Peach Blossom.

Before the new queen came, Si Yao could sleep until she woke up naturally and dress casually.

With a new queen, rules had to be set, such as getting up early and dressing formally. No matter the wind, frost, rain or snow, she had to go out at a fixed time every day and greet Zhaoyang Palace in the morning.

Early in the morning, Si Yao was awakened by his personal maid. As soon as he opened his eyes, he thought of all this and suddenly felt that life was very difficult.

Moreover, according to the new queen's order, she should wear the newly given colorful woven shoes today.

"Bring me those shoes." Si Yao said listlessly.

The maid Ruchun hurriedly opened the gift box given by the queen, took out the woven shoes, squatted down and skillfully put the shoes on Si Yao.

Unexpectedly, just as he put on the first one, Si Yao suddenly screamed.

Ruchun was startled and couldn't figure out what went wrong.

Outside the door, Meng Xue, who was playing with a bird, heard Si Yao's strange cry and hurried in.

"My feet... my feet..." Si Yao had a sad face and almost squeezed out tears.

"What's wrong with your feet?" Meng Xue had already walked to the bedside and ordered Ruchun: "Take them off quickly."

Ruchun hurriedly took off the woven shoes from Si Yao's feet.

When the shoes left his feet, Si Yao screamed again as if he had a cramp.

Meng Xue and several maids stared with wide eyes. Si Yao's toes were bleeding, as if two of them were cut at the same time.

"Show me those shoes!"

Meng Xue took the shoes from Ruchun, carefully inserted her fingers into them, and slowly moved them in bit by bit.

Sure enough, she felt a long and thin object stuck in the sole of her shoe. She pinched it with two fingers and pulled it out, only then did she see clearly that it was a very thick embroidery needle.

The eye of the embroidery needle still has thread on it, and the thread is connected to the sole of the shoe, so that the thick needle cannot be completely pulled out of the boot.

"Look..." Meng Xue held the needle in one hand and the boot in the other, and stretched them in front of Si Yao.

Si Yao saw the needle, which was the one commonly used to sew shoe soles. It was so thick. It was this needle that pierced her two toes at once. It was so painful.

"She didn't lose her memory... She's taking revenge on me..." Si Yao trembled, grabbed Meng Xue's arm, and asked in horror: "She's taking revenge on me, right?"

"Shh..." Meng Xue put her index finger to her lips and shook it gently.

Si Yao then remembered that the female doctor named Tian Le, who was ordered to help Meng Xue with her pregnancy, lived next door.

Meng Xue's belly was already very big. She slowly sat down next to Si Yao and whispered, "If she wanted to complain, she would have done it long ago, not until now..."

Si Yao lowered his head. Although what Meng Xue said made sense, he was still worried.

"Besides, she had a miscarriage, and the baby she lost was not the emperor's own flesh and blood. Even if the emperor knew about it, he might even credit you with it!" Meng Xue held Si Yao's hand and continued to comfort her.

Si Yao was still uneasy and said weakly, "But...we've had too many conflicts before...won't she torture me to death in the future?"

Meng Xue smiled and said, "Even if she was teasing you, it doesn't prove that her amnesia was fake. You both shared a husband, she was the principal wife, and you gave birth to the eldest son. It's completely understandable that she dislikes you."

Si Yao asked gloomily, "Did she lose her memory?"

"That's not important..." Meng Xue smiled and leaned close to Si Yao's ear. "I heard that the Emperor didn't stay overnight in Zhaoyang Palace on the night of the Empress's coronation ceremony. And last night, the Emperor went to Ziji Palace, but was forcibly taken away by the Empress, who demanded that the Emperor return to Xuanji Palace to live on his own. Do you know what this means?"

Si Yao was confused. She could understand what was being said, but she couldn't get the key point.

Meng Xue had always known that Si Yao was a bit of a blockhead, so she was very patient. "Think about it, the Queen herself doesn't want to sleep with the Emperor, but she also doesn't allow other concubines to sleep with her. Isn't that just to make sure the Emperor has no descendants?"

Si Yao suddenly realized, but was also shocked: "Jue... Juehou? She is also taking revenge on the emperor?"

Meng Xue nodded.

"Then why don't we expose her? Let her not become the queen! See how she can bully me again!" Si Yao curled his lips as if it was a given.

Meng Xue smiled and asked, "Do you have any evidence? It's entirely possible that she's physically unable to sleep with you. She might simply be jealous of others."

Si Yao was confused again.

Meng Xue held Si Yao's hand, leaned close to Si Yao's ear again, and whispered softly: "Your Majesty is no longer young. If you can't have children in the past few years, it will be even more impossible in a few years. By then... your eldest prince will be the only heir to the throne, and you will be the rightful empress dowager..."

Si Yao suddenly understood something: "Empress Dowager?"

Meng Xue nodded. "So, you have to be patient and endure it. Let them toss you around. Just wait for the final harvest..."

Si Yao couldn't help but smile as he listened, as if the needle wound on his foot wasn't so painful anymore.

Afterwards, Si Yao followed Meng Xue's arrangements and just said that he accidentally scratched his foot and asked Tian Le to come over and bandage it.

Meng Xue had the needle cut off from the woven shoes, checked them carefully again, and still asked Si Yao to put them on.

So Si Yao put on the newly given shoes as usual and came to Zhaoyang Palace to say good morning.

Xiaowan had been waiting in Zhaoyang Palace for a long time, but because Taoye had not yet gotten up, everyone else could only wait.

Si Yao just sat there waiting. While waiting, she vaguely felt that Zhang Xiaowan seemed to be unwell, and her feet kept shifting back and forth.

After waiting for a long time, Tao Ye finally came out.

Si Yao and Xiao Wan both stood up and bowed to welcome him.

"Oh? Why hasn't the imperial concubine come again?" Tao Ye sat down lazily, his eyes sweeping over the second concubine, seeming a little unhappy.

Without the Queen's permission, Si Yao and Xiao Wan could only stand.

Xiao Wan seemed to be more uncomfortable standing than sitting, but she quickly answered Tao Ye's question: "I think the Imperial Concubine is still ill and has no strength to do anything."

Tao Ye said calmly, "Even if she really couldn't come, she should have sent someone to tell me. She really doesn't take me seriously."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right..." Xiaowan agreed reluctantly.

Si Yao glanced at Xiaowan, and it seemed that Xiaowan's legs and feet were shaking.

Tao Ye took a leisurely sip of tea and continued, "It seems I'll have to trouble Lady Zhang to pass on a message to the Imperial Concubine, telling her to come tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll have to deal with her according to palace rules."

Xiaowan's face looked extremely ugly. She was just kicked out by the maid from Ziji Palace yesterday... Why did she have to go again today?

But she still gritted her teeth and accepted the task, "I obey your orders."

Tao Ye smiled slightly and praised: "Little Concubine's feet are so delicate, they look good in any shoes."

"The shoes were given to me by the Empress. They are beautiful." Although Xiaowan smiled, her smile was so uncomfortable that there were even beads of sweat on her forehead and behind her ears.

"If you like, I have a few pairs like this. I'll give them to you so you can wear them every day." Tao Ye said, and asked Xue Yi to go to the back to get them.

Xiaowan's face was almost turning green.

Tao Ye asked Si Yao again: "Do you like Sister Shufei's new shoes?"

"I like it, of course I like it." Si Yao looked at Xiaowan and couldn't help but become nervous.

Xue Yi had already taken out a few more pairs of shoes and handed them to the maid who followed Xiaowan.

Xiaowan had no choice but to thank him.

When they left Zhaoyang Palace after the meeting, Si Yao couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Xiao Wan, "Is there something wrong with your shoes?"

"What are you talking about, Concubine Shu? The shoes given by the Empress are of course excellent." Xiaowan just perfunctorily replied and hurriedly left holding the maid's hand.

Xiaowan had to go to Ziji Palace again, and she had a very difficult journey along the way.

Her feet were small, but not three-inch golden lotus. Yet Tao Ye insisted on giving her shoes that were even smaller than her feet, and even gave her so many pairs that she had to wear them every day...

Xiaowan remembered that Taoye's feet were much bigger than hers, so why were there so many small shoes in her dowry?

This was obviously intentional.

Looking at the pile of gift boxes in the arms of the two maids, Xiaowan was extremely worried. After only two hours of wearing them, her feet were already aching.

How can I wear such small shoes every day?

As we walked, the Ziji Palace was already in sight.

She looked at the Ziji Palace and thought silently, Tao Ye took Chen Ji away from here last night, how could Si Rong not be angry?

Then, why not let Si Rong solve the problem for her, perhaps killing two birds with one stone.

She then bravely walked into the Ziji Palace.

The eunuch guarding the gate stopped Xiao Wan and said, "The Imperial Concubine has ordered that Lady Zhang cannot enter."

"I'm here to deliver a message from the Empress. Who dares to stop me?" Xiaowan simply pushed the eunuch away and went straight inside.

In the yard, the maid Xiaoying had just walked out of the medicine decocting room and turned her head to see Xiaowan rushing in with two maids.

Xiaoying came over and asked impatiently, "Why are you here again?"

Zhang Xiaowan acted arrogant and said domineeringly, "The Empress has ordered that if the Imperial Concubine does not come to greet you tomorrow, she will be punished for disrespecting palace rules."

Xiaoying was furious when she heard this: "Whoever wants to go can go! Our princess is the true master of this palace and doesn't need to obey anyone else's orders!"

"Since the servants are so ignorant of the rules, I can only convey the Queen's decree to the Imperial Concubine in person." Xiaowan completely ignored Xiaoying's anger, pushed Xiaoying away, and was about to walk towards Sirong's room.

Xiaoying is eager to protect her master, so how could she allow Si Rong to suffer from such a ridiculous imperial decree?

She immediately grabbed Xiaowan's arm, pulled it in the opposite direction, and shouted, "Don't go!"

However, Xiaowan was pulled so hard that she took several steps back. The force was so great that she bumped into two maids, and all three of them, the master and the servant, were knocked down.

The gift boxes held by the two maids, along with the shoes inside, were all scattered on the floor.

The most exaggerated thing is that one of Xiaowan's shoes fell off when she fell.

Xiaowan fell to the ground, pointing at Xiaoying and scolding her harshly, "How dare you, you lowly servant! Do you know that these shoes are treasures from the Empress's dowry? How many lives can you afford to pay for them?"

Hearing Xiaowan say this, and remembering Taoye's smug look when she took Chen Ji away from Sirong's room last night, Xiaoying felt so angry that her teeth were itching.

"Sisters! Come here and step on them!" Xiaoying called all the maids doing odd jobs in the yard, and she was the first to jump over and step on those shoes hard.

Of course, the maids in Ziji Palace all listened to Xiaoying's command, so they came over together and trampled the shoes on the ground into a mess.

Xiaowan called out to her two maids to stop them, but looking at the chaotic scene in front of her, she couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

Amidst the noise, the door of the main hall was opened.

Si Rong appeared at the door wearing a cloak and asked coldly, "What are you doing?"