Chapter Four: You’re Not Angry Anymore, Are You?

Even Lin Yunya, the Virtuous Consort whose family stood equal to the Shen family, had never dared to confront the Empress so directly.

Though she, too, had long harbored resentment against the Empress.

Shen Fuyu’s face was a picture of innocence as she watched Jing Lanxi’s fury surge, her heart blooming with delight. Let it rise, let it rise! The Empress must not have eaten this morning; her anger is hardly satisfying.

“Is the Empress angry?” Shen Fuyu ignored Jing Lanxi’s darkening face, feigning remorse as she knelt. “I truly had no intention to offend. Is it possible that Her Majesty cannot forgive such a trivial matter?”

“Surely not? Is it possible that someone of your stature possesses such a narrow mind?”

Jing Lanxi’s anger was now barely contained. She spoke, “You are certainly skilled, Virtuous Consort. You commit an offense, I punish you, and somehow it becomes my fault?”

“Your Majesty, forgive me for being blunt, but as Empress, Mother of the Nation and exemplar for all women, you should be gentle and magnanimous, not quibble with minor figures like us. Are you not afraid people will say you are petty, unable to tolerate even a lowly consort?”

Her words seemed faultless.

Yet Jing Lanxi, Empress of the realm, was challenged openly by a newly arrived consort—a humiliation she could not swallow!

“Insolence! This is the Phoenix Hall, and I am the Empress—how dare you behave so brazenly!” Anyone would be infuriated by Shen Fuyu’s mocking tone, and even Jing Lanxi, whose composure was forged over years, found Shen Fuyu’s words hard to endure.

Go ahead, be angry! The quicker your fury rises, the faster I advance!

Jing Lanxi, eyes blazing, pointed at Shen Fuyu. “Punish her! Today, I will teach you what it means to be a proper consort!”

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”

All the consorts dropped to their knees, silently cursing Shen Fuyu. Who could have guessed she would be so audacious, daring to confront the Empress on her very first day and provoking such wrath? Surely, they too would suffer the fallout!

“I only meant well for the Empress!” Shen Fuyu, nimble as ever, dodged the two old matrons sent by the Empress, her eyes flashing with a new idea. “See, even our sisters urge you to calm down!”

What did this signify?

It meant you shouldn’t be angry, of course!

Absurd, isn’t it? Isn’t it infuriating?

Shen Fuyu reveled inwardly, continuing, “All the sisters agree with me—otherwise, why would they plead for you to quell your anger? Empress, I may speak plainly, but my words hold truth. If you insist on being angry, you will truly disappoint us!”

Now, all the consorts present were implicated.

“You all agree?” Jing Lanxi looked at the kneeling consorts. Those who once feared her scoldings now wore faces of hesitation. Jing Lanxi felt her authority as Empress challenged!

The consorts dared not utter a word, some even regretting kneeling. Originally, they sought to ease tensions, never expecting Shen Fuyu to drag them all into the fray!

How vexing!

Shen Fuyu was delighted—the fury she had provoked was nearly enough for her advancement.

“Empress, it is clear everyone shares this opinion.” Shen Fuyu declared solemnly, “And besides, I am the one who saved His Majesty; dare you punish me?”

Shen Fuyu, bold and unwavering, leaned on her merit. She called this ‘arguing by imperial decree’—even when the Emperor was exasperated by her, he still fetched her from the Cold Palace. What right did the Empress have to punish her? No matter how exalted, the Empress could never surpass the Emperor.

“Very well.” Jing Lanxi’s gaze was icy, as if suppressing a raging fire. “You are the Emperor’s savior, Virtuous Consort. I won’t quibble with you. But, little sister, be careful in the future—watch your tongue. This is not the Shen family. Not all words may be spoken here.”

Shen Fuyu shrugged. Indeed, palace women were nothing like the impatient girls outside who would chase her with raised voices at the slightest provocation. To push the Empress’s anger to its peak, she would have to do more.

“Your Majesty is right; some words ought not be spoken.” Shen Fuyu replied carelessly. “But I’ve always been open-hearted, and things slip out before I know it. Surely a magnanimous Empress won’t mind?”

Just as Jing Lanxi and the consorts were puzzled, Shen Fuyu posed a question to Jing Lanxi.

“For instance, last night when the Emperor was gravely ill, where was Your Majesty? Not at the Golden Throne Hall, but in your own chambers—what were you doing?” With a smile, she bowed slightly. “It’s getting late; I shall take my leave.”

With those words, Shen Fuyu strode away with Bai Lian, paying no heed to the chaos she left behind.

Jing Lanxi’s face alternated between pale and flushed, her fingers trembling within her sleeves. No… impossible, absolutely impossible! How could she know? Just an inconspicuous daughter of the Shen family, who happened to save Qin Zhiyi by chance. Jing Lanxi’s rage was suddenly replaced by panic. Reflecting on Shen Fuyu’s repeated provocations, everything seemed to fall into place.

Shen Fuyu… she must be the Emperor’s person.

“Everyone, withdraw.” Jing Lanxi’s expression gradually returned to calm, as if nothing had happened. “It’s getting late.”

Led by the Virtuous Consort, the assembled consorts exchanged glances, then departed with bows.

“Virtuous Consort, what do you make of today’s events…” Consort Sun was uncertain. The Empress’s temper was notorious; after witnessing her wrath, none in the harem dared defy her—until Shen Fuyu arrived, and everything changed.

“I am unsure myself.” Virtuous Consort pressed her lips, the memory of their confrontation still fresh. “But what the Virtuous Consort mentioned—last night…”

Everyone else was praying for the Emperor in the side hall of the Golden Throne, yet Jing Lanxi, who should have been present, shut herself away in her own palace. What could be more important than the Emperor’s wellbeing?

No one dared entertain the thought. Even Virtuous Consort, a distinguished daughter of the Lin family whose father and brother held high office, would not confront Jing Lanxi so directly.

Virtuous Consort could not fathom what gave Shen Fuyu the courage to speak so boldly to Jing Lanxi. With such formidable backing behind the Empress, even she avoided conflict. Was the Shen family not afraid?