Chapter 38: Framing Her for Loss of Chastity

At this moment, inside the Jiaofang Palace of the Imperial Palace, Madam Chen knelt on the floor of the main hall, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath.

"Wuwuwu, Your Majesty, the Empress, you must seek justice for the Ji family!"

"Shen Ningyuan is morally corrupt and lost her virtue after marriage. She is carrying the seed of some wild man! With both human witnesses and physical evidence present, I implore you to severely punish that slut and give my son, who died on the battlefield, some dignity!"

Empress He Yunshu sat poised on the dais, looking down at Madam Chen, who was kneeling at the foot of the steps. Listening to her repeat "wild man" and "slut" over and over, the Empress’s brows furrowed and relaxed, then furrowed again, her eyes filled with nothing but disgust.

Since Madam Chen had entered, she had heard these filthy words no fewer than three times. The Ji family was supposed to be a household of scholars; how could they have taken in such a foul-mouthed woman? This was only her first meeting with Madam Chen, and she felt as though her ears had already been violated countless times. If it weren't for the fact that the Emperor couldn't be bothered with this matter, and that she wanted to use this opportunity to retaliate against Cui Jin, she would never have accepted such a messy situation.

Ji Zehai knelt beside Madam Chen. Seeing her weeping with snot and tears running down her face, completely disregarding her image, he felt absolute revulsion. Before they left, he had warned her to mind her image and behavior in front of the Imperial family and not to act like some boorish country shrew. Madam Chen had promised to behave, but the moment she stood before the Emperor, she began howling like a banshee. It had exhausted the Emperor’s patience so thoroughly that he tossed the matter to the Empress on the spot, using the excuse that "matters of the inner courtyard should be managed by the Empress." If Ji Zehai hadn't caught a glimpse of the impatience in the Emperor's eyes while cautiously looking up, he might have actually believed that excuse.

Thinking of this, Ji Zehai couldn't help but cough twice, signaling for Madam Chen to stop crying. Unexpectedly, Madam Chen mistook his cough for a sign that he thought her performance wasn't pathetic enough, so she wailed even louder.

"Wuwuwu, Your Majesty, the Empress! By taking such a harlot into our home, the Ji family has been played for fools!"

"Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for the Ji family, wuwuwu..."

Ji Zehai: "..."

The Empress: "."

Seeing that Madam Chen showed no signs of stopping her wailing, the Empress could no longer contain herself. She barked coldly, "Enough!"

Madam Chen was so startled that she choked off her sobs, looking up at the Empress with a trembling gaze. Ji Zehai hurriedly cupped his hands in apology, "Your Majesty, please forgive us. My wife is unrefined and has disturbed your peace."

The Empress realized she had lost her composure and softened her tone immediately. She said in a deep voice, "I shall judge for myself what is right and wrong. Madam Ji, stop your weeping."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this subject’s wife understands."

After that, Madam Chen didn't dare to continue, even her hiccups were stifled and cautious, for fear of accidentally making a sound and drawing the Empress's further disgust.

When Shen Ningyuan and Song Yan'er walked into the main hall, this was the strange, quiet scene that greeted them. The two exchanged a glance, seeing the same suspicion reflected in each other's eyes. Without looking around, they followed the palace attendant to the side of Madam Chen and Ji Zehai, then knelt down to perform a standard, respectful kowtow.

"This subject greets the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy eternal peace and good health!" they said in unison.

Hearing Shen Ningyuan’s voice, Madam Chen looked up and glared at her viciously. Today, she was determined to ruin this slut Shen Ningyuan’s reputation and send her packing back to the Shen family!

However, Shen Ningyuan had no time to spare for her gaze. Her attention was entirely fixed on the scorching stare coming from above. Ever since Shen Ningyuan entered the hall, Empress He Yunshu’s focus had been locked onto her, and it did not waver even as she and Song Yan'er remained on their knees for a long time.

As the minutes stretched on, their knees began to grow numb, yet the Empress showed no intention of letting them rise. Shen Ningyuan’s heart sank. She glanced at Song Yan'er with concern; she herself was fine, but Song Yan'er was pregnant, and she feared that prolonged kneeling would lead to complications.

Thinking of this, Shen Ningyuan spoke up, "Your Majesty, this subject has committed a fault. I beg for your forgiveness!"

Hearing her voice, the Empress finally composed her expression and asked in a cool, detached tone, "Tell me then, what fault have you committed?"

Shen Ningyuan looked up, her demeanor neither servile nor overbearing. "This subject failed to manage family affairs properly, allowing my father-in-law and mother-in-law to enter the palace rashly and disturb the peace of His Majesty and the Empress. It is this subject's error."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen immediately exploded. She pointed at Shen Ningyuan and cursed, "You slut! What do you mean by saying we disturbed the peace of His Majesty and the Empress? You are at death's door and still spouting nonsense—see if I don't tear that foul mouth of yours apart!"

"Madam Chen!" Empress He Yunshu, unable to tolerate it any longer, snapped coldly.

Only then did Madam Chen realize the Empress was truly angry. She clamped her mouth shut, not daring to utter another word.

Subsequently, He Yunshu turned her gaze to Ji Zehai. "Lord Ji! Next time you bring your wife into the palace, teach her the rules first so she doesn't make a laughingstock of herself!"

Ji Zehai was even more terrified and quickly kowtowed in supplication, "Your Majesty, please forgive us; this subject will certainly be more careful next time!"

Madam Chen also hunched her shoulders, not daring to draw a full breath.

Shen Ningyuan curled her lips in satisfaction. She had intentionally used those words to provoke Madam Chen, and as she expected, Madam Chen had lost her composure, instantly offending the Empress. By this point, He Yunshu had lost interest; she waved a hand impatiently at Ji Zehai and turned her gaze back to Shen Ningyuan.

"You two, rise," she said coolly.

Granted permission, Shen Ningyuan immediately helped Song Yan'er up, fearful that any mishap might occur. At this, He Yunshu turned her eyes to Song Yan'er and asked, "Why was it not the Lady of the Shen family who came to the palace today?"

Her tone was neither warm nor angry, revealing no emotion. Shen Ningyuan’s heart tightened. As expected, even after ten years, the Empress was still "keeping an eye" on her mother. No wonder her father had so resolutely opposed her mother's suggestion to enter the palace.

Sighing inwardly, Shen Ningyuan looked up and replied, "Returning to the Empress, my mother is unwell and is recuperating at home, so she did not accompany me to the palace."

"Hmph," the Empress let out a cold snort. "Even if your mother is unwell, it should not have been your sister-in-law accompanying you."

As she spoke, He Yunshu looked at Song Yan'er, her voice growing heavier. "I remember you. You are the younger sister of Consort Ying. Tell me, did you come to the palace today hoping to reminisce with your sister?"

Song Yan'er shook her head quickly. "Returning to the Empress, this subject is merely following the orders of my father-in-law and mother-in-law to accompany my sister-in-law to the palace. I had no other thoughts."

The answer was flawless.

He Yunshu scoffed again. "You may have had no thoughts, but I suspect that before long, Consort Ying will be coming to me to demand your presence!"

Song Yan'er remained silent, bowing her head and refusing to meet the Empress's gaze.

It was then that He Yunshu cut to the heart of the matter. She looked at Shen Ningyuan and demanded coldly, "Ji-Shen, your father-in-law and mother-in-law accuse you of losing your virtue after marriage, disregarding ethics and morality, and conceiving a child with a man other than your husband. With both human witnesses and physical evidence present, do you admit to this?"