Quick Transmigration: The Charming Beauty Who Was Short-Lived and Alluring

As soon as she finished speaking, all eyes in the palace focused on Chu Yun, some with schadenfreude, some with sympathy, and so on.

Among the many gazes, one gaze made Chu Yun's scalp tingle slightly; that gaze came from the Empress Dowager.

Being watched by the Empress Dowager felt like being caught in a dense web. She was like a black spider climbing a wall, constantly weaving its web, waiting for the right moment to trap a passing moth, and then slowly pulling the web in until the moth was strangled to death.

Chu Yun was like that moth; she felt a clear threat, and her unease grew deeper. But she knew she couldn't act rashly, and she had no choice but to wait for the Empress Dowager to speak again.

"Consort Zhao, do you know your crime?" The Empress Dowager was too lazy to play mind games with Chu Yun and went straight to the point.

She looked at Chu Yun as if she were a harmless ant, as if she could crush her with a mere flick of her wrist.

The Empress Dowager's visitor was ill-intentioned, so Chu Yun had no choice but to raise her head and say, "Your Majesty, I do not know what crime I have committed. I humbly request Your Majesty to enlighten me."

Only then did the Empress Dowager see Chu Yun's face clearly. She sneered inwardly. That bastard Qi Jingheng had been the same for over twenty years, shallow-minded and only interested in things that didn't belong to him. Yet he had taken everything that once belonged to her son, including the Consort Zhao in front of her.

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager's disgust for Chu Yun intensified, as if Chu Yun were a traitor, and she wished she could get rid of Chu Yun immediately so that she would be out of sight and out of mind.

Qi Jingheng promoted Chu Yun, and the Empress Dowager then wanted to humiliate her.

Making Qi Jingheng lose face and dignity became almost the sole purpose for the Empress Dowager's survival.

"You don't know what crime you've committed? What a joke! Have you forgotten your place just because you've gained some favor?" the Empress Dowager said coldly.

Chu Yun's pupils contracted slightly. "Your Majesty, I dare not."

"The Emperor's judgment has gotten worse and worse. He's been spoiling this kind of person for a month. He's really clueless." The Empress Dowager's almost blunt insult made Chu Yun's eyes redden.

Seeing Chu Yun's face flushed red with humiliation, the Empress Dowager felt, for the first time in a long time, that she was alive and that the blood in her body was flowing. She continued her attack, "The Emperor has no children and is lonely in his presence, while you have monopolized the Emperor for nearly a month, delaying the continuation of the royal bloodline, without any intention of admonishing him. Isn't that a sign of being immoral and incompetent?"

That's nonsense. Qi Jingheng has had no children for many years. Besides the fact that he himself didn't want any, Consort Shu, Consort Xian, and the Empress Dowager also secretly put in a lot of effort.

The Empress Dowager wished Qi Jingheng would die childless, so how could she be angry over such a high-sounding reason? She was just using this as an excuse to cause trouble.

This reason proved very effective; it was a powerful accusation that Chu Yun, a mere concubine, was powerless to refute.

"I had no such intention," Chu Yun explained palely, caught in a dilemma.

As a concubine, how could she possibly control where Qi Jingheng stayed? Not only could she not control it, but neither could Consort Shu or Consort Xian.

"Even if you did it unintentionally, it is a fact that you have delayed the succession of the royal family. I hereby punish you by making you kneel for one hour every day for a month. In addition, you must copy the 'Rules for Women' ten times and carefully comprehend its principles," the Empress Dowager said.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness..." Chu Yun began with difficulty.

"Empress Dowager—" Chu Yun's words were interrupted by a man's voice from outside the hall, followed by the eunuch's announcement—"His Majesty has arrived."

Three voices rang out one after the other, very close together, yet everyone present could clearly distinguish who the male voice belonged to.

Then look at the figure appearing at the palace gate, who else could it be but Qi Jingheng?

He stood not far away, backlit, the twelve tassels on his crown swaying slightly. A while after he finished speaking, his personal attendant, Eunuch Gao, finally arrived. Judging from his appearance, it seemed that Qi Jingheng was concerned about something and hurried along, his steps so large that even Eunuch Gao was left behind.

But is that even possible? What could possibly be so urgent for an emperor? To the point of disregarding his dignity?

A terrifying thought crossed everyone's minds, and their gazes darted between Chu Yun and Qi Jingheng, their eyes filled with undisguised astonishment.

Even the Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment, but after she came to her senses, a feeling of satisfaction welled up inside her.

In the past, she would torment people, and Qi Jingheng would not make the slightest response, which frustrated the Empress Dowager. But this time, it seems that she has grasped Qi Jingheng's Achilles' heel.

If tormenting Consort Zhao could make Qi Jingheng feel heartache, she wouldn't mind increasing the punishment for Consort Zhao.

"Why has the Emperor come?" Because of the secret pleasure in her heart, the Empress Dowager's tone was less sarcastic than usual.

"Your subject has come to pay his respects to Your Majesty." Qi Jingheng stepped forward slowly and bowed.

"Your Majesty is very kind." The Empress Dowager smiled insincerely. "Your Majesty's arrival is just in time. I was just thinking about how to punish Consort Zhao. Since you have promoted her, you should also show some attitude after she made a mistake."

"I wonder what mistake Consort Zhao has made to anger the Empress Dowager?" Qi Jingheng's tone remained unchanged as he glanced at Chu Yun. Seeing her kneeling on the ground with her back straight, a sense of unease quickly swept through his heart.

Even though all of this was within his expectations, seeing Chu Yun humiliated and kneeling on the ground to accept the Empress Dowager's unfounded accusations still inevitably caused Qi Jingheng to feel a surge of resentment.

He could sense that Chu Yun was well cared for, and that she had not suffered any grievances since her birth. But today, she was being humiliated by the Empress Dowager under his schemes and surrounded by the people in the harem. How wronged she must be.

But there's no turning back now. When he pushed Chu Yun into front of everyone, it was already destined that she would have to suffer this injustice. To regret it now would be hypocritical and useless. Qi Jingheng could only shift his gaze away from Chu Yun.

His gaze was indifferent, as if he didn't care about Chu Yun at all.

Even though he felt heartbroken for Chu Yun, he did not stop pretending. The concubines were easy to fool, but the Empress Dowager was not so easily fooled.

To convince the Empress Dowager that he truly cared about Chu Yun, he rushed over, and now he's acting as if he doesn't care about her at all. The Empress Dowager will definitely overthink things. Clever people always tend to overthink. The Empress Dowager also harbors deep resentment towards him and is desperately trying to find his weakness. Blinded by her own biases, she will surely see Chu Yun as his Achilles' heel and try her best to suppress her. Only when the Empress Dowager makes a move will the harem be thrown into complete chaos, allowing him to make his next move.

The Empress Dowager repeated what she had just said, and finally asked, "Does the Emperor think Consort Zhao should be punished? And if so, how?"

Qi Jingheng said, "This matter cannot be entirely blamed on Consort Zhao. It was also my fault. Consort Zhao did make a mistake, but punishing her by making her kneel for a long time would damage the Empress's reputation. It would be better to exempt her from the kneeling punishment and have her copy the 'Rules for Women' twenty times as a warning to others."

The Empress Dowager gave Qi Jingheng a deep look, then smiled inexplicably. "Do as the Emperor says. I'm tired, you may all leave."

"Your Majesty is wise." Qi Jingheng bowed, concealing the darkness in his eyes.