Quick Transmigration: Leisure

"Consort Shu, why aren't you giving up your seat for Consort Xian?"

Ye Ruilan spoke seriously, her words clear and concise, without any ambiguity.

"Me!" Xu Feiwei pointed at herself, her expression a mixture of resentment and disbelief.

"Hmph, we're of the same rank, why should I give way?"

Xia Youmi remained silent, glancing at the crowd.

The most perceptive Consort Lu had already begun gesturing to Consort Fang beside her to give up her seat. And so, one after another, except for Consort Liang and Consort Shu, everyone moved their seats.

Seeing that Consort Liang did not move, Consort Zhuang even sat down to the seat below her, determined to leave a seat empty.

The two men were held there, looking miserable. Consort Shu's palace servants had already quietly gone to fetch someone.

If people come to watch the show, that's fine; she doesn't mind making a big fuss.

Time passed by, and everyone drank several rounds of tea. Xia Youmi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly his mind was wandering far away.

Then a voice announced, "His Majesty has arrived!"

Consort Shu straightened up and rose to pay her respects along with the other consorts. Before the words of "rise" had even faded, she looked at Lian Shaoyuan with tearful eyes, appearing as if she had been wronged.

Lian Shaoyuan settled down, ignoring the burning gaze from his left. He spoke with great ease, "Consort Xian, what brings you to such a mood today?"

Everyone knew at that moment that something was about to happen.

It's likely that many people would be happy to see this happen.

Xia Youmi curtsied, wearing a polite fake smile, "Isn't there a good show we're going to watch together?"

"Oh?"

"Then tell me what kind of play it is?" Lian Shaoyuan asked sarcastically. If the various stewards of the harem were coerced by Xia Youmi and could not neglect her, then Lian Shaoyuan was the first one to be coerced.

They knew it very well.

"His Majesty!"

Consort Shu interrupted the conversation in a coquettish and dissatisfied tone. She had invited people over not to diminish her prestige!

But she didn't understand that the Xia family's influence was far beyond what she could compare to.

The Minister had more than one daughter, and the Censor had more than one relative by marriage. Civil officials wielded power, with their subordinates eyeing them covetously, many waiting to tear them apart and replace them. Military generals, on the other hand, risked their lives, and it was no ordinary person they could achieve merit and gain the respect of the people.

Therefore, both Consort Shu and the probing from behind were misled by Xia Youmi's low profile over the past few years.

"Your Majesty, I have never met Consort Xian before. During the morning greetings, I failed to react in time and made room for Consort Xian. It was my fault."

"Please don't blame me for my ignorance, elder sister."

Consort Shu was still quite shrewd; she reacted quickly, first characterizing today's conflict as stemming from unfamiliarity with the other person. Then she accused Xia Youmi of being a latecomer and disrespectful to the Noble Consort. Furthermore, she pointed out that Xia Youmi's arrogant demand for a seat from a concubine of the same rank upon entering was an act of taking advantage of her seniority.

However, Xia Youmi was the same age as her, probably only a few months older. Besides, as a former member of the Prince's residence who was granted a title earlier, his seniority was definitely superior to hers, so this kind of subtle sarcastic remarks wouldn't work.

If Consort Shu were valued by the male lead and genuinely favored, Xia Youmi wouldn't easily clashed with him or get involved in the main love-hate relationship. But now that she's been caught in the crossfire, it can be seen as catering to the interests of all parties involved.

"Your Majesty, it is clearly Consort Xian who is too domineering, standing there trying to force Consort Shu to submit!" Consort Liang stood up to speak up. She could no longer try to please someone she had already offended, so she would just push her to the brink.

"Oh? How did Consort Xian force them?" Lian Shaoyuan only regarded their palace intrigue as leisure and entertainment, but Xia Youmi could clearly see the interest in his eyes.

“This… Consort Xian…” Consort Liang was speechless.

It seemed that Xia Youmi hadn't done anything out of line from beginning to end. Although it was infuriating, it was the Imperial Concubine who spoke up, and it was Consort Lu who was the first to offer her a seat.

Consort Shu secretly rolled her eyes. She knew that Liang Xun was useless and couldn't even stand up for herself. She could only pretend to be innocent.

"It was my fault. Sister Liang was just being too outspoken. Please don't blame her, Your Majesty."

"Haha, I didn't mean to blame you!"

Lian Shaoyuan lightly put down his teacup, turned slightly, and observed the expressions of everyone present.

"Your Majesty," Ye Ruilan couldn't help but steer the conversation back to the present.

"Let's see what Consort Xian has to say."

"Very well, Consort Xian, you tell us. What's the show all this fuss about?"

Xia Youmi kept complaining in her heart. This male lead was such a dog. He didn't want to help either side, and he didn't want to see either side gain the upper hand.

In reality, he only wanted to incite conflict among various factions in order to consolidate his power.

"Shiyi, have you brought everyone along?"

"Yes!"

Xia Youmi didn't waste any time. He directly brought in all the witnesses involved in the withholding of allowances, arbitrary distribution of rewards, and smuggling of palace supplies, and they knelt down in the entire hall.

At first, Consort Shu didn't take it seriously and didn't realize that something was wrong.

It wasn't until she saw that all the stewards she had specifically looked after were on the list, and then she remembered that she had only been in charge of the palace for a month, that she realized it was targeting her again. She immediately glared at the palace maid beside her and accused her of incompetence.

Once all the witnesses were present, Xia Youmi gestured for Shi Rong to speak. Shi Rong stepped forward steadily, first bowing to her masters, and then began to explain herself.

"The Consort Xian devoted herself to painting, intending to present it to the Empress on her birthday. However, the commonly used pigments such as azurite and malachite have not yet been sent by the Imperial Household Department. When she sent palace servants to inquire, they were told that the pigments offered as tribute this year were insufficient."

Shi Rong left an opening for everyone to react.

By now, some of the managers had figured out how they'd been framed. How could they deduct paint from Tsutsukami Palace? And with such a clumsy excuse. Clearly, some of their subordinates were clueless and habitually used the same excuses.

The number of peaches offered as tribute was slightly lower than usual. How could there not be enough of this most common pigment?

Some people started to tremble, as if they were about to collapse.

"Since the Imperial Household Department has made such a statement, it seems they wouldn't dare to act on their own. Consort Xian didn't pursue the matter but continued to devote herself to researching alternatives. But who would have thought! She encountered an eunuch who wanted to ask someone to sell paint outside the palace, and coincidentally, the task was entrusted to someone from Jinzhu Palace who was going to buy paint." Shi Rong's tone changed, showing great potential as a storyteller, which made the unrelated people present listen with great interest.

"Then, the matter was reported to Consort Xian, who not only led everyone to seize many commonly used pigments, but also cinnabar and precious ultramarine, which are under strict control." Several palace servants involved in the transaction were very flustered and were about to defend themselves when Shi Yi ordered someone to cover their mouths.

We mustn't interrupt Shi Rong's narration!

The woman said that the emotional consistency of the testimony is very important, as it can directly affect the mood of onlookers.

"This matter is not merely about personal enrichment; if this unregistered pigment is used to harm others, then it will be impossible to prevent. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Consort Xian arrested all those involved and sent them to Consort Gui to await their judgment."

After speaking, Shi Rong kowtowed and withdrew.

Ultimately, it all boils down to greed.

Consort Shu had just seized power and was not yet able to win over the people, so she wanted to take the initiative to break the system of allowances and give them a warning.

The person in charge, not being involved in the matter, simply dealt with both sides perfunctorily.

Seeing the pile of good things that had been withheld, some people wanted to profit from it. They instigated the somewhat fickle palace maids of Consort Shu to divide up Consort Xian's share under the guise of rewards.

First came fruits and fabrics, then gold and silver jewelry. Finally, these seemingly insignificant pigments ignited a great fire, burning down to their respective brows.

at least,

Consort Shu was furious.