The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

The handkerchief that caused the trouble had long been put away by Empress Yan's order, and the guard who dropped the handkerchief was also temporarily detained. Empress Yan planned to deal with the matter after the birthday banquet.

Seeing that the emperor wanted it, Queen Yan asked someone to bring the handkerchief.

As a result, the emperor, under the gaze of the crowd, held the handkerchief and looked at it for a while, and suddenly said: "This stitch really looks like the hand of the imperial concubine."

Everyone in the hall was shocked.

Yu Sujin stood up and gently advised, "Your Majesty, the embroidery stitches are all similar. Today is Your Majesty's birthday, and I and others are waiting to wish Your Majesty a long life. How about we check these minor matters after the banquet?"

As a noble concubine, she held a respectable and high position, but the emperor didn't even look at her. He just smiled and said, "Until this matter is thoroughly investigated, my birthday will not be peaceful."

No one knew what the emperor was going to do.

Could it be that this was an excuse to punish the Imperial Noble Consort? Was the Imperial Noble Consort about to fall out of favor?

The emperor looked down at his seat and asked, "Just now, did anyone recognize the Imperial Concubine's stitches? I remember that the Imperial Concubine has given handkerchiefs to many of you before, right?"

The concubine who had taken out the handkerchief for comparison earlier stood up.

Out of nervousness or excitement, she trembled as she spoke, "Your Majesty, this handkerchief I'm wearing was given to me by the Imperial Noble Consort. I just compared the two, and although I don't know why, it's indeed very similar to the Imperial Noble Consort's... Your Majesty, please investigate and clear the Imperial Noble Consort's name!"

Someone started.

Some people continue to follow suit.

Fei Wan had been favored in the palace for a year, and finally she had fallen into decline. They were trying to take advantage of her illness to kill her. Only when she fell would there be a chance for someone else. No matter who got this opportunity, it was better than her being the only one in power.

As for Gu Shuer, her recklessness and her conflicts with everyone in the harem only made people think that she was not worth worrying about and would fall sooner or later.

Then, voices of doubt began to arise.

"I also have a handkerchief given by the Imperial Consort. Let me take a look... Oh, it really is a bit... a bit similar!"

"Let's ask the embroiderers in the Needlework Bureau's embroidery workshop to come and have a look. They are more familiar with embroidery and can see better than us."

"Even if this handkerchief was embroidered by the Imperial Concubine and given to the guards by her own hand, it wouldn't be a big deal. I've seen that team of inner palace guards. They've been staying near Concubine Shun's palace for a while now. The Imperial Concubine lives there and is under their protection. It's normal to reward them with a few handkerchiefs."

"How can that be normal! If a concubine wants to be praised, she can be rewarded with gold or silver, but how can she be rewarded with a handkerchief? Besides, the guard just said that it was a gift given to him by Consort Ling Zhaoyi during their private meeting. The love poem embroidered on it is so poignant and lingering that it makes one blush! What does it have to do with the Imperial Concubine?"

"Ah, can't it be... can't it be... that the Imperial Noble Consort and Ling Zhaoyi are both connected with this guard? Recently, Ling Zhaoyi has been visiting the Imperial Noble Consort all the time. I don't know what the two of them are doing, they're so mysterious..."

The topic became increasingly outrageous.

It's embarrassing to listen to.

Among the clan members, an elderly princess couldn't help but shout to stop them.

"This matter involves the inner chambers of the palace, so I cannot intervene. But please be careful with your words and remember your status. This is the imperial palace, and you are His Majesty's concubines. How can you be so rude as to gossip like common women and say such unbecoming words? How can you be so rude!"

After reprimanding the concubines, Princess Jingshu stood up and apologized to the emperor: "Your Majesty, please forgive me."

The emperor smiled and said, "That makes sense, it's not a crime. Come here——"

As he said this, he actually called the imperial guards to drag out all the concubines who had spoken just now.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I am only speaking freely as ordered. I am sharing my speculations, and I am not targeting anyone..."

"Your Majesty, please spare my life. I was clearly trying to comfort the Imperial Concubine!"

"Your Majesty, it was you who asked us that made us tell you, how..."

Seven or eight concubines were terrified.

They were just spreading rumors and talking nonsense, so how could the emperor turn against them so suddenly?

They cried out loudly for justice, and refused to leave the hall despite being dragged down.

The emperor smiled deeply, without showing any anger at all.

"The palace's habit of jumping on rumors and stirring up trouble should have been changed long ago. When things happened, you, as concubines, did not speak and act with caution and maintain your integrity. Instead, you fanned the flames for your own selfish interests, not caring about how big the situation would become. At my birthday banquet, you slandered my personally appointed Imperial Noble Consort based on nothing more than a handkerchief. Do you take me seriously? Where do you place the dignity of the royal family and the dignity of Daliang?!"

Several concubines burst into tears after being scolded.

The brave one defended himself, saying, "It was His Majesty who said the embroidery on the handkerchief resembled the Imperial Concubine's stitching... We concubines are dull and short-sighted, but, but we trusted His Majesty's judgment and were completely devoted to Him, so we made a mistake..."

The emperor laughed and said, "Who said you were mistaken? This stitching does look like the Imperial Concubine's. But so what? Just because it looks like it is a reason for you to follow suit and kick someone when they're down? Even if it was truly embroidered by the Imperial Concubine, and truly given to the guards by Concubine Ling Zhaoyi, and I truly saw it correctly, you should have tried your best to cover it up and preserve the dignity of the harem! But you didn't dissuade me, nor did you help Concubine Ling Zhaoyi to excuse herself. Instead, you pounced on me like flies, sniffing the scent of blood. What qualifications do you have to be my concubines and enjoy the comfortable food and clothing of the inner palace?"

These words left those people speechless.

His lips moved again and again, and he didn't know how to refute.

Everyone in the hall was also shocked.

Unexpectedly, the emperor gave such a reason.

Even if he himself has determined that he has done something dirty, others have to help him cover it up. What if they cover it up and he classifies them as dirty people and punishes them all?

What should the concubines do?

It's really a dilemma, you can't be right or wrong, I'm in a dilemma!

The emperor didn't care what the crowd thought. After scolding those people, he ordered: "Drag them away, give each of them thirty lashes, and send them to the Palace Administration Office. All of them will be demoted to commoners and await punishment!"

The wails of the concubines gradually faded away.

The rain, which had stopped for a while, began to fall again, hitting the ground and tiles, which made people feel annoyed and at a loss.

Everyone was originally attending a birthday party.

Even though the banquet was simple and a festive occasion, it was already strange to encounter guards attacking her halfway through. At this time, the emperor's punishment of the concubines was even more frightening, and no one knew what they would face next.

Especially since the emperor had a smile on his face the whole time, it was really scary to watch.

"His Majesty."

The person involved, Fei Wan, slowly stood up from his seat at this time.

He bowed to the emperor and thanked him.

"I am grateful to Your Majesty for punishing those who suspected me, but the incident has already happened. I still ask Your Majesty to send someone to investigate thoroughly and clear my name as soon as possible. And Ling Zhaoyi, she probably wants to know more than anyone why the guard said she gave the handkerchief."

The emperor looked at Fei Wan with a smile.

"Royal Consort, do you believe in Ling Zhaoyi's innocence?"

Fei Wan only felt that the emperor's eyes were different from usual, with a special glow in them, and she couldn't figure out what he was thinking for a moment.

This is weird.

She rarely failed to understand the emperor's intentions.