The Rebirth of Li Fei: The Strongest Palace Fighting System

The emperor's eyes were deep, and his tone was full of majesty and compassion. He slowly said:

"Furthermore, while it's true that Ying'er hid something from you, it was wrong, but it happened for a reason and is excusable. Furthermore, Ying'er's daughter is already my promised daughter, and of noble status. How could she be unworthy of you? As a man, you should be more tolerant and not so narrow-minded."

Upon hearing this, Chen Si's face was filled with fear and regret. He kowtowed repeatedly to apologize:

"Your Majesty is telling you that I was impulsive and spoke without thinking, and I truly deserve death. I am willing to take the blame, and I only ask Your Majesty to show mercy and not implicate my family."

The emperor nodded slightly, and his tone softened a little:

"Considering that this is your first offense and you've already admitted your mistake, I won't pursue the matter any further. Ying'er, go get one hundred taels of silver from Su Peisheng later, go back and live a good life, and don't cause any more trouble."

At this point, the emperor paused, his eyes swept across the audience, and his tone became more serious:

"Furthermore, since what happened today is a private matter that Bi has agreed not to publicize, no one present is allowed to speak of it. The royal majesty cannot be violated. If this matter were to become known, it would undoubtedly affect the royal reputation. You must all be careful with your words and actions and avoid making mistakes."

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this. The emperor's words were as firm as gold; if disobeyed, the consequences would be disastrous.

The Emperor continued:

"Princess Qi, please take your two servants with you and leave. From now on, you must control your servants and don't let this kind of thing happen again."

"Yes, I obey your order. I will take my leave."

Afterwards, Guaerjia took Chen Si and Ying'er out of the hall.

Afterwards, the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly solemn, with only four of us left: me, the emperor, Ulanara, and Huanbi.

The emperor glared at Ulanara with a gaze as sharp as a torch, as if he wanted to see through all her inner calculations.

At this moment, Ulanara's face was pale, her eyes had lost their former luster, and the corners of her mouth trembled slightly, as if she was trying hard to control her emotions. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her veins bulged, revealing her inner struggle and unwillingness.

The emperor snorted coldly, his tone filled with unquestionable majesty:

"You were demoted from Empress to Imperial Noble Consort, a further two levels lower. I allowed you to continue living in Jingren Palace out of consideration for our past friendship and the fact that you are a relative of the Empress Dowager. But what about you? Now you're causing trouble again and again. Do you really think I'm blind and can't see?"

Upon hearing this, Ulanara's body trembled violently, tears welling up in her eyes, but she still managed to hold them back. She lowered her head, her voice choked with sobs and pleading:

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and give me another chance."

The emperor remained unmoved, his voice growing colder:

"Ulanara, what happened today has made me extremely disappointed in you. Demote me one level lower, to a concubine! If you do it again, I will demote you again until you behave yourself."

Upon hearing this, Ulanara's face instantly turned ashen. She raised her head, her eyes filled with despair and unwillingness, but she could only lower her head helplessly and whispered:

"Your Highness... obeys your order."

The Emperor turned his gaze towards me, his eyes filled with both reproach and expectation.

"Noble Concubine Li, you are now in charge of the harem. As the Vice Empress, you have a heavy responsibility. If you could have investigated and handled today's incident earlier, it wouldn't have become such a big deal, causing unrest in the harem."

I was startled and immediately knelt on the ground, saying in awe:

"I know I was wrong. I failed to notice and handle this matter in time. This is a dereliction of duty. Please punish me, Your Majesty. I will never make the same mistake again."

The Emperor looked at me, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. He knew full well that matters in the harem were complex and often prone to unexpected events. As the Vice Empress, even though I was in charge of the harem, it was impossible for me to be fully aware of everything and handle every matter promptly.

"That's all,"

The emperor sighed, his tone filled with a hint of helplessness and tolerance:

"Get up. Although you were negligent in your duties today, I will not pursue this matter, considering your diligent management of the harem. But you must remember that as the master of the harem, you must always remain vigilant and not take any disturbance lightly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generosity. I will keep this in mind and manage the harem even more diligently, never letting this happen again."

The Emperor nodded slightly, his eyes scanning the entire audience again, his tone filled with majesty and warning:

"Today's matter ends here. I hope everyone in the harem can take this as a warning, abide by their duties, and refrain from causing further trouble. Otherwise, I will not show any mercy."

As the Emperor finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall finally calmed. I know full well that while today's events have come to an end, the struggles within the harem will never cease. I must remain vigilant to navigate this treacherous landscape and protect all that I hold dear.

I saluted the emperor again and then slowly left the hall.

......

Xiao Tao frowned and said with an annoyed look:

"Your Majesty, every time we try to please the Emperor, the index only rises by 3 or 5 points. We put in so much effort, but this time it dropped by 15%. It's really not worth it. If we had known this, we shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter of Huanbi's life experience."

I sighed softly, a complex look flashing in my eyes:

"Yes, this incident was indeed beyond my expectations. But you also know that Zhen Huan holds a special place in the Emperor's heart. If she is touched upon this time, the Emperor will naturally be furious. However, Huanbi's life story was originally a card in my hand, and I originally planned to play it at the critical moment. I didn't expect Ulanara to expose this matter. In order to prevent Zhen Huan from returning to the palace, I had no choice but to take a risky move."

Xiao Tao still looked confused:

"But, Your Majesty, how did Huanbi's biological mother suddenly become Ying'er? They don't seem to be colluding with each other, so how did they work together so perfectly?"

I shook my head, a sneer appeared on the corner of my mouth:

"Zhen Huan is such a clever person, she'd anticipated this day would come. Back in the Zhen Mansion, the Emperor demoted her and conferred the title of Marquis on Huanbi. How could the Zhen family not be on guard? I think they must have planned this all along, just to prepare for today's situation. Once the truth is revealed, they'll stage this grand show and cover it up perfectly."

Xiao Tao frowned and thought, then asked in confusion:

"Your Majesty, if that's the case, why was Huanbi hesitant and unwilling to speak directly about Yin'er's matter? If she had just admitted it, wouldn't she be able to resolve the current dilemma more quickly?"

I shook my head slightly and explained:

"Huanbi has a deep obsession in her heart. She hopes that the tablet of her mother, He Mianmian, can be enshrined in the Zhen family's mourning hall. If she acknowledges Yin'er as her mother, it would mean that she would completely sever ties with He Mianmian and would never be able to realize this wish. Therefore, Huanbi would not easily use this trick unless it was absolutely necessary. The reason she hesitated today was also for this reason."