corners of her lips curved faintly.
In this palace, pity was a luxury no one could afford.
And the true mastermind?
Still hidden in the shadows, watching... waiting for their next move she will have to investigate once she gets back to her palace.