The incident of Concubine Min being punished quickly spread throughout the harem. Everyone was somewhat surprised, as the Emperor had punished Nan Zhiyun for Concubine Min earlier in the day, and then punished Concubine Min herself in the evening. What was the strategy behind this?
In truth, Concubine Min had been quite favored recently. Most people in the harem knew why the Emperor favored her: it was simply because Concubine Min had always been at odds with Nan Zhiyun, and the Emperor was now humiliating Nan Zhiyun.
However, speaking of which, this Concubine Min was also foolish. Anyone with eyes in the harem could see that her favor was merely a way for the Emperor to shame Nan Zhiyun. Yet, she eagerly sought it, acting self-important and believing herself truly favored, strutting around with her chin held high.
During her time in favor, Concubine Min had offended many concubines. Now, in misfortune, she was kneeling in the imperial garden. Even though it was already night, quite a few people came to mock her.
In this imperial palace, the Emperor was the weather vane of the harem; the wind blew wherever he showed favor.
No matter how favored Concubine Min had been before, her future prospects were likely dim. Today, she had clearly angered the Emperor and earned his displeasure.
Moreover, the imperial garden was a place where many people passed through, not just the concubines but also palace servants. Concubine Min had always cared about her reputation, but this time, she had completely lost face. In short, her future days would not be easy.
"Sister, why did you insist on seeking displeasure from His Majesty? Look at your current state. You gained nothing and ended up in trouble. I heard that Consort Nan is quite ill this time. If she recovers, you might have to kneel for several days. You know His Majesty's methods. If Consort Nan truly doesn't wake up, you might not be able to stand for days." The one speaking now was Consort Chen.
Concubine Min dared not argue with her, but her expression betrayed her current mood.
"Why are you glaring at me, sister? These are His Majesty's orders." Consort Chen was like Concubine Min, both competitive and strong-willed. Before Concubine Min gained favor, Consort Chen was the most favored.
Oh, yes, this Consort Chen was the Consort Yun from the previous life...
Yu Jingchen was unaware of the minor incident in the imperial garden. After all, he was still in Yanjing Residence.
Although Nan Zhiyun had taken the medicine earlier, it had little effect. It was unclear whether the dosage was too high or what, but she later vomited it all out.
Yu Jingchen stayed by her side, his face so dark it seemed as if ink could drip from it.
Nan Zhiyun, whose small face had been pale earlier, was now flushed due to the persistent fever. Her entire body felt alarmingly hot.
The imperial physicians said that it was not solely due to the current injury but also because of what she had endured in the Ministry of Punishments. Moreover, the environment there was not good. Nan Zhiyun was in a state of high tension and fear, her mind suppressed and her emotions bottled up, leading to the high fever.
In this life, Yu Jingchen had not investigated what Nan Zhiyun had gone through in the Ministry of Punishments. He had known in his previous life, as the Ministry of Punishments would not dare to act rashly without his implicit consent. In the end, it seemed that most of it was his fault... For some reason, Yu Jingchen felt a sense of unease.