Among those present, only Noble Consort Qing had a slight connection with a medical family.
"Noble Consort Qing, do you still have anything to say?" Although the Empress Dowager didn't know why her son suddenly knew about the medicinal herbs, she just assumed it was a coincidence that he had read about them. Now the most important thing was to deal with Noble Consort Qing.
"No, it wasn't me. I didn't do it!" Noble Consort Qing immediately panicked and didn't care about her dignity anymore. She just knelt on the ground and kowtowed continuously. "Empress Dowager, I'm wronged, so wronged! It was... it was my personal maid who did it. I had no idea about all this."
And the maid beside her knew that her mistress was going to use her as a scapegoat. She didn't dodge either. Instead, she knelt on the ground and directly admitted the crime.
Si Junlin felt quite uncomfortable seeing that although it was clearly Noble Consort Qing who had done it, in the end, it was her personal maid who was to be punished. He stood up and was about to defend the maid. "Mother, I think that if the mistress hadn't given the order, this little maid wouldn't have done such a thing. Please make a wise judgment, Mother."
Who would have thought that as soon as his voice fell, the maid said, "This matter really has nothing to do with the mistress. I just couldn't stand your superiority. If you hadn't blocked the mistress's way, the mistress wouldn't just be a noble consort now."
"Enough. This matter was indeed the maid's own idea. Don't say any more. Drag the maid down and execute the punishment of beating with sticks." Since the Empress Dowager had given the order, with Si Junlin's current status, he couldn't say a word.
After everyone had dispersed, Su Wan'er accompanied Si Junlin back to the palace. Su Wan'er motioned for the maids and eunuchs to stand farther away. Then she whispered to Si Junlin, "Your Majesty, how was your experience today?"
Si Junlin looked at the bright moon in the sky and said with some emotion, "I've always been diligent and conscientious. I thought that under my governance, justice could be achieved in all matters in the world. But I never expected that right under my nose, in my own family affairs, I couldn't even ensure that criminals were brought to justice. It's really ridiculous." Saying this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"You're wrong. The hierarchical system has always existed, whether inside or outside the palace walls. Justice can never be truly achieved. The justice you see is just a superficial phenomenon." Su Wan'er also felt quite emotional. Maybe the saying that it's difficult for common people to speak in front of the emperor on the throne was exactly about such a situation.
Su Wan'er patted Si Junlin on the shoulder in a brotherly way and said to Si Junlin who was looking at the starry sky, "So, Your Majesty, after today's incident, you should be more careful with your concubines in the future. They're not as kind as they seem on the surface. They all wish to pull you down from the position of the empress and take your place."
Just as she was talking, a concubine came running from afar.
"Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty and the Empress." Both Su Wan'er and Si Junlin remembered that this was Concubine Xi, Nan Xier, Si Junlin's distant cousin who was deeply favored by the Empress Dowager.
When Su Wan'er was the empress, she had suffered a lot because of this concubine.
Si Junlin, however, looked gentle. In his memory, this distant cousin was quite docile.
Su Wan'er hated her to the core, but thinking about her current identity, Su Wan'er still put on an air of dignity. "Concubine Xi, the sun is so strong. Why aren't you resting in your palace? Aren't you afraid of getting sunburned?"
Concubine Xi replied meekly, "Your servant heard that the lotus flowers in the imperial garden are in full bloom recently. I want to pick some to make lotus cakes for Your Majesty to taste."
Su Wan'er pretended to be concerned. "It's so hot. Be careful not to get heatstroke. Just let the maids prepare it."
Concubine Xi immediately bowed to Su Wan'er. However, when she secretly glanced at Si Junlin, there was a provocative look in her eyes. Then, accompanied by her maids, she walked towards her own palace.
Si Junlin originally thought that Concubine Xi was a gentle and docile person, but that provocative look in her eyes made him realize that she was not as harmless as she seemed.
Sure enough, not long after Su Wan'er and he separated and he returned to the palace, Concubine Xi came.
Before the announcing maid had even finished her announcement, Concubine Xi barged in.
Si Junlin frowned slightly. After all, this was the Empress's palace. For Concubine Xi to barge in like this was obviously not to put the Empress in her eyes.
When had the title of the mother of the nation become so insignificant?
"Presumptuous!" Si Junlin instinctively shouted.
Concubine Xi sneered a few times and said disdainfully to Si Junlin, "Calling you the Empress is giving you face. Do you really think you're the Empress? Go and ask the people in the palace. Who would really regard you as the Empress?"
Si Junlin sneered. "Anyway, I still hold the power of the phoenix seal now. I'm the Empress, and I have the right to punish you."
How much had he neglected his own empress on weekdays that even the people in the palace had ignored the Empress to such an extent?
Even a little Concubine Xi dared to shout at the Empress like this?
Thinking of the way Su Wan'er had defended him, Si Junlin gritted his teeth and decided to help Su Wan'er regain some dignity to make up for his previous neglect of her. At the same time, it could also be regarded as a reward for her many times of defending him.
"How dare you?!" Seeing Si Junlin's serious expression, Concubine Xi suddenly panicked a little. But perhaps she was used to shouting at Su Wan'er on weekdays. Even at this moment, she still didn't believe that Su Wan'er really had the guts to punish her. After all, she had the Empress Dowager as her backer.
"Guards!" Since Si Junlin had made up his mind, there was no question of whether he dared or not.
At his order, the maids around him all stood up.
Concubine Xi's maids also stood up to defend her. The two groups of people confronted each other like this.
Concubine Xi wasn't stupid. While she let the maids she had brought confront Si Junlin's maids, she also sent her personal maid to invite the Empress Dowager.
"Good for you, Concubine Xi. On weekdays, you act recklessly relying on the Emperor's and the Empress Dowager's favor. Now you even dare to ignore the palace rules and offend your superior. Then... I won't tolerate your rudeness." He almost accidentally blurted out "I".
Concubine Xi said arrogantly, "If you have the ability, let the Emperor and the Empress Dowager defend you too. If you don't, don't act like an empress."
"Guards, arrest her. Whoever arrests her will be handsomely rewarded!" Si Junlin shouted loudly.
Immediately, the maids started to move.
The maids on Si Junlin's side wanted to arrest Concubine Xi, while the maids on Concubine Xi's side wanted to defend her. It was really in a complete mess.
Just at this moment, the big shot that Concubine Xi had invited arrived.
"The Empress Dowager is coming!" The shrill voice rang out, and the two groups of people temporarily stopped.