Having transmigrated into a book, who would still want to be a secondary wife?

Consort Zhong felt an indescribable sense of defeat as she looked down at the Empress.

Although she used to be in the harem and her status was not as high as the empress's, she lived a very comfortable life because she was favored by the emperor.

Now, even the concubines around her who were no match for her can look down on her with disdain, which makes her feel extremely uncomfortable.

One wrong step leads to another, and it's all the Ling family's fault!

Why did the Ling family do this to them?!

"Your Majesty, all of this was done by the Ling family!"

At this moment, Consort Zhong no longer concealed anything. In order to protect the Ling family, she had taken full responsibility for all the crimes and had not implicated them.

She thought that after Prince Che married Ling Qian'er, the Ling family would do their best to help him, and Prince Che would definitely have a smooth life. It would be a very simple matter to help her get out of confinement.

Who would have thought that this would cause such a big mess? Ever since she learned that Chu Tianche had been taken away, she had been feeling uneasy.

She had long heard of the methods of the Dali Temple; there was nothing they couldn't investigate. Since they dared to take Prince Che away, they must have solid evidence!

Today, she had a eunuch bribe someone to eavesdrop on the news. After learning that Prince Che had been brought to the court, she had a bad feeling.

"The previous Peony Fairy was someone that Madam Ling instructed me to worship."

"I only knew that offering sacrifices to the Peony Fairy would make me more beautiful; I had no idea there were so many complications involved. I truly didn't mean to harm you!"

The Empress found Consort Zhong's explanation laughable.

"When I asked you before, you didn't mention Madam Ling. Now that the Ling family is your in-law, are you trying to shift all the blame onto them now that something has gone wrong?"

Consort Zhong cried with genuine emotion, "Your Majesty, I was deceived by Madam Ling!"

It was all my ignorance that led me to believe the Ling family were good people. I thought what happened before was just a mistake, but now I realize how wrong I was!

"I have not only harmed myself, but also Prince Che. I deserve to die, but Prince Che was implicated entirely because he listened to me. I beg Your Majesty, please help Prince Che!"

"Since it's all your fault, you should find a way to plead with the Emperor yourself."

The Empress completely ignored it. Her two sons almost lost their lives because of it, and Consort Zhong even wanted her to plead for them. It was a joke!

The other concubines also remained silent at this moment; they would not forgive Consort Zhong for what she had done.

Since the incident, Consort Duan has not appeared in public for some time. Everyone knows that she has been disfigured and has no face to face the Emperor, so naturally she does not want to see them again.

Everyone knew that although Consort Duan was the victim this time, she had no chance to make a comeback in the harem. Staying in the palace all day was no different from being in the cold palace.

The Empress escaped by sheer luck. If she had truly believed Consort Zhong back then, she would be the one in the Cold Palace now!

"Consort Zhong's plan is truly brilliant. She framed the Empress, and Prince Che then framed Prince Che and Prince Yun. Now she's asking the Empress for help to plead for them. I don't know how she even dared to ask!"

Song Ruozhen and Chu Muyao exchanged a silent glance. In the current situation, they were just juniors and naturally had no right to speak.

"Judging from Consort Zhong's appearance, the Dali Temple must have thoroughly investigated the matter and found that it was all Chu Tianche's doing!"

Chu Muyao gritted her teeth. In the past, she had addressed him as "Royal Brother," but now she was calling him by his full name.

This kind of person doesn't deserve to be treated as an older brother at all!

Song Ruozhen nodded slightly, "This matter has become such a big deal, it will be thoroughly investigated no matter what. Since Consort Zhong is in such a hurry, it is clear that everything has been exposed."

"I wonder how Father will deal with them?" Chu Muyao couldn't help but ask curiously.

Song Ruozhen thought about the Ling family's actions over the years, and they were simply too numerous to recount.

Now that Zhao Qian has been captured, their true colors have been revealed. Following the clues, they will surely uncover a great deal. If she is not mistaken, the Ling family will not survive.

As for Prince Che... after all, he is the Emperor's own son, and she doesn't know how he will be dealt with, but she is certain that the position of Crown Prince is out of reach for her in this lifetime.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has no desire to see me. I ask for nothing now, and it would be right for me to atone with my death. I only beg Your Majesty to spare him this time, considering that Prince Che is his own son!"

Consort Zhong kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Your Majesty, I beg you, please help me this once!"

She deeply regretted trusting the Ling family in the first place.

Mingming had said before that he didn't want to marry Ling Qian'er and didn't want to get involved in these matters at all, but she refused and insisted that he marry Ling Qian'er.

If I hadn't married her, everything would still be fine now, but now there's no turning back!

Just then, a eunuch from the Empress's palace rushed in to report the news from the court.

"Your Majesty, Prince Che has been stripped of his title of Prince today, demoted to Heir Apparent, and imprisoned for life!"

After these words were spoken, the room fell into a deathly silence.

You can hear the needle drop.

The crowd looked at each other, some even wondering if they had misheard!

"The Prince Che has actually been demoted to the position of Crown Prince?" Consort Gao found it hard to believe, after all, he was still the Emperor's son.

They all thought that the Emperor would forgive Chu Tianche for this reason, even though he had made a big mistake.

To be demoted to the position of heir apparent would be tantamount to severing the bond between father and son.

Consort Zhong's eyes widened. "No, impossible! How could the Emperor imprison him for life?"

To be imprisoned for life, confined to the Prince's mansion for the rest of his life, would mean he would be trapped and die, with no hope left for him.

The Empress's eyes changed slightly. Even she was shocked by this outcome, but it also showed that Prince Che had really made a huge mistake. If he hadn't committed such a terrible error, the Emperor wouldn't have done this!

"Prince Che is the Emperor's own son, how could he be so heartless?"

Consort Zhong cried out, as if she had suffered too much shock, and her whole body went into a frenzy, shaking her head wildly.

"No, no, His Majesty wouldn't be so heartless. There must be a mistake in the message that was sent back!"

The Empress looked coldly at Consort Zhong, "You have been harming people all along, and what the Emperor hates most is fratricide. In the end, it is because you are not satisfied that you have brought this upon yourselves!"

The selection of an heir has always been a sensitive issue.

The Emperor has shown no intention of establishing an heir to date. Even though everyone has some suspicions, they know better than anyone that this matter must not be brought to light.

Upon hearing this, Consort Zhong suddenly sneered, "I'm not satisfied? Your Majesty the Empress, Consort Gao, haven't you thought about that at all?"

She only has one son, Prince Che, so naturally she hopes that he can be valued by the Emperor. All these women in front of her are just pretending!

When Consort Gao heard that she had been mentioned, she said with disdain, "We are not as malicious as you, harming people everywhere! You deserve this result!"