Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 23 Song Yi is injured
As the eunuch outside the door called out urgently, Jiang Lanye strode in and immediately saw Song Yi standing in the center of the courtyard, with three or four palace maids trying to restrain her.

Her frail body swayed precariously, as if she were about to collapse at any moment.

Jiang Lanye's pupils constricted, and he asked in a cold voice, "What are you doing?"

The palace maids were startled and quickly released her.

"See Your Majesty!"

The Empress Dowager suddenly stood up, looked at him and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, you have come at the right time. Consort Song spoke rudely and contradicted me. I was going to punish her, but she dared to disobey my orders."

After she finished speaking, she glanced coldly at Song Yi and sneered:
"Is this the person you've been favoring lately? They're getting more and more outrageous, not even putting me in their eyes!"

Jiang Lanye walked up to Song Yi, looked at her, and asked, "How are you?"

Song Yi remained silent.

Just as he was about to furrow his brow, Song Yi suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm, causing his whole body to sway violently.

She could barely stand, her vision blurred, and she nearly fainted.

If Jiang Lanye hadn't been supporting him, he probably would have fallen to the ground.

Jiang Lanye's expression changed drastically. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her into his embrace, and then coldly looked at the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager never expected that Jiang Lanye would look at her like that.

"Your Majesty, are you glaring at me? Or is it my fault?"

Jiang Lanye reached out and gently cupped the back of her head, his fingertips sinking slightly into her hair, letting her lean against him, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you, Mother, what mistake did Consort Song make that Your Majesty is so angry?"

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "All the palace servants in Yongfu Palace know that she spoke rudely and directly contradicted me. I wanted to punish her, but she still dared to resist."

"Speaking rudely?"

Jiang Lanye asked again, "What did she say?"

The Empress Dowager was speechless with anger.

"Your Majesty, I know you have never listened to me, but never before have we been at odds over a mere palace maid from the laundry department?"

She looked at the woman held in Jiang Lanye's arms with an ambiguous expression.

"Or is it that she looks too much like the deceased Consort Yun?"

Upon hearing the name Consort Yun, Jiang Lanye's already gloomy expression turned even colder, as if coated with a layer of frost, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

"Who said she was dead?"

The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow. "If she weren't dead, you would have found her long ago. Or did that vixen bewitch you with some kind of spell, making you still think about her even after she's been dead for three years!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, pointing at Song Yi and saying, "Just because she resembles Consort Yun, you're willing to disregard the bond between us, mother and son, for her sake?!"

Song Yi reached out and nervously clutched his dragon robe, feeling dizzy. He could hear the Empress Dowager's voice, but he couldn't understand what she was saying.

Jiang Lanye's voice was very calm, yet every word was clear to the Empress Dowager's ears.

"It's not because of her, but because you are not my mother."

The Empress Dowager was momentarily speechless.

"you"

For a moment she didn't know what to say, then she said, "Since that's the case, why don't you release her now? If I can't punish her today, where will my authority be?"

Jiang Lanye ignored him, only glancing down at Song Yi for a moment before speaking:
"I will punish Consort Song for her mistake on behalf of Mother, so there is no need for Mother to worry."

After saying that, he bent down and picked up Song Yi in front of everyone.

"Where are you going?!"

Jiang Lanye turned around without looking back and said, "Mother, please rest well."

He strode away, and the gates of Yongfu Palace were closed again.

Song Yi felt that she had used up too much energy and had been exposed to the sun for a long time. She was sweating a lot and had no strength left.

Jiang Lanye quickly carried her back and said to the palace maid, "Pour water."

He hesitated for a moment, wanting to pull down Song Yi's veil.

Song Yi struggled to open her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I don't want to drink water." Then, feeling a pain in her knee, she weakly said, "My knee..."

Jiang Lanye reached out and touched her, and Song Yi immediately let out a muffled groan in his arms.

Jiang Lanye curled her fingers, her eyes revealing an unreadable emotion.

"Lie down first, the imperial physician will be here soon."

Judging from this, the Empress Dowager must have been forced to kneel as punishment.

The imperial physician who rushed over was the same one who had bandaged Song Yi last time. This time, when he saw the cloth wrapped around his knees stained with blood, he gasped in shock.

"This"

Jiang Lanye ordered, "Take care of it for her."

"Yes, Lady, please bear with the pain."

His movements were slow. Because of the gushing blood, the white cloth was almost stuck to the flesh. As he slowly tore it open, more blood seeped out. Song Yi was in so much pain that he lost his voice and couldn't say a word.

He sighed helplessly and said, "This wound was deep and healed slowly, and now it's completely reopened, looking even worse than before."

Jiang Lanye stared intently at the bloody wound, recalling how Consort Yun, because of her gluttony, had gone to the imperial kitchen in the middle of the night to fry meatballs, only to have hot oil splatter on the back of her hand. When she returned to find him, she threw herself into his arms and cried.

He applied the finest ointments to Consort Yun, and she recovered completely in less than three days.

If it were her, she would probably have burst into tears by now.

She can't stand pain.

Song Yi gripped the bedsheets tightly, gasping for breath as he asked, "Imperial Physician, how much longer?"

The imperial physician was also nervous and said, "Please bear with it a little longer, my lady."

Song Yi was trembling all over.

She realized that as long as she stayed by Jiang Lanye's side, she would never have a good time.

First it was Consort Zhuang, then the Empress Dowager, and initially there was also Consort Xiao.

They all disliked being by Jiang Lanye's side.

Sometimes, excessive favor can lead to being ostracized.

Moreover, she received no favors whatsoever and was merely a lowly palace maid.

She couldn't bear Jiang Lanye's inexplicable concern, nor could she always stay by his side.

This time, she was in so much pain that she couldn't bear it anymore.

Song Yi nearly fainted. When the imperial physician got up, she felt as if she had been submerged in water and then pulled out, her clothes soaked with sweat.

The imperial physician prescribed some new ointments and gave them all to Xichun.

Xichun wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and quickly put them away.

After the imperial physician left, Jiang Lanye looked at her and asked, "Do you want to continue lying down?"

She shook her head, her voice still weak: "Sit up."

Seeing this, Xichun quickly went to help her.

But Jiang Lanye bent down and, with unusually slow movements, helped her up.

Song Yi sat on the edge of the bed, her heels resting on a low stool, staring directly at Jiang Lanye.

Jiang Lanye looked at her and said, "From now on, you don't have to go to anyone who comes to see you."

"His Majesty."

Before he could finish speaking, Song Yi suddenly called out to him.

Jiang Lanye paused, then said, "Go on."

"Please let me go back, I beg you."

Her lips trembled as she said those words.

(End of this chapter)